Pyro

I forget how much I enjoy Earl Emerson's books until I read another one. If you have not read anything by him, I suggest you start with Into the Inferno--one of his absolute best. Last weekend I read Pyro, and it starts with one of the most intriguing first sentences I have read in a while, "Life has been a rocky road since that morning nineteen years ago when my brother and I killed Alfred." Now Lt. Paul Wolff is a Seattle firefighter who hates pyromaniacs because his father was killed in a fire started by one when Paul was a child. This tragic death triggered the ruination of his family. Currently the city is being plagued by a string of fires that seem to be very similar to the ones nineteen years ago, and Paul is determined to catch the culprit and hopefully his father's killer.

Last Chance Harvey

Last Chance Harvey with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson is a story about friendship, love, and last chances. Harvey flies to London for his daughter's wedding where he meets a surveyor at the airport. They start talking over lunch and immediately connect with each other. Both of them aren't satisfied with their lives, both of them want things to be a little different, and now might be their last chance.

Knuffle Bunny

My husband and I are reading picture books to our unborn child, and we came across this precious gem, Knuffle Bunny. (Actually, I read it several years ago, but I forgot how wonderful it was.) Trixie and her daddy head to the Laundromat and the unthinkable happens when they leave. The artwork is photographs with cartoon drawings over top, and I love the expressions on the characters faces--I laughed on nearly every page. I remember really liking Knuffle Bunny Too, so I am going to request that right now.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians

What if the Greek gods were still alive? What if you had a Greek god for a father? What if ancient Greek monsters were trying to kill you? These things are exactly what happens in The Lightning Thief Book 1 of Percy Jackson & the Olympians. Percy is a demigod who while on his way to Summer Camp at Camp Half-Blood barely escapes from a deadly Minotaur. Once he gets to camp he discovers that Zeus is missing his master lightning bolt, and he thinks that Percy stole it. Will Percy be able to find it in the 10 day time period he has been given?
This is a five book series for Grades 4 and up, and each one cleverly incorporates elements of Greek mythology. I am just starting the final book, The Last Olympian, and I can't wait to see how it ends.

Hustle

I recently watched season 1-3 of a BBC television series called Hustle. It is about a group of con-artists in London. If you are skeptical about watching a show where people are conned out of thousands, then don't worry because this group of 5 friends has a code to only con the immoral. They carefully select “marks” that not only can afford to loose money but deserve to. It is extremely entertaining to see how the con will go down or in a few cases not go down. Another part of the show that I really enjoyed was the friendship that occurs between this group of people; they are very much like a family. I would definitely say, “The con is on!”

Bride and Prejudice

Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice meets Bollywood in this delightful film, Bride and Prejudice. Will Darcy an American businessman comes to India with some friends for a wedding. When he meets Lalita Bakshi, she finds him most disagreeable. His friend of course finds her sister most agreeable. As is typical of Bollywood movies, singing and dancing ensues. In case you don't know, Bollywood is the informal name of the big motion picture industry in Bombay, India, and its style is similiar to a musical only with Hindi music and dancing. The colors are rich and dramatic, and this particular adaption is especially fun.