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 January:
Why not kick off the new year with some genuine inspiration about real people? This memoir of how Likins and his wife adopted six disparate children in the 1960s deals with everything from issues of race and mental illness to drug addiction and unwed pregnancy. On each page, though, you see the love and compassion and pride of its author, and you feel reassured that there still are plenty of lovely people among us that don’t necessarily get talked about in the nightly news.
I could not put this book down! Ever heard of William Henry Ireland? Neither had I. This book takes you through his incredible con-job in 18th century England, when he claimed to have discovered a bunch of never-before-seen documents written by Shakespeare. A fascinating tale that would make a great movie.
I first saw Patrick on Extreme Makeover: The Home Edition and was touched by his inspiring story of living with a disability and his incredibly supportive father (they perform as a team in the Louisville marching band). If you want to get motivated for the new year, I know no better book to show you how to put things in perspective and beat any odds.
Julia Alvarez is a magnificent author of such great books as How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of the Butterflies. This collection of her poems will introduce readers to her enticing writing style and keen eye for examining life across cultures in America.
Smith’s “autobiography in collage” is aptly titled, as this gem is filled with anecdotes that are sure to make you laugh. With entries on false teeth, dog poop and dead beetles, this is also a great way to inspire students’ creativity in their writing (the Table of Contents alone should draw plenty of giggles and questions).
When 17-year-old Josh Swensen creates a popular website through his alter ego to impress Beth, havoc ensues in this page-turner that boys and girls alike will love.
M.T. Anderson is simply one of my favorite authors for teens, as his books are filled with plenty of twists and turns, lots of action and humor and even a subliminal message every now and then. Your middle schoolers will greatly enjoy this sequel to Anderson’s The Game of Sunken Places.
I am excited about Vicki-Ann Bush, as I just completed reading a couple of her e-books for young adult series, The Dusk Chronicles. The Queen of IT is a great book to encourage kids to go out and “do something.”
This is a fun read aloud about families from around the world at a street market expressing their emotions in their languages. Sue Rama’s illustrations of children’s facial reactions as they try different foods makes this a great way for kids to learn about trying different things and learning about different cultures.
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Hi folks! Happy New Year! I hope you all had wonderful holidays. Did you give and get plenty of books for gifts? I know I sure did, and I have a full reading pile for 2012. I was selfish over the holidays and read a lot of my standbys: Stephen King, John Grisham, James Patterson and Tom Clancy. Let me just say that there is a reason that these guys have each sold over a zillion books.
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.
