Chick lit subgenres

Gruen, Sara. Riding Lessons. New York, N.Y: HarperTorch, 2004. Print. 

 Middle-aged chick lit for horsey divorcées. Loved it!

 

 Blau, Jessica A. The Wonder Bread Summer: A Novel. New York: Harper Perennial, 2013. Print. 
 Bad girl chick lit for Billy Idol fans. Loved it!

New Camper Van Beethoven!

I'm so excited. Look what came in the mail yesterday . . .

It's the new Camper Van Beethoven CD, La Costa Perdida! I pre-ordered it a couple of weeks ago from Newbury Comics and it was well worth the wait. If you like The Beach Boys, The B 52's, Beck, and the Beatles' White Album, you will love La Costa Perdida. Check out the first single:



I highly recommend buying a hard copy in addition to an mp3. Why?

Because the CD features beautiful artwork by renowned children's book illustrator, Michael Wertz!

Michael illustrated the critically acclaimed children's books A Dazzling Display of Dogs and A Curious Collection of Cats. I think his next book should be A Hilarious Herd of Horses. What do you think?



Rocarra, Princess, and Ned said they'd love to model for Michael.

 

ps. I think Ned has a crush on the cover girl.

 

pps. Read the Wertzateria blog to learn more about Michael and his Camper Van Artwork.

ppps. Rocarra is also a big Sparklehorse fan.

 

Horses

Lerner, Sharon, Susan Jeffers, and Anna Sewell. Black Beauty. New York: Random House, 2009.

Thanks to my husband, I have a new hobby--horseback riding! Marc wisely figured that since I care so much about the horse rescue organizations Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) and the South Florida SPCA, I would probably enjoy actually spending time with the animals. He was right.


My teacher Missy Johnson is the best. She is patient and kind which is important because I have absolutely no natural talent for the sport. I've been going for lessons a couple of nights a week, and since I'm the last lesson of the day, I get to hang out and chat while she feeds and puts out the horses. It's weird, but I really love the smell of the barn.

In honor of my new hobby, here are some classic children's books about horses:

Sewell, Anna. Black Beauty. London: Jarrold and Sons, 1877.

Farley, Walter, and Keith Ward. The Black Stallion. New York: Random House, 1941.

Goble, Paul, and Robert L. Egolf. The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses. Scarsdale, N.Y: Bradbury Press, 1978.

Henry, Marguerite, and Wesley Dennis. Misty of Chincoteague. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1947