What day is it again?

I'm on vacation, mostly without internet access. More importantly, my brain is on vacation and I don't think I could write a coherent review of Hop on Pop right now, much less my pile of books awaiting review. In fact, I just messed up when cooking Hot Pockets in the microwave, because I misinterpreted their use of the word "unwrapped." The three-hour time change from west coast to east coast flattens me every time.

So, I thought I'd post a little update on what I'm reading. Not Hop on Pop, you'll be happy to know.

I just finished Sometimes We're Always Real Same-Same, by Mattox Roesch, to be published September 8th. It's about a kid named Cesar whose mother moves him from a troubled life in L.A. to the remote Alaskan village where she was raised. Cesar is part native but never identified as such. Kind of Northern Exposure with a gang-involved teenager instead of a doctor. The writing style is deceptively simple, and the character development is both delightful and heartbreaking. I loved it, and I'm bummed that I'll miss Roesch's book tour stop at Annie Bloom's Books in Portland on September 10th.

Hey, I think I just reviewed a book.

I'm currently reading NurtureShock, which delves into various counter-intuitive facts about children and how to raise them. It's research-based and I'm finding it fascinating reading. How does praise affect the way kids learn? Why do kids lie, and how do they get good at it? How does being marked as "gifted" in kindergarten impact performance in third grade and above?

This book will affect how I parent and how I homeschool, and if my kids were in school it would heavily impact my decisions about their schooling. I'm looking forward to writing about the specifics in depth, but this advance copy contains explicit instructions not to share the specifics of any of the research until the book is released, which will be September 3.


I just started Kathleen McCleary's House and Home and it kept me up too late last night because I had to know what was going to happen. From the publisher: The story of a woman who loves her house so much that she'll do just about anything to keep it.

Ellen Flanagan has two precious girls to raise, a cozy neighborhood coffee shop to run, terrific friends, and a sexy husband. She adores her house, a yellow Cape Cod filled with quirky antiques, beloved nooks and dents, and a million memories. But now, at forty-four, she's about to lose it all.

After eighteen roller-coaster years of marriage, Ellen's husband, Sam--who's charismatic, spontaneous, and utterly irresponsible--has disappointed her in more ways than she can live with, and they're getting divorced. Her daughters are miserable about losing their daddy. Worst of all, the house that Ellen loves with all her heart must now be sold.

I have mixed feelings about this one so I won't say any more about it until I've finished and had some time to think it over.

I have guest posts scheduled here and there throughout the next couple of weeks. If any of my readers are interested in contributing an additional guest post, I'd love for you to submit a post to me at worducopia/at/gmail/dot/com between now and September 8, 2009.