Happy holidays!

I spent Christmas in D.C. We (Dave and I) drove.

When driving, one can pack a whole heck of a lot more books than flying. So I did. Naturally. And as I move on to the next part of my journey (wedding in Boston), I am realizing how little I actually read in the past week. Ah, well. There's something to be said for spending time with nieces and other family. We need breaks sometimes, even from reading.

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy, 1873 to 1877

I'm doing it. I'm taking on this tome. And you know what? So far, so good. I'm really enjoying the atmosphere: Moscow and Saint Petersburg in the mid-19th century. It's cold. They're rich. There's a pervading divide between the haves and the have nots. All the names are full of hard constants. What's not to like? It kind of makes me want to take the train somewhere, but I have the feeling Amtrak out of Indianapolis isn't quite as romantic as Tolstoy's story.

From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basile E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg, 1967

It is my mission to get a student in my library to check out this book. What's wrong with these kids?! Maybe it is the boring cover and it is pretty dated, but I LOVED this middle grade fiction novel back in the day. A girl and her brother run away to live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. They sleep in antique beds and collect money from the fountains. What more could you want from a book? So I am rereading From the Mixed-Up Files this break so I can really push it come January. And when my sister-in-law saw it on my nightstand, she about died. She could never remember the title but just the story she had read and loved as a kid. So now she knows! Isn't that the best?

Snow by Uri Shulevitz, 1998

This one goes out to my two nieces. Snow is one of my favorite kid's books. It is a short, lovely story about a boy looking to the sky waiting and watching for just one snowflake and then another and then another before the whole town square is blanketed. But the best part of the book isn't the story, it is the wonderful, beautiful illustrations with muted colors. If you don't believe me, Shulevitz won the Caldecott, and that counts for something.

AND...

Empire of the Summer Moon: Quanah Parker and the Rise and Fall of the Comanches, the Most Powerful Indian Tribe in American History by S.C. Gwynne, 2011

Dave and I have been listening to this audiobook on and off for the past few road trips. I'll be honest: it isn't my favorite, BUT it is a great audiobook. You can kind of zone in and out because there isn't much of a linear narrative. This adult nonfiction describes the Comanche Indians primarily in the mid-19th century. This powerful tribe could ride a horse better than anyone in town...or on the frontier including the settlers. And let it be known: the settlers and the Comanches did not get along. If you have a weak stomach, you might have trouble reading (or hearing) the brutal scenes, some battles and some skirmishes. I recommend Empire of the Summer Moon as an audiobook choice.

I hope you all had a great holiday and are gearing up for New Year's! Any resolutions on the table?

Thanks for the images, BarnesandNoble.com!