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!