This was not an impressive reading year for me and Steve. Steve claims that he didn't read any books at all, but I know this isn't true. He read several books lying around the house and at least portions of a few I brought home from the library. Unfortunately, neither of us can really remember which books those were. He definitely read at least part of The Screwtape Letters, Nova Scotia Outstanding Outhouse Reader, Think Like a Freak, and Jim Gaffigan's book, Dad is Fat. I told Steve that I love him even though he's basically a book-hating book-burner for reading so little this year.
If Goodreads is right, I only read about 20 books this year. That seems like a really low number, but I have been really busy teaching The Bairn not to bite holes in the wall and crying over the fact that my floors cannot stay clean for even 30 minutes after being washed.
Of the books I can remember reading, these were my favorites:
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Willow Chance is quirky, 12-year-old genius who becomes the project of a terrible school counselor and a Vietnamese family, when her adoptive parents die in a car accident. YA novel with a really lovely narrative voice.
Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Improbable love story in which a woman is able to speak to her husband in the past on her parents' house phone. Somehow Rainbow Rowell makes this work.
Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult
Thirteen-year-old Jenna searches for her missing mother with the help of a washed up psychic and a jaded private investigator. Jodi Picoult is such a talented storyteller. Her stories always have a dramatic twist and I really did not see the one in this book coming.
Cinder (and the whole Lunar Chronicles series) by Marissa Meyer
YA cyborg Cinderella story.
Tinkerlab: A Hands-on Guide for Little Innovators by Rachelle Doorley
From the author the blog by the same name, this book is full of good projects for kids.
Ellen loved these books best this year:
Hello, Bugs! by Smriti Prasadam
Bugs. Cute bugs.
Doggies by Sandra Boynton
I'm not sure why Ellen loved this one so much, but she thought it was hilarious.
Noisy Farm by DK Publishing
Lift-the-flap books are always popular with my kids.
And these were The Bairn's favorites:
Georgie by Robert Bright
The classic story of a gentle ghost who loses and then regains his job as the resident ghost at the Whittaker home. The rhythm of the story is really nice and I like the old-style illustrations. The Bairn and I both love it.
Steam Train, Dream Train and Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by Sherri Duskey Rinker
I think we've read every vehicle book in our library, and these are definitely two of the best.
Cars and Trucks and Things That Go by Richard Scarry
This has shown up on the blog before, but it's The Bairn's all-time favorite book. He has loved it for at least half his life now.
Things That Go by Anne Rockwell
The Bairn likes all of Anne Rockwell's books, but this is his favorite of hers. He often requests that I go to the library to get it for him. It's just pictures of different vehicles organized by where they travel (air, water, etc.). We thought we'd found a copy online for $0.01, but when it arrived it was a different book by the same author with the same title.
Lucky Ducklings by Eva Moore and Nancy Carpenter
Based on a true story, this is the tale of baby ducklings who are saved after falling down a storm drain. Great illustrations and storytelling.
Obviously I need some book recommendations. What do you suggest?
3 comments:
Goodreads said that I read 4 books this year, but I'm sure it's more like 4 each week. I'm reading Leaving Time now. Glad you liked it. I'm learning lots about elephants.
Tell me when you're done, so I can make you discuss the twist.
Just wrote up my best books of the year. It looks like we read some similar things. The Lunar Chronicles and Landline were both on my list of top reads.
Post a Comment