Sunday, January 24, 2010

What Do I Read Next??

My Review



Have you ever walked through a bookstore/the library wanting a great book to read, but not knowing what to pick or where to look? The situation can quickly get frustrating if you only have a limited amount of time to make your choice, and/or you must choose a book for a loved one. Equally frustrating: you are assigned a book report, and are free to write on whichever book you want, so long as you have never read it before (I have had these!).

Enter the books on books. These are advice guides that can help you make a decision on what to read, and are split into a variety of different genres/subject areas.

Each of the following authors/books is accompanied by a note.



Books by Nancy Pearl.


Now Read This III: A Guide to Mainstream Fiction (2010) co-authored with Sarah Statz Cords.


Book Lust (2003)


More Book Lust (2005)


Book Crush (2007) -- for Kids and Teens.





I like and HIGHLY recommend Nancy Pearl's books (especially Book Lust) for a variety of reasons. She not only groups books into subjects, but many of her subject titles are inventive/humorous. Within each subject, she does not "list" books by authors -- she dedicates a small paragraph to each book, so that you can get a taste for the plot, the awards/history of the books (if any) and the authors' style.



Reading with Babies, Toddlers and Twos: A Guide to Choosing, Reading and Loving Books Together. By Susan Straub and KJ Dell'Antonia.



Want to read with your newborn, or with your talkative two-year-old? This book is a really handy tool to keep around. It not only lists picture books according to subject area, but it discusses the "mechanics" of making reading enjoyable with your child, even if your available reading material is only a shopping catalogue. The book discusses how to choose books that your child will find interesting, and it also addresses the different needs of babies at different stages, from newborns, to children who have just learned how to sit, to kids who love to talk all the time.




Notes


I really wanted to tackle this subject matter since I myself have wandered my library shelves all too often looking for something "good" to read. I am in particular interested in children's services, since I used to teach preschool programs and morning camps, so I found Susan Straub's book quite comprehensive and practical.

This blog took longer to post than is normal. In the interval between blog posts, I tried reading Charlaine Harris' latest Sookie Stackhouse novel unsuccessfully. Whereas I really enjoyed her Grave... series with Tolliver and Harper, her Sookie Stackhouse novels seem more romantic and, from my impression of Dead and Gone, lacked in character development.





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