The Joy of Returning, Continued

To continue my post from last night, here are four more of the new books which have grabbed my attention since my return after a week away from the store.

For any techie who loves classic literature:
Ophelia Joined the Group Maidens Don't Float: Classic Lit Signs on to Facebook by Sarah Schmelling
It's not often that Gabrielle and I weaken enough to bring books home to our personal bookshelves (working in a bookstore as a book lover requires a definite degree of resolve in order to avoid abject poverty as the result of dedicating our paychecks to supporting our bibliophilia). This book, however, has nearly seduced us. This book is clever! And silly! Written in the format of Facebook news feeds and profiles, this is a series of dialogs between our favorite classic lit authors and characters. Particularly amusing, read the comments characters and authors leave on each others' "walls" (e.g. Tolkein's comments on Shakespeare's news feed, or Bridget Jones' comments to Jane Austen).

This is Not a Book by Keri Smith
This book is so sweet (even if it claims not to be a book)! A playful activity book for grown-ups, finally. Page 156, for example, says "this is a RANDOM ADVENTURE. 1. go outside. 2. Walk until you see something red. 3. Take ten steps. 4. Look down at your feet and describe what you see in detail." Other pages include ethnographic studies, escape capsules, action sculptures, friends, annoyances, dares, secret identities, miniature book factories, and sets of directions. Young adults will love this book, too.

Life in the Boreal Forest by Brenda Z. Guiberson, Illustrated by Gennady Spirin
Hey, this book is beautiful. Have you seen Spirin's artwork before? He's won five gold medals from the Society of Illustrators. Aimed for children aged 5-10, this nonfiction narrative leads readers through the boreal forests of Canada and Russia. Did you know that bears in these forests must accumulate five-inch layers of fat to keep warm through the winter?

I Judge You When You Use Poor Grammar: A Collection of Egregious Errors, Disconcerting Bloopers, and Other Linguistic Slip-Ups by Sharon Eliza Nichols
This book is pretty hilarious, particularly if you're a language nut. These photos
of signs, notes, and even icing inscriptions on birthday cakes will make you chuckle, from small watermelons advertised as "personnel watermelons" to "beach access closed do to beach erosion."