Kaleidoscope's Reading Room

You can tell a freshman by his silly eager look.

You can tell a sophomore 'cause he carries one less book.

You can tell a junior by his dashing air and such.

You can tell a senior....

But you can't tell him much.

If you want to find just the right words to share with your new graduate, check out these titles available at the Kaleidoscope.

Or shop on-line at OurFocusIsYou.com

Shipping is free within the USA.

"The Last Chinese Chef" by Nicole Mones, Author of "Lost in Translation" is an allurung novel of friendship, love, and cuisine.

Join us at the Kaleidoscope, or shop on-line at OurFocusIsYou.com

Shipping is free within the USA.

"My Half of the Sky" by Jana McBurney-Lin is the best book I've read in years - and I read constantly. This novel, an August BookSense pick, tells the story of a young woman in modern China who finds herself caught trying to hold up "her half of the sky" while still being a loving and respectful daughter. Most of those who offer her advice have their own agendas, and she eventually finds herself trapped in an arranged marriage and dosen't know where to turn.

Jana will be at the Kaleidoscope on Friday May 11 from 4pm - 6pm, with an author reception afterwards.

Call 641-456-2787 to order "My Half of the Sky" from The Kaleidoscope, or shop on-line at OurFocusIsYou.com Shipping is free within the USA.

The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish by Elise Blackwell

These things make a man: his first job; his first love; his first secret; his first turning away from his father.

These things break him: compromises made for power; seeing his failings reflected in his son.

In The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish, men bargain, compromise and pay, then the Mississippi rises up and reminds them all that power and the accouterment of success are nothing to a Force of Nature. Just like we didn't have to live near the water to feel the devastation Katrina wrought, we don't have to live in Louisiana to understand the human condition revealed in Elise Blackwell's book. If you've ever disappointed your parents, or if they have ever disappointed you, this story will touch your heart.

Shop on-line at OurFocusisYou.com.

For everyone whose childhood wasn't perfect. For everyone whose parents disappointed. For everyone whose childhood dreams were changed or abandoned. For everyone, there is "Hick", by Andrea Portes.

Come hear Andrea on April 27 at the Kaleidoscope or pick it up on-line at OurFocusisYou.com.

Natalie Vanderbilt, author of "The Most Secret Window" talks about her book. She describes what she means by her motto "Poetry as a Weapon".

Shop on-line at OurFocusisYou.com.

Keri and her grandson Alex read Not-A-Box, our best Easter basket book.

We will be having a Fireside chat with author Andrea Portes, Friday, April 27, 6:00pm. Come and hear about her book "Hick". Or buy it ahead and ask her questions!

Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the top of a garbage heap to the fireside of a hoboes' camp, from the bedside of an ailing child to the streets of Memphis. And along the way, we are shown a true miracle - that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.

The Space Between by Kali VanBaale

A heart-rending, unflinching, lyrically powerful look into a family's collective soul - how it trembles and aches and struggles to recover from an unthinkable tragedy.

Come hear the author on March 23 at the Kaleidoscope or pick it up on-line at OurFocusisYou.com.

Keri interviews Elise Blackwell, author of "The Unnatural History of Cypress Parish".

Shop on-line at OurFocusisYou.com.