And You Say I Have Too Many Books?

For more wordless photos,

go to Wordless Wednesday.




Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken and then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky at West Metro Mommy Reads.

Ten Authors That Live Happily on My Shelves

Now this was an easy post to write. I don't keep many books these days. Just the good ones. The really, really good ones.

So...what authors do I have most on my shelf?


Ray Bradbury (7)...Seven books, including Illustrated Man and Martian Chronicles


William Steig (5)...Four, including Sylvester and the Magic Pebble and Rotten Island


Maira Kalman (4)...Four, including Principles of Uncertainty and Looking at Lincoln


Robert McCloskey (3)...Three, including Blueberries for Sal and Make Way for Ducklings


Wallace Stegner (3)...The Spectator Bird, Crossing to Safety, and Angle of Repose


Antoine de Saint-Exupery (3)...The Little Prince, in three different languages


Carol Shields (2)...Happenstance and The Box Garden


Edward Eager (2)...Half Magic and Seven-Day Magic


Elizabeth Berg (2)...Talk Before Sleep and Open House


Pearl S. Buck (2)...Two copies of The Good Earth


Marilynne Robinson (2)...Two copies of Gilead



Update:  Little Book Pixie just shared the idea of using a Goodreads button to figure out which author one has read the most. Thank you! Here are my results:

Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance: Most Read Authors

		author	books read
1		Dr. Seuss	30
2		Alexander McCall Smith	17
3		Elizabeth Berg	16
4		Beverly Cleary	15
5		Janet Evanovich	14
6		Kathleen Krull	11
7		Terry Pratchett	10
8		Haruki Murakami	9
8		Bill Bryson	9
8		Anne Lamott	9

What authors are living happily on your shelves?

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because we are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. We'd love to share our lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

Each week we will post a new Top Ten list that one of our bloggers at The Broke and the Bookish will answer. Everyone is welcome to join. All we ask is that you link back to The Broke and the Bookish on your own Top Ten Tuesday post AND add your name to the Linky widget so that everyone can check out other bloggers lists! If you don't have a blog, just post your answers as a comment. Have fun with it! It's a fun way to get to know your fellow bloggers.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?!

What I Reviewed Last Week cover title author review Milly-Molly-Mandy Stories Brisley, Joyce Lankester MMM is a delightful little girl and this book is a charming account of all of her small but lovely adventures. If you are looking for a book that is a...more [edit] Animal Madness: How Anxious Dogs, Compulsive Parrots, and Elephants in Recovery Help Us Understand Ourselves Braitman, Laurel  People aren’t the only creatures that can go crazy. Braitman experiences this firsthand when she acquires a crazy dog, a dog that so desperately neede...more [edit] This One Summer Tamaki, Mariko A graphic novel about an important summer for a young teen and her friend, as the girls grow and change, sometimes connecting and sometimes irritating...more [edit] The Summer Book Jansson, Tove A grandmother and her young granddaughter come to stay on an island for the summer. The mother of the granddaughter, we soon learn, has recently died....more [edit] The Week Before the Wedding Kendrick, Beth  The cover hints at the story: a beautiful bride stands in her gown with a dog tugging urgently on the hem. No dog in the story, but you get the metaph...more [edit] My Salinger Year Rakoff, Joanna  Joanna Rakoff’s first job out of college is a dream job working for a prestigious literary agency that represents, among others, J. D. Salinger. The A...more [edit] A Long Way from Verona Gardam, Jane Oh my goodness. I’ve just finished a book that has rocketed to the top of my list, and toppled all the other books nearby. It’s my new Favorite Book o...more [edit] Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea Verne, Jules A crazy man guiding the ship who has given up on mankind and who refuses to stand on dry land. A coral cemetery. Passing through the Suez. Atlantis. A...more [edit] A Dog So Small Pearce, Philippa Ben wants a dog. Sadly, Ben can’t have a dog. Ben and his family live in London and London is no place for dogs. Then Ben’s grandpa promises to get hi...more [edit] The Dolphin Crossing Walsh, Jill Paton John and Pat, two boys from completely different worlds, meet and become friends in England. Both boys are disappointed to be just a little too young...more [edit] Ordinary Jack (The Bagthorpe Saga, #1) Cresswell, Helen I fell in love with all the characters in this book, the members of the crazy Bagthorpe family. The story centers on Jack, who feels too ordinary in c...more [edit] The Brothers Lionheart Lindgren, Astrid Karl is dying. His older brother, Jonathan, comforts him with stories about the hereafter, a place he names as Nangiyala. Oddly, Jonathan dies first a...more [edit]

What I'm Reading Now

What are you reading today?!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? is where we share what we read this past week, what we hope to read this week…. and anything in between!  This is a great way to plan out your reading week and see what others are currently reading as well… you never know where that next “must read” book will come from!

I love being a part of this and I hope you do too! As part of this weekly meme Book Journey loves to encourage you all to go and visit the others participating in this meme. 

How Alvin, Texas is Like Paris, France

It's July and you know what that means:  lots of my favorite bloggers are spending the month writing post after post about Paris in July. Posts about fabulous Parisian food. Posts about fabulous Parisian sites. Posts about fabulous Parisian books. Posts about fabulous Paris. On and on.

Before you know it, you find yourself filled with acute jealousy. We can't all go to Paris every summer. And Paris is truly fabulous. Oh, the longing to go there.

But wait. Yes, Paris is fabulous. But my hometown, Alvin, Texas, is pretty darn fabulous, too. And what is that old saying? "If you can't have what you like, then like what you have," right? 

So let's do a taste test and see how my town weighs in: Paris vs. Alvin.

  

Paris has cobblestones; Alvin has paving stones.

 

Paris and Alvin both have great old buildings.

 

Both Paris and Alvin have fun places for children to play.

 

Paris has Shakespeare and Company. Alvin has Laid Back Books. 

There's art in Paris and art in Alvin.

 

People like to carve in trees in both places.

  

We find fountains near Paris and in Alvin.

 

Outdoor cafes? Paris, check. Alvin, check.

 

It's easy to find pigeons in Paris and Alvin.

 

Of course you can find amazing desserts in Paris,

but did you know there is a wonderful dessert shop in Alvin, too?

 

Beautiful churches.

 

Picturesque bridges.

 

Starbucks in both.

 

Statues.

 

Flowers.

 

River Seine. Mustang Bayou. 

 

Stained glass.

 

Water birds nearby.

 

Amazing parks.

 

More statues.

 

"Viva la France!" "We love America!"

 

Both Paris and Alvin have exceptional restaurants...

 

...and both have exceptional museums.

 

Lots of bicycles in Paris and Alvin.

 

Fabulous markets in Paris; Froberg's in Alvin.

Wine in Paris; wine in Alvin. 

(And we have a real winery just down the road!)

 

Paris may have its Eiffel Tower, but we in Alvin love our oil derricks. 

Good job, Alvin. Alvin, Texas is like Paris, France, I think. Perhaps some "I love Alvin, Texas!" t-shirts? Coffee mugs? Bumper stickers? 

Ah, J'aime Alvin!

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. To participate in Saturday Snapshot: post a photo that you (or a friend or family member) have taken and then leave a direct link to your post in the Mister Linky at West Metro Mommy Reads.

Full disclosure:  I took all the photos from Alvin, on the right, and most of the photos of Paris and environs, on the left (though a couple of the Paris photos were taken by my sister and my niece). My husband squired me around during the Alvin photo shoot. For more info about cool spots around Alvin, take a look here: Joe's Barbecue, Froberg's Farm, Laid Back Books, Gordon Street Pub, Norma's Cakes, Nolan Ryan Center, Helen's Flowers, Alvin Depot, Alvin Historical Museum, Goose Gallery, Suncatcher Stained Glass, First Presbyterian Church of Alvin, National Oak Park, City of Alvin.