Good Reading

Yesterday I asked everyone what you wanted to hear me (see me?) talk about. Lulu asked about what books Amy likes to read and what I liked as a child.

At the moment, Amy is going through a horribly independent phase and I am NOT ALLOWED to read books to her on pain of toddler screams. All books must be read ALONE and away from everyone. She will bring a book to me if she wants me to validate something (‘Dis cat?’ ‘Yes, that is a cat’) for her, but that is it.

When I do get a chance to read to her (when she is feeling sooky, or tired) I have some favourites of hers as well.

This is a counting book by Graeme Base with various animals on each page. The best bit about it is that there are recurring frogs in every scene and there are generally hidden animals in the drawings as well. Amazing book, simply for it’s illustrations.

This book I think I bought more for me than for Amy. One of my best memories is Dad playing his guitar and singing Puff the Magic Dragon to me. Every chance I get, I make him sing it to Amy now.

Amy has a book of colours and this is her favourite page. Not because it is pink, (if anything red or orange would be her preferred colours) but because there is a ‘bablooooon!’ And ‘shoooos!’ on the page. I refuse to show the front cover because it is an American book and the title ‘Colours’ is spelt incorrectly. (For me)

It is a classic, but I still love it. Amy will sit more still for these stories than she does for others. Some days I can even get 2 or 3 pages read before she decides she wants to do it herself.

I think Amy loves this book so much because we sing it, rather than read it. It also has balloons and a dog to point out.

I can never resist Dr Seuss. Fox in Socks is my favourite along with The Lorax.

Our favourite part of the story is the end when all the tweetle beetles battle in a bottle with their paddles, and the bottles on a poodle and the poodles eating noodles….they call this a muddle puddle tweetle poodle beetle noodle bottle paddle battle. (Is it bad that I know that by heart?)

Amy giggles every time.

I couldn’t take a photo of Amy’s most favourite book though, because she is fast asleep cuddling it. That one is ‘Each, Peach, Pear, Plum’ and I love reading it. Very simple words and not a long story at all.

This was my favourite book when I was very little. I know now that Mum hated it and I reckon I probably made her read it twice a day. Sorry Mum.

When I was older I loved anything and everything by Enid Blyton, The Silver Brumby by Elyne Mitchell, The Chronicles of Narnia etc. You could generally always find me with my nose in a book.

Nowadays not that much has changed, except the amount of free time I have to do it in.

This is my bookshelf in the dining room.
1- Fiction. Nothing amazing.
2- James Herriots complete works. A couple of the Dune books.
3- More fiction. Marion Bradley, Barbara Taylor Bradford, Jackie Collins. Junk food for my brain.
4- Robert Jordon’s Wheel of Time Series.
5- Various new books. All fiction, all very good.
6- Sara Douglass. 2 of her trilogies. Great fantasy writer.
7- David Eddings. Lots of his books.
8- Christopher Paulini’s Eragon series. Trust me, the book is TONS better than the movie.
9- Robin Hobb. X4 of her trilogies. Great fantasy writer.
10- Amy’s books!
11- Cook books.
12- Angela’s Ashes and ‘Tis by Frank McCourt. Circle of Nine Trilogy by Josephine Pennicot and Dave Pelzer’s 3 books (‘A Child Called It’ is the first book).
13- John Marsden’s Tomorrow series and Ellie Chronicles.
14- DVD’s. Because I am not all literary and posh all the time.

And below is my bookshelf in the study.

I have 2 bookshelves in the study this size. Since I was able to put most of my books in the dining room, these bookshelves aren’t overflowing anymore. I used to have just as many books stacked in front of the shelves as were on them. Ooops.

Eventually I want to have my entire dining room with floor to ceiling bookshelves, just so I can stand in the middle of it and spin around.

I might just love books a little too much.

Thankyou Lulu, this was a great fun post to write. I enjoyed it.

Burgh Baby’s Mom? Barbara? And Susan? I will try and have your posts up in the next few days. Everyone else, you can feel free to suggest things you want to see me write about.

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And to finish off, a pox on Telstra! A pox I tell you! They went out to my exchange, fiddled with my line, declared that there is a problem and decided that they don’t know when they are going to fix it.

Oh yes, they will fix it. Just not today. Or tomorrow. Or anytime that they can put a date on.

(The date on the computer systems? was November 10 2011. Yeah, I’m not going to wait that long)

I have to ring back on Friday to see if they know anything more. Until then, dialup all the way baby. Still.