Category Archives: Status

354J: Children’s book about woman who thinks her daily routine doesn’t matter

I used to read a book to the children I took care of and I believe it was their father’s book growing up, so I believe it’s at least 40 years old? Maybe older. It was about a woman who lived in an apartment alone and had the same routine every day. The only specific thing I can remember is that she let her tea kettle boil for 1 or 2 minutes before she took it off the stove. She also maybe listened to the radio and opened the window? She doesn’t think her life has any impact on anyone so one day she doesn’t do her routine and many people show up at her door to tell her how their day was thrown off because she didn’t do the things she normally did (ie a neighbour would wake up to the sound of her boiling kettle etc). I think the title of the book had the main character’s name in it?

354I: An American lawyer in Myanmar (Solved!)

I do seem to recall that the title was in two parts separated by a colon and may have had the word pressure or oppression in the title. It may have been a play on words.

This was a memoir about an American woman who found out her boyfriend was cheating on her and moved to Myanmar. I believe she started working as a lawyer to a higher up government official. She does a bunch of exploring the island, getting used to the heat, and dating maybe 2-3 different guys. I seem to remember there were many scenes in which she was at a local restaurant/bar and uses “phonetic” spelling to convey the accent of the server/local women.

This is driving me crazy! Any help you can offer would be greatly appreciated. I actually didn’t even enjoy this book, but I did read it years ago and can’t remember for the life of me what it’s called.

354H: Design Your Room

I am trying anyone and anything to find a book (duh) I remember fondly from my childhood (the mid-to-late ’90s). I haven’t had any luck so far, and I have turned to reddit, unfortunately also with no luck.
If I remember correctly:
The book was called Design Your Room.
It was a thin book, with either a silvery cover or perhaps a collage of cool-looling rooms (or possibly even both!).
It was written in English, and I always checked it out from a Bookmobile that would visit my elementary school in the Bay Area (in CA.)
I seem to recall the pages being colorful and fun, and there were different themes for your rooms, depending on what kind of aesthetic you liked (I remember a metallic one, also a more girly one, and maybe a brightly colored one as well).
I have not been able to find anything on google, for all I know this book no longer exists or looks entirely different and unrecognizable now.
Please please please, help me find it.

354G: Children’s Book Featuring Cute Characters Including Green Monster

I do not remember title but remember characters and some details from this book. It was a children’s book I loved reading when I was little and I was born in 1983.

I vividly remember what the characters looked like in illustrations - adorable soft illustrations. The characters had big eyes (not Precious Moments but similar in cuteness factor).

The book I want had a little girl with dark hair (black or brown) and had red poppies, plus a cute green monster that I think liked to eat cookies but I feel had a Loch Ness monster type feel and maybe lived in a lake.

I’ve done searches trying to find the cover of the book but haven’t seen what I’m looking for. Hope you guys can help me.

354E: Child leads lost family out of the woods and back home

I can vaguely recall a particular picture book from my childhood – I was born in 63 and remember ‘reading’ this as a young child. It was the story of a family on a woodland hike. The youngest in the family was a curious little boy (might’ve been a girl!) who loved to notice every plant and rock, each lichen and creature that marked the family’s path. As you might expect, the rest of the family was often frustrated at having to wait for their youngest member; they were ready to get to their destination and he was holding up their progress! Soon the family realized that they were lost in the woods and with little recollection of how to get home. The boy, however, showed them the way out. He remembered things like the shape of the last tree and the color of the boulder a little way back. He could point out where he’d seen a certain flower or noticed tracks in the mud. Soon the whole family found their way home.

354D: YA mystery on a farmhouse/orchard? with a secret passage part of the underground railroad

It may have been published in 1980s/early 1990s, maybe on a Scholastic list, set in the 1800s, a boy visits his ?aunt/uncle one summer, on a farm or apple orchard in New England (maybe Pennsylvania). There is a secret passage used for the underground railroad that is discovered by the boy in the house he is staying at, near the end of the book, when someone is hidden there. Someone may have gotten shot near the end of the book. Boy felt aunt/uncle he was staying with were strict and had a strained relationship with them until their aid to this person near the end of the book changes this. Can't recall the title, but it was long-ish. Cover may have had farmhouse/farm landscape.

354B: Crocus Walk

This children’s book is about a mother and daughter who take a walk outside and look at different things on their walk. In particular, I remember that they looked at crocuses. The book was a large hardback book with a matte white cover. The illustrations were pastel colored, maybe using colored pencils. I remember that in at least one illustration the mother and daughter were holding hands. It was probably written around 1985 or a bit earlier, because I remember reading it with my mother when I was five or so. That’s all I can remember. Hopefully there are enough clues!