A Visit to My Home Library

This is actually a post that I wrote several months ago and for some strange reason never published!  So, the time frames mentioned are definitely off, but that's okay, because that's not the important part anyway!


Yesterday, after eagerly waiting for three long weeks, the two newest additions to my home library arrived. A couple of things I’d like to explain: first, the reason I had to wait for three weeks to get my books is because I ordered them from Book Depository. This is a great place to shop if you are just buying a few books, because the prices are low and shipping is always free. The trade-off? The books are coming from either the UK or Australia, and even though they say they will be dispatched in two days and arrive five to eight days after that, it really never happens within those time frames. But hey, I shouldn't complain because free shipping!

The other thing is that ‘my home library’ is not a library in the sense of being a separate room that houses books. (Alas, that dream of mine remains currently unfulfilled.) No, I mean home library in the sense of the collection of books that I own, and are housed in my home. Which means,  overflowing from two sets of bookcases in two sets of rooms, neither one of which could even be remotely described as a library. (Well, the home office in which one sits does have a nice couch where someone could sit and read, but as my son has appropriated said room as his video game den, there is no way anyone is going to be doing any reading in there.)

So, what two books did I get? The Scorpio Races, by my favorite author, Maggie Stiefvater, which I have just recently read and reviewed and then rushed out to buy a copy for myself, and Lips Touch Three Times, by my other favorite author, Laini Taylor, which I have not read but am very much looking forward to. (I haven’t read it yet, because you can’t find it in a library. Hence the need to purchase a copy without knowing if it is any good or not. Buuuuut, considering how much I have LOVED every other book of hers so far, I am betting it will be worth it.)

Anyway, after cramming those two books on top of the other 183 books already filling my bookcases, I thought it might be interesting to give you all a sort of tour of my library, seeing as how I read many of the books on the shelves before I started this blog, which means I have no reviews for them. So. Today we will look at the books by Karen Cushman. (I actually did give a mini-review of one of her books, Catherine Called Birdy, a few months ago, so I’ll just go over the other ones here today.)

Okay, so I must confess, I don't actually have a copy of this book on my bookshelf right now.  I swear I had one at some point, so maybe I lent it to someone and never got it back.  The Midwife's Apprentice was actually the first book I read by Karen Cushman, and I loved it so much I read everything else she came out with.  It tells the story of an orphaned girl in medieval England who becomes the apprentice of a midwife and, as she learns the craft, discovers that she is smart and capable and not a nobody after all. Which, the way I've described it sounds pretty boring, but in reality is not.  At all.  And although everything out there that you see will tell you this is a middle grade book (4th to 6th grade or so), some parents might take issue with a bit of the content and feel that it is more appropriate for an upper middle grade reader (6th to 8th grade) instead.  (Reading Level: 6.0 / Middle Grade+)

Matilda Bone is another book set in the Middle Ages, this time with the heroine being apprenticed to a bone setter instead of midwife.  This is another book with a great lesson, witty dialogue, and humor - Cushman's trademark combination that leaves you wanting more.    (Reading Level: 5.7 / Middle Grades)

Rodzina tells the story of a twelve-year old Polish-American orphan who is packed up onto the orphan train and sent west in 1881, causing her to learn a lot about life and her own strength and self-worth in the process.  Are you seeing a pattern here?  Cushman pretty much writes books about girls.  She pretty much writes books about strong girls who might not realize they are strong in the beginning.  And, she pretty much writes books about girls who lived in times past.  This is actually one of my favorite books by Cushman, and even though the heroine is only supposed to be twelve, she gives the impression of being older, making the book appealing to teens as well as middle grade readers.    (Reading Level: 4.5 / Middle Grades)

The Ballad of Lucy Whipple is another book set in the 1800's, this time in a small California mining camp during the gold rush.  The spunky heroine has been dragged there from across the country by her mother, and makes it perfectly clear time and again that she is not happy with the situation.  Cushman really outdid herself with this character, and I think even those who are not fans of historical fiction will enjoy this book just because of her.
 (Reading Level: 5.8 / Middle Grades)

The Loud Silence of Francine Green is a little different from Cushman's other books.  It is set at the beginning of the McCarthy era in America, so historical fiction, but not too far in the past.  I didn't like it nearly as much as her previous works - it just didn't seem to have the same caliber of heroine as the rest.  It wasn't bad, though, so if you are looking for some fiction to go along with a study of the Red Scare, this might be a good pick.   (Reading Level: 4.6 / Middle Grades)

Alas, I wasn't impressed by Alchemy and Maggy Swann, either.  The main character was a crippled girl living in the 1570's in England, so kind of back to the Middle-ish Ages, but I just thought the book fell a little flat.  Maybe it was just geared more toward the younger reader, and without all the irreverent humor and heroines-with-attitude it was less appealing to me.  Once again, not bad, but definitely in my opinion not in the same league as her earlier books.    (Reading Level: 5.6 / Middle Grades)




So, there you have it.  If you are looking for historical fiction, or for books with a female lead realizing her inner strength, and if you don't mind a bit of irreverence or crudeness thrown in here or there, these are the perfect books for you.  And don't worry, you don't need to be twelve years old to enjoy them - I never read any of them until I was a full-fledged adult, and I think, owing to the fact that we can appreciate aspects of them that a child would not, that they are a fantastic read for us older folk as well.