Hooray! Look! I found a new book about the color blue! The Blue Hour, by Isabelle Simler is full of wonderful pictures during that brief moment between the end of the day and the start of night. Check out all the critters and plants and sea life ... and, well, just so many things that make that time of day magical!

Here's an unusual spin on Canadian history: Only in Canada! From the Colossal to the Kooky, by Vivien Bowers. (It's also labeled "A Wow Canada! book"). Your guides are a goose and a moose and they will take you on a tour of Canada starting with plate tectonics (giving Canada it's shape) and including explorers, animals, inventors and more.

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There was a seven year gap between Lumby books, but there is finally a new title (and another due out in 2018)! Lost in Lumby, by Gail Fraser, is the sixth in this series, one of my top favorites. This time there is a newcomer, with an agenda, and an ability to 'spin' the facts. There is a mysterious stranger at the Abby, and the discovery of a previously unknown sibling. All the elements necessary for another look at this delightful small town and it's residents. I read it in one day. Which is why I am doing this one book post! :-)

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Another 'strong woman' book today ... Kay Fanning was a journalist who moved to Alaska in the early '50's. She and her husband bought a small newspaper that ran in competition with a much bigger, more established paper ... and made it successful! Kay Fanning's Alaska Story: Memoir of a Pulitzer Prize-Winning Newspaper on America's Northern Frontier, by Kay Fanning, with Katherine Field Stephen is this story. Most of it came from journals, etc. Ms. Fanning kept, and rather than have someone try and finish her story after her death, people who knew her were asked to make contributions instead. This was a great idea! Think of trying to put out the news when communications were 'iffy' at best, and often failed due to bad weather. A bit dry in places, but overall a most interesting read.

It is so nice to have "connections" !! In this case, it allowed me access to a book I'd not seen before, but which looked interesting: Built in Washington: 12,000 Years of Pacific Northwest Archaeological Sites and Historic Buildings. It was written by the Staff of the Washington State Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation and is rather stuffy sometimes, but the pictures are amazing! (There are wonderful finds at the local Archives). :-)

I love it when I find an 'overlap' book! Gods, ghosts, and black dogs: the fascinating folklore and mythology of dogs, by Stanley Coren fits both with dog books and Canadian books as the author is a Professor Emeritus from the University of British Columbia. This is a great collection of dog stories from ancient to modern times as to just how much dogs mean to us. The blurb on the back has the best description: "facts, history, humour (it is Canadian, remember) and mystery blend together ...." they do indeed!

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If you enjoy looking for hidden images in pictures then don't miss Twilight Hunt: a Seek-and-Find Book by Narelle Oliver. A screech owl is looking for food for her babies, but it keeps disappearing (see if you can spot where). And, later, what happens when she becomes the hunted?

Growing up on a farm can mean hard work all year long ... but would you move away if you could? What would you miss? From Dawn Till Dusk, by Natalie Kinsey-Warnock and illustrated by Mary Azarian (who really did grow up on a farm) considers this very question.

The Sunset Switch, by Kathleen V. Kudlinski and illustrated by Lindy Burnett is a sort of changing of the guard. As the sun goes down the day time hunters curl up for sleep and the night time hunters wake up ... seems the critters they seek cannot expect a quiet rest! Lovely pictures.

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Even though it might not seem like it, summer has arrived. :-)

In her spring time book we learned about all sorts of flowers, for Summer Walk, by Virginia Brimahll Snow, it's insects! Learn how and where to find all sorts of creeping crawlies here, with the same wonderful combination of line and color illustrations. There are also instructions on how to hatch a butterfly.

I have a dim memory of some books with wonderful pictures of fairies and was pleased to not only find one, but all of them! The Complete Book of the Flower Fairies, by Cicely Mary Barker (poems and pictures) contains all eight of these delightful books. Stunning pictures for all seasons, for trees and the garden ... with poems for each (and a few plant facts, too). Just a beautiful book. Just for fun, start with the summer fairies first. :-)

I have been told that Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town, by Stephen Leacock is a Canadian Classic ... and I can see why. This is a delightful collection of stories about a small town and the quirky folks who live there. You'll find humor and mystery and even a bit of romance. First printed in 1912 I was rather impressed that it didn't feel all that dated. The style reminds me of O. Henry!

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What a debut for author Martha Hall Kelly! Lilac Girls: a Novel is one of those reads I gave up doing anything else but finishing. This is carefully researched historical fiction and the author spent years tracking down records, speaking with survivors and visiting the places she wrote about. A warning though, it is graphic and intense and pulls no punches. History at its worst, writing at its best.

Remember Make Way for Ducklings? Blueberries for Sal? The Biggest Bear? I loved all these books by Robert McCloskey so was pleased to find what seemed to be a biography about him: Robert McCloskey: A Private Life in Words and Pictures, by Jane McCloskey (the youngest daughter). Turns out it was more about the family than just him. I was a bit disappointed at first, but it turned out to be okay! This is a nice story of the family of the man who wrote and illustrated so many of the books those of us of a certain age (and other generations too, hopefully) enjoyed as kids. The pictures were good, too, as many of them were not ones I'd seen before.

It was the subtitle that caught my eye here: Facts About Canada: Sarcasm and the Canadian Condition, by Sadler Mars. It is part of his series Facts About Stuff and is full of snippets of things about Canada (obviously, yes?!) It is fun and silly.

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I had mixed feelings about Larry Gets Lost in New York City, illustrated by John Skewes and written by Michael Mullin and John Skewes. While I enjoyed the dogs eye view of the famous landmarks (and the extra bits of information provided), as someone with a canine companion, I wondered why his humans weren't more concerned their dog was lost!

Be sure to read There's a Cow in the Road!, by Reeve Lindbergh and pictures by Tracey Campbell Pearson out loud! It's a hoot! I love the repetition of "Then the cow looks at me and the cow says, 'Moo!'" :-) Just how many other animals join this cow in the road?

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Kate Andersen Brower has written another captivating book about the White House, this time about people who have lived there. First Women: the Grace and Power of America's Modern First Ladies tells what it's like to be married to the president. The role has changed over the years (one First Lady was told to sit next to her husband and keep her mouth shut) and each has customized the job to her liking (as much as it's possible to do). Some liked it, others hated it, they didn't always all get along, either, but, all of them supported their husbands. Quite a read.

Floral Diplomacy at the White House, by Laura Dowling, is part biography, part recent history. When Ms. Dowling applied for the job as White House florist, she never really intended to get the job, but she did, and was there during the Obama administration. See what she designed for various functions from state dinners, to July 4 celebrations, the private rooms, and more. Impressive!

The Canadian sesquicentennial is coming up soon. Expect to see more books about our neighbors to the north (well, mostly) in upcoming posts. For a great look at Canadian artists there is Embracing Canada: Landscapes from Krieghoff to the Group of Seven from the Vancouver Artgallery and black dog publishing. So much wonderful art here, and it can be enjoyed from your favorite chair! I am partial to artists who included horses. ;-)

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Baths are good! Baths are bad! They are a social affair. They are a private affair. They should be hot. Cold. Tepid. What a controversy! The Dirt on Clean: an Unsanitized History by Katherine Ashenburg is a nice, often humorous history on bathing. It was interesting to learn who kept clean and why (or didn't, and why). At some point scents, deodorants and so forth were introduced because, after all, no one wanted to smell like, well, a human! And then, in what must have been one of the greatest advertising campaigns ever, sprays or powders or pastes to take care of smells you didn't even know you had (but that others might notice)!

Reading about food can be fun, as was proven with Save Room for Pie: Food Songs and Chewy Ruminations by Roy Blount, Jr. Full of short essays and poems and (fake) news stories, this book kept me amused for some time! Yes, I did skip or skim every so often, but a word of warning here ... the humor can sneak up on you so it's best not to be drinking a cold beverage until you've finished an entry! ;-)

It all started with the discovery of one Federal Art Project poster for Grand Teton National Park. Next was a search for any other posters that had survived (not many) then it became a project to recreate the lost posters, and on to designing new posters in the old design! National Parks: History of the WPA Poster Art by Deborah T. Zindell and Jeanne-Marie P. Hudson was the result and it is amazing! I was so captivated by this book that when I finished it, I started it all over again.

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Ever wonder where we got the phrase 'the real McCoy' ? Find out in All Aboard! Elijah McCoy's Steam Engine, by Moncia Kulling and illustrated by Bill Slavin! Elijah's first job on the railroad was hard, dirty, and dangerous and his first invention was something that easily, cleanly, and safely replaced the young men hired for this job (who were often injured or killed). He would come up with many more inventions in his life.

In Madam President, by Lane Smith, a young girl dreams of being president. She understands all the duties (good and bad), sings her own words to "Hail to the Chief", selects her own cabinet (a few of her own creation), and so forth. Personally, I think a Secretary of Naps is an excellent idea!

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I was in the cooking section at Village Books because that's where Canadian Reader was ... and I found a couple of books that looked interesting ... which was something of a surprise to me. Driving Hungry: a Delicious Journey, from Buenos Aires to New York to Berlin, by Layne Mosler is about something that is far, far out of my comfort zone. Ms. Mosler is able to pick up and move, taking just one suitcase, renting rooms online from strangers, and going to countries where she knows little, if any, of the language. At one point she starts asking the taxi drivers where they like to eat and her blog, Taxi Gourmet, was born. Just an amazing read!

Seems Canadian Reader jumped into the middle of this series because Mrs. Roosevelt's Confidante, by Susan Elia Macneal is not the first of her Maggie Hope Mystery books. It is mid-December, 1941 and Prime Minister Churchill is in Washington, D.C. to meet with President Roosevelt. There is a letter that would bring things to a screeching halt should it be made public, an execution that many want stopped (and just as many want to proceed), spies, rockets ... just a lot going on! Well written, nice historical touches, I think we'll both be reading more of this series in the months to come.

I've been on a train trail recently, it seems, and here's the most recent entry there: All Aboard: the Wonderful World of Disney Trains, by Dana Amendola. Walt Disney, and many of his animators loved trains. Most of them had toy trains, model trains, rode trains on their vacations so naturally many show up in the parks and films (live and animated). While the stories and pictures here were wonderful, by favorite part came at the end and a glossary of common words and phrases that are so familiar ... and all started in the railway industry! Don't miss it! (It includes "going on line")! :-)

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I read this book, I know I did, but it was before I started my blog, so I read it again so I could include it! Northwest Ferry Tales: Stories, Poems & Anecdotes Collected by Joyce Delbridge is (no surprise) all about the ferry system here in the pacific northwest. From routine crossings, to bad weather, dogs and more, this is a wonderful read (and re-read)! :-)

This area has a wonderful history involving trains. Great Northern Railway in the Pacific Northwest, by Jeff Wilson is filled with wonderful old photos of that industry. A little history, a lot of pictures! Good with a cup of tea. :-)

Here's another book from Canadian Reader, and, it's the first in a new series! (Well, new to us). ;-) Midnight Riot, by Ben Aaronovitch. Disappointed when his first assignment with the London Metropolitan Police is the office that manages all the paperwork, things change quickly when he is privy to information involving an odd case, and that the information can to him from a ghost. A nice touch of the real and the magical.

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The year is 1884, the place, Australia. A carload of dogs was been shipped from Adelaide to the outback to serve as rabbit hunters. One pup catches the eye of a train employee and rest, as the saying goes, is history. Bob, the Railway Dog: the True Story of an Adventurous Dog, by Connie Fenton, illustrated by Andrew McLeann is a nicely rendered version of this story.

There may have been lots of books back in the 1700's, but none were specifically for children. There were books of fables (designed to teach right and wrong) and books on etiquette (to teach proper behavior) but none that were just plain fun. Until John Newbery came along and that's when everything changed for the better! Balderdash!: John Newbery and the Boisterous Birth of Children's Books, by Michelle Markel and illustrated by Nancy Carpenter explains how he came to print books just for kids.

Turn on the Night, by Geraldo Valerio is a lovely, wordless story about a book, a little girl, and a dream. Charming!

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