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{ Monday, January 15, 2007 }

1:34 AM | link

A little late coming, but here are the books I read in 2006. My goal was to read one a week, but I didn't quite make it. But I did read more than last year, so I'm happy about that!

On the political front, I would recommend Fast Food Nation and Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal to anyone. In children's fiction, I loved Speak, The Folk Keeper, Well Wished, Because of Winn-Dixie, and The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place. Besides Fast Food Nation, there were some others I've been wanting to read for a while and finally did—1984 and His Dark Materials trilogy (The Golden Compass, etc). And the one book I wish every woman would read is Taking Charge of Your Fertility. It ain't just about wanting to get pregnant! However, if you are on the parenthood track, I highly recommend Our Babies, Ourselves.

For more information about each book, see my LibraryThing reviews.
  1. The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place
  2. Two or Three Things I Know for Sure
  3. The House on Mango Street
  4. The Secret Life of Bees
  5. Cat Vs. Cat: Keeping Peace When You Have More Than One Cat by Pam Johnson-Bennett
  6. The Pleasure of My Company
  7. Once Upon a Marigold
  8. Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret
  9. Prep
  10. The Folk Keeper
  11. The Attachment Parenting Book
  12. Bee Season
  13. Fast Food Nation
  14. Monster
  15. The View from Saturday
  16. The Center of Everything
  17. Martin's Mice
  18. Godless
  19. Speak
  20. George's Marvelous Medicine
  21. Because of Winn-Dixie
  22. There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom
  23. 1984
  24. Jemima J
  25. The Golden Compass
  26. The Subtle Knife
  27. Edward R. Murrow and the Birth of Broadcast Journalism
  28. The Birth of a Mother: How the Motherhood Experience Changes You Forever
  29. Thinking Pregnant: Conceiving Your New Life With a Baby
  30. Do I Want to Be A Mom? A Woman's Guide to the Decision of a Lifetime
  31. Little Earthquakes
  32. Iraq: The Logic of Withdrawal
  33. Our Babies, Ourselves: How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Parent
  34. Taking Charge of Your Fertility: The Definitive Guide to Natural Birth Control, Pregnancy Achievement, and Reproductive Health
  35. The Amber Spyglass
  36. American Islam: Growing Up Muslim in America
  37. Well Wished

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{ Sunday, January 08, 2006 }

1:00 AM | link

Progress on my 2006 reading goals: 2 out of 52
  1. The Outcasts of 19 Schuyler Place by E.L. Konigsburg—After reading just the first couple of chapters, I knew I’d love this book. The characters are delicious, especially the main character’s uncles! Their tiffs are hilarious. And at the heart of the story is an interesting discussion of history, art, and property values. I highly recommend this middle-grade novel, even for adults.
  2. Two or Three Things I Know for Sure by Dorothy Allison—This was an interesting memoir, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if I were familiar with any of the author’s other work. But it was a very quick read (less than 100 pages) and wonderful writing.

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{ Sunday, January 01, 2006 }

11:04 PM | link

Last year I kept track of how many books I read, and it was kind of pitiful. For someone who has hundreds of unread books in her house, I'm not making much progress. My total for 2005 was 29. Next year, I'll try for 52. We'll see how that goes...

But here's the run-down of what I read in 2005. My big favorites for the year are in bold, and I would highly recommend them.
  1. The Hip Mama Survival Guide: Advice from the Trenches on Pregnancy, Childbirth, Cool Names, Clueless Doctors, Potty Training and Toddler Avengers by Ariel Gore

  2. Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year by Anne Lamott

  3. How to Write a Children's Book and Get It Published by Barbara Seuling

  4. Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson

  5. Lies My Teacher Told Me: Everything Your American History Textbook Got Wrong by James W. Loewen

  6. A Long Way from Chicago: A Novel in Stories by Richard Peck

  7. Mothering Magazine's Having a Baby, Naturally: The Mothering Magazine Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth by Peggy O'Mara

  8. Frindle by Andrew Clements

  9. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

  10. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (Book 6) by J. K. Rowling

  11. Necessary Dreams: Ambition in Women's Changing Lives by Anna Fels

  12. Some Tame Gazelle by Barbara Pym

  13. Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner

  14. Keep the Lights Burning, Abbie by Peter and Connie Roop

  15. The Blue Jay's Dance by Louise Erdrich

  16. Edwina Victorious by Susan Bonners

  17. Don't Think of an Elephant: Know Your Values and Frame the Debate by George Lakoff

  18. Mr. Popper's Penguins by Richard and Florence Atwater

  19. Until I Find You by John Irving

  20. A Beginner's Guide to Changing the World: A True Life Adventure Story by Isabel Losada

  21. Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

  22. Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America Barbara Ehrenreich

  23. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

  24. Witch Child by Celia Rees

  25. Love That Dog by Sharon Creech

  26. Summerland by Michael Chabon

  27. Please Stop Laughing at Me by Jodee Blanco

  28. The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

  29. Life of Pi by Yann Martel

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{ Sunday, December 11, 2005 }

9:06 PM | link

I just finished reading Please Stop Laughing at Me by Jodee Blanco and thought I'd share my review of it:
I started this book this afternoon and finished it before bedtime. The author's story is engrossing yet so sad. I wasn't popular in school by any means, but luckily I experienced not one iota of what the author had to endure. Hopefully this book will bring bullying to the forefront of parents' and teachers' minds and encourage them to learn more about effective responses to bullying.

My only minor criticism of the book is that I wished the author had commented more on how very lucky she was to have all the resources at her disposal that she did -- a seemingly affluent family that for example, could whisk her out of the country on a moment's notice. My heart goes out to kids who have to deal with bullying without those luxuries.

But I hope more parents, teachers, bullies, and the bullied read this book. Here are some resources that she lists at the back of the book for those needing help or wanting to learn more:
KidsPeace
Bullying Online
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-SUICIDE

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