Time moves so fast. Although I do sometimes count down to the weekend or spring break or whatever next fun thing might be coming up, it's looking back at my book journals that really makes me see how quickly a decade flies by. Some of these books are still fresh in my mind. I can see myself reading these aloud to my kids (who were obviously much younger) or enjoying them on my own. Invariably, seeing these books again bring a wave of nostalgia along with a desire to re-read them. I rarely do that; there are already too many books for me to ever get around to re-reading much, but if you haven't read these titles, I happily recommend them to you.
The Boys Start the War by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor- I picked up this first book in the series to read to my girls, thinking that there were only three or four books.....and then after starting I realized there were more than ten! And my girls loved them. Some nights we'd read 50 pages together. Sometimes my husband even listened in. The boys in one family aren't very excited that a family of all girls is moving in next door. And from the moment they meet, they have one prank after another as the two families pit themselves against each other.
These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine 1881-1901 by Nancy Turner- this one is somewhere on my Ten Best Books I've Ever Read list that I keep mentally. I love a good pioneer story, and this fits that bill. It's also told through diary entries (another thing I love), has some romance and an underlying theme about literacy and books.
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua- I don't read many parenting books anymore, but I loved this one that received a lot of criticism. I think some people perhaps ignored the humor this was written with, but overall this one was interesting and probably made the bestseller list because of all the furor over it.
Sugar and Ice by Kate Messner-this is the first book I ever read by Messner who became a must-buy/must-read author for me. Centered around ice skating, this story of friendship and backstabbing is one most upper elementary/middle school girls can relate to. There's some drama in this story and plenty to think about. I loved the maple sugar making and figure skating aspects as well.
Left Neglected by Lisa Genova- I probably think about this book more than any other of Genova's. An overworked mom looks away for a second while driving and ends up with a serious head injury. She has something called "left neglect" which means she can't see anything past the midline of her body on her left side. Her road to recovery is long, and her life is no longer one of flurried and frenzied activity, but there is a peace of mind she finds that she didn't have before.
The Bright Side of Disaster by Katherine Center - I think this is the first Center book I owned - although I may have read others before this one - Jenny's life veers off the path she thought it was on when her live-in boyfriend Dean leaves to buy cigarettes and never comes back. Then Jenny goes into labor the next day and suddenly she's a single mother.
Oh, how I loved these six books. I know January of 2011 had other good reads as well, but I'd pick up any of these again.
Here's to hoping that my reading in January of 2021 is as wonderful.
1 comment:
You've usually got some of my favorites on your list when you do this post each month. I loved These Is My Words and think about rereading it. I also loved Left Neglected and actually picked up a copy at Half Price Books a few weeks ago for $1. For that price, I can reread or skim or just read a few words and pass it along to someone else. I don't think I knew about that Center book. I'll have to see if the library has it. I've really enjoyed her recent books. Never stop doing this post, please. I love seeing it! Ha!
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