The Earth, My Butt,  and Other Big Round Things

 
Virginia Shreves lives in the perfect model family. Beautiful, overacheiving, destined for greatness all describe the Shreves family.... except Virginia.  Chubby Virginia is not the family's shining star, which doesn't leave her too happy about herself.  

However this year, right after her sister, Anais, goes to Africa with the Peace Corp,   cracks begin to show in the perfect Shreves family.   For Virginia it also means she can discover who she really is and how she can be happy in herself.

This funny teen novel is well written.  You can almost hear Virginia telling you about the events of this school year.  Author - Mackler has the right balance between humour and seriousness.  A great read!!

On the other hand I must admit to being disappointed in Away Laughing on a Fast Camel by Rennison.  This is the latest in the Angus, Thongs.... series.  I loved the first few, but they seem to be all the same anymore.  Georgia lusting after some boy.  Georgia creating more fabbity fab slang. Georgia being embarassed of her parents.  Not bad.  Just time for Georgia to try something new.

Hoarders of all things Asian  

 Lindsey Owyang got an excellent degree in literature and French, which makes her an overqualified receptionist at a vegan magazine.  She lives with her grandmother, Pau Pau, who she thinks she knows all about.  

 Lindsey is also looking for a good relationship, but is worried about men who are "hoarders of all things Asian."  She has categorized them because they want a little "china doll" not a person.  So she is not sure about Mike at work.  She checks him against her list of hoarder qualities and can't decide.

In The Dim Sum of All Things by Kim Wong Kelter, Lindsey has to learn who is a hoarder and who is not.  Also does she really know her grandmother, who might have had a life beyond being a grandmother.

The Keyes to a good book
 
Marian Keyes is one of my favourite chick lit authors and is almost too good for the category anymore.   A recent title is Sushi for Beginners.  Lisa is successful magazine editor, who will get to the top no matter who she has to step on.  Which make her demotion from London to start a magazine in Dublin quite a shock.  However in Dublin she meets other women who start to wear some of the edges off her veneer.  The story weaves together the stories of Lisa, Ashling and Clodagh and how they change each other's lives.
 
Check it out!!

Art should be fun


I have fallen in love with a new juvenile picture book Dan's Angel by Alexander Sturgis with picture by Lauren Child.

Dan wants to be a detective and visits a museum. He realizes that the stories tell a picture. Suddenly the angel from Fra Angelico's Annunciation comes out of the pictures to show him how to be a detective and read the symbols in the paintings.

Cool book!!!