If ever I had a first true love, it was books. Rooms filled with books have made me giddy with anticipation and delight, and stilled me to reverent silence.
I started to write a rather lengthy list of favorites; then I got busy, busy and wound up sending nothing. So, here's my feeble effort at 3 favorites, in no particular order:
I’ve never read The Bridge of San Luis Rey. You can be sure I will read it because you’ve recommended it. I must reread the Scarlet Letter. I read so many classics when I had so little life experience. To read something like that now, as an adult, must be like reading a whole new book. Same with Mockingbird. Especially now that I want to understand how a writer actually crafts a story. When I finish these three I will ask for more recommendations 😌☺️ Thank you!
I first read The Bridge of San Luis Rey as a young readers, maybe 9th grade. The book haunted me, and I re-read it as an adult to see if I would still like it. I was not disappointed.
I read The Scarlet Letter as an adult and thought it was the most beautifully crafted piece of literature I had ever encountered. The prose was so exquisite that I found myself reading portions over and over again because it felt so good to my brain.
As a teacher of gifted students at PS 20 the principal asked me to challenge those students with To Kill a Mockingbird. I had read the book in high school. Now I have read that book about 25 times. A powerful story, beautifully told.
As soon as I saw you mention Francie, I was like, please let her be talking about A Tree Grows in Brooklyn! I'm actually reading it now -- I never spent much time in Brooklyn (just Manhattan), and it's such a treat to be able to see how the city must have looked a century ago. Also agree on Edith Wharton, which makes me think I need to use this as a reading list.
Curious whether you've been burned recently by a book recommendation, or whether there was anything you struggled to finish?
That’s a good question. I think most recently that happened with The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennet. I just could not get into it despite the acclaim and it being recommended by so many people whose opinion I appreciate.
However I’ve come to learn, for myself at least, that sometimes it’s just not the right time to read a particular title. I’ll come back to the Vanishing Half one day because I’m curious and maybe in a few years time I’ll have a completely different experience when I begin to read it.
One of the things I like to do though when I really just cannot get through a book is to just leave it somewhere for a new reader. Like on a park bench or on a subway platform in NY - def can’t do that in Japan because it will be returned. lol.
Loved your list! I literally grew up at the library. We didn't have a lot of money growing up so the library was my everything. I'm currently trying to be a better reader a.k.a. read more than just cookbooks and food media lol.
I'm currently in between two books, Pachinko (adult novel) and Children of Blood and Bone (great Nigerian YA fantasy). My fave books are The Alchemist (I know...super cliche lol) and I really love Pride + Prejudice.
Natalie same! The library was our unofficial after school program and regular weekend haunt. (haha I don't think I've ever use the word 'haunt' like that before) I loved Pachinko - I read it after finishing her novel, Free Food for Millionaires, which was just okay IMO but I wanted to give Pachinko a try because so many people kept recommending it - and I'm glad I did, I tore right through it. I liked it so much I'm hesitant to watch the mini series because I don't want to ruin my memory of the book.
Do you have a favorite cookbook? A couple of years back I picked up Nadiya Hussain's Time to Eat and ended up reaching for it more than I thought I would.
I am loving Pachinko too. I haven't watched the mini series although the ads did look very beautiful. I absolutely love Nadiya...she's just so dang humble and non-fussy with her recipes. I honestly love Mark Bittman's tome How To Cook Everything ....super simple stuff in there to put together in a pinch. I also have to admit that I buy a lot of cookbooks to just read (great stories with photography do it for me!) and not actually cook out of 🤣. I'm a weirdo! haha
Yeah I bought her cookbook after watching her Netflix show. I'll check out Bittman's book. It gets referenced a lot. Have you considered reaching out to publishers to get review copies of their cookbooks? Save on cost of course. You're not obligated to review - but you since you have the platform and talk about cookbooks often, I don't see why you wouldn't (that is if you aren't already :-) of course!)
It may be cliche, but I always come back to The Alchemist as a favorite book. I've read it multiple times and enjoyed teaching it a few years ago when I was an English teacher.
Since college, I've read mostly biographies and various non-fiction works. I'm trying to return to fiction through some of the YA and Teen lit recommended by my middle & high school students. Right now that's Nightingale by Deva Fagan... which is actually NOT something recommended by a student. I saw the cover in the library and was hooked on the summary. (It sounded a lot like an idea I had for a TYA play and I wanted to learn more).
I haven't read The Alchemist in years. I really need to reread it. I'm finding the older I get, the more I gravitate to biographies but I still don't reach for them out of habit. There is a new book about Josephine Baker coming out soon that looks interesting. I've always wanted to learn more about her work as a spy during WWII. Do you have a biography you might recommend for someone easing into the genre?
As for YA and teen lit my niece loved Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch series. I'm reading the City Spies trilogy by James Ponti aloud with my younger two and that's been fun. My older two read a lot of manga these days though my middle one just finished the One of Us Is Lying books by Karen M. McManus. I'll check out Nightingale - I'm always on the look out for recommendations. Thank you Jim!
One of Us is Lying always comes up with my middle school students. Manga, too. I started Demon Slayer at the suggestion of one of my scouts. Good, classic adventure story but it's difficult to adjust to the format. I'm trying!
I really liked The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmond Morris, but definitely check out Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard. Not necessarily a biography, but it looks at the lives of James Garfield, Charles Guiteau, and Joseph Lister ahead of their fateful meetings in 1881. Really good book. Really good.
I’m currently spending a lot of time at school with two young ladies (8/9 yrs old) who’ve had very rough lives already and have become fast-friends with one another. During the short periods when I have just the two of them in my classroom, I’d like to encourage their friendship and personal growth through books that would be relevant to them. Embarrassingly, I wasn’t much of a reader as a young person, so I’d really be thankful for any recommendations you or your readers have for me and these precious young girls. (Historically I’ve had probably 90% male students <sped/behavior>, so a lot of my teaching materials are more geared towards male life experiences.)
How lucky they are to have you in their classroom Jamie and to have found a friendship in one another! A good place to start might be with collected reading lists so you can pick and choose as you know your students!
The website A Mighty Girl (https://www.amightygirl.com/books) has gathered thousands of titles featuring girls as the protagonists and break them down by age, genre etc.
Marley Dias (https://www.marleydias.com/about/) started the #1000BlackGirls database for books with Black girls as the main characters.
We Need Diverse Books (https://diversebooks.org/) is an excellent resource. Kids who are differently abled, neurodiverse, etc. From their website: "We Need Diverse Books™ is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and a grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people."
At that age I was reading Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, things like Harriet the Spy, the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, and Nancy Drew Books. All books I have fond memories of but my goodness there is so much more available now.
I hope this helps and happy to share more. Thanks for being such a compassionate teacher Jamie!
🌹Loved reading this! How important special things that make one happy are....though our available time with them may vary and change. Even envisioned destinations and our lives may change.....and yet, how rich the things that make you happy make your journey.📚
I started to write a rather lengthy list of favorites; then I got busy, busy and wound up sending nothing. So, here's my feeble effort at 3 favorites, in no particular order:
To Kill a Mockingbird
The Scarlet Letter
The Bridge of San Luis Rey
I’ve never read The Bridge of San Luis Rey. You can be sure I will read it because you’ve recommended it. I must reread the Scarlet Letter. I read so many classics when I had so little life experience. To read something like that now, as an adult, must be like reading a whole new book. Same with Mockingbird. Especially now that I want to understand how a writer actually crafts a story. When I finish these three I will ask for more recommendations 😌☺️ Thank you!
I first read The Bridge of San Luis Rey as a young readers, maybe 9th grade. The book haunted me, and I re-read it as an adult to see if I would still like it. I was not disappointed.
I read The Scarlet Letter as an adult and thought it was the most beautifully crafted piece of literature I had ever encountered. The prose was so exquisite that I found myself reading portions over and over again because it felt so good to my brain.
As a teacher of gifted students at PS 20 the principal asked me to challenge those students with To Kill a Mockingbird. I had read the book in high school. Now I have read that book about 25 times. A powerful story, beautifully told.
Enjoy your reading.
As soon as I saw you mention Francie, I was like, please let her be talking about A Tree Grows in Brooklyn! I'm actually reading it now -- I never spent much time in Brooklyn (just Manhattan), and it's such a treat to be able to see how the city must have looked a century ago. Also agree on Edith Wharton, which makes me think I need to use this as a reading list.
Curious whether you've been burned recently by a book recommendation, or whether there was anything you struggled to finish?
That’s a good question. I think most recently that happened with The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennet. I just could not get into it despite the acclaim and it being recommended by so many people whose opinion I appreciate.
However I’ve come to learn, for myself at least, that sometimes it’s just not the right time to read a particular title. I’ll come back to the Vanishing Half one day because I’m curious and maybe in a few years time I’ll have a completely different experience when I begin to read it.
One of the things I like to do though when I really just cannot get through a book is to just leave it somewhere for a new reader. Like on a park bench or on a subway platform in NY - def can’t do that in Japan because it will be returned. lol.
LMK what you think when you finish ATGinBK.
Loved your list! I literally grew up at the library. We didn't have a lot of money growing up so the library was my everything. I'm currently trying to be a better reader a.k.a. read more than just cookbooks and food media lol.
I'm currently in between two books, Pachinko (adult novel) and Children of Blood and Bone (great Nigerian YA fantasy). My fave books are The Alchemist (I know...super cliche lol) and I really love Pride + Prejudice.
Natalie same! The library was our unofficial after school program and regular weekend haunt. (haha I don't think I've ever use the word 'haunt' like that before) I loved Pachinko - I read it after finishing her novel, Free Food for Millionaires, which was just okay IMO but I wanted to give Pachinko a try because so many people kept recommending it - and I'm glad I did, I tore right through it. I liked it so much I'm hesitant to watch the mini series because I don't want to ruin my memory of the book.
Do you have a favorite cookbook? A couple of years back I picked up Nadiya Hussain's Time to Eat and ended up reaching for it more than I thought I would.
I am loving Pachinko too. I haven't watched the mini series although the ads did look very beautiful. I absolutely love Nadiya...she's just so dang humble and non-fussy with her recipes. I honestly love Mark Bittman's tome How To Cook Everything ....super simple stuff in there to put together in a pinch. I also have to admit that I buy a lot of cookbooks to just read (great stories with photography do it for me!) and not actually cook out of 🤣. I'm a weirdo! haha
Yeah I bought her cookbook after watching her Netflix show. I'll check out Bittman's book. It gets referenced a lot. Have you considered reaching out to publishers to get review copies of their cookbooks? Save on cost of course. You're not obligated to review - but you since you have the platform and talk about cookbooks often, I don't see why you wouldn't (that is if you aren't already :-) of course!)
Ohhh I totally didn't even think about that!!! I will be reaching out to pubs to get my hands on cookbooks! Thanks for letting me know 😊
It may be cliche, but I always come back to The Alchemist as a favorite book. I've read it multiple times and enjoyed teaching it a few years ago when I was an English teacher.
Since college, I've read mostly biographies and various non-fiction works. I'm trying to return to fiction through some of the YA and Teen lit recommended by my middle & high school students. Right now that's Nightingale by Deva Fagan... which is actually NOT something recommended by a student. I saw the cover in the library and was hooked on the summary. (It sounded a lot like an idea I had for a TYA play and I wanted to learn more).
I haven't read The Alchemist in years. I really need to reread it. I'm finding the older I get, the more I gravitate to biographies but I still don't reach for them out of habit. There is a new book about Josephine Baker coming out soon that looks interesting. I've always wanted to learn more about her work as a spy during WWII. Do you have a biography you might recommend for someone easing into the genre?
As for YA and teen lit my niece loved Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch series. I'm reading the City Spies trilogy by James Ponti aloud with my younger two and that's been fun. My older two read a lot of manga these days though my middle one just finished the One of Us Is Lying books by Karen M. McManus. I'll check out Nightingale - I'm always on the look out for recommendations. Thank you Jim!
One of Us is Lying always comes up with my middle school students. Manga, too. I started Demon Slayer at the suggestion of one of my scouts. Good, classic adventure story but it's difficult to adjust to the format. I'm trying!
I really liked The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt by Edmond Morris, but definitely check out Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard. Not necessarily a biography, but it looks at the lives of James Garfield, Charles Guiteau, and Joseph Lister ahead of their fateful meetings in 1881. Really good book. Really good.
I watch (and love) Demon Slayer the anime but don't read it.
I did read and enjoyed The Promised Neverland (https://ww4.readneverland.com/chapter/the-promised-neverland-chapter-1/) The anime and live action movie fall way short - but the manga was a lot of fun. Also it's not a super long series with no end in sight like One Piece or Naruto.
I'll definitely check out Millard's book! Thank you for the recommendation!
Thank you. I'll check those out!
I’m currently spending a lot of time at school with two young ladies (8/9 yrs old) who’ve had very rough lives already and have become fast-friends with one another. During the short periods when I have just the two of them in my classroom, I’d like to encourage their friendship and personal growth through books that would be relevant to them. Embarrassingly, I wasn’t much of a reader as a young person, so I’d really be thankful for any recommendations you or your readers have for me and these precious young girls. (Historically I’ve had probably 90% male students <sped/behavior>, so a lot of my teaching materials are more geared towards male life experiences.)
How lucky they are to have you in their classroom Jamie and to have found a friendship in one another! A good place to start might be with collected reading lists so you can pick and choose as you know your students!
The website A Mighty Girl (https://www.amightygirl.com/books) has gathered thousands of titles featuring girls as the protagonists and break them down by age, genre etc.
Marley Dias (https://www.marleydias.com/about/) started the #1000BlackGirls database for books with Black girls as the main characters.
We Need Diverse Books (https://diversebooks.org/) is an excellent resource. Kids who are differently abled, neurodiverse, etc. From their website: "We Need Diverse Books™ is a 501(c)(3) non-profit and a grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people."
I also really like the titles at Lee and Low books for young readers. (https://www.leeandlow.com/)
At that age I was reading Judy Blume, Beverly Cleary, things like Harriet the Spy, the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, A Little Princess, The Secret Garden, and Nancy Drew Books. All books I have fond memories of but my goodness there is so much more available now.
I hope this helps and happy to share more. Thanks for being such a compassionate teacher Jamie!
EXACTLY what I was looking for. THANK YOU!
Teen fav was Mill on The Floss by George Elliot and it started my life long affair with tragic love stories!
Ooh I never read that! Or George Elliot for that matter. I’m going to read it. Thanks Ruchika ☺️
🌹Loved reading this! How important special things that make one happy are....though our available time with them may vary and change. Even envisioned destinations and our lives may change.....and yet, how rich the things that make you happy make your journey.📚
You are of course right! And you are of course the reason I'm such a big reader :)