Welcome to the Lazy Readers' Book Club, your reading time manager!
This is where you go when you want to read quality books that don't take years to finish. My mission is to increase interest in reading by providing cool, short book recommendations for all ages. From interest comes devotion.
As teachers, parents or whatever state we find ourselves in, we often cannot find time to read for fun, and I think it is important that our children see us reading for pleasure. Therefore, each month I provide book recommendations that are quick and easy to read for personal pleasure. I try not to include any books over 250 pages, and I always include books written for a variety of ages (don't be shy about reading kids' books, though; they are my favorites because they generally have shorter chapters, bigger print and colorful pictures).
I hope you find a few moments to enjoy these quick reads in May:
I’m a sucker for baseball stories, and Halberstam’s book (told ingeniously using flashbacks as Dominic DiMaggio and Johnny Pesky drive 1,300 miles to visit their former teammate and beloved dying friend Ted Williams) chronicles the bonds of four legendary Boston Red Sox during the 1940s. This book will move even Yankee fans. It reinforced my depression over Halberstam’s early death a few years ago in a car accident that left a lot of us wondering how many great future books were stolen from us on that tragic day. Two words: Read Halberstam. He is masterful.
I had not read a good, old-fashioned Western in awhile, and a recent viewing of the wonderful Henry Fonda movie inspired me to pick up the text. It did not disappoint. As a matter of fact, readers could draw a lot of parallels between this story and current incidents involving mob justice.
#03
Real Time: Stories and a Reminiscence
by Amit Chaudhuri
I have not been this fascinated about India since reading Gandhi’s autobiography. Chaudhuri masterfully crafts tales that demonstrate the contrasts between young and old India. Stimulating reading.
#04
How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous
by Georgia Bragg
With funny cartoons by Kevin O’Malley to lighten up the text, Bragg offers tidbits and trivia about 19 famous dead people that is sure to cause a reading frenzy among boys, in particular.
One of my most important requirements for young adult books is a happy ending, as I am sick of books about teenage suicide, drug abuse and neglect. While plenty of awful things happen in protagonist Foster’s life, she and her mother endure in this book filled with wonderfully quirky characters.
#06
Hurricane Dancers: The First Caribbean Pirate Shipwreck
by Margarita Engle
Trying to put her past behind her (a crazy basketball season and breaking up with her boyfriend), Kylie focuses on pursuing a softball scholarship to UCLA. Good book for teenage girls trying to manage lots of issues at once. Sound like anyone you know?
Jane Goodall is simply an amazing human being, and the brilliant author Jeanette Winter does a fine job of illustrating for children Goodall’s determination and bravery in studying wild chimpanzees and fighting for their protection and preservation.
With lovely illustrations by Barry Root, this touching story tells the tale of an old accomplished fiddle player teaching everything he knows to a young boy in Appalachia. The prose is lyrical – perfect for just before bedtime.
Fun look at whether legendary beasts like the Loch Ness Monster might exist and how to search for them. Very enjoyable reading adventure for kids and parents alike.
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Hi folks! April showers may bring May flowers, and days spent indoors produced a lot of wonderful hours spent reading this past month. Truly enjoyed a number of highly-diverse but great books, including always reliable Harlan Coben’s Stay Close, Cheryl Strayed’s remarkable journey Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trailand Eleanor Brown’s precious The Weird Sisters.
PLEASE NOTE: I AM IN THE PROCESS OF RE-DESIGNING THE WEBSITE SO THAT I CAN RESUME E-MAILING FREE MONTHLY BOOK PICKS TO SUBSCRIBERS. I APOLOGIZE FOR THE DELAY.
Anyhow, enjoy this month’s book selections. I hope you are all reading some wonderful books. Make sure to tell me all about them. If you're an author or a publisher and would like to send me review copies of your book(s), please send them to:
Dr. Danny Brassell
CSUDH, COE 1440
1000 E. Victoria St.
Carson, CA90747
I make every effort to read everything that is sent to me (as a matter of fact, I am always more likely to mention books that are sent to me…hint, hint).
Some folks take offense that I call this site the "Lazy" Readers' Book Club. I know many of us are avid readers. This site is for everyone who doesn't have time to read thicker books but still have a hunger to read some quality literature. What bothers me is that there are only 24 hours in a day, and hectic schedules often prevent us from one of life's greatest pleasures: reading. By the way: people who read more become better readers, and my experiences have shown me that people who reader shorter books eventually gravitate to longer ones. Indeed, even I find the time to read lengthier books, now that I have developed a taste for shorter ones.
Remember, books and other items purchased from Amazon.com through links from the lazyreaders.com website will directly benefit BookEnds (http://www.bookends.org), a nonprofit organization devoted to increasing children's access to books and community service awareness. All you have to do is visit our website, click on Amazon, and Amazon will donate up to 10 percent of your total purchase to BookEnds. Visitors to our site who have used this feature have already raised a lot of money for this wonderful cause. Keep it up!
Every day I receive emails from people who want to be sent this list of monthly book picks. If you know anybody who would like to be included on the list, ask them to register at our website link, http://lazyreaders.com/contact.html, to receive my monthly recommendations. If you want to be removed from this list, please just say so. I promise that I will never forward anything but my monthly book picks. That's the honest truth - no mortgage rate ads or promises to help you lose 10 lbs. in three hours. I'll just send book recommendations once a month.
Please remember to read for fun and to read to your children, and e-mail me any short books that you'd like to have considered for our lists.
