Moms Book Club

High Noon…sort of reminds us of the old Gary Cooper/Grace Kelly movie doesn’t’ it?  I loved that movie such a strong hero and wonderful heroine.

Nora Roberts High Noon gives us the same concept only the girl lead, Phoebe, is the police and Duncan is the one who falls for her.  It is a very unique twist on an old storyline, with a bit of romance thrown in.

The more I read of Nora’s newer novels the more I see how well she can tell a story.  Sure her early works were good, but the stories seemed to revolve around the romance part more than a mystery of some sort.

I have spent the last week re-reading some of my favorites.  Among them were books by J.D. Robb, Nora Roberts, Julie Garwood, Judith McNaught, and Catherine Coulter.

Some of these I have not read in a couple of years so it was like picking up an old friend and saying “Hi, how are you?  Good to see you again.”

If you don’t know who Nora Roberts is then you need to go back to the bookstore. Nora with a stroke of the pen redefined the rules of romantic fiction.

Before Nora (BN) romance books were kinda silly I am sorry to say. Not a lot of story but a lot of sex. Nora’s books do have their share of sex after all that is what makes a romance book what it is. However, it is more about the strong characters, both men and women, family relationships, and community.

I started this blog because I love reading. It is one of the most constant activities in my entire life. I have always read, even when it was difficult.

For those individuals that find this blog I want them to go away with a love a reading, not just for themselves but for their children, grandchildren, the kids next door, everyone they come into contact with.

It really doesn’t matter what you read or how often, it only matters that you do. One of the reasons why I am so adamant about reading to and with children is because we learn through the written word, at least we should.

Years ago one of the first authors that I became a fan of was Karen Robards. I had never read a romance book of any kind up until that point, so I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the storyline.

The book that I read was 1984′s Amanda Rose and it set me on a course of reading romance books. Over time I have branched out to include many authors and the romance book industry has grown into the most popular fiction to be read.

I thought Karen was done writing books, but apparently I was very wrong!

How often do you read?  How often does your child read?

I read a lot, sometimes too much if that is possible.  When my children were young I often had a book in front of my face, it was easier than listening to the noise level.  I know not the best parenting, but it worked for me.

And it worked for my kids..since they always saw me with a book, they were much more likely to pick one up to look at.  I read to them, they read to me, we talked about the books we read (when appropriate), and shared our views on authors.

Julie Garwood is one of my favorite authors. The first book I ever read by her was Saving Graceand was captivated.

Garwood has been on the New York Times Bestsellers list 15 times and has sold over 30 million of her books worldwide. Most of her books are historical romance, however she has ventured into the contemporary category with a series of books that are just as wonderful. Like all her books she focuses in on family relationships, whether it is a family that is bonded by blood or a family made up of good friends.

This Christmas your child will receive gifts that he will soon outgrow, break, or lose interest in very quickly. Along with those gifts I ask that you give your child one more…a book.

Books are for all ages, all genders, and all reading levels. There is a saying that goes something like this: Give a child a book and you give him the world. This is so true and has been true throughout modern history.

Read the books with your children or let them sit in a quiet corner and read themselves if they are old enough. Introduce your children to books early on in life and you will have given them a wonderful future.

Khaled Hosseini first book, The Kite Runner, received world wide acclaim. If you haven’t heard or read this book yet, I will only say “you should”. The major themes in Khaled’s books are about war, loyalty, friendship, forgiveness, sacrifice, fear, differences in class and race, also in The Kite Runner delves into the relationship between father and son.

In A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khalid focuses on the turbulant lives of two Afghan women and how their lives criss-cross. It is a vivid picture of women in Afghanistan and how they survive under Taliban rule and even today. It was an eye opener and at the end of the book I couldn’t help but feel glad to be free.

At 20 years of age Christopher Paolini wrote his first published novel. It was called Eragon, the first book in the Inheritance Cycle. Christopher began writing at the age of 15. He spent the first year writing the first draft, then the second year refining characters and enhancing the storyline. Once his parents saw the final manuscript they decided not to go the usual route of finding an agent and then a publishing house but instead self-published Eragon. He spent his first year after the release just touring the United States and promoting the novel. Then the book was discovered by a Knopt Publishing novelist and they released the version we know today in August, 2003.