Books

I love to read. I guess growing up in a family who enjoyed books didn't hurt, neither did having a librarian mum (and dad for a while...well he wasn't really a librarian, but they did both work at the National Library...); Nor did growing up in a time where the most exciting thing playing on the TV on a Saturday afternoon was an old movie...

Anyway, I've always tried to encourage reading in the house. I've filled it with books and Anthony (who is not a keen reader but understands the value of good role models) and I have always read to the kids and listened to them read.

When Samuel was little, his favourite books were the Dr Seuss ones I read to him over and over: 'Green Eggs and Ham' (how could he resist a book with a character named Sam I am?), 'One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish', and one called 'Sam and the Firefly' (again with the name!).
He also liked an obscure little book called 'Apple Mouse', which I read to him again and again.

We did all the home reading stuff (I even volunteered at school to change them every morning), and he picked up the whole reading thing pretty quickly.
When he was in year three, Sam's teacher noticed that he 'drifted off' from time to time. His handwriting was also pretty awful, so we got a heap of tests done.
It turned out that Sam did have some fine motor problems, and he had to do some occupational therapy to strengthen his hands, but that was the only 'problem'. The IQ test results were high, and in grade three, he was reading at a 12 year old+ level.

Which was good for a while. He got into books, especially ones like the 'Captain Underpants' series, and a wide range of non-fiction.

But after a while he started to lose interest. He found other things that he enjoyed more - friends, video games, bikes and toys, and was reading less and less. By the time he was 12-13, he didn't read books at all. It wasn't that he couldn't, it was more that he didn't want to.

It didn't help that his friends didn't read much either. In fact their attitude made me giggle sometimes! I remember saying to Jake (one of Sam's best friends) "are you going to read the new Harry Potter book?" and he said "why would I read it? I can just see the movie."

Actually, when I think about it, I'm not too worried. Sam (and his friends) were (are) all intelligent, articulate kids who did pretty well at school anyway. And the more I learn about new ways of learning (through my fabulous new job) the more I let go of the 'kids must read books' mentality.
I do like it when they do though - it gives me something to talk about with them!

But despite not reading much for his own pleasure, one thing that Sam did do well is read to Oliver. And most of the time he did it willingly. I talked to him about being a good role model (not saying that books, school was boring was my main point), and he was. He quite often read to Oliver, even right up to the week before he died. Oliver loved snuggling up next to him and hearing him read, and I think Sam secretly loved it too.

Oliver's showing some signs of being more of a book lover, even now. He'll happily listen to me read (we're up to Harry Potter 4 at the moment), and is pretty enthusiastic about reading for himself. He likes the same books that Sam liked, and more. I'm hoping that he'll keep it up!

Book 'em, Mello!

The love of learning, the sequestered nooks,
And all the sweet serenity of books.
~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

I've always been a reader. When I was a kid, and things were different (as in we weren't permanently attached to TVs, phones and computers), I read voraciously. There was nothing better than a day spent curled up reading Enid Blyton series (Famous Five, Secret Seven, Malory Towers), Trixie Belden, Nancy Drew etc. (My goodness, I'm showing my age, aren't I??)
As I grew older, I read more of the pap than was probably healthy - Sweet Valley High, early Babysitter's Club etc, but never really lost the love of reading.

Now that I've ended up in a library, I've rekindled my love of books. It's not that I wasn't reading, but I wasn't reading as much. Now that I am around books all day, I have started a big list of 'books I must read'.

I must say though, even though I've read many of the 'classics', I do prefer a book that's easy to read and exciting, rather than heavy literature. I can't stand books that seem as though they were created to show off the author's extensive vocabulary. I like to be entertained, to be swept away to another world.

That's not to say that I'm a Mills & Boon type girl (I've never actually read one), but I guess people would find the types of books that I most enjoy to be 'popcorn'.

Mrs P, over at 'A Study in Contradictions' asked about our favourite books. I will send her my reply and let you know if she puts it on her blog, but in the meantime, I thought I'd make a start on my top five, and ask you, dear reader, for your recommendations.

Y'see, I'm a fairly cautious reader. I can't borrow books from the library any more (thanks to a massive fine that was the result of the book getting lost in my school library for a long time), so if I want to read a book I have to buy it, or borrow it from someone. So as a result I tend to stick to authors that I know, or books that people recommend to me.

Luckily, most of the books I buy are bought from the Salvos or Trash & Treasure, so it's no great loss if I never finish it, but still, I'm cautious.

So today, I'd like to share with you my favourite books, and ask you to recommend some good ones to me. Here is my top 5 (in no particular order):

Tomorrow, When the War Began - John Marsden (and the 6 more books in the series).

I discovered this series late. It was only 2 years ago that I picked up the first book. I had always liked John Marsden's work (in fact, he's one of my inspirational people), and saw 'Tomorrow' in the library. I was instantly hooked and devoured the next 6 in quick succession.
Even though it's teen fiction, there's enough bite in it to make it great reading for an adult.


Magician - Raymond E Feist (and the multiple-book saga that follows it).

The first three books in this series are books I can read again and again and again. I was never a big fan of fantasy fiction until I read this series. I'm still not, but I love the weird combination of dragons, aliens, magicians and royal intrigue. Great stuff!


The Stand - Stephen King.

This book is nowhere near as gross as some of his other books, but I love the story. It's nasty and creepy and political; one of those books that makes you wonder about where humanity's going. It's probably a bit outdated now (it was written in the 70s), but I'm *just* old enough to understand the pop culture and other references.


Gridlock - Ben Elton.

Ben Elton is one of my favourite writers (his TV as well as his novels). I love his warped sense of humour and the way that his green sensibilites creep into everything he does. This is my favourite of his novels. I love the surprises that happen all the way through, and the 'almost' happy ending.


And.... I can't decide on a 5th! Perhaps you can help me! In the original message I sent to Mrs P, I named '19 Minutes' by Jodi Picoult as my 5th most favourite. But I think it depends on my criteria. The books I've mentioned above are all books I could read over and over again. I'm not sure that anything by Picoult is one of them! She does write gripping, compelling novels, but they leave you drained and sad. That's OK sometimes, but I'm not sure if I could read them over and over. I'm reading 'My Sister's Keeper' by her at the moment, which is probably a little too close to home for me, but I am enjoying it so far.

And then there's another of my favourite authors, Bill Bryson. I love the way he writes: alternately dry and hilariously funny, but also eloquent. He knows his stuff, and I thought 'A Walk in the Woods' was terrific (my other possible 5th).

But I've also enjoyed other books for other reasons. 'The Life of Pi' by Yann Martel, for it's bizzare, sad storyline; 'The Bride Stripped Bare' by anon (Nikki Gemmel) for it's in-your-face-ness; and I've loved a range of biographies (often of people I was never interested in, in the first place).

So you can see my dilemma. The first 4 are easy, but then it gets tricky. And I'll probably go away and think of another 10 that I love.

Perhaps you can help? What are your favourite books/authors? Perhaps I'll find a new favourite.