Graphic Novel Book Club

This is a random post for my regular readers (all three of you), but I'm in charge of planning my book club's meeting for September, and we're reading graphic novels. As someone who's never actually read an entire comic book (no one tell Grandpa Rob), I'm actually a little intimidated by choosing a book (and leading the meeting on the topic I suggested!). Anyway, here's the list we can choose from (compiled by fellow book club members who know more about graphic novels!). And for those of you who check this blog only for the cute pictures of Maddie, scroll to the bottom.

American Born Chinese - YA immigrant experience
Smile - YA hilarious story about braces
French Milk - story of a mother/daughter trip to Paris
La Perdida - one woman's adventure through Mexico City
Maus – story of a Jewish family during World War II
We Are On Our Own – family escaping the Nazi’s during World War II
Pyongyang: A Journey in North Korea – a American cartoonist’s work trip to North Korea
Shenzen – an American’s travels through Communist China
Persepolis – growing up in Revolutionary-era Iran
Fair Weather – life as a boy in the 1970s
Epileptic – growing up in the 1970s with an epileptic brother
I Never Liked You – the difficult life of a teenager trying to fit in
American Splendor – everyday life as a comic strip creator
American Widow – a 9/11 widow’s story
Stitches – parents deliberately give their child cancer so they can study it
Blankets – struggles with a “rigidly fundamentalist Christian upbringing”
Clumsy – chronicle of a year-long long-distance relationship (note: I’ve heard there’s lots of sex in this one.)
Fun Home – life with a closeted gay father who runs a funeral home
Pedro & Me – life and death of a gay man with AIDS

Beachy Keen

Dakota was supposed to have jury duty today, but he was fortunate enough to be #891 in the jury pool and they only needed 1-600 today! We decided to take advantage of the balmy weather and unexpected free day and head to the beach!

Maddie was all smiles as soon as she saw the ocean, but we knew that might come to an abrupt end once we put her feet in the water...


Boy, were we wrong!


Notice the leaning forward?



Maddie was just dying to chase the waves, and would have gladly abandoned Mom and Dad for the water.

Maddie loved the waves crashing against her, and her only complaint was that she couldn't go in further - and by herself. Every time we went back to the beach chairs, Maddie headed for the water!

Dakota went up to the boardwalk to get fries, and after he'd been gone too long, Maddie decided she should go after him:

Like her Mom and Dad, Maddie loves Thrasher's fries (and who wouldn't?).

After some more playing...

We all headed up to the boardwalk to get cleaned up, eat some lunch, and head home.


What a great first day at the beach!

Bought to you by...

The letter T! For teeth, of course, which Madeleine proudly displays for your giggling pleasure. See all of those back ones coming in? Though this picture looks like we're having tons of fun, we've had some rough days with those big teeth! And don't worry, Maddie didn't lose the front ones in a playdate-knockout - the black spot is just a raisin from her lunch.

Fun in the Sun...hat

Today we received some presents for Maddie and Baby Boy Bailey (thanks, Grandma!), and Maddie immediately had to play with them all (perhaps not in the manner they're intended to be used). Of course, since we were indoors she needed to wear her sunhat while spinning in the Bilibo clutching the new clothes:

Hello?

Hello? Maddie's waiting for your call.