Books

One of my favorite things to do is read. I particularly enjoy reading juvenile and young adult books. I also enjoy the occasional sociology/psychology book because I really like learning about myself. Here are some of my favorite books:

The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales by Jon Scieszka. This is a hilarious collection of retold and mistold fairy tales and stories. It's very clever and makes me laugh every time.

Michael by Tony Bradman. I bought this book on a trip to London when I was 15. It's a great story about a boy whose teachers say he's a rotten student and will never amount to anything because he doesn't do what they tell him to do. He likes math and reading and art and gym, but he would much rather learn about rocket ships than multiplication facts. I love this book and like reading it to kids because I think it shows that grades and test scores don't always show what they are intellectually capable of accomplishing.

Princess Academy by Shannon Hale. You can't go wrong with Shannon Hale. This is a fantasy book about a young girl who lives in a small mountain mining village. The king's priests have divined that the prince's bride will come out of her village. All the girls of marriageable age are sent away to a Princess Academy. This girl learns quickly and finally discovers some things that she is good at and gains the respect of the other girls, the prince and her village. It's a really great story.

The Twenty-One Balloons by William Pene du Bois. I read this historical fiction book when I was a kid and have never forgotten how much fun it was to read. It's about an explorer who builds a giant hot air balloon with the intent to fly around the world. Well, he doesn't get very far before he crash lands on an island. The island is populated by a very unique group of people. He makes friends with them and is prepared to live with them when the island explodes without anyone getting killed. It's a really great story!

Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls. This is the only book (besides scripture) that I have read more than once. In fact, I've read it 4 times. I read this aloud to my classes and cried every single time. So did many of my students. I love the story of a boy and his dogs. In my opinion it is the sweetest story about love and loss ever written. Where the Red Fern Grows helped me mourn the loss of my little sister-in-law.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I read this book shortly after moving to Mississippi. I love that it is written from the perspective of several different characters. Although it's fiction, I found the book very educational and insightful. I honestly felt transported into 1960's Jackson, Mississippi. It's a story about a young aspiring author who decides to write a book about what it is like to be a black woman working for a white family. She interviews many black housekeepers and learns much more than she bargained for.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Borrows. This is another book that was written in an interesting way. That is a series of letters between the characters. The characters just come to life and it's incredible to me that the writers could give each of them such distinctive personalities. It's about a group of people on a small island in the English Channel which is occupied by the Nazis in WWII. It's a lovely work of historical fiction.

This was a very interesting book to me. It really helped me learn more about myself and others. The insights I gained from it have helped me be more patient and understanding of other people. It also helped me feel more comfortable with who I am and gave me some tools to help me relax and not become as drained in social settings. It busts the myth that being an introvert is bad and means that you're shy, and don't like people. That's not true at all. I really appreciated this book.

There's another book but I can't find a picture of the cover that isn't protected. Anyway, it's called For Women Only by Shaunti Feldhahn. This book helped me better understand men in general and my husband in particular. It is straightforward and honest and uses information gathered from thousands of men to show that men aren't as complicated as women often make them out to be. For Women Only has given me a lot of insights into the minds of men and thereby has helped me communicate more effectively with my wonderful hubby.

What are some of your favorite books??