Aug
18
2007
A Land Called Honalee
Posted by: Alan in Book Reviews, Books, Easy Picture Books, Non-Fiction
Work is, well, work. Somehow I let a week slip away from me without posting, and really only one book caught my eye during that time. I did finally get my copy of Pan’s Labyrinth, a movie that Nina mentioned on her blog awhile back. I played it and sat through it, but it never did grab me and was mostly background. On my day’s off I did watch the entire seventh season of The West Wing on DVD. I always liked that show and enjoyed it, though 24 episodes at once is past the OD point. I also watched three episodes from season 5 of The Sopranos, and have another three episodes waiting to watch.
A dragon lives forever, but not so little girls and boys.
Painted wings and giant’s rings make way for other toys.
One gray night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more
And Puff, that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar.
Painted wings and giant’s rings make way for other toys.
One gray night it happened, Jackie Paper came no more
And Puff, that mighty dragon, he ceased his fearless roar.
So of course the book that would get my attention would of course also make me cry all damned afternoon. Joel was a huge Peter, Paul and Mary fan and several times dragged me to see them when they played at the Washington State Fair at Puyallup. inevitably they played Puff The Magic Dragon and got the audience to sing a chorus a capella my own little Jackie Paper always sang just as loud as any of the other children. So naturally this children’s book treatment of the lyrics caught my eye. And I consider myself fortunate that I managed to check it out and finish my shift and get the damned thing home before I slobbered all over it. I sure do miss Joel. As for plot, this book has none. The only words are the lyrics to the song.
The other book that caught my eye this week was A Perfect Mess. For everyone who, like me, has quite failed at the neatness thing and functions quite well in their disorder, there is now scientific evidence that your way is actually more efficient. The preface relates the story of a mom-and-pop newsstand, that has no computerized inventory, no fancy fixtures where the magazines are arranged by employees only once or twice a day and are often disorganized, which has thrived even as a more high tech competitor has come and gone and suggests that the cost of the organizing (computer inventory system, plannograms and a staff of constant straighteners) was greater than the benefits that accrued from that organization. This is a pretty revolutionary concept for many people and the book goes to relate more instances of less organization yielding greater efficiency and why this is so. I did not read the whole thing (and doubt you will, either) but suspect that I am not the only one who will be grateful to have this eloquent justification for my clutter.
The other book that caught my eye this week was A Perfect Mess. For everyone who, like me, has quite failed at the neatness thing and functions quite well in their disorder, there is now scientific evidence that your way is actually more efficient. The preface relates the story of a mom-and-pop newsstand, that has no computerized inventory, no fancy fixtures where the magazines are arranged by employees only once or twice a day and are often disorganized, which has thrived even as a more high tech competitor has come and gone and suggests that the cost of the organizing (computer inventory system, plannograms and a staff of constant straighteners) was greater than the benefits that accrued from that organization. This is a pretty revolutionary concept for many people and the book goes to relate more instances of less organization yielding greater efficiency and why this is so. I did not read the whole thing (and doubt you will, either) but suspect that I am not the only one who will be grateful to have this eloquent justification for my clutter.
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