Saturday, August 7, 2010

Not Dead Yet!

Hey, guys, this is the ever-busy CARLMAN letting you know that I'm not dead yet. All the changes with the library mean we have to do a lot more than before. Which means that I don't get as much time to read or blog as before. Which means that there will probably be longer times between posts this summer. But never fear--the CARLMAN has been faithfully spreading the word about this blog to all the boys I can here at the Myers Park Library and we may hear from one of them at any time!

In the meantime, I've got a few books checked out. One is Woods Runner by Gary Paulsen. All reader guys know that Mr. Paulsen is one of the very best authors for guys out there. (His book Hatchet made our Manliest Books for Boys Giveaway list as well as the Books Every Guy Should Read list. Another book, Lawn Boy, is an extremely funny read!) Woods Runner is about 13-year old Samuel and the Revolutionary War. I'm about 1/4th of the way through and it is intense! Can't wait to finish it.

Another is The Dangerous Book of Heroes by Conn and David Iggulden. It's full of stories about famous people such as George Washington, Lawrence of Arabia, and Harry Houdini, as well as not-so famous heroes as Alcock and Brown or the men of Colditz. I'm reading thechapter on George Washington and it's amazing. Can't wait to finish this one either.



Finally there's Genies, Meanies, and Magic Rings: Three Tales from the Arabian Nights by Stephen Mitchell.These are retellings of Ali Baba and the 40 Thieves, Abu Keer and Abu Seer, and Aladdin. I've heard good things about this one and besides, I love the Ali Bab and Aladdin stories. (did you know the Aladdin story was originally set in China?? That's right--and it's in this book!)

There you go. Hope to give you full reports when I finish. What about YOU? What are you reading this summer? Hit that "Comment" button below and tell us. Any guy who sends a review gets a free book! And don't forget about the giveaways going on this summer. Take a look at the top of the left-hand side of the page to find out.

And, since it's summer, let's have some summer fun. Here's a goofball video for you by Spike Jones and His City Slickers. Spike is one of my all-time favorite performers and one of the funniest guys ever to pick up an instrument. He took popular songs of the day (this was waaayyy back in the day) and did all sorts of crazy things with them. Sort of a Weird Al before there as a Weird Al. Here he does "Sabre Dance", a classical piece that a lot of circus performers used as background music. But it never sounded like this!


Speaking of Weird Al, here's one for you. Just try not to laugh! (Pardon the commercial)

And here's Weird Al talking about Spike Jones!


OK, keep readin' and enjoyin' your summer!

2 comments:

Alexandra said...

Hi, I am 15 and I love Weird Al. I wanted to go see him in our town this weekend, but my parents say some of his stuff on stage can be questionable.

BUt I love his videos. Especially Charles NElson Reilly.

Willow said...

I'm old enough to remember crazy Spike Jones on TV! Thanks for the memories.