Books Read in February 2025

*book group selection | bolded means favorite

Picture Book

*The Dream Catcher by Marcelo Verdad
*Chooch Helped by Andrea L. Rogers and Rebecca Lee Kunz
*Aloha Everything by Kaylin Melia George and Mae Waite
*An Etrog from Across the Sea by Deborah Bodin Cohen, Kerry M. Olitzky, and Stacey Dressen McQueen

Early Reader

*Vacation: Three-and-a-Half Stories by Ame Dyckman and Mark Teague

Middle Grade

*Continental Drifter by Kathy MacLeod
*Popcorn by Rob Harrell
*Finn and Ezra’s Bar Mitzvah Time Loop by Joshua S. Levy
*Lunar Boy by Jacinta Wibowo and Jessica Wibowo
*Just Shy of Ordinary by A.J. Sass
*Black Star by Kwame Alexander
*Johnny, the Sea, and Me by Melba Escobar, Elizabeth Builes, and Sara Lissa Paulson

Young Adult

Death at Morning House by Maureen Johnson
*Lunar New Year Love Story by Gene Luen Yang and LeUyen Pham
*Navigating With You by Jeremy Whitley, Casio Ribeiro, Nikki Fox, and Micah Myers
*Time and Time Again by Chatham Greenfield
*Canto Contigo by Jonny Garza Villa
*Night Owls by A.R. Vishny
*Trajectory by Cambria Gordon

Young Nonfiction

Information Now: A Graphic Guide to Student Research by Matt Upson, Colin Michael Hall, and Kevin Cannon
*Call Me Roberto!: Roberto Clemente Goes to Bat for Latinos by Nathalie Alonso and Rudy Gutierrez
*Wings of an Eagle: The Gold Medal Dreams of Billy Mills by Billy Mills, Donna Janell Bowman, and S.D. Nelson
*Life After Whale: The Amazing Ecosystem of a Whale Fall by Lynn Brunelle and Jason Chin
*John the Skeleton by Triinu Laan and Marja-Liisa Plats
*Go Forth and Tell: The Life of Augusta Baker, Librarian and Master Storyteller by Breanna J. McDaniel and April Harrison
*Amazing Abe: How Abraham Cahan’s Newspaper Gave a Voice to Jewish Immigrants by Norman H. Finkelstein and Vesper Stamper
*Coretta: The Autobiography of Mrs. Coretta Scott King by Coretta Scott King and Ekua Holmes
*Home by Isabelle Simler and Vineet Lal

Advice Column Question

I grabbed this so I could read it to Matt, because I knew he would laugh. He did.

I also laughed. I like how the writer is getting ahead of themselves. The couple has been seeing each other for three months, and this writer has them past the alter and at the reception. But I also think the writer is humorous and could probably do a great toast.

Movie Quiz February 2025

It was another fun night at the Movie Quiz. There were lots of things to do with the number two (names of sequels, for instance) and the word “and” (Thelma and Louise, for example)

Battleship Cinematic Universe did pretty well considering we were a team of two.

In the realm of names, I enjoyed that the roster included “All Out of Bubblegum” (regulars) plus “I Have Come Here to Chew Bubble Gum and Kick Ass, and I’m All Out of Ass Kicking Ability”

Other names I enjoyed:

  • Brutalist Intermission Escape Plan
  • They Shoot Tesla’s Don’t They?
  • Eat, Pray, Love, Die, Repeat

Slide Scanning Comes to an End

I spent the summer scanning my grandfather’s slides. The vast majority of them were 35mm, and could be scanned with the slide scanner I bought. But there were a few large format ones and a few of other sizes that just didn’t work in my scanner.

So those, I dropped off for scanning. In less than a week I had them back and stored on a handy USB drive. Most of them are from the early 60s, when my mom and aunts were still in high school. So it’s fun to see new pictures of them when they were young.

Note my grandmother’s label, slides, and that it is affixed with cellophane tape.

SKS: Chai, not Chair

I received all three postcards on the same day (amazing!), and I skipped looking at the picture on the front so I could instead read what Sara had written on the back. I read that Sara’s cousin had gotten her this lovely package of chairs (12 in total), and I wondered why the cousin would give her such a large gift. Also, did Sara want 12 chairs?

The confusion was cleared up when I looked at the front and discovered, that what I was reading as chairs was actually chai, as in tea. 12 is a much more reasonable number in that case.

Sara reports that there is an atmospheric river happening, and that she’s enjoying 50 so far.

Firehouse Restaurant V-Day Menu

Firehouse advertised a special Valentine’s Day prix fixe menu, and Matt and I took them up on their offer. It was quite good.

We had eaten at this restaurant before (and check out that post to see if you can find the fun typo), and I was glad to see roasted carrots were on tonight’s menu. While we didn’t opt for the wine pairing, I had a nice red, and Matt had some ginger beer.

We ordered one of each item and traded. This served us well until the dessert course. The sorbetto was good, but not nearly as good as the chocolate brownie.

SKS: Napa Valley

Sara was on a 50th birthday jaunt, and I got these postcards out of the trip.

Fun quiz question. What do you think is the postmark on a card mailed from the Napa Valley? Answer below.

With this postcard, Sara had just been to the bookstore and sent a hello.

Sara reports that the London Fogs at the Retrograde Coffee Roasters are quite nice. Also that the sunny weather with temperatures in the high 50s is a good combo for a weekend celebrating the entrance into one’s fifties.

Answer: These are postmarked Oakland. Is that what you guessed?

Sugar Skull Embroidery

I finished Kiriki’s sampler a few weeks ago, but took my time washing and stretching it. Let’s have a look.

I like the overall result of my stitching, but I do wish the ink transfer had been darker. It’s almost invisible.

The embroidery turned out well. I really like that rose in the center of the skull’s forehead made out of bullion knots. And I also enjoy pistil stitch, which made up the flowers on the top of the skull.

This pattern came with the sampler club bonus. (I think it was the reason I bought this, the haunted house, and the crow, because they were the last available samplers that included the sampler club bonus). It’s a cute little candy corn cat, which I have diligently embroidered and which will stay in this form until someone comes to deal with my estate.