February is "Bad Romance" Month

This is something I'm planning for February that I'm too excited to keep to myself! So I really love doing monthly-themed reading lists. February is a good time for some romance novels, right? I totally agree. But Valentine's day always brought out the worst in me, so I don't necessarily want a sweet, cutesy, swoony romance novel. Nope! Not I.
I've been saving these titles all year to do this - because this year I want to read some BAD Romances! I don't just mean trashy, or badly written. I mean "WTF were they thinking?!" I mean, the romance novels that are so horrid that I've been told they've marked some of the readers for life. Even better? Some of them are considered classics today: incest, rape, even Christmas, She's My Sister, She's My Daughter, She's My Sister AND My Daughter!!

I don't usually like Romance Novels because there's this stigma around them, right? No one with good taste should read Romances! But that's totally false - you're allowed to read whatever you want. I've been picking apart Chick-Lit and Chick-Flicks lately - in a purely academical way. (Riiiiiight.) Just what makes them so supposedly bad? They always follow a distinct formula, even when they're original. But how is that any different from Action movies? Are movies marketed for men any better? What could make a movie or novel that is marketed towards one gender still appeal to the other? And what about classic "chick-flicks" like When Harry Met Sally, Annie Hall, and Steel Magnolias that even men profess to love? What makes those special when certainly there are others that aren't as well known that could be even better than those examples I just gave. Those answers are tricky to find, and probably differ from person to person - but I think we can mostly agree when something is just balls to the walls crazy (sometimes crazy good, sometimes crazy bad?)
When I say these are "Bad Romances," I want everyone to understand that they're just especially out there - even if they are well liked and fan favorites. These are no Jane Austen novels. They're not even Danielle Steele. They are in a category all of their own.
Can't want to show you what I've picked out for us - until next month!

Happy New Year! and some Book-centric Social Media Sites

Happy New Year, everyone! I'm sorry I've gotten a little post-shy lately, but I think it's understandable and forgivable due to the holidays. Horrifically, unlike some, I was actually working through most of it. This means less free time for reading. But a book review is soon to come, so keep on the look out for it! Also, to make up for lost time, this update is going to be quite huge.

To start with, Here's an announcement: with the New Year, I decided to start something I think is pretty cool. Along with my book reviews, I'm going to include a unique illustration inspired by that book. This is because there's only two things I really love in this world, and that's reading and drawing. I think it would be irresponsible not to share both of those loves with you here, don't you think?

Now, I decided to try out some different Social Media websites created for readers. I've been using GoodReads for years now, and though it's still the bigger site of it's kind out there, many of it's users recently started moving over to new platforms after it was bought out by Amazon. This doesn't bother me much, personally. But I decided to scope out what else is out there. There is also Shelfari, which I'd used for many years before I found out about GoodReads. I much rather GoodReads of the two for many reasons, though. I don't like the idea of starting from scratch on any of these new sites, but I wanted to see if any had something interesting and new to offer me.

• BookLikes may be the most unique so far. It borrows some features I enjoyed from GoodReads (like the progress bar) and it seems to have a similar blogging function as Tumblr. This may very well become the new site for me. I've yet to explore all of it's functions, but what I see I like. Follow Me There
• Riffle is being described as "like Pinterest for books." Sort of, I guess. But I'm not convinced that I like it. The layout is beautiful and very reminiscent of Pinterest, but unlike Pinterest the focus is only on books. I suppose it's more fun when you get to mingle with other users, because there's a questionaire feature that let's you use books as answers, and cool list feature that might help you find something new to read. But other than that, I feel like it's a fancy toy on Christmas morning - the interest will fizzle pretty quickly. It is, however, still in beta - so there's lots of room to grow! Follow Me There
• Slice is my least favorite of all that I've tried out this morning. It, too, is still in beta - so hopefully it grows up with time. But for now, it's not much more than your Facebook feed, filtered out so that anything book-centric shows up. This is because you're restricted to linking up your Facebook account to it. Personally, I think that what happens on Facebook should STAY on Facebook. There aren't many redeeming features. It's pretty bland. I'd pass on it.

End of Year Book Survey

Another survey I'm borrowing from the blog Perpetual Page Turner (including her graphics). As this is a baby-fledgling, low-traffic Book Blog (only a year old), some of these questions might be a little tricky for me to answer. But I'll go for it anyway!

1. Best Book You Read In 2013?

It has to be Fangirl, by Rainbow Rowell, even though it was the freshest in my memory.

2. Book You Were Excited About & Thought You Were Going To Love More But Didn’t?

I guess I'll just admit it here - A Tale For The Time Being wasn't what I'd thought it would be. But also The Statistical Probability Of Love At First Sight (which I didn't finish or review) was a let down.

 3. Most surprising (in a good way!) book of 2013? 

The Ocean At The End of The Lane - I'd thought I was DONE with Neil Gaiman, and he surprised me.

 4. Book you read in 2013 that you recommended to people most in 2013?

Haha, Fangirl, once again. But also a few of my Catholic books like On Heaven and Earth and Abbess of Andalusia, interestingly.

 5. Best series you discovered in 2013?

Since I've really only started two series' this year, and that was The Parasol Protectorate and Game of Thrones. Both are very good, but very different.

 6. Favorite new author you discovered in 2013?

Rainbow Rowell

7. Best book that was out of your comfort zone or was a new genre for you?

Abbess of Andalusia, because up until now I'd never been a strong reader of non-fiction OR religious literature.

 8. Most thrilling, unputdownable book in 2013?

 The Ocean At The End of The Lane

 9. Book You Read In 2013 That You Are Most Likely To Re-Read Next Year?

I don't usually re-read books :/

10. Favorite cover of a book you read in 2013?

(I couldn't pick)

11. Most memorable character in 2013? 

Oh, yikes! That's not easy. Um... Reagan from Fangirl, because she reminds me of my friend Danielle so much it's scary.

 12. Most beautifully written book read in 2013?

I'm sure there were several, but the one that stands out to me was actually Eat, Pray, Love

13. Book that had the greatest impact on you in 2013? 

The Alchemist - the timing was just so right, even though I'd been holding on to it for a year before I got around to reading it.

 14. Book you can’t believe you waited UNTIL 2013 to finally read? 

I'm so happy this is a question, because I've been feeling really sheepish about this until now but I have to answer Eat, Pray, Love again

 15. Favorite Passage/Quote From A Book You Read In 2013?

“Am I crazy?" she asked. "I feel like I am sometimes."
"Maybe," he said, rubbing her forehead. "But don't worry about it. You need to be a little bit crazy. Crazy is the price you pay for having an imagination. It's your superpower. Tapping into the dream. It's a good thing not a bad thing.” 
― Ruth Ozeki, A Tale for the Time Being

16.Shortest & Longest Book You Read In 2013?

 Longest - Clash of Kings (I'm still picking my way through it)

Shortest -  The Ocean At The End of The Lane

 17. Book That Had A Scene In It That Had You Reeling And Dying To Talk To Somebody About It? (a WTF moment, an epic revelation, a steamy kiss, etc. etc.) Be careful of spoilers!

Remember in Game of Thrones when Bran caught Cersei and Jamie and got pushed off the tower? (tiny spoiler)

18. Favorite Relationship From A Book You Read In 2013 (be it romantic, friendship, etc).

That's not easy, really. None of them really captured me. I supposed Reagan and Cath from Fangirl again, because I swear that's the sort of relationship I have with Danielle

19. Favorite Book You Read in 2013 From An Author You’ve Read Previously

Again, The Ocean At The End of The Lane

20. Best Book You Read In 2013 That You Read Based SOLELY On A Recommendation From Somebody Else:

Bride's Story!

21. Genre You Read The Most From in 2013?

Probably Religious Non-fiction

22. Newest fictional crush from a book you read in 2013?

Jon Snow from the Game of Thrones books ~swoon~

23. Best 2013 debut you read?

Blue Like Jazz - I think that was a debut

24. Most vivid world/imagery in a book you read in 2013?

Bride's Story, literally because it's a Graphic Novel

25. Book That Was The Most Fun To Read in 2013?

Gosh, The Parasol Protectorate Series is a lot of fun. It's all the usual stuff (romance, super natural, and steampunk) that some people will curl a lip at you for, and normally call it a "guilty pleasure." But it's just a fun, fast, and funny read

26. Book That Made You Cry Or Nearly Cry in 2013?

Even though it fell a little short of my expectations, that's A Tale For The Time Being again. The story of Nao's uncle and grandmother really tug at the heart strings - whoo-whee!

27. Book You Read in 2013 That You Think Got Overlooked This Year Or When It Came Out?

On Heaven and Earth - even though it was published for the first time in English this year and it's been out for a while. Pope Francis is Man of The Year (and he deserves it) but I think most people will pay attention to what he says as it makes the news than actually try to gain any insight into his mind.

 

(optional)

1. New favorite book blog you discovered in 2013? 

Book Riot is really entertaining and interesting

2. Favorite review that you wrote in 2013? 

Story of a Soul - it's simple, short, and sweet, but I feel like it's 

3. Best discussion you had on your blog?

Not many people actually leave me any comments - LEAVE ME COMMENTS, PEOPLE! I'd love hearing from you guys!

4. Most thought-provoking review or discussion you read on somebody else’s blog?

I can't remeber if it was this article or maybe it was this one, but both pertain to about the same thing - and I think it's really interesting (give'em a read!)

5. Best event that you participated in (author signings, festivals, virtual events, memes, etc.)?

None really - The Louisiana Book Fair was about a month ago and I was too busy to attend

6. Best moment of book blogging/your book life in 2013?

When I figured out I could get ARC's (Advanced Readers Copies) from publishers

7. Most Popular Post This Year On Your Blog (whether it be by comments or views)?

My review for Soulless - no one really left anything in the comment section, but a few friends did come up to me after they read it to talk about it. So that's P Cool!

8. Post You Wished Got A Little More Love?

I really wish more people would read more of my reviews. In my old Book Review LiveJournal, I got a lot of love for my book reviews, and I'm totally perplexed as to why no one seems as interested anymore.

9. Best bookish discover (book related sites, book stores, etc.)?

This summer, when my parents and I visited Arkansas, we found the most delightful bookstore in Eureka Springs, downtown area. I can't recall the name of it, but it contained some books I've never even heard of - and the most splendid children's books collection,,,

10.  Did you complete any reading challenges or goals that you had set for yourself at the beginning of this year?

I read 50 books already! 

1. One Book You Didn’t Get To In 2013 But Will Be Your Number 1 Priority in 2014?

This goes back to question 14 - I have a huge stock pile of books that I bought when they were popular, which have had movies made of them, and aren't much talked about that I Still haven't yet read. My goal is to read most (if not all) of them.

2. Book You Are Most Anticipating For 2014 (non-debut)?

Do you even have to ask? I'm pretty stoked for Landline, Rainbow Rowell's next book!

3. 2014 Debut You Are Most Anticipating?

Welp. I don't know any...

 4. Series Ending You Are Most Anticipating in 2014?

Also, I try not to read many series'...

5. One Thing You Hope To Accomplish Or Do In Your Reading/Blogging In 2014?

I really, really hope my blog starts to pick up a few more readers. I remember the days of LiveJournal when I had a modest, by loyal followers who really liked what I said about books. It was so long ago, but I hope to reclaim that status.

Christmas Gift Ideas for Warrior Princesses

Hey guys! I thought it would be good form to make a quick list of things I thought would be neat Christmas gifts for little Warrior Princesses! Maybe as godparents or if you have a niece you might want to get her something that breaks down the gender-roles? Here are some ideas I got while out and about:

1. Goldie Blox: This is a cool game for girls that got funded through a KickStarter a while back. Basically, it teaches little girls the bare-bones basics of Engineering. I mean, that's pretty rad, right? There are tons of toys out there that encourage basic engineering, but are marketed for boys. Besides, there is a business suit koala and sweater vest sloth figurine in this game which I can promise you, you won't find that anywhere else.
2. LeapFrog Games: Okay, most kids actually have a LeapFrog device somewhere at the bottom of their toy chests. They might have gotten them last year and played with it for a bit and then got bored with it and never touched it again. But looking at the games for girls, I got really excited. Here's why - most of the ones marketed for girls teach.... MATH AND SCIENCE! I mean, how cool is that? There's this myth that so many of us believe that girls can't be good at either math or science - and sometimes that turns out to be a self-fulfilling prophecy. But, even though it isn't my personal strength even I have to recognize that it's BS.
3. Perfectly Percy: This is a picture book. It doesn't exactly encourage a child's interest in math or science, but I do strongly advise considering giving books every year. And this book is so adorable I don't think it should really be allowed. I may have gotten emotional while reading it in the store - not because it's sad or anything. Just because it's really cute.

A to Z Book Survey

A while back I stumbled upon this Book-Blog Survey by Perpetual Page Turner. I decided that since I'll be taking over Reception at work for the next few days, and I'd have a lot of down-time, a innocent little post like this wouldn't hurt.

Author You've Read The Most Books From

Possibly Meg Cabot, though it is possible I've read all of Lois Duncan's books in Jr. High (does that count? They were clearly ghost written)

Best Sequel Ever

I can't think of anything off the top of my head, per say, but I think I'll answer 

Currently Reading

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell, among some others...

Drink of Choice While Reading

Hot tea, m'dears - it's like an anchor, even if I don't drink any of it.

E-reader or physical book?

Physical book - all the way. But I have figured out that the Kindle app is extremely useful for boring parties.

Fictional Character You Probably Would Have Actually Dated in High School

Well, I would have loved to have dated Stephen Maturin from Patrick O'Brian's series of books. (And then I pretty much did.)

Glad You Gave This Book a Chance

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

Hidden Gem Book

Wildwood Dancing by Juliet Marillier

Important Moment in Your Reading Life

Christmas Eve, the year I was in 3rd grade. My god-mother had given me a chapter book for Christmas and initially I was so extremely upset and raised three kinds of hell - which was amazing, because I was not a child prone to temper tantrums. But then I read the book, and it literally changed everything I thought about books for me. I'm really ashamed of the way I acted now, but I'm also eternally grateful for it too. It's the reason why I think giving children books early on is so extremely important.

Just Finished

Story of a Soul

Kinds of Books You Won't Read

Gentlemanly-type espionage, action movie equivalents. And books about sports, because sports are against my religion. 

Longest Book You've Read

Oh, Clash Of Kings, for goodness sake!

Major Book Hangover Because of

Ha! Probably Birdsong

Number of Bookcases You Own

Technically three of them, plus one built-in communal bookcase but I literally have books stacked on every flat surface that I conceivably stack them on. (And some that inconceivably! [am I using that correctly?]) 

One Book You Have Read Multiple Times

Jane Eyre!

Preferred Place to Read

On the living room couch, but only if no one else is in the living-room (so, never). Most of the time I read in my bed, with the radio on the block out other noises, or at a cafe.

Quote That Inspires You

"Let me live, love and say it well in good sentences."

Reading Regret

Not allowing friends to lend me so many books, actually. Whenever I visit my friends, I almost always come home with more books then I can read! It gets really hard to keep track of, and it's too hard telling them no!

Series You Started and Need to Finish (series is complete)

Game of Thrones. UGH! It's so LONG!

Three of Your All Time Favorite Books

Jane Eyre, Swamplandia!, and Runaway Bunny

Unapologetic Fangirl For

Mr. Darcy, Yo!

Very Excited for This Release More Than All the Others

Vampires in the Lemon Grove by Karen Russel, and the US edition of Morrissey's autobiography (which I have pre-ordered)

Worst Bookish Habit

Aaahhhh... I really shouldn't mark in library books, huh? That's a new habit of mine, too. :/

X Marks the Spot: Start at the top left of your shelf and pick the 27th book

Haha, well since I'm at work, I'll have to wait until I get home to answer this, y'know?

Your Latest Book Purchase

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell. I'm loving Fangirl so much, I went to the bookstore as soon as I could to buy MORE!

ZZZ-Snatcher Book (last one that kept you up way too late)

Harry Potter

So do we share any of these in common?  What are your answers?  If you did the survey, feel free to leave a link in the comments and I'll check out your posts!

Can We All Agree Banning Books Is Ridiculous?

Earlier this week, the ALA updated it's banned books list. Before I give you the break down (the entire list from 2001-2012 is in the link), may I just say how much I hate the idea of banning books? Okay. This is a whole can of worms best left un-opened for me. It's just so unnecessarily aggressive. Avoid books covering topics you know will trigger you. We don't all have to love the same things, but you don't have to ruin them for everyone else. You don't have to take a vendetta out against, I'll say it again and again, a heap of paper and ink or ideas. And yeah, we've all read books we expected to love, but found that we HATED them (I'm looking at you, House of Leaves). But would I burn every copy I found of that book? .... okay, I probably would. (I really, really, really hated that book. I know it has a lot of fans, so whenever people bring it up I just leave the room. I haven't actually set it ablaze. Though I may yet.)
Anyway. I digress. I've noticed that this list, and many others from the previous years, have a majority of YA books and children's books. I understand a parent's right to restrict what their children are exposed to, but I really feel that something like this is sending children the wrong message. It's not just that kids are exposed to violence and sexuality literally everywhere, though most notably on TV anyway, so why does reading about it make it any worse? It's because every parent I know and have ever met wants their kids to like reading books. The message you could be sending children is that "books that describe violence and sex are worse than watching it outright on TV." But the books that make these lists? SERIOUSLY. Their only crimes are that they're popular. There is literally nothing offensive about them - especially if you hold them up to the shit your kids are watching with you on TV.

I've gone on too long. I knew that would happen. Follow the cut to see the list.

The Reader's Wish List

Sorry guys, I'm still not quiet ready to update with a new book review. But I don't want to keep you guys completely in the dark.
This morning I watched a little YouTube video about a special book from The Smithsonian, and for the rest of the day, I just couldn't stop thinking of it. I don't really expect to find this book at my local booksellers, but I wouldn't mind having it in my personal collection.
As it is, I owe you guys a serious update. So I'm going to go all out and make this post about those special "books of my dreams" I've been wishing for.

First, This is the book I was just telling you about. If you know me, you know I have a certain affection for this topic. My last year of college, I spent a lot of time looking at similar plates, reading up on it. I had a lovely little book called "Natural Curiosities" in my back pack at all times. So this historic, scientific documents have been a huge influence for me. This video is really, really interesting, too. And if you want to look at more images you can find in the book, here's a good place to go.

The next book on my wish-list is Robert K. Massie's biography on Catherine The Great, which was released last winter or fall, I don't recall which. Anyway, now that it is out in paperback, it should be more affordable for someone like me, though no less intimidating. As much as I love reading books of history, they are rarely light reading.
Still, I love learning about powerful women. I like having strong female figures to look up to, and Catherine the Great is definitely one it doesn't hurt to be well-versed on. Speaking of powerful female figures, one of the best ones in modern times passed recently. I'm speaking of the amazing Margaret Thatcher. No, I'm sure she had no relationship to Catherine, so I'm just going to move on with my list.

The next book on my list is Ruth Ozeki's very, very recent A Tale For The Time Being, which is "Time BEing" as in a person - not as in "Oh, for the time being..." The premise of this story sounds really, really interesting - though also kind of trippy. In the way that the Japanese have mastered. From what I understand, the story is of a Canadian writer who discovers a Japanese school girl's diary washed up on a beach - in a Hello Kitty lunch box. (You can be sure, it was the Hello Kitty lunch box that got my attention at first.) From there, rest assured, things will get very much off the beaten track. This book is sure to be an original - so original, in fact, you will probably stop to scratch your dry, flaky scalp in befuddlement.

True Friends Open Their Homes and Libraries

I'm currently going through a challenging leg of my life - something everyone has to experience, I suppose, though this knowledge doesn't make it any easier at all. This isn't going to be about how much  my life is a joke, or how my self-esteem is diminished - because that isn't true anyway. This is about how I started this new year worried and roughed up, and how my friends (my true friends) stepped up and delivered.

In the last few days, I have acquired more books than I have time to read. My friends have opened up their libraries to me without my ever having to ask for it. They knew what I needed to heal my wounds, and like I said, they delivered. I'm going to admit, I've done this for my friends in the past. I never expected to have it come back to me, though. My friends are great people who are so because they have earned the right to be, and are under no obligation to stay. I hope you can boast the same of your own.
Between the three of those friends, here is the reading list I've amassed this past week:

• The Silent Storm by Sherry Garland
• The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand
• Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville
• The Education of Henry Adams by Henry Adams
• Common Sense by Thomas Paine
• American Notes for General Circulation by Charles Dickens
• In Pharoah's Army by Tobias Wolff
• Elizabeth: The Struggle for the Throne by David Starkey
• The Founding Fathers by Encyclopedia Britannica
• Women's Spirituality: Power and Grace by Mary Faulkner
• 13 rue Therese by Elena Mauli Shapiro
• Beatrix Potter: A Life in Nature by Linda Lear
• I Kill Giants by Joe Kelly & JM Ken Niimura
• No One Belongs Here More Than You. by Miranda July  and.....
• You Are a Little Bit Happier Than I Am by Tao Lin

And yes, I do intend to read everything on this entire list, including YOU, Fountainhead! That's right. My first year out of college, and I am going to read The Fountainhead. 2013: I am a BEAST!

My Favorite Books of 2012

Another year is closing, and though this blog is still rather shiny and new, it doesn't mean that I haven't spent the last year reading some incredible books. Granted, this was my last year of college, so I spent more time trying to graduate than reading books for fun. Hopefully, 2013 to will mean more books! Fair warning, most of these choices are pretty feminine.

The first book of 2012 that I read and loved deeply was Swamplandia! by Karen Russell. You might have heard something of it, and if you read it you might not have liked it. A lot of people seem to start off loving it and then want to set the book on fire before they're done. But for a lot of the same reasons they hated this book, I actually really loved it.
To begin with, the story starts off in this surreal, funny setting - a family run alligator wrestling park in the Florida everglades. But before long - a few pages in, really - "reality" begins to shift. By the end of the book, the story is completely grounded in reality. The children who are central to the story are forced to grow up very brutally, very shockingly, and very suddenly. They aren't playing in a magical Neverland anymore - they are very much thrust into the world of adulthood. At this certain climax in the novel (you will know it when you get there) I was left not just trembling, but literally shaking. Books have made me angry, books have made me laugh, and books have made me cry, but never in all the years of being able to read, has a book struck a nerve in me quiet like that.
This is Karen Russel's first full novel, and she handles this, I thought, so very beautifully. A million times better than any of the seasoned novelists I've met through reading. In fact, I've made it my life's purpose to meet this woman. Swamplandia! may not be one of your all time favorite books, but it's definitely one of mine.

Book 2 is another mass disappointment that I really enjoyed. The last book of the Hunger Games, Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins. Once again, I can see why so many people weren't satisfied with this ending. But truthfully, it stands on it's own for a very different reason. I'm going to be condescending towards you all who hated it for a minute. I'm going to assume you liked the first two because they were high in drama and very entertaining, whereas Mockingjay was just "weird."
I loved Mockingjay because it had a different message. This entire series had a dystopian message of warning kind of slammed over the heads of it's young readers. Consumerism is evil, Reality TV is evil, etc. But Mockingjay took that a little further and was a little ... scarier because to me it felt less like a highly entertaining, hugely dramatic YA novel. It felt more like a warning.

Book 3 was one of the rare Christian Romance Novels - which I'll be totally up front with you right now, this was the first time I've ever read anything from that genre. Redeeming Love was passed down to me from a friend. I wasn't expecting a whole lot from it, and I was wrong. It's not the cheesy, smarmy, preachy book you're expecting. It was inspirational and uplifting, and for me it was the right book at just the right time.
Redeeming Love is the story of a "fallen woman" (in every sense of the word) who stumbles into a marriage with a farmer. A very, very, very forgiving and Christ-like farmer. Honestly, I learned a lot from this book. If anyone has read any other deep-thinking Christian Romance Novels of this caliber, send me a list.

Book 4 was one I'd read for college. It's a little known novel by the name of The House on Coliseum Street. It's a shame it's so little known, too. It deserves to be up on the shelves next to Steinbeck and Hemingway. It's especially important as literature for women (next to Grau's award winning Keepers of the House) I loved this book, old as it is, because I found myself in a situation much like Joan's a mere month after reading it. I knew at the time that I could relate to the female protagonist (as did all the other girls in my class at the time) but a few weeks after I'd taken my final test on it, my life took a turn that mirrored Joan's in such a way that it was quiet scary. I'm not independently wealthy, as Joan is, but I realize that I have a lot to learn from her in finding that inner strength. As the old adage goes "Well behaved women rarely make history."

My Favorite Books for Kids

When it comes to giving gifts to children, I always consider books before toys. Sure, they may not always appreciate it (I didn't always as a child) - but when you think of it, they will be getting more toys  than they will ever play with anyway, but years and years later they'll probably still have the books. I love to give books with beautiful illustrations or funny stories.

1. Rapunzel by Sarah Gibb
2. Sleeping Beauty by Malhon F. Craft & K. Y. Craft
3. The Artist Who Painted Blue Horses by Eric Carle
4. Forever Young by Bob Dylan & Paul Rogers
5. Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney
6. I Want my Hat Back by Jon Klassen
7. The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise

(This list could have been a lot longer, but I've crashed Photoshop enough today)