*Marks ones that have content that may be found questionable.
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury: I’ve read this a few times before, but I find myself looking up parts in it that remind me so much of things in my life. I just grow fonder of this book as time goes by and my little boys grow up. Here's a quote.
“You did not hear them coming. You hardly heard them go. The grass bent down, sprang up again. They passed like cloud shadows downhill . . .the boys of summer running.”
I can’t help but think of this on summer evenings when my boys are running, chasing their own shadows cast by the porch light.
Bradbury writes in a rather poetic style and I know that bothers some people so this may not be for everyone, but being set in the midwest around the time my parents grew up it felt like home to me in many ways. And now with my little boys I can relate to it and them in a new way. I would not recommend the sequel, Farewell Summer, I almost regret reading it myself in a way, but ut if you love this book talk to me about it.
by Gene Stratton-Porter.
The Harvester: David Langston. Sweet love story. Set in Indiana. Adorable animals. Lovely countryside. Read it with a seed catalog nearby so if you feel so inclined you can look up some of the plants.
Girl of the Limberlost: Set in the Limberlost swamps of Northern Indiana this is a story of a girl finding a way to accomplish her goals and it has a love story too. Again, seed catalog and a field guide to moths might be beneficial.
Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. Another that reminds me of my parents. It hurts to read it though, but I imagine that's mostly because of my mother. It is beautifully written.
The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck
This book is a great view at both sides of a Nazi occupied, unnamed European town. It's Brilliant and with the wars our country is involved in it's very relevant today.
by Shannon Hale. I will list them in order of my most favorite on down, but all of her young adult novels are favorites:
Book of a Thousand Days
River Secrets (Book 3 in the Books of Bayern)
The Goose Girl (Book 1 in the Books of Bayern)
Enna Burning (Book 2 in the Books of Bayern)
Princess Academy (she's writing a sequel to this)
Forest Born (Book 4 in the Books of Bayern). This is not actually my least favorite, but being a youngest child like the main character of this book made this book hard to read for me on an emotional level so it wasn't as much fun for me as the first 3.
She has also written novels for adults: Austenland, which if you're a Jane Austen fan you'll enjoy. It's a light read. She's also just written a sequel to this, Midnight in Austenland, which being a murder mystery is not as light as the first but still a fun read. Austenland the movie should be coming out this year too.
The Actor and the Housewife is another of hers that has a seemingly appalling premise, but is well-worth the read. Very well written and not what you think it will be.
She has also written two lovely graphic novels, Rapunzel's Revenge and Calamity Jack (I think Disney ripped off Flynn Rider from him and some of Rapunzel's Revenge too for that matter). They are fun for kids in the 9 year old range I'd say.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury: This story is brilliant although disturbing because what once seemed unfathomable futuristic issues has really his much closer to today's reality than anyone would have believed. Yet I believe too that it shows that there are those that no matter how bad it gets will step back, look and try to do something about it. There is an excellent audio version of this read by the author (although if it's your first time through it might be a little odd) that also has an interview with him at the end. I would also recommend that you read the afterword.
I would also recommend Ray Bradbury's short stories, I've not read them all but all that I have read are brilliantly done.
*The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. I loved this book. I feel like it has universal appeal in the struggle of the son to determine what he chooses to be, which parts all his own and which parts from his heritage, something we all must decide.
She has also written two collections of short stories that I loved although most of them are rather depressing, *Interpreter of Maladies (which she won a Pulitzer Prize for) and *Unaccustomed Earth.
Many of my favorites are already listed on the Books to Beat the Winter Blues and Blahs so look there too.
More to come . . . .
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