Book out!

That title is meant to be kinda like, "Rock out!" but what with 'book' inserted instead... but instead it looks like I'm proudly exclaiming that I have a book out, which is misleading... but quite dreamy....

Anyway, the spoils of a late night lust-a-thon with Amazon arrived today... you know how I was rattling on about The Toy Book by Steve Caney recently? Well, I discovered that he actually written three more books, and I ordered them all. That's right, once again Amazon had it's way with me, and I was powerless to resist.
I know the kid on the cover of Kids' America looks psychotic ( I would urge them to reissue this with a different cover photo) but it's got SO many great ideas for things to make and wonderful games. And the building one... it really is the ultimate. If your kid likes to build, don't hesitate... you need this for your library. I actually haven't received the Invention one yet... but I'm pretty cotton pickin' sure I'm gonna love it.


I also ordered American Elf 3 by James Kochalka ( I DO love American Elf SO much!!) and Studs Terkel's Working: a graphic adaptation by Harvey Pekar (of American Splendor... which of course I also love... and wow so much America today!) but I'm just going to read 'em real quick and then send 'em on to my bro for his birthday, 'cause I regift like that.

Some fun books for warm weather

I'm kind of an kid-activity book aficionado by now, so I'd love to share with you the best books I've found for having fun outdoors. There's so many out there that are either just a rehash of the same old tired ideas, OR, they're simply just a bunch of baloney. These I found very inspiring. Though I've never been able to roast an egg on a stick as the Go Outside! book advises. I've tried it twice, and it exploded both times.

Booksale

Dang! Sorry this won't come out any bigger. Just wanted to share this ad for the booksale with you. Truth be told we may have missed it by about 15 or 20 years. I got kinda busted regifting this Christmas season when this dropped out of a book I had given my sister-in-law, Jessica. It was a newer book than this ad, I think I had found this and stashed it inside the book last time I was home with my family of origin and rooting through my old possessions. This ad used to be on my wall and it really gives me some strong wrenches in my heart, simply because it says on the back that it's addressed to Pamela Hoffmeister, and I know I worshipped Pam for such a long time as a kid and teenager. I wished (and still kind of do) that I could be a part of their family, making art all the time, living in France for big chunks of time, chickens in the backyard, apple tree in the backyard, family of six children, art everywhere, so much style, always living in some beautiful neighborhood in Seattle or Eugene where we kids were free to roam (instead of the boring rural burbs in Western Washington where I sent a major part of my growing up years...).... I still long for them. Or maybe more specifically, for her. Does anyone else out there have a dream mom? I'm sure whatever mom you have you yearn at times for a different sort, but... she just is my dream mom, and I miss her.
I always say that I'm trying to manifest my dream family in my neighborhood. If I just envision them clearly enough, one day I'll discover them on one of these side streets back here. The perfect family that's right close by, that has kids that match perfectly with my kids, that when we get together it's just so easy and relaxing and fun. I really believe I am going to find that family someday (soon I hope) but whenever I imagine them, they are similar in almost every way to the Hoffmeisters. Of course I'll let my family be whoever they are when I finally meet them... and I'll just try to imbue my own household with some of those characteristics about the Hoffs that I hold so dear.
Now how to swing the living in France part....

Christmas books

We just hauled out our bin of Christmas stuff last night. So nice to see some of these familiar faces again. I heartily recommend these as the least junky or saccharine Christmas books you can buy. Though with that said, I haven't read Lemony Snicket's The Latke Who Wouldn't Stop Screaming: A Christmas Story yet. This will be the third year we'll be reading The Nutcracker, I daresay it might be a tradition. I can't wait to read it again... slightly perverse and baroque, as all good Christmas stories must be.

oh sweet books, how you tempt me

I am a complete and utter book maniac. I seriously have trouble spending money on any other worldly goods other than food. A lot of times, yes, I really do need to curb my enthusiasm and hold off, but sometimes I am just on a path of fascination that feels so right... I just have to go there. Have to get the books if I hear about them. I just know they're going to lead me somewhere great...
OK, I'm going somewhere with this, I swear. These are the two books I recently ordered and when I was discovering them I had that breaking-out-in-cold-sweat-I-mean-this-in-a-good-way feeling, and when I was flipping through them this afternoon I had that prickling, ticklish, hyperventilating feeling that just lets me know I am onto something good. To each their own and these books might mean nothing to you but I thought they were way cool and you might want to put them on your list or give them as gifts. Or MAKE some gifts from the projects depicted within... now there's an idea.

I mean, Magic Books and Paper Toys?? COME ON! That's way too good. I feel a class coming on...