Angieville

A little while ago, Book Riot published an article on "one-sitting books." The post was part of their Read Harder challenge and included suggestions for books you might be able to inhale in a day, should you be so inclined. Though making a habit of it would likely wreak havoc on my health, I love it when a one-sitting book reveals itself to me out of the blue, when I find myself swallowed up in a novel and it dawns on me that I'm going to be finishing it in one gulp. That, in fact, I don't really have much of a say in the matter—the characters, the writing, the sheer magic of it all have me in that much of a glorious stranglehold. So I thought I'd share a list of titles I actually did read in one 24-hour period the very first time I cracked them open. These memories are all choice ones for me, as evidenced by the fact that the sights and sounds of where I was when I read them are imprinted in my memory. I can still feel the slats of my son's crib pressi...

. . . in the wee hours last night. And I am suddenly eighteen again and everything is crazy sweet and hopeful.

Some mornings when I'm up early and it's just me and my oldest boy awake in the house, wandering around pulling out cereal bowls and wiping away sleep, I pull my feet up on my chair and I start telling him about the book that kept me up late the night before. I tell him about the parts I know he might connect with, that might start the beginnings of a smile on the corner of his face the way they do on mine. Like when Park lets Eleanor read X-Men comics over his shoulder on the bus. Or how Puck and Sean Kendrick ride Corr above the bloodthirsty beaches of Thisby. Or that golden day when Peter and Tiger Lily lie in the tall grass and watch the wild horses run. But then when he inevitably asks if he can read it as soon as I'm done, I'm forced to answer sometimes that he can't. More often than not because there's some little thing in it, some element, some dialogue, some scene that makes it so I can't just hand it to my 10-year-old boy. And I feel sad. I want ...

. . . and that book? That beautiful book kills me dead.

So I finally broke down and ordered an actual physical copy of Raw Blue by Kirsty Eagar a couple of weeks ago. Because I couldn't go any longer without having it in my house, in my hands. Yes, yes, I know I already do have it in ebook form on my Nook, and that's all fine and dandy. But I've been itching to reread it something fierce lately. And for some reason I haven't been able to bring myself to reread the ebook. Why? Well, honestly, I was stumped for awhile. I'm a serial rereader, for one thing. Rereading is extremely important to me. I can finish a book for the first time and know instantly if it's going to be one I'm going to want to experience again or not. And if it is, I must own a physical copy. It has to sit on my shelves, so I that I can see it when I pass through the room and reach out and touch the spine to reassure myself of its presence if need be. When it's just one of many files on my ereader, I can't do any of those things. I sim...

So thanks to my lovely booktwin Martha's tweet , I ran across this article over at Thought Catalog , entitled "You Should Date an Illiterate Girl."  And honestly I have very few words beyond that it's the best thing I've read in awhile. Breathtakingly written, it made me think, try on several different perspectives, and feel so many things so strongly that I was in tears before I knew it. The good kind of tears. And before you say it, yes, I realize I'm pregnant and such a feat is much easier accomplished right now than under normal conditions. But still. Hormones aside, the entire second page of this piece is superb. And the last paragraph is incredible. A warning: the language is strong and pervasive. The first page may make you upset, even angry. But keep reading. It's ridiculously worth it. A favorite section: Date a girl who doesn’t read because the girl who reads knows the importance of plot. She can trace out the demarcations of a prologue and ...

One of my favorite things about the boy-who-would-become-my-husband when we first met was that he was always reading and talking about what he'd read. He reads anything, though the scales usually tip in favor of poetry and nonfiction. Better yet, he was interested in what I was reading and he would listen to me go on and on about my most recent character/book/author obsession without any apparent fatigue. In fact, he wouldn't just listen. He'd ask questions. He'd remember what I said and why I loved it. And sometimes. Sometimes he would ask me to read them to him.  Another favorite thing about this particular boy is he loves road trips. He loves getting out of Dodge. And the ride itself is part of the pleasure. Since I feel the same exact way, it didn't take us long to put the two pastimes together and start reading aloud on our drives. We've gone thousands of miles now, with the landscape and the words flying by. And sometimes, if we just can't swing getti...

Just a few interesting places to stop on your rounds this Monday morning: You've heard me go on enough about the wonder that is Megan Whalen Turner 's Queen's Thief series. Well, now (for a limited time) you can read the first book-- The Thief -- for free online over at Harper Collins' site . Go see what I've been blathering on about. If you're looking for another push, go read Ana's review of the latest installment over at The Book Smugglers .  Next, (because I can't help myself and I loved the book and they're making a a movie!) here is the official movie trailer for Beastly --the film adaptation of Alex Flinn 's novel.    Who can say for sure? But it's got NPH and this can only be a good thing. Really, if you haven't read the book and you enjoy B&B retellings, definitely give it a shot.  And lastly, the story of a father-daughter reading streak that will leave you feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Seriously, if you don...

In the Big Bed WILL: Why did it call the children heartless? ANGIE: I think it meant they were able to leave their families, forget about it all, and fly away with Peter. WILL: *nods*   I would. ANGIE: I can't imagine being able to resist. On the way into bed ANGIE: You're not going to fly out the window tonight if Peter comes while I'm sleeping, are you? WILL: I hope so! ANGIE: Well, I'll be sure to leave the window open for you just in case. So you can come back. WILL: It's a deal, Mommy. WILL: *snuggles up in his bed and goes to sleep* ANGIE: *sobs quietly into her pillow* Fin.