Reluctant reader

I'm working the Reference Desk this afternoon.  I had 3 questions right away and then almost nothing for the rest of the time. I still have 1 1/2 hour left to go. I was thinking I'd write something. But I don't know what. I don't have a real topic. Mostly I'm just bored. So let's see.

I haven't been reading. That's unusual for me. I've read everyday since I learned how. But lately I've been playing games on my iPad rather than picking up a book. I've all but outright abandoned my book blog and sooner or later I need to either just shut it down or review something again. Maybe micro-reviews rather than the full ones or something. I just know that the actual act of picking up a book hasn't been happening. I read over Christmas break. I read 2 books and that felt good. Honestly this kind of reading impedance is confusing for me. I'll work it out.

I have still been listening to audio books on the commute and now I have Bub hooked on them. We've listened to Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes, Floors, 3 Below, and Peter and the Starcatchers. I liked that he is enjoying books. I hope that one day he can read them himself with as much enjoyment. In the meantime, I'm listening to his books when he is with me and then my own when he is not. I'm on my 4th or 5th listen of To Say Nothing of the Dog, Or How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump At Last, one of my absolute favorites. At least that's something.

A book for every child

It's ironic but Bub is not a reader. You'd think a librarian's child would have more interested but his reading ability is not strong. He's getting there but it seems to be taking a lot to keep him on level. The school is doing its best to resolve the situation by putting him in reading remediation. He is also in speech therapy because his speech is lacking too and I'm sure there is a connection between the two and also the ADHD. But we do a lot of reading at home too. We've always read to him at bedtime and now he reads to us. Also I've always listened to audio books in the car but most of the time he is not with me, well, up until late in the school year last year. I started taking him to school as a way to offset his time on the bus and relieve the nighttime stress of homework which was driving me a breaking point almost every night. So he has been coming to work with me in the mornings, eating his breakfast and doing his homework in my office and then I've been taking him to school. It's working out quite nicely. One of the rules though is that I still get to listen to a book in the car. Most of the time he barely seems to pay attention but my line of thinking goes along that even if he is not outright listening, he is still hearing it and that can't be bad. I just finished the Enola Holmes series on Thursday and I don't think he liked the one because it is a bit on the violent side for a 7 year old. I put in Peter Nimble and His Fantastic Eyes by Jonathan Auxier and at the end of the car ride to work, he said "I like this one," something I can't recall him every saying. Normally I continue on with a book even when he is not with me. But this time I decided we can listen to the whole thing together. So the next morning, we got in the car but had to drop Button off at daycare so I didn't put on the book. He was playing on his Nintendo DS and when I got back from bringing in her. I put the book on. He put down the DS and started listening and THAT really has never happened before. Over the weekend we didn't get a chance to really listen to it. But Monday morning as we were driving off the radio was on. He said, "We can listen to music later tonight. We should listen to the book" and my heart sang. I had finally found his book.

There's a great quote by Holly Black (I think) about there is the right book for every child and I've been searching for something that will click with him. He loves nonfiction but even that didn't seem to interest him. It's like reading is a chore and that is not an attitude that I am familiar with. I've always loved reading. I don't know what it is about Peter Nimble that has captured him but I'm hoping to pick books out now that he will want to listen to. He seemed a little interested in the Percy Jackson books when I had those so maybe I will go back with those. Maybe he would be interested in the  Peter and the Starcatchers series. I hope so. I'm going to try at least.

Banned Books Week Read-Out

You'd think I would have posted about this at the beginning of the week rather than the end. But this week was Banned Books Week, a week to celebrate books that have been challenged or banned and to bring to light how often and pervasive book banning can be. A lot of libraries have read-out where they invite the public to get together and read passages from banned books. Or at least that's how my library has celebrated it for the past 2 years. Our read-out was Tuesday. I really hate getting up and speaking in front of people but I managed to get it done. And somehow I decided to read the passage from Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel, one of my favorite books, when Tita breastfeeds her nephew. I had originally picked out a section when Tita's crying into the wedding cake makes everyone cry and get sick, but it seemed too tame. Then I thought about reading the part where her other sister is taken by the solider but in the end I compromised between the two and went for the breastfeeding. Because I could see someone objecting to it. It fairly well and I was only somewhat embarrassed.

There wasn't a huge turnout though. I think the first year is always the best and it was pretty hot out. There were a few students taking notes because I am betting they will get extra points for showing up. But not that many faculty came which is a disappointment. The head of the English Department came and that was nice. All in all it lasted an hour and I think it was nice. It was a good way to celebrate Banned Books Week at any rate.

Back to Book Blogging

I quit book blogging for a year. I just couldn't seem to care with having to take care of a newborn and a kid and reading fell by the wayside. But a year makes a difference because I started up again this year over at The Little Bookworm. But I've changed the way I'm book blogging. There are no more everyday reviews because I have even less time to read everyday than I use to and I don't do challenges anymore. At least not right now. I might do one or two next year for fun. And I've quit commenting so much on other's blogs. That is the only one I really want to change. I just need to find a new reader now that Google Reader is being discontinued. But I feel like if I want others to read what I write I should go out and do that same.

I'm enjoying getting back into it and remembering why I liked it in the first place before it became about book tours and ARCs and publishing everyday. I like the community though. The people are generally nice and very passionate about reading and books. So I am doing my best to provide a little content each week though sometimes it is just a wrap up of the previous week and a "What I'm Reading" feature. And that's ok. I am fine with that.

Vintage Nancy Drews!

My friend got me these early 1950's Nancy Drews at a library booksale.  How awesome is that! They are pretty neat and in good condition.   They all have the blue tweed board covers and some pretty illustrations.  The end papers are nice too, most are the blue "Digger" endpapers, except for one which is the blue silhouette endpaper.  I'm going to have to read them soon! Aren't they pretty?

Top left: The Mystery at the Ski Jump

Top right: The Mystery at Lilac Inn

Bottom left: Nancy's Mysterious Letter

Bottom right: The Secret at Shadow Ranch

Blue Digger end paper for Nancy's Mysterious Letter

Frontispiece for Nancy's Mysterious Letter

Blue Silhouette endpaper for The Mystery at the Ski Jump

Frontispiece for The Mystery at the Ski Jump

Don't Panic

It's the 10th anniversary of Dougla Adams' death today.  I am a huge fan of his work as you can see my the cover of my Nook and its name, Deep Thought.

I started reading the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in high school around junior year, if I remember correctly.  Then I read the Dirk Gently series, one of which has my favorite title of all time, The Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul.  I'm not sure how many times I've read them, just a handful.  But they are always worth a read and a laugh.  I got my husband to read the Hitchhikers series when we started dating and made a fan out of him.  We've seen the British sitcom and the newer movie and liked them both. I can credit Douglas Adams with many of the jokes that go around my house and partly with my love of random British things.  Because of him, I have tried other authors like him like Terry Prachett and Neil Gaiman.  His books are genuinely different and funny and I'm pretty sure that everyone should try them at least once.

On writing book reviews

I am a book blogger, but I am not a professional review. It's just a hobby. One that I put a lot of time and effort into, but it doesn't put food on the table, it's just something that I like to do. I started a book blog mainly just to keep track of the books I read and do reading challenges. It's fun and I enjoy and I rarely, if ever, get negative comments on any of my reviews. I am rarely outright mean about a book and I try hard not to bash books that I don't like. There are a few exceptions where my reviews can be construed as mean, but that sometimes happens when you review a book that you hate. I like to think that it shows my honesty, but I know that some might disagree. I know that there are a plethora of articles and blog posts about book blogger and authors and the love/hate relationship that goes on between them. I try to stay out of it. In general I try to stay under the radar of most authors because my reviews are not for them. I am not reviewing them. I am reviewing their book. And, even if it is their "baby" or life's ambition or their most heartfelt work, I still have the right to review it as honestly as I can. People who say that book bloggers should be nice because this is someone's work seem to have a vague about what that actually means.  Like people don't get performance reviews or have their work criticize at a desk job. Books are just like everything else. Once it is out there, then it no longer belongs solely to you. It's like having a kid. Once that kid exists in the everyday world with other people, then there is no way for that child to escape criticisms.

Recently I wrote a fairly neutral review on a book that is otherwise getting glowing reviews.  I didn't dislike but I wasn't entirely wow'd by it either.  It was just good.  It was fine.  I'll read the sequel but I couldn't, in all honesty, say that was the best book ever.  Because I read a lot of books and this didn't give me that feeling that I get when I read a really great book.  It was just fine.  And that is fine.  This book will do well.  Other people loved it and felt free to tell me that in the comments.  Which I welcome.  I really do not mind people disagreeing with me in the comments.  I am going to emphasis that.  The thing that struck me reading through them is that the real fans were trying to convince me that this book was awesome.  It's like they needed me to agree with me.  I get that.  I do.  I've defended some (in my opinion) awesome books on other blogs.  But it's not going to make me change my opinion.  Especially when some of the comments seem to point out in a round-about way that I don't understand the book and precisely why it is so awesome.  Yeah, that's not going to make me change my mind.  Is it possible that I will change my mind later?  Yes, that has happened.  I've written reviews that were neutral or negative and later realized just how much I hated the book.  I've written reviews where later I realized how much I loved the book.  It's a matter of perspective.  Just because I don't like your favorite book doesn't mean that you don't like it.  It doesn't mean it is not worth reading.  We all don't have to like the same book.  It's better if we don't, in fact.

Wodehouse

Late last year I read a long short story (or a short novella, your pick) called "The Crime Wave at Blandings" by P.G. Wodehouse.  I'd never read any Wodehouse but he was an author I always meant to read.  I really enjoyed the story and in a fit of interest I decided I would read the entire Blandings Castle Saga, short stories and novels, in 2011.  And here it is, mid-April, and I've read 2 novels and I'm halfway through a 3rd.  I have a lot of books to read, including some review books for the book blog, and I'm now wondering if I am going to make my goal.  I'm going to continue to go through with my personal challenge, but I am going to try not to be too disappointed with myself if I don't make it.  It's honestly not that big a deal if I don't finish and if I can't get the whole thing done by the end of the year, I can continue it onto the next year.  That being said, I am enjoying the Wodehouse books.  It's like reading a British sitcom and I love those things!  I love that these books are still funny 80+ years later.

Diana Wynne Jones: Some of my favorites

Diana Wynne Jones died in late March and I was saddened to learn of her passing.  I grew up reading and re-reading her books and I can count her as truly one of my favorite authors of all time.  Her books meant a lot to me growing up and I hope that they will mean as much to my son as he grows up.  I went to public library catalog thinking I'd check out a few of my favorites and then do some reviews on them.  But then I saw how many there were and I didn't know what I would choose. Instead, I've decided to list some of my all-time favorites, the ones that I wore out my paperback copies and will always be counted among my favorite books.  It's not a short list or even a complete list of her books that I love.

Howl's Moving Castle 
(sequel: Castle in the Air and the House of Many Ways)
Full confession: I have not read the House of Many Way and have read Castle in the Air only about two times
But Howl's Moving Castle, that I have read many many times, in addition to owning the movie which is very different from the book, but is still brilliant.  I digress.  I was always drawn to stories of magic and magicians which might explain a lot of Wynne Jones' book and I love the story of the magician Howl and his demon and poor Sophia who is under a curse by the Witch of the Waste that has turned her old.

A Tale of Time City
A science fiction tale of Time City, a city which exists outside of history and whose purpose is to keep history on course.  Vivian is kidnapped by two boys from Time City thinking she is the source of problems that history has been having.  I liked how the technology is described and the image of the clothes the denizens of Time City has stuck with me.  It's amazing because the computer pads the children use are actually quite a bit like an iPad.  There is also a quest aspect in the story and I credit this story with my love of quest/puzzle stories.

The Chrestomanci Series
Charmed Life
The Lives of Christopher Chant
Witch Week
The Magicians of Caprona
There are other books in the Chrestomanci series, but the ones listed above are the only ones I have actually read.  These are fun books dealing with orphans, multi-dimensions, magic, and love.  I could not get enough of Charmed Life and The Lives of Christopher Chant and I loved figuring out the mythology of the stories.  I actually read them out of order the first time I read them, but it was amazing to me when I figured out that this Chrestomanci was actually Christopher or Cat.

Dogsbody
The tale of the Dog Star who is sent to Earth in the incarnation of a dog after being convicted of murdering a fellow celestial body.  This book always touch me, partly because I am a dog lover and I love the idea of something being bigger than it really is. 

cross posted with The Little Bookworm

Mockingjay release day!

Mockingjay is out today!  And that is an unintentional rhyme, but that is ok.  I actually pre-ordered it from a bookstore, but then when it came down to it, I decided to just download it onto my Nook and then this weekend I will go pick up by hardback copy.  I own the first two in hardback so I need to get the set, but it was just easier to download it this morning so I can hopefully sneak in a little reading here and there and then of course on break and at lunch and I'll bring it up for my reference desks shift.  I am so excited to find out what happens.  I cannot wait.  I hope it is as amazingly good as the first two.

On Nancy Drew and reading all her books this year

Originally written in 1930 when the first Nancy Drew book appeared, Nancy has stood the test of time.  But believe it or not, she's been updated.  The original Nancy Drew books had a language that reflected their times and were racially and culturally very un-PC.  So beginning in 1959, the Stratemeyer Syndicate began updating them resulting in the yellow hardcovers that are so familiar to everyone today.


I could go on about the influence of Nancy Drew and her history.  I've done a lot of research, but let me just say that growing up I read almost every Nancy Drew book there was or at least it seemed so.  I went through a phase where I did research and read anything I could find about the history of Nancy Drew and why she was important to pop culture and young girls.  So I have a lot of love for her.  But I will admit that these books are fairly standard by today's standards and the writing can leave much to be desired as they were eventually churned out by a bunch of ghostwriters (though they never get as bad as say The Babysitter's Club series or any of the Sweet Valley books).  I will also admit to Nancy being a busybody and a goody-goody.  She just can't help herself, almost literally.  So, of course, with a case involving poor people, old people, little girls, Nancy only wants to help them with no thought for herself.  She is very selfless although at the end of every mystery she somehow manages to gain a tangible reward for her services.

This year I decide to join a book challenge and read all 56 of the original yellow hardback books.  I am running a bit behind as of now.  The original goal was to read one a week and then two on occasion to fill in the missing weeks.  But I got caught up in some other books and I have neglected Nancy a bit.  Right now I'm on number 31 The Ringmaster's Secret and plan on reading at least one other if not two.  Mockingjay is out tomorrow and so I will definitely read that as soon as I get it.  And I have the feeling I might be a bit shattered after it.  Nancy Drew, surprisingly, makes a good "palate cleanser" between books.  She is so fun and full of mystery, but there are not books to make me over think.  I'm having a lot of fun so far re-reading these old favorites.

Howl's Moving Castle (book)

Sophie is put under a curse by the Witch of the Waste and made into an old woman.  When she sets out to break the curse, she finds herself at the moving castle of the Wizard Howl, a wicked man who is said to eat the hearts of young girls.  But as Sophie begins to work for him, she discovers more about Howl and his fire demon, Calcifer and how to break all their curses.

But there was this method to her remorselessness: she calculated that she could not clean this thoroughly without sooner or later coming across Howl's hidden hoard of girls' souls, or chewed hearts - or else something that explained Calcifer's contract.  p.68

I love Diana Wynne Jones.  I was obsessed with her Chrestomanci books when I was younger and that lead me to Howl's Moving Castle.  I hadn't read it in at least 10 years, but the other day I was watching the movie and I decided I need to read it again.  It is a slower moving book, less action than some books especially in a fantasy, but it is such a good book.  I thoroughly enjoyed it as much as an adult as I did when I was a child.  Sophie is such a funny, plain girl, but after she becomes an old woman she gets really feisty and funny.  Howl is very selfish and odd, but he can be kind as well and the scenes with the two of them are great.  Calcifer, though, is one of my favorite characters (I must have a soft spot for demons (I'm looking at you, Bartimaeus.)) and I like the whole story of the Witch of the Waste and where Howl originates from.  It makes it more fun.

Happy Birthday, Nancy Drew!

Yesterday was the girl detective's 80th birthday.  She looking pretty good for 80 (or 98 as it were).  I first started reading Nancy Drew when I was in elementary school.  I want to say around 4th grade, but my memory is a bit hazy.  I loved those books and read every one in the library.  There was just something about Nancy.  She was so smart, and bold, and good.  She could solve everyone's problems just like that and she was never smug about it.  I think I can credit her with my love of a good mystery to this day.  I moved from her original mysteries to some of the newer ones and can still remember the ones from when she was in college.  But it's the original Mystery Stories that have my heart forever.
Coincidentally I am partipating in a Nancy Drew Reading Challenge on The Little Bookworm and am trying to read all 56 Mystery Stories this year.  I post about them on Sundays during Sleuthing Sundays along with other fun Nancy Drew movies and shows and I'm up to book 21 right now.  It's so fun reading this old books and remembering them from when I was little.  They are so much fun even if a little formulatic.  They are so funny and awesome to read again.  Nancy never ages.  She is timeless. 

Common Sense

The other day on Twitter, the new Common Sense Media ratings system on Barnes and Noble was brought to my attention.  I also notice how many people were wholeheartedly against any ratings system at all.  Now to be fair the CSM on BandN is ridiculous.  It only points out the bad stuff and none of the good stuff.  So I agree that it either needs to be changed for a more well rounded review or taken down.  But the actual site of Common Sense Media seems fine by itself.  It gives a much better review of what happens and a breakdown of the good and the bad based on their opinions plus it gives the opinions of parents AND kids.  But the thing that was bothering me was the response of some of the commenters, that obviously CSM was censoring or that parents shouldn't be involved in their children's reading choices.

Yes, God forbid that parents take an interest in what their children are reading and watching,  Is it so terrible that parents want to be aware of what their children do.? Because it is damned if you do, damned if you don't.  The minute it seems that parents give opinions about what their kids are watching or reading then it becomes censorship.  But when they don't then they are guilty of neglect.

Rating systems exist for a reason.  Parents want to have a general idea of appropriateness.  Do all ratings systems apply to everyone?  No.  It's impossible to expect a rating system to guarantee that this one show or book will perfect for this one age.  But it's nice to have a guideline.  The nice thing about Common Sense Media is the idea that they break down the good and the bad; this is the thing to expect from this book.  Some parents will use it to censure books.  I'm not that parent.  I don't intend to censure anything that Bub reads.  I just want to know what is in it.  When I was a public librarian, I did a lot of book recommendations for young adults and I had parents say no sex, or no violence, no this no that.  Did I willingly give their child books that went against what they wanted?  No, because it is not my child and their beliefs are not my own. Did I always agree with the parent?  No, but that is not my job.  As long as they don't try to pull the book off the shelf, then what they let their kid read or don't read is not my business.  I'm just happy the kid is reading.


Other/better articles to read:
SassyMonkeyReads
Publisher's Weekly

A Little Princess (Book Review)

weet, rich Sara Crew is sent to boarding school by her father.  When he dies and loses their fortune, she is made to be a servant by the headmistress of the boarding school.  But Sara combats the drudgery and hunger of this new life with her imagination.

While I've read The Secret Garden many time, I've never read A Little Princess before.  I'm not sure why except maybe I never liked it when Sara loses her fortune and everyone is really mean to her.  She is an expectational sweet child, very modest and good and wonderful.  She has a wonderful imagination and I liked that part of the story.  It is so horrible how Miss Minchin treats her and Becky, the scullery maid and Sara puts up with it wonderfully.  She is, admittedly, a little too nice and sometimes I wanted her to lose her temper, but I suppose that would negate the point of the story which is be nice and wonderful things will happen, I guess.

cross posted with The Little Bookworm

Harriet the Spy (Book Review)

Harriet loves to write in her notebook.  She takes notes on anything that she sees and writes down all her thoughts.  But when her notebook is read by her class and they see some of the things she thinks about them, they decided to start a Spycatcher's Club.

I read Harriet the Spy along time ago and, though, I thought it was good, it was never one of my re-reads as a kid.  There are so many elements that made me uncomfortable that I could never bring myself to read it again.  Some of that still hits home as an adult.  When I was a kid, I also felt sorry for Harriet.  Her classmates read something that was private and made her miserable and they turned on her so quickly without giving her a chance to explain.  They played mean tricks on her.  And she is so sad after the loss of her nurse, Ole Golly, which adds to her general misery after being ostracized at school.  So I could never stand to read about her depression.

As an adult, I see all of that and I still feel sorry for Harriet.  Because she really was depressed. But the thing I wonder about are the adults of the story, specifically Harriet's parents and Ole Golly.  I really wonder if they thought Ole Golly could leave and Harriet would just move on.  I'm assuming that Ole Golly did most of the caretaking and so it would be like your mother just one day saying Bye.  Have a nice life.  I mean I know Golly loved her and was sad to go.  I can see more of that now that I'm older.  But Harriet is not the most mature or introspective child and so she couldn't recognize the depression that followed Golly leaving.  And the adults really did nothing to help that.   And then to add to Harriet's misery her friends find her notebook and turn on her.  They really don't do too much to her, but then ignoring her I think is the worst.  Harriet though cannot understand why they are mad and if she would have just ask an adult I think they could have explained it to her.  Also her parents take away her notebook which was the worst decision they could have made.  I was glad when they finally took her to a psychologist because she really should have gone much earlier.

Harriet as a character is funny and insightful and brutally honest but she is also a pain in the neck and shouts too much and is very sassy.  In other words, she is very much like a lot of 11 year olds.  I think she was a good friend to Janie and Sport and out of all of the kids those two should have given her a chance to explain.  But then, I guess, when your best friend says mean things about you, you would take it the hardest.  Though someone needs to explain to the children that we all have uncharitable thoughts about others at one time or another.  Harriet just make the mistake of writing them down.

Does My Head Look Big in This? (Book Review)

Goodreads:
Sixteen-year-old Amal makes the decision to start wearing the hijab full- time and everyone has a reaction. Her parents, her teachers, her friends, people on the street. But she stands by her decision to embrace her faith and all that it is, even if it does make her a little different from everyone else.

Putting on the hijab isn't the end of the journey.  It's just the beginning of it.  p.333

This was a great exploration of one girl choosing to show her beliefs to the world and the consequences that come with those big decisions.  Amal is cool and cocky and definitely 16.  She has a typical relationship with her parents and has some great friendships at school.  She attends a prep school in Australia so when she first decides to wear the hijab she doesn't know how it will go over there.  But she works through that obstacle and a few others.

The novel is in first person and that sometimes threw the tone off for me.  Some books I don't notice it, but I was always aware of it for this book.  It made some of the conversations stilted for me.  But it was nice to be in Amal's head and see how she viewed others.  Sometimes she was paranoid that strangers were judging her and sometimes she was right and sometimes not.  There were many interesting parallels drawn to her situation and that of her overweight friend and to the Greek next door neighbor and to her Japanese friend and to some of her extended family who pretend not to be Muslim.  There was a great message of tolerance and remaining true to your beliefs and yourself.  And I learned a little about Islam and a lot about what the hijab means.


cross posted with The Little Bookworm 

ETA: corrected 

YA Faves and why you should read them

The other day I followed a link to YAnnabe where the blog author talks about her favorite YA books that you haven't read and I was intrigued.  Of her 7, I've only read 2.  So following her directions, here are my 8 (because I don't do things in odd numbers) YA favorites that I've read recently and are possibly underappreciated.

1. Between Mom and Jo - Julie Ann Peters:  Profoundly touching and occasionally heartbreaking look at the dissolution of a lesbian marriage and how it effects the child of that partnership.  Be prepared to have your heart warmed, then broken.

2.  Libryinth - Pearl North: A science fiction book about a giant labyrinth library and the Libyrarians who live and work there.  Includes a good commentary on the importance of communication, tolerance, and reading.

3.  Tantalize - Cynthia Leitich Smith:  I don't know what it is about this book.  It is so tasty, sensual, and sexy.  A very nice take on vampires and werewolves involving a world where those things actually exist.

4.  The Dust of 100 Dogs - A.S. King:  Actually this was listed on the 2010 BBYA list so maybe it doesn't deserve to be here.  But it is one of my favorites about a reincarnated pirate girl and the buried treasure she misplaced 100 lives ago.

5.  Ash - Malinda Lo: Lesbian Cinderella story with a nice twist on the fairy godmother and the abuse the Cinderellas has to take. The whole book is a twist on the fairy tale, but it doesn't lose that fairy tale tone.

6.  Another Kind of Cowboy - Susan Juby: A boy would rather ride dressage than Western style meets a girl who'd rather make trouble than anything else.  It's a nice coming out and growing up story.

7.  Dirty Laundry - Daniel Ehrenhart: A actress goes undercover to learn about a new part and takes part in solving the mystery of a missing girl.  The sense of humor is great in this book and I love the double layers of the story.

8.  Nothing Pink - Mark Hardy:  I just read this the other day and was very moved by this little book.  The main character experiences the joy and pain of his first love and coming out in the 70's.

Favorite Christmas Books

Christmas time is upon us and I've been doing some lovely holiday reading.  So in particular order, are some of my favorite Christmas reading.

1. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Barbara Robinson) - I loved the movie growing up.  We had it on tape and use to watch it all the time.  I read the book a few years back and now I try to read it at least once during the season.  It's about the Herdmans, a group of bad children, who take over a Christmas pageant and end up making everyone think about the true meaning of the Nativity and who learn themselves the meaning of Christmas.

2. Skipping Christmas (John Grisham) - My favorite holiday book, I listen to it every year for about 5 years now.  I love how the Kranks try to "skip Christmas" with hilarious results and how no one wants to let them and everyone acts very selfishly until the very end.

3.  A Christmas Carol (Charles Dickens) - Of course, this is a perennial favorite.  There is much more to this little novella than any adaptation you will see (though my favorite is A Muppet Christmas Carol) and the redemption of Scrooge is so classic.

4. The Gift of the Magi (O. Henry) - Another lovely classic, it's the story of two people willing to sacrifice something they love for each other.  So much goes into the act of sacrificing something that it makes the realization at the end very poignant.

5.  A Christmas Story (Jean Shepherd) - The famous movie is actually based on four short stories by Shephered.  I love the extended version of what happens to Ralphie that this is a great book to listen to during the Christmas season.

So there are my favorite re-reads for Christmas.  What are some of yours?

Book Title Meme

What To Do: Using only books you have read this year (2009), answer these questions. Try not to repeat a book title. It’s a lot harder than you think!

Describe yourself: This Book Isn't Fat, It's Fabulous (Nina Beck)

How do you feel:  Something Wicked (Alan Gratz)

Describe where you currently live: Libyrinth (Pearl North)

If you could go anywhere, where would you go? Through the Looking Glass (Lewis Carroll)

Your favorite form of transportation: The Luxe (Anna Godbersen)

Your best friend is: Eternal (Cynthia Leitich Smith)

You and your friends are: Enthusiasm (Polly Shulman)

What’s the weather like: Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (Judi and Ron Barrett)

You fear: The Dead and the Gone (Susan Beth Pfeffer)

What is the best advice you have to give: Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover (Ally Carter)

Thought for the day: I SO Don't Do Mysteries (Barrie Summy)

How I would like to die: Wondrous Strange (Lesley Livingston)

My soul’s present condition: Evermore (Alyson Noel)

*cross posted with The Little Bookworm