Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 By Stephen Puleo

What an interesting book about a topic that at first seems odd and comical but turns out to cover a very real and serious disaster.

The setting is Boston, 1919. The American economy was fueled by those industries which thrived due to WWII. Molasses was a necessary component in the manufacture of things necessary for the war effort.

Boston was the site where a 2.3 million gallon molasses holding tank was built. It was built in a rush and without adherence to industry standards. It was an accident waiting to happen.

The flood of molasses that rolled forth from the compromised tank left death and destruction in its wake. Puleo writes with a remarkable voice that takes you to the scene of wild devastation. He wrote a wonderful piece at the end of the book that details his sources of informatio; sources that had gone ignored for decades before he consulted their knowledge.

I am not typically one to read about disasters. I don't like turmoil. I love movies but don't even enjoy dramas because they often leave me feeling manipulated. I love memoirs, however, and this felt more like a very important memoir about a very serious topic. Much was learned from this disaster. I am glad I read this book. Thank you, Lisa, for the recommendation.

NOOK Tablet announced!

Welcome to the newest Barnes and Noble NOOK product!
NOOK Tablet

This NOOK product will act as a color eReader as well as a tablet. The price is significantly less than most tablets while being a little pricier than Amazon's new Kindle Fire tablet. Kindle Fire weighs in at $199.00. NOOK Tablet lists at $249.00.  More on the price difference in a bit...

This article ZDNet compares Kindle Fire and NOOK Tablet. They seem to believe that people making a purchase of products in this price range are really only going to look at price to determine what they'll purchase.
I guess I'm not part of their demographic... I guess I'm a bit serious about technology and, specifically, eReaders. I want to be sure that the best product is purchased for the buyer's needs.


The article points out some things that I find significant for our needs:
Kindle Fire Ram is 512 MB
NOOK Tablet Ram is 1 GB

Kindle Fire storage is 8 GB
NOOK Tablet storage is 16 GB + up to 32 GB MicroSD

Kindle Fire battery provides 8.5 hrs reading/7.5 hrs video
NOOK Tablet battery provides 11.5 hrs reading/9 hrs video

There's more...NOOK Tablet weighs 10% less than Kindle Fire and the iPad2 weighs a whopping
21.28 oz.

GEEK has some really great side-to-side comparisons here, click on "Geek".

What I feel is some of the biggest news about this new tablet/eReader is that it will support both Hulu and my favorite streaming site, Netflix!!

One of the biggest determiners for purchasers trying to make a decision about the Kindle Fire and the NOOK Color is if they have already purchased electronic content from one or the other of the stores, Amazon or Barnes and Noble. I have already purchased many things from B&N since my purchase of the NOOK original in July of 2010. I am super excited about this. The announcement makes me think that for our family the NOOK Tablet will be the color eReader/tablet of choice for any of our children wishing for one for Christmas.

NOOK Tablet Release Date

Is a NEW Nook Color in the works for this Christmas 2011?

I really wonder what the announcement on 7 Nov will be. I can't wait to hear. I need to make a decision as to what I am going to purchase for any of our children who want an eReader this Christmas.

I am intrigued by the fact that there is wonder about the possibility of B&N cooperating with NETFLIX! That would be a truly fortuitous relationship as far as I can reckon.

CSMonitor ~ Updated Nook Color for Christmas 2011?

The Phantom Tollbooth celebrates fifty years!

This is a favorite of mine. I have mentioned before that I wasn't a reader as a child. I came across this excellent book as a homeschool mom when I saw it on a library display table.

If you love words and their creative uses you will love this book. Read it.

Here is a video about the book and the love of it:
The Phantom Tollbooth Turns 50


Juster explains that this was his first attempt at writing for children and that the thinking at the time was that fantasy was bad for children. I'm glad he ignored that and wrote the book!

I love this book! I read this to our children in 2003. I read it again, to our middle child this year, in February.

Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series is being made into a film!

Are you a fan of Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series? My brother and sisters turned me on to the series a few years ago. There are eighteen books in the series and each title highlights which number the book is in the series. I have read five of the books. The first book was my favorite, followed closely by the fourth book.

One For the Money on IMDB.com

I don't recognize many of the stars of the film. I'll tell you the truth, the first person I wanted to find out about was Morelli. I have long pictured Morelli as Josh Holloway. Anyone want to argue with me? Who's cooler and sexier than Evanovich's Morelli? The second character portrayal I wanted to find out about was Grandma Mazur! Debbie Reynolds will be Grandma.

View the trailer on IMDB
The books are rollicking fun. I can't wait to see the film!

One for the Money

Two for the Dough

Three to Get Deadly

Four to Score

High Five

Hot Six

Seven Up

Hard Eight

Visions of Sugar Plums

To the Nines

Ten Big Ones

Eleven on Top

Twelve Sharp

Plum Lovin'

Lean Mean Thirteen

Plum Lucky

Fearless Fourteen

Plum Spooky

Finger Lickin' Fifteen

Sizzling Sixteen

Smokin' Seventeen

Explosive Eighteen                                                     

Mark Twain...love his writing or hate it?

I hated reading as a child. Hated it.

In middle school we had to read Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn, as I recall.

In April 2010 I finished rereading Tom Sawyer. It took me a good while to finish as I kept putting it down and having to come back to it. I am rereading Huck Finn right now. I find it much more interesting and easier to read than Tom Sawyer. Anyone else agree? I'm not really sure why though.

I tried to read A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court in 2009 but eventually gave up on it (a rarity for me). I just couldn't become interested in it. I think, to be fair, I wasn't reading it frequently enough but it just didn't ever grab me the way I'd hoped it would.

So, do you love his writing? Do you hate it? Are there books of his you hope to read?

Hugo, the film adaptation of The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick

Our whole family loved reading and looking at the wonderful illustrations in The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Our reading of the book holds a special place for all of us as we read it while we were vacationing in France. The story takes place in a train station in Paris. We visited the Musée d'Orsay, a museum specializing in impressionist paintings which our family loves. The museum is a former train station. The cafe is situated behind the faces of two large clocks. Eating in the cafe of the Musee D'Orsay was really a treat for us!
Musée d'Orsay

My review of The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick




I didn't know a film was being made from this book until I volunteered at our children's 
school's book fair last week. While working I came across this book:


The Hugo Movie Companion


I am hoping to put that book on my Christmas list this year.


I also recently saw that Selznick has another new book on the market. 
                                       
I don't even know anything about the book yet but I'm pretty sure it will find 
it's way onto my Christmas list also.  






Here is a Hugo Cabret interactive site sponsored by Scholastic:
Interactive Hugo


Preview of Hugo


Everything you'd like to know about the film on IMDB.com
I just realized Johnny Depp is in the film as M. Rouleau.
The film hits cinemas on 23 November, just in time for Thanksgiving! 
I can't wait to see this with our family.


I wish the publisher would release Selznick's books as ebooks; I think they'd work great on eInk readers.

Will there be a new NOOK Color for Christmas 2011?

(My apologies to my readers for not posting much lately. Life has been pretty crazy. Family comes first. I've been really busy managing the health needs of one of our children who has been diagnosed with a neurological disorder this year.)

I am the owner of an original NOOK. Three months after I purchased it B&N came out with the NOOK Color. I have to say I was a bit envious. Since then I've come to realize that the color screen on the NOOK Color would aggravate and tire my eyes. I love eInk. I do see great functionality possible from a color device though, especially when use for cookbooks. One or two of our five children are dying to have color ereaders.


In light of that I keep trying to learn more about color ereaders. I want to know as much as possible. I love NOOK and I love that it is the "baby" of a traditional bookstore that has been incredibly smart to move into this new era of technology. I realize that a color ereader may be a distraction from actually reading since so much can be done with a color ereader. 

While doing some investigating today I came across yet further rumors about ereaders; specifially NOOK Color. Click on the links below to read what may be in the works for consumers shopping for ereaders:


PCMag


TheDigitalReader


CNet

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick is being adapted for film!

I volunteered at our children's school's Book Fair today.
That's something new for me.
I've homeschooled at least one child for the past 13 years and
this is the first year that all five of our kids are in public school.

At the Book Fair I saw this book:


It is a book about the making of the new film "HUGO".
I haven't had a chance to look for any previews yet.

Hugo at IMDB.com

A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket

Have you ever heard of Snicket's book series A Series of Unforutnate Events?
I heard about it from fellow homeschoolers.

The premise is that three children are on their own in life, following a fire and the presumed death of their parents. The series consists of 13 books. I bought them all; I read them, and enjoyed doing so.


1. The Bad Beginning
2. The Reptile Room
3. The Wide Window
4. The Miserable Mill
5. The Austere Academy
6. The Ersatz Elevator
7. The Vile Village
8. The Hostile Hospital
9. The Carnivorous Carnival
10. The Slippery Slope
11. The Grim Grotto
12. The Penultimate Peril
13. The End


Snicket tells the reader, right up front, not to expect a happy ending; as he puts it, it's "A Series of Unfortunate Events" after all. I'll admit it. I held out hope. Hope is ever-present in this series; the kids in the story always hold onto hope. I like that. Even if I didn't like that it ended without the happiness I really had built a hope for. They are still good books and a lot of fun in an odd sort of way.


One really great thing about the books is the quirky way that Snicket writes. He's very funny, but also educates along the way. He uses big words and manages to define those words for the reader in a way that garners a smile and not a frown at a bit of education being thrown in.


Here is a site with some quotes from the books: Lemony Snicket quotes
There may be better quotes to be found, as I am sure there are, but a peak at the page above won't ruin the story-line for you and may whet your appetite.


A film was also inspired by the book. It was okay. I didn't love it but I also didn't hate it. The film definitely felt darker than the tone of the books. 


I think some kids who are good readers could be as young as 7 or 8 and be allowed to read these books. The film is a tougher call; a parent might want to watch it first or read a review such as this one: PluggedInOnline


Oh!! Before I forget...I also own the first three books on audio CD with TIM CURRY as the reader! He's fantastic! If you begin the books and like them, get your hands on these particular CDs. I own some of the other books with Snicket reading, but Curry is priceless!