Category Archives: Reading

Heidi by Johanna Spyri (translated by Eileen Hall) Grade: A- Heidi is a wonderful story about a young girl who lives in the mountains with her grandfather and who brings cheer into the hearts of everyone she meets. It’s one of … Continue reading →

Children’s Treasury: Best-Loved Verse illustrated by Margaret Tarrant The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly Regarding the Fountain by Kate Klise Boxen: The Imaginary World of the Young by C.S. Lewis

I had the good fortune to read two wonderful books recently: Holes by Louis Sachar (which I had read once before) and Wonderstruck by Brian Selznick (which was new to me). The stories are completely different, but the books are … Continue reading →

It still seems bizarre to me that there are two very different versions of The Hidden Staircase, both attributed to Carolyn Keene. Oh, I know there’s no Carolyn Keene and that both versions were written by ghostwriters (ghost—ha-ha!), but it’s … Continue reading →

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill Grade: B- Heart-Shaped Box is Joe Hill’s first novel. I loved the premise: an aging rocker buys a ghost at an auction website, and the ghost is delivered to his house in a black, heart-shaped … Continue reading →

Emergency Food Storage & Survival Handbook: Everything You Need to Know to Keep Your Family Safe in a Crisis by Peggy Layton Grade: B+ With the number of storms we’ve had that either knocked out or threatened to knock out … Continue reading →

The Secret of the Old Clock (2001 printing) by Carolyn Keene Grade: B+ The Secret of the Old Clock is the first Nancy Drew book. In this story, Nancy meets several people who thought they’d been named heirs in a … Continue reading →

Horns by Joe Hill Grade: A Horns was a Kindle Daily Deal on a day when I was actively using my Kindle for the first time. I had recently read the Wikipedia article on Joe Hill, though I don’t recall … Continue reading →