2004 Datebooks & Desktop Calendars Reviews

This is a daily dose of the oddly geometric eye tricks that artist Escher does with a handsome stroke. Stairs go nowhere and ladders too. Remember his flying birds that make a beautiful pattern. 6x7 inches.

Here is another 366 days of desk calendar to enjoy. Every page features a color picture of the work of this famous artist. The artist is, of course, B. Kliban who has left us a legacy of great cat humor. The major cat is a big-stripped black and gray striped cat as well as a sprinkling of other type. All are still beloved by his fans.

Want to spend a year with the cutest BABY ANIMALS. This calendar features the photography of Lisa and Mike Husar. This is a collection of the cutest very young things. Avalanche Publishing sells this to you in a box that is 6-1/2" X 5" in size. Inside you will find a desk day-by-day collection of the wild babies that new in world. They are adorable. Lions, tigers and bears, oh my! When they are little no one is ugly. The price is only $11.00 from the Avalanche Co. and you can find it with this

On the desk for full year of fun things to look at and write on are the Pomegrante day-by-day desk series of special subjects. For example, there is this one that presents you with MIND-BENDNG PUZZLES. The size of this goodie is 6x7 inches. Every day of 2004 a new brain twister waits to be solved. Warning! These are not easy puzzles, but they're a fun way to get your brain in gear in the morning. They will wake up your mind every day of the year.

Pomegrante publishes this eyeball-bending M.C. Escher desk calendar that is 6x7 inches. You can go up the downstairs with this artist all year.

B Kliban's CATCALENDAR makes for a really handsome engagement book for the year. There are 53 pictures in full color that are reproductions of the Kliban kitties. Always amusing and looking proper in his tennis shoes, this cat will bring a smile all year long. It's wire-bound with a clear plastic cover that keeps it neat. There are a 112 pages and the book measures 6-1/2x8 inches. Pomegrante publishes this style with a variety of subjects to enjoy. Look for the Kliban engagement book when you go shopping for calendars.

Avalanche has a darling magnetic calendar that is called CATS. The artist is Gary Patterson who draws these whimsical cats on this 16-month, 8x8-inch size and then you get a pen with kitty paws all over it and it's magnetic! There is regular wall hanger included. The magnetic part is on the strip that runs along the bottom of the calendar. The crazy-cat portraits are all in color.

The people at teNeus publishers have a well-deserved reputation for producing wonderful calendars. So here is their "Baby Animals" engagement book. The cover on this spiral-bound entry shows a family of penguins that will steal your heart. The cover photography was done by Daniel J. Fox and it is impressive. For protection there is an overleaf of plastic to protect you the book. Inside there is a lot helpful information that you never know when you might need it.

Also from the teNeues folks is the ORCHARDS engagement calendar. Once again outstanding photography shows these flowers in their entire splendor. This one also has a lot of reference pages that will come in handy when you need that one tidbit of information that you don't have time to research online. For example, there is World Time Difference table to consult. The phonetic alphabet and a business dictionary. Again this one spiral bound with an overlay of heavy plastic to protect the whole book. This one is priced at $14.99 and it is filled places to write your engagement down and helpful information you want to keep.

"The New Three-Year Garden Journal" is from the Firefly division of Fulcrum, and is now completely revised and updated. This one is a hard cover just any good book with a spiral binding inside that makes it easy to use. The size is 9x10-1/2 inches. There is an amazing amount of space to write in and information that will help you. In addition, there are graphing pages to use to design your own garden plan as you learn about what to plant and when to plant it. This attractive journal will last you for three years of taking care of your garden.

Pomegrante produces the line of Edward Gorey's great, dark and dusty works for us to enjoy. They have a great date book with the title "The Doubtful Guest and Stupid Joke." Two in one is a bargain and a year's worth of grins to brighten up your busy days.