Second Quarter Reading

This quarter was a dismal quarter of reading for me personally (at least by the numbers). I spent at least half of the quarter reading Still Me and Surprise Me. Both are new and pretty popular right now, so I could only check them out for 2 weeks at a time and I couldn't renew them. So I made slow, choppy progress through them. I just finished Still Me, so that will go toward my third quarter reading total. 

Excellent

1. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman. My book club decided to pick a book we could read and then watch the movie and this was the book. I had read it before (back in 2014), but I hadn't seen the movie. Such a sad, beautiful book. (The movie was good too, but not as good as the book.)

Great

2. First Comes Love by Emily Giffin. 15 years ago, two sisters lost their only brother in a tragic car accident. Now they both find themselves at a crossroads and must finally confront that loss and the painful secrets surrounding it. I randomly picked up this book on CD when I was needing a book to listen to while I quilted. I had never read a book by Emily Giffin before, but had heard of her and figured I'd finally give her a chance. I enjoyed it so much I immediately started listening to another of her books, Where We Belong, (and I should finish it any day now).

Good

3. The Amazing Mrs. Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman. Mrs. Pollifax is sent on her second mission for the CIA halfway across the world to aid a defecting agent. I started listening to this one soon after finishing The Unexpected Mrs. Pollifax, but kept getting distracted by other books I was reading/listening to and finally finished listening to it this quarter when I had to drive to North Portland to get my bottom, permanent retainer replaced one afternoon. 

Books We Listened to in the Car

From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg. Claudia and Jamie Kincaid run away to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This is one of my favorite books ever and it was so fun to listen to it with the kids!

The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden. Chester Cricket unexpectedly finds himself in the Times Square subway station and makes 3 new friends. This was a fun one to listen to. There are 7 books in the series, but unfortunately the first book is the only one available to listen to.

Peter and the Starcatchers by Dave Barry. The story of how Peter became Peter Pan. Corbyn loved this one, but Peyton did not. I missed some parts of it along the way (because Corbyn was always so eager to listen to it even when I was not in the car) and I always struggle to continue to listen when that happens. 

Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh. Harriet is a spy who writes down everything about everyone in her notebooks. One day one of her notebooks falls into the wrong hands and causes major trouble for Harriet. This one is a classic for good reason. I remember reading it as a child and loved rediscovering it with the kids.

Corbyn's Picks

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. Meg, Charles Wallace, and Calvin go on an adventure through space and time to search for Meg's father who disappeared while working on the tesseract problem. I remember loving this as a child, but found it a little too weird for my liking as an adult. Corbyn and I saw the movie together and I enjoyed the movie more than the book (a rare occurrence for sure) while Corbyn enjoyed the book more than the movie.

Toy Academy by Brian Lynch. Grumbolt is a misfit toy who goes to the Toy Academy to figure out who he is and where he belongs. Corbyn's friend, Emery, loves this book and lent it to us to read. It was a little too dumb for me, but the kids liked it.

The Adventures of Nanny Piggins by R.A. Spratt. Nanny Piggins is a fabulously sassy and impeccably dressed pig who is also a nanny. She is as untraditional a nanny as can be and with her around, there is never a dull moment for the Green children. There are 8 books in this series and I am sure the kids will insist I read all 8 to them. I don't mind too much.

Peyton's Picks

Changes for Kirsten

Meet Josefina

Josefina Learns a Lesson

Josefina's Surprise

Happy Birthday Josefina

We finished the last of Kirsten's books and then moved on to Josefina's books. Josefina Montoya is an American girl growing up on a rancho near Santa Fe, New Mexico, in 1824.