Friends. Best Friends


My daughter and I recently checked out Gossie and Gertie by Olivier Dunrea. We fell in love with this book. Gossie and Gertie are friends. Best friends. Gossie is normally the leader in their friendship and isn't very happy when Gertie doesn't follow her lead. Dunrea has nailed pre-schoolers. It seems like eavesdropping on a couple of kids. The illustrations are simple but lovely and colourful.

There are several other books with Gossie and Gertie - Gossie; Ollie.

Vagabond Stars

There are some books you think might be a bit boring, but no! Vagabond Stars by Sandrow is the story of Yiddish theater, which evolved in the Jewish communities of Eastern Europe. Yiddish theater migrated to the US with the immigration of Eastern European Jews. Interestingly Americans took it back to Europe after the war. The stars and the history of the theater were fascinating and fun.

Two of my favourite stories were about Molly Picon, who wrote her own biography too. She became famous for her roles in comedies and was part of the group who travelled in Europe.

Boris Thomashefsky, who also happens to be the grandfather of Michael Tilson Thomas, was one of the biggest stars of Yiddish theater. I loved the story about a mistake, which let him watch his own death being mourned and to his satisfaction mourned in a big way.

Give it a try.

Convenient popcorn


Last night I polished off "A Good Yarn". Debbie Macomber wrote a novel last year called "Shop on Blossom Street". It was the story of a young woman who is opening a knitting/yarn shop and the women who join her first class. "A Good Yarn" is the sequel and features the shop owner Lynda and her sister and a new class of women. This is not great literature and the plot is a little too convient in spots. However I did enjoy the book and gobbled it down like a bowl of popcorn.

Short Reads

I have confessed in early entries to enjoying short reads these days. One I particularly enjoy is Mother Love by Pink Mum. This is an online newspaper column in the Times of London. Pink Mum and her companion are raising their young son together. It is the story of being a gay mum in the big city; although most of her stories could be about anyone with a young child in their middle age.

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/section/0,,18390,00.html