Happy Esther Day!

Happy Esther Day!  John Green, author of The Fault in Our Stars described Esther Day as, “...the day where we think ‘who do I love who I have trouble saying I love you to.'  Not some romantic interest, that’s just using Esther Day as an excuse to tell someone you love them, that you already want to tell them… no.  I mean family, or platonic friends, which for me is even harder than family.” - John Green. 

I invite everyone to join in and reach out to someone you haven't told, "I Love You."  Who would you like to share this Esther Day with?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read!

Click Here to discover more about Esther Day.

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Can't Wait to Read: Louise Loves Art by Kelly Light

Becoming Created by Irene (4 years old) and Lillian Marcella (3 years old)

"For fans of Olivia and Eloise, this stunning debut from Kelly Light is an irresistible story about the importance of creativity in all its forms."  GoodReads

The summer months have been ones for creating all kinds of art in our home and at our local Art Museum.  We have painted, molded sculptures, and collaged.  Needless to say our house is one with several budding artists.  I am so excited about the publication of Louise Loves Art and I can't wait to add this one to our growing pile of children's books.  With comparisons to Olivia I know this book will live up to the hype.  I can't help, but remember what Picasso said, "Every child is an artist.  The problem is how to remain an artist once we grow up."  It you want to help your little artist stay on his or her own "Artists Way" give Louise Loves Art a read and see if it sparks that creative gene.

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The Things You Can Read Stops to Smell the Roses and Reflect

We here at The Things You Can Read are in a reflective mode.  In other words, we want to stop and smell the roses and see what path to follow next in the journey we call The Things You Can Read.  We are a tad bit over over two years old now and we want to hear from our readership. Below you will find what I call our Statement of Purpose.  We'd love to hear from you.  What do you want from your reading experience here at The Things You Can Read and a SUPER BIG Thank You for sharing our journey with us.

Statement of Purpose:

The Things You Can Read's has several goals.  One of its primary goals includes featuring  reviews of Children's Picture Books, Young Adult Novels and Adult Literary Fiction/Nonfiction.  A second goal for our blog is to be a resource for teachers of English and writing, where teachers can find the following:  examples of student created writing, writing tips, lesson plans, resource links, and the opportunity to pick the brain of a seasoned English teacher.  A third goal for The Things You Can Read is to feature bookish information which includes interesting news in the book community or perhaps letting our readership know of current giveaways.  These bookish posts  provide information of interest to people throughout the book industry.   To spice things up...every now and then, our blog will also include random quotes, thoughts on education or posts for those living a life filled with books and "life long learning".  Our ultimate goal is to reach out into the blogosphere and be a "Book Whisperer" and "Writing Whisperer" to children and adults of all ages.

Again, we'd love to hear your thoughts on what we have created here at The Things You Can Read.   

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Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Thought for Sunday, July 27, 2014

As I work through all the items on my list of things to accomplish in my lifetime I often have to stop and center myself with this thought.  What I find myself doing is taking the word creativity and art out and replacing them with my words.  My most recent statement looks like this: Becoming is allowing yourself to make mistakes.  Achieving is knowing which ones to keep. What would your statement look like?   

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Quotable Quote for Saturday July 26, 2014

Here is another great bookish quote for Saturday, July 26, 2014.  The great Bonni Goldberg had this to say on writing, do you agree or disagree?  Let us know your thoughts here at The Things You Can Read!

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Book to Look For in September...Bad Magic

"From The Tempest and Lord of the Flies to shows like Gilligan's Island and Lost, cultural allusions abound." -Publishers Weekly

Bonus Offer!

Send an email to ann.dye@hbgusa.com with your full name, age, and email address to be entered in a random drawing to win a free signed copy of Bad Magic from the author!   Limit one entry/person.

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Hemingway is Alive and Well!

Down in the Florida Keys Papa Hemingway lives on in this years 34th Annual Hemingway Look-Alike Contest.  Read all about the winner:  Click Here  Have you ever attended the Hemingway Festival?  It's on our bucket list.

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The Biggest Heartbreakers in Literature."

"There's nothing quite like the feeling of having your heart metaphorically ripped out of your chest," the Huffington Post stated in their post dealing with, "the biggest heartbreakers in literature."  We loved their choices, but we started to think about what we might add to the list, but we drew a blank, so we thought we'd put it out there in the blogosphere:  What would you add to their list?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read.

Our personal favorite:  Gone With the Wind

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The National Literacy Trust: 50 book-shaped benches across London

Image Credit: The National Literacy Trust

Scattered across London The National Literacy Trust sponsored 50 book-shaped benches for the summer, "each dedicated to an iconic London-related author or character."  If you want to know more about this click on over to The Guardian and read all about it.  I'd love to see this in my own hometown.  What are your thoughts?  Who would you like to see represented on bench?  Let us know here at The Things You Can Read!

Image Credit: The National Literacy Trust

Related Link

Pull Up a Chair

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Bookish Article: 19 dilemmas every book lover has faced at least once

Question:  Do you start a new book, even when you are in the middle of five others?  This was one of Buzzfeed's "19 dilemmas every book lover has faced at least once."  Pop on over to Buzzfeed and read what the other 18 dilemmas might be.  How many can you say YES to?  Let us know what you think about this one!

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Flannery O'Connor quote

In our quest to collect all quotes bookish in nature here is another great Flannery O'Connor quote, via Biblioklept:

"I know well enough that very few people who are supposedly interested in writing are interested in writing well. They’re interested in publishing something, and if possible in making a 'killing.'"-Flannery O'Connor

Agree? Disagree?  Let us know!

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Review in Miniature: Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening How I Learned the Unexpected Joy of a Green Thumb and an Open Heart by Carol Wall

Mister Owita's Guide to Gardening: How I Learned the Unexpected Joy of a Green Thumb and an Open Heart by Carol Wall is a memorable, uplifting, and thought provoking memoir about two people who form an unlikely friendship. If you are expecting a book about gardening then scratch this one off your list. The garden in this story is a symbolic metaphor for so much more. As People Magazine said, "...Owita teaches Wall how to find grace amid heartbreak and to accept that beauty exists because it is fleeting—as in her garden, as in life.” If you like memoirs this is a “must add” for your reading list.

I'd like to thank Penguin Group Putnam, who provided me with a reading copy through NetGalley.

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Review in Miniature: Stitches : a handbook on meaning, hope, and repair by Anne Lamott

Anne Lamott is an amazing voice in today’s writing world. She is able to capture what so many of us feel with just the right words. I’ve been a fan of her writing since reading Bird By Bird back in the 90s. I’ll also add that I am partial to her nonfiction writing, although her works of fiction are great too. So it was with great enthusiasm that I opened her latest work of nonfiction Stitches: a handbook on meaning, hope, and repair, which is out on the heels of her previous bestseller Help, Thanks, Wow. 

In Stitches Lamott explores how in these chaotic times in which we live we can recover from personal devastation and loss and find peace, meaning and wholeness in our lives. How does she suggest we do this, well in typical Lamott fashion, “..by collecting the ripped shreds of our emotional and spiritual fabric and sewing them back together, one stitch at a time.” This is classic Lamott! 

If you are familiar with Lamott’s previous works sit back and enjoy her prose. If you are new to Lamott this is a great choice to tryout the Lamott experience. 

Thank you Net Galley and Penguin Riverhead Hardcover for the advanced reader’s copy of Stitches: a handbook on meaning, hope, and repair by Anne Lamott.

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Review in Miniature: Mozart: A Life by Paul Johnson

My thirty plus year love affair with Mozart is in no uncertain terms insatiable. My quest to attend all of his operas and to hear as many of his other musical compositions performed live continues and my next step, as the world’s biggest Mozart fan, is to share my love of everything Mozart with my children, so when I realized that a new biography on Mozart was being published by Penguin Group: Viking I had to get my hands on a copy...pronto. I was not disappointed. Mozart: A Life by Paul Johnson is a great compliment to any Mozart aficionado's collection of biographies of this great composer.

Coming in at 176 pages this work of nonfiction does not overwhelm the new to Mozart biography reader or disappoint a reader who gobbles up everything Mozart. The book focuses on Mozart and his music. Specifically the biography focused on Mozart’s ability to write music, compose music for operas, and his ability to create emotional music that captured the hearts of the common man and royals alike. His was a life filled with financial debt, loss of children, and health problems. Many may be surprised to learn that he frequently had to beg for money from friends. Let me say that these were not uncommon problems for even upper class folks of Mozart’s day. but it is always surprising to me that he also had a tough time selling his compositions, which means a steady income for the Mozart family was a constant challenge. With all the ups and downs of Mozart’s life his talent never faded. 

Sadly he died too young at just thirty-five, but through his music he still lives in the hearts of all classical musical lovers everywhere. This book will definitely whet your appetite for more about this remarkable child prodigy. 

Thank you Net Galley and Penguin Group Viking for the advance reader’s copy of Mozart: A Life by Paul Johnson.

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Did You Know To Kill a Mockingbird is Now in E-Book and Audio Form?

Harper Lee and Mary Badham: Scout on the set of To Kill a Mockingbird

Click HERE

What can I say, I named my son Harper which should say it all.  Just in case you hadn't heard To Kill a Mockingbird, my all time favorite book, is now available in e-book and audio form.  Go read it or listen to it read by Sissy Spacek and see what all the fuss is about.  Let us know what you think!

Interesting Links:
NPR Story:  Click Here

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Review in Miniature: The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit

“I am in awe of this novel . . . The Wives of Los Alamos will be read and reread and remembered.” —Gail Godwin 

Well, praise like that is hard won and in this case well deserved. This is the story of the women who came together from all over the world to make homes and a life for the men who were working on the bomb that will ultimately be used to annihilate those living in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. 

Written in the collective first person plural this novel’s unique use of perspective takes the reader on a different kind of ride. Think modern Greek chorus and you’ve got the picture. Some may find this off putting, I did not. It was an innovative refreshing way to structure the story. The real question behind the “We” is could you have stomached the story once the bomb was dropped without it? I felt at that point the “We” that may have alienated some readers becomes essential to deal with the horror of what those living in Los Alamos had constructed. 

If you are looking for something different in the methodology used to tell the story give The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit a try.

Thank you Net Galley and Bloomsbury for the advance reader’s copy of The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit.

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Review in Miniature: The ABC's of Yoga For Kids by Teresa Anne Power, Kathleen Rietz (Illustrator), Brookes Nohlgren (Editor).

I will start by saying before I had kids I was a yoga nut. I practiced the crazy kind of yoga in a 101 degree room for 90 minutes--did I mention that I did this every single day...sometimes twice a day. I loved it, but I wanted more from life then a great yoga practice, which is where the kids come into the story. I’ve had four children in five years, my biological clock was ticking, and my personal yoga practice is sadly nonexistent.  Wait a minute that's where this book comes into the story...that nonexistent yoga practice was true until this book.  I believe in the benefits of yoga and wanted to instill this healthy practice into my children's lives, so I was very excited to discover The ABCs of Yoga for Kids by Teresa Anne Power, Kathleen Rietz (Illustrator), Brookes Nohlgren (Editor). 

Because of The ABCS of Yoga for Kids my girls and I now have a yoga practice together. It’s not the kind of practice I had five years ago, but it is a perfect fit for us as a family. I should also mention the book is geared for children between the ages of two and a half to five, which almost covers all my children that is except for the new baby.

I want to add that I received an electronic advance reader’s copy (ARC) of this book, but our family loved this book so much we purchased our own hardcover copy and the deck of 56 yoga cards that compliment the book (see pictures). Thanks Teresa for bringing yoga back into my family’s life in a most enjoyable and family-friendly way. 

I encourage anyone looking to practice yoga with young children or to practice as a family to pick up a copy of this book and start a regular practice together.

Thank you Net Galley and Stafford House for the advanced reader’s copy of The ABCs of Yoga for Kids by Teresa Anne Power, Kathleen Rietz (Illustrator), Brookes Nohlgren (Editor).

Happy Reading☮

The Things You Can Read!

Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!