The Coffee Table

New Book: The Goddess of Yesterday

Anaxander is the daughter of the king of a tiny Greek island. As a child she is taken as a hostage to the island of King Nicander. When she is 13, marauding pirates sack the palace, killing everyone but her. Anaxander frightens them off by pretending to be the goddess Medusa, with the help of an octopus as a hairdo. When she is rescued by the ships of King Menalaus, she assumes the identity of a princess, Nicander's daughter, and becomes a royal guest. When Menalaus's cold and vain wife, Helen, runs off to Troy with her lover, Paris, Anaxander goes along to protect Helen's baby son. Within the walls of Troy, she is torn with conflicting loyalties as the bronze-clad warriors of Menalaus land their ships on the plains below the city and war is imminent.

Continute Reading at: http://thecoffeetable.typepad.com/coffeetables_readings/the-goddess-of-yesterday-by-caroline-b-cooney-tf.html

New Book: Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol (TF) Graphic Novel

Anya could really use a friend. But her new BFF isn’t kidding about the “Forever” part . . . Of all the things Anya expected to find at the bottom of an old well, a new friend was not one of them. Especially not a new friend who’s been dead for a century. Falling down a well is bad enough, but Anya’s normal life might actually be worse. She’s embarrassed by her family, self-conscious about her body, and she’s pretty much given up on fitting in at school. A new friend—even a ghost—is just what she needs. Or so she thinks.

 

 

Read more at: http://thecoffeetable.typepad.com/coffeetables_readings/anyas-ghost-by-vera-brosgol-tf.html

New Book: North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

She's tall, blond, and has an enviable body. But with one turn of her cheek, all people notice is her unmistakably "flawed" face. Terra secretly plans to leave her stifling small town in the Northwest and escape to an East Coast college, but gets pushed off-course by her controlling father. When an unexpected collision puts Terra directly in Jacob's path, the handsome but quirky Goth boy immediately challenges her assumptions about herself and her life, and she is forced in yet another direction. With her carefully laid plans disrupted, will Terra be able to find her true path?

I couldn’t put this book down when I first started to read it. Terra is very relatable as a mature young adult. Despite her physical flaw of a port wine stain spread over half of her face that she spends an hour every morning desperately trying to cover up with makeup and the countless hours moulding every other aspect of her life to be perfect (running, eating healthy, art, hair, clothes) to compensate for her “flaw” Terra is so charming and real you can imagine her as a real person.

Read more at: http://thecoffeetable.typepad.com/coffeetables_readings/north-of-beautiful-by-justina-chen-headley-ya.html

New Book: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

I’m not one for really liking To Kill a Mockingbird. Whether it be because we had to read it in school or because the writing just didn’t jive with me. The Help on the other hand was LOVELY.


Read more at: http://thecoffeetable.typepad.com/coffeetables_readings/the-help-by-kathryn-stockett-af.html

New Book: Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran

Cleopatra’s Daughter by Michelle Moran

Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Anthony’s revengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome; only two– the ten-year-old twins Selene and Alexander–survive the journey. Delivered to the household of Octavian’s sister, the siblings cling to each other and to the hope that they will return one day to their rightful place on the throne of Egypt


Continue Reading at: http://thecoffeetable.typepad.com/coffeetables_readings/cleopatras-daughter-by-michelle-moran-ya.html

A Fun post to start things off

Just a quick fun post here.

I don’t Purchase a lot of stuff off of Etsy but I LOVE looking and finding the neatest things.
www.etsy.com is a fully handmade or vintage website where you create a “shop” to sell your items and people can browse, favorite and purchase straight from the artists themselves. It’s a great place to find Local items and that One special thing you’ve always wanted but could never find on the shelf in stores. (Make sure to check the shipping avaliability at the bottom of the item page as some shops don’t ship everywhere)

General shoppers (like myself) can create an account simply for browsing, purchasing and favoriting your favorite items/shops and check back to see new things.

When I introduced a new friend to Etsy, she came to me with the really cool stuff that she found and lo-and-behold it was a shop that was one of my first Favorites and has had quite a few conversations with the owner.

Check out: http://www.etsy.com/shop/beanforest

He creates the funniest buttons relating to silly worldly things, literature reference, play on words, shakespeare, books , school… you name it, he probably has a button for you that will get a chuckle.
The best part? They are only $1.50 each

  

Summer Reading

So close to summer, I don't have quite enough time to do full write up just yet, but here are a few good suggestions to keep you reading for a bit: (full write ups to follow)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (YA/AF)
Cleopatra's Daughter by Michell Moran (YA/AF)
North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley (TF/YA)
Anya's Ghost by Vera Brosgol (TF)
The Goddess of Yesterday by Cameron Dokey (TF)

Choir Craft Sale

The Choir Groups of George McDougall High School is putting on a Fundraising Craft Sale on April 16th right
here in the Aux Gym of our School in Airdrie.
It will run from 10am to 4pm.

It will be a Bazaar of items handmade from various Artists, Bakers, Grammas, etc. We are looking for Artists who Paint, Draw, Craft, Woodwork, Bake; You name it, we would like to hear from you.
The only cost to You – The Artist – would be the cost of the table (which we would supply). After that, it is your revenue.
The tables are 6 Feet long by 2 and a half feet wide and the cost covers the size of the table, not the amount of different items that you can sell
(you can sell a variety of things if you like)

We are accepting sales representatives from home business' (avon, scentsy, epicure etc)but they are limited to One per business and it is First confirmed (Vendor Confirmation form filled out) First served. If you would like to see if a spot is available to you, just send me off an e-mail.

If you might be interested in attending our event as an artist fire me off an e-mail at thecoffeetablebooks@gmail.com
Or check out: www.thecoffeetable.typepad.com/choirsale

Breakdown:

What: A Craft Sale Fundraiser for the Choir Groups of George McDougall High School in Airdrie.
The proceeds go towards new uniforms, Travel/Accommodations and Music.

Where: George McDougall High School, 412 3^rd Ave Airdrie, AB
(click “Location” on the left side bar to see a Google map on the website)

When: Saturday April 16^th  2010 from 10am to 4pm

Public Admission: Free

 http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=165958076776459

New Book: The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson

The Christopher Killer by Alane Ferguson

The Sleepy Rocky mountain town of Silverton, Colorado, Hasn’t seen a murder in years, According to Pat Mahoney, The county coroner. So when his teenage daughter Cameryn, Asks if she can be his assistant – as preparation for a career in forensic pathology – he figured it’s a safe bet. But neither of them imagines that their first case will involve someone Cameryn knows… the fourth victim of a serial killer called The Christopher Killer.
Attending her first autopsy is more difficult than Cameryn had ever expected, but she’s determined to find her Friends murderer. Before long, Cameryn is plunged into a disturbing mystery, matching wits with everyone from the cantankerous medical examiner who doubts her abilities to the famous psychic who is predicting yet another death – soon.

Read more at: http://thecoffeetable.typepad.com/coffeetables_readings/the-christopher-killer-by-alane-ferguson-tf.html

New Book: Does My Head Look Big in This?

High school is tough enough without throwing a hijack into the mix…

In Randa Abdel-Fattah’s brilliant debut novel, Amal, an Australian-Palestinian girl living in a suburb of Melbourne, makes the biggest decision of her life, to wear the hijack, the Muslim head scarf, fulltime. In spite of her parents’ gentle warning and the ostracizing that is sure to come from the other kids at her snobby prep school. Amal’s decision spring from a deep sense of faith, and she is certain – well, almost certain – that she’s ready to take this step.

But can she handle the taunts of “towel-head”, navigate the wilds of mad crush, and stay true to herself? Amal is sassy, intelligent, sensitive, and hilarious, and her journey of faith will take readers down an unexpected and very entertaining path.

 I absolutely loved this book. While not being preachy about their religion the book really shows examples of not only the culture with flexible parents but Amal also has a friend with a very rigid and traditional family. Using Amal’s interactions with her grumpy neighbour, her conversations with her mother, disagreements/taunts between friends at school and who she thought were her friends the reader gains a deeper understanding within the community of Palestinians and the cultural differences as well as the Teenage interactions and having fun at ages 16 and 17.

Keep reading at: http://thecoffeetable.typepad.com/coffeetables_readings/goes-my-head-look-big-in-this-by-randa-abdel-fattah-tf.html