Perhaps the kids are signed up for swim lessons, you’re road tripping to the Black Hills, or they’re pitching on the mound all summer. At any rate there will still be days when you need some great reads and ideas for things to keep their little hands occupied. CRPL has you covered! Below is a… View more
One of my favorite antiheroes, the improbable Amos Decker, is back. We met a few years ago in David Baldacci’s Memory Man, and I instantly fell in love with Amos’ exceptional brain. You see, he is gifted and cursed with hyperthymesia and synesthesia resulting from a helmet to helmet collision at his first professional football… View more
Essay = noun: /ˈesā/ A short piece of writing on a particular subject. The question: Can a literary form that that caused so much anxiety in my high school years find redemption in my dotage? Oh, the exercise in misery that was the high school essay. Did students really enjoy writing them? Did teachers really… View more
If you have kids, teach kids, have seen kids pottering around, you will most likely be familiar with Mo Willem’s work. From “Knuffle Bunny” to “Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus,” “That is not a Good Idea” to “Amanda and her Alligator,” this author is the bread and butter, the meat and potatoes, the… View more
“I wanted to cut loose from the world, and I shared, too his desire to escape to the wild, a desire that can rip away all human softness and leave you stranded in a world of savage, courteous despair”.- Helen Macdonald on T.H. White’s need to train a goshawk. When her father passed away suddenly… View more
Fool Me Once is Harlan Coben’s ninth consecutive novel to reach #1 on the New York Times best seller list. Nine books in a row at #1. I mean, can you imagine that? Seriously. I almost got to brag once when I came in second in a middle school spelling bee. But I digress. In… View more
Spring is most definitely in the air! While the trees are blossoming and budding out, we’re prepping our veggie beds, cleaning off our grills and getting our yards ready for the season. I’m constantly looking for fresh ideas for new recipes that use simple, local, fresh ingredients and also taste amazing. Here are some cookbooks… View more
Life is a struggle. Sometimes just getting out of bed can be hard. Trying to justify to yourself that you are good enough merely for waking and running errands, while it may be a stretch, is completely necessary sometimes. Jenny Lawson is mentally ill. Sometimes, she admits that she sets the bar unabashedly low that… View more
“That you are here—that life exists, and identity; That the powerful play goes on, and you will contribute a verse.” ― Walt Whitman, Leaves of Grass There are humans who conquer literature and humans who conquer science, but it is a rare human who can successfully master both. Paul Kalanithi is one such human. In… View more
It’s Spring Break! Whether you’re going to Grandma’s and need some books for bedtime, heading to Florida and need an alternative to puzzles, dolls and TV on the road, having a stay-cation or you’re anywhere in between, here are some great kids reads to see you through… The Adventures of Beekle the Unimaginary Friend- Dan… View more
