I swear I'm not a cat person!

I don't know why I'm so intrigued by all these picture books about cats, but here's another one (along with some other things I think look good).

Mr. Pusskins: A Love Story by Sam Lloyd
This book is about a grumpy cat (although I think anyone would be grumpy with a name like "Mr. Pusskins") who doesn't appreciate his easy feline life until he's forced to spend a night fending for himself on the street. I just have to wonder why everyone feels compelled to put these fat, grumpy, fuzzy, irresistible cats on the covers of their books. I'm powerless against the fat cat! I just can't help myself!

Sock Monkey Rides Again by Cece Bell
While I'm in a confessional mood, I should probably just admit that I hate sock monkeys. I find them creepy and phallic and odd, and the recent plethora of books featuring sock monkeys hasn't really been something that I've embraced. Until now! Sock Monkey is a famous actor who gets the best role of his life in a singing cowboy movie. The problem? He has to kiss his co-star, and he just can't seem to do it. This is a funny premise, and the illustrations seem to depict Sock Monkey as a cheerful fellow, without any of the malevolent glee that sock monkeys usually have.


Chandlefort: In the Shadow of the Bear by David Randall
Oh look . . . another fantasy sequel for me to rave about!!!! Randall's first book, Clovermead, was about a young girl who had the ability to change into a bear, and Chandlefort promises to continue the adventure. Granted, the publishers seem to have given it an ugly sci-fi-ish cover that can't really compare to the Leo and Diane Dillon artwork of the first, but I can overlook that. I've met the author on several occasions, and he is a delight. And his writing is gripping, elegant, and wonderfully ambiguous when it comes to questions of good and evil.

Two things that have nothing in common . . .

. . . except for the fact that they are both books.

Old Tom's Guide to Being Good by Leigh Hobbs
It would appear that this is the wrong jacket, but it's still pretty darn funny. Especially when you consider that the book is about Angela Throgmorton insisting that her cat (yes, the one in the picture) brush up on his manners to prepare for a tea party with the queen. When I look at that cat, I think "etiquette." And I love watching kids trying to get cats to do their bidding--always good for a laugh.


Forging the Sword by Hilari Bell
This is the third book in a trilogy, and I can't wait for it to fall into my hot little hands. At the center of this epic story are three completely different teens--a haughty girl of noble birth, an illegitimate boy eager to prove himself as a soldier, and a poor thief with a scarred hand. How their lives intertwine, and how they find themselves in the center of a battle to protect their native land from invasion by the much stronger Hrum, makes this trilogy fascinating and exciting and top-notch fantasy.



Okay . . . I lied . . . there aren't just two things in this post. Thinking of how much I'm looking forward to Forging the Sword made me remember another fantasy that I'm beside myself with excitement about, and I needed to tell you about that, too. Blade of Fire by Stuart Hill is the sequel to Cry of the Icemark, which is one of the best fantasy books I've read in the last decade. This exquisitely written story has everything you could want in a fantasy--a feisty female heroine, a soulful man to help her, vampires, wolves, invading armies, emotional deaths, good deeds rewarded, peril, swordfights. This book was so good I carried the galley back with me from the Dominican Republic (and usually when I travel I leave a trail of galleys behind me), thus giving me much less room for souvenirs. If Blade of Fire is half as good as the first book, it will be the best fantasy of 2006. Oh . . . I'm all in a swivet!

Short and Sweet

Despite the fact that I've been ordering like a maniac this week, I only have one book to blog about. Odd, that.

Runaway Dinner by Allan Ahlberg

Young Banjo sits down to his dinner, only to have the sausage (and then the fork and then the knife and then . . . ) jump up and run away. All the foods have names in this rolicking tale, which all the reviews say is a good read-aloud. Personally, I'm captivated by the illustrations, which are precise and matter-of-fact while still managing to be quirky and hilarious.