week in review

Review with Edison Train Station Mural

Edison Train Station mural
Mural at the train station in Edison, New Jersey

We were picking up a friend last week, and I spotted this mural of a river. I call it the Edison Train Station Mural. I am guessing the river depicted is the Raritan River. See what happens when you bring your camera on small local trips? I never noticed the mural before. I decided to do a quick Google search, and guess what? The mural is by Katherine Hackl of Katherine Hackl Pottery & Tiles.

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

  • Ilana-Davita has a weekly review, and in the weekly review she links to the recent JOFA journal. I open the journal (a pdf), and what do I find but a nice article about Eva Oles, z”l, of Highland Park who passed away earlier this year (I didn’t even know she had died until I was sitting shiva for my father – I was a little distracted). It is written by Roselyn Bell, whom I know as Rosie. Thank you, Rosie, for the sweet words.
  • Lorri has a review of the book Nehama Leibowitz: Teacher and Bible Scholar by Yael Unterman. Years ago I wrote a short post on an essay by Yael Unterman.
  • The March Jewish Book Carnival is on Ann Koffsky’s blog.

Review with Dried Blossom

rose of sharon blossom
Dried out blossom – rose of sharon

On My Blog

Purim balloon scallions grow in water in a kitchen Sketching Out
The Triumph of Mordecaiboots drawn with iDraw on an iPad minizucchini soup
deer-portrait cardinal shows feathers in tree female Purim Pattern Paper

Interview with Adam Gustavson, Illustrator of Hannah’s Way

Elsewhere in the Blogoshere

Happy Purim to all those that celebrate.

Review with Unexpected Deer

deer in Highland Park backyard
Friday afternoon right before candlelighting and who comes to visit but three deer? One quickly hopped the fence when he saw us, but the one in the front had a staring contest with my husband and then with me. The deer finally jumped over the fence to depart when I danced back and forth with my camera. My husband said it looked the deer might pounce on us.

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

I am pleased to announce that I will be part of a tour of Sydney Taylor Book Awards. See the schedule:

MONDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2013

Ann Redisch Stampler, author of The Wooden Sword
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
At Shelf-Employed

Carol Liddiment, illustrator of The Wooden Sword
Sydney Taylor Honor Award winner in the Older Readers Category
At Ann Koffsky’s Blog

Doreen Rappaport, author of Beyond Courage: The Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust
Sydney Taylor Honor Award in the Teen Readers Category
At Bildungsroman

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 12, 2013

Linda Glaser, author of Hannah’s Way
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
At This Messy Life

Adam Gustavson, illustrator of Hannah’s Way
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Younger Readers Category
At Here in HP

Louise Borden, author of His Name was Raoul Wallenberg
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Older Readers Category
At Randomly Reading

Deborah Heiligman, author of Intentions
Sydney Taylor Book Award winner in the Teen Readers Category
At The Fourth Musketeer

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2013

Sheri Sinykin, author of Zayde Comes to Live
Sydney Taylor Honor Award in the Younger Readers Category
At Read, Write, Repeat

Kristina Swarner, illustrator of Zayde Comes to Live
Sydney Taylor Honor Award in the Younger Readers Category
At Writing & Illustrating

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2013

Linda Leopold Strauss, author of The Elijah Door
Sydney Taylor Honor Award in the Younger Readers Category
At Pen and Prose

Alexi Natchev, illustrator of The Elijah Door
Sydney Taylor Honor Award in the Younger Readers Category
At Madelyn Rosenberg’s Virtual Living Room

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 15, 2013

Blog Tour Wrap-Up at The Whole Megillah

About the Tour: The Sydney Taylor Book Award will be celebrating and showcasing its 2013 gold and silver medalists and a few selected Notables with a Blog Tour, February 11-15, 2013! Interviews with winning authors and illustrators will appear on a wide variety of Jewish and kidlit blogs. For those of you who have not yet experienced a Blog Tour, it’s basically a virtual book tour. Instead of going to a library or bookstore to see an author or illustrator speak, you go to a website on or after the advertised date to read an author’s or illustrator’s interview.

Review with Creative Graphic

get creative garden
I made the above graphic with two photos (one of a garden, one in the woods) I took in the Berkshires last summer.

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

Review with Swirly Gigs

swirly gigs
Swirly Gigs created in Illustrator – for the sole purpose of putting some swirls on a post

I’m not sure what the above represents – does it need to represent anything? I’ve been practicing swirls in the software program Illustrator. You can also create patterns with Illustrator. Maybe what this design needs is some nice patterned wallpaper behind it. Stay tuned to see if I play around with it more.

On My Blog

Interview with Debra Walk

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

  • Thinking and praying for Michelle as she writes about her breast cancer. Her surgeon said mastectomy, but “the good news is that there probably isn’t any invasive cancer and that this is treatable by removal.”
  • Ilana-Davita has been reading some scholarly posts – check out this one on Hapax Legomenon (and don’t let the title scare you – it’s not hard to understand).
  • Lorri has been reading and reading some more – read her review of The Life of an Unknown Man.
  • Laura posted Asian Roasted Broccoli – yum, great picture.
  • Update: a bloody artsy post has gone up … by the kids of Mrs. S.

Review with Drama Queen

drama-queen

On My Blog

Book Review: Jews in Gotham

chanukiah night 8 cardinal verbena in fall with autumn leaves night two of chanukah

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere


Upcoming next week:
an interview with an artist who does fabric art, brush calligraphy, paper cuts and more! Stay tuned.

Review on Chanukah

night two of chanukah
Tonight is the second night of Chanukah – we light two candles. It’s been a long time since I put up a review. Hurricane Sandy came and went, cardinals visited when I filled my bird feeder, and I painted a teacup watercolor.

On My Blog

tea cup watercolor bok choy red cabbage onion salad cardinal chomps seed
roof with moss and autumn leaves Abbott house tree on north seventh
Who’s buried in Kever Rachel?
Book Review: Of a Feather A Brief History of American Birding

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

Review with Eggplant and Peaches

eggplant and peaches at Highland Park Farmers Market, July 2012
Eggplant and peaches at Highland Park Farmers Market, July 2012

On My Blog

Lots of summery pics on the blog!

sunset over the Raritan River Relaxing by Raritan River pool basketball
Asbury Park beach on July 4th, 2012 Asbury Park beach red chair American flag among rudbeckia

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

Review with Raritan Avenue Traffic

raritan avenue traffic
Raritan Avenue traffic on a June morning, 2012

The skies were glorious the morning I photographed Raritan Avenue traffic.

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

Review with Bean Cookies

cookies black beans gluten free
Cookies with Black Beans, Gluten Free

I just made these black bean cookies, courtesy of Laura’s Double Chocolate Mocha Bean Gluten Free recipe. Question is: will my kids eat them?

On My Blog

chives Mexican poppies pink butterfly with orange stripes red admiral

Book Review of Septembers of Shiraz

Elsewhere in the Blogosphere

  • View a lovely Kosher Cooking Carnival for Sivan hosted on Ilana-Davita’s blog. Thank you for all the hard work of hosting!
  • Thank you to the Jewish Book Council for hosting the May Jewish Book Carnival and including my Holocaust books post.
  • Happy Shavuot to all those who celebrate. Happy Memorial Day to all those who celebrate. Happy Happy to All.

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