Recent Reads (Mom + Kid Edition)

I was going to comment that I don't know how I managed to read so much this month but a few of these books are quick reads and being sick led to more reading time than usual.

Fates and Furies - I have mixed feelings about this book.  The first half just seems to wander without reason, a little aimless.  I found myself thinking, Okay, but what's the point of this story?  The second half pulls it all together and while the pace picked up, I had trouble believing the story.  Also, I wasn't invested in nor did I particularly care for any of the characters.  So not a terrible book, but not one that I would highly rate.  I will say that the concept was unique.

Troublemaker - I didn't know much about Scientology prior to reading this book, which heavily revolves around Scientology.  It was definitely an extremely interesting read, which could be viewed as gossipy at times.

To Kill a Mockingbird - Not until I read about the release of Go Set a Watchman did I realize that I had never read To Kill a Mockingbird.  A classic that everyone should read.

The Ocean at the End of the Lane - Meh.  It's well written and short.  I checked out it from the library without really knowing what it was about.  If there's any sort of magic in a book, it has to be written a certain way or I simply just can't get into it.  That, unfortunately, was the case here.

Room - This book was so good.  When I first heard about it, I was curious but hesitant to read it because I thought it would be too graphic and violent.  And then I heard more about it and how it was really a story of the bond between a mother and her child.  I had trouble putting this book down.  I was so absorbed in it that I feared I would miss my stop on the train at night.  I would suddenly glance out the window and have no idea where the train was or how long I had been reading.  One morning, I decided to finish reading "just this page" but when I looked up, I was the last person in the train car.  

The girls have been reading a combo of "real" paper books and books on their kindles.  Unfortunately, while our library network has a wide selection of e-books for adults, the children's section isn't as robust.  We do qualify for membership to Boston's public library and e-books but I haven't gotten around to completing the application process.

This e-book was available through our library and Emily recognized it because some fourth graders had read it for a book project.  So we checked it out and she plowed right through it.  Emily tells me that it's a really good book.







I can't remember if I've mentioned before that I picked up these three books from the $1 section at Target before Christmas.



These are reworded and condensed versions of the originals and the girls seem to enjoy reading them.  A few years ago, I found different classics (such as Little Women) made into versions for children also at Target for $1 each.  And Michael's has them on occasion too.  It's been an easy way to introduce them to "older" books.

The girls have independent reading time in class at school and their teachers try to ensure that the kids are reading books at an appropriate skill level.  Beverly Clearly and Judy Blume (the Fudge books!) have been recommended.  They are not ready for Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret.  (I don't know if I'm ever going to be ready for that.)