i moved into a house full of books. there’s a lot of them, for real. before i even had a baby shower, parker had a bookshelf full of them. lindsey has one in her bedroom, also packed to the brim (and of seriously good kids’ books… have you guys heard of these ones? they were a hunt favorite before i came along and now they’re my favorites as well), the third floor has multiple built-in shelves, as well as the computer room. not to mention steve’s got an office at work where every single wall is covered in shelves from floor to ceiling. we watch more tv then we should given the fact that there’s all this good reading to be done, but we do like books quite a lot. i think reading with kids is awesome (and i wish i did more of it). i am trying really hard to commit to reading a chapter book with william and lindsey at least a few nights a week before they go to bed. we’re a few chapters into the giver… one of my childhood favorites. i think they’ll like it. i remember it blowing my mind when i read it years ago. and i’ve started reading to parker too. at least a book a day, sometimes more, sometimes less. i think he’s enjoying it. he looks intently at the pages back and fourth as i flip them. we’ve read a few but little blue truck is one of my favorites so far–and the illustrations! love them. and parker will even sit on my lap as i read to william and lindsey. i’m hoping he learns to love reading at an early age and not get sucked into computer and television like so many kids these days (even mine at times… despite, like i said, our crazy amount of books). and finally, we’re reading some hemingway in my book club. he’s a beautiful writer. and now i want to go to paris.
anyway, what are your favorite books? for your kids? for yourself?
I think I should be a Hunt. Adopt me? I love my books so much I color coordinate them by spines. Umm, hello? Hunt material.
Right now I'm reading Stories I've Only Told My Mom–it's an anthology of essays by several well-known bloggers.
@e, i just checked that out — i'm interested.
and we'd be glad to adopt ya! in fact, we have 1 color coordinated shelf too! ee can come too. and mike for that matter. like i said, my town needs a grocer.
I am reading The Help…I know everyone has already read it and loved it but I started it days before I went into labor with my baby and never had the chance to get into it. Now I am starting from page one. I like reading historical fiction too–The Other Boleyn Girl is a fave (don't judge it by the movie cuz the movie wasn't great). I Was Told There'd Be Cake is a hilarious book of essays-good for laugh out loud fun.
For kids I am all about Dr Suess. I like to pretend that Mason likes the sound of my rhyming :). Also love the book Beautiful Oops-the illustrations are awesome! One book I CANT WAIT to read to Mason (and I hope he loves it as much as I did) is The Polar Express!! Yaay Christmas!
Books I loved growing up (and maybe your older kids would be into these) were Roald Dahl books-James and the Giant Peach, The BFG, Witches, etc. So fun! I love me a good book (as you can see by my incredibly long post)!!
what a coincidence – visited your blog to share this [http://lovelillyuk.blogspot.com/2011/10/7-and-15.html] and mentioned my own love of reading! Just bought the Steve Jobs book and have just immersed myself in The Hunger Games (macabre, but gripping)…!
@jenni, i LOVED other boleyn girl. i think i read it in like 24 hours. and the help. so darn good. you'll love it.
@lovelilly, thank you for the shout out!!! and the steve jobs book? interesting. i love a good biography / auto bio! and i totally got sucked into the hunger games thing. but i'm on the second book and have almost given up so i won't say it sucked me in the way it did some people!
The baby in this house loves any book by Sandra Boynton – fun, rhyming, lots of animals – what is not to like?
Speaking of Hemingway, I just read The Paris Wife, fictional, told by his wife Hadley during the Paris Years.
I was a nanny in manchester by-the-sea for several years. When I lived with them, before I put Lorenzo to bed, I would read him a chapter of Harry Potter in a British accent. He loved it. haha.
~em
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I actually read the Giver for the first time in college in a young adult lit class, and it became one of my favorite books of all time. I felt like it really helped to clear up some things I have trouble understanding about God and just LIFE. 🙂 Books are the best. 🙂
The Giver is amazing. I need to re-read it. I just finished The Last Sin Eater by Francine Rivers. It is SO GOOD.
I can't wait to read to my little man when he gets here in a few short weeks (or sooner). I'm excited about Goodnight Moon, I love you Forever, and all of my Shel Silverstein books I read as a kid!
@jenni, right?! i selfishly picked it cause i knew i'd love it too.
@kaitlin, congrats on your upcoming little one!!! and have you read redeeming love by her? oh my word, good.
@chris, we've read some by her too! barnyard dance, i think?!
@emily, love manchester by the sea. the perfect place to read harry potter (erry pottah) in a british accent!
Oh yes girl, redeeming love is on my all-time favorite books list. I was scared I would never find a husband after reading that–no one quite lives up to Hosea!
Oh The Giver. It had a big impact on me. My husband and I have differing Opinions on what happens at the end. I won't go into it here, since maybe people haven't read it.
My favorite book is The Namesake. I loved The Red Tent too. I like reading the (picture books versions) Little House books to my boys -so sweet. And we all love Andrew Henry's Meadow and Make Way for Ducklings. Oh and the Lion and the Mouse by Jerry Pinkney!
@erin, LOVED the namesake. and i can't totally remember the end of the giver (i think it was middle school i read it) so it's about time for a refresher.
There are so many favorite books I'd love to recommend. The Outlander series- whoa! And The Zahir. And anything Dickens. I love reading- nope, I'm addicted. I think you have the coolest family ever.
I loved the Giver.
This is one of my favorite topics. Jared and I are have books coming out of our ears. We don’t have enough shelves so they are stacked on dressers/floor/around the tv. Makes a house cozy.
When Phin was a wee thing I read Kipling poems to him. I think the rhythm was soothing. These days some of his favs are the Parts books and the Llama Llama series. I really dig those llama books. Mostly because I get to say llama drama. Say it, you won’t regret it. We have Roald Dahl and Shel Silverstein waiting on the shelf. I can’t wait to read and cry with him over Where the Red Fern Grows. I also really love seasonal books and am excited to pull out Polar Express in a few weeks and A Christmas Carol when he’s older.
I just finished the Girl with a Dragon Tattoo series and the first Hunger Games book. Recommend both if you haven’t already read them. I’m usually several years behind in these things.
if you're reading hemingway you should check out the paris wife…it's a fictional novel based on his first marriage. i'm about a quarter of the way through and enjoying it so far!
so glad you are loving Little Blue Truck so much.
And can you believe I have never read The Giver? I must pick up a copy and start it…in my spare time.
Ohh I want to move into a house full of books. My English Major self loves that, a lot (jealous). This post also made me realize how much I miss reading because I want to and not because I have to (reading law schools books is SO not as much fun as reading novels). I think it's so great that you and Steve encourage the kids to read, and I think it's awesome that you've already started to read to Parker. He's definitely going to be a little reader, and a rad little dude too (obviously) ha.
I hope you guys are having an awesome day <3
I love the Giver – and great to read with young adults watching them put it all together! (I'm a teacher!)
It's always so hard to pick out favorite books as my list is huge. I just finished "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks" and it was interesting and informative. I have book club tonight to discuss!
the day after my mother-in-law passed away, we were going through her things looking for an outfit for her to wear. we were looking for one skirt in particular and we couldn't find it. the deeper we dug, the more books we found. every dresser drawer, every suitcase, every shelf, every where there were children's books. brand new children's books. hundreds of them. she had been buying books for her future grandchildren for years before they were even born; years before her children were even married.
breaks my heart to think that she never got the chance to read each one of those books to them. i feel blessed that she gave them all a lasting gift, the gift of books.
i love the book posts on blogs because i come away with so many suggestions! thanks for sharing all of this.
i just started reading isabelle allende again after reading her a lot in college. they are more romantic than my typical reading, but also more historical and just so storytelling.
also: for your little one, does he have peek-a-who? this book is one of the first that all little ones in my life come to enjoy. there is some anticipation involved. 🙂
Bill Peet is amazing, go to the Library and check out Miss Rumphius, one of my absolute FAVORITE books when I was a kid. And Roxaboxen for sure. Same author/illustrator. Having my MFA in writing for kiddos has surrounded me with books, but then I suppose being raised IN a library with a Library Director mom didn't hurt either 🙂 Lucky Parker!
-Alice-
My boys 3 and almost 2 (I have a 1 month old girl too) love The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Good Night Moon. I did a lot of reading as a kid and I hope they do too. We read one story a night 🙂
@michaela, that is the most amazing story!!!
@freshwater mermaid, glad there is another fellow bill peet fan out there – i dont think enough people know about his books and he is AMAZING.
I just finished re-reading The Secret Garden. It was my favorite when I was little and it was a total trip reading it again 20 some years later. It was even better than I remembered.
A Moveable Feast is one of my all time favorites! I've been on a big Vonnegut short story kick lately – i love the way he depicts the world and how he always finds a way for good to triumph (but not in a cheesy way).
Check out Roald Dahl's grown-up fiction too! I love his children's books, but his other writing is what hooked me! Highly recommend his two-part autobiography!
ohhhh, the giver! love that, but what i love even more is "number the stars" by the same author. it has been one of my faves since i was a little girl and i think it always will be!
As a young child I loved the Napping House. It's a cute book and I love the illustrations, I read it over and over. http://www.overstock.com/Books-Movies-Music-Games/The-Napping-House-by-Audrey-Wood-Board-book/116043/product.html. Nowa days I love all different books but I really enjoy most books by Kurt Vonnegut, I like that he's a bit silly.
I love books, so many, but the best ones that come to mind are "A Thousand Splendid Suns" that is for sure a favorite. When I was in 6th grade I read "The Giver" for the first time and I've probably read it 50 times since. In a Childrens Lit class we read "The Invention of Hugo Cabaret" which is so incredibly brilliant. I loved it, it's geared for 5ht-8th graders. They're coming out with a movie based off of the novel titled, "Hugo" and I am just dying to see it. And my ultimate faves for the kiddos would have to be Dr. Seuss. I finally started "The Help" last night and couldn't put it down.
Like you, our home is also filled to the brim with books. Recently, I've found myself reading cookbooks. Do those count? Some of them are actually rather entertaining. "Vegan with a Vengeance" is a fun read even if you never make a single recipe (but the recipes are scrumptious too…for vegans and non-vegans alike). My little guy, who is 15-months-old, loves the Sandra Boynton books lately, especially "Moo! Baa! La la la!" "Little Blue Truck" is one we just discovered too! I agree about the great illustrations!
my favorite book ever is The Time Traveler's Wife. it kills me every time I read it. a least one box of tissues.
i have an apartment FULL of books and I'm trying to get through the stacks and stacks that I haven't read yet. Next on my list are Little Bee and The Distant Hours. I'm really excited to start The Distant Hours….I loved both of Kate Morton's other books.
How did you find a book club? I've been dying to join one for years.
@abby, loved number the stars too!
@hayley jay, i LOVED thousand splendid suns and kite runner too! anything middle-east-centered is a good read to me.
@heather, i LOVE reading cookbooks too. ina's are my fave.
@keri, i couldnt get into time traveler's wife. maybe i should give it another try. the book club is a bunch of my girlfriends!
I LOVE Nicholas Sparks books right now. I am reading Safe Haven, very good.
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Oh man… The giver was one of my favorites growing up!
I love books too and have tried to pass along that love to my kids as well. They LOVE to go on "dates" with me to Barnes & Noble. We browse and thumb through pages and I show them titles I loved as a kid. They show me their current favorites and hopefully they will pass this love of reading and spending time together with their kids one day too. My kids are ages 14 months to 12 years, so we have all sorts of books in our house. My 3 year old and 14 mos. old sons are obsessed with the "No, David" books right now. You will want them for Parker. The older kids love to read them to my little guys, and my 3-yr old Crew thinks he's pretty great because he can look at the illustrations and "read" it too. =) There are several in the series {by David Shannon} and even a couple of baby board books too.
I remember how much I enjoyed when my teachers read the Little House on the Prairie series outloud each day in class. My favorite in 3rd grade was "Where the Red Fern Grows".
Lastly, my daughter who suffered a brain injury as an infant is more smitten by picture books. Literally books you design and order online {think Snapfish} because she is so excited to see herself and the people she loves in the pages.
Books are something that I feel only get better the more digital we as a culture and world grow. I think the same about handwritten letters. And sadly, even real-live phonecalls are becoming a thing of the past as people send texts. I love an old classic and love my Bible and reading from its pages every day. The written word is powerful! I apologize for nearly writing a novel here myself! =) Keep up the good work, Mom. I think you're pretty much a natural.
@jody, i am so with you– texting drives steve and i crazy. we haven't gotten it for our teenage boys, of which they remind us every day saying they're the ONLY PEOPLE without it. which, sadly, might be true. i want to go live off the grid somewhere!!!
those picture books you describe sound awesome!
My dad was a fan of The Giver, and handed to me when I was 10 or so. What a fantastic book. I also loved Mr. Popper's Penguins. Probably my most memorable children's read. Now with my baby boy, I've been reading "On the Night You Were Born". It has the most beautiful pictures. 🙂 Can't wait to introduce him to big boy books one day.
…oh and for me, I've been plowing through Atlas Shrugged because it's my huband's favorite. But I'm personally a big fan of Brodie & Brock Thoene, as well as Francine Rivers. Their books were the first ones to make me cry!
aw those are gr8 books. i know when i was little my mom made us read all kinds of book. we had a routine. we would get home from school and for 1 hour from the time we got home we had to read. complete quiet just read. then we would finish home work, shower, have dinner and get ready for bed.
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good for you! ahh, there's nothing better for your kids than reading with/to them! seriously! i just read The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease and he states a ton of statistics about the benefits of reading with your kids. we've always loved reading (myself literally about 100 bks. a yr….yes, the state can now come take my kids away…j/k, I stay up late just about EVERY night reading 🙂 ), but now i've got a renewed determination to read with all my kiddos. they adore books.
i have way WAY too many favorites to recommend, but my "five-star faves" can be found here:
http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/386610-julie?shelf=faves-to-re-read
are you on goodreads.com? hopefully you can open my list. happy reading!
p.s. Have u read The Paris Wife?? it's the story of Hemingway and his first wife Hadley – it goes along with A Moveable Feast. (it made me think he was SUCH a jerk, but i still love his writing anyway, ha!)
good night, good night construction site is in heavy rotation over here.
i need to find a non-parenting book to bury my nose in but i'm actually laughing as i'm typing the words:
when would i have time to read it?!
love that p loves the little blue truck…
xx
The Giver has always been one of my very favorite books! The book on CD is EXCELLENT to listen to as well…it's read extremely well!
I love books. I'm a huge bookworm. I have a small bookcase, but it's filled with all my books I like. And I'm always going to the library to read new ones!
I love reading to kids too though. I always read two books a day to the little girl I babysit. I think she enjoys it, and she always seems to be listening. It's fun for us to do together.
we have Cowardly Clyde and The Caboose who Got Loose. Love both of those stories. Which Bill Peet stories do you recommend?
@debbie… honestly, there isn't a bill peet book i DON'T recommend. every single book of his i find so entertaining and clever. i haven't read every single one (we own almost all of them) but of the ones i have read i think i like 'cyrus the unsinkable sea serpent', 'the ant and the elephant' 'how droofus the dragon lost his head'… ok, i could go on and on. i love them all.
Sarah's Key for me. Madeline for the little miss.
We are big book lover's around here too — I gave my eldest my copy (I am o-l-d) of a hardcover Charlotte's Web recently…not sure if she was as happy to receive it as I was to find it!
For you: 'The Book Thief' by Markus Zusak
For Parker: 'Where is the Green Sheep' by Mem Fox… my FAVE book to read to my little guy!