From the Bookshelves

Here's a glimpse at a few of the books the girls, my husband, and I are reading this week....

Family Book - We are all listening to Little Women on audiobook, and the three older girls are reading along with their paperback copies. I had my doubts when we started the book, as we are listening to the unabridged version and thought maybe the language, subject matter, references, etc., might be too confusing and detract from the storyline. Boy was I wrong - the girls love the story, and at any confusing points we stop and discuss their questions.  I still believe this book to be best for middle school age children, but it can certainly be enjoyed by a wider age group.

Dad - My husband is reading several books at the moment. The first, I passed on to him a few weeks ago and I highly recommend it to everyone: Organic Manifesto: How Organic Food Can Heal Our Planet, Feed the World, and Keep Us Safe. If you live on planet earth, you need to read this book. He is also reading an old Stephen King classic, Firestarter. As a young adult, I read the book several times and I know I've seen the movie though I don't remember it. We might make a date night out of the movie at some point this month.


Mom - I always have a stack of books on my desk, and this month is no exception. Instead of overwhelming the blog with my list of reading, I will choose the three on top of the pile. First, I just finished reading The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. I love Lahiri's descriptive and eloquent writing style. She has a way of conveying the emotions and thought of her characters in a succinct manner, yet with enough figurative language and beauty that I am transported to their world. Next on the pile is The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory. I am actually listening to the audiobook while I work in the mornings. While I enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl, I'm having a harder time getting into this book. It could be the fact that I'm not reading it, that I'm distracted by my work as I'm listening. I'm not sure. At this point, I like the book but am not in love.  And the last book I'll mention this week is Soak Your Nuts by Karyn Calabrese (I cannot believe this woman is in her 60s - she looks amazing!). This is health and well-being book and I've literally just cracked it open. I'm interested in reading the book as I heard a radio interview with Ms. Calabrese and found her fascinating.

DD 10 - My oldest, like me, has a stack on her nightstand. She reads several books at a time and can usually be found with her nose in at least one of them. Currently, she is working through The Adventures of Tom Sawyer , which she got into slowly but now claims is one of her all-time favorites. I am planning to bring the book to life with some websites and projects. She is also reading Laurie Halse Anderson's Chains. When she is finished, I plan to read it as well. I thoroughly enjoyed Anderson's book Fever 1793when I read it for a book discussion and I hope that Chains is as good. My daughter says she likes it but finds it sad and a bit scary. And lastly, she just finished reading Heist Society by Ally Carter. I read this book first and gave it my stamp of approval. My daughter enjoyed it, but wasn't blown away by the book. I think it's a cute beach read for teens and mature pre-teens.

DD 9 - My social butterfly is devouring several books this week. First, she could not put down The Frog Princess by E.D. Baker. She even set her alarm for 6am to finish reading it this morning, promptly picked up the second book in the series, Dragon's Breath, and started reading it during breakfast. My oldest was the same way when she read them a few years ago. She is also reading Henry Huggins by Beverly Cleary as well as Henry and Ribsy. She loves anything Beverly Cleary, and she may well have read these before. I had to pry one out of her hands the other day to get her in the shower.

DD 8 - My quiet child has been re-reading Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Book 2) by J.K. Rowling for what I believe to be the third time. She simply loves the books and all things Harry Potter. I've noticed that she sticks to the first three books in the series, and I think it's because as the books progress the themes are meant for an older, more mature audience. She is also reading Stuart Little by E. B. White, which oddly (after reading Harry Potter) she finds to be scary. I thought she would love the tale - as I did at her age - especially because she loves animals, animal stories, and tales of adventure. She may decide she likes it better as she read on.

DD 7 - My youngest is reading Really Truly Ruthieby Valerie Tripp as Ruthie is her favorite American Girl and she hopes to one day own the doll. She is also reading Polar Bears Past Bedtime , one of the Magic Tree House books by Mary Pope Osborne. She is just now getting into the Magic Tree House novels despite her great reading skills. I'm glad as I think we own almost every book ever published! During quiet reading time every night, she also reads stories from one of her favorite books, The Random House Book of Easy-to-Read Stories. She and my 8-year-old will sometimes each read a page aloud to each other (a la You Read to Me, I'll Read to You ).


Happy Reading!