When looking for books on winter, the holidays, and so forth, I came across Twelve Kinds of Ice, by Ellen Bryan Obed and illustrated by Barbara McClintock. It is one those books that is a 'quiet delight' and while it is cataloged as a Children's book, adults will enjoy it ... maybe even more so. It starts with the first ice of the season, that which is thin and appears on the surface of a water bucket and is easily broken with the tap of a finger. As the book progresses, the ice gets thicker and lasts longer, finally reaching the point of being strong enough for skaters (don't miss Dad and his skating partner). Eventually, of course, the days get longer and the ice gets thinner, Dad calls it 'punk ice'. Lost items appear ... mittens, even a broken hockey stick. There is one more ice left, a very special ice, but you'll have to read the book to find out what it is. Charming, sweet, this is a special read.

I've decided to call Bibliophile: an Illustrated Miscellany, by Jane Mount 'wonderfully absorbing.' In the introduction it said the goal was to increase the pile of your 'to be read' books ... and it will! It started with pictures (hand drawn, not photos) of books on shelves and just sort of took off from there. The author/illustrator asked friends what books they liked, which they might use to define themselves, favorites as a kid, and so on. It also describes wonderful bookstores world wide (one in Japan has bike racks, and places to secure your dog ... and a pet hotel). There are also fun quizzes throughout, one with a five word description of a book, see how many you recognize! Warning, this is an easy book to just read 'one more page' until there are no more. (A personal observation here: I found it odd that neither Robert Louis Stevenson nor O. Henry were mentioned).

Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition, by Shanna O'Reilly and Brennan O'Reilly is another in the Images of America Series. Located on what became the campus of the University of Washington, it was a celebration of sorts. Many states, cities, and countries were featured in the various buildings and pavilions. There was even the biggest Ferris wheel in the world. (You'll chuckle, these days it'd barely make it in a kiddy park)! As always, wonderful pictures, but for the first time I found a few typographical errors. Still, a most interesting read.

Reading Hermit With Dog