calmHere are my first few books for 2005:
#1 -
Down and Dirty Birding - by Joey Slinger
This was a Christmas gift from my mum, and an enjoyable read. It's a book about birds and birding, told with tongue firmly in cheek. Funny and sarcastic, the guy pokes fun at some of the ridiculous things done by both birds and birders, and he's pretty accurate in his assesments. He's particularly hard on birders who take themselves too seriously, so if you fall into this category, you might want to avoid this book. ::grin:: I also liked his "hit list" at the end, in which he gives some tips on identifying major groups and some species of birds. Some of his comments were exactly spot-on, for example, he comments that a crow that turns out to be a woodpecker is a Lewis', and that was my experience exactly. And how little streaky goldfinches are pine siskins. If you're a birder with a sense of humor, you'll probably enjoy this book and learn a few things. I think it would also be good for people who are interested in learning more about birds, and the quirks of watching them. 7/10. Permanent collection.
#2 -
In Her Shoes - by Jennifer Weiner
Another book by the author of "Good in Bed," this was also a good read, centered on the lives of two young women and their grandmother, and how they come to better understanding of one another as they work through things in their own lives. A good read, good characterizations, although the ending seemed a bit anti-climactic to me. 7/10. BookCrossing, will release.
#3 & 4 -
Captain Underpants (1) and Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot of Professor Poopypants (4) - by Dav Pilkey
My son came home asking for these books, after one of his friends brought them to school. As far as humor goes, they are right in line with C's current level of sophistication. Erm, yeah. Bodily function humor. Pilkey is also the author of such classics as Kat Kong and Dogzilla (which, in all seriousness, there are several of you on my f-list whom I suspect would enjoy these books greatly - they're done with photos of pets). So, we read about Captain Underpants as bedtime books, and they're actually pretty cute - funny, and silly, but not over-the-top, and some of the jokes are truly clever. Plus, flip-o-rama (reader-activated) animation! What more could you want? In the first book, we learn how George and Harold, two 10-year-olds, accidentally turn their school principal into the superhero "Captain Underpants." In book number four, our heroes have to save the world when scientific genius Professor Pippy P. Poopypants snaps and decides to destroy the world, after being teased incessantly about his name. We've recently bought numbers 2, 3 and 5, so I'm sure I'll be reviewing those soon, too. :D 7/10 (And yes, I'm counting these. They have chapters). :D
