Forgiveness, Grace, Frogs and Library Love

Happy Eastertide! It's been a long while with little Library Lovin'. Time to remedy that. There's really only one book that I wanted to come on here and share, but first a confession...

We have become "those people".  You know, the ones who say that they have to limit their children to only checking out one laundry basket full of books. The ones who are actually considering buying this bag (in dark navy, please) because they've had book bags break on them once too often and the metal grommets are looking like they just might do the job they're advertised to do. The ones who interrupt writing their blog post to go renew books online, so as to stop accumulating more overdue fees.

Yeah. That's now us.

I don't know how it happened. It's like one day I was priding myself on "only bringing home books that we'll read over and over again" and then the next day, I was like, "Whatever. Throw it in the basket. Let's go." Maybe trying to go the library with a 5 year old, 3 year old and 6 month old is what caused it.

In any case, here we are with our laundry basket of books. It's a good thing I'm actually caught up on the laundry, otherwise we might be in trouble. Also to all you who are in the we-haul-our-books-in-baskets club, I hope you will forgive my arrogance! I get it now! Carry on, warriors.

Where was I again?  Oh yes, a really fun book with a message so appropriate for this Easter season!

Yes, Mo Willems of Pigeon, and Elephant and Piggie fame. At first his characters in this book threw me... what were they supposed to be? Not quite human... somewhat green like amphibians... oh! Frogs! Of course! Because baguettes are French and French people love (to eat) frogs (and baguettes). You gotta love Mo.

The story is all about Nanette's first trip to get the baguette, an errand of great responsibility given to her by her mother. But (spoiler alert) she ultimately fails because she can't resist the baguette's alluring smells. I don't blame her. Who can resist freshly baked bread? I have a friend who is borderline celiac, but didn't learn it until her 20's. Once she did and she gave up all gluten, she would still, from time to time, ask to smell my bread roll or other freshly baked item. Gluten cravings die hard, people.

And for Nanette, they proved too much. Poor girl-frog ate the whole thing before realizing her mistake. What would she do now? I love how the book depicts all the angst she experiences before telling her mom the truth, but what I love more is how her mother forgives her. It's such a perfect picture of grace, told in a way that I think kids can really get. Little Dude loves to read this book and then ask for a baguette afterwards. So I think that means he gets it... right? We're three baguettes in and I'm hoping yes! Though if his understanding of grace and forgiveness is predicated on us buying baguettes then maybe not. However, you gotta admit, it's a pretty yummy way to go about it.

What's been your favorite book lately? (Children's or otherwise?)

A New Library (to) Love

I feel like a bit of a cheat to say this, but...

...I think I found my new favorite library. The outside is nothing spectacular, but of course, like all the good things, it's on the inside. When you walk in the "New Arrivals" are well presented, front and center. The kids' area has a wee... dome? rotunda? with a fresco painted in it of literary characters and a little stage for putting on puppet shows. I love that. There's even a book "store" (a room of used books for sale).

It's just too bad it's in the next town over. (And yes, I *can* hear the snickers of all you folks around me who think that driving to Rohnert Park is an issue. Let's just say, "Different strokes..." mmm, kay?)

Too many cheesy captions to choose from here since we are checking out a new to us library... So I'll just let you fill in the blanks 😉 #insertyourowncaptionhere

A post shared by Sara Rooney (@rooney.sara) on Jul 8, 2017 at 1:13pm PDT

In any case, we loved taking the little field trip this past weekend to a different library - and as a result, I picked up a few books worth sharing:

The Kraken's Rules for Making Friends
So, around here, we are not above the occasional bribe to get behavior we want - i.e. would you just stand still and let me brush your hair, please?! On one such occasion I found a video combining two of the wee girl's favorite things - Lego and ocean-stuff - and it was just the right length for getting her hair brushed and in a pony tail. (If you've got 7 minutes, it's fun and worth a watch.) This was how she learned about The Kraken - so when I saw this book in the library, I knew we had to check it out.

It's definitely quirky, and some of the Shark's rules (yeah, it's actually the Great White who makes the rules) rub me the wrong way - but the overall message "Be the friend that you want to have" and the illustrations, and of course The Kraken, have made this a winner here.

Pancakes, Pancakes!
It was the wee girl who had a very valid insight about this one: "Why is it called PancakeS? There's only one!" Which is true. But it's a great story about how one *really* makes pancakes (you gotta thresh wheat to get the grain, and feed chickens to get eggs and milk cows to get milk, etc...) AND it's illustrated by the beloved Eric Carle (substitute "iconic" if he's not beloved at your house). Even though I find this to be a bit on the long-side for a 2.5 year old, it's actually been the 2.5 year old who has requested this book every day since we brought it home. He likes it a lot (and I do too)!

Today Is Monday
Another Eric Carle one. There's only a few words - but one of them is "ZOOOOUP!" so it's a hit at our house. Apparently, the text is from a song, and the sheet music is included at the back. I have yet to fire up the keyboard and plunk out the tune, but it looks catchy. :)

Songs and Story: Cars
A friend introduced this Disney/Pixar CD series to me. Each CD has a few songs from the movie and then a dramatized (and much abbreviated) narration of the story afterwards. This is the only other audiobook that I've been able to get both kids (but mainly the wee girl) to listen to - and I can't tell if that's because she's familiar with the story, or if the character's voices are included, or what. In any case, when she turns it on I have at least 20 minutes of "quiet time" to myself, so I'm not complaining! It's well done too, so I'll be looking into the others in the series.

That's the best of the best here! What have you been picking up at your library (or the next town over's library)?

(not exactly) Library (but still a whole lotta) Love - UK Edition!

Do you have a particular topic of conversation that, no matter how many times it comes up, you always seem to bumble through it? I always feel like a bit of a dope when I talk to people about my husband because usually at some point in the conversation, I have to share that he's Scottish (cause otherwise the next part of the story won't make sense or something like that). And 90% of the time, that piece of news is met with "Oh yeah! I've got some Scottish in me too." To which I then need to clarify, "No I mean he's really Scottish. Like from the UK." It seems such a simple clarification to make, and I don't know why, but after nearly 9 years of marriage I still flub it by saying weird/awkward things like "Yeah, fresh off the boat!" as if he were a catch of Atlantic salmon or something. (When will I be able to figure this out?)

But speaking of flubbing things - how's that for an intro? Uh... yeah! We are currently in Scotland visiting my in-laws, and for the first time we planned it so that we would be in one spot for the whole of our visit (rather than hopping on to a new place every 4-5 days). I was really hoping this would pan out into a trip to ye olde local library, but so far that hasn't happened and probably won't. Fortunately, my in-laws are library loving folks just like us, so we haven't been at a loss for books to read! These have been our favorites this time around:

Hairy Maclary from Donaldson's Dairy
This one is the little dude's favorite (and it really is more appropriate for the birth to 3 years crowd). Simple rhymes, cute dogs and one "terrible tom" who's caterwaul requires some theatrics from mom to pull off all make for a sweet little read before bed.

There's a Bear on My Chair
Another one for the 0-3 year olds, though saying that, the wee girl enjoyed this one too. Maybe because the mouse's tantrum throwing at the end was very "pigeon-esque"? Or maybe it's because she's really understanding the concept of rhyming words now... or maybe it's the bear? (Or maybe it's just a well written, well-illustrated children's book Sara. Hence the award stickers on the front cover.)

Mr Tickle and the Dragon
You can't come to the UK and not see the Mr. Men and Little Miss books by Roger Hargreaves. They're ubiquitous, and for a while I wondered why - after all, one of my favorite books (on cassette tape!) was Mr Tickle - but then of course, it dawned on me: he's British (Hargreaves that is. Not Mr. Tickle.) Normally I'm not a fan of series that have become so commercialized that even after the author has died, new books keep coming out - but this story is decent and it fits in with the bit of a dragon kick that the wee girl has been on lately. Sooo... keeper.

Sugarlump and the Unicorn, and Fox's Socks
What's a trip to the UK without finding a new book by Julia Donaldson? Her rhymes and stories are just the best. Sugarlump is a story about a rocking horse who wishes he were somewhere else, and eventually learns the old "be careful what you wish for" lesson - but don't worry, it's still a happy ending for him. Fox's Socks is a simple rhyming book, either good for beginning readers or good for the 0-3 crowd (my brother-in-law has an adorable 11 month old, hence all the books for that age range).

I feel slightly bummed that I haven't come across a knock-out hit this time around, but nonetheless these have proved a strong showing. So, like the weather as of late, I really can't complain. ;)

What have you been reading lately?

Little Gems - Library Love

I almost didn't think it would be worth it to do a Library Love today, except that as I was collecting books to return to said library I realized that - quite by accident or luck - we had a few real gems worth mentioning.

They All Saw a Cat by Brendan Wenzel
I can't remember if I've shared this one before (and clearly I'm too lazy to go check the archives) but what I love about this is the artwork that shows what the cat looks like to each observer: to the young boy the cat looks like, well, a sweet fluffy cat; but to the dog, the cat looks skinny and rat-like with an overly large bell around its scrawny neck. And of course, to the flea the cat looks mostly like a forest of fur with the cat's head as a mountain waayy in the distance. This book was voted as a "Mock Caldecott" finalist by our local library. So how's that for a recommendation?

Hot Air: The (Mostly) True Story of the First Hot-Air Balloon Ride by Marjorie Priceman
This book is a Caldecott finalist. And for good reason! I won't give the story away, but will share that it's about the first "manned" hot air balloon flight that took place in Versailles, France on September 19, 1783. Again the illustrations win out (along with the story). I had to pick this one up when I saw it because the wee girl just loves seeing hot air balloons (and we've been seeing quite a few these past couple weeks on our way to preschool - it must be ballooning weather here!)

Little Mouse and the Big Cupcake by Thomas Taylor
This falls under the "Last but not Least" category. I had asked the little dude what kind of book he wanted at the library and all he said was, "Chocolate chips!!" So I figured, what the heck? I'll ask the librarian for a picture book about chocolate chips. And this was the result. I have to say I wasn't particularly impressed with the cover, but I felt like I had to take it home because it was pretty much the only book the librarian could find.
But I ended up being pleasantly surprised by how much both children loved this book! It includes a nice lesson on sharing, and the picture of the mouse eating the cupcake at the end genuinely makes the little dude laugh. So thumbs up to our librarian for suggesting it!

What little (or big) gems have you found lately?

The Books Making Me Cry These Days - Library Love

First, thank you to all who left messages and sent notes of congrats about our new little one! It means so much to Paul and I to read your good wishes and encouragement. The first trimester was definitely a struggle, and I often told people during that time that I relied on their excitement about the pregnancy because I was feeling so yucky myself that I found it hard to muster up any feelings other than self-pity.

But of course, now I'm pregnant and feeling ALL the feels. This was made especially clear to me while at the library picking out stories and Maisy books to leave at the library bring home. The little dude brought me a book to read and the last page brought me to tears - and of course, brought him much confusion. So we've had the conversation, more than twice now, that "sometimes Mommy cries tears of joy." The wee girl is quite entertained by it all and tries to make the waterworks come on by demand: "Mommy, read this book now!" But you know, that's the lovely thing about hormones - you hardly get to control when/how they will effect you. So she doesn't often get her wish. (Ha ha, little one.) OK, on to the books!

Is Mommy?

This is the one that got me crying in the library. It's a simple book, asking children questions about their mommies: "Is Mommy tall or short?" And of course the children, being children, answer with all the least flattering choices. "Short!" "Boring!" "Old!"  But do you love your mommy? Resounding YES!! (Cue the tears.) The little dude loves this one for the audience participation.

The Baby Sister

So, you know who's on the shelf below Maisy? Tomie dePaola! I credit Read Aloud Revival to turning me onto him - or maybe reintroducing me to him, as I definitely remember reading some of his books when I was a kid. In any case, while the wee girl is perusing her selection of Maisy books, I glance through the TdP ones, and of course, this one caught my eye. It's an autobiographical story of Tomie welcoming his baby sister Maureen home, and the ending line could not be sweeter: "And Tommie was the happiest boy in the world." I love this one because it presents the arrival of a new sibling with joy and anticipation, rather than with trepidation of how things will change. Not that I don't think those stories have their place, but this one is just so comforting and feel good that both kids love it and will ask me to read it over and over.

Hello In There!

I picked this book up when I was pregnant with the little dude, so of course, as I read it to him I get all misty-eyed remembering how I used to read it to his sister when she was just about the same age. The illustrations show a little girl waiting and wondering about her new baby sibling, while her mother's tummy gets bigger and bigger with every turn of the page. But what makes it especially fun are the little flaps on the mommy's tummy that open to reveal the baby inside. It works great for the 2-4 year old range for that reason.

Olivia

OK, when I cried at the end of this one we were all baffled. It's a story about a pig! And has nothing to with expecting a baby sibling! Clearly, this was all hormones. But the energetic piglet just captured my heart, and her "I love you anyway too," hit me in just the same spot as all the kids loving their mommy in "Is Mommy?" (I guess that part of my heart must be especially tender from the repeated readings of that book.) Worth a checkout, especially if you have an energetic little who can "really wear people out."

It's been rather therapeutic to read so many books that let the "tears of joy" flow... so what books make you cry? Or what books might you recommend reading to little ones expecting a new sibling?

(Only a little) Library Love

Our days at the library have been a bit like (an unnamed toddler's) use of the potty... regular, but a little too quick to accomplish much good, or in fact, leave the place "better than we found it" *AHEM*.

Sorry. Was that TMI?

Nevertheless, despite our quick in and outs we have managed to score some really good deals*! You may notice a bit of a love theme, so feel free to tag this post for February 14th next year (sorry I couldn't help you out for this year).

Mama Loves by Rebecca Kai Dotlich
This one was so sweet! I loved how the rhymes all began with "Mama loves..." and ended with  "and ___ with me!" It was actually a book that I could see a homeschooling mom appreciate in particular, since it seemed that the mama in this book is doing a lot of homeschool-y things. But there was one scene of the mama going to a coffee shop - and at least *that* one fit me pretty well.

Saint Valentine by Robert Sabuda
Picked this one up on a recommendation from Carrots for Michaelmas - loved the artwork and the story. But the kids just couldn't/wouldn't get into it. Shelve it for next year I guess.

The Friend Ship by Kat Yeh
A sweet tale of a hedgehog who mishears some animals say "[A] Friend ship is out there. You just have to look!" and then goes on a voyage to find the mythical friend ship. The ending makes me LOL and I'm not sure the wee girl understands why, but she still likes the story a lot. The little dude seems to like it too.

My Dad by Charles Fuge
This one... what can I say? I swear the pictures were originally of gorillas and then at the last minute edited to be bears. And it (inexplicably) takes place in a tropical jungle/woodland forest that grows both bananas and carrots (or maybe they're parsnips?) Is that even possible? I don't think so.
Clearly I'm far too picky. Because the story completely appeals to the little dude, and he loves to have it read to him at nap. And it is a cute little book. So... good for 2 year olds, but bad for picky mamas who would like their picture books to have some accurate details in them.

The Geography of Genius by Eric Weiner
Ok, not exactly part of the love theme (but maybe we can construe it to be?) This is my current read and I can say it's much better than the author's "Geography of Bliss". I picked it up because of the author's stated intention for why he would go on a search for the world's most creative places:

"Am I hoping that some of the genius I encounter will rub off on me? Sure, but I am middle-aged, and any hopes of my becoming the next Einstein or Leonardo have long since disappeared, along with my hair. But my daughter--nine years old and brimming with brightness and infinite possibility--is another story. There is still hope for her and what parent doesn't secretly wish that his or her child might become the next Darwin or Marie Curie? ...Family has variously been called a clan, a tribe... but it is also a microculture, one that we shape more directly, and profoundly, than any other. Like all cultures, family can either cultivate creativity or squelch it. This is a big responsibility if you think about it, which is precisely why, up until now, I've avoided thinking about it. But that is about to change. Creativity, like charity, begins at home."

See? There's the tie-in to love. *wink* I'm not saying I'm trying to raise the next Marie Curie over here, but cultivating a love of learning has been on my mind a lot and I just wonder if this book might have any take-aways. I'll let you know. (If you remind to. I'm notorious about forgetting to write down insights and such.)

*And now for our super sweet deal that we got from the library! Over on IG I posted a pic about all the things I found while looking for the lost CD part of a book/CD combo:

Not a bad stash. But missing CD it is not.

So I sucked it up and went in to ask how much to pay for the missing CD, and the result? They marked the whole combo as lost, so I could keep the book for $5! I'm still holding out hope that the CD will show up, because if not my "awesome" deal will actually have cost me $1.05 more than if I just bought the book on Amazon. OK kids... time to find the CD...

What did you check out this week? Feel free to share here, or over with the Mighty Miss Alicia at Sweeping Up Joy. 

Library Love - the (mostly) Audiobooks edition

Linking up with Alicia for another Library Love! Thanks to a friend's suggestion on the last library love post, we found a really great book about a digger that could appeal to the whole family: Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. Imagine my surprise when I found an audiobook version of it that was set to its own musical score (performed by the London Philharmonic no less)!

We listened to it once together, with me turning the pages - and then the next day, I found the wee girl in her room with the book and CD listening and "reading" the book herself! I sat down with her and didn't make any moves to turn the pages... she followed along herself and when it was all done, she turned to me and said, "That was fun! I'm going to do it again."

Pretty much my face afterwards.

My next thought (after gathering my jaw up off the floor) was to figure out how to capitalize on this. So what follows is all that I found at our library. We haven't actually listened to these yet, but I love (the idea of) them because they're read by famous actors and they come with original music to accompany the story. What I need now is the books to go along with them... hmmm...

Heather Forest - Sing Me a Story
I picked this one up because I thought singing songs about well-known stories might be a good way to introduce the stories themselves to the wee girl. We'll see!

Rabbit Ears Treasury of Fairy Tales Vol 2
This one has King Midas and the Golden Touch read by Michael Caine, with music performed by Yo-Yo Ma; and Jack and the Beanstalk read by Michael Palin.

Rabbit Ears Treasury of World Tales, Vol 2
This one has The White Cat read by Emma Thompson, and The Fool and the Flying Ship read by Robin Williams (I'm really looking forward to listening to this one!)

Little Bear and Little Bear's Friend by Else H Minarik
We read A Kiss for Little Bear last time, and because we loved it so much I wanted to find more Little Bear - and specifically the first one in the series. Turns out I couldn't find the first one last time because it was hiding in the audiobooks section! I'm curious to see how the wee girl likes these...

And now for the ones that are currently on the "Can't Stop Won't Stop Reading These" list:

King Jack and the Dragon by Peter Bently

This one is too cute. Three boys build a fort, defend it from dragons, and generally have a good time... until the "giants" come for them. The little dude loves this one and will actually cover his eyes when it gets to the "scary" part. (Bless.)

Oh look! More audio... ;)

Count these as my "sneaky geography lesson" books.

And there's more... but I think I'll stop here as these are our most worthy titles to share. I think the rest might be considered "mere twaddle," especially since one of them actually contains the line "And landed kersplat in a big pile of poo." (Poor Charlotte Mason is turning over in her grave now, I can just see it... ;) )

What have you been reading lately? And/or do you have any audiobooks that you can recommend?

Pay a visit to Alicia too for more suggestions!

New Year, New Library Love

Happy new year to you all! We are just beginning to take down all our Christmas decorations here, and similarily, our book selections are less seasonal too.  Life and library runs are returning to "normal" (i.e. the kids are trying to grab all their familiar books while Mom is trying to force encourage the reading of new books). I'd like to think though that there were more winners than losers in this bunch - winners, of course, meaning "those books that were not thrown aside immediately by the kids after the first read."

First up: A Kiss for Little Bear and Penguin Problems
How cute are these books?! I used to have a Little Bear treasury growing up, and I remember loving them. This story wasn't included in the treasury though, but once I started reading it to the kids it was like being reunited with an old friend. I love that. Plus the skunks in Little Bear were darling and even made the wee girl giggle with their kissing antics. Definite recommend.

Penguin Problems also makes the wee girl laugh but I'm torn. I love reading it - I get to use all my funny voices - but it's about a penguin who does nothing but complain all the time, and that just makes me slightly hesitant to recommend it to others. But maybe I shouldn't be so worried? (The part about how all the penguins look the same is just too funny.) Totally preview this one in the library first.

Next: Dig! and Blankie
These are the little dude's current favorites. He loves all things "digger" but I don't like that most books that contain "diggers" are just pictures with one word next to them. (Maybe I've been looking in the wrong place for these kind of books?) There's actually a story that goes along with this book, so even though the text is a tad repetitive, this was still a great book to add to our pile.

On Blankie: Leslie Patricelli's art is what makes all her books so fun. This one is no exception. Little dude's favorite part seems to be when I say "Super Blankie!" *shrug*

Every Cowgirl Needs Dancing Boots and (a repeat) Cowgirl Kate and Cocoa: Spring Babies
Two things: first, I succeeded in getting out of the library without bringing *all* of the Cowgirl Kate books home with us! (Yay!) Second, I just found out that "Every Cowgirl" is actually a series of its own, so this may be the new "thing". We'll see...

The story for why we got these books is the real reason why I'm happy to share them - we were listening to Grammy's favorite radio station, Classical KDFC (go ahead and give them a listen!) when Aaron Copland's Rodeo: Hoedown came on. When the song was done the little girl really wanted to listen to it again... and again... and again... (it's been on non-stop repeat now for a few days). But when I told her the name of the song was called "Hoedown" she didn't know what that was. Library books to the rescue!! At first I wasn't sure that the first book was going to cut it, but it actually turned out to be a great story about how to make a new friend. It's really endearing. A definite recommend. And you can read my (brief) thoughts about Cowgirl Kate here.

And now commences the books that Mom sneaked into the pile...

Once Upon a Northern Night

It was the illustrations that grabbed me for this one, and when I got home I realized why: the illustrator is the same one who did Migrant (a book that we read over the summer for the Read the World bookclub). I loved that book. This one is also lovely and perfect for bedtime reading. But now to *my* favorite...

Du Iz Tak?

At first I thought that this book was in another language... and it is! Just not one that anyone will recognize because the author made it up. 

It's so creative! I love a story where I have to pay attention to the pictures as much as the kids do so I can understand the story better. It's like getting to be a kid again. So I'll need to read it through a few more times before bringing this one to the kids. However, I won't need any practice on how to read this page:

BOOBY VOOBECK!! 😝

And finally, for myself:

The Inquisitor's Tale (or The Three Magical Children and Their Holy Dog)

Already I'm making changes to my 2017 Reading Challenge: this one is replacing the one listed for "Book chosen for its cover". The gold embossing caught my eye and for whatever reason the dog drew me in. Then I read this review on Goodreads and I was sold. I hope it lives up to the hype.

Alicia at Sweeping Up Joy has some more new year's recommendations for you too! Do *you* have any for me? Do share! and thanks, in advance.

Good reads! Looking Back and Looking Ahead

I've really been enjoying reading everyone's year-end recaps... things like people's top 10 posts, top 9 pics, books read, books to read, etc... Is it too late to join the bandwagon and post my reading accomplishments/aspirations? I hope not. Here we go!

Read in 2016

             
Sara's favorite books »


I was so proud to hit my goal of reading 12 books this year - and I did it early even! Yay, me! Although, really what that meant was for the last few months of the year (after I had met my goal) I totally fizzled out and couldn't finish anything to save my life. (Coincidence? Probably not.) So I guess I should aim a little higher next year?

But then the question becomes "Aim higher in what way?" Read more? Read differently? I don't know that I could read too many more books given how my schedule keeps getting busier as the kiddos get older. But then I saw that Modern Mrs Darcy has an excellent reading challenge on her site - and I love that it's choose-your-own-adventure style: do you want to "put the oomph back in your reading life?" or do you want to "stretch yourself in 2017"? I kinda want to do both! As you can see from above, I pretty much read non-fiction exclusively. So, I figured I would go for the Reading for Fun track, as that would actually challenge me to read outside my self-imposed non-fiction genre restriction. (Ooo. Try to say that 10 times fast! ;) )

So for 2017...*

* Even now as I'm putting this list together, I'm questioning some of my choices. So just in case anyone is planning on holding me to this, I'm just going to throw in the caveat now that all this is subject to change. But better a so-so plan than no plan, because as they say failing to plan = planning to fail, and ain't nobody got time for that.

A book chosen for the cover: Ishmael's Oranges

A book with a reputation for being un-put-down-able: Now Taking Suggestions!

A book set somewhere you've never been and would like to visit: A Year in Japan

A book you've already read: Matilda

A juicy memoir: Yes, Please or Bossypants or Shirt of Flame

A book about books or reading: Ex Libris

A book in a genre you usually avoid: The Name of the Wind
Ha! A genre I usually avoid... hmm, nearly all of them? But of them all, fantasy is highest on the list, yet this one keeps getting recommended over and over again. Ok. I'll give.

A book you don't want to admit you want to read: Boy Oh Boy and/or The Highly Sensitive Person
Both of these could also easily go in the category of books I most definitely did NOT choose for the cover - but don't tell me that, because I think I might be highly sensitive. ;) 

A book in the backlist of a new favorite author: Loaded
Why aren't more Catholic Mommy Bloggers talking about Heather King? (Maybe because she's only Catholic and not mommy or blogger?) This really should change. I read her book "Redeemed" this past year and loved it. I'm really looking forward to this one about the spirituality of money.

A book recommended by someone with great taste: The Summer Before the War
Shoutouts to Bobbi and Kirby for this one

A book you were excited to borrow/buy but haven't read yet: Lab Girl

A book about a topic or subject you already love: Rise of the Rocket Girls
A book about women, math and science? By all accounts, I *should* love this...

There you have it! Have I inspired you? Or do you have a suggestion for me? I'd love to hear it. There's only a few hours left in 2016, but I'll take 'em all year long in 2017 too. In any case, may you have a Happy new year!