Shelly's Must-Read List

We are a family of readers.

I would say I am the most avid, but even Josh has been known to devour a book when he has the time and content is interesting to him.  The twins are getting there, reading books during quiet time for Wyatt's nap and  growing excited for the nights we let them each pick two books instead of just one.  And Wyatt, well that kid had his favorite trio of David books memorized at 18 months.  He adores being read to.

I have loved books and reading for as long as I can remember.  It started with children's books, then chapter books, then The Baby Sitters Club (which, yes, deserves its own entire book category, and from which I named our firstborn) moving on to real grown up novels and eventually magazines and blogs.

I have promised a book list to you all for a while now, and I finally got myself together and am ready to tell you what to do. Read these books!!!

{The following are different subcategories of books, in no particular order, that I have read and loved.  Feel free to scroll around until you find a category that interests you, such as Books for Moms or Fantastic Summer Reads.}

Children's Books:

Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen

Oh David books by David

Little Critter series by Mercer Mayer

My personal favorites as a girl...

Tacky The Penguin by Helen Lester

The Best Little Monkeys in the World 

Bread & Jam for Francis by Russell Hoban

The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop

The shelf of unread books in my bedroom is like opening my eyes to Christmas every morning.  I get so excited when I see that whole row of novels waiting to be held, read, underlined and jotted in my journal.

Yesterday I started reading What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg. It's a short book, so I'm already halfway finished with it. It's really good, about a woman who no longer has contact with her mother going to visit said mother at the urging of her older sister.  While on the plane she reminisces her childhood.  I'm loving it.

BEST BOOKS OF 2012:

{the best books I read last year}

The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman

This book... there just aren't words. I was sobbing out loud during some chapters, and holding my breath during others.  It's about a couple who live alone on an island, running the lighthouse.  A baby washes on shore in a boat and after multiple losses, the wife convinces her husband they ought to keep it.  I devoured this book.

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld

This is my favorite kind of writing. Full of details that, really, don't matter at all, but I love to hear about.  Her character development is rich and deep and at the end of the book, I felt sad. Very sad, and lonely.  All because I missed the characters so much.

Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese

For this book, I suggest picking it up and reading for a half hour straight. Just jump right in. It will grab you if you let it. It's about identical twin brothers and their upbringing.  This one, like The Light Between Oceans, had me unglued at times. Weeping and imagining if it were my boys experiencing those lives as opposed to Marion and Shiva.  Definite must-read.

UNEXPECTEDLY GOOD:

My One Square Inch of Alaska by Sharon Short

My dad bought this book as a surprise for me, and when I read the back I wasn't sure what to expect on the first page. It's a really sad book, but at the end it's hopeful.  I enjoyed reading about a little boy whose dream it was to visit Alaska, and the descriptions of Alaska, the weather and the severity of its rural living is spot on.

MAKES YOU GRATEFUL:

Signs of Life by Natalie Taylor is a true story about a young woman whose husband dies unexpectedly while she is pregnant with their first child.  It is touching and honest, and reminds me of when I had to raise our three boys while Josh was in Alaska. I found myself feeling very grateful that we were reunited.

 IF YOU WANNA KNOW WHY YOU ARE THE WAY YOU ARE:

Generation Me by Jean M. Twenge is a fascinating look at the research comparing our generation and the generation before us, namely the Baby Boomers.  My sister passed it on to me after her husband read it for his college course, saying she thought it would interest me.  I underlined like crazy as I read this book, and my own behavior, as well as the behavior of those around me, made so much sense in light of this new information.

FAVORITE AUTHORS:

Anita Shreve

Lisa Genova

Elin Hilderbrand

Jodi Picoult

Anita Shreve is, hands down, my favorite author.  One time, about nine years ago, on a whim, my mom bought me a book.  I honestly can't remember the occasion, but I will forever remember the book.  It was Sea Glass by Anita Shreve.  I picked it up, and was instantly entranced.  I have since been working my way through her entire list of novels, which I own.

Eden Close

Rescue

Testimony

The Weight of Water

The Pilot's Wife, which is also a fantastic movie

Light on Snow

Resistance

Body Surfing

The Last Time They Met

A Change of Altitude

Where or When

Fortune's Rocks

All He Ever Wanted

A Wedding in December

Strange Fits of Passion

If you haven't read her books before, I highly recommend this on Amazon for your e-reader. It is four of her novels, all four of which I love, and they all take place during different time periods in the same house.  Most importantly, it includes the one that started it all for me- Sea Glass.

She has a new novel, Stella Bain, out in November, that I can't wait to get my hands on.

LISA GENOVA:

Lisa Genova is another author I was introduced to by my mom.  She bought me Left Neglected when I was feeling down while Josh was gone in Alaska.  It was an engrossing book about a real condition called Left Neglect.  Genova herself has a PhD in neuroscience, and everything she writes is medically accurate. Her other two novels, Still Alice and Love Anthony are about alzheimers and autism, respectively. 

Love Anthony sounded so good, I asked for it for my birthday from Josh. Since he couldn't find it at Barnes & Noble in Anchorage, he bought me a Tablet and downloaded it on there for me. It was such a good book!

FANTASTIC SUMMER READS:

{by Elin Hilderbrand}

My favorite author to read in the summer is Elin Hilderbrand.  She has written some awesome books that all take place on Nantucket.  My favorites are Barefoot and The Island, but honestly, all of them are good.

JODI PICOULT:

I finished Vanishing Acts yesterday. I finished the whole thing in three short days.  The other two pictured here, The Tenth Circle and Keeping Faith, I have yet to read.  

Three of my favorite Jodi Picoult books are:

My Sister's Keeper

Sing You Home

Handle with Care

Handle with Care is a book that I still think about. The story is gripping.

MOST EXCITING "TO READ" BOOKS ON MY SHELF:

 I am looking forward to reading these books- Room by Emma Donoghue and Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld.  I have had them both for a while, but I'm saving them. I'm not sure why. I just love that there are books on the shelf waiting for me, I guess.

BEST BLOGGER BOOKS:

 This time last year, I received Heaven is Here and Bloom as gifts from my mom.  I devoured these books, and I follow the author's blogs:

Nie Nie Dialogues

Enjoying the Small Things

The books and blogs are incredibly inspirational, and I recommend both.

ANOTHER GOOD AUTHOR:

 This summer I read The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd.  I loved it. Another good book of hers is The Secret Life of Bees.

BEST NEW {to me} AUTHOR:

T. Greenwood is a new author I read.  Her book Breathing Water was haunting and full of the details I adore reading, so I am anxious to read more of her novels.

FAVORITE MOTHERING BOOKS:

 The 10 Habits of Happy Mothers: Reclaiming our passion, purpose and sanity by Meg Meeker

and

In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms by Dr. Laura Schlessinger

FOR MOM'S OF BOYS:

It's A Boy! Understanding your son's development from birth to age 18 by Michael Thompson is a must.

FOR MOMS OF MULTIPLES:

I loved this twin pregnancy book,

and this one for the first year of life.

But my all time favorite book about twins is

One and the Same by Abigail Pogrebin.

It is full of studies, facts and a first account of life as a twin, as the author herself is an identical twin.  If you have twins or are pregnant with twins and you are only going to read one book, make it this one.

WRITE IT DOWN:

There is this book I read as a junior in high school. The story line haunts me, but I can't remember the name or author of the book. It was a psychological thriller I checked out at the library.  Anyway, ever since then, I have recorded what I'm reading on the last page of my journal.  I love to look back and see how many books I read.

---
In the last year, I have started allowing myself to not finish a book. gasp.  I know.  I used to muscle through a bad book because I thought I just had to know what happened. I also thought I had to finish what I started.  But I've since decided life's too short to read bad books. One bad book I never finished was Julie & Julia. It was too painful to read. Just awful.
---

And lastly, I'm not sure if these count,
but I look forward to reading them everyday,
so I'm pretending they do.

BEST BLOGS:

Enjoying the Small Things

**Beautiful pictures and a daily reminder to enjoy everything life throws at you, not just the good stuff.

Finding Joy

**For reminders that being a mom matters and you are not failing at it.

Nie Nie Dialogues

**Enjoying homemaking, raising children and the very gift that life can be.

E Tells Tales

**Snippets of thoughts from a teacher raising a little. Love her.

Team Studer

**Always from the heart; she, too, is losing time too fast with her littles.

C jane

**Sometimes controversial, always thought provoking, Cjane ponders it all.

And a few questions for you readers:
What was your favorite children's book?
What are your top 3 books of all time?
And what is one book you quit reading or wish you had stopped reading?

I can't wait to hear from you.
Happy Weekend!