NPR's Backseat Book Club

NPR's All Things Considered is sponsoring a kids' book club aimed at the age level of my younger two. I love it because it's a great source for new titles for the kids from a reliable source. So far, the books have been The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster and Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu, all winners. DH read The Graveyard Book aloud to the kids about a year ago; I listened in a few times and was hooked- I read it myself when they were done. I finished Breadcrumbs a few days ago and now I'm in the middle of The Phantom Tollbooth. I don't read everything the kids read but I enjoy children's literature so I'll read anything good. (I'm passing on Martha Jr.'s Warriors books, thanks.)

I'm fortunate enough to be part of a grown up book club. I love it both for the company of some really great women and for the book suggestions. I haven't enjoyed all of the books (and even HATED one I suggested!!) but they've almost all been books I wouldn't have found otherwise. There are so many titles out there these days that it's hard to narrow it down to just the exact book you want to read at any given time. Now that it looks like bookstores are going away (sob) I don't know how I'll pick out books because I do, in fact, judge books by their covers. It's easier to choose a book if I can see it, pick it up, and leaf through a few pages. I read the back cover and the flaps. That doesn't always work, but it helps "sell" me on a book. That's not the case with choosing books on my Kindle. I find it's a lot harder to make selections in the Kindle "store" than in a real store; a lot of the time I wind up not choosing anything. Sometimes I'll see a book in the bookstore (or Costco or wherever) and then go back and buy it on my Kindle. They need to have stores with "sample books" you can go and hold and look over, then decide on whether or not to buy them electronically. (And I think Barnes & Noble is going that way.) I just pray that, even though I love certain things about my e-reader, that actual, real, paper books will continue to abound on this planet.

Family Tradtions

We've started a temporary tradition for dinner on the nights The Eldest has her class. We discovered a new eatery that is open until 10:00 p.m. and has a great salad bar along with other menu offerings the kids like, plus I can get a take out sandwich for DH. We've gone over there two weeks in a row now and I think we'll probably do the same for the rest of the semester. The best part is that we can walk over to the bookstore after we eat, always a favorite activity for a family full of bookworms. A little dangerous to the budget, but I can just cut back on groceries, books being way more important than food, after all. (We saw a bag for sale at the bookstore with one of my favorite quotes: "When I get a little money I buy books; and if any is left I buy food and clothes" -Erasmus.) I was able to pick up my new book club book, Shanghai Girls, along with several books for the kids. The Eldest just bought a load of books and wasn't planning on finding anything but then found a section on Steampunk. I told her I would buy one but she had to pay for the other three!!

As to my cookbook addiction, I didn't buy any new ones. I got those out of the library earlier in the day. (And you know it's been a good day when you get to go to both the library AND the bookstore!)

Books!

I'm on a reading binge! I just gobbled up Janet Evanovich's latest, "Plum Spooky", a Stephanie Plum "Between the Numbers" book. I'm not a big fan of the mystery genre, but I like this author and I LOVE this series! They are too funny- DH says I'm not allowed to read in bed when he's trying to sleep b/c my laughing shakes the bed and wakes him up. ;) I also polished off Sophie Kinsella's "Undomestic Goddess", a fantastically well written romantic comedy fluff of a book. It was delightful, and just the book to read if you need to do some de-stressing. I liked it so much I went out and bought several of her other books, including some from the "Shopaholic" series. "Shopaholic" is a movie now, due out February 13th. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1093908/) I've got to figure out how to do the link thing with the highlighted words. Oh, I know- I'll ask the eldest!

OK, she says she doesn't know, but she found the little icon of the link, so let me see what happens: OK, but how do I make it connected to what I've written? I'll see what happens when I post the message, and figure it out another day. :)