Kid Konnection: All Kinds of Kisses

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. Today I'm going to review a cute little picture book that's a perfect gift idea for Valentine's Day.

Summary: There are all kinds of kisses... Cheep kisses. Moo kisses. Maaa kisses. Coo kisses... But the best kiss of all... Is Mommy's kiss goodnight. Sweet dreams, little one! Mommies and babies aren't the only ones who enjoy sharing kisses. All throughout the farm, animal families snuggle up with their little ones, offering them warmth and love. Following a mama bird on her journey back to the nest to give her own baby some special cuddles, Nancy Tafuri uses beautiful, inviting illustration to share how different creatures, from peeping ducks to mooing cows, show their love and affection in very similar ways. -- Little Brown

No matter how old my children get, I still love reading picture books with them. The problem is that Booking Daughter is long past the age where she wants to have a picture book read to her, and I realize that Booking Son isn't too far behind. However, I recently read a very sweet picture book with Booking Son (well, he actually read it to me) called ALL KINDS OF KISSES by Nancy Tafuri.

ALL KINDS OF KISSES is basically what the title says. It's a book about all sorts of kisses. ALL KINDS OF KISSES features various animals giving their special types of kisses to their little ones. For example, the chick receives a Cheep kiss from her mom and the piglet gets an Oink kiss from hers. The story ends with the child receiving his (or her) mommy's kiss good night before bed. 

ALL KINDS OF KISSES is a simple book, but I loved it for that very reason. There are just a few words per page so it's perfect for toddlers; however, it also has gorgeous illustrations which will appeal to some older children and adults. I think it's a perfect bedtime book, but I also like that it teaches younger children some common animal sounds.

I would be remiss if I didn't specifically talk about Nancy Tafuri's beautiful drawings. They really do make this book extra-special. The animals on the pages of ALL KINDS OF KISSES are almost over-sized, but I love how much detail they include. Nancy Tafuri is best known for her book HAVE YOU SEEN MY DUCKLING? which was a Caldecott Honor Book, but I have since discovered that we own quite a few of her delightful animal books.

ALL KINDS OF KISSES is a beautiful book and I'm sure the little ones in your life would love it. It's also a great gift idea for the upcoming Valentine's Day.

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too! 

Review: The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook

Summary: Dine like Draper and Drink like Sterling with More Than 70 Recipes from the Kitchens, Bars, and Restaurants Seen on Mad Men

Ever wish you could mix an Old Fashioned just the way Don Draper likes it? Or prepare Oysters Rockefeller and a martini the way they did fifty years ago at one of Roger Sterling’s favorite haunts, The Grand Central Oyster Bar? Ever wonder how Joan Harris manages to prepare a perfect crown roast in her tiny apartment kitchen? Or about the connection between Jackie Kennedy’s 1962 White House tour and Betty Draper’s Valentine’s Day room service order?

The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook serves up more than 70 recipes to satisfy a Mad Men appetite! From the tables of Manhattan’s most legendary restaurants and bars to the Drapers’ Around the World dinner, this book is your entrée to the culinary world of Man Men-era New York.

Packed with period detail, The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook provides invaluable historical and cultural context for the food and drink featured in the show, tips on throwing a successful ’60s cocktail party, and even a guide to favored Mad Men hangouts. Every recipe inside is authentic to the time.
Whether you’re planning a Mad Men-themed dinner party or just can’t get enough of the show itself, this is your essential resource, a guide to all foods and drinks Mad Men. So hang up your coat, pour yourself a cocktail, and get ready to dine like Draper and drink like Sterling with The Unofficial Mad Men Cookbook.

Includes a color photo insert of 16 dishes, plus additional black and white photos and other images of bars, restaurants, and food advertisements from the 1960s.

Sample Recipes:
* Playboy Whiskey Sour
* Sardi’s Steak Tartar
* Connie’s Waldorf Salad
* Sal’s Spaghetti and Meatballs
* Pat Nixon’s Date Nut Bread
* Lindy’s Cherry Cheesecake
-- Smart Pop Books

One of my guilty pleasures (besides reading) is watching the television series Mad Men. My husband and I are addicted to this show and I don't think I've missed a minute of this series. I truly think it's one of (if not the best) shows on television. It seems like I've been waiting forever for the new season and I'm definitely ready for it. So when I recently saw in Entertainment Weekly that the cast had begun filming again, I was positively giddy!

I provided all of that background about my love for the series Mad Men because it will help to explain why I'm reviewing the book that I am today. It's called THE UNOFFICIAL MAD MEN COOKBOOK: INSIDE THE KITCHENS, BARS, AND RESTAURANTS OF MAD MEN by Judy Gelman and Peter Zheutlin, and I have to say I thought it was a great concept... especially for big fans of Mad Men. Basically, THE UNOFFICIAL MAD MEN COOKBOOK is a cookbook filled with many of the recipes from foods served on the show; however, it's also so much more that. Each recipe includes a summary of the season and episode in which it appeared as well as a very detailed explanation of the recipe's origin.

THE UNOFFICIAL MAD MEN COOKBOOK is organized like a traditional cookbook. It is divided into the following chapters: Cocktails, Appetizers, Salads, Main Courses, and Desserts and Sweets; and it includes more than 70 recipes. Quite a few of the recipes appear courtesy of the restaurant in which they were featured on the show, but there are also some character favorites like Sally's French Toast and Betty's Turkey Tetrazzini. I also really liked the section at the end which provided a list of Mad Men haunts.

While I found many of the recipes to be interesting, I think my favorite thing about this cookbook is how it references the Mad Men characters and 1960s pop culture. It's apparent that the authors spent a great deal of time researching not only the show but also that time period. I was impressed that they even included some recipes from famous cookbooks from that time period such as the extremely popular Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Furthermore, I loved that they paid attention to even the smallest details. For example, they even went so far as to imagine what types of cookbooks the various characters would use.

I have to say that this cookbook helped fill the Mad Men void that I'm been experiencing ever since last season ended. I had a great time reading about the Mad Men scenes as well as the history of many of the restaurants. This might sound a little strange, but I'm actually considering throwing a Mad Men party and serving many of the recipes from this book. Wouldn't that be so much fun?

I highly recommend  THE UNOFFICIAL MAD MEN COOKBOOK for fans of Mad Men or readers who are interested in early 1960s culture. You will not want to miss out on this very fun (and very informative) cookbook.

You can follow the book on Twitter (@DineLikeDraper) and on Facebook.

Thanks to the author for providing a review copy of this cookbook.

Book Club Exchange: Hosting a May B. Book Club

I'd like to welcome back Caroline Starr Rose to Book Club Exchange, a feature on Booking Mama which highlights anything and everything book club-related! Ms. Starr Rose is the author of MAY B, a middle grade book written in verse. I absolutely loved this book (you can read my gushing review here) and I do think it would make the perfect book club pick for an early middle grade audience. I am very grateful that Ms. Starr Rose took the time from her busy tour schedule to share with you some of her ideas for a MAY B. book club.

Hosting a May B. Book Club

There are all sorts of ways to make history come alive for children. One way is to include historical fiction in your book club’s list of yearly reads. Below you’ll find some things you can do to make a discussion of May B., my historical verse novel, a memorable experience.

For the meeting before you discuss May B.:
• Agree or disagree? Who you are is based on what you can do. Have your readers explain why they feel the way they do.

• Introduce your readers to the May B. book trailer. Talk about the emotions and questions the trailer evokes. Ideally, this will spur interest in the story and get your readers ready to dig in!

Preparing for your meeting beforehand:
Be sure to download a free PDF version of May B.’s study guide. All of what I mention below is available there.

Book club day:
Here are a few ideas to spark the imaginations of your readers:

• Create your own soddy: 

In your meeting room, lay out four pieces of string measuring 20 feet, 16 feet, 20 feet, and 12.5 feet, making a rectangle with a door-sized opening at one side. This is the size of a typical sod house on the frontier. Imagine a family living together in this small space! Encourage your readers to sit in the “soddy” while having your discussion. This will serve as a reminder throughout your meeting how different pioneer lives were from our own.

• Watch a brief video on sod houses:

• Use discussion questions listed in the study guide (some samples follow):

1. May struggles with dyslexia. Before “listening” to her attempts to read, what were some clues that let you know she had trouble in school?

2. Once the Oblingers leave, May goes through a range of emotions. Pick three emotions she experiences and find passages to support them.

3. In your opinion, what poem represents May’s lowest point? Why?

• Show your readers May’s primer.

• Make a treat using sourdough starter. Send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the address below for free sourdough starter. Recipes can be found here: 

Oregon Trail Sourdough
P. O. Box 321
Jefferson, MD 21755 USA

• Compare and contrast: What things does May B. have in common with other frontier stories, such as Caddie Woodlawn, Little House on the Prairie, or Sarah, Plain and Tall? How is May B. different?

• Skype visit with the author: For any book club reading May B., I am happy to join you at the end of your meeting. If this is something you’d like to schedule, please email me: caroline AT caroline starr rose DOT com.

Happy reading!

*****
Caroline Starr Rose spent her childhood in the deserts of Saudi Arabia and New Mexico, camping at the Red Sea in one and eating red chile in the other. As a girl she danced ballet, raced through books by Laura Ingalls, and put on magic shows in a homemade cape. She graduated from the University of New Mexico and went on to teach both social studies and English in New Mexico, Florida, Virginia, and Louisiana. In her classroom, she worked to instill in her students a passion for books, the freedom to experiment with words, and a curiosity about the past. Visit her at carolinestarrrose.com. Or discover her on Facebook, Goodreads or her blog.

If you are interested in participating in a future Book Club Exchange, please contact me at bookingmama(at)gmail(dot)com.

Review: Red Ruby Heart in a Cold Blue Sea

Summary: A captivating debut, introducing a spirited young heroine coming of age in coastal Maine during the early 1960s. 

When her mother disappears during a weekend trip, Florine Gilham's idyllic childhood is turned upside down. Until then she'd been blissfully insulated by the rhythms of family life in small town Maine: watching from the granite cliffs above the sea for her father's lobster boat to come into port, making bread with her grandmother, and infiltrating the summer tourist camps with her friends. But with her mother gone, the heart falls out of Florine's life and she and her father are isolated as they struggle to manage their loss.

Both sustained and challenged by the advice and expectations of her family and neighbors, Florine grows up with her spirit intact. And when her father's past comes to call, she must accept that life won't ever be the same while keeping her mother vivid in her memories. With Fannie Flagg's humor and Elizabeth Strout's sense of place, this debut is an extraordinary snapshot of a bygone America through the eyes of an inspiring girl blazing her own path to womanhood. -- Viking

When I was looking for a book to read a few days ago, I decided to try RED RUBY HEART IN A COLD BLUE SEA by Morgan Callan Rogers. One of the reasons was because Caroline Leavitt, author of PICTURES OF YOU (a book I loved!), gave it very high praise calling it an "astonishing debut." However, it was also because the description of the novel referred to it as a coming-of-age story; and you know I can't resist a good one of those.

I liked RED RUBY HEART IN A COLD BLUE SEA, but I don't know if I had quite the same reaction that Ms. Leavitt did. It's one of those books that I enjoyed reading, but I don't think it will go down as one of my favorites of this year. Having said that, I do see the appeal of this story and I do think many readers will absolutely love it. In a nutshell, RED RUBY HEART IN A COLD BLUE SEA tells the story of Florine, a young girl whose mother leaves town for a weekend and never returns.

Without a doubt, I thought the best thing about this novel was the character of Florine. The story is told through Florine's eyes and I thought Ms. Callan Rogers captured her voice perfectly. In fact, the author created a very memorable character in Florine and she has remained in my thoughts long after finishing this novel. Naturally, Florine is a very complex young girl. She has lost her mother, whom she idolized, at a time when every girl could use some motherly guidance. She is also hurting and extremely bitter and she just doesn't know how to handle all of her pain and heartache. As a mom, my heart broke for her over and over again... even when she was a little difficult to like.

Another terrific character in this novel was Florine's grandmother Grand. She can actually be credited with providing the nurturing that Florine so desperately needed and she taught Florine some very valuable skills like baking bread and knitting. But most importantly, Grand gave Florine the strength to survive all of the pain in her life as well as the ability to still love.

RED RUBY HEART IN A COLD BLUE SEA takes place in a small Maine town and I most definitely appreciated the setting of the novel. The story takes place in the 1960s and I thought the author did a wonderful job of including details of this time period. However, I thought the one of the best things about this novel was how Ms. Callan Rogers brought the small Maine coastal town to life. Her descriptions of the rocks and ocean as well as the community were so vivid and real that they added an extra element to this story.

RED RUBY HEART IN A COLD BLUE SEA would make an interesting book club discussion pick. There is a reading guide available with ten thought-provoking questions. Some of the topics you might want to explore include love, loss, parent/child relationships, first love, and healing. Florine, as well as her parents, are fascinating characters, and I'm pretty sure most book clubs would enjoy dissecting their personalities and behaviors.

If you are a fan of coming-of-age stories, then I recommend RED RUBY HEART IN A COLD BLUE SEA. There is no doubt that Florine's journey will deeply touch your heart.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a copy of this novel.

Review: Home Front

Summary: In her bestselling novels Kristin Hannah has plumbed the depths of friendship, the loyalty of sisters, and the secrets mothers keep. Now, in her most emotionally powerful story yet, she explores the intimate landscape of a troubled marriage with this provocative and timely portrait of a husband and wife, in love and at war.

All marriages have a breaking point. All families have wounds. All wars have a cost. . . .

Like many couples, Michael and Jolene Zarkades have to face the pressures of everyday life---children, careers, bills, chores---even as their twelve-year marriage is falling apart. Then an unexpected deployment sends Jolene deep into harm’s way and leaves defense attorney Michael at home, unaccustomed to being a single parent to their two girls. As a mother, it agonizes Jolene to leave her family, but as a solider she has always understood the true meaning of duty. In her letters home, she paints a rose-colored version of her life on the front lines, shielding her family from the truth. But war will change Jolene in ways that none of them could have foreseen. When tragedy strikes, Michael must face his darkest fear and fight a battle of his own---for everything that matters to his family.

At once a profoundly honest look at modern marriage and a dramatic exploration of the toll war takes on an ordinary American family, Home Front is a story of love, loss, heroism, honor, and ultimately, hope.  -- St. Martin's Press 

Awhile back, I read a Kristin Hannah book called  WINTER GARDEN which I enjoyed very much -- you can read my review here. It was the first book that I had read by this author and I promised myself that I'd make an effort to read more of her novels. I appreciated the characters and the story, and I admit that it did tug on my heartstrings a bit. So it's now a year later, and Ms. Hannah's latest novel HOME FRONT is available. Based on the book's description, I had a feeling that I'd have a similar reaction to this book.

HOME FRONT tells the story of Jolene, a wife and mother of two who is suddenly deployed to Iraq to serve as a helicopter pilot. Jolene had a tough childhood and her devotion to the military was admirable. When Jolene joined the military at 18 years old, she had finally found a sense of belonging and her unit served as her "adopted" family. On one hand, she was anxious to serve her country because she felt an incredible sense of duty; however, on the other hand she had to leave her family for an entire year to face the front lines in a horrific war.

I'm sure it is a very difficult time for any family when a member has to leave to fight in a war, but Jolene's situation was especially dire. First of all, she was the mother of two daughters -- twelve and four years old -- and she was terrified that she might never return to see them grow up. Both girls desperately needed their mother, and it broke Jolene's heart to have to leave her tween daughter who would certainly be experiencing her fair share of change in the twelve months ahead. In addition, Jolene's husband Michael was dealing with some baggage of his own, namely the death of his father; and he wasn't exactly supportive of Jolene's obligation to the military. He was a very hands-off type of father and had no idea how much was involved in taking care of his two daughters. And to make things worse, Jolene and Michael's marriage was on the brink of disaster in the days prior to Jolene's deployment.

I was tempted to write another paragraph telling you what happens in the rest of the book (which is really the majority of the story); however, I think it's better if you experience Jolene and Michael's experiences without any teasers. Suffice it to say, that war is horrific and the damage it can do to both soldiers and their families is heartbreaking.

Ir probably goes without saying that HOME FRONT deals with some very heavy issues, and it wasn't exactly an easy read for me. That's not to say that Ms. Hannah's writing wasn't very good, because it was. I just had a hard time reading about the pain that this family experienced. As much as this story broke my heart (and made me tear up in quite a few places), I did appreciate how it explored so many universal themes of life including marriage, love, friendship, parenting, duty, and loss. And while the majority of us never have to experience what Jolene's family went though, I still think most readers will be able to relate to parts of these characters' lives.

HOME FRONT would make an excellent book club pick. There truly is so much to explore with the characters' relationships as well as their personal journeys. There is a reading guide available which touches upon many of the themes I mentioned earlier including marriage, love, and friendship. In addition to discussing the effects of war on families, you might also want to explore loss, grief, and healing.

As you can hopefully see, the messages in HOME FRONT are important ones, and I loved that this novel made me think about all of the sacrifices that soldiers and their families make for the rest of us.

Thanks to AuthorsOnTheWeb for providing a review copy of this novel.

Check out the video with helicopter pilot and mother, Warrant Officer Teresa Burgess, who was an advisor to Ms. Hannah for HOME FRONT:

Review: Defending Jacob

Summary: Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.

Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He’s his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own—between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive.

Award-winning author William Landay has written the consummate novel of an embattled family in crisis—a suspenseful, character-driven mystery that is also a spellbinding tale of guilt, betrayal, and the terrifying speed at which our lives can spin out of control. -- Delacorte Press

This is one of those days when I'm really happy that I started Mystery Mondays. For those of you who don't know, I began reviewing a mystery/suspense/thriller once a week in the hopes that I'd challenge myself to read more of this genre. I have always loved a good thriller and I found that I wasn't reading many of them anymore, so I figured a weekly post would kind of "force" me to read more. And it's because of Mystery Monday that I picked up DEFENDING JACOB by William Landay.

A few months ago, I received an advance copy of this novel and I found the cover to be rather interesting. Instead of a "typical" book cover, the cover of DEFENDING JACOB contains a letter from the publisher raving about the book. The back cover details their national marketing campaign. So basically, I picked up DEFENDING JACOB knowing next to nothing about this book... except that the reading experience compares to that of PRESUMED INNOCENT. When I read this, I swore that I wouldn't make the comparison, but honestly, I can't help it. DEFENDING JACOB provided me with almost the exact same punch to the stomach that PRESUMED INNOCENT did. And yes, I think this novel is every bit as suspenseful and entertaining!

I kind of like that I knew very little about DEFENDING JACOB when I first picked it up, so I hesitate to give too much away in my review. I think the publisher's summary that I included above is pretty decent and doesn't include any spoilers. In a nutshell, DEFENDING JACOB is Andy Barber's story about his teenage son Jacob being charged with the murder of a classmate. It also shows the lengths parents are willing to go to protect their child.

DEFENDING JACOB has, without a doubt, a very intriguing mystery that I absolutely devoured. And don't even get me started on the ending -- it blew me away! I thought I knew exactly where this book was going on multiple occasions, but boy was I wrong! DEFENDING JACOB had quite a few twists and turns and most of them were on the last few pages of the novel.

Despite loving the suspense aspects of DEFENDING JACOB, I also appreciated some of the subtler aspects of the story. First of all, I loved how the author told this story. The novel is written in Andy's voice, along with snippets of some of Andy's testimony; and I think Andy is a fantastic narrator. I felt as if Andy were a very authentic character and I found him to be fascinating given his past baggage as well the way how he handled the investigation and courtroom proceedings.

I also liked how DEFENDING JACOB explored a family in crisis. This novel explored so many aspects of family life -- from secrets, to high stress situations, to a failing marriage, to discovering that your child might not be who you thought he was. Maybe it's because I'm a mother of a middle-schooler, but this book affected me deeply -- much more so than most thrillers. And I absolutely love how it made me re-think things about my life and how I'd react to certain situations.

I highly recommend DEFENDING JACOB to readers who love suspense and legal thrillers. Beware, though, when you pick up this novel, you better have a few hours to spend reading it. It's one of those books that you can't put down.

Thanks to the publisher for sending a copy of this novel.

Mystery Mondays is a regular feature where I review all types of mystery books -- traditional mysteries, suspense/thrillers, and even cozies! Please feel free to share your thoughts on any recent mystery books that you've read.

Kid Konnection: Smile

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. Today I'm going to review a middle grade graphic novel that was especially pertinent in our household this week.

Summary:  Raina just wants to be a normal sixth grader. But one night after Girl Scouts she trips and falls, severely injuring her two front teeth, and what follows is a long and frustrating journey with on-again, off-again braces, surgery, embarrassing headgear, and even a retainer with fake teeth attached. And on top of all that, there's still more to deal with: a major earthquake, boy confusion, and friends who turn out to be not so friendly.

This coming-of-age true story is sure to resonate with anyone who has ever been in middle school, and especially those who have ever had a bit of their own dental drama. -- Scholastic

I decided that this week was the perfect time to read SMILE by Rayna Telgemeier. I have been meaning to read it ever since reading Sandy's review, but when Booking Daughter and I were cleaning out her book shelves this past week, I thought it was the perfect time. Booking Daughter got her braces this week and I wanted to see if she could relate to this book.

Booking Daughter read this book almost a year ago -- long before the reality of braces hit -- but she assured me that her story was nothing like the author's. Thank goodness for her that she couldn't relate to most of the dental aspects of this book. SMILE tells the true story of Raina, a tween girl who severely injures her front teeth after a fall. I know little to nothing about dental accidents, but it seemed to me that she had an especially tough journey to repair her smile. It took four and half very long years to fix Raina's teeth, and I was amazed by her strength and courage.

I just adored SMILE and thought it was a very sweet coming-of-age story for tween girls. I loved that Raina's story was presented in a graphic novel format because it just seemed ideal for her story and her character -- Raina grew up to be a successful and award winning illustrator. I admit that Raina's retelling of her dental procedures had me squirming and probably not as sympathetic to Booking Daughter's complaints as I might have been prior to reading about the author's issues, but I definitely became thankful for the little problems that I've had with my teeth over the years. I'm not sure I could have gone through what Raina did -- especially as a tween girl when I felt as if my every move was under a microscope.

While the story was certainly an interesting one, I think I most adored Raina and her spirit. SMILE covered four and a half painful years in Raina's life, but it was about more than just her journey to a beautiful smile. This book also showed how Raina dealt with other tween issues such as her family, mean girls, friends, school, gym class, acne, and boys! It also showed how Raina's family lived through the 1989 San Francisco Earthquake. And it's for these reasons that I think SMILE is such a special book. The author told her very unusual story, but she made it so that all tween girls can relate.

I loved SMILE -- probably even more so that Booking Daughter. I recommend it to all tween girls... and their moms!

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too!