Category: RecoMonday

Lately Clark has been obsessed with this Christmas book we checked out at the library.  He asks me to read it to him at least 3 times a day (who knows how many times he asks Dan to read it).

The first time I read it I was concerned that the author was not going to have Santa Claus come, that perhaps Little Bear would learn that Big Bear and Mommy Bear are the ones who eat the treats and put gifts in the stocking.  But Santa did show up, though no one did ever see him.  It’s a very cute book.

Well, I know I’m one of the last to finish the Harry Potter series, but I thought I’d write a quick entry about it anyway. I absolutely loved the 6th and 7th books of this series. I read both of them in the last few weeks and do not remember the first 4 books being that good! If I had remembered how good they were, I certainly would have been as excited about the new books coming out as others have been. I might go back and read through all of them again to remember everything from before. I read the original 4 books back in college, probably 5 years ago. Then I waited a few years and read the 5th one after it’d been out a while. The last two were a great climax and finish.

J.K. Rowling really came up with a great story and wonderful characters and twists along the way. I was wretchedly sad to think that Harry Potter would have to die at the end of the novel and was happy to find out he didn’t. Ginny and him end up together, which was what I hoped throughout the series, as well as Ron and Hermione. Of course others had to die along the way, but that is the way it goes. Overall a wonderful series that I look forward to reading with my own children when they get old enough.

I just read Little Women for the first time. I know almost every girl my age has probably already read it because it’s one of those classic stories. It took me a little while to get into it at first, but once I did I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think most copies of the book nowadays have the sequel included, but the one I checked out from the library was the original book sold by Louisa May Alcott. Little Women was an instant success and Alcott then wrote the sequel called Good Wives. Today they are most often sold as one book under the title of Little Women. Good Wives picks up 3 years after Little Women ends. Meg gets engaged at the end of Little Women and waits three years for her fiance to provide a home for them. As the sequel hints, the other girls find their spouses and get married later on. I had never heard of Good Wives before, so I had to wait a week or so to get it at my library. I finished it quickly once I got it.

According to Wikipedia, Alcott later wrote Little Men and Jo’s Boys (which followed the lives of the girls’ children), and An Old Fashioned Girl, Rose in Bloom, and How They Turned Out. I might have to look at some of these as well.

I appreciated all the moral teachings in the book. You can tell that Alcott was very religious and her books are clean and safe for children to read. I definitely recommend these books.

Our favorite picture book this week was:

A chair for Baby Bear by Kaye Umansky – I think my son likes babies and bears – so a baby bear was especially good

What Aunts do Best: What Uncles do Best by Laura Joffe Numeroff – Great book idea; a book I’d like to give to my nieces/nephews

We obviously like Laura Joff Numeroff at our house!