So, Despereaux is a mouse. A very small mouse with large ears, who lives in a castle in a kingdom where soup and rats are outlawed. And he doesn’t like to do mouse things. He’d rather read fairy tales in the castle’s library than scout for crumbs. One day, he is entranced by music and finds himself in the presence of the king and Princess Pea. This one meeting sets in motion events that lead to a death sentence, encounters with rats, and the kidnapping of the princess.

I liked this book a lot. It’s short and conversational, with the narrator frequently addressing the Reader. There are adventures and morals and good examples. It’s a classic good vs. evil tale. (I’ll let you guess which wins.) And, for a kind of fairy tale, the characters are fairly well-rounded. The princess isn’t all good, and the rats aren’t all bad. The writing is simple, as is the plot. I would recommend this as a read-a-loud book for children or a quick read for adults. This is a great little book.

I read this book for the Lit Flicks Challenge, the Book Awards II Challenge, and the Newberry Project.

The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo 4 out of 5 stars

Other Reviews:
Book Escape
Fyrefly’s Book Blog
Naked Without Books
Maw Books Blog
Becky’s Book Reviews
1morechapter

Buy The Tale of Despereaux at Amazon.com.

Alyce @ At Home With Books won Guernica
booklogged @ A Reader’s Journal won Creepers
Kathy @ Bermudaonion’s Weblog won Pictures from Italy (And, coincidentally, it’s her birthday today!)

Congratulations! I’ll be emailing each of you for your addresses.

(1) Pictures of Italy, by Charles Dickens (paperback) - Penguin kindly sent me two of these travelogues. It has never been read and is in final published form.

(2) Creepers, by Joanne Dahme (paperback) - This is an ARC that I read and reviewed here. It’s middle grade fiction.

(3) Guernica, by Dave Boling (paperback) - This is an ARC that I have not yet finished. (I was sent two copies, so I do plan to finish it.) It’s historical fiction.

I’d like to send these books on their way quickly, so I’ll draw winners at 3:00 p.m. MST on Monday, November 17, 2008. To enter, please leave a comment with the books you’d like to be entered to win, in order of preference. US residents only please.

Enzo is a dog who believes - from watching a documentary - that in his next life he will be a human man. While limited as a dog (he has no thumbs!), he’s trying to learn as many human attributes as he can by paying attention to the humans around him. Enzo was purchased as a puppy by Dennis Swift. Denny is a semi-pro race car driver whose life has took some tragic turns. As Enzo looks back over his life, he retells his and Denny’s story with great insight and compassion.

I really loved this book. The plot is fairly simple, but it’s from a whole new perspective - a dog’s perspective! Stein’s prose is fresh and poignant. (I found myself tearing up a couple of times.) The metaphor of life as a race is carried throughout with skill and just enough jargon to make the reader understand. The only quibble I have is that sometimes the dog-as-narrator thing was stretched a little too far. Enzo couldn’t be everywhere. He explains that he pieced things together afterwards, but it seemed a little thin. Still, I loved the book enough to overlook that one small flaw. Have I mentioned that it’s told by a dog? I think you’ll enjoy it. I sure did.

The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein 5 out of 5 stars

Other Reviews:
Both Eyes Book Blog
Fizzy Thoughts
So Many Precious Books, So Little Time
A Guy’s Moleskine Notebook
The Novel World

Buy The Art of Racing in the Rain at Amazon.com.

I’ve asked, in the past, about whether you more often buy your books, or get them from libraries. What I want to know today, is, WHY BUY?

Even if you are a die-hard fan of the public library system, I’m betting you have at least ONE permanent resident of your bookshelves in your house. I’m betting that no real book-lover can go through life without owning at least one book. So … why that one? What made you buy the books that you actually own, even though your usual preference is to borrow and return them?

If you usually buy your books, tell me why. Why buy instead of borrow? Why shell out your hard-earned dollars for something you could get for free?

I’m a buyer. And a borrower. But mostly a buyer. There is just something about the feel of a book in your hand. I’ll buy new. I’ll buy used. I don’t discriminate. I love them all. I’m a buyer because I want to own them all. I want my house to be covered in them. (I haven’t moved in a while, so I don’t have the heavy reality of the weight of books in close remembrance.) There is a finite amount of space in one’s life, though, so I do try to buy books that I know I’ll read and love. I feel like buying books is an investment. An investment in education and entertainment.

I love, too, the library. I usually go about once a week. I like to haunt the staff recommendations and the book sale corner. My husband says I’m the only person he knows that goes to the library and buys books!

Let’s just say that I love books - no matter the source - and I’m willing to shell out money for that love.

Lorelai is a eleven-year-old who begins writing a diary to her recently deceased cat, Mud, and also to her would-be biographers. Through two and a half months of the diary, we get a glimpse of a very difficult time in her life. Her parents are having problems. The mother seems to live in a bit of a fantasy world - constantly reliving her days as Wendy in the musical Peter Pan, and the father just quit his job as a partner at a law firm to make beer in the attic. In addition to the troubles at home, Lorelai is dealing with her first crush and her first acting gig in the school play. It’s a lot for one eleven-year-old, but she handles it with pluck.

I thought this was excellent middle grade fiction. Lorelai’s voice was a very believable eleven-year-old. Her reactions to things were realistic and age-appropriate. There was barely a hiccup in the writing. The plot was simple but with very believable and lovable characters. And, this is perhaps the best compliment I could give it, Smith’s writing reminded me of Judy Blume and Sharon Creech. Think It’s Not the End of the World and Totally Normal Chaos. I would recommend this book to all middle grade readers - well, mostly girls.

I, Lorelai, by Yeardley Smith 4 out of 5 stars

Buy I, Lorelei at Amazon.com.

1. Choose a writer you like.
2. Using resources such as Wikipedia, the author’s website, whatever you can find, make a list of interesting facts about the author.
3. Post your fun facts list in your blog, maybe with a photo of the writer, a collage of his or her books, whatever you want.
4. Come sign the Mr Linky below with the url to your fun facts post.
5. As you run into (or deliberately seek out) other Weekly Geeks’ lists, add links to your post for authors you like or authors you think your readers are interested in.

Roald Dahl

• He was born in Wales on September 13, 1916
• He kept a diary from the age of eight - which he hid in a tree so his sisters couldn’t read it
• His high school English teacher deemed him to be “quite incapable of marshalling his thoughts on paper”
• He was a pilot for the Royal Air Force during World War II
• There are now speculations that he was a spy for the British
• C.S. Forester (also a rumored spy) gave Dahl his first writing gig - a story about the war for the Saturday Evening Post
• Though best known for his children’s stories, he published numerous well-received short stories and two novels for adults; “Lamb to the Slaughter” is probably his most famous short story
• Dahl, like J.K. Rowling, came up with the plots to his children’s stories by telling stories to his own children
• He wrote in his own little writing hut
• Dahl’s first wife was Patricia Neal, the Oscar-winning actress; they had five children
• His oldest daughter, Olivia, died from complications after a bout with the measles
• His son, Theo, was brain damaged in a car accident when he was four-months old
• Dahl and two of his friends invented the Dahl-Wade-Till valve, which helped Theo recover and was used widely in the medical field
• Patricia had a series of strokes at age 39, and she made a full recovery under Dahl’s care
• His passions included orchids, paintings, chocolate, and conkers
• In 1990, he was diagnosed with a rare blood disorder: Myelo-dysplastic anaemia
• He died on November 23, 1990 at the age of 74

Roald Dahl is one of my favorite authors of all time. And he certainly had an interesting life. Did you know all of that about him?

I liked these poems. I didn’t love them, though; I think because I couldn’t get inside of them. I tend to love poetry that takes something ordinary and simple and turns it around or views it through a different prism. Grossman’s poetry is more basic than that. Here is an example:

The Fish Tank

The fish tank
Full of fish
With a cheerful
Light on
Glowing bright in the night.

Simple and interesting, but not very deep. Still, the book flows well and the poems are short and concise. The major recurring themes are seasons, holidays, purple, mystery, flowers, sunsets, waiting, and death. Interestingly, Grossman uses little to no punctuation, which I think helps the poems flow.

In sum, the subtitle “Poetry to Warm Those Cold Winter Chills” is pretty accurate. Despite several poems about summer, this would be a good collection to curl up with a blanket and hot chocolate on a cold winter night. I’ll conclude with my two favorite poems from the collection (one coincidentally about hot chocolate):

Summer

Summer is here
Again like a
Merry go round and
Round
Pink cotton candy
By the beach is
Dandy and the summer
Days blossom full heartedly

Standing by the
Beach
Towards summer’s
End
Watching the lonely
Seagulls
And the salty
Water tears
Of “summer goodbye”

A Hot Cup of Autumn

The dark chocolatey taste
Of cocoa
On an autumn day
Robust, warm and
Joyous in every way
A hot cup of autumn
Beside the fall leaves
Crackling and the orange
Sleepy sun of autumn
Yawning, trying to come
Out someway, beside the
Brown leaves crackling
And a cup of autumn
Warmth on an autumn
Day

The Sighing of the Winter Trees, by Laura Grossman 3 out of 5 stars

Buy The Sighing of the Winter Trees at Amazon.com.

What, if any, memorable or special book have you ever gotten as a present? Birthday or otherwise. What made it so notable? The person who gave it? The book itself? The “gift aura?”

I LOVE getting books as gifts. For my birthday last month, I received 15 books. I know.  I’m an addict.  Anyway, some of my favorite book presents include

• Charlie & the Chocolate Factory and James & the Giant Peach - for my 8th birthday, from my parents
• Charlotte’s Web - for my 8th birthday, from my aunt and uncle
• Salome - a first edition Oscar Wilde, from my husband

Of course, I treasure each book that I receive, but those are some of my favorites.

OCTOBER WINNER

First things first. The winner of the October giveaway is . . . Movie Viewing Girl! I’ll be sending her a copy of Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Bronte. It’s both scary and on her challenge list. Thank you to everyone who participated! (We had a total of 99 entries.) I really enjoyed reading everyone’s reviews. Keep ‘em coming.

NOVEMBER MEME

For November, let’s take a look at the Oscar-season movies that are based on books. Which of the adaptations that are being released are you most excited to see? Have you read any of the books upon which they are based? Which ones do you predict will receive awards?

Here’s a (probably incomplete) list of the adaptations coming out this holiday season:

• Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist
• City of Ember
• The Secret Life of Bees
• The Time Traveler’s Wife
• Quantum of Solace
• The Road
• Twilight
• Coraline
• The Tale of Despereaux
• The Day the Earth Stood Still
• Defiance
• The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
• Marley & Me
• Revolutionary Road

NOVEMBER GIVEAWAY

On December 1st, I’ll hold a drawing for a yet-to-be-determined book that has been adapted into an award-winning movie. As before, your activity throughout the month of November will earn you entries. You’ll earn one entry for each of the following:

- Joining the challenge (post a link on the SIGN UP Mr. Linky to your list of selections for the challenge - you only have to do this one time)
- Joining the companion challenge hosted by my brother for movie lovers (again, you only have to do this one time)
- Completing the above meme for November (add a link on the REVIEWS & POSTS Mr. Linky to your post)
- Leaving a comment on this post listing your favorite book that was adapted into an award-winning movie
- Posting a review of a book adapted into a movie or a movie adapted from a book - one entry per review (add a link on the REVIEWS & POSTS Mr. Linky)

MY THOUGHTS

Of the list above, I’ve read The City of Ember, The Secret Life of Bees, The Time Traveler’s Wife, Twilight, Coraline, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, and Marley & Me. I intend to read The Road and The Tale of Despereaux for the challenge!

As for the movies, I’ve only seen City of Ember so far and thought it was just okay. I’m very excited to see the rest of the adaptations of the books I’ve read (and will read) though. I’m probably most excited about The Time Traveler’s Wife. As for awards, I think The Road is the movie most likely to sweep the Oscars.

Note: The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald. You can read it for free here. I’ll be posting my review of the story later this week.