Tuesday, April 21, 2015

R is for Reading

or What I'm reading now
or What's on my nightstand

I think that I am like many and read several books at the same time. I like to have one for every mood. Well, maybe not every mood, but I do like to have a few to choose from depending on what strikes my fancy at any one point in time. Or maybe what I'm trying to say is I can't always make up my mind. Or I don't know. Maybe I'm saying its time to look at the books. In the post that is.

Currently on my nightstand:


From bottom up:

A Gardener's Weather Bible by Sally Roth
I have not seen a book quite like this before. It describes different kinds of weather systems, how they form, and how to garden in them.  For example, there's a chapter on wind that starts with wind currents around the earth, how storms form, etc. and then moves on to how to build a wind break for your garden. I am finding it quite interesting reading.

Off the Beaten Path--Utah by Michael Rutter
This is one of the areas we're considering for our next vacation. I think the rest of the books on this subject are downstairs.

Why Did The Chicken Cross the World? by Andrew Lawler
This is a book that Wally gave me because he said it was my kind of book. And I think he was right. The book looks at the evolution of the chicken with a historical perspective. It is really quite fascinating and I had no idea how important chickens have been throughout time. I've learned some really interesting facts from it. Too bad, I can't remember any to share with you right now.

The Milly-Molly-Mandy Storybook by Joyce Lankester Brisley
These are read aloud stories about a little girl's everyday life with her friends and her family. I first heard about these books from Sarah at Everyday Life on a Shoestring. And one day out of the blue, they showed up in the mail from her. :) When I want a very pleasant, calm story to go to sleep by, I read from Milly-Molly-Mandy. I've also shared them with some of my younger friends.

A bit of trivia about Milly-Molly-Mandy. This is from a comment I found on Amazon by the author's granddaughter.
This book has been a staple in my family for generations, as I am the great-grandaughter of the author! I am thrilled to be sharing it with my OWN child. What a pleasure it is to see these wholesome tales (based on the adventures of JLB's daughter (my grandmother) as a young girl in Holland) stand the test of time. I would highly recommend these stories. Milly Molly Mandy was originally published on the Children's Pages of the Christian Science Monitor in 1925. It was assumed by many readers that the stories take place in England, because of the book's first mass publishing in Great Britain. I am very proud of my Dutch heritage (as well as my famous relative), & wanted to be sure the readers knew where the stories originated from.


Before the Poison by Peter Robinson
This is a mystery in which Chris, who is grieving the death of his wife, decides to get away from it all and buys a large house back in England where he grew up.  Sixty years ago, a man died there and his wife was convicted and hanged for the murder. Chris becomes curious (obsessed as other's see it) to find out what really happened and if the wife did indeed commit murder. This book is for my book club and I haven't quite finished. If you've read it, don't tell me the ending.


The Best of Archie Comics featuring Betty & Veronica
When I saw this book, I was feeling a bit of nostalgia, so I checked it out to read. I didn't realize it, but they've been writing Archie comics since the 1940's so I imagine that there are a lot more people out there who read Archie comics in their youth besides me. In addition to the comics, different writers comment on the comics and the stories that have been told with Betty and Veronica. I am enjoying my trip down memory lane, but does any one else wonder what Betty and Veronica see in Archie? Also, I've wondered this for a while. When did comic books become graphic novels?


Maybe next time, I'll show the pile of library books that are in the den. :)