Sunday, October 5, 2008

Open a Book

I love to read, and have since I can remember. Between the books I read for pleasure, for book club, and for work/school, I have probably read thousands of them, and of course have an opinion about each one. Some I don't remember and some I didn't like, but since I enjoy reading so much (when I have time) I do like most of what I read and thought this is a great forum to share my favorites. Since I couldn't find a day of the week that goes along with "book", actually it's not that I couldn't find one, there just isn't one, this may or may not be a weekly post. Anyhoo, if your looking for something to read, try one of these.
(Thanks to Jill for sending me this picture of Téa)
Books to the ceiling,
Books to the sky,
My pile of books is a mile high.
How I love them!
How I need them!
I'll have a long beard by the time I read them.
-Arnold Lobel


Life of Pi by Yann Martel was amazing. I have to admit that I was the dummy who thought it was a true story (because it's written like one and story teller states that it is), but that's just because it was so good and I guess I wanted it to be true.

A boy named Pi is the lone survivor when the ship he and his family are on sinks. Unfortunately, he is not alone in the lifeboat. The zoo animals that the ship was transporting also managed to survive and end up on the boat with Pi. The interaction between the boy and the animals is intense and, at times, heart-wrenching.

I was exhausted at the end of this one, but it was well worth it!


I have few favorite books because there are so many of them that I love, but Lily's Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes is one of my favorites. In the last few years, the language used in children's books has changed from formal and boring, to modern and conversational. These books are not always great for grammar examples, but they are so much fun to read.

Lily is a sassy, school-aged mouse who loves her teacher, but one day she comes to school so excited about some goodies she received from her grandma, including a purple, plastic, purse (who wouldn't love that?). These things distract Lily and the teacher finally confiscates the items until the end of the day. Lily is livid and her favorite teacher quickly becomes her least favorite teacher. The story continues as Lily learns her lesson, and all is right in Lily's world again. Cute, cute, cute!

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6 comments:

  1. jloOctober 5, 2008 at 11:37 AM

    Now you need to read Twilight. Trust me.

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  2. Jason, as himselfOctober 5, 2008 at 2:16 PM

    Don't listen to her! (Jen). Don't give in! Stay strong against the rampant vampirism that has invaded our world.

    I love, love, love this picture of Tea! Is that what you look like at night when you fall asleep, too? Probably, except you also have computers, school papers, and remote controls mixed in, too.

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  3. Live.Love.EatOctober 6, 2008 at 12:40 PM

    Yes, ditto JLo re: Twilight. You will NOT regret it. You can have a Books-A-Monday edition (instead of Books A Million). Just sayin'.

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  4. Laurel (without Hardy)October 6, 2008 at 1:48 PM

    My girls love those books. I haven't caught the Twilight bug yet. I get so many different opinions on it. I don't know if I'll get hooked or if it'll be a waste of time. I love to read as well :)

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  5. CGSOctober 6, 2008 at 5:48 PM

    I read all the books in the series and really liked them, but I'm a fan of fantasy books. I enjoyed Life of Pi after about the 80th page. Once it really got going, I couldn't put it down. I can relate to the poem; I have stacks of books to read. A couple of months ago, my friends and I had a book swap party, where we all brought the books we didn't want anymore (cookbooks, fiction, magazines, you name it). We set them all out in genres (because I'm an English teacher) and then drank wine, talked about books, and chose new ones. Everyone ended up with a bag of new books and we donated the leftover books to charity.

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  6. MOctober 6, 2008 at 7:26 PM

    I loved seeing a Lilly book on your site! I don't have much time to read...but I do read children's books aloud all day at work. Lilly is cool....along with "No David!" and "Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!" I did read The Life of Pi after my daughter read it in school- have you ever read "Opal?" it is supposedly a true story and after teaching kindergarten I truly believe it is.

    The photo is so cute! My daughter would sleep with a book instead of a stuffed animal and often woke me up at night because the book had fallen between the bed and the wall. -Have you heard the poem, Because I had a mother who read to me?

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