The writing is OK, but the illustrations by Seng Soun Ratanavanh is simply gorgeous. The colors, the Crayon painting, the characters, and the scenes are bursting with life. Get it for the illustrations.

This book is not my personal favorite, but my seven-year-old and three-year-old sons love it. Donaldson’s rhythmic patterns allowed my kids to complete the sentences when reading together. For example, when I read, “I’m scared! I’m scared!,” my three-year-old would complete, “I’m terribly scared!” In addition, illustrator David Roberts includes a mouse in every page to give the kids the opportunity to find him. It’s a fun book to read together, but it could also be over-read. My three-year-old makes me read it with him every night.

Tập truyện tình cảm ngắn của Lê Ngọc Minh mở đầu với câu chuyện tình của hai cha con với hai mẹ con rất dễ thương. Chuyện thứ nhì là về một cô đồng tính. Sau đó thì tôi hoàn toàn không nhớ vì tôi bắt đầu đọc sách này trước khi đọc Chút tình còn lại của Hồng Thủy nhưng lại đễ quên ở chỗ làm nên tôi tạm gác lại. Sau khi đọc xong tập truyện ngắn tình cảm của Hồng Thủy giờ lại đọc tiếp của Lê Ngọc Minh nên hơi ngán. Thôi đành phải chuyển hướng sang đọc nonfiction tiếng Anh cho đỡ chán.

Tập truyện ngắn của Hồng Thủy viết về những mối tình thơ mộng nhẹ nhàng. Những câu chuyện không não nề nhưng cũng không để lại cho tôi cảm nhận gì. Đọc xong sách trả lại hết cho tác giả luôn. Tuy nhiên tôi vẫn thích cách viết văn đơn giản và đẹp. Đọc để trao dồi tiếng Việt nên tôi không nghĩ đã lãng phí thời gian. Tôi sẽ tìm đọc những tác phẩm truyện dài của tác giả.

Walden’s book takes young readers on the journey of life through simple, lyrical writing. Here’s one of my favorite lines: “Behind the library bookshelves sit some curious little minds—there are many truths and answers that they have yet to find.” In addition, Richard Jones’s gorgeous illustration makes it a perfect gift for little curious minds. I know what to get for the next birthday party for my kids’ friends.

When my father-in-law was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer, his oncologist informed him that he had six months to live. I was in the room with him and would never forget the shock on his face. As he lived his last months, I wondered what went through his mind, but I was afraid to ask. I did not know if he were comfortable to talk about it. Unlike my father-in-law, Julie Yip-Williams opened up about her metastatic colon cancer and revealed intimate details of her life as she faced her death. She accepted her faith and spent her last days planning for the future of her daughters and husband. She wanted to make sure they will be taken care of without her.

In addition to her terminal illness, Julie shared her extraordinary story. When Julie was born in Vietnam with congenital cataracts, her grandmother decided to let her go in her sleep because she didn’t wanted her granddaughter to go through life being blind. Julie escaped her first death and fled the country on a boat when the communist took over. Although she was legally blind, Julie proved that she was capable of doing anything. She graduated from Williams and Harvard, traveled the world, and raised a wonderful family. Although cancer shortened her life, she lived every moment of her limited time. She was strong, compassionate, and brutally honest.

What struck the chord with me is not how long you live but the quality of your life. I can’t take my time on this earth for granted. Life is too damn short, and I don’t know what will happen to me tomorrow. Through her own story, particularly her relationship with her daughters, she reminded me to love and to spend time with my kids while I still can and do not wait before it is too late. It’s a tear-jerking, gripping, and inspiring memoir that will have a long-lasting impact on me.

Web design has become boring in the last few years because most websites have similar layout. Andy Clarke sets out to change that by bringing art direction to the web. Andy spent the first two-thirds of the book explaining the concept of art-directing design, which includes grid-based layouts, typography, and photography. In the final quarter of the book, Andy walks through layout techniques using CSS Grid, Flexbox, Multi-column, and Shapes.

As stated in the beginning of the book, art direction is not new. Advertising and print publications, especially magazines, has been using art-directing design for more than 100 years. The web is only starting to get around to it. If you want to make memorable web experiences, this book is a good start.

Beautifully written and illustrated, Ware’s book teaches children the universal principle of Buddhism. It’s a perfect little gift for beginning readers.

Sáu anh em kết nghĩa. Đứa tù tội. Kẻ giang hồ. Thằng đần độn. Người nghĩa khí. Họ cùng chung một số phận nghèo nàn nên gắn bó với nhau. Họ cùng nhau đãi vàng. Từ túng thiếu trở nên phung phí rồi vướng vào cờ bạc và gái góc. Những câu chuyện thú vị, vui nhộn, và đầy cảm tình của nhà văn Nguyễn Trí đem lại cho chúng ta những bài học trong cuộc sống qua những nhân vật ông tạo ra. Tôi ít khi đọc tiểu thuyết nhưng rất thích quyển sách này.

I read anything written by Anne Lamott. Her prose is always impeccable and her story is inspiring. In her latest book, Lamott reveals her personal struggles, including suicidal thoughts, drinking, relationships, diets, and death. Her stories are honest and her messages are hopeful. Almost Everything is a short, beautiful, and thoughtful read. Amanda Dewey’s pleasing typesetting makes it a perfect gift for anyone you care about.

What I love the most is her advice on writing. Here are a few examples to keep me motivated.

Lamott (p.85):

No one cares if you continue to write, so you’d better care, because otherwise you are doomed.

If you do stick with writing, you will get better and better, and you can start to learn the important lessons: who you really are, and how all of us can live in the face of death, and how important it is to pay much better attention to life, moment by moment, which is why you are here.

Lamott (p.89):

If it’s creative release, or you have a story to tell, or if you’ve just always wanted to write a novel, or you just love to write, the way other people like to garden, you’re good.

Lamott (p.99):

I tell the six-year-olds that if they want to have great lives, they need to read a lot or listen to the written word. If they rely only on their own thinking, they will not notice the power that is all around them, the force-be-with-you kind of power. Reading and writing help us take the blinders off so we can look around and say “Wow,” so we can look at life and our lives with care, and curiosity, and attention to detail, which re what will make us happy and less afraid.