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Books #23

Lisa Eirene

About Lisa Eirene Lisa lost 110 pounds through calorie counting and exercise. She swims, bikes, runs, hikes and is enjoying life in Portland, Oregon. Her weight loss story has been featured in First Magazine, Yahoo Health, Woman's Day and Glamour.com.

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14 Comments

  1. Vickie

    I can’t remember if I told you this, I moved schools a lot as a child. Moving to yet another one for 6th grade, the librarian challenged me to read the biography/autobiography section. I read the whole thing, just started at one end and kept going. (This was a school library, so not as big as a public library, but still a lot.) So many interesting books in that section. Learned a lot about different people and history. (Took my mind off of me too, which might have been her idea).

    I have used the “100 books everyone should read” type lists to find titles. I have not read all of the books on every list, but I have now read a lot of them. I belonged to a classics book group for several years. Some of the ones I expected to just tolerate (Dracula, moby dick, etc) I really loved.

    1. Vickie

      Charles Dickens. I loved. The group did one of his titles per year.

      1. Lisa Eirene

        I don’t know that I have ever read any Dickens, but I do have some of his books (from my Grandma).

    2. Lisa Eirene

      I love that story! What a great librarian. 🙂 I think reading is a good escape for kids. I would go to the library all the time as a kid.

      I am also slowly working through classics. I read a bunch in high school and college and then stopped. I love Oscar Wilde and his books are great. Dorian Gray is my favorite. Dracula is an excellent classic! So well written.

      1. Vickie

        I might have told you this too –
        Yes, I read picture books to my kids when they were really little. Good quality. A lot of word play (dr Seuss, Donna O’Neeshuck Was Chased by Some Cows, etc). I think the quality helps teach longer attention span. And increases vocab.

        At age 3-4, I switched to classic children’s literature. The Borrowers, the box Car children, the Little’s, Little house on prairie, pippi long stocking, etc. I have read the full little house series (grandma, mom, Laura, her daughter) outloud three times FYI.

        My kids are 28, 24, 20 this year. So we can all really ponder this now.

        This is what they say-
        They are all strong readers. And were all thru school years. An example is youngest read Harry Potter series in 2nd grade. All three kids could read (skill level) anything by the end of second grade.

        They noticed all the way thru school and specifically in SAT test prep, that their vocabularies were HUGE. (I noticed in carpool and kids’ friends, how low some of their vocabs were. I found myself explaining definitions of what I thought were routine words, constantly.)

        They (my kids) have a huge appreciation of classic books. Dorian that you mentioned is one of my middle’s favorites. The Good Earth (assigned for freshman) was a favorite for all three. Their classmates, not at all. So we think classics are an acquired taste that needs to be taught.

        1. Lisa Eirene

          Oh I love this! That is so great that your kids grew up to be readers. I SO want that for Logan but he just won’t sit still. Sometimes I try to read to him while he runs around and plays hoping he’d be interested…

          I read the Boxcar Children! Great books 🙂

  2. Kristin

    If you haven’t already, consider reading two of Nora Ephron’s memoirs–I Feel Bad About My Neck and I Remember Nothing. (Or listen to the audio, narrated by Nora. I’ve both read and listened.) Funny (of course) and touching as well. (I went to Anna Quindlen when I was looking for more memoir.)

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Thanks for the recommendations! I will add them to my list.

  3. Paula C

    110 books in a year is one ambitious goal. I am lucky I have time to read a few books a year! Maybe I need to make it a goal to get to the library.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      I find it easier to read more with my kindle!

  4. emmaclaire

    Thanks for the fresh reads, Lisa! And I agree with Vickie’s comments about reading to the kids as well. We read to them every night at bedtime and then when they were in elementary and middle school, we would have 6 weeks of TV free in the summer time, during which would read books as a family after dinner. Of course they resisted it at the time, but have since said that they have some great memories of that tradition. I have a photo somewhere of the 4 of us hunkered down at an airport on a trip taking turns reading Harry Potter Goblet of Fire aloud to each other because we couldn’t wait for each of us to read it individually!

    I do have one book to recommend – my first book of 2018 as well. Hubby bought it for me because it had 2 of my favorite things, running and post-apocalyptic fiction. The title is The End of the World Running Club by Adrian J. Walker. It was a good read, and I liked that the main character isn’t the strong male “save the world” kind of character. He’s just a regular Joe, a bit of a loser, actually, and it’s interesting to see how his story unfolds. Happy reading!

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Those are some nice memories of your kids. 🙂 I am excited for when Logan is old enough for Harry Potter.

      Thank you for the recommendation! I will add it to my list. 🙂

  5. Carrie @ Season It Already!

    I felt the same way about Truly, Madly, Guilty – “What happened at the BBQ already!!!!!???” LOL.

    I also loved This is How It Always Is. It is one of those books that stuck with me for a long time… I kept thinking more and more about it! Especially gender fluidity… and how we all are on a different part of the spectrum.

    1. Lisa Eirene

      Wasn’t it annoying?? I almost gave up.

      I agree about the other book. It was so good and I still think about it, too.

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