The Sunday Papers, June 19

Highlighted Reviews

The Game of Silence,  by Louise Erdrich. The  latest in a series that began with The Birchbark House tells the Native American side of The Little House on the Prairie era. The New York Times Book Review takes a look at Game this morning.  F.Y.I., Erdrich (perhaps most famous for her novel The Beet Queen) and her sister founded a bookstore in Minneapolis called Birchbark House, which celebrated its fifth anniversary yesterday. (Registration required for both the New York Times  and the St. Paul Pioneer-Press links.)

And Tango Makes Three, by Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell. This week I got all misty-eyed over the story of two male penguins who hatch and raise a penguin chick together; it's essentially a  lovely adoption tale. The New York Times Book Review says, "And Tango Makes Three is bound to raise eyebrows, but for those of us eager to encourage our children to include, rather than exclude, it's a welcome addition to the library of families." (Is there a whiff of moral superiority in that Times quote, or do I have peanut butter on my upper lip?)

I looked for other good reviews for y'all, but this week everyone is carried away with Michael Cunningham, 1776, and Melissa Bank's sophomore effort, The Wonder Spot, i.e, books for adults. It happens.