{Another post from my friend, Tina ~ I also own two of these three books. Book Girl has been one of my favorite new books this year. Lovely!}
The month of December is in full swing which means the frenzy that is Christmas shopping has begun as well. This has been an excellent year for books written about books. If you are looking for reading guides for yourself or bibliophiles on your Christmas list, or you’re wanting specific book recommendations to gift this Christmas, here are reviews of my three favorites…
I’d Rather Be Reading by Anne Bogel
Anne is the queen of all things bookish on the web. She releases a yearly book guide on her website Modern Mrs. Darcy. She also has a delightful weekly podcast entitled What Should I Read Next where she interviews a variety of guests who share with her three books they love and one that they hate and then Anne recommends three new reads for them. It’s always entertaining and I usually come away from an episode with several more books to add to my to-be-read list.
This fall Anne published a book of vignettes about the reading life entitled I’d Rather Be Reading. Whenever I had fifteen minutes to myself this fall I would brew a cup of tea and settle in for a quick read. I’d find myself laughing out loud, underlining favorite quotes, and nodding my head as Bogel wrote about The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life (which is the subtitle of the book). With chapters like Bookworm Problems, I’m Begging You to Break my Heart, and Windows to the Soul this is the perfect gift for that friend who loves to read but doesn’t have a ton of time to do so or simply loves a book that makes them laugh. Also the cover is so lovely I’ve left it face out on my shelf just to enjoy the ambience it adds to my bookshelf.
The Read Aloud Family by Sarah McKenzie
Sarah’s website, Read Aloud Revival, is my favorite resource on the web for books to read aloud to my kids and to recommend that they read on their own. Sarah is an amazing resource on everything from picture books to reads for teens. Her weekly podcast covers everything from favorite audio books, to the best read-aloud techniques, to interviews with authors. My thirteen-year-old daughter and I both look forward to listening each week and getting new book recommendations.
The Read Aloud Family is the perfect gift for the friend or family member in your life who has kids and wants to read to them but isn’t sure where to start. Sarah’s book spends time helping readers understand the power of reading, how to read effectively with a variety of kids, ages, genders, etc. and includes helpful book lists to get them started. Get the book, check out her lists, add a few of her favorite recommendations to your gift lists, and you have the perfect present for a family who wants to read together!
Book Girl by Sarah Clarkson
Sarah has been writing about books for years. I picked up her first book of book recommendations, Read for the Heart: Whole Books for Whole Hearted Families when my daughter was little and it has been a favorite reference whenever my girl has come to me needing something new to read or listen to. I loved her second book about books, Caught Up in a Story, and resonated with her words about the power and beauty books have to form a life.
Her third book about books, Book Girl, came out this fall and I have been working my way steadily through it with a pen in hand. Sarah doesn’t just recommend books — she writes about books as the best kinds of friends and companions. Friends who encourage in times of trouble, who help us to see beauty in the ordinary, who challenge our thinking and bring hope in seasons of doubt. I come away from each chapter with favorite books I want to revisit, new books I want to try, and a whole slew of books to direct my teen daughter toward in the years ahead. Even for someone who considers herself well-read, I found a plethora of books I hadn’t yet read and look forward to trying. This book is definitely directed towards women and would be a good gift for any woman or teen girl who loves to read or wants to love it but doesn’t know how to get started. Bonus: It too has a lovely bookish cover to grace your bookshelves.
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