Newberry and Other Book Recommendations

I was reading the BYU Magazine this morning and discovered an article about a professor at BYU who participates in the selection of the Newberry Awards. There was a website with some of his book recommendations that I thought was interesting and useful and I thought I would share it with y'all. Click here for the link. I already put some of his choices on reserve at the library. Stay tuned to my GoodReads to read my recommendations.

Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life

I recently finished a book titled, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. The cover says:

I have not survived against all odds.

I have not lived to tell.

I have not witnessed the extraordinary.

This is my story.

I found this to be a humorous book. I would laugh out loud at many parts. When I would read them to Brad he would say, "That is Jenni funny." Meaning, I find things to be funny that he doesn't. But there was a whole Reader's Digest article about the differences in humor in males and females but that is a whole different blog subject.

Let me quote from the book:

Spilled Linguine

I spilled a package of linguine on the kitchen floor. My immediate reaction was, What a bummer, what a waste. But then: Wait a second, it's going directly into a pot of boiling water. Sterilizing these noodles and cooking them are one and the same. Cool.

Sleep

I love sleeping. I love falling asleep on the couch, in the car, on trains, in the sun. I love getting into bed at night, and whenever possible, sleeping late in the morning. I love beds and covers and quilts and pillows. I just love everything about sleeping.

Potato Chips

When I eat potato chips, particularly the crunchy kettle kind, I find myself looking through the bag for the good chips. Somehow a good chip is one that is extra thick looking, and curled onto itself or folded, as opposed to straight and flat. It is a treat, a victory, to find a really good chip and pluck it from the bag. The thinner, straight, or broken ones aren't nearly as pleasing.

That is what Brad calls Jenni funny. I think it is hilarious! Maybe because I have thought those same things but never considered writing them down. I like how Amy writes what she thinks. I have often thought weird things like this but I have never written any of them down. If I ever started a personal blog it would be titled Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Mom.

My Reading Addiction

I love to read; I always have. I crave the written word like my dead grass craves the sprinklers . When I was younger, my sisters would tease (or torment) me that when I was supposed to be cleaning, instead, I would be distracted by reading something - it didn't matter what. It could be a book, a magazine, a brochure, a program from my younger brother's kindergarten play, a grocery ad, a phone book, a coupon, a receipt - anything.

When I was in elementary school, my goal was to read every book in the city library (I gave up on that when I realized how many nonfiction books existed. I just don't really care about bugs or science or boring stuff).

I can't eat breakfast without reading. Cheerios, milk, and the newspaper just go together like three best friends. You can't leave one out or the others feel bad. I subscribe to the newspaper just so I have fresh reading material at breakfast and to make the cereal and milk happy.

One of my favorite things to do is to spend the day reading. I love it when it rains or snows and I can justify not going anywhere and spend the day cuddled up in a warm blanket with a great book and reading the day away or sitting outside in the shade on a nice sunny day in a comfortable chair with a nice cold glass of lemonade and the newest Mary Higgins Clark book and nothing else to do. Ohh, but that is the problem now...I always have something else to do!

Now that I am the main housekeeper, cook (or milk source), chauffeur, diaper changer, bill payer, caregiver, storybook reader, or in other words MOM. I can't always while away my hours immersed in a good book. So I have discovered a new way to indulge in my favorite pastime while still accomplishing all the tasks I must do in one day.

I listen to books on tape! I actually prefer books on tape rather than CD because tapes are more portable. I wear a cassette Walkman clipped to my jeans with headphones. (In fact I asked for a new cassette Walkman, with a rewind button-yea!, for my anniversary last year and I was so happy when my wish came true. I have already worn out 2 pairs of headphones). I wear the headphones so the story can move with me and the kids can't hear (not that I'm listening to anything inappropriate but Emily will actually listen and murder mysteries aren't exactly appropriate for 5 year olds.)

Books on tape run in my family so to speak. My mom and Vicki listen to a lot of books on tape. Mom loves to listen to George Guidall read The Cat Who books. She often has a book on tape going during the day. Maybe I can say I learned from her example. Books on tape make the drudgery of housework much more interesting. I mean lets face it; mopping the floor is so boring and laundry can be such a pain. But when you are listening to a good book it is actually an incentive to keep working so you can keep listening. Sometimes I actually look forward to a day of cleaning and laundry because I have the companionship of a good book. Try it - your house might be cleaner because of it!

What I'm listening to right now: The First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde (The 5th in the Thursday Next series) Very good!!! Start with The Eyre Affair

Books/authors I like to listen to (a very small sample):

The Cat Who books/Lilian Jackson Braun
Thomas Pitt or Monk series by Anne Perry

Elm Creek Quilt series by Jennifer Chiaverini

Harry Potter/J.K. Rowling (great reader!)

Okay, I'll listen to just about anything but I have to admit that 1776 read by the author was a little boring.

Do you have any good suggestions of what to read/listen to? I'm always looking for something new.