David Sedaris in PARIS: Me Talk Pretty One Day

Just finished the book. It was a fun, easy-to-read book.

Each of the short essays could be read as a stand-alone story. So, at night, I would pull the book off my headboard and read one little essay. They are all funny. So, I would go to sleep with a smile on my face and sleep more restful than if I didn't pick through the pages.

There was a lot of talk about Paris, and it made me think of the time we took our oldest son, Jake, there for his present for his graduation from college.

Some people might think the humor in Me Talk Pretty One Day is a little twisted and maybe it is, but that doesn't change the fact that I laughed out loud at some of the stories. And, of course, some stories are funnier than others but none were bad.

I especially liked the fact that David Sedaris made fun of himself more than other people.

It was also fun to read about American tourists in Paris. I've been to Paris twice, and the one thing I noticed when we were there, is how very tall my husband and son seemed. At 6'4" and 6'5", they looked like they were being filmed for a Land of the Giants episode. I stepped back behind them so I could watch the people's faces as they walked through the crowded areas. I was snickering into my sleeve but then I noticed I was taller than most people too and I'm only 5'7".

We enjoyed the people in Paris and found them to be very friendly. Of course, we tried, hopelessly, to speak in French. And we attempted to order everything in French. My husband is very good with languages-having been born and raised in a country where it's mandatory to know more than one or two languages. So, that helped. But, sometimes it seemed like a comedy of errors. The French people tried to understand what we were attempting to say and, for the most part, they did a good job but once we even walked into an English language school looking for directions-and I had trouble understanding them-and they were supposed to be speaking English.

Here are a few pictures from our last trip to Paris. My oldest son graduated from the University of Oregon and deserved some sort of present ;-) Of course, he would have preferred to have gone by himself or with a friend - but hey, we were paying so it was a good excuse for us to go too.

My son, Jake, graduated with a degree in Multi-Media Design and he said he really wanted to see the Louvre - so we did.

Hope you enjoy the photos too.

Frida by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand

FRIDA won the Notable Award from the American Library Association and the silver seal of the Pura Belpre Honor Book.

It tells the story of Frida Kahlo who was a native of Mexico. Her story is told in biographical poems along with her artwork.

She had a traumatic life, which is reflected in her artwork. She had polio as a child and her right leg shriveled then she got into a horrible bus accident when she was young. The handrail pierced her hip bone and she had multiple broken bones. Then her husband had an affair with her sister and he asked her for a divorce.

She got pregnant and her baby died in the summer and then her mom died in September. Frida said she paints her pain.

She had a pet fawn and painted pictures for family and friends. One of her artworks was done on glass and the Louvre bought it: it was a self-portrait in which Frida was framed by birds and flowers.

It may be classified as a picture book but, I think it is so beautiful, it could easily be a coffee table book for children and adults to enjoy.