Saturday, March 10, 2012

Notes From the Nightstand

My Goodreads "currently reading" folder is over flowing and so is my nightstand.  Think of this as more of an insight into the life of a rabid reader than a book review post.

Candy Bomger:  The Story of the Berlin Airlift's "Chocolate Pilot" by Michael O. Tunnell
I got this for my 9 year old son.  I figured this was a good read to put some humanity into the World War II airplanes and tanks he loves so much.  Didn't want to hit him over the head with a brick about the topic because he is only nine after all.  But it's important to realize that war is not glorious.

Kat, Incorrigible (The Unladylike Adventures of Kat Stephenson, #1) by Stephanie Burgess
I am reading this aloud with my 7 year old daughter and loving every minute of it.  I love Kat the same way I love Alan Bradbury's Flavia De Luce character.

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern 
This is one of the few grown up books to cross my nightstand but I would recommend it to any advanced middle school readers.  Especially girls.  Totally appropriate, lush visual details yet wonderful pacing. Morgenstern's background as a visual artist really shows in the composition of her text. 

A King's Ransom (The 39 Clues:  Cahills vs. Vespers, #2) by Jude Watson
As a reader I have paled on this series but as a writer I feel compelled to continue with the project and enjoy watching the authors pass the plot.

The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester by Barbara O'Connor
Found this recommendation on Ms. Yingling Reads (Marvelous Middle Grade Monday) http://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/2012/03/marvelous-middle-grade-monday.html
Beautiful pacing!  I need to read more of O'Connor and learn.  I am also going to pass this on to my son for a quick read. 

Beyond the Deep Woods (Edge Chronicles, Book 1) by Paul Stewart
Part of my never ending search for books my son will enjoy. 

The Hidden Gallery (The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place, #2) by Maryrose Wood
Reading this book aloud to both of my children.  I enjoy the Victorian sentence structure and tangents.  They like acting like they have been raised by wolves.  Not a good independent reader but wonderfully fun read aloud.  

Lament:  The Faerie Queen's Deception (Books of Faerie, #1) by Maggie Stiefvater
My first e-book!  Unfortunately, I think my slow progress in the book is due to the format, not Stiefvater's craft.

What's on your nightstand?

1 comment:

Nichole said...

Justice Hall--Laurie King

Hexed-Kevin Hearn

Thyme of Death--Susan Witting Albert

To Marry an English Lord--McCall & Wallace--this is book about the rash of rich American's marrying the British nobility during the late 1800s--It's non-fiction-but presented very entertainingly. I've had it for years. The parents gave it to me for Christmas when I was focused on literature based in that era. It makes reading Edith Wharton so much fun because now I can see who her characters are based on. And why she hated some of them! You can borrow to look at if you want. It's a good peruse on and off book--it's really well structured for that.