"Velveteen Rabbit" by Margery Williams

I read this because I came across a blog that posted this was her first favorite book and she still enjoys reading it over and over so I wanted to read it to see why.  Velveteen Rabbit by Margery Williams is a cute classic children’s book about toys becoming real when they are well loved and cared for.  I liked the idea of a nursery fairy and how when a stuffed animal is worn out, that's when it becomes real.  

I recommend this book to any parent who thinks it’s time to throw out a worn out stuffed animal that their child is not ready to part with.  This should help.  Me being a stuffed animal collector, I really liked this story!

(Karen's review 4/18/10)

Comment moved from our other blog:

My daughter loved this book when she was small. I would read it to her, and then when she could read, she would read it to me. When my sons were small, the oldest had a black and white teddy bear that actually was tread bare. Our boys were 5 years apart so the oldest never played with it anymore, but the little one took it over and loved it. Well, when cleaning out things (we could burn things in a burn barrel where we lived), I threw that bear in thinking it was old, raggedy and worn out. Well, you would have thought I had killed my baby boy's best friend. He screamed and cried, but it was too late to retrieve it from the fire. I felt so bad for quite a while over that. The baby girl that came along 13 years after this incident is the one that loved The Velveteen Rabbit...too bad I hadn't read it when my boys were babies. Thanks for the reminder of a great book for little ones.

By peabea on April 18, 2010

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"The Art Of Racing In The Rain" by Garth Stein

The Art Of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein is awesome.  It started out slow and I thought about giving up on it but I’m so glad I stuck with it and finished it.  It is narrated by a dog named Enzo who is devoted to his owner, Denny, a race car driver.  The dog and Denny sit and watch videos of car races together, while Denny points out racing tips to the dog that he applies to life.

Denny had lots of personal problems including a sick wife who died of Brain Cancer and the constant battle with his in-laws over his daughter, and a bogus criminal lawsuit against him.

The dog shares it’s thoughts with the reader but can only communicate to his owners with gestures which is frustrating for it and so he looks forward to being reincarnated as a man.  It’s an inspirational book, encouraging the reader to “finish the race” and never, ever quit but hang in and overcome obstacles.

Here are some of my favorite quotes from The Art Of Racing In The Rain:
 

Your car goes where your eyes go.
 
Yes:  the race is long—to finish first, first you must finish.
 
The true hero is flawed.  The true test of a champion is not whether he can triumph, but whether he can overcome obstacles—preferably of his own making—in order to triumph.
 
No race has ever been won in the fist corner, but plenty of races have been lost there.
 
Getting angry at another driver for a driving incident is pointless.  You need to watch the drivers around you, understand their skill, confidence and aggression levels, and drive with them accordingly.  Know who is driving next to you.  Any problems that may occur have  ultimately been caused by you, because you are responsible for where you are and what you are doing there.

(Karen's Review 2/3/10)
Must check out www.goenzo.com

The Art Of Racing In The Rain is told to you by Enzo, the dog.  You will grow to love Enzo very much as he tells the story of Denny, his owner and a race car driver, his wife, Eve, and their daughter, Zoe.  This is a wonderful book.  It goes very fast.  I found it almost impossible to put down.  The ending is very good and very sad.  You will understand when you read it.  This book deserves to be read!  Enjoy!
Gerard's Review posted 1/25/10

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Twenty Wishes" by Debbie Macomber

After reading several murder mysteries and then The Hunger Games I was ready for something uplifting so chose Twenty Wishes by Debbie Macomber.  This is contemporary fiction that I found to be heart warming and inspirational.  It’s about Ann Marie, owner of a bookstore and a terrier named Baxter who is a widow and gets together with a group of other widows who all make a list of 20 wishes which change their outlook and their life.  The main plot is about Ann Marie reluctantly volunteering to be a lunch buddy to a very shy 8-yr.old girl, Ellen, once a week at the school and how that not only changes her life, but how each of them make the others wishes come true.  This book is all about relationships and moving out of your comfort zone to live life. 

This book is full of romance, mother-daughter relationships, dealing with grief and moving forward with your life.  I liked this book because I loved the main story line about Ann Marie, her dog, her relationship with her stepdaughter and Ellen and think any woman would enjoy it.  The romance in it was also humorous.  It was a delightful read!  It inspired me to start a wish list too.

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"No Dogs Allowed" by Bill Wallace

No Dogs Allowed by Bill Wallace is about Kristine, a 5th grader girl, who is afraid to let herself love her puppy because she is so sad the horse she loved died.  She doesn’t want to be hurt again.  Her father gave her a puppy for her birthday, but she did not want it.  I did not like Kristine at all.  She was mean to her puppy and was a stupid girl.  I was glad to see her attitude changed by the end of the book; however, it was too little too late for me.  I felt the best part was when her grandfather told her off about there being a difference between training a dog and making a dog terrified of you.  I only recommend this book to people who can identify with Kristine because they are afraid to love because they might be hurt.

Please tell us: What categories of literature do you like? What are you reading now? Who are your top five favorite authors? Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Hiss and Tell: True Stories from the Files of a Cat Behaviorist" by Pam Johnson-Bennet

Hiss and Tell:  True Stories from the Files of a Cat Behaviorist--
Insights To Explaining Cat Behavior by Pam Johnson-Bennett was extremely interesting to me because I love cats and it explained some of the puzzling behaviors that can arise. I found it fascinating that this woman was able to actually think like a cat to figure out what was causing the strange behaviors. It is both humorous and educational. I recommend it highly to any cat owner.
(Karen's review 7/1/08)