Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

I Have to Sit Down

Home
Catholic
Ah’m a-splurgin’!

Ah’m a-splurgin’!

Last updated on: January 13, 2014 at 12:44 pm by Simcha Fisher

Ah’m a-splurgin’! 2014-01-13T12:44:18-05:00 Simcha Fisher

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

That’s what I said in my best Yosemite Sam voice to my daughter, as I grabbed a large bottle of hot sauce off the shelf at the supermarket, rather than our customary medium-sized bottle of hot sauce. Only problem was, it wasn’t my daughter. It was some stranger, who moved on quickly.

Anyway, I just went on a bit of a book-buying spree with some Amazon credits you lovely folks helped me earn by buying Amazon items through my link (and if you can’t see the blue ad on the right sidebar, you can find a quick link in the tab at the top of the blog, where it says “Shop Amazon here!“).

It’s mainly my eleven-year-old son who was looking for something to read. I think I may have picked some stuff that was a little young for him, but he will live (and his nine-year-old brother, who prone to settle for comic books, will definitely enjoy these). Here is what I ordered (note: the pictures may not neccessarily be from the same edition I’m linking to. I just chose what I thought was the best illustration of the book):

While Mrs. Coverlet Was Away

and Mrs. Coverlet’s Magicians

both by Mary Nash. Both of these are great reads, so weird and funny. Three siblings, the boy with the complicated conscience, the slightly prissy girl, and the nakedly awful little brother Theobold, nicknamed “The Toad,” find ways to subvert the tender care of their housekeeper, Mrs. Coverlet. I read these as a kid and they totally held up. Nice portrayal of realistic sibling relationships.

The Great Brain Is Back

by John Fitzgerald. This is the eighth in the wonderful Great Brain series, and I don’t think we’ve read this one yet. It does not appear to have been illustrated by Mercer Mayer, like the others, which is a shame. If you’re not familiar with the series, which tells of a Catholic family in Mormon Utah dealing with their intelligent, unscrupulous, money-grubbing son and his gullible younger brother, you should get a hold of them asap. Great for sneaking in a little history, too.

Arabel’s Raven

by Joan Aiken, illustrated by Quentin Blake Just tons of fun. I love anything by Joan Aiken. Here she is just enjoying herself as a storyteller, following the antics of a nice girl and her unreliable pet, with lighthearted stories told in a remarkably sophisticated literary style. Love how Aiken understands children, but doesn’t talk down to them.

Freddy and the Spaceship

by Walter R. Brooks, illustrated by Kurt Weise. I know I’ve gone on and on about the “Freddy the Pig” series. We’re slowly working our way through the lis t, and haven’t hit a dud yet. Great for reading aloud for all ages.

The Odious Ogre

by Norton Juster, illustrated by Jules Feiffer. Written and illustrated by the same guys who did The Phantom Tollbooth, which my kids loved to death, even though I often had to explain both sides of the puns. I actually heard this book was a bit of a disappointment, but even if it’s not quite as good as tollbooth, that’s still pretty good! I’ll let you know what we think.

I also ordered a few books for myself:

So Brave, Young and Handome

by Leif Enger. I read Peace Like a River and was blown away. It’s one of those fascinating writing styles that teeters on the brink of magical preciousness, but never quite topples over the edge, and takes you to some amazing places. Peace Like a River was so original and captivating, I’m really looking forward to this newish book by Enger.

Kristin Lavransdatter III: The Cross

by Sigrid Undset, translated by Tiina Nunnally. I will admit that I had only the shakiest grasp on the plot in about 40% of part II. The politics and the complicated family trees were just beyond me. But I have the general idea, and I totally got the emotional end of the story, and I gotta find out what happens to Kristin.

So! Thanks again for shopping through my Amazon links and helping me keep our bookshelves overflowing! What are you reading lately?

Uncategorized

books

Previous Post

January 10, 2014

The National Catholic Bioethics Center is kind of amazing

Next Post

January 14, 2014 At the Register: Mother Church says, "Yes, you may."

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Uncategorized

Select a Month November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010 November 2010 October 2010 September 2010 August 2010 July 2010 June 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who was Abraham's brother?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Isaac Jacob Lot Nahor