Welcome to the Library

A house without books
is like a house without windows.
-unknown

Books are one of the biggest loves in my life.   It is my dream one day to have a library absolutely full of books.  Actually, I really don't care what the rest of the house looks like as long as I have a library.  I used to have a sunroom that was my library, but have since moved and am back to the crowded dining room of books and computer stuff. One day, I shall have my library again......

Where the Wild Things Are is my favorite children's book of all time (and trust me, I've read plenty of them!)  This book is so much fun to read aloud to kids, you can make voices and really scare the hell out of them! Very much a classic and former Caldecott winner.  So good, I had to have it in English and Spanish!

One of the most captivating books I have ever read, The Giver is amazing!  It is a young adult novel, but don't let that fool you.  It's written in such a way that children can get the initial grasp, whereas an adult can understand the underlining meaning.  I once spent 4 hours debating the ending and meaning of this book with friends.  Former Newberry winner, with good reason!

Think you can figure out whodunnit? Try again.  James Patterson is the king of confusing the hell out of you until the very end. Right as you figure out what is going on, the very next page will prove you completely wrong. All of his books have so many twists and turns you would never predict the ending.  Along Came A Spider was his first book I read and have been a devotee ever since. Great mystery/pyscho-thrillers.

Imagine a real day messiah trying to train a new messiah, who doesn't want to be a messiah, and you have Illusions. This book is packed of different outlooks of the world and great quotes!  My friends and I passed around the book encouraging people to make comments in the margins reacting to the text, it was interesting seeing how different things affected different people, and gave you even more insight to the book.

Unlike any books I have ever read, The Griffin and Sabine trilogy is in a class of their own.  It's a very interesting correspondence between two people where the text is their postcards and letters.  The art in the books has just as much meaning, if not more, than the actual text.  Available only in hardover, so is a little expensive, but money well spent!

SARK is one of those authors you will drive 4 hours to a place you have never been going to a bookstore that you have no clue where it is, just on a CHANCE to talk to her (not that I did that or anything....but she was wonderful!!) SARK has many books out and all of them will make you smile, she hand-writes them with her own little pics.  Her books are "self-help" but they don't read like them, just great stories and ideas of how to have more fun in your life.  Always great for a quick confidence boost!

The art is what makes Lady Cottington's Pressed Fairy Book.  The book is a journal started when narrator was a  young girl and progresses into adulthood, but along with her entries, you have the fairies that she catches.   And I must say it is the squahed fairies that really make the book!

The Tales of the City collection completely ruled my life for about a month. After I read the first book, I HAD to have the others, and ended up reading the last three books in one weekend (there are 6 books total).  The first book was difficult to get into, getting to know Maupin's writing style, but once you got it, you're hooked. These books have the most interesting plot twists and turns, after the first book (and I do recommend that they be read in order), you'll be begging for more and crying when you read the last one..

Here we have the incomprobable Poppy Z. Brite. A friend insisted that I get Lost Souls (Brite's first novel) and she talked so well about it, I bought Drawing Blood at the same time.  Needless to say for the next 4 days, I did nothing but read these books, I even skipped classes to read these books. Lost Souls is a vampire book so different than the rest, you are immediately involved and fall in love with the characters by the time you are done.  Then you move on to Drawing Blood, a book about paranormal activity, and they take you back to the same town, it's like seeing old friends again.   Poppy has a way of involving you so much in the story, that you can picture everything completely perfect in your head and almost believe that it's real and you're there with the characters. Two of the best books I have ever read, Lost Souls and Drawing Blood with captivate your mind and Poppy will have your soul by the time you are done.

Harry Potter is my newest love. There are four books in the series, and each just gets better than the one before it. Especially book four, which has turned out to be one of my favorite books of all time! The books are written with a young adult reader in mind, but as an adult you will be equally fascinated by it. I  read the first book The Sorcerers Stone to my reading class, and it was the first time all year they actually paid any attention to what I was reading. The books  are adventure/mystery, and the mystery will definately keep you guessing until the very end! These are must reads!!!!!!!!!

Aah, Tim Burton. How can you go wrong? I found this book on accident almost (that was if I believed in accidents). Not knowing that Burton had written any books, I picked it up and started flipping through the pages while laughing very loudly. The Melancholy Death of Oyster Boy & Other Stories is a collection of poems and short stories written and illustrated in true Burton style; sick, demented, and absolutely hilarious. A great addition to your library!

Here you have the ultimate "end of the world" book.  Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett do an amazing job of the apocalypse.  If this is how the world is going to end, I can't wait for it!  Good Omens is hilarious and very intelligently written.  You have to love any book where the four horsemen are bikers! Would love to say so much about this book, but don't want to ruin it for you.  I promise you won't be disappointed!

Looking for a used or rare book? Before going to the more "known" stores on the web, try BookFinder.com.  A collection of hundreds of independent stores all  willing to sell you the same book for a whole hell of a lot less than the others.  This is where the "known" stores get their used books then sell it to you at double the price! And for some dealers, you can pay by check!