Demolition

We have another book by Sally Sutton {Road Work} that James really enjoys.  So when I saw this in the new release section at the library, I thought we'd give it a try.  Good thing that we did.  He really seems to enjoy this one as well.

This book is all about tearing down a building and then building a green space in the area.  It is a fun book because it has a really nice flow to it.  So any musical people out there would probably enjoy it as well.  Truly though I think that James just loves reading about construction vehicles.

James age:  3 years 8 months

Trucks

This is another one of those books that we found just browsing the books in the library.  I have known about Gail Gibbons and her great books for a long time....  I had just never thought about checking any out.

This one is a hit!  I love that it has about a sentence on each page and then all of the trucks are labeled.  Can I just tell you how great these books are for teaching mommas who played with dolls not trucks as a child?!??!  Seriously y'all I almost consider a book like this a research book for moms.  ;)  I also love how there are some pictures that show a sequence of events that are great for getting mom and kiddo to talk about the trucks.  {You better believe that if I am trying to rush bedtime James will literally turn back the page and say, "Talk, Mom!"}

Another classic that I highly encourage you to look into if you have a transportation lover on your hands.  

James's age:  3 years 7 months

Trains (non-fiction)

A few weeks ago at the library, I randomly saw this book.  I asked James if he would like it and he said, "YES!"  This book has quickly become one of his very favorite books.  I think that this might be one of the first non-fiction books that we have checked out from the library.  {If you know anything about me, you know I am not a huge NF fan....but I know that boys especially little ones do in fact love NF!}

This one has turned out to be perfect for his age because it is short and sweet.  A lot of the book discussed things that he already knows like what different train cars are called, but I think that makes it fun.

I highly recommend this one if you have a little one who likes trains.

James' age:  3 years 7 months

James' Halloween Favorites (3.5 YO)

I just looked back to see if I had done a Halloween post before.  Sure enough I did one exactly one year ago today... {Spooky, huh!}  In any case, this was the first book on that post, but it is seriously his favorite! Halloween book.  So I would say this book is a great investment.

This is another book from my old classroom library (from when I taught 1st grade).  James really liked this story this year.  He is super into pumpkins and pumpkin patches so he's loved reading it.  He also really likes mice {we can thank Tom & Jerry for that!} so this was a perfect fit.

This might be the only Halloween book that I bought specifically for James in our Halloween collection.  It is a fun little rhyme that I remember doing when I was a little girl.  This is another one that often makes it into the rotation.

Hope y'all enjoy the Halloween books for little ones.  Fun news:  this was my 100th post!  Kinda crazy!!  And FYI...  there might be more books about what James and baby like in the coming months. If memory serves, after James was born I did not do much reading for a while.  So it looks like my reading frenzy that I have been on is about to take a little break.  But I do have a little something up my sleeve...

James age:  3 years 7 months

Rhett Butler's People

I saw this book at Target this summer. Gone with the Wind is one of my all time favorite books. So I had to get this one. This book was really good.

It starts when Rhett was a young man. You get to see his formative years, then you get to see Gone with the Wind from his perspective. This book will make you love Rhett even more. It was fun getting to know more about Belle Watling and Rosemary, Rhett's little sister.

There were a few little stories that kept you wondering throughout the book that got wrapped up nicely at the end.

If you like antebellum literature, you will probably like this one. Just know its not 100% historically accurate. :)

Read:  September 2012
Pages:   512

Gone Girl

I have heard some buzz about this one and it is currently on the best seller list.  So I thought that I would give it a try.  I knew that it was going to be suspense, which I am good with (just not scary ;)).

This one was really pretty darn good.  I liked the story and the way that she organized her chapters.  You knew that there was more to the story than what the author was currently sharing, so you just had to keep reading at a pretty quick pace.  I liked the characters; I liked the writing; I liked pretty much everything about this one.

Y'all the characters in the book are whack!  But I found myself loving them in spite of their craziness. There were lots of twists and turns to keep you reading (although at the very end I could predict a little of what would happen).  

If you like Reliable Wife, you may like this one as well.  It was a little on the dark side like that one.

{I have been on a reading kick, trying to read as many as possible before new new baby comes in November.  And I have been really lucky to have gotten a lot of books that I really like lately!}

Read:  September 2012
Pages:  432

Surrender!

Y'all I loved this book. It was another one that I made myself savor; I read about a chapter a week so that I could really let what he was writing sink in. I hope that some of it did. I am a big sharer of books. But this one will not be leaving my grubby paws. I want to be able to read and reread it!

On to what it's all about. This was written by Fr  Larry Richards. He is a tell it to you like it is sorta guy. This book is all about trying to live God's will for your life. He discusses loving your neighbor and helps give some feedback on how to do this. {Doesn't it seem like there is always one person in your life who just gets under your skin. Boy did I need this. :).} Anyway he always gives "homework" to practice putting these new practices into your everyday life. I think that's a lot of the reason I loved it.   In the end he gets to how to listen for Gods will and doing it!

Y'all this was good!  I definitely recommend it!

Read: August/September 2012
Pages: 144

bittersweet

As soon as I finished 11/22/63, I picked up this book and it was really, really hard for me to put down.  When I read Shauna Niequist's other book, Cold Tangerines, I wanted to savor the book.  Because the last book I read took for.ever, I wanted to read this one as quickly as I could.  Each chapter was a short sweet little vignette so it made reading it quickly super easy.

Shauna's {do you like how I address her by first name, as if we are bff...} books are kinda like little memoirs.  Which are one of my favorite sorts of books {Krissy, you most likely won't enjoy her books  ;)}.

This particular book is about a difficult season in her life and what she has learned from it.  She says that a friend once told her that Christianity is a story of death and rebirth, over and over again.  At that time she had not had big heartbreak, so it didn't really resonate with her.  But after the events that happen in her life which she shares in this story, she wholeheartedly agrees.  As do I.

Maybe I really liked this because I have had some experiences very, very similar to hers.  Maybe it's because I too was in a dark season recently and I had to do what she did.  Learn that life is bittersweet.  Even in struggle, there are moments of sweetness.  That is what gets us through.

If you have ever been heartbroken for whatever reason, you may enjoy this book.  I feel like you need to have lived a little life to appreciate her stories.  A young one just starting out may not connect to it yet.

Read: September 2012
Pages:  256

11/22/63

Wow!  It has been awhile since I updated the blog....but this was a really loooooooong book.  This the the September book for book club.  Happily I have finished it with a little time left to get on some more of the books on my list.

Anyway, this is about a man who can time travel back to 1958.  He goes back to try to save JFK from being assassinated.  I thought that maybe this was going to be hokey because I am not really into stuff like time travel and honestly not really into the whole JFK thing.  But y'all this was a good one.  I was telling my husband it must be really good because usually a book that is 850 pages I give up about 400-600 pages in and just skim the rest.  This one kept me going for weeks and weeks.  (Unfortunately I just don't get lots of time to read...)

The ending is really good and makes you think about life and the butterfly effect that our actions have.  If I liked horror, I think that I would really like Stephen King.  I liked his style of writing.

Another fun tidbit there was a nonchalant mention of The Reliable Wife.  Love it!

Pages:  849
Read:  August 2012

Cold Tangerines

I felt like One Thousand Gifts was a book that really got me in a good state of mind.  So I had heard about this book on a few blogs and was interested in it.  So I ordered it from Amazon and it did not disappoint!

This is a book about finding God in the little parts of your daily life... in the good and the bad.  I felt like I was talking to a good friend when I was reading this book.  It's like Shauna Niequist has been inside me head.  I think that I loved this book so much because living in the present and finding God in the good as well as the bad, has been a theme for me this past year.

If you like the themes from One Thousand Gifts, but were not a fan of the prose, this may be just the book for you.  This book was like having a good chat with a girlfriend.  I even loved the font of the book...  totally random, but it just seemed to clean.

I recommend reading this one!  It is a fast read and just good.  I even have her second book which I cannot wait to read soon!

Read: July 2012
Pages:  235

One Tractor, A Counting Book

We picked this book out at the local library a few weeks ago.  It sat on James' bedroom floor for about a week before I picked it up and read it to him one night at bedtime.  Well let's just say that was a very sad week...  after the first night this was always the first book asked for at bedtime!

James loved every page of this book!  What's not to love:  tractors, cranes, pirates, a fire spewing dragon, boats...  It's every little boys dream {or at least mine ;)}.

I'll tell you what I loved: predictable, patterned sort of text, rhyming, a few pages without words that were good for talking about the book.  I loved it because it was only about four sentences per page and because it was fun and rhyming {I think this is why} James very easily memorized a few of the pages.  What a great confidence booster!  There was also so much to talk about that each reading we talked about different things.

I'd say this is a great book for any kiddo interested in boyish sorts of stuff.  ;)

James' age:  3 years 3 months

Sarai

I was at the local library recently and this book caught my eye in the new releases section. I'll be honest mostly because my name is Sarah. ;).

 This is the story of Sarai and Abram and the promises that God made them. I enjoyed this one quite a bit. I think a large part was because Sarai was relatable. She often didn't really trust that God was going to give her a child. How often do I doubt God. Embarrassing to say, but way to often.

 I recommend this book if you are interested in getting more "story" of the old testament.  It was a very easy and fun read.

Read: July 2012
Pages: 317

Someday

This is book four in the Sunrise series that I started last summer.  I took a break from these for a little while because as with many books in a series they are a bit repetitive and predictable.  I am happy to say that break made me really enjoy this one.

Book 4 is about Dayne and Katie each shooting movies across the world from each other as well as Luke Baxter's marriage problems.  In the end, everything turns out with a happy ending and I just really enjoyed the book.  :)

I am looking forward to reading the final book in the series in the near future.

Read:  July 2012
Pages:  250

The Secret of the Rosary

I bought this book forever ago when I needed a few more dollars spent to get my free shipping at Amazon.  It sat in my nightstand for a long, long time.  A lady at church mentioned this book and my interest was piqued.

So a few months (like March!) ago I started reading it at my weekly adoration time.  I loved it so much that I didn't want to finish it too fast!  I wanted to savor it.  That is unheard of for me.  This book was written a long time ago and I just loved what it said about the rosary.

I have always been interested in the rosary and just recently (the last 9 months) began to say it with regularity.  Wow is it a powerful prayer!  This book just really reaffirmed my love of the rosary.  It also gives some different ways to say it.  Which I know will be very helpful because I don't want to just say the words...  I want my prayer life and meditations to always grow.  I often use the Scriptural Rosary, which is also awesome, but I am excited to try these new meditation aids!

If you are Catholic or just interested in learning more about the rosary check this book out, you will not regret it!

Read: March-June 2012
Pages: 240

Stories I Only Tell My Friends

This is the July book club book.  I love a good biography, autobiography, or memoir.  {Let's be honest, I even like mediocre ones ;)}  So again I had high hopes.  Once again it lived up...  So in June I was 2/2!  Thank goodness!!

Anyway this is the story of Rob Lowe, from his childhood days in Ohio to life as an actor in Hollywood.  He just seemed so down to earth to me.  I have always thought that he's a hottie so maybe it was just easy to read about him {since he's also easy on the eyes!}  I did not realize that he has been married for 20+ years.  That's awesome in middle America these days... unheard of in Hollywood.  This was a fun peek into a world that is so foreign to mine and super easy to read.

If you want a fun summer read, and like Rob Lowe, I say go get this bad boy.  :)

Read: June 2012
Pages: 352

One Thousand Gifts

This was the June book for Book Club.  I have been really excited to read it.  A little over a year ago a friend (who rarely reads) read this and l.o.v.e.d it!  I had high hopes since the last two books I have tried have just not resonated with me.  Well this lived up to all I hoped for it!

This is a book about a farmer's wife who begins on a journey to thank God for 1,000 gifts in her life.  She thanked him for all sorts of miniscule things... (many of my book club friends didn't really care for this part).  While in my personal praises and thanksgivings I am not so detailed I really appreciate the book.  I could relate to her in so many ways:  trying to trust God, trying to find him in everyday life, being transformed by thanksgiving.

I thought it was easy to read and the chapters were nice and short.  It took maybe a week or two to read, just reading a few chapters each night.  {These are my favorites....  short chapters, can read a little each day...}

I recommend it {I may just read it again, believe it or not}.  :)

Read: early June 2012
Pages: 240

Bossypants

So this was our May book club book.  Only two of us read it because we are just in some sort of book club funk...  It's really more of a dinner club lately.  ;)

This is another one that I wanted to hold off on writing about because I really, really wanted to finish it.  I kinda quit In the Woods so I could jump into to this one.  I had really high hopes.  It was cute.  But I don't really know that much about Tina Fey and just wasn't totally feeling this one...  I read about 3/4 of it though.  So my recommendation is that if you really like Tina Fey read it...  if you don't then don't!  :)

And just so you know I am really digging the June book club book so far.  ;)  So hopefully I will be writing about it very soon!!!

Read:  May 2012
Pages:  304

In the Woods

So I have been totally slacking lately...  mostly because I have had a lot of trouble finding a book that I love...  I have avoided posting about this one because I really wanted to finish it... alas, I haven't and have officially given up!

This one had an interesting story line...  but it was a little too much for me... it is the story of two Irish detectives who are investigating the death of a twelve year old girl.  One of the detectives had been involved in a similar tramatic event in the same woods.

It went back and forth between the two stories and was just too long for me.  For some reason I just couldn't get into it...  but you may be able to...

Read:  May 2012
Pages:  429

Trucktown series

About a month ago, James found this book at the library (he literally walked over to me while I was looking for a different book and handed it to me....  I guess the boy knows what he likes!)  This book quickly became his favorite.book {of the week ;)}.  We had to read this book literally every.single.night until it was time to go back to the library.

I was very excited because it is a series so there would be more Trucktown books that we could get from the library.  And yes we did.  :)  Here is the newest favorite.book.of.the.week:

Y'all these are seriously cute book if you have a little boy (or girl) who loves trucks!  The Truckery Rhymes is essentially Mother Goose made with the Trucktown trucks as the characters.

James has been reading some of these books!  What?!?!? This kid seriously shocks me all the time.  And by reading I mean memorizing certain words/pictures and telling me what it said.  After all the first step in learning to read is memorizing text.  YES, this is considered reading!  I am proud of my little man.  But mostly just happy that there are good books out there he likes to read!

So please, please, please give these ones a try!

James' age:  3 years 1 month

Outliers

This is one of those rare non-fiction books that I LOVE!  This book is all about how successful people become successful.  It is so interesting!  I love that the author gives the story of a successful person (The Beatles, Bill Gates, etc.) that we all know and then he digs a little deeper.

If you read any of Malcolm Gladwell's other books or Freakanomics, you will most likely like this one as well.  I really liked this one because it gave lots of personal stories, which I always love!

I suggest you read this one.  :)

Read: April 2012
Pages: 336

Little Bee

I found out about this book through a blog.  Then I read the back of the book.  It just seemed so interesting.  It basically says that two womens' lives were changed one day 2 years ago and now what is happening to them.  That's it...

What I will tell you because I don't want to be a spoiler is it is pretty heavy.  I liked the book and it made me think, it's just really heavy.... and I am not sure I loved the ending.

If you are feeling ready for a deep read, I say go for it.  If you want a beach read, this is not it.  :)

Read: April 2012
Pages:  288

Summer

I like these Karen Kingsbury books in this series.  This is the second in the third Baxter family series.

In this book Dayne and Katy have just gotten married and film a movie together.  Dayne's father, John, begins to get closer to his lady friend.  Two of the sisters are pregnant one of which has a complication to her pregnancy.

These are fun, predictable reads.  They kind of remind me of Nicholas Sparks.  I think at the end of this series though I am possibly going to need a Karen Kingsbury reprieve.  :)

Read: March 2012
Pages: 368

The Hunger Games, Part 2

Y'all I just finished reading this book for the 2nd time in preparation for the movie that comes out TODAY!  What, what!!  I can't wait!  I am planning on seeing this movie on Tuesday!

Anyway... back to the book...  I never, never, never, ever read books twice.  And I just finished this for the 2nd time.  I loved it every bit as much as I did the first time.  Maybe even a little more since I didn't have to read it all in one sitting.  Y'all this is seriously the best book I have read in ages.

I am on a personal mission to get every person in the world to read these books!  I.mean.get.a.copy.of.this.book.NOW!

Reread: March 2012
Read: September 2011
Pages: 384

Shanghai Girls

This was our March book for my book club.  I checked it out from the library.  Funny story, they only had the large print version available and I needed to get on it!

I read a different book by her a few years back.  I really liked it.  This book was about a pair of sisters who grow up in Shanghai in the 30s.  They grow up living a glamorous life.  When their father loses all his money, they are sent off to America to marry brothers.

I read about half the book and then was rushed to try to finish for book club.  So in true Sarah fashion I skimmed the second half of the book.  It was a good book.  Would I tell you, you must run out and grab it.... nah...  if you have some time on your hands and run across it go ahead and read it.  :)

Read: March 2012
Pages:  336

Wheels on the Race Car

This is another favorite that James' wonderful speech therapist loaned us a few months ago.  We quickly found it at the library and have checked it out 2 or 3 times.  I would say this is a winner!

I love all the sounds that are in the book...  the gas can says glug, glug, glug; the mechanics say zizz, zizz, zizz....  These are new words in our vocabulary on a daily basis.

If you know a little boy, buy this book for him!

James' age:  2 years 9 months

Chugga-Chugga Choo-Choo

James' speech therapist let us borrow this week recently.  Wow!  It is quickly become one of his favorite books EVER!  He will literally have us read it to him over and over again in one sitting.  We have never had a book like that before.

The language in this book is really fun and the pictures are wonderful.  This is a great book for a little boy.  Especially if you are trying to get him to talk more!  After two reading James was already following along with us and actually "reading"  whooooo whoooo part.  {My oh my was I thrilled!}

I would absolutely recommend this book if you have a young boy or need a gift for a 3 year old boy who likes trains!  {His speech therapist said every little boy says he has this book.... I think they just really like it  ;)}

James Age:  2 years 11 months

Sunrise

I read the Karen Kingsbury Firstborn series this summer.  This the the first book in the next series about the Baxter family.

I read this one in about a week and really enjoyed it.  Very predictable and Christian, so that has to be what you are looking for.  ;)

In this story Katy and Dayne are planning their wedding and spending time together in their new hometown, Bloomington.  The family that Katy lives with are also a little more involved in the story than they were in the last series.

Nice easy read.

Read:  Februray 2012
Pages:  336

Decoded

This was our February book club pick.  I feel like this is all that I have been reading FOR.EVER!  That is why there have hardly been any new posts.  In any case, I finished it today {as James napped, yay!}

This book told Jay-Z's story of hustling and turning into a rapper as well as decoding some of his lyrics.  I really enjoyed the narrative but not so much the lyrics.  I could literally not tell you one song Jay-Z sings {I was more of a West Coast girl...}  I took a week or two break in the middle because I wasn't feeling it. Then picked it up right before book club and found that I did enjoy it.  So I made myself finish it today.

You may like it if you know a lot about hip-hop {I had to ask my husband about songs or groups he referenced} or you just really, really like hip-hop.  I personally like books that are hard for me to put down and I breeze through.  This obviously wasn't one of them...

Read:  February 2012
Pages:  317

Sing You Home

Aaron bought me this book for Christmas.  I spent two days reading it and then I skimmed the rest.  I am thinking that I will not be able to finish it...  I used to adore Jodi Picoult, but it seems like they are all so similar lately.

Basically this one is about a couple who loses a baby (after a long battle with infertility) and it tears them apart.  Then there is a big, big twist that I don't want to give away.... sooooo that is where I am going to leave it.

I think that it might have been kinda hard to read because I was really really wanting another baby when I read this and the infertility thing really got to me.  {just so you know I am at a peaceful place now about growing our family...} :)

Pages:  496

Read:  December 2011

Dr. Seuss's ABC

James has known his letters for a while...  Not really sure how it happened, but once we realized it we ran with it.  Lately he LOVES to tell us all the letters in words {on tv, on every book, on signs...}.

So the other day I pulled out this book and he loved it!  Again I think it's because he likes the alphabet, but also because he recognizes some of the characters from The Cat and the Hat tv show.

I would recommend any and all Dr. Seuss books.  They make great gifts (we have only bought maybe 2) or just great additions to your child's library.

James age:  2 years 10 months

The Cat in the Hat

A good friend gave this book to James for Christmas.  We have some other Dr. Seuss books,  but James has not been into them yet.  {Perhaps they are too long for him to stay interested...}  Anyway he has fallen in.love with this book.

I think a big part of this love affair is there is a Cat in the Hat cartoon on PBS that we often watch in the morning.  So he already know the characters.  I think that there is really something to be said for reading young ones books about characters they already know!  I am just happy to have kids interested in books and will take it anyway we can get it.

I do LOVE that PBS has shows about some quality literature.  Dr. Seuss is such a classic and I love getting to read this to James each night!

James' age: 2 years 9 months

Unbound

This book was recommended by a lady at church a few months ago.  She described it as a book that would help you see sins that you return to again and again...  I guess I just didn't think that it was about deliverance {even though that is part of the title!}

As I read the first chapter I was a little freaked out.  I won't lie, but I decided to give this book a chance anyway.  It was okay, not life changing.  I did take away a few gems.  One is that the world is very scared of Satan.  This gives him power.  Either we don't want to think about him (or don't think he exists) or we give him too much power.  I have definitely fallen in both categories at various times.

Since I am Catholic and it was really talking about freedom from sin {mostly from deliverance}, I have thought that going to confession regularly would be good.  A lot of what he talked about was feeling freedom and God's love.  I know when I leave confession that is exactly how I feel.

Anyway it was an okay read.  I am not going to tell you to run out and get it though.

Read:  January 2012
Pages:  254

A Separate Country

I was ready for a good non-fiction book since I just finished Love & Respect.  I knew that I wanted one I couldn't put down...  well this was a good one!  I grabbed it at Target one day because I love Civil War area books about the South.

This is the story of General John Hood and his life with his wife Anna Marie in New Orleans after the war.  It was a story about love and redemption.  I had to make myself get through the first chapter, but after that I was hooked!  The story is told from the view of 3 people:  Eli Griffin, General Hood, and Anna Marie.  It was such a neat way to write the book.  I would highly recommend this book if you like books from this era.  I will say that I am not sure how historically accurate it is, but I never really care about that.

If you read and liked The Reliable Wife you may enjoy this one as well.  It had really similar themes.  I thought a lot about it while reading this one.

Read: end of December 2011
Pages:  448

Love & Respect

A good friend gave me this book in January or February after a church retreat.  I read a little of it at first... then life got crazy...then I got on a fiction/book club only kick.  Finally after my latest round of books and being caught up for book club in December, I told myself there was no starting another fiction book until I finished this one.

Now don't let that fool you... this was an amazing book.  It is just hard for me to sit down and read any nonfiction book quickly.  I always have about 3 books going when I read nonfiction.  Even when I love it.  I am so glad that I finished this jewel though.  It just got better and better with each page I read.

Dr. Emerson Eggerichs has been in marriage counseling for years and give conferences based on this book.  The premise is simple.  Women need love, men want respect.  It all comes from Ephesians 5:33 "Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband."  Wow, this simple little revelation blew me away.  It got me thinking a lot about previous relationships and the lack of respect I had...

The beginning of the book talks about The Crazy Cycle that many marriages are in, then the middle is about The Energizing Cycle, and finally the best part is The Rewarding Cycle.

 I have to tell you I loved the part about The Rewarding Cycle.  It was all about how even if your spouse doesn't give you what you need, give them what you should.  Know that God sees what you are doing and will reward you.  I think that really resonated with me because of where I am in my spiritual journey.  When we love and respect our spouse, really we are loving and respecting Jesus.  That really got me thinking beyond just my marriage to family and friend relationships.

I think for a long time I didn't read this because Aaron and I have a pretty darn good marriage.  But you can always improve and gentle reminders are always good.  Sometimes I have a bit too much pride.  I felt like if I read this, it must mean I have a "bad" marriage.  Don't let pride get in your way!  Y'all I really, really, really encourage you to read this book.  Even if you have a great marriage.

Read: mostly December 2011
Pages:  303