The Cozies by T L Fischer

The Legend of Operation Moonlight

5 stars

This was a charming and delightful illustrated tale of imagination.

I'm not totally sure about the intended audience.... everything about it screams young-to-mid-elementary school.... until you start reading. 

And then there's a lot that's going to go over a kid's head.

But it's engaging and hilarious.

Honestly, I think it may be best as a read-aloud.

Recommended.

(Received for review)

The Big Bad Fox by Benjamin Renner

3 stars
JF graphic novel

Um.... this is one of the weirdest books I've read so far this year.

That might be saying something.

This goofy graphic novel features a fox who is subsisting on turnips.  Why? Because no one is afraid of him.

In fact, the chickens beat him up.

So no chicken dinner for him.

Until the wolf convinces him he should steal some eggs...

hatch them...

fatten the chicks up....

THEN he'll have his chicken dinner, right?

You probably know where this is going.

And you're right.... mostly.

Anyway, bizarre in that way that kids just giggle and giggle and giggle at.  Boo, Mister, and MeiMei all enjoyed it.

(And as long as no one starts calling each other "fart face" I'm good with this.)

The humor is perhaps lost a little on adults, but it's still fun.

The Stratford Zoo Midnight Revue Presents...

by Ian Lendler

Okay first off, WHY ARE THERE NOT MORE OF THESE??

Because there need to be.

Seriously.

Overall-- Graphic novels about zoo animals performing Shakespeare after everyone has left the zoo?  What more could you want?!

Macbeth
5 stars
Oh my gosh, so funny!  I loved it.  Poor Macbeth just has to eat the king.... and anyone else who gets in his way.  Hilarious.

Romeo and Juliet
4 stars
Not as good as Macbeth, but really... it's Romeo and Juliet.. which is not as good as Macbeth.... so, yeah. (I loathe Romeo and Juliet, in all honesty.)
Romeo and Juliet are a rooster and a bear respectively which seems like it wouldn't work at all, but I promise it does.

Bottom line-- you need these in your life.  I don't care if you have kids or not, you NEED these.

All the Laughing Out Loud

I've talked about these before, I'm pretty sure.

Laugh-Out-Loud ..... Jokes for Kids by Rob Elliott

We've gotten a bunch of these for review and they are well-loved.

MeiMei seems to have just hit the sweet spot for them.... end of first-grade.  She reads them aloud to me and makes me text them to my dad.

Which seems only fair given the jokes he inflicts upon the rest of us.

Be aware that some of the titles are 2-in-1 style combos of other titles.   (For example, Ultimate is Awesome plus Road Trip.)

But seriously folks.

If you've got an elementary school kid in your life, you've got to try these.

I think they'd be really great for a reluctant reader.

Book Round-Up: World Record Edition part 2

Teddy Mars (series)
By Molly B Burnham

Book 1: Almost a World Record Breaker
received for review (though truth be told, we already had it checked out from the library when it came in the mail, lol)

I give this one 4 stars, Mister gave it more.  It is admittedly hilarious (the first couple of pages had me laughing aloud) but the parents (or more accurately their parenting style) made me bonkers.  It's not cute when a kid destroys someone else's stuff.  Just no.  (If the little brother had been 2 and not turning 5 that might have been one thing, but no.)

Ultimately I liked where it went and it was fun.  Mister loved it.  Boo enjoyed it too.  Good bet for the elementary school crowd.

Book 2: Almost a Winner
received for review

Again, Mister loved it, though he didn't think the description was very accurate and that annoyed him.  Again he said it was very funny.

He is now anxiously awaiting.....

Book 3: Almost an Outlaw

which isn't even in GoodReads yet.... so I'm thinking he'll be waiting a while.

Buzz Kill by William Goodspeed

3 stars
r- 2.5
copy received for review

What a goofy ride, lol.

I found this one amusing but ultimately just kind of not my thing.

Probably funnier for those who have worked in large corporate settings.  Or any setting where they had a "pointy-haired boss" really. :)

It does have some "first novel" ish issues-- like heavy-headed descriptions of every character when they are introduced-- but overall it's a fun story with fun characters.

Dad Is Fat by Jim Gaffigan

5 stars
book club book

Oh my gosh.

The laughter-induced tears, people!

I so enjoyed this book.  Having 5 kids myself, I could definitely relate... though how they do it in a tiny New York apartment is beyond me!  We have probably double that space and we feel like the walls are closing in!

Thankfully, I don't have the bedtime/sleep issues, and I absolutely disagree with him about Disney vacations... (we LOVE LOVE LOVE Disney vacations!!!)

But yes.  So much yes.

I wonder if my kids explain our family by saying "Five kids, Mormon" the way he always said "Six kids.  Catholic." lol

(Actually that's one thing I love about living in Utah.... it's not THAT weird to have 5 kids.)

Anyway, recommended.  Absolutely.  This is a perfect gift idea for any parent with a sense of humor on your Christmas list. :)

How to Quinoa by Tiffany Beveridge

Life Lessons from My Imaginary Well-Dressed Daughter

4 stars

Oh the snark.

Having had Quinoa brought to my attention by my friend Alyson, I lost an entire evening to the Pinterest board.... and knew I had to read the book.

I was not disappointed.

This book is a hilarious "self-help book" with useful tips on things like "respectable elaborate playdate themes", "improving your personal foodie status", "increasing your friendship drama", and "marketing yourself for top preschools".

There's also a list of Quinoa-approved names, hipster vocabulary, and the seven deadly sins of fashion.

Definitely worth a read if you appreciate some serious snark. :)

Harpo Speaks... About New York by Harpo Marx

3 stars
nonfiction/memoir

It feels pretty generous calling this a book, when really it's just a portion of the full memoir, but I did enjoy it. Sadly it's the closest my library has to the full Harpo Speaks.  (Possibly the actual book is what I'll get with the gift card I got for Christmas.)

I LOVE the Marx Brothers and this was an interesting snippet of what their life (specifically Harpo, of course) was like as children.  What a crazy household! lol

The introduction by E.L. Doctorow was interesting, but while I could see what he meant about Harpo being the Marx Brother all the kids related to growing up, that wasn't at all MY experience.  Harpo was always hilarious, but with my love of words it was always Groucho who reigned supreme.

That said, Groucho was ALWAYS talking, so he doesn't seem like as much of a mystery as Harpo does, making a memoir from Harpo's perspective all the more fascinating.

Merry Christmas Giggles for You

The Jedi Doth Return: Book Trailer

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

5 stars
r- 1?
re-read

Oh my gosh, I had forgotten how funny this book is.  Not that I'd forgotten it was amusing, but it's downright hilarious.

Set in the same universe as Fire Watch and Doomsday Book, this one is pure comedy as the historians race to find out exactly where the Bishop's Birdstump (a hideous example of Victorian art at it's worst) was when Coventry was bombed.

And to put back a cat.  Or not.

And fix the paradox they created.  Or did they?

If you read nothing else by Connie Willis, you should really read this one.

(If you read nothing else by Connie Willis, though, I may seriously have to question our friendship... and your sanity.)

Fast Women by Jennifer Crusie

4 stars
R- 3

Yeah, I know, it's another romance.  What is this blog coming too?

Thing is, this is really first and foremost a pretty awesome PI mystery.

And it's hilarious, which never hurts.

Yes, there's a romance, or two, or whatever, and that's a big part of it all, but the mystery is front and center too.

Overall, I enjoyed it.

Strange Bedpersons by Jennifer Crusie

3 stars
R- 3

This is kind of like Dharma and Greg.

Except it's not. lol

Remember my friend and our differing views on fluff?  This is another one from her.  Okay, technically she recommended the author, not necessarily this title.

Parts of this were completely hilarious.

The dinner party and fallout are FABULOUS.

And I love that someone finally points out to her that it's just hypocritical to support anything and everything radical but scorn someone who chooses a more traditional life.

Overall, not really my thing, but if you like your romance with a heaping side of humor, give this one a try.

The Lady Most Willing

by Julia Quinn, Eloisa James, and Connie Brockway

4 stars
R- 3.5

So, my friend and I have very different definitions of fluff.

Hers (which she reads on the treadmill mostly) tend to involve a love story and some humor.

Mine tend to involve murder.

But I finally caved and read this one.  And while it's not really my thing, it was pretty darn funny.

The first section is the best... it loses its way a little in the second and even more in the third.  In fact, I might have given it 5 stars if the third section had gone differently.

Think of it as Pride and Prejudice meets Seven Brides for Seven Brothers... except set in Scotland.

Overall, I found it really funny and worth the read, though a bit steamy for me.

Being Dead Is No Excuse by Gayden Metcalfe and Charlotte Hays

4 stars
The Official Southern Ladies Guide to Hosting the Perfect Funeral

This book is hilarious.  Like laugh-out-loud funny.

Part etiquette book, part cookbook, all humorous.

I would say "Southern Ladies" is a bit of a misnomer as it seems to be fairly specific to the Delta, but the closest I've gotten to the south is Baltimore/DC or San Antonio, whichever is closer.  So what do I know?

There are some editing/repetition issues.  For instance, the exact same recipe is in there twice, under two different names.

(Neither of which is what I've always called it.  Around here we just call 'em funeral potatoes.)

Overall though, definitely worth the read.  Funniest funeral guide you'll ever read.

I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar by Sharon Eliza Nichols

A Collection of Egregious Errors, Disconcerting Bloopers, and Other Linguistic Slip-ups

4 stars

Oh my.

As if we needed more proof that grammar is dying a slow and miserable death.

:)

This is an entertaining little collection of pictures of unfortunate signs, shirts, and more.

My only real complaint: some of the pictures are quite small and it was a pain to read the sign (or whatever) in the picture.

William Shakespeare's Star Wars by Ian Doescher

5 stars
copy received for review

Oh my gosh.

YOU MUST READ THIS.

Nevermind that it doesn't come out until July.  Mark you calendar.  Put it in your phone.  Whatever.

Just don't miss it.

This hilarious little volume combines Star Wars with Shakespeare brilliantly and you have to wonder why no one has done this before.  (Or maybe they have, but certainly not this well.)

This book only covers A New Hope, and the last lines leave me hoping (pun absolutely intended there) for a sequel.  Hoping, pleading, begging... yeah, I want a sequel.

Overall- fabulous.  Huge kudos to Ian Doescher and everybody at Quirk for putting out such a brilliant little book. :)

Who's On First by Bud Abbott, Lou Costello and John Martz

5 stars

This book is AWESOME.

Love it.

Loved hearing Mister read it aloud in his little "I'm learning to read" 5-year-old voice.

Too cute.  I should have video-taped it.  I really should have.

The illustrations are fabulous.

Totally recommended. :)

Dog Number 1, Dog Number 10 [and] I Dream of an Elephant by Ami Rubinger

Dogs:
4 stars
picture book

This is a great book for a story time.  Or for any child who loves a rhyme.  So, anyone I guess. ;)

The ending of each little couplet is left off, so that the child can supply the appropriate rhyming word.

This one is all about numbers, as each dog tells something about themselves and what number they are.

Elephant:
5 stars
picture book

Like Dog Number 1, Dog Number 10, I Dream of an Elephant leaves the ending rhyme off of each couplet for the kids to fill in, but I liked this one even better.

Each elephant is a different color.

But what rhymes with orange?!

Hilarious.

The end is also quite cute, wondering what the elephants dream about.


Bottom line- both highly recommended, especially for the early preschool crowd or storytimes.