The Twits - Roald Dahl

Title: The Twits
Author: Roald Dahl
Genre: Childrens
Rating: 2.5/5
# pages: 96
Date read: September, 2010

Mr. and Mrs. Twit hate everything, including their trained monkeys, the Muggle-Wumps, who now want revenge.

I vaguely recall rather enjoying this book as a child, but have to admit that it does not pass the test of time. Or rather, I still see what appealled to me as a kid, but it's actually the exact same things that I no longer like about it. It's really gross and full of 'come-uppance', which was totally deserved, but got a bit old to read about.

Michael Laudrups tænder - Majse Njor & Camilla Stockmann

Title: Michael Laudrups tænder (Michael Laudrup's Teeth)
Author: Majse Njor & Camilla Stockmann
Genre: Non-fiction
Rating: 4/5
# pages: 256
Date read: September, 2010

Can you get to know a stranger without ever meeting her?

The answers are in Camilla Stockmann and Majse Njor's e-mail correspondance, which took place during the year Majse was on maternity leave and Camilla worked late.

There's absolutely no plot here. It's simply the e-mail correspondance of two women during one year of their lives. They start out as strangers, but slowly open up to each other, and start sharing funny, embarrassing and poignant stories about their lives.

I had the book recommended by a friend, and it really struck a chord with me, as over the years I've made a LOT of friends whom I only know through their words and have never met - yet I'd consider them among my closest friends. It's a very 'authentic' book, and I really enjoyed getting to know Camilla and Majse through their emails. It's a different sort of feel-good book, and I greatly enjoyed it.

The Saturdays - Elizabeth Enright

Title: The Saturdays (Melendy Family #1)
Author: Elizabeth Enright
Genre: Childrens
Rating: 3/5
# pages: 158
Date read: September, 2010

Meet the Melendys! Mona, the eldest, is thirteen. She has decided to become an actress and can recite poetry at the drop of a hat. Rush is twelve and a bit mischievous. Miranda is ten and a half. She loves dancing and painting pictures. Oliver is the youngest. At six, he is a calm and thoughtful person. They all live with their father, who is a writer, and Cuffy, their beloved housekeeper. This first story of the Melendy's takes place in New York City and tells how the children join together to make Saturday afternoons a time to have fun.

I had this recommended to me because I loved the Gone-Away Lake books so much. I'm glad, because The Saturdays is an adorable tale, that I'd be glad to read to my kids some day. I didn't find it quite as charming as Gone Away Lake, as I felt it lacked some of the magic of that series, although I wouldn't doubt that nostalgia has something to do with it as well.

The book is somewhat aged, which especially is apparent in the childrens' outings. I'm not sure I'd let a 10-year-old walk through NYC by herself (I didn't get how far it was, but more than just around the block, which would be different), and the reaction to a 13-year-old coming home with a manicure and red fingernails would have been very over the top today.

I think I'll want to read the rest eventually, but I'm in no rush to get them out of the library right away.