books

We went to the library yesterday.

I don't know why it's so hard for  me to schedule a time to go regularly.

I guess 'cause pretty much everything is hard for me these days....

Once upon a time, we went to the library every. single. Thursday.

Now that we live 'out of county' and have to pay $40 a year for a card,

not utilizing the library is wasting of money.

Anyways.

After about 6 weeks of having an empty library basket,

it's full again (along with another box!)

and besides the occasional fighting over books,

the house is always so nice and quiet for a few days after we visit the library :-)

(which makes it especially crazy that I don't make library trips more of a priority ~ I love quiet!)

a little funny:

I ran upstairs to pick up a few books,

and the girls went with me.

Lexi picked up a book, How to Run Your House Without Your House Running You, or something like that.

I told her to put it back; she didn't want that book.

She assured me that she really did.

I told her it was a book about cleaning your house, and she happily put it down.

"A book about cleaning your house?" Lily asked incredulously,

"I already know how to do that. Why would anybody even write a book about that?!"

She just thought it was the silliest thing ever.

I didn't tell her I once bought a book called The House that Cleans Itself...

What's in our library basket:

Nate the Great books (I love these. I read them to myself, sitting right in front of the basket :-)

Putter and Tabby, of course

Henry and Mudge 

(these, I do not like and the kids know I'm more likely to say 'yes' when they ask em to read to them if it's not a Henry and Mudge. 

I forced myself to read one last night. out of love. If you must read a H&M, Annie's Perfect Pet isn't too bad)

A few Beatix Potter books

Amelia Bedelia (these are painful for me to read, also)

(Suprisingly, no Fancy Nancy this time)

What Mommies / Daddies do best

(This book I saw years ago at the bookstore, and thought it was sweet, but didn't note the title or author. I've thought about it over the years, and even looked for it at the bookstore a time or two. I found it looking for a different book yesterday and was so tickled)

Hardy Boys (another duh)

I grabbed a few books for Brandon, but I can't recall now what they were.

It's kinda hard to pick books for him.

The stuff written for young teens now-a-days is often inappropriate, in my opinion,

and I'm just not familiar enough with older books (especially for boys!) to know what to choose.

He's a little leery of my choices anyways; I've used book guides before and gotten many award-winning books for him, but they often have sad parts in them, and he hates sad in books!  Now, sometimes, he just has to read sad stuff (much of history involves sad stuff!) 

but I don't want his pleasure reading to cause him undue angst.

He's not real eager to pick out his own books (beyond the few series / authors he knows he likes)

which I totally understand - the choices are overwhelming, and it's hard to know in just a few minutes if its a good option or not.... 

Any recommendations would be appreciated

For myself, 

I grabbed I'd Like to Apologize to Every Teacher I Ever Had and Kate Morton's The Secret Keeper from the new release section

and High Fashion Sewing Secrets from the World's Best Designers

and a cookbook/memoir written by Italian sisters.

I told Tyler wheat-free people probably ought not read Italian Cookbooks.

I've also been reading Grace-Based Parenting (again) and Desperate, a book that I apparently pre-ordered and promptly forgot about 'til I received notification that it was scheduled to arrive Christmas Eve.  Like any good husband would, Tyler wrapped it, Amazon box unopened, and put it under the tree.

I'll start Stepping Heavenward, soon, too, since I try to read it every January.

Last but not least, we checked out Curtis Stone's cookbook again at Josiah's request.

I should probably buy it for the kid. He loves that book!

He's got about 10 recipes marked with scraps of paper

and was thrilled to discover his old bookmark, still marking the recipe for Pomegranate Martinis.

"Why do we need that?" he laughed; "We already know how to make Pomegranate Martinis!"

(As I type, they house is silent, except for the noise of heaters and the hum of appliances. Everyone is reading.)

So.

What are you reading? And should I read it, too??