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Finding Great Books

Sometimes the hardest part about making reading a part of your family culture is figuring out what to read.  The shelves of the library, the aisles of the local bookstore, the pages of recommended books on Amazon, they can all just be overwhelming.  Where do you even start?

I thought I'd start the year off by sharing some of my favorite places to find great books, both for adults and kids.  Great books are out there and life is too short to read bad ones!  So, here are some of my favorite resources.

Book Lists on Pinterest: Finding book lists is actually one of my favorite uses of Pinterest!  I love being able to search for very specific lists (Greek Mythology books for middle grades, best Audiobooks for kids) and I love having access to the lists on my phone at the library or bookstore.  I've been pinning book lists for so long now Pinterest actually suggests some really great lists that I read and re-pin! (Unlike that "20 ways to amazing abs" pin they keep suggesting.)  If you're on Pinterest, you can follow my boards Book Lists for Kids and Books for Mom.

Books About Books: This one is a bit meta, but there are some fantastic books full of book lists out there.  These are books I pore over when making my reading lists for the school year, books I set my children loose on when we choose our holds for the library, and books I reach for when our reading culture needs a shot of new life.  My favorites are The Read Aloud Handbook by Jim Trelease (the latest edition obviously has the most up-to-date book lists), Honey for a Child's Heart and Honey for a Teen's Heart both by Gladys Hunt, The Book Tree by Elizabeth McCallum, and The Well-Trained Mind by Susan Wise Bauer (really a book about Classical Home Education, but there are fabulous lists of books divided by historical age and grade level). 

Book Blogs: There are two blogs that I read consistently (like, weekly) and always find great book recommendations.  My favorite Book Blog for my own reading list is Modern Mrs. Darcy. I found her blog several years ago and it quickly became one of my favorites and my go-to spot for great books. I eagerly await the release of her Summer Reading List every year!  My favorite spot for inspiration for my kids' reading lists is The Read Aloud Revival by Sarah Mackenzie at Amongst Lovely Things.  The podcast is a gem and the notes for each one are chock full of incredible book recommendations.  

I hope these help you in your search for great books in 2016!  What are some of your favorite resources when you're looking for the next thing to read?

 

 

Audiobooks for Non-Auditory Kids (and a few of our favorite picks)