High Shelf Esteem

Archives for September 2018

What’s Making Me Happy: Vol. 15

 

I can’t believe how quickly September whizzed by! I swear it was August just yesterday… In any case, I found a few things this month that added happiness to my crazy busy days.

What’s making me happy:

By the Book
I’d heard about this podcast ages ago, but just checked it out. It’s fantastic! The premise of the show is this: the two hosts, Jolenta Greenberg and Kristen Meinzer, choose a self-help book and live by the book’s rules for two full weeks. After the two weeks, they decide if the book is full of baloney or if its ideas are worth living by. I’ve recently found myself gravitating toward self-help-y books, but I only want to read them if they’re worth my time. By the Book is a huge help with making these reading decisions.

To All the Boys I Loved Before
Rom-coms are back y’all! This movie, based on Jenny Han’s book, is a sheer delight. The story is about Lara Jean, a homebody of a teen who writes love letters to her biggest crushes, addresses them, but doesn’t send them. Then one day, the letters get sent, and romantic hijinks ensue! The diverse cast is wonderful, the soundtrack rocks, it stays mostly true to the book, and it just gave me a warm fuzzy feeling. To All the Boys I Loved Before is going to be re-watched many times.

Forest Bathing
I learned all about forest bathing in the book Forest Bathing: How Trees Can Help You Find Health and Happiness and the idea that spending time in nature has such positive effects makes me very happy. I’ve always loved walking in the woods near my house, and now I’m going to apply forest-bathing concepts to my strolls. I can’t wait for the rain to stop in my area so I can get started!

What’s making you happy these days? Please share in the comments below!

Literary Linking: September 17 – 21

This week’s link topics include: improving your reading retention, Matilda at 30, if Shakespeare characters could text, and more!

My favorite bookish links the week of September 17 – 21:

Improve Your Reading Retention with These 7 Tips and Tricks
Some of these are a little weird, but I’ll try anything to help me remember more of what I read.

12 New Books for Anne of Green Gables Fans
From board books to adult literary fiction, there’s more Anne for everyone to enjoy!

Matilda’s New Adventures at 30: Astrophysicist, Explorer or Bookworm
Unsurprisingly, my favorite of Quentin Blake’s new illustrations of Matilda is her at the British Library 🙂 What do you think Matilda is up to these days?

Bookstores Are Finding Creative Ways To Survive and Thrive in the Age of Amazon
If any kind of people can find smart innovative ways to be successful, it’s book people!

This Is What It’d Be Like if Shakespeare Characters Could Text in 2018
Definitely good for a giggle.

Literary Linking: September 10 – 14

This week’s link topics include: the National Book Awards longlist, the philosophical Agatha Christie, libraries as the beacons of civil society, and more!

My favorite bookish links the week of September 10 – 14

To Restore Civil Society, Start with the Library
A wonderful commentary on public libraries and their positive impact on the country.

2018 National Book Awards Longlists
My TBR just got a whole bunch longer… How many have you read?

How To Read More Books at a Time, According To Reddit Users Who Do It
Book polygamy can be easier than you think!

The Pack Horse Librarians of Eastern Kentucky
If you know folks who needs to dispel the stereotypical shushing librarian with a bun and cardigan, make them listen to this story.

Agatha Christie: Hardboiled Philosopher
“Never do anything yourself that others can do for you.”  Testify, Agatha! Testify!

Jurassic Word: Classic Books Improved with Dinosaurs (and Maybe Some Jeff Goldblum)
Everything is better with dinosaurs (and Jeff Goldblum), duh.

What I’ve Been Reading: September 2018

Welcome to Quick Lit, where bloggers link up with Anne Bogel at Modern Mrs. Darcy and share short and sweet reviews of what we’ve been reading lately.

September has been a bizarre reading month so far. I am in the middle of 4 grown-up books and have had to tear through tons of children’s books for librarian-y reasons.

I am on the Maryland Blue Crab Award Committee which “honors the best beginning and transitional fiction and non-fiction for children,” so a bunch of my reading has been for that.

Plus, I’m attending Black-Eyed Susan Tapestry 2018 next week where I will participate in a full day of small group discussions of the 2018 Black-Eyed Susan Award nominees. (The Black-Susan Book Award is “a children’s choice award for the state of Maryland. Each year since 1992, the it has been given to authors and/or illustrators of outstanding books chosen for the award by Maryland students.”)

As a result of being swamped with reading (a wonderful problem to have), my “What I’ve Been Reading” list this month is going to be different from usual. Since most of the grown-up  books I’ve been reading are the ones I described in my September TBR post, this list is going to be kids books only. No grownups allowed! 🙂

I’ll include short summaries from the publisher and will just give my star-rating for each. I’ll also give my thoughts on which young readers might enjoy the title. Enjoy!

Here’s what I’ve been reading:

 

The Acadia Files: Summer Investigations, by Katie Coppens
Summary: Acadia Greene wants answers. Who keeps stealing her blueberries just as they ripen on the bushes? Why is her hair curly? Why does the sun wake her up so early in the summer? Why does the tide submerge her sandcastles? How do rocks become sand? Acadia doesn’t set out to do science, but she has these important questions and her scientist parents refuse to simply feed her the answers. ‘Conduct an experiment,’ they tell her. ‘Use the scientific method.’ So Acadia gathers evidence, makes hypotheses, designs experiments, uses the results to test her hypotheses, and draws conclusion.

Rating: Four stars

Recommend to: Burgeoning scientists and kids who are just plain curious.

 

Five Worlds: The Sand Warrior, by Mark Siegel
Summary: The Five Worlds are on the brink of extinction unless five ancient and mysterious beacons are lit. When war erupts, three unlikely heroes will discover there’s more to themselves–and more to their worlds–than meets the eye.

Rating: Three stars

Recommend to: Graphic novel fans and lovers of fantasies with rich world-building.

 

Freddie Mole, Lion Tamer, by Alexander McCall Smith
Summary: Freddie Mole loves his family They are tight-knit, but they struggle day to day to make ends meet. Times are tough, and Freddie is determined to help. Then Freddie finds out about a job opening at a local circus–and he can’t believe his luck when he is hired. At the circus, Freddie sweeps and cleans and is praised for his work. One thing leads to another, and he’s asked to be understudy for some of the acts. The trapeze stunts are daunting enough–can Freddie face the lion’s cage?

Rating: Three stars

Recommend to: Kids who like reading about young characters who aren’t afraid of a challenge and are up for risky adventures.

 

How To Be a Lion, by Ed Vere
Summary: When Leonard the lion and his friend Marianne, a duck, are confronted by a pack of lion bullies, they find a creative way to stand up for themselves.

Rating: Five stars

Recommend to: EVERYONE, adults and children alike. This is one of my favorite picture books of 2018.

 

Jasmine Toguchi: Drummer Girl, by Debbie Michiko
Summary: It’s talent show time at school, and eight-year-old Jasmine Toguchi is excited to show her stuff. But as she thinks about her strengths–tree-climbing, mochi-making, collage–none of them feel quite right to perform on stage. Jasmine’s friends already have a talent: Tommy yo-yos, Daisy dances, and Linnie plays piano. Plus, Maggie Milsap (aka Miss Perfect) is saying she’ll have the best talent. When Jasmine’s mom introduces her to the taiko, a traditional Japanese drum, Jasmine finally finds an activity that feels just right. But will she be good enough at taiko in time to beat Maggie Milsap?

Rating: Five stars

Recommend to: Readers who like realistic fiction with believable, strong girls as the main character.

 

Megabat, by Anna Humphrey
Summary: Daniel Misumi has just moved to a new house. It’s big and old and far away from his friends and his life before. AND it’s haunted . . . or is it? Megabat was just napping on a papaya one day when he was stuffed in a box and shipped halfway across the world. Now he’s living in an old house far from home, feeling sorry for himself and accidentally scaring the people who live there. Daniel realizes it’s not a ghost in his new house. It’s a bat. And he can talk. And he’s actually kind of cute. Megabat realizes that not every human wants to whack him with a broom. This one shares his smooshfruit. Add some buttermelon, juice boxes, a light saber and a common enemy and you’ve got a new friendship in the making!

Rating: Four stars

Recommend to: Readers who love animal stories, especially ones with unique animals who need saving (think Inkling from Invisible Inkling, by Emily Jenkins).

 

Science Comics: Bats Learning To Fly, by Falynn Koch
Summary: In Bats, we follow a little brown bat whose wing is injured by humans on a nature hike. He is taken to a bat rehabilitation center where he meets many different species of bats. They teach him how they fly, what they eat, and where they like to live.

Rating: Four stars

Recommend to: Kids who like reading for information and learning fun facts to share with their friends and family.

 

Two Dogs in a Trench Coat Go To School, by Julie Falatko
Summary: Sassy and Waldo are good dogs, who keep their house safe (from squirrels, mostly), and worry about their boy, Stewart, who always comes home from school smelling of anxiety; so the two dogs come up with a plan to help him–they will dress up in a trench coat and attend school, posing as a new student, to find out just what is bothering Stewart.

Rating: Four stars

Recommend to: Young readers looking for lots of giggles. Dog lovers will especially enjoy it.

 

What have you been reading this month? Please share in the comments below!

Literary Linking: September 3 – 7

This week’s link topics include: the books travelers leave behind in hotels, podcasts for book lovers, a documentary about the New York Public Library, and more!

My favorite bookish links the week of September 3 – 7:l

31 Podcasts for Every Type of Book Lover
So many of the podcasts are fantastic. The only problem is that listening to these podcasts about what to read takes time away from reading  #booknerdproblems 🙂

White House Press Officer Joins Race for Bookshop Job in the Maldives
This “barefoot bookseller” position sounds amazing…

Harry Potter Themed Mixology Class Coming To New York
New York City is Harry Potter heaven this fall. This mixology class sounds absolutely magical plus The History of Magic exhibition is at New York Historical Society Museum & Library is in town too. If you’re a Potterhead, New York City is the place to be.

These Are the 20 Books Travelers Are Always Leaving Behind at Their Hotels
Have you ever left a book behind? I left Modern Lovers, by Emma Straub in my room on a cruise, but I think that’s it. I love my books too much to forget about them.

‘Ex Libris — The York Public Library’ Review: The Best Thing To Happen To Libraries Since the Dewey Decimal System
The documentary is 3 hours and 26 minutes long, but this glowing review makes it sound totally worth the time. Click here to watch it!

 

Drooling for More ‘Crazy Rich Asians’?: A Recipe for Singapore Noodles

Right out the gate, I must state that I know that Singapore Noodles are actually very hard to find in Singapore (setting for most of the book/movie Crazy Rich Asians). Just as fortune cookies and General Tso’s Chicken aren’t really from China, Singapore Noodles aren’t really from Singapore. You’re much more likely to find them in Hong Kong or in Chinese food joints in western countries.

That being said, this noodle dish is absolutely scrumptious and has “Singapore” in the name, so I just have to share my recipe with all you readers and watchers of Crazy Rich Asians. I loved the book when I read it last year and had a blast seeing the movie and being a crazy Asian with mom and sister this past weekend 🙂

The dumplings featured in Crazy Rich Asians would be fun to cook up for a special occasion, but they’re very time-consuming to make. Singapore noodles? Way easier and equally delicious! Just make sure you have everything chopped and measured ahead of time because once the cooking begins, everything moves along quite quickly.

Happy reading and happy eating!

Singapore Noodles

Ingredients

5 ½  ounces dried rice vermicelli
16 ounces jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoon soy sauce
2 teaspoon Chinese rice wine
1 teaspoon cornstarch
2 tablespoons curry powder
2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
4 ounces bean sprouts
3 green onions, sliced thin
oil for stir-frying

Directions

  1. Soak the dried rice noodles in very hot tap water for 3 minutes. Start pulling the noodles apart as soon as they start softening. Rinse in cold water several times to prevent the noodles from absorbing too much water and to wash off excess starch.
  2. Place shrimp in a bowl and season with the soy sauce, rice wine, and cornstarch. The cornstarch will keep the meat moist and the shrimp firm.
  3. Measure out the curry powder into a small bowl. In a separate bowl, combine the fish sauce, oyster sauce and chicken stock.
  4. Heat a wok over high heat until very hot then add a tablespoon of oil, swirl to coat, then add the egg, swirling then scrambling. Put the egg on a plate and set aside. Add 2 tablespoons of oil, then add the garlic and ginger, and fry until fragrant. Add the shrimp and cook until pink.
  5. Add the onion, red and green bell peppers, and bean sprouts. Fry while stirring vigorously. Until the vegetables are a bright color. Add the curry powder and stir-fry until fragrant, then pour in the chicken stock and fish sauce mixture. Stir, to combine, then add the noodles and return the egg to the pan. Use chopsticks or tongs to evenly coat the noodles with sauce. If the noodles start sticking, add some water. Top with scallions, then serve immediately.

 

If you make these crazy delicious noodles, I’d love to hear how they turned out. Please share in the comments below!

What I’m Reading Next: TBR September 2018

Welcome to the TBR Mix n’ Mingle Linkup hosted by the ladies at Literary Quicksand, Rachel @ Never Enough Novels and Allison @ My Novel Life, where we share what we’ll be reading the coming month!

I was a bit too ambitious with my TBR last month. I only finished 2 of the 6 on the list (Educated, by Tara Westover was excellent), DNF-ed one, and read a YA that I hadn’t included but couldn’t resist (The Way You Make You Feel, by Maurene Goo). So, for September, I’m cutting the TBR down to 4 titles. I hope they’re good!

Here’s the TBR for September 2018:

The Kiss Quotient, by Helen Hoang
I’ve heard that The Kiss Quotient has similarities to The Rosie Project which I really enjoyed. It was a Book of the Month pick in June and I like supporting Asian American authors, so Hoang’s debut has a lot of pros for me.

Summary: Stella Lane comes up with algorithms to predict customer purchases–a job that has given her more money than she knows what to do with, and way less experience in the dating department than the average thirty-year-old. It doesn’t help that Stella has Asperger’s and French kissing reminds her of a shark getting its teeth cleaned by pilot fish. Her conclusion: she needs lots of practice–with a professional–which is why she hires escort Michael Phan. . . Before long, Stella not only learns to appreciate his kisses, but to crave all of the other things he’s making her feel. Their no-nonsense partnership starts making a strange kind of sense. And the pattern that emerges will convince Stella that love is the best kind of logic. ~From the publisher

 

Buttermilk Graffiti: A Chef’s Journey To Discover America’s New Melting-Pot Cuisine, by Edward Lee
I’ve been an Ed Lee fan since he was on PBS’s The Mind of  Chef. He was eloquent on the show and his food looked incredible. Lucky for me, Ed Lee’s restaurant Succotash is only a 45-drive away, and I’m happy to report the food doesn’t just look good, it tastes absolutely delicious. Buttermilk Graffitti got an endorsement from Rebecca on Book Riot’s All the Books podcast (one of my favorites), so I think it’s going to be a delectable read.

Summary: American food is the story of mash-ups. Immigrants arrive, cultures collide, and out of the push-pull come exciting new dishes and flavors. But for Edward Lee, who, like Anthony Bourdain or Gabrielle Hamilton, is as much a writer as he is a chef, that first surprising bite is just the beginning. What about the people behind the food? What about the traditions, the innovations, the memories?

A natural-born storyteller, Lee decided to hit the road and spent two years uncovering fascinating narratives from every corner of the country…Sixteen adventures, 16 vibrant new chapters in the great evolving story of American cuisine. And 40 recipes, created by Lee, that bring these new dishes into our own kitchens. ~From the publisher

 

Gaudy Night (The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries Book 12), by Dorothy L. Sayers
The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries keep popping up in various book recommendation podcasts, blogs, etc., so I’ve been meaning to give them a try. It so happens that this month’s Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club pick is Modern Mrs. Darcy Book Club. It’s the perfect excuse to give the series a try.

Summary: Harriet Vane’s Oxford reunion is shadowed by a rash of bizarre pranks and malicious mischief that include beautifully worded death threats, burnt effigies and vicious poison-pen letters, and Harriet finds herself and Lord Peter Wimsey challenged by an elusive set of clues. ~From Follett

 

New York Trilogy, by Paul Auster
My recent trip to New York City was just plain awesome and while it’s not likely that I’ll ever move there, I can definitely read tons of literature about it! As I mentioned in my post about the trip, I’ve made a personal goal to read as many books set in New York City for the next year. The New York Trilogy has been in my library for an embarrassing number of years and it has New York in the title. I think it would be the perfect book to start with for my reading goal.

Summary: Moving at the breathless pace of a thriller, this uniquely stylized trio-logy of detective novels begins with City of Glass, in which Quinn, a mystery writer, receives an ominous phone call in the middle of the night. He’s drawn into the streets of New York, onto an elusive case that’s more puzzling and more deeply-layered than anything he might have written himself. In Ghosts, Blue, a mentee of Brown, is hired by White to spy on Black from a window on Orange Street. Once Blue starts stalking Black, he finds his subject on a similar mission, as well. In The Locked Room, Fanshawe has disappeared, leaving behind his wife and baby and nothing but a cache of novels, plays, and poems. ~From the publisher

 

What do you plan on reading this month? Please share in the comments below!

Literary Linking: August 27 – 31

This week’s link topics include: the Library of Congress’ controversial new logo, literary confessions, and more!

My favorite bookish links the week of August 27 – 31

The Library of Congress Has a Splashy New Logo — and People Are Pissed
Personally, I like the fact the letters in the “LIBRARY” can be moved around to look like bookends. Where do you stand on the matter?

38 Real and Relatable Literary Confessions
Some of these are pretty extreme, like the confession of a woman who totaled the family car because she was reading and never ‘fessed up to husband!!!

Neil Gaiman and Haruki Murakami Up for Alternative Nobel Literature Prize
I’m rooting for Murakami all the way. How about you?

Do Inmates Have Access To Crime Novels?
Banned Books Week is coming soon (Sept. 23 – 29), and it’s usually the schools that get the most attention for banning books. This article, however,  sheds light on what’s being banned in the penal system.