I’ll admit it — I read The Da Vinci Code, in hardback, and I LOVED IT! Sure it was like reading a Hollywood script and the timeline (among other things) was completely ridiculous. But I dig religious conspiracy theories, and grail legends are well…legendary…for a reason. Plus, it was Summer, so why not read something that has a cliffhanger at the end of every chapter?

But even better than a fun read, is a fun read that’s also well crafted. Those, dear friends, are hard to find. So here’s a little list for you all — a brand new carousel full of great reads for road trips, backyard hammocks, and days at the lake. I hope you find something you love amongst these treasures I love. And remember, anything you purchased by clicking on a link helps support this blog. Tak, and good reading!

The Care & Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls
Valorie Lee Schaefer

When I bought the kids second-hand American Girl dolls, the Dad of the teen who sold me the dolls said, “I warn you, this doll is a gateway drug.” He couldn’t have been more right, and by Christmas I was drowning in a stack of AG catalogs.

While the girls haven’t become AG users, they are big fans of American Girl’s line of books. In addition to the decently written historical novels, AG also offers a line of great growing-up advice books. This week what with all the flap about Miley Cyrus’ portrait by Annie Lebowitz for Vanity Fair, combined with the great discussion going in the comments on my post Why I’m not teaching Abstinence to my Kids, I thought I’d review a book about growing-up bodies.

American Girl’s The Care & Keeping of You: The Body Book for Girls is an excellent reference guide for a growing girl. Written in a simple, friendly style The Care & Keeping of You gives kids the details they long for in a way that communicates “it’s not gross, it’s your really cool body!” Author Valerie Scharfer covers the obvious concerns—zits, period, and bras (or the lack thereof)—as well as broader concepts about size, mind/body connection, and the way physical changes can effect emotions. Even things a grown up might think of as insignificant, like how to get gum out of your hair, get straight forward solutions,

The publisher says this book is for ages 9-12, and some of the information may be more than younger children want to know. For instance, there’s a pretty detailed cartoon/line-drawing illustration of a girl using a tampon, and girls in the drawings are pictured nude and anatomically correct. My oldest daughter needs a lot of reconnaissance before she moves into a new area, so we got her this book when she was 8 years old and started asking questions about ‘becoming a teenager.’ She had it for about an hour before she came bounding down the stair saying things like, “Mom, did you know you get you period about two years after your breast buds appear?” (No, actually, I did not. That would have been really helpful to know back in the day.) So far, she’s feeling really confident about the changes ahead, and proud of her growing body.

Other good books in this line include The Feelings Book: The Care & Keeping of Your Emotions, which pretty much saved our lives though the drama that was third grade; A Smart Girl’s Guide to Starting Middle School; and A Smart Girl’s Guide to Money. Today’s Flavor: Knowledge is Power.

All purchases made by clicking on a link or image above help support this website. Find more great reads at Magpie Suggests. Thanks you!

When I was a child, I found this book on my great grandmother’s shelf. The author wrote it for her goddaughter in 1924, and it is full of the games she and her 13 neighboring cousins played. I only had two cousins nearby, but we spent many a rainy day flipping back and forth through the book, scheming about what we would play when the clouds finally cleared.

The Daring Book for Girls is just such a book, updated for the modern girl. Filled with stories, facts, games, and activities, nearly any girl can find something to catch her fancy. The mechanical gal among us might use it to build a scooter. Someone on their way to camp might take it in the car to read up on female explorers, and then turn the page to figure out how to paddle the camp canoe. And just about any girl would want to know how to levitate a pal at a slumber party!

But don’t take my word for it. Here’s what a real, live girl has to say:

“This is the kind of book that you read while you are trying to do something new. I like the cool science experiments like the lemon-powered clock. My sister and I liked the jump rope songs and we learned new hand-clapping games. I also learned how to tie a bandana, how to run a lemonade stand, and how to make a sit-upon when we go camping.” (Eden, age nine)

Unlike reprinted ‘remember when’ books, author Miriam Peskowitz keeps things current by including items no vintage writer would have even considered for girls: science facts, sports how to’s, financial information, and things involving tools and pocketknives are peppered throughout the guide. The author also includes stories about women of color—like the espionage adventures of singer Josephine Baker, or the surprise discovery of Sara Culberson, a modern-day tribal princess of Sierra Leone. Other multi-cultural nods include the stories of ancient queens from around the world, how to tie a sari, and illustrations which include children of various skin colors. And The Daring Book for Girls sounds even better in Spanish: El Libro Aventurado para las Chicas!

One more added bonus…you can pick up a beautiful hard-bound copy for under twenty bucks!

This is just the kind of book a favored aunt would give her spunky niece. And aren’t you lucky—it’s here just in time to give a girl you love the gift of adventure this holiday season! (Click here to buy in English or in Spanish.)

This review is sponsored by MotherTalk. The reviewer did not recieve compensation for this review. Find my other weekly reviews at Magpie Suggests.

The Reincarnationist
M.J. Rose

The holidays are coming up and with all that stuff added to your to-do list, you’ll need a novel to escape into at the end of your busy. The Reincarnationist an international thriller by M.J. Rose, is the ideal book for your escapist reading.

The story follows photographer Josh Ryder and archeologist Gabrielle Chase as they track the hidden treasure that could unlock many secrets—including the answer to the question, “Is reincarnation real?” But as Josh slips in and out of his present day reality, and Gabrielle deals multiple personal threats, what once seemed like the simplest archeological dig quickly turns into a morass of danger and intrigue.

There’s a good size cast of characters in this book, and as most of them have more than one life to live, there are plenty of intriguing story lines to follow. (My favorite was the subplot involving artists and patrons in a very young New York City.) The reader also gets a two-for-one deal in the settings, as the stories move through ancient and modern Rome, as well as New York past and present. If you’ve traveled in either of those cities, you get the fun of saying “I’ve been there!” as the characters move through various historic landmarks.

Managing her large cast, M.J. Rose is a deft story teller and keeps us up to speed on all that is happening. Ms. Rose is no fool – the novel’s ending will make you long for a follow-up, say, maybe a nice little trilogy? And for her further marketing chops, check out The Reincarnationist’s blog which features posts of various phenomenon which will appeal to anyone harboring a past life as Xfiles fan. Rose’s professional site also has interesting information about her start as a self published author, which no doubt will appeal to some us aspiring blogger-writers.

Summary: A fast, intriguing read with an intriguing para-psychological plot.

This review is sponsored by MotherTalk. Click here to see their recommended reads. Click here for more suggestions by Magpie Girl.

Well my pretties, no review today due to a bad bad migraine. Here’s what I’ve got on my bedside table though, if you want to snoop around:
(click on the pic to order)

(fictionalized account of the first First Lady, Mary Todd Lincoln)

(more historical fiction about a can-do Boston gal during the WWI, clevery written by the author of The Bee Season)

(sent to me by Ragamuffin Diva…I haven’t finished it yet, but I like how the main character re-writes the lives of the saints…sort of like my saints and sinners collection!)

Hope one of these tickles your fancy. In the meantime…maybe someone should make a “no headache juju” shrine for me!

The Crafty Chica Collection: Beautiful Ideas for Crafts, Home Decorations and Shrines from the Queen of Latina Style
Kathy Cano Murilla

This week’s suggestion is the ever-useable The Crafty Chica Collection. This is a fun and fabulous ode to all things red, yellow, and glittery. I met Kathy at BlogHer 07, where she was on the arts and crafts panel. Her effervesant personality lit up the room as she encouraged us to go beyond the pink-and-chocolate-brown color combo trend and play with the colors of Latin heat. The general feel behind everything that Kathy creates is “have fun” and “use what you love.”

In the The Crafty Chica Collection, I especially like her idea for outdoor candle lanterns using tins from imported stewed tomatoes and Guatamala wedding beads. (I wear the set I found at a garage sale with some outfit almost every week – I’d have to hunt up more to make patio lights!) The crafty Chica Collection, or Kathy’s new book Crafty Chica’s Art de la Soul will give you lots of visual ideas for our next Creativity Challenge – matchbox shrines! You can find lots of free project ideas at Kathy’s super helpful website.

Hmm….I think I need to go buy the Mexican Folk Art Coloring Book and some glitter….

A month ago, our camera died. It was a Fujifilm Finepix E550. The flash was terrible; it took poor pictures in low light. It used a special USB cord that we lost. On the positive side, it had good custom control options so that we could take pictures on manual settings. It good lighting it was great, with nice picture quality. But then, on vacation the lens stopped working. It would make a horrible grinding sound, but not move. Luckily, we also had Eden’s Sony with us, so we were able to still take photos.

All of that is to say that we’re in the market for a new digital camera, and I’d like your best suggestions. Here’s what we want:

• Point and Shoot, not a fancy SLR-type
• Good flash so it can take good pictures indoors
• Nice color photos
• Small size
• SD memory card support
• Normal USB cable
• Preferable 4x or better optical zoom
• Easy custom controls (manual exposure, timed exposures, etc.)
• Nice LCD
• standard battery preferred (AA or AAA) rather than expensive proprietary battery
• Inexpensive :)

If you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments. Thank you!

The War of Art
Steven Pressfield

“If you find yourself asking yourself (and your friends), “Am I really a writer? Am I really an artist?” chances are you are. The counterfeit innovator is wildly self-confident. The real one is scared to death.”
-p. 39

Living the artist life is hard. No one gives you a business card and a plaque on the door to help you feel official. There’s not a regularly salary. It comes with no overtime pay.

While we artists may turn up our noses at bourgeois needs like a pay raise and a corner office, the reality is that in our culture these things convey value. They tell us and others that we are legitimate–that we have a license to practice art, that someone has given us permission. In short, cash and clout confirm that we have cajones.

Without these cultural permission givers, artists often find themselves adrift and never progress professionally. Steven Pressfield would like us all to please, knock it off.

The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Inner Creative Battles takes the rose colored lenses off our romantic notion of what it means to be a writer/painter/poet/etc and gets us all prepped for battle. What are we fighting? Resistance, mostly –our most prevalent foe. In this pithy book, Pressfield teaches us how to move beyond being amateurs. More than any other book, The War of Art taught me to become a professional artist.

Go ahead, get your marching orders.

All of Magpie Girl’s reviews and recommendations are now available in one convenient spot. Click!

Now that I have a digital recorder I’m going gaga making soundscapes, audio essays, and interviews. In one such interview, Eden chatted with me about living the artist’s life — specifically about quality control, mass production (pro or con?), and pricing your artwork for sale. There’s some really helpful stuff in there.

By the way, Eden is nine.

Listen to Eden on Art

It’s a little bit of a rough recording because I don’t know how to edit properly yet, but hang in through the not-too-long slower bits to catch Eden’s pearls of wisdom. In the recording I mention this product and this event, and Eden talks about my vintage collection which you can find here. Also, as a nice little tie-in I’m reviewing the band you hear at the end of the podcast in my weekly review over here. Happy listenting!

P.s. I’m a little shy about posting these podcasts, so if you feel like commenting it would go be ever so encouraging. And I promise to learn how to edit soon!

Re-posted from my site the parenting advice-o-pedia, Minti.

So this morning I was going to write some advice down about dealing with the morning get-to-school rush, when my own cleverly orchestrated morning came crashing to a complete stop. Cate wanted to wear a dress that was slit up to her waist (the slit had torn to immodest proportions.) When I said she had to pick something else, it turned into a full blown tempter tantrum complete with “I wish you were not my mother!!!” and “I wish I’d never been born.” This was followed by her older sister waking up and immediately crying because, “There is no peace in this house and I need a peaceful morning to get centered!!!”

Needless to say, my girls are emotional.

Because I’m the proud mother of a couple of psychic-sponges, I’ve amassed a lovely collection of picture books that help children deal with emotions. In fact, I quoted from the first one to help Cate when I dropped her off at school. “Today was a hard day. Tomorrow will be better.”

Hope these books make your today, and your tomorrows, better! Read the rest of this entry »