As my little man was dropped off to school today dressed as Beedle the Bard ( The Tales of Beedle the Bard, Standard Edition
)to celebrate World Book Day, I thought I would join in and share what books we are enjoying at the moment and add a few links to other sites that can encourage and inspire.
I don't drink or smoke but boy if they ever invent a book buyers anonymous, I should be their first customer! Books play an enormous part in our lives, for enjoyment, relaxation, information and education and as a wonderful time together as a family (Harry Potter sessions with the whole family in our bed were a particular favourite! Daddy always fell asleep and had to catch up before I read the next chapter and I ended up sobbing in the sad bits as I read!....all adds to the atmosphere I guess..)
All around the house are little piles of books, so I can pick up and carry on with a whole bunch of different subjects and genres wherever I happen to rest. Listing everything I have on the go at the moment might take a while so I will concentrate on a few and if you spot anything in the photos that you want to know more about, just ask!
I have just finished reading Circle of Quiet (Crosswicks Journal)
by Madeleine L'Engle and can't wait to start the next in the series. I can't really tell you what it is about or even describe why I loved it so much - it is just a lovely ramble through life and thoughts and it touched me and made me think.
I am also still reading A Handmade Life: In Search of Simplicity
by Bill Coperthwaite which I have very mixed feelings about. It in turns fills me with hope and despair and at times I get really angry. It is an amazing book and expresses the beauty of living in a truly simple way so evocatively but (and I think this is a big but) it seems to me it is so far away from what is possible in the real world here and now that it is almost a fairy tale. When I look at what a lot of people around me find important and interesting (Celebrities, their next new car, how cheaply they can buy a chicken....) the gap between their lives and his seem insurmountable and these people aren't even at the extreme of consumption and waste. I could rant and cry about this subject for hours and hours but instead I would encourage you to read this book and would love to know what you think if you do?
On the art front I am reading with joy Print Workshop
by Christine Schmidt of Yellow Owl Workshops, it is a fantastic book full of beautiful projects and all the hints, tricks and info you could ever need. It is seriously inspiring and I can't wait to get stuck into some printing as soon as it is warm enough to venture into my outside workshop (the messy and wet things place.)
Jack is reading for a reader-thon( I have no clue how you spell that!) at school in aid of the Roald Dahl Charity. Despite his severe dyslexia he is working his way through The Stone Pilot (Edge Chronicles)
himself while doing a great deal more of his 'reading' by listening to The Sea of Trolls Trilogy by Nancy Farmer on audio CD and by bed time reading from me (still of Valley of Secrets
at the moment, as we have read another few in between). Although he finds reading the conventional way really hard, he loves stories and words and some of the problems we had with getting a proper diagnosis of dylexia were down to the fact that his vocab and understanding of books is so good. I am so glad that the alternative forms of enjoying books - audio CD and downloads onto ipod being just two - are now so widely available as he has almost as a voracious appitite for books as I do and I would have to spend 24 hours a day reading to him to manage all the books he wants to access!
Sam was introduced to the Wimpy Kid books by Valarie when she visited and is enjoying reading those along side a more traditionally British book Arthur High King of Britain
by Michael Morpurgo. Together we are still discovering Kernowland - which I have to admit is not the best series of Childrens books I have ever read but seems to tick all the boxes for a 9 year old boy. I just enjoy the Cornish references and his pleasure and remember that it is for the joy of reading together that we are doing it, not to improve our minds!
Before I go I just want to list some of the places I enjoy finding out more about books:
*Visit Jump into a book to discover wonderful ways to make your books come alive.
*Library Mondays at Bird and Little Bird are also a great way to discover some new reads.
*Bibliosophy is joining in with Yarn along which I find is another good way to get some interesting book recommendations.
Erasmus Our Alaskan Cat's blog is always a good one for a book browse!
I know there are thousands of other great sites that encourage a love of reading and I am sorry if I have forgotten some of your favourites! I'd love it if you would leave some links in the comments if there are some you think would be good to share! Have a great World Book day - happy reading!
