Books/Reading

Mar 13, 2012

Posting over at 5 Minutes for Books today…

I have loved Dr. Seuss books for as long as I can remember. When C.(13) was little, I began a collection of Dr. Seuss books for him. We would read them together night after night, giggling at the silliness, enthralled by the rhymes. As he got older, he passed them down to L.(5), who now enjoys the silliness and rhymes just as much.

One Dr. Seuss book that both of my kids really liked is And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. The main character has a rich imagination — something my boys can relate to! And the simple story combined with detailed and fun illustrations made this book one that was pulled from the shelf over and over.

I was recently given the opportunity to try out a new iPad app from Oceanhouse Media — an interactive version of And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. If you’re curious, check out my review on 5 Minutes for Books.

And if you’re interested in possibly reviewing toddler and preschool apps for review on 5 Minutes for Books, click over to get more information from Managing Editor Jennifer Donovan at the bottom of my review!

Filed Under: Books/Reading 3 Comments

Jan 23, 2012

The week in words

written by katrina · 4 Comments

Barbara H. hosts a weekly blog carnival called “The Week in Words,” which is, as she says on her blog, “where we share quotes from the last week’s reading. If something you read this past week inspired you, caused you to laugh, cry, think, dream, or just resonated with you in some way, please share it with us…”

It seems I’ve been fitting in lots of reading lately — and from a variety of books. Here are some things that jumped out at me this past week.

From J.I. Packer’s Knowing God, which our pastor has challenged us to read as a church during January, February, and March of this year:

Many of us [would never] naturally say that in the light of the knowledge of God which we have come to enjoy, past disappointments and present heartbreaks, as the world counts heartbreaks, don’t matter. For the plain fact is that to most of us they do matter. We live with them as our “crosses” (so we call them). Constantly we find ourselves slipping into bitterness and apathy and gloom as we reflect on them, which we frequently do. The attitude we show to the world is a sort of dried-up stoicism, miles removed from the “joy unspeakable and full of glory” which Peter took for granted that his readers were displaying (1 Pet. 1:8). “Poor souls,” our friends say of us, “how they’ve suffered.” And that is just what we feel about ourselves!

Oh this struck home with me. How I long for a deeper knowledge of God, so that the heartbreaks of this world do fade to nothing in light of the joy found in knowing Him, so that disappointments and bumps in the road don’t matter, because my perspective is more like His.

I’m also reading The Next Story by Tim Challies (I’m going through it with my friend Jennifer). This past week, I read Chapter 4, where Tim talks about how very much we communicate in our culture. Between emailing, texting, and social networks, we face the very real potential for communication to be nearly constant. In light of all these words, Tim says:

The caution that marks our speech must also mark our texting, our e-mailing, our commenting, our blogging, and our tweeting. The fact that we communicate at all should cause us to stop and to consider every word. The fact that we communicate so often today and do so before so great an audience should cause us to tremble. As we communicate all day, we give ourselves unending opportunities to sin with our words.

Isn’t that the truth? “Unending opportunities to sin with our words.” It’s sobering, and makes me think I should probably be much slower to “speak” (whether it’s verbally or otherwise).

What have you been reading this week? Did anything really stick with you?

Visit Barbara’s blog to see what words others are remembering.

Filed Under: Books/Reading 4 Comments

Dec 14, 2011

FIR ’11: Reading Question #12

written by katrina · 12 Comments

Believe it or not, this is the final reading question for Fall Into Reading 2011. I want to say thank you to those of you who have faithfully visited each week, and shared your answers to the questions I’ve posed here. I’ve really enjoyed getting to know you — and your reading habits and experiences — better over the last few months!

And now for our last question…

Christmas is quickly approaching. What book- or reading-related gift would you love to receive for Christmas?

Naturally, there are a few books on my Christmas list this year. I included Death Comes to Pemberley (mostly because I’m just really, really curious about this one) and Artisan Pizza and Flatbread in Five Minutes a Day (because I love and have heavily used the first book in this series…and because I might have a minor cookbook addiction).

I also would love a bath caddy — one of those metal things that stretches across your bathtub, on which you can prop or fasten a book, to make reading and bubble baths work better together. Alas, the one I really like is currently backordered, so this one will have to wait.

And of course, since I will forever and always be acquiring books in one way or another, my friends and family know that gift cards to Amazon or Barnes & Noble are always appreciated (and quickly used!).

Oh, and don’t tell anyone, but I’m also giving quite a few book- and reading-related gifts this year. I can’t help it. I’m just convinced that people need more books!

Your turn: what book- or reading-related gift would be great to find under the tree this year?

Dec 7, 2011

FIR ’11: Reading Question #11

written by katrina · 11 Comments

December is upon us and Fall Into Reading is almost over! Can you believe it? We still have a couple weeks to wrap up our fall reading, but the bustle of the holiday season is all around us, and I know it can make reading feel like a distant luxury.

Thanks for sharing all the ways you encourage others to read in your comments last week. Keep it up!

Time for this week’s question:

Share a special memory relating to books or reading — something you’ll never forget.

I have so many book- and reading-related memories! I could tell you about working in my elementary school library — organizing, stocking, and filling the card catalog with our librarian, Mrs. Kaye. I could tell you about summer afternoons when I walked from my parents’ ice cream store to the library many blocks away (or at least it felt like “many” to 11-year-old me), curled up in a corner of the kids’ section and read for hours. I could tell you about the time I got Mono in college and my dear roommate, Shelah, read to me in the afternoons and evenings to entertain me, comfort me, and keep my mind off my illness.

But instead, I’ll tell you about the last few days I spent with my father. My dad passed away in 1995 after a long battle with cancer. I was already married and living six hours away when his health took a drastic turn for the worse. He was under hospice care at home while my mom ran the ice cream store, and she called me one night to tell me that he had slipped into a coma. It wouldn’t be long… I packed my bags and drove to my childhood home to help her out and to spend some time with Dad.

I worked at the store in the evenings, and spent days at home, in a quiet house, my dad breathing quietly as he lay in a hospital bed in our home’s sunny downstairs. I talked to my dad, even though he didn’t respond, and then I had an idea — I would read to him. I was currently in the middle of a re-read of C.S. Lewis’ Chronicles of Narnia, so I pulled a chair up close to my dad’s bed, and spent some time every day sharing my reading with him.

I don’t know if my dad ever heard me reading to him. And I was home less than a week when he passed away. But that time was special to me. We were together. And I was sharing something I loved with someone I loved very deeply.

And that is a reading memory I will never forget.

What about you? Do you have a special reading memory — from your childhood, teen years, or adulthood — that you’re willing to share?

Filed Under: Books/Reading, Fall Into Reading 2011 11 Comments

Nov 30, 2011

FIR ’11: Reading Question #10

written by katrina · 11 Comments

I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving. And that maybe, amidst all the turkey and pumpkin pie and people and busyness…you managed to sneak in a little reading. I know it can be hard to do during the holidays, but sometimes, it’s just plain necessary. A good book is the perfect way to unwind, regroup, recover, and relax.

Ready for this week’s reading question?

In what ways do you encourage others to read or support their reading habits? How do you share your love of reading with others?

I’m just going to break down my answer according to the different people in my life:

My kids: I make sure our house is well-stocked with books. There are always books around, available to read. And although as the kids get older, I put more responsibility on them to purchase the things they want, both of them know that mom has a hard time saying “no” to picking up a new book or two for them. I’m also usually up for a library run — basically, there is no lack of reading material for my kids. I also read aloud to L.(5) every day. And C.(13) and I are reading aloud together in the evenings these days, too. Reading together is something they never outgrow.

My husband: I am his official book-supplier. Chad loves to read, but he usually doesn’t have the patience or time to research new books, or to see whether his favorite authors have released something new. So I make sure his bookshelf always has some options for what to read next. I don’t always hit a homerun…but he’s usually pretty happy with the books I pick for him.

Other family members, and friends: I love to trade books, lend books, borrow books…basically, keep books moving. My mom and I share most of the books we read, I frequently lend books to others, and I’ve been known to send a box of books to a far-away friend.

The world at large : I hope that reviewing books and talking about books here on my blog helps to encourage others to read, and I think my twice-yearly reading challenges have done the same. I also like to occasionally donate books to a local shelter. And a few times, I’ve left a good book just sitting out in a public place (think mall or restaurant), hoping it “finds” just the right person.