Sisters. 1963.

A big happy birthday to my sweet little sister, Cathy!

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.

Book Characters I'd Need on a Deserted Island

Here's who I'd take along:


Robinson Crusoe.
Of course. He's been here, done that already.


Timothy from The Cay.
Timothy is another book character who would be invaluable on a deserted island; like Crusoe, he is a pro.


Brian Robeson from Hatchet.
He survived and thrived for a long time on his own in the wilderness after his plane crashed.


Julie of the Wolves.
She lived in the wilds of the Arctic alone. Well, alone except for her wolf companions.


Maniac Magee.
His feats are legendary.


The Joads from Grapes of Wrath.
This family knows how to stare down adversity.


Billy from Where the Red Fern Grows.
I bet he could be a big help on a deserted island. Maybe he'd have his hunting dogs, too.


Hal and Roger Hunt from the classic children's book from the 50's, Amazon Adventure.
These fellows fought natives and piranas and crocodiles.

  
Jack and Annie from The Magic Tree House series.
Jack and Annie seem to do well wherever they go.


Anne of Green Gables.
She'd keep our spirits up.



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 Read Last Week   Remember Ben Clayton was our book club book this month. I finished it just in time for book club, but, sadly, I missed the club meeting as I was getting ready to leave for our son's wedding. Too bad. I heard the discussion was excellent. The Summer Book...it's a classic and it deserves to be. A grandmother and her granddaughter bond at a summer house after the death of the child's mother. Powerful, yet very subtle. Animal Madness and Big Tiny are both books I've been waiting to read since I first heard they were coming out. Neither disappointed. What better book to read while I was off at my son's wedding than The Week Before the Wedding?! I had my hair and makeup done early in the day-of with orders to "keep still" and "stay out of the wind." That is virtually an instruction to sit in my room and read. So I did. Learned a few things about mothers-in-law that fall in the category of Never Do. A nice read, I thought.

What I'm Reading Now

We are back from...

Friday was my son's wedding in Chicago! It was fabulous.

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. 

Be-Happy Books

I've been studying happiness for a while. I've read lots of happiness books. The Happiness Project. 365 Thank Yous. Flow. Learned Optimism. Lots of nonfiction books about happiness.

Then I learned about a website with an interesting take on happiness. At Reading Well, we learn that poor mental health costs the UK 14 billion pounds a year (which, if you are curious, converts to 22.8 billion dollars here in the US). That's a lot of unhappiness.

Reading Well promotes a list of what it calls "Mood-Boosting Books." I've taken this list and consolidated it into a Google Doc for my own reference, but you are welcome to take a look and keep a copy for yourself. Finding this list has set me off on a quest for fiction that promotes happiness. Here are some of my favorite fiction choices:






Enchanted April


The Little Prince


Long Way from Verona



Because of Winn-Dixie



How the Grinch Stole Christmas



Joseph's Yard



The Accidental Tourist



The Secret Garden


Anne of Green Gables



Skellig



Here are some I want to read. (I'd love to hear what you think if you've read any of these. Recommended? Truly mood-boosting?)


Life With the Lid Off


A Winter Book



Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town


Various Pets Alive and Dead


A Sea Change


Life According to Lubka


Thursdays in the Park




And, of course, I must include some you might want to avoid:


Joyce Carol Oates' A Widow's Story


Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar


The Road


The Trick is to Keep Breathing


Nothing

I know that you have recommendations of your own. I hope you will share them with me here.

 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 Read Last Week   This was an excellent week of reading. I can't seem to stop talking about Long Way from Verona.  I happened upon it in my attempt to read lots of 1001 Children's Books this summer, but I never expected it to be quite this good. Now I can't wait to read a second 1001 book by the same author, Jane Gardam. Ruby has to be one of the most beautifully written books I've read in a while, but I should also warn that it contains some of the most tormented characters I've ever met. Bleak. Grim. But beautiful writing. I'm crazy about the Homesick Texan cookbook, too. I had lots of fun making Tortilla Crusted Tilapia this week. It was the jalapeño tartar sauce that made the dish, I think. I raced through Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea. Loved the character of Nemo, who seemed oddly dark, mysterious, and driven. Can't say I loved it all, but I will say I loved parts.

What Came in the Mail Last Week Thank you, Simon and Schuster, for Found Things! And thank you, Guiltless Reading, for Strange Pilgrims!

What I'm Reading Now

I'm not sure how much reading I'll complete this week. On Wednesday we'll be off to...

Friday will be my son's wedding in Chicago! Woo hoo!

Question: Should I take this book along?

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.