Comments on: Books read in February 2019

By: Leslie

Leslie — Tue, 05 Mar 2019 00:13:22 +0000

I’ve never been able to get through the Hobbit, either as a child or as an adult. My husband and two boys love/d it. Lord of the Rings is a different animal–I’ve read it maybe three times. It’s not my favorite book by far, but it’s much easier to take than The Hobbit, even though it’s four times the length.

I read The Secret Garden repeatedly as a child. Have you read A Little Princess? The modern movies have updated and sentimentalized it too much (and it’s already a bit sentimental), but you might want to take a look.

Coincidentally, I’m listening to Station Eleven on my “library thing” (the Libby app) now!

By: Calee

Calee — Mon, 04 Mar 2019 01:18:51 +0000

I read a good number of classics to my kids last year. At 7 years old my son loved Pollyanna and even liked the sequel. My 11 year old daughter really liked secret garden and my son too. We couldn’t make it through treasure island. They both tolerated The Little Lame Prince which I remember loving as a kid but liking it less this time. Right now I’m reading them Call of the Wild.
Kipling’s Just so Stories are our go to reads for when traveling.
Not a classic, but the Tuesdays at the Castle series were absolutely fantastic to read and both kids enjoyed listening to all 5 books in the series.

By: Emily

Emily — Sun, 03 Mar 2019 01:33:57 +0000

Great list, Laura! I’m reading “The Diary of a Bookseller” by Shaun Bythell. It was recommended on the #AmWriting podcast, which I also listen to in addition to Best of Both Worlds. Have preordered your new book and look forward to reading it later this month!

By: Laura Vanderkam

Laura Vanderkam — Sat, 02 Mar 2019 17:31:39 +0000

In reply to Debi Simons.

@Debi – great idea! I’ll listen to that next time I’m running on the treadmill.

By: Katherine B

Katherine B — Sat, 02 Mar 2019 14:42:09 +0000

If you liked “The Secret Garden” try “A Little Princess” which is by far my favourite of the Frances Hodgson Burnett books. I read it to both my daughters (now 18 and 14). You could also try E Nesbit. Great stories from the turn of the 20th century although some of the words and phrasing can be a bit tricky for younger kids. So much humour and imagination.

Completely different and for older children, try Philip Pullman and Kate O’Hearn.

If you weren’t sure about “The Hobbit” you probably won’t like TLOTR, although I know you like long books and fantasy so on that basis you should like it. It is one of my favourite books ever; but then remember I like Jane Austen! But please don’t watch the films first unless you just want to watch something that has the same name as a literary masterpiece and, possibly, some passing resemblance to the same names of the characters and roughly the same story. And as for the films of “The Hobbit” they are absolutely nothing like what in my view is a children’s classic. Nice scenery – shame about the rest!

By: Kaethe

Kaethe — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 20:04:45 +0000

I absolutely love the Overdrive app (connected through your local library) for ebooks and audiobooks. Our family uses it constantly. You should definitely check it out.
My seven year old received “Charlotte’s Web” for her birthday and I’ve been reading it aloud to her and her older sisters (12, 11, and 9). I remembered enjoying as a child and also reading it when my first kids were little. It is even better now reading it with older kids. The storyline has such beautiful details I overlooked the first few times.
I’ll definitely be reading “Alientated America”–thanks for the recommendation.

By: Debi Simons

Debi Simons — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 19:49:19 +0000

Since you like Jonah Goldberg’s book and now Tim Carney’s, you’d enjoy Jonah’s podcast “The Remnant,” episode #89, in which he has Carney as a guest. Best of both worlds! (to coin a phrase)

By: Ruth

Ruth — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 19:09:25 +0000

I’ve always loved The Hobbit, so I was kind of surprised you didn’t like it. I can tell you it’s MUCH more accessible than The Lord of the Rings. LOTR is much darker and the language denser, so you probably ought to steer clear.

By: Linda M

Linda M — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 16:45:53 +0000

In reply to Laura Vanderkam. My husband loves Lord of the Rings and re-reads it almost every year. I read it once just so I could see what the big deal is. It is long series and fantasy is not my thing. I enjoyed the movies much more and I think you might enjoy them. There's not too much scary stuff and the visuals are wonderful. (LOTR was better than The Hobbit movies in my opinion)

By: Holly

Holly — Fri, 01 Mar 2019 16:17:33 +0000

In reply to Jamie. Yes agreed on thinking about Station Eleven for years! I just re-checked it out of the library to read it again. It's a beautiful book and there are so many small vignettes about the nature of humanity and hope that really have stuck with me.