More Book Talk

Today I finished Bloomability, another charming book by Sharon Creech, and just in time, too, as The Rescue arrived in my mailbox this afternoon, neatly packaged by an Amazon.com marketplace seller. Tonight I hope to begin The Rescue, the remaining published book by Nicholas Sparks that I haven't yet read (unless I've mistakenly missed one). This one's sure to be a dud. Just kidding, of course! I wanted to see if you were paying attention, and hopefully made you laugh. I don't doubt that The Rescue will be as engrossing as all the rest of Sparks' books. Of course, you may not care for romances, but obviously I do. (Preferences in reading are so personal. I'm curious in this regard, perhaps even nosy, and like to to learn what other people read, and things related to reading, which is why I've had various surveys in this blog. If you've participated in these polls, including the current one, thank you. I appreciate your input and am open to ideas for future surveys, and of course general comments.) In late September, you know I 'll be on the lookout for Sparks' brand new book, The Lucky One.

Bloomability

Finally, I've started the book Lori lent me a couple of months ago, Bloomability, by Sharon Creech, the story of a young teen who's been "kidnapped" by an aunt and uncle and taken to Lugano, Switzerland, where she attends an American School. Although she is used to moving frequently--whenever and wherever her father finds his latest job opportunity--Domenica Santolina Doone, "Dinnie" for short, doesn't understand why her parents allowed her to be whisked away to a foreign country (although it is beautiful, and she has a view of Italy from her window). She longs to be back at home with her family, to meet her sister's new baby, even though Aunt Sandy and Uncle Max are terrific, even though she makes new friends from different cultures and has new experiences. As in Eat, Pray, Love, the beauty of the Italian language is emphasized in Bloomability, and Dinnie is complimented by a teacher who says she has an "Italian tongue" (meaning that her pronunciation is good). For children who've ever felt abandoned by their families, or were sent off to school, this book will ring true. As for me, I'm enjoying this book, and find much in it to keep me entertained, including enticing descriptions of Switzerland and Italy. The mark of a good children's book is that adults enjoy reading the book as much--if not more--as children do.

Summer Joys

We have beautiful grapes! It's an absolute thrill, a real joy, to grow grapes on our property, after waiting two years for the vines to produce this sweet fruit! (You'll have to excuse me please, I get excited about this kind of stuff. Don't ask me about the tomatoes!)


The last section of Eat, Pray, Love, when Elizabeth Gilbert ventures to Bali, is extremely funny and had me laughing out loud. If you go to her website, you can even see photos of the people in her book, which is pretty amazing. I'll finish this marvelous book tonight, most likely.

Yesterday I ordered two books from Amazon.com marketplace sellers, The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks, and also Tears of the Giraffe by Alexander McCall Smith. I was happy to find these books at very low prices and don't mind at all that they are used. In fact, I like the fact that they 're being recycled, and that you can buy books from people all across the United States. (As I've mentioned before, I also sell some books on Amazon; if you're interested in a link to my storefront please send me an email). Anyway, The Rescue is the only book published by Sparks that I haven't yet read (some of you may already know this), and I'm looking forward to reading it. I really don't like to tell people what to read but would eagerly recommend any of Sparks' books to those with an interest in bittersweet romances. A friend just mentioned that she's read The Notebook and The Wedding as well as a couple of books by Sharon Creech as a result of my blog--I'm happy to share this joy with others!

Hot Tea and May Gray

Happy Cinco de Mayo! May is one of my favorite months, although it can get awfully warm here. Today's cool and cloudy though, with a chance of rain tonight (and we definitely need the rain). Days like this are perfect for sitting indoors with a book and a steaming cup of oolong tea. I just finished reading Ruby Holler, Sharon Creech's Carnegie Medal winner. What a magical book for children and adults alike! Humor and inspiration go hand in hand in this saga of Dallas and Florida, orphan twins. The twins show a great deal of imagination, and the author, Sharon Creech, who has written several books for children, also has a thriving imagination. Once again, I am refreshed by the power and beauty of imagination. There is not a dull page in this book!

As always, I welcome your feedback! Can anyone suggest a good title for this post? I thought "Imagination" might be good but am open to better ideas. (Thanks, Lori!!) Please take the poll at the end of the page (if you can choose)!

Greetings

Greetings moms, dads, and teachers (and those young-at-heart)!  Do you ever read the books your kids read? I imagine that teachers do read the books that they recommend to their students, or have read them in the past, but parents, do you read them (after your kids are old enough to read to themselves)?  Some of these books are truly wonderful.  I am currently reading a book that my ten-year old daughter recently finished, Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech, a thoroughly enjoyable story (so far) of twin orphans, Dallas and Florida, who cannot seem to get adopted, or find a permanent home. That is, until they live with Tiller and Sairy, a quirky but loving older couple who live in the woods of Ruby Holler. I also read Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech. As a literature (and art) major in college, I never imagined myself reading children's books and enjoying them so much.

I welcome your comments! : )