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I haven't participated in a Weekly Geeks Meme in a long time (too long!)

This week's question asks:

What book/novel would you suggest for someone like me, someone interested in learning about your state, city and/or country? What book do you think is perfect for presenting the history and culture of your place of residence in the most perfect and interesting way?

My problem is that most novels that take place in DC are political thrillers. Exciting, yes, but not the most accurate portrayal of life in the area. I mean, I've lived here for 6 years and I've never stopped a spy plot, blown anything up, or brought down a corrupt politician. My day-to-day life experiences that tend not to happen elsewhere involve being late to work because I'm caught behind someone's motorcade. Or seeing random politicians and talking heads while walking down the street. Even more common are being pissed off by clueless tourists or having my plans messed up because protests are closing down streets I want to drive on.

But I have lived other places.

For a great look into life in urban China, check out Peter Hessler's Oracle Bones: A Journey Through Time in China or Michael Meyer's The Last Days of Old Beijing: Life in the Vanishing Backstreets of a City Transformed.

When I lived in Manchester, I lived in a largely Pakistani neighborhood. Coupled with current events at the time made me think a lot about the changing notions of British identity in the UK today. I think White Teeth by Zadie Smith captures these issues really well. Although it's historical fiction, Small Island by Andrea Levy explores these same issues even better.


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I've had this idea for a couple of months now, so when it was my turn to post the weekly geeks question, I went with it. The activity this week is to share blogging-inspired playlists. The idea of this one is to choose song titles that sound like they have something to do with reading or blogging. Songs that reflect how you feel about blogging in general. Or reading. This has more to do with the titles themselves than the actual genres or styles of the songs. So you might include on your blogger playlist songs that you'd never actually put together on a playlist.

1. You Can't Always Get What You Want ~ The Rolling Stones
2. 19th Nervous Breakdown ~ The Rolling Stones
3. Reflections of My Life ~ Marmalade
4. Who Needs Sleep ~ Barenaked Ladies
5. I'm Into Something Good ~ Herman's Hermits
6. Did You Ever Have To Make Up Your Mind ~ Lovin' Spoonful
7. Little Bit Me, Little Bit You ~ Monkees
8. Out of Time ~ Rolling Stones
9. You Can Get It If Your Really Want ~ Jimmy Cliff
10. Unwritten by Natasha Bedingfield


© 2011 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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This week's weekly geeks is all about our favorite quotes. I thought I would try to have a bookish quiz. Before you get too excited, there are no prizes to be won. But. I thought you might enjoy the challenge anyway! These twenty-two quotes come from twelve different authors. All of these quotes come from books I've read--and reviewed--this year. (January through June) How many authors or books can you guess correctly? Can you identify any of the characters speaking?

If you don't want the challenge of guessing the answers, I'd still love to hear from you. Which of these quotes do you like? I'd love to hear your thoughts about them!!!

1) "Do you find it easy to get drunk on words?"
"So easy that, to tell you the truth, I am seldom perfectly sober. Which accounts for my talking so much."

2)  "As I've told you, I've got a very suspicious mind. My nephew Raymond tells me, in fun, of course--that I have a mind like a sink. He says that most Victorians have. All I can say is that the Victorians knew a good deal about human nature."

3) "If you learn how to tackle one subject--any subject--you've learnt how to tackle all subjects."

4) "The spoken word and the written--there is an astonishing gulf between them. there is a way of turning sentences that completely reverses the original meaning."

5) "I'm afraid that, observing human nature for as long as I have done, one gets not to expect very much from it. I daresay idle tittle-tattle is very wrong and unkind, but it is so often true, isn't it?"

6)"'The exact truth! Very few people do speak the exact truth. I have given up hoping for it.'"

7) "If the ears be too delicate to hear the truth, the mind will be too perverse to profit by it."

8) "Only in our dreams are we free. The rest of the time we need wages."

9) "Words, mademoiselle, are only the outer clothing of ideas."

10)"I learned (what I suppose I really knew already) that one can never go back, that one should not ever try to go back--that the essence of life is going forward. Life is really a one way street, isn't it?"

11) "I remember a saying of my Great Aunt Fanny's. I was sixteen at the time and thought it particularly foolish."
"Yes?" I inquired.
"She used to say, "The young people think the old people are fools--but the old people know the young people are fools!"

12) "But death does not stand at the end of life, it is all through it. It is the fear of losing, the knowledge of losing that makes love tender."

13) "A sermon is not to tell you what you are, but what you ought to be, and a novel should tell you not what you are to get, but what you'd like to get."

14) "One demands a little originality in these days, even from murderers," said Lady Swaffham. "Like dramatists, you know--so much easier in Shakespeare's time, wasn't it? Always the same girl dressed up as a man, and even that borrowed from Boccaccio or Dante or somebody. I'm sure if I'd been a Shakespeare hero, the very minute I saw a slim-legged young page-boy I'd have said: "Odsbodikins! There's that girl again!" 

15) "But Shakespeare one gets acquainted with without knowing how. It is

8 Comments on Weekly Geeks: 2011-19 Quotables, last added: 6/12/2011

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celawerdblog said, on 6/11/2011 4:05:00 PM

I don't know any of these...lol. It does not surprise me, I don't remember quotes often. I do think its interesting when I am reading a book on my kindle, and you can see what quotes other people highlighted.

Cindy Swanson said, on 6/11/2011 4:41:00 PM

I'm terrible about stuff like this...I don't know any of them! I really enjoyed them, though. Can't wait till you reveal the answers.

I just added you to my sidebar blog list...what a terrific blog!

Cindy @Cindy's Book Club

Becky said, on 6/11/2011 4:44:00 PM

Cindy, thanks for visiting! I'll definitely be revealing the answers either in a separate post or as a comment later in the week! (I'm not great at remembering quotes either--though I might with a favorite like Gone With The Wind--but I do try to share quotes when I can in reviews.

Becky

thebookstop said, on 6/12/2011 5:18:00 AM

I never know quotes, but these were fun to read! Will stop back to see who was who.

naida said, on 6/12/2011 6:27:00 AM

nice quotes becky! I dont know where they are from, but I do like #17 :)

Sherry said, on 6/12/2011 2:13:00 PM

Well, number 2 and 5 both sound like Miss Marple (Agatha Christie). Two I'm sure is Miss Marple. The first quote sounds familiar, but I can't place it. The rest are new to me, but you've chosen well.

Becky said, on 6/12/2011 2:15:00 PM

Sherry, you're right! #2 and #5 are Agatha Christie--Miss Marple too!

Becky said, on 6/12/2011 2:16:00 PM

Naida, #17 is from a YA book--I don't know if that surprises anyone or not since some readers don't take YA seriously--but this is one of those phrases/ideas that has continued to stick with me though it's been months since I read it.

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I just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this week's weekly geek theme! 

You know how when someone asks you who your favorite author is? And you feel a bit crazy coming up with just one? Now is your chance to come up with 26 (at least) favorite authors by making a list of  them ABC style.  (See my above link from the past for an example.) There are no rules, list a couple per letter if you feel the need. Skip a letter if you draw a blank. Make it be categories if you want to.  For instance, a favorite YA author list. A favorite classic author list.  A favorite "new to me" author list. A favorite mystery author list.

Or simply an all time favorite author list... from A to Z! 

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This week the Weekly Geeks question is

Do you plan on participating in any reading challenges in 2011? Are you planning on hosting any reading challenges? Perhaps you'd like to share an idea for a reading challenge--to see if there is any interest! Share with us which challenges look tempting to you! (You don't have to "officially" join any of the challenges for this weekly geek. Just let us know which ones you'd be most interested in.) You might want to spend some time browsing A Novel Challenge. Are there any challenges you are looking forward to that haven't been announced yet? Regardless of your challenge plans, are you starting to plan ahead for next year? Do you make lists or goals? Are you a person who enjoys reading more if it is structured? Or are you all about being free to read what you want, when you want?

To which I respond

I started blogging too late last year to be able to participate in any reading challenges. This year is different and as the challenges are posted online, I want to do them all. But that is impossible. Nevertheless, some of the challenges I am seriously considering are YA of the 80s and 90s, YA Historical Fiction, , and perhaps the East and Southeast Asia Challenge. All of these can be tied into the subject of my blog – World War II. And for something completely different – War through the Generations reading challenge on the US Civil War.

I can’t say I have done much about planning for these challenges, except to read the requirements. Yet I am a person who likes structure and I am a list maker, one of the compensatory measures I learned for dealing with severe dyslexia. When I was doing my qualifying exams in graduate school, I loved making my reading lists. My problem was limiting myself to what was really manageable, but challenges are good in that one can do crossovers. Still, I think I am postponing making any reading lists until the initial feeling of overzealousness passes and I can make a realistic list. And as soon as I get them together, I will post my reading lists here.

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This week the Weekly Geeks question is

The other day I was noticing the old books on my book shelf. Old, meaning books that were "born" a long long time ago. Books that were published AND printed a long long time ago. (Not simply books that have been sitting on our shelves forever!)And it made me wonder what old books other readers have in their collection.

So this week, write a post sharing with us what old antique books you may have on your shelves, and tell us the story behind them. Did you inherit from a relative? Are you a collector of old and rare books? Did you just discover a certain book in a used book store and couldn't pass it up? What's the very oldest book you have? Do you even like old books? Or do they creep you out? Do you read and enjoy your old books, or is it more a "look and don't touch" thing?

To which I reply
I have a lot of old books but none are what may be called antiquarian. For the most part, they are books I read as a child, either bought for me or handed down. None are valuable, except to me for sentimental reasons. I have a bunch of Nancy Drew books that were published in the 1930s and 1940s that can no longer be read because they are in such fragile condition. But they have had a good productive life, belonging to several cousins and a sister before they reached me. And I have 10 of the 12 Blythe Girls series from the 1920s and no idea where they came from, but I love them. And The Five Little Peppers books are there too. The one trait they all have in common is that they are series books and I have loved series books since the first one I read.

My two favorites are The Bobbsey Twins books and the Anne of Green Gables series because I have such great memories attached to them. My mother was a voracious reader as a girl and an adult and encouraged her own children to follow her example. When I was five I picked up a Bobbsey Twins book that belonged to my sister. She, being older, naturally had a fit when she found out that I had touched her stuff. So every Friday evening, my mother and I would walk down to Flatbush Avenue, in Brooklyn, to a little bookstore next to the old Dutch Reformed Church. I was allowed to purchase one book every week, but the deal was I would only get a new book when I completed the one I had previously bought. There were two things I loved about those Friday excursions. First, it was my special time with my mother, sans siblings. Second, I can still remember the smell those books have when they were opened. It was such a distinct smell, and even now when I dust them, the smell is still there. It must be a combination of the paper and ink. After a while, my reading expanded and I could buy Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames and series other books. You might ask why not just go to the library? They didn’t have this type of series books.

The story is a little different with Anne of Green Gables. When I was in the 4th grade, I became very sick and missed a several weeks of school. By the end of the second week, I think I was beginning to get on my mother’s nerves. I have never, to this day, been a good patient and my mother was a really patient nurse, so you can imagine what a pain in the neck I must have been was. I was left in the care of a neighbor one morning while my mother went off to do errands. It turned out that she had gone to the library and checked out Anne of Green Gables for me

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This week's Weekly Geeks evokes strong opinions in me, so I HAD to answer it!

Do you read graphic novels or memoirs? Who are your favorite authors? Which books do you recommend?

If you haven't read any, why not?

Some people have the impression that graphic novels are glorified comic books, are unsophisticated or don't qualify as "serious" literature. What do you think? If you track your book numbers, do you count a graphic novel as a book read?

I read a lot of graphic novels. My favorite authors are Bill Willingham, Jennifer Holm, Sara Varon, and Marjane Satrapi. Many of my favorite words-only-book authors such as Shanon Hale, Meg Cabot, and Holly Black have also come out with graphic novels. Also, let's not forget that Neil Gaiman's Sandman series, which changed comic books.

As for which titles I recommend, it depends on what you like to read. One thing to remember is that graphic novels are a FORMAT, not a genre. Any genre you find in words-only novels, you can find in graphic novels. If you're looking for titles to prove to people the worth of graphic novels, then I'd start people with Maus (both volumes) or Persepolis (both volumes). Alice In Sunderland or The Arrival are also good to show what the format can do, although I wouldn't start someone on Sunderland.

If you want excellent stories, excellent art, and excellent production, it's hard to go wrong with anything that First Second puts out.

Now as to whether or not they are worthy literature or just "glorified comic books," I have to reject the premise of the question. Take Sandman for instance. It was written by Neil Gaiman! And excellent series of books (although it wasn't until the later volumes that I fully understood its complete and utter genius.) But it's not a glorified comic book. It's actually a comic book. The volumes you buy from a bookstore are omnibus editions of multiple issues bound together. I am OBSESSED with the Fables series (written by Bill Willingham, who worked on Sandman, which you can tell in the way that odd plot points or characters come back to haunt the story 5 years later.) I acquire and read them in omnibus form, but they are comic books. (And when I say comic books here, I mean published serially, all paperback, usually bound with staples, and distributed through shops specializing in comic books)

When one says "graphic novel" they think of the one-shot, stand-alone title. It is, however, interesting to note that most authors and artists who work with this format use the word "comics" to describe what they are doing, whether it's an issue of X-Men, or a deeply personal memoir. And I think they do this because they recognize that the lines of distinction aren't that important. You can make silly one-off filled with lots of things blowing up, and you can make a serial that meets the standards of "high literature." Format,

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Last week's Weekly Geeks was asking for recommendations.

Abby's been waffling about NaNo this year. I'm not waffling. I have an idea. My only waffle is how many characters are in my group of friends. And what their names are.

But, I'm still thinking about last year's NaNo (and the one before that. And the one before that.) The earlier ones I have ideas on how to fix. Last year's though... I really like the concept and want to continue to play in this world I built. BUT! It turns out I can't write political and court intrigue. AT ALL. So, maybe if I read more books that handled such things really well (especially political and court intrigue set in medieval or slightly fantasy-esque) then I could get some ideas on how to fix my NaNo, so... if you have some titles, lay 'em on me.

This week asks us about the tricks of the trade to help us with our blogging. I'd be lost with out 2 things:

1. My reading notebooks (I did a post about my reading journal last spring, when I was looking for a new one. I also just have a small notebook that I can jot down thoughts and awesome quotations as I read)

2. My GoogleDocs spread sheets. Books to review, ARCS to read, challenge lists, books to read etc etc)

I am an avid user of LibraryThing, but I use that to organize the books I own, which doesn't always relate to the books I read.

But, what keeps me going isn't my reading journal or my obsessively color-coded spread sheets. Those are actually rather recent additions to my blogging life. What makes me keep going is you, dear reader. (Yeah, I'm going there. Sorry for the schmaltz.) After the super-inspiring kidlit conference this weekend, it really affirmed how important the community is for me. It's why I started blogging in the first place. If the knitting bloggers were such a cool community, surely there were book people blogging, too! And there were. It took me a while to find my place and to find my friends, but here I am and here you are and that's why I'm sticking around.

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What's in a name? This week on weekly geeks, we're talking about the meaning behind character names. And our own names...

So, my name is Jennifer, which is Welsh (Gwenhwyfar) and is related to Guinevere. It means fair one or white wave, depending on what book you're looking at. (And fair one works, I'm pretty pasty!)

So, favorite character names...

Ginny Weasley is a favorite of mine AND her name and my name are really close (in fact, in some parts of the country, people can't hear or say the difference between Ginny and Jennie. Trust me, i they are NOT pronounced the same way!) Anyway. Ginny's full name is Ginevra. Some sites give it the same meaning and history as Jennifer. Some say that it's Ancient Germanic meaning "Women of the people."

Now, I've been reading the Alice books lately. Alice means of noble kind/noble sort. While Alice isn't nobility (she's far from rich) I would say that her spirit is noble.

What about Annika, the narrator of Kiki Strike? It looks like it's from the Hebrew, Channah (or Hannah) and means grace.

And how about Lyle, of crocodile fame? Apparently, his name comes from the French and means Island, or Islander!

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I also try to be a weekly geek (I mean, I do geek out daily in my own special way) but I never seem to get around to it.

BUT! HA! Better late than never, right? This week we're talking book covers. I'm going to talk about consistency within a series. I'm a big fan of consistency. I like the books on my shelf to match and am not happy when a series changes look half way through. I mean, read my rants here and here about the Confessions of Georgia Nicolson series.

And Georgia's where I'm going to start, because I wasn't originally a fan of the new covers. When I started reading, the covers all looked like this:



But, when Then He Ate My Boy Entrancers went to paperback, they changed cover designs. Now the first 4 books (pictured above) look like this:



Now, it's been a few years, and the new covers are starting to grow on me. I like that they incorporate Angus (the cat) on every cover, because he is a big part of every book. I especially like the new cover for Dancing in My Nuddy-Pants, because the romantic shadow on the wall is that of two cats. It's subtle and funny once you read the book (although the old cover, check out the man in the moon--it's two kissing cats!) I miss the old covers, but I do think the new ones will appeal to more teens today. I still, however, insist that those nunga nungas would not knock anyone out.

Despite my fuddy-duddy DON'T CHANGE THE BOOK COVER ways, sometimes it's necessary. I've been reading the Alice books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor (expect a big review this weekend or next week.)

Now, Naylor started writing the Alice books in the mid-80s and the series is ongoing. The old covers needed to go. However, they then changed the covers again and the newest ones are fine, but the older ones are still good. Here's the progression for Alice in Rapture, Sort Of.



And! Some of the newer titles/those featuring an older Alice, have totally different covers! (I'm judging entire remakes based on the "Alice" logo, which is consistent across books, but changes when they redesign the overall package)

Now, these two versions of Including Alice are pretty similar, to the point where I think both pictures were taken in the same photoshoot--the model is wearing the same top! But, I think they're both paperbacks...:



There's a bigger difference between these two paperback versions of Alice in April



And a really big difference between these two paperback versions of


The big thing I can see with the newer editions of the Alice books is that each cover seems to look like it's for an older audience than the older cover. I'm wondering why this is. Alice has always been a very controversial series (Alice thinks about sex a lot. Not that she wants to have a lot of it, but just that's she's naturally very curious about this thing that no one talks about.) So, are the publishers trying to push it into older hands by making the covers look older?

Or is it because kids like to read "up"--reading about characters older than they are and books that look older. So are the publishers aging up the covers so that the kids who are Alice's age (she ages a year every 3 books) won't think they're too babyish based on the cover?

Also, some of the covers needed to change. The illustrated version of Alice in Rapture, Sort of needed to go. But the middle one is the right age for Alice. The newer one of the heart in the beach, while technically age ambiguous, makes it feel like it's for a much older reader. The newer version of Simply Alice looks more like how old Alice should be. She's 15 and a sophomore in high school in that book--the older one just looks too young. On the other hand, the newer Alice in April might be too old, as the older one (where you can see her face) looks about the right age.

What are your thoughts?

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I've been meaning to particpate in Weekly Geeks for well... quite a few weeks now. So, I'm jumping in today with both feet.

This week, Dewey tells us to...

1. In your blog, list any books you’ve read but haven’t reviewed yet. If you’re all caught up on reviews, maybe you could try this with whatever book(s) you finish this week.

2. Ask your readers to ask you questions about any of the books they want. In your comments, not in their blogs. Most likely, people who will ask you questions will be people who have read one of the books or know something about it because they want to read it.

3. Later, take whichever questions you like from your comments and use them in a post about each book. I’ll probably turn mine into a sort of interview-review. Link to each blogger next to that blogger’s question(s).

4. Visit other Weekly Geeks and ask them some questions!

Here are my books, listed by month in which I read them... some of these will also be reviewed shortly...

April 2007 (yes, I know!)

Book Crush, Nancy Pearl
Junie B. Jones: Dumb Bunny Barbara Parks
Yang the Youngest and his Terrible Ear Lesley Namioka
From a Crooked Rib Naruddin Farah
The Invention of Hugo Cabret Brian Selznick
Special Topics in Calamity Physics Marisha Pessl
Exit A Anthony Swofford
Midnight at the Dragon Cafe Judy Fong Bates
Name Me Nobody Lois Ann Yamanaka

May 2007

Chicks with Sticks: Knit 2 Together Elizabeth Lenard

June 2007

The Embroidered Couch Lu Tiancheng

July 2007

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows J. K. Rowling

September 2007

Bad Boys Ahoy! Sylvia Day
Drina Dances in Paris Jean Estoril
Drina Dances in Madiera Jean Estoril
Drina Dances in Switzerland Jean Estoril
Drina Dances on Tour Jean Estoril
Drina Ballerina Jean Estoril
Ask For It Sylvia Day
Champagne Rules Susan Lyons

October 2007

Jack of Fables: Jack of Hearts Bill Willingham

January 2008

The Murder of Bindy MacKenzie Jaclyn Moriarty
The Spell Book of Listen Taylor Jaclyn Moriarty
Regarding the Bees Kate Klise

February 2008

Tithe Holly Black

April 2008

Shopgirl Steve Martin

June 2008

Fables: The Good Prince Bill Willingham

July 2008

Stop in the Name of Pants! Louise Rennison
Serve the People Yan Lianke
Franklin and Lucy: President Roosevelt, Mrs. Rutherford and the Other Remarkable Women in his Life Joseph E. Persico
Snow Falling in Spring: Coming of Age in China During the Cultural Revolution Moying Li


Ask Away!

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One of the issues (just one of many) that I feel strongly about is literacy. My thoughts are simple really. Read, read, read, read, read. There is no better gift you can give a child--your child--than the gift of literacy. What this means for parents is twofold. One is that you should model reading in the home--have books, magazines, newspapers, etc.--so that your child will grow up seeing that you value the written word, you value reading, that it's not just something you talk about in regards to them and homework and getting good grades and writing that book report...that it's a part of your daily life. That reading is a lifelong thing. That it isn't just a pointless, waste-of-time, teacher-is-making-me-do-it thing. The second is that you should read aloud to your child (or your children). It's never too early to start. And it's really a gift that keeps on giving. Another important point is that it's never too late either. You can keep reading aloud EVEN after your child has mastered the basics. It's a fact that they can listen and comprehend above the ability that they can read for themselves. Plus, it's a bonding time that should be nourished. Why stop at the age of seven or eight just because the kid can read Go, Dog, Go or Hop on Pop all on their own? It's a pleasurable activity that doesn't have to end that quickly.

Here are just a few of the books that you might find handy:

Story Stretchers for Infants, Toddlers, and Twos: Experiences, Activities, and Games for Popular Children's Books

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Gryphon House (September 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0876592744
• ISBN-13: 978-0876592748

Growing A Reader From Birth by Diane McGuinness

• Paperback: 272 pages
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company (January 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 039333239X
• ISBN-13: 978-0393332391

Reading Magic: Why Reading Aloud to Our Children Will Change Their Lives Forever by Mem Fox

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Harvest Books; 1st printing edition (September 4, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0156010763
• ISBN-13: 978-0156010764

Reading with Babies, Toddlers, and Twos by Susan Straub and KJ Dell'Antonia

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc. (April 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402206127
• ISBN-13: 978-1402206122

Baby Read-Aloud Basics: Fun and Interactive Ways to Help Your Little One Discover the World of Words by Caroline J. Blakemore and Barbara WEston Ramirez

• Paperback: 246 pages
• Publisher: AMACOM/American Management Association; 1 edition (July 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 081447358X
• ISBN-13: 978-0814473580

The Read-Aloud Handbook: Sixth Edition by Jim Trelease

• Paperback: 432 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); 6 edition (July 25, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0143037390
• ISBN-13: 978-0143037392

How To Get Your Child To Love Reading by Esme Raji Codell

• Paperback: 480 pages
• Publisher: Algonquin Books; 1 edition (June 6, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1565123085
• ISBN-13: 978-1565123083

Playful Reading: Positive, Fun Ways to Build the Bond Between Preschoolers, Books, and You by Carolyn Munson-Benson

• Paperback: 227 pages
• Publisher: Search Institute Press (February 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1574828576
• ISBN-13: 978-1574828573

What Should I Read Aloud? A Guide to 200 Best-selling Picture Books by Nancy A. Anderson

• Paperback: 165 pages
• Publisher: International Reading Association; 1st edition (August 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0872076792
• ISBN-13: 978-0872076792

And here are a few online resources as well:

Reading Books to Babies
Exploring Books With Babies
Baby's First Teacher
Enticing a Restless Reader
Reading to Babies, Toddlers, and Young Children: The Why? The What? And The How?
Reading to Your Baby
Reading and Language: About My Baby
Grow Up Reading--Babies
Babies, Books, and A Lesson in Happiness by Mem Fox

One other thing to note. You don't have to own books in order to surround yourself and your family with books. You don't have to own books in order to give the gift of reading. Public libraries are wonderful resources for all families. So you don't have to have lots and lots of money, you just have to make reading a priority by giving it your time and energy. Yes, it's easier to sit down at the end of the day and watch TV...but when you think of long-term, life-long benefits, books are the way to go!

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

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ear Toyota Prius, I do not have a passenger. That is cat litter. Stop beeping at me.

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