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