Saturday WSJ: On Why We Need Books

During the week, my husband gets the Wall Street Journal delivered to his office. On Saturdays, it comes directly to our house.

I never have time to read all of it -- and honestly I probably don't have the attention span for all of it anyway. But I love skimming through the "Review" and "Off Duty" sections for a glimpse into the life I don't lead. Complicated recipes with ingredients I've never heard of, raincoats that cost thousands of dollars, high speed cars with no room for booster seats, and luxurious travels to faraway lands.

I also really love the writing in the Saturday WSJ -- seems there's always some article that makes me interrupt whatever my husband is doing to read a passage out loud to him. Sometimes it's a clever car review, a couple weeks ago it was a review of an Xbox360 game, occasionally it's about a trip maybe we could one day make together.

So I've decided I'll try to share a passage with you each week -- a snippet of a favorite something from that Saturday's paper. Think of it as a virtual clipping sent in the mail.

Here's this week's excerpt from "My 6,128 Favorite Books" by Joe Queenan (emphasis mine):

Books as physical objects matter to me, because they evoke the past. A Métro ticket falls out of a book I bought 40 years ago, and I am transported back to the Rue Saint-Jacques on Sept. 12, 1972, where I am waiting for someone named Annie LeCombe. A telephone message from a friend who died too young falls out of a book, and I find myself back in the Chateau Marmont on a balmy September day in 1995. A note I scribbled to myself in "Homage to Catalonia" in 1973 when I was in Granada reminds me to learn Spanish, which I have not yet done, and to go back to Granada.

None of this will work with a Kindle. People who need to possess the physical copy of a book, not merely an electronic version, believe that the objects themselves are sacred. Some people may find this attitude baffling, arguing that books are merely objects that take up space. This is true, but so are Prague and your kids and the Sistine Chapel. Think it through, bozos.

The world is changing, but I am not changing with it. There is no e-reader or Kindle in my future. My philosophy is simple: Certain things are perfect the way they are. The sky, the Pacific Ocean, procreation and the Goldberg Variations all fit this bill, and so do books. Books are sublimely visceral, emotionally evocative objects that constitute a perfect delivery system.

Electronic books are ideal for people who value the information contained in them, or who have vision problems, or who have clutter issues, or who don't want other people to see that they are reading books about parallel universes where nine-eyed sea serpents and blind marsupials join forces with deaf Valkyries to rescue high-strung albino virgins from the clutches of hermaphrodite centaurs, but they are useless for people engaged in an intense, lifelong love affair with books. Books that we can touch; books that we can smell; books that we can depend on. Books that make us believe, for however short a time, that we shall all live happily ever after.

—Adapted from "One for the Books" by Joe Queenan, to be published Thursday. 

Friday's 5: Things I Learned on Vacation

We spent last week at the beach. It was glorious -- even with one rainy day and two cloudy days. I won't bore you with the details of drip castles and sunscreen and sand in the bath tub and trying to force Junius to let me take his picture. But I will share with you five random things I learned while at the beach.

1. Good books are even better with cocktails. Before I left for the beach, a friend recommended that I bring a copy of Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. And she suggested that I enjoy a mai tai along with it. Spot on, with both recommendations -- although I'd add a good gin & tonic to the beverage list. As a result, I've decided that all literary selections should come with a drink menu.

2. Some women shave their faces. Not because of a hair issue, but to slough off dead skin cells in order to look younger. And by "some women" I mean someone other than me who may or may not be one of my friends at the beach. I'm not a dermatologist, I haven't tried this, and I'm not making this up -- I'm just sharing. And no, I don't have a picture for this one.

3. Beach olympics are perfect on a cloudy day. You'll be totally jealous when I tell you this, but one of our friends organized "olympic events" including sack races, hula hooping and water balloon tosses -- complete with a hand-stitched olympic flag and "Chariots of Fire" playing in the background. There were also olympic ring tattoos and gold medals for everyone. See? Jealous, right?

4. Dress appropriately for the battleship tour. They don't tell you this on the website for the USS North Carolina, so I'm going to give you the straight truth. We stopped in Wilmington on our way home to tour the WWII battleship. Being an actual battleship, it's very interesting, seriously enormous and crazy hot (no air conditioning) -- all of which they mention on the site. What they don't tell you is that you SHOULD NOT WEAR A SKIRT. My above-the-knee swingy knit skirt was great for the temperatures, but not so smart for climbing up and down the dozens of ladders all over the ship while strangers stand below. Now you know.

5. Popsicles are for breakfast. Or at least they are on check-out day. In year's past, I've always ended up throwing the leftover popsicles in the trash -- not like they're going to survive the trip home in the cooler. This year I was awarded Rock Star Mom status when I handed my kids popsicles and paper towels and sent them out on the deck at 9 a.m. while we packed up the house.

Now it's your turn. What random knowledge have you acquired this summer? Share with us so that all may know...

Book Review: A Simple Thing

When TLC Book Tours contacted me about writing a review of an upcoming book, I'll admit I had two immediate thoughts:

1. Yay! I love getting a free book.
2. Oh. The book will probably be crap.

I realize that second thought wasn't really fair, but honestly I figured no one would be sending me a fabulous book for free. A fabulous book would sell plenty of copies without any help from my little blog, thus no one would need to mail me a copy. So my expectations for Kathleen McCleary's new novel, A Simple Thing, were very low.

Turns out, I was pleasantly surprised. On the spectrum between Nicholas Sparks (I'm sorry if you're a fan, but the books are terrible) and Lee Smith (sure I have a North Carolina bias, but she's awesome), McCleary falls neatly in the middle. This book might not get taught in anyone's English class, but it's a worthy contender for a good beach read.

The novel, McCleary's second, is centered around Susannah Delaney, a mother so desperate to protect her children (one from her own destructive teen tendencies and the other from bullies attacking his quirkiness) that she leaves her husband and home behind to take the kids to an off-the-grid life off the coast of Washington state. Parallel to Susannah's story runs the present and past of Betty Pavalak, a 50-year resident of the island with her own tale of marriage, motherhood and secrets.

I read the book in about a 24-hour period, thanks to some free time during a visit to my parents' house with the kids -- but also because it's a very readable, engaging story. The balance of story-telling between the two women -- both their separate lives in the past and their increasingly connected lives in the present -- keeps things moving along in a way that makes the book hard to put down. I actually found Betty's story more interesting than Susannah's -- she's a stronger character, if you ask me -- but the book is ultimately about Susannah (and her kids, her husband, her mother).

Parts of the book tended toward the predictable and there are a few pieces of the plot that are overly convenient, but McCleary thankfully avoids some of the cliches and traps that you'd expect in, say, a Sparks novel (again, apologies to the fans). Truthfully the most painful part of the book for me was thinking about Pippi while watching Susannah attempt to parent her rebellious teen-age daughter -- my daughter is only four, but I am already very, very afraid of what lies ahead. And I just don't think I have what it takes to move across the country to a remote island without my husband in order to get Pippi to make good choices.

I don't want to give away too much of the story -- it's a quick read and you want to leave the surprises ahead -- but I do want to share a quote from the book that really struck me. It's something that a character tells Betty at one point and then she shares it later with Susannah:

"Don't confuse guilt and shame. It's okay to feel badly about something you've done. But don't let it make you feel badly about who you are."

Now you totally want to know what she did to feel badly about, right?

You can learn more about Kathleen McCleary at her website and you can read what other bloggers have to say about the book by checking the TLC tour schedule. (I've resisted the urge to read other people's posts so as not to color my own -- but I'm sure I'll be peeking now that I'm done writing.) McCleary will also discuss A Simple Thing on Book Club Girl on Air on Tuesday, Aug. 21, at 7 p.m. ET.

Full Disclosure: TLC sent me a free advance copy of this book. How cool is that? But they didn't pay me for this post, I get no kick-backs from anyone purchasing the book, and all the opinions included here are my own. Because what kind of a book nerd would I be if I weren't honest about my opinions of books? Seriously, people.

Friday's 5: Book Recommendations for Grown-Ups

Some friends recently complained that I post favorite children's book titles, but not lists of favorite books for grown-ups.

This is not true, I said. I have posts about grown-up books. There just aren't many of them.

I don't read nearly as much as I'd like to these days because I'm still not good at pacing out a book -- and it's hard to ignore my job, family and house ALL the time in order to immerse myself in everything I want to read. So I find myself reading The New Yorker (occasionally) and blogs (sometimes) and the newspaper (most days).

So, in case you missed those few moments where I did actually list some books for grown-ups, here they are:

1. Bibliophile: My personal history with reading.
2. American Lit 101: Books you should have read in high school or college, but they're worth reading again.
3. What I Read in 2010: Okay, so some of them I listened to, but we take what we can get.
4. Short Good Reads: Short stories, because you don't always have time to binge read a whole novel.
5. Good Reads: Five favorites from my high school and college days that I'd read again if I didn't have 4,782 new books still on my to-read list for the first time.

And because it's been awhile since I've had a Friday's 5 (and because I'm posting this on Saturday anyway), I'll give you a double (which technically makes it 10, I realize, but Friday's 10 loses the alliteration and I do so love alliteration). Here are the five books I've read so far in 2012:

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: I was late to the Hunger Games bandwagon, but once I jumped on there was no turning back. Dropped everything else to finish this one in just under two days. My primary recommendation is that you shouldn't start reading it until you can disappear for about 24 hours. Also, you have to read it through your 14-year-old self instead of your mom-self who naturally worries about all the children.
2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins: Book two in the series -- not quite as good as the first, but still worth reading.
3. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins: Book three in the series -- wraps up a little more neatly at the end than I think I wanted it to, but maybe I was just sad that it was over.
4. Diary of an American Au Pair by Marjorie Leet Ford: This one I actually did read piecemeal at a chapter or two a night. It was good enough to finish, but not so good that I devoured it. Probably enjoyed it more because I've lived in the UK and understand the fish-out-of-water feeling of being there.
5. Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann: Really, really good book that I got from my dad's bookcase. Takes place in 1974 when Philippe Petit completed his surprise high-wire walk between the Twin Towers in New York. The book isn't so much about Petit as it is about the seemingly unrelated and then magically intertwined stories of other New Yorkers who were there at the same time. In some ways, it's a 9/11 novel that isn't about 9/11. Best to read this one when you can get 75 pages in before you have to take a break.

What are you reading now? Or what favorite can you share from your reading list? Leave a note in the comments to let us know.

Friday's 5: Quirky Children's Books

Last week I suggested that you include books in your kids' Easter baskets. But if you haven't yet found what you were looking for, I've got you a new list of five.

Today's list includes some quirky books, most of which I've been giving recently for birthday gifts. Hopefully my friends (and their children, of course) are appreciating my selections -- if not, well, at least I had a grand time reading them all at the book store.

1. The Busy Beaver by Nicholas Oldland: "A clueless beaver discovers the impact his actions have on others." Hilarious illustrations ensue.
2. The Little Bit Scary People by Emily Jenkins and Alexandra Boiger: Sometimes people who look scary on the outside -- like teenagers and police officers -- are really actually nice people on the inside. 
3. Mr. Prickles: A Quill-Fated Love Story by Kara LaReau and Scott Magoon: The old joke about how do porcupines make love is spun into a G-rated version, with a little bit of a dark side. Plus there's a character named Miss Pointypants.
4. I Want My Hat Back by Jon Klassen: A little mystery, a little vengeance, a little irreverence. What more could you want in a children's book about a bear who can't find his hat?
5. One Cool Friend by Toni Buzzeo and David Small: Elliott asks for a penguin at the aquarium. His father agrees, but fails to specify that he meant a toy. Oops.

Have any favorite odd ones on your kid reading list to share?

Books for Your Baskets

My friend Julie, who writes about ways to Simplify Your Life, posted tips this week about how to declutter your Easter basket.

I'm totally on board with her plan. Well, totally except for the part where I already bought those bunny rabbit glasses from the Target dollar bin because they are just ridiculously cute. But other than that, I'm TOTALLY on board.

What I really love about Julie's Easter basket list is that she doesn't recommend any candy -- which my kids get plenty of from school and who knows where else. Instead, she suggests giving BOOKS!

So after you read Julie's post and you're looking for book ideas, here are some of my past posts recommending children's books that are Junius and Pippi approved:

• Books for Pippi
• Books that make us giggle
• More books from the library
• Books to enjoy
• Non-fancy books
• Strong girl books
• Sweet children's stories
• Funny books for bedtime
• Helen's books
• Donaldson and Scheffler
• Pippi's reading list
• Musical kids 'books
• Girl reads
• Classic children's books
• Children's books for the stage
• First favorite five

Leave a note in the comments to share some of your favorite books for kids or your favorite non-candy items to include in Easter baskets.

Friday's 5: Books for Pippi

I've been binge reading again. This time it was The Hunger Games trilogy -- in total, I read all three books in about five days. Would have been faster, but I decided to sleep some here and there.

Highly recommend the books -- but as a public service announcement, I should caution you not to start them unless you have a few days to spend doing nothing but reading. Or unless you don't really need to sleep at night.

The good news is that I'm not the only who's been finding good things to read lately. My kids are having fun digging into their own books. Like me, Junius is getting into some good series -- The Magic Tree House and A to Z Mysteries are currently at the top of his list.

Pippi isn't actually reading, but she's got some strong preferences. Lots of Barbie and My Little Pony books, which I can't stand (sorry if those are your beloved books). But also these five titles that I enjoyed along with her.

1. Miss Fannie's Hat by Jan Karon and Toni Goffe: Miss Fannie is 90 years old and owns just about as many hats. The story is sweet, but I think it's the illustrations of all those hats that Pippi liked best.
2. Every Cowgirl Needs Dancing Boots by Rebecca Janni and Lynne Avril: As a girl with her own pink dancing boots, Pippi was bound to like this one. I like the main character for her unwillingness to give up on finding fun friends.
3. Tallulah's Tutu by Marilyn Singer and Alexandra Boiger: We probably should have named Pippi "Tallulah" in real life -- I'm sure that's one of the reasons why she likes this book so much. That, plus the dancing, the tutu and the fiesty main character.
4. The Skin You Live In by Michael Tyler and David Lee Csicsko: Without getting all preachy and political, this book uses cute illustrations and fun rhymes to point out that not everyone has the same skin -- but we can all feel good about the skin we've got.
5. Louise the Big Cheese (Divine Diva) by Elise Primavera and Diane Goode: Louise doesn't get picked for the role of Cinderella in the school play, but she doesn't let that stop her from saving the show.

So what are you (or your kids) reading this weekend? Share your recent favorites in the comments below.

Note: All links go to the titles at Quail Ridge Books & Music, which is my wonderful local independent bookseller. If you don't have your own independent bookseller close by, I'm happy to let you borrow mine -- order online and let them ship to you. QRB does not compensate me for linking to their site, but I love them anyway.

Friday's 5: Family Room Remodel

Part three of an occasional series about what I'm enjoying in my "new" house one year after we started our big renovation project.

The dining room isn't the only space that will feel different for the holidays this year -- the family room got a total overhaul as well. Last year we were able to get a tree in there about a week before Christmas, but the room was otherwise mostly empty given that most of our belongings were boxed up in the guest room or stashed in  a pod in our driveway.

Now we have a brand new room to enjoy (although it's still the same old furniture) -- we took out a load-bearing column that chopped up the space, installed a steel beam in the ceiling to support the second floor, added recessed lighting, replaced the floor and completely changed the focal wall of the room (as a reminder, I don't recommend tackling a project like this without consulting a good architect first). Within all those changes, here are the details that I like best about the space...

1. Bookcases: The biggest feature we added to the room is the built-in bookcases flanking the fireplace. As lifelong book nerd and former English teacher, I love having books out and available. There are still more books in boxes upstairs, but at least I've got lots out where I can see them. Plus, what you don't see are all the toys tucked away inside those cabinets.

2. Dictionary shelf: In case having lots of books isn't nerdy enough for you, I also love being able to have a big, fat dictionary open and ready. Yes, I know you can look up anything on the internet. But it's just not the same.

3. Fireplace with mantel: Our old fireplace had a crumbling brick facade and no mantel -- nothing for hanging stockings or displaying treasures. Now we have sparkly mica tile (complete with a keystone) and a gorgeous mantel that ties into the book cases on either side. IT's so pretty that we didn't want to cover it up with a big fireplace screen (and it's just gas logs anyway), so we found this funky metal design with leaves and birds -- a great bit of quirky on an otherwise traditional design.

4. Media cabinet: No, this photo doesn't look pretty. But that's exactly the point. All those cables and boxes and electronics stay hidden inside that cabinet below the TV. And thanks to some kind of magical sensor that my husband installed, the remote works through the wood cabinet doors to run the TiVo box inside.

5. Trim work: The beautiful molding around the bookcases isn't the only trim detail in the room. Our talented architect and carpenter (who also created the bookcases and mantel) added a column effect at the corners of the room, which is open to the kitchen on one end and the foyer/hall on the other end. It's a great touch that helps separate the room (and the wall colors) without taking up any real space in the floor plan.

What little details make your family room great? Or what projects are you plotting to turn the space into the room you're imagining?

Check out the rest of this series...
- Part 1: Powder Room
- Part 2: Dining Room
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Bibliophile

They say that admitting you have a problem is the first step toward recovery, so here goes.

Hi.

My name is Cyndi.

I am a bookaholic, a binge-reader. And it's causing me to lose my mind.

Last Saturday night, instead of going to bed at a reasonable hour so that I could have the energy to get up at 6 a.m. with my children while we let the Daddy sleep on Father's Day, I stayed up late reading. Actually, I stayed up until 2 a.m., plowing straight through to the end of my book. Captain Saturday by Robert Inman. Nothing was wrong, I just couldn't stop reading.

I've probably been like this ever since I started reading Morris the Moose Goes to School at age 4.

Before I knew it, I was devouring The Chronicles of Narnia, Nancy Drew and The Bobsey Twins, the Anne of Green Gables series, Little House on the Prairie and Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farms.

Then it was lots of Judy Blume and some of these favorites, followed by every one of the Sweet Valley High books (which I borrowed from my friend's collection a couple at a time).

At some point in high school, someone loaned me copies of The Handmaid's Tale, Bonfire of the Vanities, Skinny Legs and All and The Cider House Rules -- it was like feeling the power of the ocean for the first time and realizing that backyard swimming pool wasn't so refreshing after all. For my senior English class, there was Heart of Darkness and The Metamorphosis and plunging into Hermann Hesse's Demian and Narcissus and Goldman, then Ibsen's plays like A Doll's House and Hedda Gabbler -- that was the year I decided to be an English teacher.

In college, I didn't have as much time for "pleasure reading" -- but being an English education major meant I got to read plenty for classes. Rediscovering American classics like The Scarlet Letter and The Great Gatsby, finding whole new territories in One Hundred Years of Solitude, wandering into the amazing North Carolina writings of Kaye Gibbons, Clyde Edgerton and Lee Smith, taking women's studies lit-based classes with A Yellow Raft in Blue Water, Madame Bovary and Tracks.

I also dated a boy whose parents owned a bookstore (I may have had a harder time letting go of them and their shop than I did him) -- they introduced me to more Margaret Atwood, Tom Robbins and John Irving plus Doris Betts, Michael Lee West, Robert Inman, Ferroll Sams, Alice Walker, Barbara Kingsolver and more.

Once I started teaching, there was even less free time to read, so I spent my summer breaks diving through the high school reading list -- The Bluest Eye, Ellen Foster, A Raisin in the Sun. When I left teaching for Wales, I read the British versions of Bridget Jones and the first three Harry Potter books while I learned all the local lingo.

I've always consumed books as much as I've read them -- but it seems that the less time I have to read, the more likely I am to binge once I start. Which makes me afraid to start a book. Which makes me afraid to put it down once I start. And so the cycle continues.

More recent reads include Water for Elephants (which I finished early on a Sunday morning while plying my children with cartoons), The Help (which I practically swallowed whole while abandoning my children to friends at the beach), Lift (which I read sobbing on the beach while my husband entertained the kids) and the first two books of the Clockwork Dark series by my friend John Bemis (book three should be out soon!).

And of course, there's Anne Lamott -- one of the few non-fiction writers I've really followed, starting with Operating Instructions (which, if you are a mom or plan to be one you absolutely MUST read). Oh, and there's always David Sedaris, too.

Clearly I could go on and on. And on.

So you tell me... are you able to read just one chapter a night? or do you find fiction impossible to put down? And what titles are the ones that kept you up until the wee hours? Not that I need help staying up too late, mind you, but I'm always up for suggestions.

Note: If you're planning to buy books, please go to your local independent bookseller. If there's not one in your area, you can borrow mine -- Quail Ridge Books and Music will let you order online, send you a confirmation from a real live person, and ship your books straight to you.
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Friday's 5: More Children's Books

When I was a kid, I'd spend my summer visiting the Elbert Ivey Memorial Library in Hickory, NC. I don't know why I still remember the full name, but maybe it's because I spent a lot of time there. I'd take a cardboard box with me, fill it with books, read them all and return to my summer reading program stamps. Check out, read, repeat.

Even though I'm supposedly a grown up now, I still love children's books. So even though I gave you a 5 list of books last week, I've got a back-log of kids' books to write about -- we've been going to the library a lot lately and coming home with a sack full each time.

So here, in no particular order, are five more kids' books for you:

1. Hubert Horatio Bartle Bobton-Trent by Lauren Child: If you know Charlie and Lola, you already know about Lauren Child's quirky stories and wonderfully textured illustrations. This story -- about a long-named boy who is much more responsible than his loving but flaky parents -- is downright hilarious and the main character's name is just plain fun to say.
2. Plantzilla Goes to Camp by Jerdine Nolen and David Catrow: Mortimer is heartbroken when he can't bring his pet plant with him to camp. Through postcards home, we find that Plantzilla isn't happy about it either.
3. The retired kid by Jon Agee: Being a kid is hard work. So this one retires to Florida and makes friends with Ethel, Myrtle, Harvey and Tex. But Brian finds out that retirement isn't all he hoped it would be.
4. Brontorina by James Howe and Randy Cecil: A book that combines ballerinas AND dinosaurs -- it just doesn't get any better at our house. Brontorina wants to dance, but she just doesn't fit in the studio. Thankfully, her friends Jack and Clara are there to help out.
5. Mary had a little ham by Margie Palatini and Guy Francis: Mary's very talented pig, Stanley Snoutowski, leaves the farm for Broadway -- but he never forgets the girl who first believed in him.

Friday's Five: Children's Book Recommendations

It's been a good long while since I posted a list of children's books -- guess we've been too busy reading (and everything else) to write about them.

Pippi and I are off to the library this morning to get some new reads -- hopefully less "Barbie Rock Star" and more of what you'll find on today's list. Here, in no particular order, are some of our latest favorites from library (plus one from a friend) that have been keeping us all entertained:

1. Big Smelly Bear by Britta Teckentrup: Bear stinks and he doesn't care. But when a friend tells him the truth, he discovers that getting clean isn't all bad.
2. The Yawn Heard 'Round the World... by Scott Thomas and Tatjana Mat-Wyss: Always smart to read a bedtime story about yawning. This one has fun illustrations and a great rhythm to it as a little girl's yawn gets passed around the globe.
3. A Confused Hanukkah: An Original Story of Chelm by Jon Koons and S.D. Schindler: I realize it's not Hanukkah season, but this one is still funny. And having grown up in a very Jewish neighborhood, I like sharing this story with my kids.
4. Lilly's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes: Lilly loves her purple plastic purse, her sparkly glasses and her shiny quarters more than anything. So much so, that she gets in trouble with her favorite teacher and learns a tough lesson in the process.
5. Bertil and the Bathroom Elephants by Inger Lindahl and Eva Lindstrom: This funny book appears to be out of print, but is still available at the library. Who knew that Bengali bathroom elephants liked to eat raisins, cause trouble and listen to jazz?

Small Treasures

This post is for Brenna at Suburban Snapshots. She's trapped inside due to the "SNOWMAGEDDOPOCALYPSTROPHE" and has asked for a peek inside at some of the small treasures that make us happy. And by "treasures," she means objects -- because, of course, my children would be the most important small treasures in my home. Especially when they're napping. Ahem.

Anywho, because I aspire to be as cool a blogger as Brenna, I'm shamelessly copying her polaroid-style photo collage with one of my own. It was a little tricky finding my five items because so much of my stuff is packed away during the renovation, but here are some things in my house that make me happy.

• A mug from my friend B, featuring a photo of her beautiful family in camouflage. The joke is less funny when when I explain it, so trust me when I tell you this is hilarious.
• A framed piece of school art from Junius when he was three. It's a self-portrait, and the yarn does an admirable job of emulating his floufy hair.
• My grandmother's Duncan Phyfe sofa, which I had reupholstered in red corduroy. Perhaps not the expected fabric for an antique sofa, but I love the contrast.
• A glass star, one of three that hang in my kitchen window. They were gifts from my husband and make a lovely view to the backyard..
• A sampling of my books, recently unpacked into our new shelves. I always feel better with my books around. And yes, two of those are dictionaries.

Friday's 5: What I Read in 2010

I love books. I love to read them, hold them, own them, display them, wander around in stacks of them.

And yet somehow, I almost never read anymore. Part of the problem is that my life is full of family, friends, home, work and occasional sleep (and I suppose that's really more of a blessing than a problem, right?).

The other part of the problem is that when I finally take the time to read now, I binge. I ignore my children, my husband, everything as I cram my way through the book.

So, I'm sad to say these are the only titles that got crossed off my reading list in 2010:

1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen: Best book I read all year (not that it's much of a list). Even woke up early on a Sunday so that I could finish it. Read it now before the movie comes out and changes everything. Seriously, go read it now.
2. The Wolf Tree by John Claude Bemis: Second in a trilogy by my college friend -- book 3 is scheduled for August. It's written for middle grades readers, but it's really, really good -- think Harry Potter meets American folklore. Start with The Nine-Pound Hammer first, then read this one.
3. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by J.K. Rowling: Yes, another young adult book. But it was such fun to read over Christmas break. Book 6 is now taunting me from the book case, but I don't have the time for another binge.
4. The Associate by John Grisham: I didn't actually read this Grisham novel, I listened to it. But with this book plugged into my ears, I managed to distract myself enough to run a 5K. So I think it counts. Even though the ending was lame.
5. Nuture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman: Technically I haven't finished this book yet. It's still sitting beside my bed. But I was really intrigued by the chapters I did read -- especially the one about gifted students avoiding challenges because they fear failure. Will keep plugging away at this new perspective on child-rearing.

How about you -- what's the best book you read in 2010? Or what is still sitting on your list that you hope to read in 2011?

Image from Amazon.co.uk, because I bought the British versions when I was living in the UK. 

Friday's 5: Children's Books to Enjoy

It's been several months since I wrote about any children's books at my house, so seems like a good time to share some of our recent favorites from the library. There's no real theme to this list, but both of my kids have enjoyed all five books.

Sometimes I catch myself reading car books only to Junius and doll books only to Pippi -- then discover that they both like listening to "boy books" and "girl books." It's a good reminder not to pigeon-hole their reading interests so early.

If you're looking for other suggestions of children's books to buy for holiday gifts, check out the blog's "books" category -- it's mostly books for kids, but there are some grown-up titles thrown in, too.

1. Roy Makes a Car by Mary E. Lyons and Terry Widener based on a story collected by Zora Neale Hurston: If you're a fan of the writing that came out of the Harlem Renaissance, then you must have this book. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, then you'll still enjoy the great illustrations and the clever story in this book about a man who can make a car fit for the angels.
2. Fanny by Holly Hobbie: From the author of Toot & Puddle comes this sweet book about a girl named Fanny who makes her own doll after her mom says she won't buy a "Connie" for the her birthday (Connies look like a scary cross between Barbie and Bratz dolls). Fanny's doll comes to life in a lovely way and reminds Fanny that girls can be more than just an overly-stylized, pretty face.
3. Pssst! by Adam Rex: The concept, the dialogue, the illustrations, the style... everything about this book is funny and clever. But what sold me completely was the chuckle that bubbled up from Pippi the first time we got to the part about the sloths. You'll have to read the book to find out what secret project these zoo animals are up to.
4. Sunny Boy: The Life and Times of a Tortoise by Candace Fleming and Anne Wilsdorf: Inspired by the true story of a tortoise that went over Niagara Falls, this silly book follows a tortoise named Sunny Boy from his early peaceful life to death-defying adventures with a daredevil named Biff. There's also reading Latin, collecting stamps and growing orchids. Somehow, it all works.
5. The Year of the Perfect Christmas Tree by Gloria Houston and Barbara Cooney: Yes, it's too early for Christmas books. But the kids picked this one out and it ended up being really sweet. The illustrations are lovely and the sweet story, which takes place in 1918, tugged hard at my mama-heart-strings. It also takes place in the North Carolina mountains and references details familiar to those who know the area.

As always, all links take you to Quail Ridge Books & Music -- it's the best independent bookseller around, but you can order from their website if you don't live close enough to wander in. They don't compensate me in any way for linking to them. I just love them.

Friday's Five: Non-Fancy Books

Going to the library with two kids is always an adventure -- usually starts out fun and ends with me grabbing Pippi's hand and hustling us all out of the building before we get yelled at for breaking the self-scanners at the check-out station.

When both kids were little, I just picked out books that I liked and they didn't know the difference. Now they have opinions and special requests (like Junius asking the librarian for anything about Buzz Lightyear), so I never quite know what we'll bring home. Lately, it's been a lot of superhero books (like Spider Man) for Junius and a LOT of Fancy Nancy for Pippi. Don't get me wrong -- I think Fancy Nancy books are very cute and I know I would have loved them as a little girl, I just get tired of reading "Bonjour, Butterfly" 872 times a day. If we're going to read French, I'd rather read my copy of Olivia that I brought back from Paris.

So, here are five books that I've really enjoyed reading with Pippi lately when I can peel her away from Fancy Nancy:

1. The Old Woman and the Wave by Shelley Jackson: I love everything about this book -- the illustrations, the story, the imagination, the message, everything. I don't want to give anything away, but it involves an old woman who has lived her whole life in the shadow of a huge wave, while the wave secretly loves the old woman and her dog.
2. Ish by Peter Reynolds: This adorable little book shows what happens when a child stops trying to draw perfect pictures and just focuses on the "-ish." And it has a character named Marisol, so we like it because we have a friend named Marisol, too.
3. Once Upon a Twice by Denise Doyen and Barry Moser: This Jabberwocky-like book is so fun to read aloud. It calls out for a live performance, but my bedside reading will have to suffice for now. Clever language, beautiful illustrations and a great message for an adventurous toddler, this is another one at the top of my list.
4. Owen by Kevin Henkes: When I first started this book, I wasn't so sure I'd like it. I'm tired enough of strangers telling me that Pippi is "too big for that pacie" as they pull it out of her mouth -- so I wasn't too keen on Owen's pushy neighbor trying to break him of his blanket. Thankfully, his mother saves the day with a much better answer -- and the little blankie (Fuzzy) is so sweet. And we know two Owens, so it's even more fun.
5. Jazzmatazz! by Stephanie Calmenson and Bruce Degen: This book is just good ol' silly, musical fun. Pippi starts singing it even weeks after we've returned it from the library. Another chance for me to enjoy the happy audience of a two-year-old as we make up songs along with a jazz-playing mouse and his friends.

What about you? What books are using to keep your kids reading things that you like, too?

Parents Are People, Too

One of the fascinating things about becoming a parent has been the new perspective on my own parents. Sometimes it's a different view about the decisions they made about me -- now I totally understand why they wouldn't let me go unchaperoned to the beach in high school despite my pleas at the time about how very responsible I was. Sometimes it's a fresh appreciation for how hard they worked to make my life easy or realizing why they didn't always have the answers. Sometimes it's simply realizing how young they were and that they were people in addition to being my parents.

A similar revelation occurred recently when I emailed my dad about how much I enjoyed reading a book he'd loaned me -- Water for Elephants (which you should definitely read, if you haven't already). My dad is in a book club and I'm a former English teacher, so we have a lot of fun sharing books with each other. Unfortunately for me, my life doesn't allow me to read much these days (other than Fancy Nancy, of course) -- but I'm trying to get better about that and this book was part of that effort.

My dad emailed back about the three books he'd finished that week, followed by this comment: "I know how you enjoy reading and think about you and the time I have to do that."

And suddenly it hit me. Today, my dad has more books than he has shelves and reads multiple books each month -- but I have absolutely no memories of him reading for pleasure when I was a kid. Because (duh), he was busy working, spending time with his spouse and children, and trying to maintain a home for all of us (and squeezing in some tennis time, too). But as a kid, it never occurred to me that my dad was giving up something he enjoyed in order to do all of that.

I love that my dad has that time to read, now that he's retired -- he's earned it. And I REALLY look forward to the day when every day is Saturday for me, too, so that I can start reading a book a week without having to ignore my husband and children.

Friday's Five: Strong Girl Books

In keeping with what has become this week's theme, today's list looks at children's books with strong girl characters in them. I've noticed that these books often kill off the mother of said strong girl as part of the set-up for the story -- as if having a mother around automatically makes you weak and submissive.

For example, Princess Knight by Cornelia Funke is the story of a young princess who learns to joust and ride even better than her brothers and ultimately gets to choose her own husband (instead of being married off) because of her unmatched skill and strength. It's a great story except for the very beginning where her mother dies in childbirth delivering her -- I mean, really, was there NO other way to set-up the story so that the princess could learn to kick some butt?

So when I find a good story with a strong girl who still has her mother, I'm hooked. Here are five that I love:

1. Princess Smartypants by Babette Cole: Princess Smartypants doesn't want to get married, but her parents insist -- so she sets up some impossible tasks for potential suitors (including Prince Swashbuckle, who almost wins her hand, but then, well, I don't want to spoil the ending).
2. Pirate Girl by Cornelia Funke and Kerstin Meyer: Same author as Princess Knight, but this time the mom is not only alive, she's a bad-ass -- and her daughter is pretty tough and clever, too.
3. Stella and Roy Go Camping by Ashley Wolff: On the surface, this is a straightforward story about a family camping trip where the kids look at animal tracks. But blended into the tale is the fact that their mom (not their dad) takes them camping and the big sister isn't a wuss about the hike.
4. The Paper Bag Princess by Robert N. Munsch and Michael Martchenko: When a dragon abducts her prince fiance, Princess Elizabeth sets off to rescue him, outsmarts the dragon and learns something important about her betrothed (and herself) in the process.
   
5. Stella, Star of the Sea by Mary-Louise Gay: No princesses or princes, but just one smart, fearless little girl with a big imagination -- and she's persistent enough to get her brother through his nerves and into the ocean.

Have some favorites you'd like to share? Or some other complaints about why authors are ditching all the mommies in strong girl books? Let me know...

Friday's Five: Sweet Children's Stories

Lots of the kids books we read are silly, funny tales (past and current favorites are Click Clack Moo and its sequels) or they're practical lessons about using the potty and sharing toys and recycling. But once in awhile, we run into a story that is so sweet, either in its message or its ending or its characters or its illustrations (or all of the above) that it makes me melt a little.

Here are five sweet, sweet stories that you (and your kids) can enjoy:

1. Thing-Thing by Cary Fagan and Nicolas Debon: This story might just be the sweetest one of all. Thing Thing is a stuffed toy that defies category and longs for a child to love and love it back. Unfortunately, he's given to crabby Archibald Crimp, who throws Thing-Thing out the 6th-floor window. What will happen on the way down and where will Thing-Thing land? I don't want to spoil the ending, but it's, well, about the sweetest thing-thing ever.
2. Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman: One by one, a crowd of adorable little animals set up camp in Bear's cave while he's hibernating -- and Bear snores through the whole party. But when a sprinkle of pepper sneezes Bear awake, what will he do? Gasp! I'm not giving it away, but it's a sweet surprise.
   
3. A Visitor for Bear by Bonny Becker and Kady Macdonald Denton: Spoiler alert, but I love the online summary for this book: "Cheery persistence wears down a curmudgeonly bear in a wry comedy of manners that ends in a most unlikely friendship with a mouse." See there, I gave away the ending that time.
   
4. Edwina, the Dinosaur Who Didn't Know She Was Extinct by Mo Willems: From the author of Knuffle Bunny and the Pigeon books, this is the tale of what happens when Reginald von Hoobie Doobie is determined to convince the cookie-baking Edwina and the rest of the town that dinosaurs are extinct. The ending offers a great example of how to respond to bad news. Plus it's fun to get to say "von Hoobie Doobie."
5. Hippos Go Berserk by Sandra Boynton: "One hippo all alone calls two hippos on the phone" -- and so starts a counting book about a partying crowd of hippos. It's silly and funny (and we like to throw our hands in the air and wave them like we just don't care when all the hippos actually go berserk), but it's also touching to see the lonely little hippo on the final page.

Friday's Five: Funny Books for Bedtime

Phew. Nothing like a good 'ol fashioned Friday's Five to break the tension after some serious posts.

Today's list includes five funny children's books that we've discovered at the library over the past few years. They're either clever or cute or just plain silly. Whatever the style, hopefully they'll bring a smile to you and your little readers -- we sure like laughing along with them at my house.

Here they are, in no particular order:

1. Mrs. Piccolo's Easy Chair by Jean Jackson and Diane Greenseid: Mrs. Piccolo's easy chair likes to eat cheesy puffs -- and it's not afraid to swallow anyone who gets in the way.
2. Milo's Hat Trick by Jon Agee: Milo's magic show is failing until, one day, he finds a bear in his hat. (Also funny and by the same author, Terrific! and The Retired Kid)
3. Imogene's Antlers by David Small: Imogene wakes up one morning with antlers on her head. Hilarity -- and much fainting by her mother -- ensues.
4. Grandpa's Overalls by Tony Crunk and Scott Nash: Grandpa wakes up to discover his overalls have done run off, so everbody takes off after 'em. Can only be read in a country accent.
5. Duck in the Truck by Jez Alborough: Duck and his truck get stuck in the muck. The rhyming alone is funny, but that sneaky Duck gets the last laugh.

Friday's Five: Helen's Books

We'd been enjoying Helen Oxenbury's baby books for years before we discovered some of her other titles. She has the sweetest, loveliest illustrations, with stories that both my kids enjoy, spanning from sweet baby faces to a rhyming tale about the importance of appreciating the life you have.

Here are five of our favorites:

1. We're Going on a Bear Hunt (with Michael Rosen): I love the online description of this book almost as much as my kids love the book itself -- "Full of delightful comedy and high drama, this tale of a brave family's joyous romp through sweeping landscapes is sure to win new fans."
2. Pig Tale: This story of Bertha and Briggs, who really want to be rich and then are overwhelmed by their posh new life, makes me laugh (partly because they are pigs) -- and also reminds me to appreciate what I have and be careful what I wish for.
3. Tom and Pippo series: These tiny little board books tell short stories about a boy named Tom and his lovey (a sock monkey) named Pippo. I'm not sure if Pippi just loves them because she loves to say "Pippo," but I love them because they're sweet and oh-so-short.
4. Tickle, Tickle and others: These big square board books are filled with cuddly, round-headed babies of different ethnicities doing regular little baby things (like clapping hands and tickling). Pippi loves to pretend to tickle the babies at the end of the book, and I love that she sees babies of different colors without being hit over the head about big important messages on diversity (like you can find elsewhere in this blog).
5. The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig (with Eugene Trivizas): I'm in the queue to get this one from the library, so we haven't actually read it yet. But I always love twists on fairy tales, and apparently this one includes a flamingo.