A Summer Full Of Books

This hot, humid summer has kept me at home more than usual. My excursions have been put on hold until cooler weather. Staying home has given me extra time to read. I've always had a schedule for reading; my Bible and a devotional book right after breakfast, children's books at lunch, mid-afternoon short read, and novels before bed.

I read children's books at lunch because they are short and I don't sit there nibbling until I reach the end of a chapter. I'm reading through my collection of Little Golden Books. I have enough to keep me reading for a while. So far, I've read 106 and I haven't read all the ones on the top shelf. There is another full shelf below it. Can you guess I love them? I will admit the story line in a lot of them is not so good. Of course, there are great ones especially everything written by Margaret Wise Brown. So, you ask "why do you collect them? It's the illustrations. Little Golden books have amazingly, talented illustrators.

For my mid-afternoon short read I'm reading Caldecott winners and honorees. The Caldecott Medal, named in honor of nineteenth-century English Illustrator Randolph J. Caldecott, was first given in 1937. It is awarded annually to illustrators and artists who have created the most distinguished picture books for children.

Do you see a pattern in my reading? Illustrations! I'm a big, big fan of beautifully illustrated children's picture books.

One of my favorite author/illustrators is Beatrix Potter. Her tiny books with realistic animals who have incredible names,  cute clothes, and cozy little homes just make me happy. The illustrations in these books are based on the area where Potter lived, her homes, and her friends. And then there's the added bonus that those animals all talk! I've read all twenty-four of her tiny books, beginning with The Tale of Peter Rabbit and ending with "A Tale of Little Pig Robinson.

Reading those delightful tales led me to another series of books I read by Susan Wittig Albert. Albert brings Beatrix Potter to life in her adult fiction books. I enjoyed all eight in the series which began with The Tale of Hill Top Farm and ended with The Tale of Castle Cottage. Her books, though fiction, are based on facts and take you through the adult life of Beatrix Potter. They were such enjoyable reading. One of the most delightful parts was that the animals talk just like in the Peter Rabbit books!

As I read Potter's little books and looked at her illustrations, I began to really admire her and wanted to read more about her life. She was an amazing person. You know that random question occasionally asked "If you could spend a day with a famous person who would it be?" My answer is Beatrix Potter! I would love to spend the day with her at Hill Top Farm or Castle Cottage. Beatrix Potter called herself a part of "children that never grow up" an illusion to another children's hero, Peter Pan. I think she and I would have been kindred spirits.

   

I even honored her in a couple of my "junk journal" pages. The one on the left has a picture of Hill Top Farms. The right page has one of her delightful bunny illustrations. Ignore the Mr. Goodbar candy wrapper. These pages were made using prompts, the candy wrapper being one. 

Some novels I've read this summer:

The Book Charmer and A Cup of Silver Lining

by Karen Hawkins

They were both whimsical and easy to read books, yet they were insightful into family and small-town relationships. I probably should mention that there just might be talking books and magic teas in them, but who doesn't need a little fantasy now and then! After all, we all loved pumpkins changing into coaches, fairies living under toadstools, and talking magic dragons! Didn't we? 

I also read The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah. This was not an easy read. It is a deep and sometimes heartbreaking story of a family during the great depression.

My latest read was Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy. I've always been a fan of Anne of Green Gables. This book takes us back to Marilla's life before Anne arrived. It was an easy, enjoyable read. I especially enjoyed her wonderful descriptions of nature. 

Things I don't like to read are

mystery series where the person solves numerous murders in the same small town. Seriously? How many murders can one town have?

books with bad language. I do not want my heroes and heroines speaking such words. Surely there's better words to describe feelings than curse words. (just my opinion)

biographies and autobiographies. I find them boring or bragging.

I'll quit clicking these computer keys now. I think I've already been way to long! I wasn't going to write so much this time, but I did it anyway!  To me my blog is a type of journal and the words just flow out! Thank you for sticking with me to the end!

I'll leave you with these words from

A Cup of Silver Linings by Karen Hawkins

"Books are warriors.

If you let them,

they'll fight off

boredom,

pain,

fear,

even loneliness."