ON MY SHELF • SUMMER READING LIST

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In my opinion, there are two summers - the first few weeks of Summer that could probably be categorized as Spring in which you feel motivated and adventurous, so you go to festivals and on picnics and explore new neighborhoods, then there's the rest of Summer when you can't bare to move too much in your house without being drenched in sweat, much less go for a walk on the streets, so you go into a Winter-like hibernation and that is what a Summer reading list is for, my friends. That miserable time of the year is coming and I'm not saying we're going to sit in the house the entire month of July - I'll make an effort to not do that because I know I'll be wishing for the hot days come Winter, but I also know I'll be making my way to the beach with a book and a cooler and that will be my to-do list for the day, many days this Summer. It feels really good to be able to say that because beach days were once a year events when I was a kid, probably less. The fact that we have so many backyards to choose from this Summer has me giddy! New York City has it all whether you're looking for sunny beaches, solitude in a lush, green park, a walk in a soulful, lively neighborhoods, or a moment to stand and marvel at the uplifting, towering skyscrapers. Anyway, books - I've put together a list of the ones I'll be throwing in my beach bag, but I also know of a ton that I've already read that would make good company in your beach chair. I love to talk nerd with anyone about books, so don't be shy. Enjoy!

EVIE READS • BOOKS FOR TODDLERS III

Me. . . Jane by Patrick McDonnell: If you've been following along through this series, it's no secret we love Patrick McDonnell in this house. I'm pretty sure at least one of his books has been in each of these collections. They're simple and heart warming, the illustrations just embody childhood in a way that most other children's book fail to, and they're entertaining for me, an adult, to read as well. This is a story about Jane Goodall and her childhood toy named Jubilee. If the name Jane Goodall doesn't ring a bell, you have to research her. I find her fascinating. Anyway, this story has a touch of whimsy that will make it a childhood classic and content that will story your and your child's hearts and encourage you to get outside and love this Earth we live on.

The Children Who Loved Books by Peter Carnavas: This is one of my favorite children's books of all time and I never say that lightly! I feel like this book was written with my soul and our family in mind. It is just absolutely perfect in every way. It's the story of a family of four (and a few animals) who live in a camper full of books. The illustrations are quirky but comforting and I immediately fell in love with the family! I really can't believe I've never heard of this author before. We renewed this book as many times as the library would let us and still could have read it every night afterwards. I'm on a mission to find more of his books and to make 'The Children Who Loved Books' a regular rotation in our bedtime story lineup!

The Little Mouse, The Red Ripe Strawberry, and The Big Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood: We actually happened upon this book when Alex's mom sent us his copy from his childhood. Evie immediately fell in love. You see, she loves bears, she loves mice, and she loves strawberries, so it seems this book was made for her. It's about a little mouse that finds a strawberry. A conversation happens with the reader about the big hungry bear that loves strawberries and the many ways the mouse can try to keep the bear from finding his strawberry and eating it up. To a two year old, it's suspenseful, clever, and exciting. Ev loves that she is included in the story. This is a classic that any toddler should read at least once!

Little Owl's Night by Divya Srinivasan: I have plans to do a roundup of my favorite bedtime books, but I thought I'd give you a spoiler - this one will be on the list. A little owl takes you on a tour of the night forest. Crickets sing, frogs croak, and as the night goes on 'the moonflowers close and the morning glories open.' The little owl asks his Mama what the daytime is like and she begins to describe it as the sun rises and little owl falls fast asleep. It puts a twist on traditional bedtime stories, teaches children about nocturnal animals, and is comforting and poetic. The illustrations are beautiful, but still simple and easy for children to relate to. It's a must-have for anyone looking to expand their bedtime library!

Evie Reads • Books for Toddlers II

It has long been a dream of mine to write children's books, so I sent out on a quest to actually read children's books - a lot of them. I've found that I love outlandish, imaginative, quirky stories the best and that reading to your kid gets a whole lot more fun as they get older. A few months ago, I started this series with a list of board books that were best for a baby up to an 18 month old. A few of those stories are still favorites around here, mostly for the sake of nostalgia, but Ev has outgrown most of them. I had only intended on doing one or two posts in this series because then I though to myself, "How many good books for toddlers can there be out there?" It turns out, there's a lot. A whole new world of books has been opened up to me. It's probably strange to hear an adult so excited about children's books, but I don't remember there being stories like these out there when I was a kid, or at least I never read them. Like I said, I have this little dream growing inside of me and the flame gets a little bigger each time I find a new favorite. I've been tucking away little stories and characters and illustration ideas for a 'someday' when I get the time and courage to sit down and actually start this project. For now, I'll keep sharing our favorites that accompany us home from the library each week. As I write this, I have a stack of 20 or so more that we've been reading through and I can't wait to share them with you! This is quickly becoming my favorite thing to write about in this space, and I hope you all like this series as much as I do.


An Awesome Book by Dallas Clayton: When I think of the perfect children's book I think of something fun and quirky and imaginative and a story that doesn't make any sense at all and that makes you smile, because isn't that what kids are like? 'An Awesome Book' is full of these things and more. It's based on the simple concept of dreaming big - It's touching without being cheesy, inspirational but still interesting, and it's a story that can grow with your kids. When they're young and everything is possible, they can read of rocket powered unicorns and candy cane machines and magical watermelon boats - when they're a bit older they can be inspired by the reality that dreams really are possible. In a world full of children's books that have too many problems to be solved, too many children being bratty and 'learning lessons', and too much focus on learning your ABC's instead of using your imagination, this is a welcome book to our bookshelf. A big plus in my book is that the illustrations could make up an interesting book all on their own. They're childlike and hand drawn and Ev could look at each page for hours! This really is one worth buying.

The Kindhearted Crocodile by Lucia Panzieri; Illustrated by Anton Gionata Ferrari: This is the story of a crocodile, but not your normal story of a crocodile with sharp teeth and a scary demeanor - this crocodile is gentle and sensitive and dreams of being a family's pet. So he comes out of a picture book each night to perform all sorts of tasks, trying to please the family - he tidies toys and washes dishes and even fights away monsters in the kid's bad dreams. As you can see, the story is imaginative and heartwarming, and the illustrations are quirky and interesting. Ev giggles as she points at funny little things like the crocodile with an apron on, spreading jam on toast. If I'm honest, it makes me giggle a little on the inside too. She also loves to open her mouth wide and show me what a crocodile's mouth looks like on pretty much every page. This is a story that will be read and enjoyed for years around here.


Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown; Illustrated by Felicia Bond: Almost everyone has probably heard of Margaret Wise Brown, but what I didn't know before finding this book is that she wrote a lot of children's books that are as good, if not better than her most popular ones (Goodnight Moon and Runaway Bunny). This is the number one best seller in 'children's farm life books' on Amazon and once you read it, it's not hard to see why. It's rhyming and simple and comforting like many of her other books. It goes through the cycle of the day's activities on a farm where families of animals peacefully play and sleep. The rhythmic quality makes for a soothing story, but illustrations keep Ev interested. This is my favorite book for teaching her about animals and animal noises because it isn't too simple (boring) or obnoxious like many others. It's a charming classic that we all love - bedtime stories really don't get any better than this.

On My Shelf • Reading in 2014

I'm always on the hunt for a good book recommendation. I have over 470 books on my 'to read' shelf on goodreads and I still keep finding more which makes it incredibly hard for me to choose just one book to read at a time. Each year I make a list of books that are top priority. It's kind of nerdy, but I'm an obsessive list maker and it shortens my time spent standing in the library with a stack of fifteen books trying to narrow it down. Last year I set a goal to read 20 books by the end of the year - it was my first time ever setting a conscious goal to read more and it worked. I ended up reading 25 or so, and I thought I would set that same goal again for this year since it was easily attainable, but kept me reading at a fairly consistent pace. I like put a variety of books on this list because there are so many classics I haven't read, best sellers I miss out on if I focus on too many classics, etc. - and I like to throw in a few parenting books to keep some constant encouragement and inspiration going on in that area of my life. So here are fifteen books I plan to read this year - if you're interested in seeing the rest of the list, head over to my 2014 bookshelf on goodreads.

Here is New York by E.B. White

Travels with Charley in Search of America by John Steinbeck
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Ernest Hemingway on Writing
Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt

The Midwife: A Memoir of Birth, Joy, and Hard Times by Jennifer Worth

Down To Earth by Rhonda Hetzel

PS, I Love You by Cecilia Ahern

An Everlasting Meal: Cooking with Economy and Grace by Tamar Adler

The Wisdom of Yoga: A Seeker's Guide to Extraordinary Living by Stephen Cope

The Good Mother Myth: Redefining Motherhood to Fit Reality by Avital Nathman

A House in the Sky by Amanda Lindhout

Dear Scott, Dearest Zelda: The Love Letters of F.Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Persig

I just finished French Kids Eat Everything (which was decent - worth reading) and I'm about halfway through Half Broke Horses. What are you reading right now/plan on reading this year? What are some of your favorite books that you've read in the past?

On My Shelf • Favorite Books of 2013

We took a drive up to New York City and Long Island this weekend for Alex to enlist into the Air National Guard and we've been perpetually tired since. Don't get me wrong, I love road trips, but after all of the less than ideal weather and traffic, we were just ready to spend a few days not in a car by the end of it. While I was there, I decided to try to put the camera down and enjoy myself. Alex actually decided to pick up the camera and try to learn about the settings while we were driving (which is where to picture above came from). Anyway, we were holed up in the apartment on Monday and couldn't stand it any longer, so we spent yesterday tying up lose ends from the move, buying some groceries, and Alex applied for a few jobs at some places nearby. We're talking about possibly getting an apartment in the DC area until he gets back from training, but more on that later. Tomorrow we plan on heading to the library to pick up a few books since all of ours are in storage and hanging out at a playground for a few hours. I've been reading a few books through the Kindle app on the iPad, but I miss holding a real life book. What do all you have planned?

I've had this post in the works for quite some time now, but the thing is - I never stop reading. I keep waiting on a stopping point, a breather in between books to gather my thoughts and come up with deep, lengthy reviews for each of my favorites, but let's face it  - my favorites might be someone else's equivalent of toilet paper. That's kind of the fun thing about reading, and writing for that matter, there are many different types of books and you don't have to read or like them all. I usually lean towards non-fiction and self help books (I like books I can learn from.), which Alex gives me unending crap for, but I will drop everything for a good fiction book too.

I will always buy books - coffee table books, photography books, cookbooks, novels - I can't resist a hard copy, especially if the cover is beautifully designed. Good design reels me in and will make me want to buy a book without even knowing what it's about. It's strange, but I also like the way books feel in my hands, some being the perfect size and weight with each page having just the right thickness to them. When Alex and I were dating, there was a running joke about how many books he might find in my car when he went to clean it out. I'm not in the car much anymore, but I do tend to stash a book in the diaper bag or make a point to grab one on the way out of the house. The way I read would probably drive a lot of people crazy - most people read a book at a time, but I will sporadically start books, pick them back up, get into them for a few days and move to another one for a few weeks, which results in having a stack of six or more books that I'm working on at any given time.

And don't you love how books look in a home? I decorate in a really simple (maybe too simple) way - I don't buy a lot of trinkets, I don't have a lot on my walls (I find it hard to commit to holes in the wall - the gypsy in me I guess, always subconsciously ready to move.), I don't buy a lot of furniture or items that don't serve a purpose, but book clutter is welcome. I think that's the first thing I notice when I walk into a new friend's home. If they have shelves of books, friend for life.

Anyway, like I said above, I'm no scholar - my literary taste is a bit eclectic, but here are some of my favorite books that I read in 2013:

    

        

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls: I have a thing for memoirs - well, thing isn't really the word. . . if I had to choose what genre to read for the rest of my life, it would be memoirs. This is obvious in the selections above, since almost all of them are memoirs or lean towards being a memoir. I'm telling you, my husband is almost at the point of calling Ted and Marshall and Lily for an intervention (How I Met Your Mother reference). Anyway, I've never been tempted to buy a duplicate of a book "just in case" until I read 'The Glass Castle'. I ran across a second copy in a thrift store and brought it home as a last minute gift or if we're being honest, mostly in case I lost my first copy. It's a 'sad' memoir written in a way that is sad without being depressing or having an air of complaint. For someone with a childhood so similar to the author's, this is sort of my soul story. I really can't share more for fear of ruining it for any of you, so use take my word and put it on your list of books to read this year.

Real Food by Nina Planck: I'm a food lover and a food book junkie, which means I've read a lot of similar books and this is my favorite by far. It's packed full of information and basically takes the common sense road to eating healthy, which is eat real food like grass fed meats, raw milk, free range eggs, etc. It is dense in scientific studies and jargon, but Planck does her best to put it all in terms that normal readers can understand. This book made our family do a complete diet overhaul and I recommend it to everyone who asks why we eat the way we do.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain: Oftentimes, I am more interested in reading a book once I learn a little about the life of the author. 'The Paris Wife' is the story of Ernest Hemingway's romance with his 'Paris wife,' Hadley. After reading it, I wanted to devour everything of Hemingway's. I was at a loss for words after finishing this book. I can't explain how beautiful a novel this is. I loved it all, every page, every line. This is one of the best books I've ever read.