Best Reads of 2012

Here are the top 5 books I read this year--the ones that I couldn't put down, couldn't stop thinking about, wanted to carry with me all the time, the ones I bought after having read them just so I can see them on my shelf and pull them out from time to time...the ones that changed my life for a brief and beautiful little bit.

Okay for Now by Gary D. Schmidt

This book is a triumph in character development, dialogue, and plot. It manages to be hilariously funny and bitterly sad all at the same time. There is one major flaw at the end...but I can overlook it only because the whole thing adds up to a wonderful read. Gary D. Schmidt is a master of his craft.

Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer



Everything is Illuminated tore me to shreds and put me back together again. The characters, especially Alex (!!) are fascinating and transformative.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer



Now I am a huge Jonathan Safran Foer fan. This book is the best kind of sad because it's so well written and there are lots of hilarious parts too. Even when you're crying, you're laughing. I thought it was an excellent book. Excellent. The main character is incredible.

The Secret History by Donna Tartt



I got lost in this book. It's a reverse murder mystery. From page one you know who died and who did it, yet for over 500 pages, the author keeps you reading, rapt, as you slowly discover the how and the why and the aftermath.

Nicholas St. North and the Battle of the Nightmare King by William Joyce 



True adventure! Excellent storytelling! I read it to my daughter and she gives it 5 stars. She was gasping, hiding her head, laughing, and begging for more the whole time. The vocabulary is rich and beautiful as well.

Happy Reading in 2013!

Merry Reading

Yesterday, when the girls came home from school, we "turned the fire on" and snuggled up to read.

These are some of our favorites that have become traditional reads in our home.

Brian and I both grew up with this book. Now we share it with our kids.

It really is "splendiferous!"

So funny and so very Olivia. My oldest daughter just figured out this year that it's the dog who eats the cookies ;).

And this one, ah this one. We pass this book around the room each Christmas Eve, so everyone has a chance to read aloud. The cut-outs are amazing. This one is a treasure to behold.

When the glow of the Christmas tree lights illuminate our house, and all is cozy and bright, we turn to books more than ever.

Merry Reading!

Kids' Reading Clubhouse--Pippi Longstocking

The Kids' Reading Clubhouse met this week at the bookstore. We had read Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren.

The girls were so excited to start talking about the book that I had to forget about my general talk about reading that I usually open with. The hands were flying in the air so fast and furiously that I could barely keep up.

One of the things we did was draw a picture of Pippi in a scene from the book. Here are a couple of my favorites.

I also let them take turns acting like Pippi. The only rule was that they could not spill their hot chocolate no matter what Pippi would have done in the same situation.

One thing is for sure, Pippi still appeals to little girls today.

And EVERYONE agreed that they would LOVE to be friends with Pippi.

They also agreed that she would be expelled from school if she was in their class. 

Here's our meeting in a nutshell below. Insert tons of laughter and utter goofiness throughout for a taste of what the real meeting was like.

Kids Reading Clubhouse #7

Pippi Longstocking

Talk about the Story

• Did you like the book?
• What was your favorite part?
• What makes Pippi special?
• Do you think you’d like to be friends with Pippi? What would be some good things about having her as a friend?
• What would it be like to go to school with Pippi? What would your teachers do if Pippi were in your class.
• Talk about Sweden                          

Centers:

• Snack and Game
1. Gingerbread cookies and hot chocolate.
2. Take turns acting like Pippi.
• Draw a picture of Pippi based on the description of her in the book. Make sure you draw her in a scene from the book
• Become a Thing-Finder
1. Hunt for things in the store
2. Name the thing you found and as a group invent as many creative uses for your thing as you can.

Give Stars

Present Quilt Walk

Bring:  12 different “things”—tin can, spool of thread, clothes pin, bottle cap, etc., lined paper, drawing paper, markers and crayons

Gingerbread cookies, hot chocolate

A First

This is a little celebration. 

Wooo-hooo!

I finished the first draft of my first novel! 

This is what 86,000 words printed on double-sided paper looks like

Finishing it didn't feel at all like I thought it would though. It's probably because the editor in me knows that I'm not really finished--that there is a lot of work left to do. 

For starters, I need to read it, send it out to a trusted group of readers, revise it, send it to my agent, and then start that process all over again. 

But first...

I'm going to take a deep breath and celebrate just a little bit. 

Yay! 

Little by Little

Every single night, with very few exceptions, for the last three years, I have worked on writing my first novel.

I never write A LOT in one sitting. I only write a little. 

But I write a little A LOT.

Now, I am only a few pages away from being finished. And those final few pages seem like a whole helluva LOT. Let me tell you!

But tonight, after everyone in the house is asleep, the sound of my fingers clicking away on the keys of my computer will fill our quiet house. And little by little, I'll get there. I hope. 

And then I'll start revising...

Very Fragile--Please Touch

There's a short stack of really old books, prettily arranged on the table in the living room at my parents' house. It's been there as long as I can remember.

They are old, family heirloom books, most with sweet inscriptions written on the title pages dating back to 1926. They are very fragile. But they are not just for decoration. They are for opening and reading and in the case of Miss Sniff, touching.

Miss Sniff, the fuzzy cat, is really fuzzy. She's been touched by so many fingers over the years that her black velvety furr is pretty matted and worn. But she's still the fanciest cat on the block.

Originally published in 1945. 

My all-time favorite is Mother Earth's Children. 

Someone (my mother) took the touching a little too far and actually wrote on the book. Not good. But the thought of my mom as a naughty little girl, adding doodles of her own to this book makes me smile.

Each vegetable and fruit has its own little verse.

This was my grandmother's favorite. She marked it so we would never forget. 

Then there's Winkle, Twinkle and Lollypop. 

Winkle, Twinkle, and Lollypop are three triplets who get to meet Mr. Sun and Mrs. Night, and Mr. Wind, too. 

The girls and I sat down together this morning and read these books aloud to each other--just like my grandmother and my great aunt did 80 some years ago, and my mother and grandmother after that, and my mom and me even later.

They get more and more fragile over the years, but continue to touch our lives. 

Turkey Round-up

I love holidays and traditions. And Thanksgiving is at the very top of my list as far as both are concerned.

Right along with pulling the Thanksgiving decorations (yes, we decorate for Thanksgiving) out of the bin and pulling my great-grandmother's stuffing recipe out of the recipe box, comes pulling every Thanksgiving book we can find out of the library.

Here are a few we've read this season.

We are choking from laughing so hard at this one.  Not everyone loves Junie B., but we really do. 

A perennial favorite. You get to go back in time to Plymouth, just like we do every year on our annual trip to Plimouth Plantation. We're reading the non-fiction companion book this year as well.

An eye-roller for sure, but lots of fun, as usual.

This book allows you to put yourself in Pilgrim shoes. 

There are many, many more, but these are the main books we've read this year.

I am so thankful for the time we spend reading together.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you!

Coffee with Carmela

Yesterday, I met with Carmela, one of my favorite authors, at one of my favorite coffee shops.

It was a great morning.

Carmela and I have been an author/editor team for over ten years now. And in that timeframe, these are some of the books we've worked together to create.

And now we're working on another one together.
Something completely different.
Wait for it...you just might be blown away...

A Real Treat

This weekend, my writers' group stole away for our second annual retreat in the mountains.

Here's the setting:

Here are the main characters:

Here's a snippet from one of my favorite chapters:

And here's a quick summary:

A Writers' Retreat is a time and a place where you get to write for hours. 

Where the characters in your book become a major topic of conversation, as if they were real. 

It's where you discuss endings and new beginnings. 

It's a commitment to:

your writing

your story

your goals

and your writers' group.

It's a commitment to you.

And it is SO MUCH FUN!

Yes, of course, I will

I might have mentioned that I try to sneak in time with my book whenever I can--during my kids' swim lessons, while waiting for water to boil, in my car at a stop light...

Anyway, since daylight savings on Sunday, I have found that, remarkably, I am awake in the mornings before I absolutely, no-excuses-left have to be. What better time to sneak in a few minutes of reading!

The house is quiet.
The kids are sleeping.
The dog is snoring.
Slowly, I reach my arm out from under the covers.
Quietly.
I don't want to disturb the peace.
My book is so close.
It's right there on the nightstand.
Shhh.
My fingers touch the cover. I can feel it.
I am going to slide it off the nightstand, silently, and open it, making sure not to noisily crack the binding...

"GOOD MORNING!!!!!" My kids trot in with their arms full of books.

"Mom, you're up! Will you read us some books?!"

Remarkably, they are awake this morning before they absolutely, no-excuses-left have to be.

What better time to sneak in a few minutes of reading.

I think I'll just wait until the next red light...

Anything But...

Anyone who's read this:

Knows that this:

Is not this:

It's this:

A Not-So-Lonely Business

Three years ago I started writing a book.

It was just something I felt like I had to do. I wasn't sure where or how to start, just that I had to start.

Let me tell you that writing can be a lonely business.

But it doesn't have to be.

About forty pages in, I realized that I needed to get a little outside of my head and start talking to other people who were also writing books, namely young adult novels.

I consider myself extremely lucky to have found a supportive, creative, and dedicated writer's group right here in my own town. Once a month, we get together in a coffee shop downtown to comment on each other's work. We are five women writers of mainly young adult and middle grade works. Our books span many genres within those categories: paranormal, dystopian, humorous, historical fiction, etc. Our lives outside of our writing span all sorts of categories as well: mother, grandmother, teacher, editor, on and on and on. But it's the insatiable urge to write that brings us together.

We write.

We read each other's work.

We offer encouragement, suggestions for improvement, ideas, and advice.

And we lend a ready ear as we go through the long and not-so-lonely business of writing.

Let's discuss

Kids' Reading Clubhouse

Once a month, a small group of second graders and I get together and transform our local bookstore into the Kids' Reading Clubhouse. The girls show up having read the book of the month, and I show up with a basketful of tricks. You would not believe how excited these girls get about the books we read. They jump up and down, shout details from the book, laugh, and wave their arms in the air.

It's awesome.

For October, we read the The Spiderwick Chronicles: the Field Guide, which is, in my opinion, everything a middle reader should be. It's high for second graders to read independently, but I encourage parents to share the book with their kids and to embrace reading aloud to them.

We truly explore the books we read. After our initial group discussion, we break into centers and really bring the book to life. Below is my lesson plan.

Kids Reading Clubhouse

The Spiderwick Chronicles: The Field Guide

General reading discussion

Talk about Read-alouds

            Talk about Vocabulary—Ask girls to share a new word they learned from the book

Talk about the Story

• Did you like the book?
• What was your favorite part?
• Did you think it was scary or suspenseful? What’s the difference?
• Is the book meant to entertain, inform, or persuade?
• What is the field guide? Entertain, inform, or persuade?
• Name some of the magical creatures in the book.

                                   

Centers:

• Snack and Game
1. Brownies and milk. Play board game.
• Build a house for Thimbletack
1. Add to birdhouse to make it a suitable home
2. Create Thimbletack—Brownie versus Boggart
• Create a Field Guide
1. Draw your own magical creature
2. Name it
3. Write a description 

Give Stars

Present Pippi Longstocking

Bring:  birdhouse, mirrors, brown paper, string, glue, magazines, fabric, foam

table cloth, milk, cups, brownies, knife, plates, board game, cards, and game pieces

Field Guide worksheet, markers, crayons, and pencils

Up for Interpretation

The stage is empty.
The medals, given out.
The chairs, cleared away.
The lights are off.

Yesterday was the big event--Oral Interpretation! Two hundred kids from kindergarten to fifth grade memorized a poem, got on stage in front of their classmates, teachers, and parents, and recited what they had worked so hard to learn.

It was marvelous.

This was my second year organizing the event. There's a lot of work that goes into making it all come together. My favorite behind-the-scene moment, though, is the five seconds before each child goes out on stage. They're jittery. They're nervous. I get to tell them that they're going to be great, send them out there, and watch them as they shine, stumble, and make it through. They usually have about one minute  on stage in the spotlight.

But it's a momentous moment.

Oral Interpretation--the art of public speaking
Building confidence one child at a time

A Recipe for the Perfect Book Club

12 Amazing Women with 12 Fascinating Perspectives
Endless Good Books
Stimulating Conversation
Excellent (and Topical) Food
Wine
Laughter
Passion

Mix together once a month at one of the 12 amazing women's homes. Enjoy.

Over seven years ago in the midst of the fog that surrounded our first year as mothers, a small group of us started getting together at each others' houses to talk about books and life.

October's Book

This month, some 84 books later, we read Cutting for Stone, which takes place mainly in Ethiopia. Last Friday we met at an Ethiopian restaurant for a change of pace. Some of us drove an hour to get there. Others dragged themselves out of bed, tissues in hand to be there. It's not always easy to get away once a month, but most of us manage it most of the time, and last week, sitting around a table drinking honey wine and eating with our fingers while discussing (and debating) a good book made whatever it takes to get there well worth it. Of course one million other things were discussed as well. We barely even scraped the surface of all the things there are to share.

I love my book club. I need it. 

Magic happens when you mix the above ingredients together. 

Anywhere

Where do you like to read?
In a chair? Any certain one?
In bed under the covers?
In the car while waiting...?
In the library?
At your desk?
During swim lessons?
Outside?
In a tree?

The perfect spot

Follow Your Passion

Tonight at dinner we were talking about finding your talent, following your passion, and doing what you love.

Brian brought up that when he was a kid, the three things he loved most in the world were being outdoors, airplanes, and science. Today, through some miracle, he works in a field that beautifully combines all three of these things day in and day out. He is living his passion. Brian as a child would look to Brian today and be amazed.

For as long as I can remember I have loved books. Once the bug bit me back in third grade, I wanted to start every morning reading and end every day doing the same. In between, I tried to sneak in ways that my book and I could be alone, even for a few minutes. Not much has changed since then as far as reading is concerned, but what's so marvelous is that when I look around, I realize that I have built my life around that one passion.

Working in publishing has allowed me to see all sides of how books are made. I've gotten to work with some incredible authors, develop ideas, collaborate with illustrators as they bring words to life with their art. I've gotten to say yes to amazing projects and see them grow. And that's just the beginning. I am following a passion and it continues to lead me to incredible places.

One of my greatest wishes for our girls is that they end up doing what they love. Tonight they listened and then began shouting out what they are passionate about: Art! Nature! Science! Cooking! Won't it be fascinating to see where those passions take them and to watch them soar as they develop their talents?

Soaring above the clouds or "just another day at work"

Welcome Everyone!

Welcome to my new blog, where I'll be writing about books and writing--two of my favorite things in the world. Don't even get me started...wait, DO!