Friday, October 17, 2008

Favorite Children and Audio books


I have always loved to read outloud to my kids. When my son was very young, we would stack every dr. seuss book we had and read all of them. I also loved reading him Where the Wild Things Are!
As the kids got older we found books to read that would require atleast a half hour of sitting, it is a great way to cuddle and feel close and share something that only books can bring.
Some of my favorites to read: A Year Down Yonder; a girl is sent to live with her independant grandma during the depression while her parents look for work. It is silly and witty because the girls grandma is always up to high jinx, the grandma is not conventional by any means. We also found this book on tape, so the kids have enjoyed listening to it when they go to bed.
We love all the Ramona series. I have especially loved reading these to my middle daughter. Ramona evokes so much empathy from both me and my daughter. Because Ramona isn't perfect, and her thoughts are sometimes what any girl might think, my daughter connected easily to Ramona's struggles.
Right now I am trying to read Anne of Green Gables to my daughter, she is 7 years old, I think I might have to wait just one more year for her to be really ready for that experience. My daughter does love the way Marilla and Matthew talk, and she loves Anne's imagination, but next year she will get more from the story.
I have lots of other favorite reads, but those are at the top of my list. And of course I keep listening to Harry Potter over and over again on CD, it is a standard now in my family. My parents listen to it also, so we always have discussions about the series.
Our other favorites to listen to are the Lord of the Rings, Chronicles of Narnia and Anne McCaffrey series. These stories are packed with good story telling that we can NEVER get enough of.

Thursday, October 16, 2008

A Thousand Splendid Suns


We read A Thousand Splendid Suns a couple of months ago. It was anothe of my favorite reads. The picture on the side has no connection to the book, I just wish I could wear something like that and look that good, minus the fake tatoo. Back to the book, I think the most driving force behind it for me was the realness of the situations. I've never experienced the life, or the culture, but it was written in a way that I could relate, or feel empathy for what those women had to endure. I was sad, and touched by the story in A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Roses take on politics


I watched the presidential debate tonight! I was impressed some of the time when either candidate would drive a point home, but mostly I was appalled that these two men are our choices. For me, the biggest driving force on who I will be continuing to support, is where the future lies for those Americans who will have to be taxed out of their hard work if Obama is elected. I want to see my parents keep what they've worked so hard for.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

The Red Tent

The Red Tent has to be one of my favorite reads. It touched on many of the elements that are essential to making a book monumental in my book reading memory. The Red Tent was layered in characters, and multiple stories unfolded around the one main character Dinah. I was enthralled with the history, with the way of life, and with the relationships between the women in the book. I was so lost in the story that I would be reading and I would look up at the clock and a half an hour had passed and it felt like it was only af few minutes.