www.amazon.com
For my reading at home - I have found that I still prefer to check books out from the library. For starters, going to the local library is an outing that we do as a family once a week. It is a great way to give kids freedom to pick out whatever they are interested in at the time - spiders, wakeboarding, loose teeth ... not to mention the stacks and stacks of fun childrens fiction. And DVD's. It is maybe one of the top 5 best, totally free, activities that you can do with your children.
The Santa Monica Public library is huge and beautiful. And right across the street from the YMCA, where we take basketball and swim lessons. Perfect.
But I digress - my reading habits are that I like to have 5-10 books on my nightstand. Stacked and overflowing. Almost falling off the nightstand. I will be reading 2-3 books at once. Usually one selection for book club, one non-fiction and then a fiction.
I keep my lists on Amazon, on goodreads.com and on scraps of paper in my purse.
I plan my reading by ordering the books online at the library (it is like free shopping!). My library emails to tell me that the books are in - and I just waltz in and pick up my exciting choices.
Last week, I picked up the following books:
Open, by Andre Agassi
This was a great read. Andre is a likeable guy and he had a fantastic ghostwriter - probably one of the best out there. It was well written and and really analyzes his tennis game, many of his matches and his training regimine. It gave me a better picture of what it is like to be high performing athlete. I really enjoyed reading this.
Too Much Money, by Dominick Dunne
I love to read Vanity Fair magazine. The in depth articles are thorough and always dramatic. Dominick Dunne had written for them for years - and I always loved his work. He lived the celebrity life and wrote about the celebrity life. This was his last book, published last year, before dying. A glimpse into high society in New York City. The Very, Very rich. The way soem people live that most of us will never understand. And it is interesting. Last year I read Mrs. Astor Regrets, by Meryl Gordon - one fantastic biography detailing her life and the end of her life, her fortune and family. Very well done. I thought the Dunne book really worked well Mrs. Astor Regrets. I can't say that I will be shopping for another Dunne novel right away - but it is an interesting view into another lifestyle.
The Best of Times, by Penny Vincenzi
Penny Vincenzi is one of the great current romance / drama writers right now. I started with the Lytton Family Trilogy and really haven't looked back. Her books are sappy, romantic, dramatic and all set in England (primarily). I intersperse my other reading with these lighthearted fantasy books and it works. All the women are terribly thin, enormously rich and very much in love with ... well, someone. That is the story. But Danielle Steele, this is not. There is nothing to be embarassed about when you pass these along to your grandmother. Or vice versa -which incidentally is how I got started reading ...
Last Night in Twisted River, by John Irving
One of my favorite authors, haven't cracked this book yet but I can't wait. Stay tuned.
For book club last month we read:
The Kids are All Right, A Memoir. By Diana Welch, Liz Welch, Amanda Welch and Dan Welch. Okay, this is a great book. For those who loved A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by David Eggers and Glass Castle by Jeanette Wells, this is a great read. The kids are growing up in late 70's, early 80's - coming of age. They are orphaned - the memoir describes how they process this and what happens to them as they see the childhood they used to have and what happens when their parents die. We read this for book club and then one of our amazing members was able to go on their website (www.thekidsareallrightbook.com) and had a Skype in conference call with Amanda, the eldest sister. It was fantastic! (okay, honestly, Jim had to work late that night and I missed the meeting - but I got a full blow by blow the next day!). Fun book.
This month we are reading: The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, by Steig Larsson. I have read this and it is a fun, intriguing, hard to put down mystery novel. Great for vacation, airplane ride, car ride. Even more interesting since the author has since died under mysterious circumstances. I have heard the sequel is even better ... and yes, it is on my wish list at the library.
And finally - the books that are always on my nightstand - even when the others are finished and returned to the library:
Simple Abundance - by Sarah Ban Breathnach. A daily reader for women on the joys of slowing down. A great book that I really enjoy.
Your Two Year Old
Your Four Year Old
And Your Six Year Old ... all by Louise Bates Ames. A great quick reference guide for where your child/children are developmentally, some good activity and game suggestions for them. This is not current pop kid psychology - these were written in the 70's and suggest things like- give your 4 year old a carboard box to play with (totally works). Give your two year old a bucket of water and some measuring cups (outside). Again, so much more fun that any of the birthday presents they got!
Okay - now that I have completed this post - stay tuned for my monthly update. Or - for more current book updates - check out: www.goodreads.com and find me ... I will friend you and we can share reading lists!
Happy Monday!
K
3 comments:
Great post! A couple of my friends and I are in the beginning stages of starting a book club. I am excited to have you as a resource! I'm going to sign up for Good Reads and find you!
I want to read all of these books. especially the dominick dunne and penny one...thanks for this info!
i'm in the middle of the best of times and its a great read. its not my favorite of penny's but i still love the character development.
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