Preview of Coming Attractions (Photo by Nancy Ellen Row Rawley)

Reading reading reading… here’s my current list. Thank you, St. Vinnie’s in Albany, Oregon, for the huge, inexpensively-priced collection. I picked up a few titles, received a few titles in the mail, and donated a load of books to friends, neighbors, and the Little Free Library.

Smiles, everyone, smiles!

• “The Undomestic Goddess,” by Sophie Kinsella — I love this author, I have always loved her since the first time I read her, and I always will. Loyalty. That’s what you get from me.
• “How to Live. What to Do,” by Josh Cohen — such an intricate read. I’ve been reading it for awhile, and it’s different from anything else out there, which is a good thing.
• “home is not a country,” by Safia Elhillo — brilliant book from brilliant young writer who is “Sudanese by way of Washington, D.C.”
• “Answers in the Pages,” by David Levithan — another writer to watch. (You may know him from “Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist” and “10 Things I Hate About You.” I love him because of “The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S.” which was pure genius.
• “Nasty, Brutish, and Short,” by Scott Hershovitz. You know when you write a parenting book? About your own wild ones? And they ask, Wait. Is this about us? So much love for this book, and this family.

TTFN.

WM

Great book for these times when almost everyone seems to be boycotting pants, ha.

Jacob Grant’s picture book, “No Pants!” is a new title from the author/illustrator of “Bear Meets Bear,” “Cat Knit” and other picture books. (Viking, 2021, ages 3-7, $17.99.) Pablo’s dad tries to get Pablo ready for a family cookout, but Pablo doesn’t wanna wear pants. Why should he? he reasons. Grandpa doesn’t! And so it goes. Grant’s art pops with red, yellow, blue and other bright colors. Cool style — he used charcoal, crayon, pencil and cut paper, then colored his art digitally.

“Strut, Baby, Strut” (Little Simon, Simon & Schuster, New York, 2021, $8.99) is a great board book that affirms females of all types and ages. Written by Amika Kroll and illustrated by Ebony Glenn, we meet baby girls, toddler, teens and grown-up women who are encouraged to shimmy, scoot, stand and lean toward tomorrow. Just a positive and happy book.

“The Monster in the Bathhouse,” written and illustrated by Sina Merabian, is on the shelves today. (Simon & Schuster for Young Readers, 2022, ages 4-8 and older, $17.99.) Outstanding picture book, set in an Arabian bathhouse the night before Persian New Year. Three kids explore a mystery-adventure when they find a huge mess, hear strange noises and set off to investigate. Whatever it is, does it want to ruin Nowruz?

Check this one out, it’s fun and different.

Happy Tuesday, friends. Bon appetit!

Wacky Mommy

(Rosemary photo by Steven P. Rawley)

Hello cats and kittens,

We’re having false spring in Oregon, it’s beautiful. But the rains will return this weekend, looks like. February showers/March flowers around here.

How about another book review? Or maybe just a fast round-up? Spring brings us a new crop of releases, they’re popping up all over like the snowdrops in my yard. No rosemary, though, the chickens destroyed it for fun, along with the strawberries, the succulents and whatever else they could dig their claws into. Here are the titles I’m reading currently:

Everything by Maira Kalman, as usually. “The Principles of Uncertainly,” “Next Stop Grand Central,” “Sayonara, Mrs. Kackleman” and on and on. I love that woman and her amazing art.

“How a King Plays: 64 Chess Tips from a Kid Champion” by Oliver Boydell

“Original Sisters” by Anita Kunz

“Explosive Eighteen” by my girl Janet Evanovich (one of my faves in the Stephanie Plum series)

“Living Beyond Borders: Growing Up Mexican in America,” edited by Margarita Longoria (great collection of stories, comics and poems, so brilliant and much needed)

“How to Live. What to Do: In Search of Ourselves in Life and Literature,” by Josh Cohen

Bon appetit, babies! Have a great weekend. Read, read, read.

WM

All the feels today.

One of my library kids, years ago when I first went into teaching, really, really wanted to help shelve books. I noticed her take books from the cart, copying how the other children did it, and then walk to the stacks. She spent a lot of time looking at the books in her arms, the books on the shelf, back to the books in her arms, and then casually returned them to the cart.

She waited until the other students left to return to class, then asked me, again, so chill, “Ms. Nancy, the books? You organize them by color, right?” So we took a few minutes to re-learn the Dewey Decimal System. I loved that experience, because it had never occurred to me that someone would see just the colors in the stacks, not the classifications (Fiction, Non-Fiction, Easy Readers, etc.), not the titles, not the authors.

“You know that one book, with the bright red cover?” “Sure, it’s right over here in the red section.”

Later, I was flipping through interior decorating/home design magazines and noticed a trend with the bookshelves — books arranged by color. That kid was onto something.

Which brings me to “Thankful” (Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2021, ages 4-8 and older, $17.99), a recent title from Elaine Vickers, with pictures by Samantha Cotterill. I want to climb inside this book, for real. Shrink myself like Alice in Wonderland and venture in. The snow falls, and a little girl begins her family’s annual tradition of cutting out slips of brightly-colored paper and writing out everything she is thankful for. The list includes her home, her parents, the poem they whisper to her nightly, love, dreams, her dog, stars, candles, everything. All of it.

The story is lovely, and the art is really special. The artist made paper dolls, tiny sets, dioramas, little beds and bedding, and just for me? A bookstore and bookcases with the teensiest books, arranged… you guessed it… by color.

Thanks for this title, Cotterill, Vickers and the team who put it together. Highly recommend, not just for the littles, but for the artists and dreamers in the audience, too.

“The Blessing of You” (WaterBrook & Multnomah, 2021, ages 3-8, 40 pages, $12.99) is another new release, this one from authors Mark Batterson and Summer Batterson Dailey, with illustrations by Benedetta Capriotti. Rhymes and illustrations guide children in learning about God’s generosity and grace. Sweet book.

Glorious illustrations by Khoa Le grace “Bare Tree and Little Wind: A Story for Holy Week.” The book is written by Mitali Perkins (WaterBrook & Multnomah, 2022, $15.99). The new release hits the shelves on Feb. 2022, be sure to look for it.

Here, have a couple of awesome recipes.

Chocolate Drops

Snow Snakes

Bon appetit, babies.

WM

(My sis and me selling lemonade, circa 1969; photo by our dad, James David Row)

Books! Yeah, as always I have books piled up everywhere. Ready for some reviews?

“Nom Nom Nom: A Yummy Book with Flaps,” by Jeffrey Burton, illustrated by Sarah Hwang (Little Simon, 2021, $7.99) is a kooky little book featuring a kitty, a puppy, a cub, a shark, a crocodile, a baby dino, lion cub and a little alien. They’re here, they’re hungry, what do they want to eat? The choices are… interesting. The kids will get a kick out of it.

“This Little Rainbow: A Love-is-Love Primer,” by Joan Holub and Daniel Roode (Little Simon, 2021, $7.99) is way overdue. This board book is a great introduction for “little rainbows” who have big, loving hearts. We’re introduced to lesbian, trans, bisexual, queer and gay heroes, including my hero, Freddie Mercury of Queen; performer Josephine Baker; computer pioneer Alan Turing and others. About time. Peace/love/peace/love to all of us.

Hello, “Mermaid Dance”! Nice to meet you. This cool, colorful, interactive book with pull tabs, is full of  beautiful images of mermaids, mermen and sea creatures. It was written by Matthew Van Fleet and illustrated by Mara Van Fleet (Paula Wiseman Books, 2022, $21.99).

Best, always,

Wacky Mommy

Well, it was the holidays, we ate like piggies, but who am I kidding, it’s always the holidays over here. Birthdays, New Year’s, Groundhog Day, I’m just saying. For belated New Year’s Eve, friends and I are planning to make shortribs, cornbread with honey and butter, Hummingbird Cake, and Hoppin’ John for good luck for the year… HERE, make some:

• Black-eyed peas
• Olive oil
• Onion (I’ve been using a lot of shallots lately, so sharp and good)
• Garlic
• Salt/pepper/hot sauce

Soak, cook and partially drain black-eyed peas. Carmelize onion and garlic in olive (or vegetable) oil and add to peas; add salt, pepper and hot sauce to taste. I like Tiger Sauce or bento sauce the best.

I’ve never made a Hummingbird Cake, but I like a good spice cake, especially when fruit is added. But we may stick with Chocolate Volcano Cake because I like how everyone acts like it’s the first time they’ve ever seen such a concoction, whenever I make it. I mean, I make this cake a lot, and have since I was a teenager. It’s just that kind of recipe — fun, yummy and wow it’s molten chocolate. Like, if your kid needs to do a project for the school science fair, instead of building a volcano, you and the kid should make this cake instead and bribe the judges. Pretty sure they’ll earn a blue ribbon.

Also, any excuse to break out the creme fraiche, whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, y’know? Lol.

So I will let you know how BNYE (belated New Year’s Eve) goes.

My friend and I have been cooking for each other a lot, because it gets boring just cooking for yourself. She does a dynamite Ribollita and also makes superb breads. And jams. Fancy, individually-made salads. oh my god, her frittatas… Also a Key Lime Pie that is so exquisite it brings a tear to the eye. I start thinking crazy thoughts like, I don’t need any other foods, just this pie, more pie, please?

Only she left town For the Holidays and now I’m just eating my own cooking and I don’t make the best pies, pies are frickin’ tricky to make.

So I’m sad.

But this turned out perfectly:

ORANGE CHICKEN WHICH IS WAY BETTER THAN THE PANDA EXPRESS VERSION

I found this recipe on Facebook (?? what even is up with Facebook, with all the TikToks and recipes and help wanted ads?? It’s like they’re tailoring it specifically to me. Oh… wait…)

Where was I? Yeah. We order too much orange chicken from fast food places, and it’s always random bits and hunks of I don’t even know what kind of mystery meat.

Step up your game, Panda Express and everywhere else.

But this recipe? Easy-peasy orange squeezy.

1. Dust off the crockpot
2. Try not to think about the faulty crockpot that kills the dad is “This Is Us,” or as I call it, “This Is Just Manipulating My Emotions”
3. Pour in some olive or vegetable oil (I don’t really measure thing anymore, sorry, so use your best judgment. Not too much, not too little) and turn on high to heat.
4. Shake cornstarch in a flat dish and dredge boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used four) and add to slow cooker. Let cook for a few minutes on each side, then…
5. Around the edges, drizzle in soy sauce. Pour in barbecue sauce (Stubb’s!). Spoon in about half of a 16-ounce jar of orange marmalade.
6. Cook on high for a couple of hours and low for a couple more hours until the chicken pulls apart easily.
7. Serve as sandwiches or over rice.

It’s very tasty, inexpensive and perfect for lunches/leftovers.

Next up:

Since my friends and I cook for each other, and I still cook for Steve (remember him? morehockeylesswar? He’s Chili AF!) and the kids, and the kids’ friends, when they’re around, because, well. That’s life. I’ll always cook for them until I get sick of it, which I hope I never do. They cook for me, too, so this works out nicely. Love love love.

Anyway, we do a lot of trading of casserole dishes, Tupperware, bottles of wine, six-packs of Two Town Hard Cider, and Ball and Kerr jars. I found these recipes and I’m posting them here since they sound just delicious.

OK, babies, bon appetit! Don’t forget to eat/cook/write when you can!

WM

Fiesta Salsa (courtesy of Ball Jars)

For two pints, you will need:

2 pounds fresh tomatoes (about 6 medium; will yield about 4 1/2 cups finely diced)

3 tablespoons vinegar

1/4 cup Ball Fiesta Salsa mix (mix well before measuring) or use minced white onion, jalapeno, salt, pepper, sugar and lime juice like I do; skip the vinegar if you sub lime)

Combine ingredients. Don’t go all crazy. (PS yes they included destructions for how to can the salsa, which I realized i just turned into Pico de Gallo. But I don’t can. I either make stuff fresh or I freeze (when possible — jam, for example).

Next…

Honey Orange Slices

(Yields about three half-pints)

4 large oranges, sliced, then cut in half, end pieces discarded

1 1/4 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups honey

Juice from one large lemon, plus zest

3 sticks cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons whole cloves

1 1/2 teaspoons whole allspice

Put oranges in a saucepan, add water to cover; bring to boil, reduce heat, simmer (about 30 minutes) until peel is tender; drain.

Combine sugar/honey/lemon juice; bring to boil.

Add orange slices and spices (tied in cheesecloth bag. Simmer about 40 minutes.

Pack orange slices in jars; pour liquid over. Cool, then refrigerate. Give them to your friends and see how impressed they are.

“The Welcome Chair,” illustrated by Jerry Pinkney and written by Rosemary Wells, is a brand-new release, just in time for the book-giving season. (Year-round is the book-giving season at our house.) These are two of my favorite children’s book geniuses, who have each created more than 100 titles. Isn’t that the coolest? More than one hundred books have been illustrated by Pinkney, and more than one hundred written by Wells. Amazing milestones for both of them.

This title comes from a real story from Wells’ family, about a special rocking chair built and carved by great-great-grandfather, Sam Seigbert. Her great-great-grandmother and then grandmother passed down the legend and Wells and Pinkney have brought it to life in incredible fashion. Pinkney’s illustrations are, as always, majestic. (Paula Wiseman Books, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2021, ages 4-8, $17.99.)

“Parker Shines On” is another treat from Parker Curry (age 6), her mama, Jessica Curry (blog mom who writes “Happy Mama, Happy Babies”) and illustrator Brittany Jackson. It’s a colorful (pink, of course) and delightful tale about Parker, who loves ballet, her friends, and playtime with her little sister and brother, Ava and Cash. The first book in the series was “Parker Looks Up.” Look for “Your Friend, Parker” and “Parker Dresses Up” to be released early in 2022. (Aladdin, Simon & Schuster, 2021, ages 4-8, $17.99.)

“Light for All” is a much-needed and appreciated book from writer Margarita Engle and illustrator Raul Colon. This masterpiece of a book honors the courage and resiliency of the many immigrants who have traveled to live in America, while not forgetting about the many, many indigenous people who were already here. (Paula Wiseman Books, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2021, all ages, $17.99.) Lovely, loving story.

(Photo by Nancy Ellen Row Rawley)

Hello, loves, do you like reading? My cats do. Especially when the weather is cold and we snuggle up on the couch. The chickens aren’t so keen on it, though. Who knows why. Here are some fun titles for kids and their grown-ups:

“Learning with Llama Llama: Numbers” and “Llama Llama: Colors,” (Viking/Penguin Random House, 2021, $6.99) the newest releases in the Llama Llama series, are sweet, colorful little board books just right for the babies and toddlers in the crowd. Llama Llama tidies up his room, counts the dishes, and hangs out with his mama llama. He learns about colors, too! It’s the little things in life. Look for the books next month when they hit the shelves.  

“Over, Bear! Under, Where?” written by Julie Hedlund, illustrated by Michael Slack (Philomel/Random House, 2021, ages 4 and older, $16.99) is another November release. This one is not only beautifully illustrated, and funny, but it’s full of word puns and compound words (including a list of compound words in the back). The kids will love it.

I’m thrilled to have received a copy of  “Beautifully Me,” by author Nabela Noor and illustrator Nabi H. Ali (Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, 2021, ages 4 and older, 40 pages, $17.99). It’s the first day of school for Zubi, who is Bangladeshi-American, and she has questions about why everyone around her is so concerned with weight? Should she be worried, too? Great, matter-of-fact way to discuss this topic. 

Sandra Boynton! of “Dog Train,” “Philadelphia Chickens,” “Pajama Time,” and many, many other titles, has a new/old one for the kiddos.

With “Good Night, Good Night” (Little Simon/Simon & Schuster, 2021, ages 3 and older, $17.99), Boynton has created a larger and longer version of her classic, “The Going to Bed Book. OK, that’s enough links and enough words. Her art is whimsical, the stories are funny-funny, the characters have cute faces, and the songs (when included, and they often are) are fun to sing along with. 

Happy reading! Have a great week.

WM

“Big Stack” photo by Nancy Ellen Row Rawley

 

Good morning, darling ones. Have you been reading a lot? I have. There are probably three dozen books on my nightstand, coffee table, desk… other desk… dining room table. So I’d better type up some reviews! Here we go.

Let’s start with supernatural-scary, shall we? When I was a big kid kid (maybe 10 or 11) I had two favorite books. One was about an evil little girl who died young, and then came back to torture the people in her grandmother’s house. The second one was about a girl who was walking down a street in her neighborhood and suddenly… yes, suddenly… it was dusk, everything morphed and turned into Victorian times. There was her neighborhood, her street, her house, 100 years earlier.

I’m telling you, these two books were amazing. But I could never remember the titles. The second book I still haven’t found, so if you know the title? For the love of God, tell me in comments. (Even if you’ve just stopped by for a fast read, leave me a comment! Reverting to the old days of blogging, Hi are you out there?)

But the first book, about the wicked little girl, had a strange hook — she liked to pick pansies and stick them into sand, then let them die. Yeah, I thought that was weird, too. So I googled “kids’ books,” “pansy people,” “pansy faces,” something like that, and found the classic “Jane-Emily,” by Patricia Clapp and ordered a copy. It’s as trashy and good as I remember.

Sweet, dear Jane, who of course is nine and of course is an orphan and of course has a young aunt, the lovely Louisa, go to stay with Jane’s grandmother in her graceful and haunting mansion. They find a strange, alluring reflecting ball in the garden, they hear the stories about Emily, her willful, selfish nature, her destruction of pansies, they check out the goodies in the attic and off we go. 

Perfect for summer reading, or anytime reading.

The Game of Thrones series is going to keep us busy for awhile over here. My son and I just binged all 8 seasons on HBO Max, and yeah, it was awesome. Say what you will about the last two seasons, and George R.R. Martin’s reluctance or inability to finish writing the series and putting a good wrap on it… D&D taking over the reins and going feral… It was still a hell of a ride. Just ordered the five books in paperback and good to go. (Bantam Books Trade Paperback, 1996-2011, 5,216 pages total, 16 bucks on sale.)

My daughter gifted me a copy of “Wise Dogs,” a Life’s Little Instruction Book by H. Jackson Brown Jr. and Dale C. Spartas (Hallmark, 2013, 143 pages, $12.95). Nice mini-book for the coffee table, and makes me glad the Internet was invented because dammit. Most of us do find some kind of peace/humor/grace in looking at photos of kittens/dog/cats/puppies/babies and kids. It’s the small moments that matter.  And remember: Be the first to say hello, do small tasks well, and to make a memory, get muddy.

“Ladder of Years” by Anne Tyler (Alfred A. Knopf, 1995, 326 pages, $11.99) is now my favorite Tyler novel, and I’ve been with her since “The Accidental Tourist,” which I read when it was first released. Is “Ladder of Years” a summer read? Sure. It starts out with a family trip to the beach, a wife and mother’s longings, and some mysteries. Great read, and a big, well-drawn cast of characters. Comedic, poignant domestic novel by an author who consistently comes through with beautiful, well-written gems.

“That Summer” is Jennifer Weiner’s latest. I read a sample, it’s intriguing. I think I might listen to the audiobook of this one. She’s another longtime favorite of mine, and always knocks it out of the park.

“And Then They Stopped Talking to Me: Making Sense of Middle School,” by Judith Warner, is a new release (Crown Publishing, 2020, 304 pages, $17). Don’t think you’re too good for self-help and how-to books. We all need a road map, occasionally. This one is funny, bittersweet, thought-provoking and helping. I’ve always enjoyed Warner’s writing. Especially liked “Perfect Madness,” her treatise on motherhood, anxiety and cray-cray. Pick it up if you’re in the market for it, or have a friend or relative in need of some tips.

Another recent how-to release that turned up is “What Color is Your Parachute? For College: Pave Your Path from Major to Meaningful Work,” by Katharine Brooks (Penguin Random House, 2021, 272 pages, $16.99). Tips, tips and more tips.

“Be Gay! Do Comics!” is the motto of The Nib. I’ve been leafing through an issue that came out not too long ago. (Order through TheNib, $14.95.) It’s really different, creative, offbeat and interesting stuff. (She says, trying to come up with better words.) It’s good writin’ and drawin’ — political satire, journalism, non-fiction, comix. Check it out. 

“Are We There Yet?” by Kathleen West is one of the best reads I came across this spring, highly recommended. (Penguin Random House, 2021, 340 pages, $26.) I’ve always loved books about moms. Even before I became a mom, they hooked me. Moms. Are. A. Trip. (Judy Blume’s “Wifey,” Sheila Ballantyne’s “Norma Jean the Termite Queen,” anything about Princess Diana, “Give Me One Good Reason,” by Norma Klein, the list goes on and on.) Introducing Alice Sullivan, who is settling into middle age nicely, thank you, and thinks she knows everything about her family… until she realizes she doesn’t. No spoilers, not giving away more details, but I think this novel will speak to a lot of you, for different reasons.

And now, two notable Young Adult reads:

Cat Patrick’s “Paper Heart” (Putnam, 2021, 274 pages, $17.99) is a tug-on-the-heart read about 13-year-old Tess, and all the changes that follow the loss of her and her twin sister Frankie’s best friend, Colette. She’s falling apart, she’s trying to figure things out, and she’s at an art camp in Wyoming, stuck with extended relatives and far away from immediate family. And Colette. My copy included a sample from “Tornado Brain,” Patrick’s companion novel. Reading that next. “Paper Heart’ is just a fantastic book with likable, believable, real characters and lots of heart, and love.

Finished David Levithan’s “The Mysterious Disappearance of Aidan S. (as told to his brother” awhile back. (Alfred A. Knopf, 2021, 213 pages, $16.99.) Great title. Saving the best for last, because this is the best thriller I’ve read in a long time. Aidan disappears, reappears, things get weird… Okay, no spoilers. Just read it, and buy copies to give as gifts.

Bon appetit, loves. Happy summer, happy reading.

 

WM