Review: The Read-Aloud Family

The Read-Aloud Family: Making Meaningful and Lasting Connections with Your Kids by Sarah Mackenzie

Date: March 27, 2018

Format: Paperback + Audible audiobook

How did I get this book? Purchased

Goodreads | Publisher

It's no secret I'm a big fan of Sarah Mackenzie's Read-Aloud Revival podcast. I hardly ever pre-order books, but I pre-ordered this one so I could get her free bonus video class. (And so the book would land on my doorstep on publication day. Ahem.) The last time I started a book on release day was probably Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, but The Read-Aloud Family now has that honor as well. Though to be honest, I didn't actually read that pre-ordered paperback copy yet... because it was the Audible edition I dove into as soon as I possibly could. So yes, I purchased the same book in two different formats and I don't regret it one bit. Sarah narrates the audiobook herself and it was a really great way to experience her book because she is so friendly and encouraging -- just like on her podcast! I can tell you right now that I will be re-reading/re-listening -- and probably more than once. I'm a little over the top, I know.

As you can probably already tell, I absolutely loved The Read-Aloud Family. I found it to be inspiring and encouraging as well as giving me a boost of confidence that all the time I spend reading with my toddler son really is time well spent. As with the podcast, it makes a solid case for the value of continuing to read aloud even beyond the time he will someday be able to read on his own. I really loved having the RAR "philosophy" in one coherent place. This book pretty much ties together all the ideas and concepts and approaches from the podcast -- with some new material as well. I think it's important to note that there IS a lot of overlap with the podcast. There were parts I had heard before -- sometimes verbatim -- from previous episodes, but I personally don't feel this diminished the book. First of all, I'm probably in the minority of podcast listeners when I say I've listened to my favorite episodes multiple times. So, 1. I clearly don't mind hearing some of the same stuff on repeat and 2. I probably have a better memory for those repeated bits simply because I have already heard them several times before.

So, yes, I really enjoyed the audiobook, but I'm also glad to have the paper copy as reference -- particularly for the Ask Compelling Questions chapter and the book lists. (However, the Audible edition does include instructions for accessing a printable booklist divided by age if that's the only thing holding you back from going the audio route.) The booklist chapters were done in a really interesting way I haven't personally seen before. Each age grouping has 20 (or so) favorite read-aloud titles, but embedded in the descriptions of those 20 main titles are additional ones to try. So, I'm loving how I can go to the entry for a title I already know I love and find a few others that are similar in some way or that might complement it.

As an avid RAR podcast fan, I was curious how the recommendations would break down in terms of what's already in our home "library," so I did a little tallying:

TOTAL titles: 389

Titles I've Already Read: 96

TBR titles (own, but haven't read): 97

That leaves 196 books I've neither read nor own. Of course, I have heard of many of those remaining titles, but there were more than a few brand-new-to-me as well. Between the TBR books already on our shelves and the other 196, I shouldn't run out of recommendations any time soon!

One final thing to note is that this book is published by Zondervan, a Christian publisher. The author is Catholic and the book is most certainly written from a Christian perspective, including recommendations for favorite Bibles to read aloud. I think there is a whole lot that any family can get out of this book, but if you are of a different faith, this may not be quite what you are looking for. I personally appreciate how Sarah has woven her faith into this particular topic and enjoyed reading her perspective. If you're on the fence, maybe try borrowing it from your library first :)

When you finally read that book that's been on your shelf forever... and it's... fine...

{This is my third TBR-themed post inspired by Caffeinated Reviewer's March Take Control of Your TBR Challenge}

You don't love it, but it's not a complete disappointment either. Maybe it's a mixed bag sort of book. Maybe it's a decent read, but it doesn't inspire any strong feelings -- a middle of the road 'I Liked It' 3-star read. You know the ones I mean. The book is good. It's fine. But it's not all that special. I've read a lot of 3-star books over the years and there's nothing wrong with that. But there's something about holding onto a book for SO LONG only to find out it was just *fine* or *OK* that's feels different than if it had been a library borrow or recent purchase.

Unless a book was a gift or a freebie, if it's on my shelves, it's safe to say I think I'm going to love it. If I expected a book to only be a 2- or 3-star read, it wouldn't have survived all the bookshelf culling I've done over the years. I would have donated it, sold it, traded it in, or sent it off to some book drive or other. I don't intend to acquire and hold onto books I think will just be *fine* or *OK.* Don't we want more than that from the books earning a spot on our shelves? I know I do! It's unrealistic to think every unread book will end up being a 4- or 5-star read, but a reader can dream, can't she?

A few recent titles that fit the bill are....

My Ideal Bookshelf, edited by Thessaly LaForce & illustrated by Jane Mount

I've had this book since 2012. It's one of those titles I kept noticing on my shelf and wondering why in the world I hadn't gotten to it yet. I love books about books and I've loved the Ideal Bookshelf concept ever since I first heard about it and yet... there it sat. I finally cracked this one open because I've been reading more collections of shorter works alongside whatever other *main* book I'm reading -- essays, short stories, that sort of thing. And I hate to say it, but it wasn't as fantastic as I thought it would be.

I love the illustrations, but I didn't know a lot of the contributors. My predominant feeling while reading was that I was woefully under-read to appreciate most of it. And many, many times when I recognized a title on someone's shelf, it wasn't one that was discussed in the accompanying essay! The vast majority of children's books scattered throughout were not elaborated on and those are the ones that intrigued me most. Why did Roseanne Cash put Little House in the Big Woods on her shelf? Why did an artist/urban planner choose a Richard Scarry book? What's the story behind the legal scholar/professor including The Phantom Tollbooth and Now We Are Six? Only one person chose a Harry Potter book (how?!?!), but there wasn't any story behind it. One shelf included A Wrinkle in Time, Harriet the Spy, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, but not a word about any of them. And the Childcraft encyclopedias! Does anyone else remember those?!? They were a throwback to my own childhood I had completely forgotten about until the moment I spotted them in these pages -- and I wanted to know more!

I still marked a lot of great quotes and there were a few essays that were real gems, but overall this averaged out to a 3-star book, rather than the 5-star home-run I expected it to be. I do understand that if each contributor elaborated on a dozen or more titles the book would have gotten unwieldy and my own areas of interest are not going to be the same as everyone else's. I just wanted more from this one!

Country Living Barefoot Summers: Reflections on Home, Family, and Simple Pleasures, by Faith Andrews Bedford

I can't even tell you how long I've had this one because I bought a used copy from the now defunct Half.com website. But it's been many, many years, I know that much. Summers came and went and for one reason or another I kept not picking this book up during those warmer months -- and it went completely off my radar for the rest of the year because I thought it was a "summer book." When I finally picked it up, I quickly discovered I was wrong! The essays are organized by season of life (Child, Mother, Grandmother) and include all different times of year, holidays, etc.

As with almost all essay collections, I enjoyed some better than others. These are all personal and obviously come from the author’s own specific experiences, family, and memories. As such, I found some more relatable than others. There were some outstanding stories that brought tears to my eyes and plenty of other interesting ones even if they didn’t speak to me in quite the same way. I originally rated this book 4-stars, but then knocked it down to 3. Maybe it really should be 3.5? The stories I loved I really, really loved, but the rest were just OK for me. And in retrospect, I can't shake the feeling that the book is almost too idyllic. I don't wish drama and dysfunction on anyone's family and I'm not saying the author was being dishonest either, but we all look back with rose-colored glasses sometimes, don't we?

Greenglass House, by Kate Milford

I bought this at my local indie and it sat on my shelf for about a year. When I was reminded it has a snowy/winter/Christmas setting, I went so far as to buy the sequel with the idea that I'd then read them both during the 2017 Christmas season. Anyone else ever buy a sequel for a book they haven't read yet, because you just know you're going to love them? Please say it's not just me! And oh, how I thought I would love this book! And it ended up being... just... fine. It was good, but it wasn't great (for me). For a middle grade novel with a mystery/suspense element, it took me a really long time to finish. And by the time I did, I didn't jump into the sequel because I needed a break from Greenglass House and I had too many other books I wanted to get to. A month and a half later, I actually just picked it up today during my son's nap, but wasn't sure if I was actually going to commit to reading it. However, I was pleasantly surprised by the shorter chapters and how engaged I was feeling early on, so I'm sticking with it. I'm starting to feel like winter's days are actually dwindling, so I'm glad I gave this series another chance this season after all!

* * * * *

What is a book you had on your TBR for a long time that didn't blow you away as much as you had expected? I'd love to know!

Review: Slow Reading in a Hurried Age

Slow Reading in a Hurried Age, by David Mikics
Date: October 2013
Format: Hardcover
How did I get this book? Borrowed from the Library
Goodreads | Publisher

I don't write many book review posts these days, so it's a bit ironic that I'm reviewing a title I didn't even finish! I didn't finish it on purpose though and when I started writing this up on Goodreads, I got a lot more long-winded than I expected. So here we are.

The idea of slow reading appeals to me -- partially because I am a slow reader by default and always have been. The idea of speeding up the "movie in my head" has really not ever appealed to me, despite the fact that I would be able to read more books in the same amount of time if I did. So I guess when I spotted this title, I was really just curious about the benefits of slow reading since I felt like it was something I was already doing. In truth, Mikics' "slow reading" means much more than just a literal slow pace and it was interesting to see what "rules" he has come up with. He very clearly states these are really only guidelines and that he has no intention of ruining the reading experience with mandates -- he feels the "rules" should help readers enjoy books more, not less, and that each reader should only take what he or she can use -- which I feel is important to point out because I have seen other reviews criticize the very idea of reading "rules."

All that said, I really enjoyed and got a lot out of the Introduction, The Problem, and The Answer chapters. After that I skimmed and skipped (which is rather the opposite of what the author is advocating!) because the examples were mostly classics I have not read. I was honestly not interested in another person's analysis of books based on the advice given, just the advice itself. I think a lot of the ideas here can apply to any kind of book, it was just way beyond me to have so many points of reference I was unfamiliar with. At some point, I'd like to discover some of the books discussed for myself rather than read Mikics' analysis of various snippets.

I think the strongest part of this book was the discussion in those first few chapters of reading in the digital age. I don't want to be alarmist, over-dramatic, or demonize technology, but I could completely relate to many of the descriptions of distraction and discontent related to too much screen time. It is making me rethink my relationship with screens and validating the feeling that I really need a break from it all sometimes -- and that break is well spent if I take the time to read instead.

I'm glad I borrowed this from the library instead of purchasing it because the book as a whole didn't work for me. But I'm very glad for the parts that did resonate with me and I copied a TON of quotes into my reading journal. Those first chapters are definitely worth a read if slow reading appeals to you in any way -- or if the distractions of technology are leaving you feeling a little frazzled or sapping your concentration. But if you'd like to take a peek at the "Rules," check out this Huffington Post article which abbreviates those 130 pages very nicely.

The Stories We Shared: A Family Book Journal (Review + How I'm Using It)

I got a peek at this family reading journal while watching a free master class by Sarah Mackenzie of the Read-Aloud Revival. It was only mentioned briefly because endorsing a specific product was not the point of the class at all -- a commenter brought it up, so Sarah held hers up to show viewers what it looked like. Boy, am I glad I caught that brief glimpse! This is basically the family reading journal for my son I never knew I needed. So I bought four. (Yes, really!) One is for us, two were gifts for the kids of friends from book club, and the last one is still TBD. It's definitely going to become a future go-to gift for anyone I know who likes to read aloud. There is also a distinct possibility I'm going to fill ours in sooner rather than later -- even with room for nearly 400 entries! -- and move onto a second one.

So what's in this thing and why is it so great?

109 pages for Journal Entries

Most pages have 4 entries, with some drawings and quotes interspersed to reduce some pages to 3 entries. Each entry has a line for title, author, illustrator, # of pages, date finished, who shared the story, star rating, and an empty spot for notes, doodles, etc.

A Feature Lists section to record...

New Words We Like! (86 entries)

Our Favorite Quotes (71 entries)

Most Memorable Characters (51 entries)

Most Surprising Story Twists (38 entries)

Books That Made Us Laugh (41 entries)

Books That Made Us Cry (41 entries)

Books That Changed Us (37 entries)

Our Very Favorite Books! (38 entries)

10 Adventure Quests to complete

Each of these include a Quest, a Sub-Quest, and an Arch-Adventurer Quest depending on how challenging or in-depth you would like to go with each topic. A few of them also have an additional Bonus Quest.

World Explorers

Time Travelers

Genre Hoppers

The Serial Bookworm

The Literary Zookeeper

High Adventure

Myths & Legends

Brainstormers

Newbery Quest

Caldecott Quest

You guys, this thing is gorgeous and if you have any desire to keep a reading record for your family, I can't think of anything more perfect. 

Even though it has a very specific set up, there were still quite a few decisions for me to make regarding how exactly I want to use this journal. First of all, since I discovered it when my son was nearly two and a half (and it's only been published since November 2016 anyway), the biggest question has been how to handle all those books from the last 2.5 years. Thanks to Goodreads, I do have a record of them all (barring any accidental omissions), but there were just way too many. So I decided I would only record books I loosely call "favorites" -- basically anything that's been on repeat that my son, myself, my husband, or any combination of us has really loved. So basically that eliminated: 1. books we read but didn't keep because none of us loved them, 2. books we read only once or twice and returned to the library, and 3. books still in our collection that have not yet stood the test of time or that the jury is still out on because they're still too advanced, out of season, etc.

I also made the decision to print out book covers to paste onto the entry squares. I know this is going to add bulk to the journal and the more we use it, the more it will start bulging with the extra thickness they add, but at least for the picture books, I really wanted to include that visual element. The artwork is such a vital part of picture books, I wanted some representation of it in our journal. Also, at this point, I don't have a whole lot of notes for most of these books. I've placed the covers in such a way that I still have a little room to write and have only just started adding in a few notations. I've been working in stages and this has been a really fun project, even if I'm a little impatient to have it all caught up to our current reading!

For the time being, I decided to leave the "story shared by" line blank. I know my son and I have shared every single one of these books. My husband has also read the vast majority of them aloud or has been in the room with us when I read them aloud at bedtime. A lot of them have also been read with his grandparents and various other relatives. I don't want to box us in by trying to figure out who did or didn't share a particular picture book one of the many, many times it has been read aloud. Someday when we move on to novels that won't get re-read a zillion times, I will definitely use this line. I feel much the same about the "date finished" line -- I also decided to leave that blank because picture books are never really finished if we keep reading them over and over again!

I'm still not 100% sure what I'm going to do about the Quests and Feature Lists. On the one hand, if I start them now, they would really be more for me than for my son. I think these sections will really shine once he is old enough to listen to chapter books and novels, have more input and opinions about the books we read, and can help find the various books needed to complete the quests. On the other hand, since I'm fairly certain I'm going to be filling in more than one of these journals, I still may go ahead and start working on them with books from these early years anyway.

So, have I convinced you yet? This journal is awesome, really. If you need a Christmas, holiday, birthday, or baby shower gift (any kind of gift really!) for a bookish friend or family, I can't recommend it highly enough!

Goodreads
Amazon

The Rabbit Room
(I got our first on Amazon, then ordered the others through my local indie)

Review: Eat This Poem

Eat This Poem: A Literary Feast of Recipes Inspired by Poetry by Nicole Gulotta

Publisher: Roost Books
Date: April 2017
Format: paperback
How did I get this book? free from publisher via my work for Eat Your Books
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

What a unique concept! There is plenty of poetry about food and there are even more cookbooks out in the world, but I've never seen a book quite like this one. It blends poetry, stories, and recipes in such a beautiful way. Nicole has a pretty extensive background in poetry and I really appreciated her insights and discussion of each poem, as well as her personal stories that thread throughout the book. I read this one with pencil in hand and did a whole lot of underlining -- there were just so many little nuggets of wisdom, I couldn't help myself!

I know I will be revisiting this slim volume again and again -- and hopefully I will be cooking or baking out of soon, too. Admittedly, I haven't made any of the recipes yet, but so many sound delicious without being overly complicated -- or as my mom likes to say "fiddledy." Some are certainly special occasion dishes, but there seems to be a nice balance of those and more everyday type recipes. A few I have my eye on:

Cornmeal Waffles

Blueberry Buckwheat Pancakes 

Simple Corn Soup 

Almond Poppy Seed Scones (excerpt + recipe!) 

Olive Oil Pumpkin Bread 

Earl Grey Shortbread Cookies 

Strawberry Birthday Cake 

Roasted Carrots with Sweet Tahini Sauce 

Mushroom and Brie Quesadillas (excerpt + recipe!) 

Mushroom Pizza with Taleggio and Thyme

Risotto with Asparagus, Peas, and Basil Pesto

This book focuses on nourishment -- of body, mind, and soul -- and I think Nicole really succeeds in reminding us that the ordinary and everyday experiences of eating -- and reading -- are important and can be more meaningful if we allow them to be. With a toddler underfoot, most days that seems an impossible bar to reach, but this approach to cooking, eating, and living, doesn't seem to really be about perfection, but presence. And I think that is something I am capable of improving upon, if only I slow down every once in a while to remember! Making room in my day for some decent meals and restful reading time (of poetry and other forms) seems a worthwhile endeavor.

A lot of people think poetry is not for them, and that's OK. I'm not the reading police and I am the last person to judge the literary merit of other people's reading choices. But if you don't pick up poetry because you think it's always esoteric or inaccessible, I think books like this one really help show that doesn't always have to be the case. Even the poems I struggled with a bit on my first time through, I was able to read again with new eyes after reading Nicole's commentary.

BONUS: As a parent, I really, really love the poem Make the Ordinary Come Alive that Nicole recently shared on her blog. (I'm new to the Eat This Poem blog, but already a fan!)

Reading Charlotte's Web as an Adult

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White

Date: 1952

Format: B&N collectible edition (omnibus)
How did I get this book? purchased

Rating: 4 of 5 stars

GoodReads

Charlotte's Web is one of the (many) classics I can't believe I never read as a kid. In fact, there are A LOT of classic children's books (chapter books, novels, and picture books) I "missed" growing up. Even some I may have read, I unfortunately don't recall very well. But instead of looking at them as missed chances, I'm taking the opportunity now to enjoy them as an adult -- and hopefully someday share them with my son. With that in mind, some months back, I revised my Classics Club list to focus on children's classics. Finally reading Charlotte's Web confirms this was a wise decision for me at this stage in my life.

Sure, there are plenty of more "difficult" classics I aspire to tackling someday, but that really isn't where my head is at right now. It's not just that children's classics are "easier" or shorter, though they often are -- and my tired mommy-brain is grateful! Wanting to focus on children's books is more about my frame of mind and priorities right now. Diving head first into picture books with my son as an infant, baby, and now toddler has reminded me how rich and engaging good children's literature can be. So many of these stories (and their artwork!) can be enjoyed by people of all ages, even if they aren't the first thing we might gravitate to as a "grown-ups."

My son may still be too young to appreciate a lot of the books I've been picking up lately, but that's not really the point. The point is that the more I learn about children's books, the more I want to experience them for myself and fill in some of the gaps in my own childhood reading. I know my parents took me to the library and read me picture books, but mostly I just remember reading Nancy Drew, The Babysitters Club, spooky books by Mary Downing Hahn, and the occasional school assignment I actually enjoyed, but that was later in my childhood. I remember my highschool reading vividly, but my younger years are understandably a bit foggy. So why not read those children's classics now? There is no good reason not to read them now, so that is exactly what I am doing and I'm really loving it.

The only (sort-of) downside to reading these childhood classics now is that there isn't any of the nostalgia factor. Charlotte's Web likely would have gotten 5 stars if I had read it as a child, but it was still a very well-written, engaging, and enjoyable story about friendship, determination, and loss. I never was much a fan of spiders, but this fictional tale has helped this scaredy-cat look at them a bit differently and reminded me of their purpose in the natural world. I appreciated that this story didn't sugarcoat some of the harsher realities of life and death on a farm, but it is ultimately a hopeful and uplifting book. It didn't turn me into a vegetarian, though at times I was wondering if the author was trying to! More E.B. White books are on my TBR for sure, namely Stuart Little and The Trumpet of the Swan -- both of which are also in the omnibus edition I read Charlotte's Web from.

In addition to the story, the illustrations for Charlotte's Web are just wonderful and I am fast becoming a fan of Garth Williams' work. Our bookshelves and library basket are filling up with his many picture books and we've found a few new favorites. My son and I have both enjoyed My First Counting Book and Home for a Bunny in particular and look forward to exploring more of this prolific illustrator's books.

Classics Club #19

Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration

Show and Tell: Exploring the Fine Art of Children's Book Illustration by Dilys Evans
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Date: March 2008
Format: hardcover
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads

This was a very informative exploration of picture book art focusing on 12 different illustrators. As the author states, this is not meant to be a "best of" list, but rather she chose a group of artists she felt offered "a wide range of styles, technique, and content" and I feel she certainly delivered on that. All of the featured artists may not be my particular favorites, but I definitely learned a lot by reading more about their work, background, inspirations, and process.

Only three of the featured artists were completely new to me (Trina Schart Hyman, Petra Mathers, and Harry Bliss), but this book piqued my interest in their work -- particularly the prolific Trina Schart Hyman whose chapter I found particularly intriguing. The other nine illustrators (Brian Selznick, Bryan Collier, Paul O. Zelinsky, Hilary Knight, David Wiesner, David Shannon, Betsy Lewin, Denise Fleming, and Lane Smith) I had previously read at least one of their books, but oftentimes it was their most popular work or their Caldecott award-winning work. So even for those artists I previously was somewhat familiar with, I've now been introduced to a broader range of their work. While I probably won't seek out every single one mentioned, I have certainly added to my picture book TBR list! I've already borrowed quite a few from the library and (shocker!) ordered used copies of two out of print titles my library system didn't have.

This sort of deep-dive into picture books and illustration won't be for everyone, but as someone who reads a ton of picture books these days -- both with my son and now on my own -- it is an area I want to learn more about. Out of habit, I still tend to focus on the text more than the art when I read a picture book. So the more I learn about illustration, the more I feel I can appreciate and understand it in its own right.

Reading the Art in Caldecott Award Books

Reading the Art in Caldecott Award Books: A Guide to the Illustrations by Heidi K. Hammond & Gail D. Nordstrom
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Date: August 2014
Format: print
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Authors | Publisher

I am participating in Julie's Newbery/Caldecott Challenge this year and was looking to learn more about why certain books win these awards when I found Reading the Art in Caldecott Award Books in my library system's catalog. I borrowed it at least three times and maxed out my renewals each time. Even though I have now read it in its entirety, I am seriously considering buying a copy to have as a reference. It seems to be an academic-type book though, so it is rather pricey for a paperback -- used or new -- so I'm holding out for now. I admit I am exceedingly enthusiastic about picture books these days, but regardless, I still feel like this is a real hidden gem of a book. Realistically, I imagine this book has mostly been used by librarians and teachers, but I think it could have wider appeal to parents if not for the price. Delving more deeply into picture books isn't for everyone, but I'm sure I'm not the only bookish parent who is more comfortable with understanding and appreciating text and wished to know more about the merits of award-winning illustration.

So what exactly will you find in this book? The introduction covers the Caldecott award criteria and the process of choosing the winners. The authors share their own experience serving on the 2011 Caldecott committee (without revealing anything confidential, of course). I know it takes a lot of hard work and dedication, but it sure sounded like fun for anyone who loves picture books! The authors also explain how and why they wrote the book and how to use it. It is important to know it is not meant to be read alone, but rather to be read alongside the picture books themselves so you can examine the illustrations more closely as you learn more about them.

After the introduction, we move right into entries for 56 different Caldecott award books. The entries are presented alphabetically by title and include all of the Medal and Honor books for 2011-2014 plus selected titles from earlier years. It doesn't cover nearly all of the Caldecott titles going back to 1938, but there is enough here to give you a solid foundation for better understanding how the award works and what qualifies a book to receive it. I would love if the authors wrote a follow-up featuring additional Caldecott books, but I don't know how realistic that wish is!

Each entry lists the title, author, medal or honor status, year, style, and medium. Then there four sections: "analysis," "for further consideration," "illustrator note," and "sources consulted." Each entry is not long, but they are packed full of insights and observations about the book and its artwork. You can read the entry for The Invention of Hugo Cabret excerpted on the authors' website here to see an example.

My usual method was to read the picture book once, then read its entry while flipping back through the picture book and examining it more closely. I cannot even begin to count how many times I missed things in the illustrations. And while most of the time, I felt like my biggest takeaway was to just pay better attention already! -- there were many other cases where additional background information was provided that I never would have known without additional research. And as easy as it sounds to just pay better attention, many years of focusing primarily on the written words is a hard habit to break. The other thing this book was really good at was pointing out "threads" in the illustrations -- for example, a minor character or image that appears on every page. I am terrible at picking up that sort of thing on my own unless it is glaringly obvious. I am definitely not well-practiced in noticing more subtle things in picture book artwork.

There is a glossary which proved extremely useful as I encountered unfamiliar terms. There are also three different indexes so you can easily identify picture books by media and style as well as by title/author/illustrator. The "sources consulted" listed for each entry (in addition to the sources listed in one of the back appendixes) are proving to be a treasure trove of additional reading. I've started looking for some of them in my library system and plan to continue delving into the world of picture books. I have a feeling I've started down a bit of a rabbit hole here, but I'm definitely OK with that. Apologies to anyone who isn't so interested in picture books, but this "genre" is even more vast and more fascinating than I first imagined and I won't be leaving it any time soon!

Audiobook Review: The Reading Promise

The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared,
by Alice Ozma & Jim Brozina
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Date: May 2011
Format: Audio -- 7 hrs 1 min
How did I get this book? purchased with Audible credit
Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

So, I had a $1 paperback copy of this one from a library sale that I'd been meaning to read for the longest time. A bookish memoir is right up my alley, but I finally admitted this is exactly the sort of book I really love listening to on audiobook. So I set aside the print copy for my Mom and Grandma to read and used one of my Audible credits on it instead. In a nutshell, this is the true story of a father and daughter who make a pact when she was 9 years old to read together for 100 days, then 1,000 days, then all the way until the day Alice leaves for college.

Most of the book is read by Alice, but the introduction and quotations at the beginning of each chapter are read by her father who is an elementary school librarian -- what a gift he has! I could see from these brief glimpses why his daughter, students, and other audiences have enjoyed his reading aloud so much. The book addresses a lot of family issues and difficulties -- everything is not just sunshine, roses, and bedtime stories -- but through it all, they honored this promise they made to each other and kept their "Streak" alive for years. 

This was an inspiring and heartwarming memoir I'm so glad I finally read. In fact, I may have enjoyed it even more now that I'm a mom. I was only about six minutes in and getting a little teary-eyed! It's not really a tear-jerker, but hearing Jim talk about the importance of reading and spending time with his children tugged at my heartstrings. I already read a lot to my 10 month old son, but this makes me want to continue the tradition as long as I possibly can (translation: as long as he will let me!)

A (Picture) Book About Books

If You Wish, written by Kate Westerlund & illustrated by Robert Ingpen
Series? No
Publisher: minedition
Date: September 2014
Other Details: Hardcover; 32 pages
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
Rating: 5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

This was my first complete book of 2016 and what a wonderful way to start the year! I discovered it while doing some research about Robert Ingpen who has done the illustrations for a whole series of classics (that I keep adding to my collection!) as well as many other books including this one. His artwork is absolutely beautiful and this story just warmed my bookish heart. Essentially, it is about a girl who learns to use her imagination while re-reading her favorite books -- she discovers how to find the "book inside the book."

This book currently has only 12 ratings and 1 review on Goodreads and I'm so surprised by that. According to the author's website, it was originally only available in German and French, but it was later published in English in the US in 2014. I'm so glad my library system had a copy to borrow, but I have a feeling this one will eventually join our home collection as well.

This is a must-read for any book lover -- child or adult! And most especially if you have a soft spot in your heart for re-exploring your favorite stories. It is a wonderful book to read aloud and there were quite a few lovely quotes I jotted down in my journal -- that doesn't happen too often with a picture book!

Required Re-Reading #2 - #4: Beowulf, Oedipus the King, & The Crucible

Required Re-Reading is a feature here at Buckling Bookshelves where I revisit books I read for school -- grammar school, high school, and college are all fair game. Most of the books I choose will be ones I didn't enjoy the first time around, but think deserve a second chance now that I am older, more interested in the classics, and can choose to read them of my own free will. I will also re-read books I did enjoy because not all of my assigned reading needs an attempt at redemption! I don't always make enough time for re-reads, so I see this as an opportunity to also revisit some of those favorites, hoping I will enjoy them just as much now as I did the first time. Thanks for following along with me on this reading journey :)

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I'm grouping my next three re-reads together because they have two things in common: 1. They are classics that were originally meant to be performed -- whether read aloud or on the stage. 2. Because they were meant to be performed, I re-read all three as audiobooks.

Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney

Date: 800
How did I get this book? borrowed from the library
Original Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Required Re-Reading Rating: 3 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

I remember severely disliking this book when I first read it and probably only gave it two stars instead of one because I knew intellectually it was a significant piece of literature despite my own personal feelings. My World Lit professor (whose class I really enjoyed) assigned the Seamus Heaney translation because he felt it was the best one available, so I sought it out again when doing my re-read. Unfortunately, the only audio version of this particular translation is abridged, but it is narrated by Heaney himself, so I decided it was definitely still my best option. There is an exact listing on the CD's jacket of which lines are included and while there were certainly sections left out, I didn't feel like I was missing a whole lot. I vaguely remember there being a lot of repetition anyway, so I got the impression most of what was left out were those repetitive sections to streamline the narration a bit. I don't find abridgement ideal, but I don't think it hindered my understanding or appreciation in this particular case.

This was definitely a much better experience on audio and listening to it felt very true to the original spirit of the story. I was able to follow along more easily and could really understand how this epic poem was passed down orally through the generations before it was ever set in print. I still didn't love it the second time around, but I had a greater appreciation for its history and significance and how it influenced later writings.

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Oedipus the King, by Sophocles

Date: 442 BC
How did I get this book? free download from the summer Audiobook Sync program
Original Rating: 2 of 5 stars
Required Re-Reading Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

I don't really remember why I didn't care for this one in high school to be honest -- maybe the whole "kill your father and marry your mother" thing was just a little too much for me at the time? The audio was a really excellent way to experience this play though, especially since it was performed by a full cast. I imagine watching it on stage would be even better, but listening on audio was far better than reading it in print. There was a lot of nuance and feeling that was better conveyed in this medium than reading what is essentially a script, complete with stage directions and notations for the actors. There is also a huge difference between hearing a Greek chorus perform their lines and reading them on the page. For me, plays are not like novels where the writing can really paint a picture -- printed plays seem more utilitarian and are really brought to life by the performers. Oedipus is of course a tragedy -- and a pretty twisted one at that -- but it is a fascinating story that I appreciated much more as an adult than as a teenager (and as a performance rather than in print!)

P.S. I remember reading this in an anthology where it was titled Oedipus Rex, but find it listed almost everywhere else as Oedipus the King, especially when published on its own. Not sure what accounts for that difference!

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The Crucible, by Arthur Miller
Date: 1953
How did I get this book? borrowed from the library
Original Rating: 3 of 5 stars
Required Re-Reading Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

I've always found the Salem Witch Trials fascinating, so this was one I did like when I first read it for high school. Just like Oedipus, this play was much enhanced when performed by a full cast. When I decided to re-read it, it was short enough that I actually listened to it twice! There were a few parts that got a little confusing, but I realized on my second re-read that those parts were meant to be confusing to convey the hysteria the witch trials created.

I also watched the 1996 film starring Winona Ryder and Daniel Day-Lewis which has to be the most faithful adaptation I have ever seen. There is obviously a big difference between turning a play vs. a novel into a movie, but it was really incredible to see an almost exact representation of what I had just read show up on the screen.

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In case you missed it:
Required Re-Reading #1: The Joy Luck Club

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Reading Challenges:
Classics Club #4-6
Back to the Classics
Re-Reading
Book to Movie
Translated
Lucky No. 14: Once Upon a Time + Freebies Time

Goodnight June

Goodnight June, by Sarah Jio
Series? No
Publisher: Plume
Date: May 27, 2014
How did I get this book? free from the publisher for my honest review
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

I absolutely love books-about-books, so when I first heard about Goodnight June I knew it would be right up my alley. When June Anderson inherits her great-aunt Ruby's children's bookstore, she travels to Seattle to settle the estate quickly and return to her high-power, high-stress banking career in New York. But when June finds a letter from Ruby with a cryptic reference to all the secrets the bookstore holds, her plans begin to change. As she tracks down a string of correspondence between Ruby and Margaret Wise Brown, the author of Goodnight Moon, June finds herself on a path to discover the inspiration behind the classic children's book.

I absolutely adored all the bookishness in this novel -- the love for the written word and brick-and-mortar bookstores gave me a major case of the warm and fuzzies. This part of the story was so well done and really shines as its strongest element. However, you should be aware that this book falls pretty firmly in the "chick-lit" category -- as much as I hate that term, it really does apply. While the mysterious origin of Goodnight Moon is at the core of this novel, the rest of the story is about an unhappy, stressed out woman making big changes in her life -- there's family drama, work drama, and a love interest -- you get the idea.

I am totally fine with a degree of predictability in these types of stories, but I must admit I saw a pretty big twist coming from a mile away. I am usually completely awful at figuring anything out ahead of time, so I was definitely disappointed to not have that element of surprise. Despite some weaknesses, I still loved reading this book. From the first page to the last, the bookish love pulled me in and wouldn't let me go. It was a pretty fast read and if I had more free time, I could have easily read it in a weekend. I think it is perfect for summer or beach reading, particularly if you like books-about-books. And if you  fondly remember reading Goodnight Moon as a kid, I think you will enjoy it even more.

My own memories of Goodnight Moon were fuzzy, so I borrowed it from the library to re-read and am so glad I did. Having the original story fresh in my mind and beside me for reference as I read Goodnight June really made the descriptions in the novel come to life.

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Reading Challenges:
New to Me
Review Pile
My Kind of Mystery

Children's Books: Five Mini Reviews

Every Thing On It, by Shel Silverstein
Series? No
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's
Date: 2011
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

Not the most well-known of Silverstein's poetry collections, but this might be my favorite! Though it would be a close call between this one and A Light in the Attic. While still mostly silly and funny, quite a few of the poems (like A Light in the Attic) tackled more serious subjects. This was still done in a light-hearted way, but I felt it gave the collection more depth and the reader more to think about.

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Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown; illustrated by Clement Hurd
Series? No
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's
Date: 1947
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

I'm sure this was read to me as a kid, but I don't remember it very clearly. I decided to read it as an adult in preparation for reading Sarah Jio's Goodnight June (review coming soon!). Goodnight June is a fictionalized account of the inspiration for and literary mystery behind this classic children's story, so reading the original beforehand gave me a better foundation than just my vague memory. A lovely kid's book.

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Under Shifting Glass, by Nicky Singer
Series? No
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Date: February 19, 2013 (first published Feb. 2012 in the UK as The Flask)
How did I get this book? won a free Advanced Reader's Copy from the publisher via a Facebook contest
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

The information printed in the ARC states this is a YA book, but it didn't really feel like YA to me. The age specified is 12 and Up and to me, that's on the line between middle grade and YA. Maybe most YA books seem to be getting "older" because so many non-young-adults read them now, but despite the heavy themes, this book felt very young to me. The main character Jess is coping with the death of her beloved aunt and the impending birth of her critically ill twin brothers while also navigating friendships, school, family relationships, and all the other things kids her age go through. It's a very quiet kind of book. That might sound odd, but it's honestly the best way I can describe it. I enjoyed it, but I can't say I loved it. I think it could be a very powerful read for the right kid though, particularly if he or she can relate to any of the issues or situations Jess is dealing with.

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The Best School Year Ever, by Barbara Robinson
Series? Yes, The Herdmans #2
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's (audio)
Date: 1994
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

I listened to this one as an audio book what feels like ages ago. It is not quite as excellent as The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, but still a great children's story. In this second installment, the students have a whole school year to come up with compliments for their classmates and Beth struggles to find nice things to say about trouble-maker Imogene Herdman. As with the first book, there is always a lesson to be learned. This one might not be quite as universally appealing as the Christmas book, but it would definitely be a winner with younger kids.

* * * * *

The Best Halloween Ever, by Barbara Robinson
Series? Yes, The Herdmans #3
Publisher: HarperCollins Children's (audio)
Date: 2004
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

The Herdmans may always be getting themselves into trouble, but that just may prove more of an asset than a liability when it comes to the most mischievous holiday of the year. Again, not as good as the first Christmas book, but a very worthwhile read (especially at the appropriate time of year!) All three stories had the same audiobook narrator, Elaine Stritch, and her delivery was absolutely perfect throughout the series.

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Reading Challenges:
Dive into Poetry
New to Me: Nicky Singer
Review Pile
Clean Sweep ARC
Lucky No. 14: It's Been There Forever
My Kind of Mystery

Required Re-Reading: The Joy Luck Club (a new feature + a giveaway!)

I've been wanting to re-read books I read for school for quite some time now. In particular, I'm interested in revisiting those books I had to read but didn't like (or in some cases, hated!). This all started when I was looking over some of my old GoodReads ratings and was struck by how low I rated most of my required reading. There were a handful of school assignments I loved, but the number is appallingly low. Looking at the titles now, I know most of them are highly respected and loved by many. I'm convinced that despite my teachers' best efforts, their significance was lost on my teenage self. I think many of them deserve a second chance now that I am older and can choose to read them of my own free will. So when Penguin contacted me about sponsoring a giveaway to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the publication of The Joy Luck Club, I figured why not start with this one? So I give you the inaugural edition of my new Required Re-Reading project, hopefully it is the first of many!

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The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
Series? No
Publisher: Penguin
Date: 1989
How did I get this book? giveaway is sponsored by Penguin Books, but I purchased my own copy to read & review
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

When I originally read this book for my sophomore Global Literature class, it was a 2-star read for me. It is so unfair to blame the teacher, but the teacher I had that year really did not inspire any kind of love for the books she was teaching. It seemed as if they were homework for her as much as they were homework for her students. Maybe that's unfair, but when I look back on my high school years, all three of my other English teachers seemed a lot more passionate about their subject and really wanted us to love the books as much as they did. Even when I didn't love the books, those other teachers' love of literature was a noticeable thing I respected and admired.

Anyway, back to the book! From the moment I started reading The Joy Luck Club for the second time, I knew my 2-star rating was going to disappear. The writing is just beautiful and the intertwining stories are a fascinating exploration of the dynamics between mothers and daughters. Add to that the differences and misunderstandings between one generation born in China and the next generation born in the United States, and you have quite a compelling read. With alternating chapters telling the individual stories of eight different main characters, I sometimes had a little bit of trouble keeping everyone's story straight, but this didn't interfere with my enjoyment of the book as a whole -- I just flipped back to check on a name or a detail and continued on.

I found the Chinese culture portrayed in this book very interesting, but the search for understanding, meaning, identity, and a better life for one's children feels very universal as well. This book has become a modern classic and I can now see why. If, like me, you read this one for school and didn't like it, I highly recommend giving it a second chance!

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Thanks to the publisher, I am running a giveaway! One winner will receive a copy of the Penguin Classic Edition + a copy of the (gorgeous!) new Drop Cap Edition. Since the books will be shipped by the publisher, this giveaway is restricted to US and Canadian addresses only. (Sorry international readers!) To ship to Canada, the publisher will need the winner to provide a phone number. Personal information will only be used for the purposes of this giveaway and will be kept private. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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Reading Challenges:
Classics Club #4
Diversity on the Shelf
Re-Reading
Book to Movie
Banned or Challenged

Christmas Reading: Part 3

Christmas may be over, but I'm one of those people that doesn't mind letting the holiday spirit linger a bit. After spending so much time and effort preparing, I hate to let it just disappear in a day. If you remember, I'm also very stubborn about not letting Christmas creep in until I've thoroughly enjoyed and appreciated Thanksgiving, so that is definitely a contributing factor. Lucky for me, the Christmas Spirit Challenge runs through Little Christmas/the Epiphany in early January, so I don't feel completely odd squeezing in one last holiday post in the midst of everyone else doing year-end wrap-ups and whatnot. You may not want to read any of these now (I did read them all before Christmas), but there's always next year!

You Better Not Cry, by Augusten Burroughs
Series? No
Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Date: 2009
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 3 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

This one was just OK, but I do wonder how much of my indifference can be attributed to the narration of the audiobook. I typically love when an author reads their own work, but I found myself wanting to rip my hair out as Augusten stretched out each word and sentence to an absurd degree as if speaking to someone he is not quite sure can understand him -- or is perhaps hard of hearing. It got a bit better in the later stories, but it really was infuriating. And ironically, an additional production problem was not leaving enough extra seconds of silence at the end of each story. Each new one began with a title, but it ran so quickly from the story before that it was sometimes difficult to realize we had moved onto a completely different topic. For example, a bewildered Augusten waking up to realize he'd had a tryst with an elderly Santa directly followed a story from his childhood and it took some rewinding and replaying to realize just exactly where one story ended and a (completely!) different one began. Despite the irritating narration which was in full force for the very first story, it is actually one of my favorites -- Augusten as a child confusing Santa and Jesus was truly hysterical.

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The Worst Noel, by collected authors
Series? No
Publisher: Harper Audio
Date: 2005
How did I get this book? purchased
My Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

As I'm finding with many other humorous holiday collections, this one is a bit hit and miss. Taken as a whole, it was quite good, but there were only a few real stand-out stories. Having just finished my own Christmas cards, I absolutely loved the one by Marian Keyes about this particular holiday tradition which is approached with a mix of nostalgia and obligation. It's a bit sad to realize just how true it is, but the truth is what makes it so damn funny. Another story that really had me laughing was one in which a young artistic couple realize they don't know each other very well when they exchange presents they each hate. There were more Jewish stories about Christmas than I anticipated, but that is not necessarily a bad thing -- just unexpected. Of all the Christmas humor books I've read this year, this was definitely my favorite.

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The Father Christmas Letters, by JRR Tolkien
Series? No
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin
Date: 1976
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 4 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Publisher

This was a lovely little treasure I found out about from Riv over at Bookish Realm. It is a collection of letters Tolkien wrote to his children as Father Christmas (with illustrations) and would be an excellent addition to any child or family's Christmas collection. Each year Father Christmas shared a bit about his life at the North Pole and relayed what happened during the year. The North Polar Bear is his greatest helper, but also a bit of a nuisance and a trouble maker. There are goblin wars and all kinds of other adventures. The letters do not exactly portray the North Pole as I remember it from stories and legends, but it was nice to find a new perspective after all these years -- especially one that actually dates back to the 1920s & 1930s!

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The Christmas Kid and other Brooklyn Stories, by Pete Hamill
Series? No
Publisher: Hachette Audio
Date: 2012
How did I get this book? borrowed from library
My Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
GoodReads | Author | Publisher

Be warned, this book is NOT all Christmas stories. Other than the title story, there are very few that actually are related to Christmas, but I still think this was a wonderful book to read around the holidays since it is brimming with nostalgia. I never lived in Brooklyn, but my grandmother did and I've grown up hearing stories from her life there. Many of the stories collected here are heart-breaking or even downright depressing, but certainly not all. The title story was truly fantastic and I completely understand why it was used as such. There is a bit of vigilante justice and violence, but there is also plenty of love, friendship, camaraderie, and community. There are stories from several different eras and I really enjoyed the mix. The narration was excellent (complete with Brooklyn accents) and I will definitely be listening to this one again.

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These books count toward my reading goals for:
2013 Christmas Spirit Reading Challenge