Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Reading Together Appliqued Quilt Block and What's on Your Nightstand?



I'm participating in the monthly feature, What's on Your Nightstand?  Participants post what they've been reading the past month as well as what they're planning to read in the future.
 
Baby Board Book:
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Bill Martin, Jr. with illustrations by Eric Carle.  A classic book perfect for a baby with its bouncy rhythm, quick read, and colorful illustrations.  Such fun to get to read it to my three month old grandson!

My husband reading to our grandson

Picture Books:
Hoop Genius: How a Desperate Teacher and a Rowdy Gym Class Invented Basketball by John Coy, illustrated by Joe Morse 
     The true story of how James Naismith invented basketball in 1891 at a school in Springfield, Massachusetts.  Interesting illustrations and not very much print.  The end pages feature the first draft of the basketball rules which are interesting to compare to today's rules.

Ox, House, Stick: The History of Our Alphabet by Don Robb, illustrated by Anne Smith
     An interesting history of each letter of our alphabet.  Has quite a lot of writing for a picture book.  I reread it after reading Paperboy below because it made reference to the origin of some of the letters of our alphabet.

Toasting Marshmallows: Camping Poems by Kristine O'Connell George, illustrated by Kate Kiesler
     Wonderful summer poems, some of which are shape poems.  Each illustration is perfect for its poem.

When the Moon Is Full: a Lunar Year by Penny Pollock, illustrated by Mary Azarian
     This book features a poem for each month, portraying the traditional Native American name for each moon.  Azarian does an amazing job on the illustrations for this book, which are hand-colored woodcut prints.  There's a more detailed question-and-answer section in the back.   
    
Middle Grade Novel:
Paperboy by Vince Vawter
Historical fiction set in Memphis, Tennessee during the month of July, 1959
     I subscribe to the Nerdy Book Club blog, read this review, and knew I had to read this book.  I wasn't disappointed.  The main character is an 11-year-old boy who is highly intelligent and an outstanding baseball pitcher but who also stutters.  The author writes in his Author's Notes at the end, "Paperboy is my story, certainly more memoir than fiction."  He does an amazing job of letting you really feel the struggles and frustrations of stuttering.  If you enjoyed the movie The King's Speech, I think you will love this book. 

Book Club Books:
The Purpose of a Dog by W. Bruce Cameron- the August selection for the Raspberry Mountain Readers
 
     I listened to this book, read by George K. Wilson.  It's the "story of one endearing dog's search for his purpose over the course of several lives."  Definitely worth reading/listening to, even though I don't really consider myself a dog person.  (I most definitely am a grandpuppy person, though!)
Our grandpuppy as a very small puppy

Not so small anymore!

Between Heaven and Texas by Marie Bostwick - the August selection for the Quilters' Book Club
Set in Too Much, Texas between 1970-1984
     In our book club, we had read A Single Thread, the first in Marie's Cobbled Court Quilt series.  This book is a prequel to that series and centers around Mary Dell Templeton, a strong, lovable main character.  Highly recommended even for non-quilters.  Here are several blog posts related to this book.

So what's on YOUR nightstand?  Do you ever have the opportunity to read aloud to someone?  Inquiring minds want to know!  By commenting, you are entering your name in a giveaway of a fabulous prize pack containing Wedding Ring, Endless Chain, Lover’s Knot (first three books of the Shenandoah Album Series) and Mountain Away, all by Emilie Richards - courtesy of Harlequin!    

You might also enjoy reading my previous blog post here.            

14 comments:

  1. The National Geographic is on my nightstand. The new issue just came yesterday.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm reading Between Heaven and Texas. I have several other books on the nightstand, but, they haven't been touched in ages. I used to read every Tuesday to the 2nd graders when my boys were in elementary school. I miss that. I love to read out loud to the kids. They are a wonderful audience.

    ReplyDelete
  3. I am reading Voyager by Diana Gabaldon. The first book in the series is Outlander: with Bonus Content on Kindle.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I am reading Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin. Will read the other 4 books in the serious next.

    My husband and I read out loud to each other when we have time. He also reads the Bible to me as I sew a lot of times. We just have to find the time. Tonight, he comes home from work as I was going to work. We passed on the street and waved. LOL!

    ReplyDelete
  5. I finished "Between Heaven and Texas" and then read "Tallgrass" by Sandra Dallas. Now I have begun "The Quilter's Daughter" by Wanda E. Brunstetter, while figuring out what block I want to make and cut the pieces because there will be travel time from tomorrow. The picture books I brought back for Leia were a big hit, one a nature book written in rhyme, and the other a funny alphabet book with an eager moose getting out of line.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I just finished A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. We are going to see this play at our community theater in a few days.

    I loved reading the Eric Carle books to my grandchildren, when they were small enough to sit on my lap.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I don't have anyone to read to anymore, but the first grandchild will be arriving late Jan 2014. I am reading The Girls of Atomic City by Denise Kiernan. My daughter recommended it, it is an interesting read so far.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Three devotional books and Washington by Glen Beck. I read while on the treadmill. Usually the Bible is there also, but I had used in Bible study. I read to my granddaughters when we are at their house; we are there each week. Sometimes the older one reads a page and I read a page. Just finished reading Debbie Macomber's newest book.

    ReplyDelete
  9. LOL, I'm reading out loud daily, over & over again to my 15 mo. old grandson The Little Engine That Could. He loves this book! I collect children's books so hopefully he will enjoy some of the books my other grandchildren have loved. I've already read the book clubs September selection so I plan to backtrack & read selections I missed at the beginning of the year. My bedside bookstack includes Alice's Tulips, The Quilter's Apprentice, Tell My Son's by Lt. Mark Weber and Sarah Morgan: The Civil War Diary Of a Southern Woman.

    ReplyDelete
  10. As of today I'm reading our September selection, The Goodbye Quilt by Susan Wiggs. So far, I'm finding it enjoyable; sort of a trip down memory lane.
    During the last month our book club read Once We Were Brothers by Ronald H. Balson. Quite by accident I found and read an interesting book that explored the same time period and issue (World War II; concentration camp survivors) by Jodi Picoult, The Storyteller. For October we're going to read Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker by Jennifer Chiaverini. I'm anxious to get started with that one because I've enjoyed several of Chiaverini's other books.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Because I work in the nutrition field, I mostly read books that explain how food can make or break you. I sometimes have to carve time to read for my other book club and this one. Our granddaughter is about 3 months old, and I am searching for our old batch of cardboard books!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Love Eric Carle! Great list!!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I am trying to read Debbie Macomber's Learning to Love. I do tend to get side tracked with my 7 month old grandson taking my spot. lol

    Also, for his 2 yr old brother, I tell him stories at bed times, ones that we know like Goldilocks and the Three Bears and ones that I make up
    Mr. Snakey (about his snake his mommy won at Busch Gardens in Williamsburg, Va.) Of course I read to them as well.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What a fun list! Your puppy picture is SOOOO cute!! Happy September reading!

    ReplyDelete

I love hearing from readers. Your comments make my day!