Alysa's Summer Reading 2025

 I read some good books this summer that I don't want to forget about! Here they are in no particular order:

The Five Worlds Series - Graphic Novels by Mark Siegel & Alexis Siegel, illustrated by Xanthe Bouma, Matt Rockefeller and Boya Sun. 

Jubilee discovered these at the library some years ago and loved them, and bought each one as it came out. This spring, Sam enjoyed them all and he finally convinced me to read them over the summer. I have no regrets -- they're a solid contribution to the fantasy graphic novel for ages 8+. The Five Worlds are out of balance and some say that lighting the beacons will save them, but others think the beacons will destroy more than they save. The books have some beautiful art and some memorable intrigue and characters. Recommended.

Braving the Wilderness: The Quest for True Belonging and the Courage to Stand Alone
 by Brené Brown 

I have enjoyed some talks and videos by the author, so I opted for the audiobook, and listened to this one. I really enjoyed it. It centers around belonging, especially in a modern, polarized world. It talks about elements needed for belonging, and for those moments when we realize we don't want to belong but to "brave the wilderness" instead. The stories in the book were captivating, and the research-backed conclusions and advice in it ring true. 

The Talisman Ring by Georgette Heyer

My book club friends asked me to pick a "beach read" and this was my pick. Not exactly beachy in any way, really, The Talisman Ring is both a light-hearted murder mystery and a comedic romance. On the Old English coast, local baron Sylvester dies and on his deathbed he insists on the betrothal of his nephew Sir Tristram and to his granddaughter Eustacie. Unfortunately they are a terrible match for each other. Eustacie runs away at midnight and meets her true love, who is wanted for murder. The rest is a series of madcap adventures and humorous scenes which all come together happily in the end. 

Mickey 7 by Edward Ashton

Ben checked this one out from the library and I read it, too. It was an enjoyable sci-fi story about an expendable man. Mickey signed up to go on a dangerous planet-colonizing mission and to be the one who would upload his brain regularly and do all the jobs likely to end in death, knowing that his clone would come out of the machine if anything happened to him. I particularly liked the characters in this book, who were a lot of fun and drove the plot well. I wasn't surprised to learn that the book has been made into a movie, but I'll stick with the book, because descriptions of Mickey's deaths weren't too gory, and I think the movie would be worse for me, in that sense. There was a bedroom scene, and if I remember right a little bit of language that I could have done without, but overall it was a fun book, and I loved the ending. 

The Demon in the Freezer: A True Story by Richard Preston

Ashley Z picked this one for book club and it was an enthralling, unpleasant read. We agreed as a club that we loved it but were totally grossed out. It talks a lot about anthrax, and the anthrax scare of 2001, which was pending investigation at the time this book was published. It also goes into depth about smallpox -- its symptoms, eradication, and status today. It was very interesting, but I did have to skip ahead in the audio once or twice when descriptions became too gruesome for me. Nevertheless, I feel better educated for having read it. It was also super interesting to read it from a post-covid point of view, since global pandemic is a big point of speculation in the book. 

Tools for Teaching by Fred Jones

I checked this one out of the library because the library didn't have The First Days of School by Harry Wong. No regrets, though! This book had a lot of interesting and helpful tips for middle and high school teachers. I'm still mulling over the advice on classroom furniture placement, step-by-step guidance, and motivational learning games. It seemed like an oldy but a goody, and I read the whole thing. I did also find and skim through a copy of The First Days, as well.  

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

For book club, I read The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab. I did not love it. 

Addie LaRue is a young woman in a time that is unkind to young women. She has always loved the local unmarried woman and aspires to be her. However, her father arranges a marriage for her. In a last-ditch effort to avoid the wedding, Addie enters into an agreement with a higher power, agreeing to live a life where once she has gone out of sight of someone, she will go out of mind, too. She can move through life forever: immortality! But no one will remember her, even from one interaction to the next. 

The writing was good. The story really pulled me along! I enjoy high-concept books and movies, and this one did a particularly good job exploring at least one branch of "Hmm, what would that actually be like?" I just didn't like Addie. I found it pretty hard to relate to her in most cases. I vacillated between not really liking Addie and really not liking Addie. 

Clare and I tried on some clothes recently.
Addie LaRue steals all her clothes because ...she can? ...she has to? 

The book made for an interesting discussion, especially because Tara helped us along. She hadn't read the book but wanted to hear about it and form conclusions about it, so she asked lots of thoughtful questions. We discussed morality and relationships and mental health and more. 

So, I find myself ambivalent about the book. I was complaining about it to my husband Jacob about three quarters of the way through -- how the characters were all ridiculous and made the worst possible choices all the time. He reminded me that I didn't have to finish, to which I responded, "Yeah...but I think I want to." I knew that finishing the story via an online summary wouldn't answer my deepest questions about it, and that not finishing wouldn't either. I disliked pretty much all the characters and disliked the way the author seemed to buy in to what I consider Hollywood tropes: sex, drugs . . . rock and roll? But the author did raise interesting questions about time, morality, relationships, what people want out of life, etc. So, though I don't hesitate to put a book down when I hate it, this one walked right along that line, pretty much start to finish. Ha!

Have you read it? I'd love to know what you think. I'm writing this a few months after reading the book, so if it's been a while for you, too, tell me what stuck with you.

A Gentleman in Moscow

A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles

The book opens with the transcript of a trial, and answers this question: What will become of a gentleman in Moscow? Specifically, what will the new communist Russian government do with the Count, His Excellency Alexander Ilyich Rostov, son of the Grand Duke, now that the Tsar has been deposed?  Before the beginning of Chapter 1, we learn that the Count is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol Hotel.  

I really loved this book, and it reminded me of many of my favorite books. I loved the characters -- they felt as real to me as the March sisters in Little Women. I loved the setting and learning a little bit more about Russian history, because my brother Ransom speaks Russian and has spent time in Ukraine. I loved Count Rostov's noblesse oblige attitude (a la The Scarlet Pimpernel). And maybe you should imagine Frances Hodgson Burnett's classic, A Little Princess, but with a grown man?

I don't want to say much about the plot. I myself loved knowing nothing about where it was going as I went along. I would recommend this book for adults, but if my teen wanted to read it I wouldn't mind. 

This is the sort of book that makes me wish I spoke five languages, had read lots of classic Russian literature, and watched all of Humphrey Bogart's films. 

One of my favorite scenes in the book is the description of the twice-tolling clock and the purpose for which it was commissioned. And, of course, the hide-and-seek game in the Count's study. Ah, now that I'm thinking of favorite scenes, there are too many! 

I gave Ransom this book for his birthday. I don't know if anything else I can say could recommend the book more highly. 

Have you read it? Please tell me your favorite parts. I read it for a zoom book club, but then I missed the discussion, so I'm itching to discuss. 

I didn't take this photo in Moscow, but I did take it in the snow!

Four Book Club Books I Enjoyed Recently

The book group I'm in didn't meet from March - August 2020, but we did start meeting again in the fall. For September and October we met outdoors, but for November and January we met online only. Here's what we've been reading.

Gilead by Marilynne Robinson

I really liked this book. It started off as a family history reminiscence, but wound its way around into being a present day drama, connected of course to the family history. I liked that it was short and succinct. I liked that little tidbits were revealed. I loved little lines like "[Television] seems so two-dimensional after radio." And I loved the parallelisms for instance, the young Jack Boughton being mistaken for a preacher. The time that Lila comforted John Ames "you'll be just fine" and the time she comforted Jack "People can change." I liked how the book shifted from quoting the Old Testament to quoting more of the New Testament, reflecting changes in the spiritual life of the family. 

The book is a letter, or book of remembrance, that John Ames writes for his young son. John is in his seventies, and tells of his life growing up and marrying his childhood sweetheart, only to lose his wife and baby at the baby's birth. In a roundabout way he imparts the lessons of his widower life and the love story that surprised him late in life. Throughout the book John switches from remembering the past -- sometimes remembering stories of times before he was even born -- into the present moment. This switching and the little sections the book is written in work very well to convince the reader that the book was written over the course of a few months, here and there.

Touching moments and astute reflections abound in the book. Our book group discussed many of these! I was surprised by how many people had come with passages marked that they loved and wanted to talk about. 

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides

This one is a murder mystery (chosen for the month of October). I listened to it on audio, and the swearing bothered me a bit. There was plenty of sex, drugs and violence, too! The suspense was very well done though, and the plot was twisty and had lots of red herrings. It was a nail biter, right up until the big reveal.

The Silent Patient is narrated by a psychologist whose patient never speaks. She is a famous artist, institutionalized after being convicted of the murder of her husband. Did she really murder him? If so, why? If not, who did? 

The interplay between Greek and Christian names and symbols in this book was one of my favorite parts of it. 

We had a great time discussing all of our hairbrained theories about who had done the murder. I found it interesting that the two group members who read the book quickly both suspected the same person, while those of us who read the book over a longer time had various other theories. 

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

I had heard of this book, but it wasn't until it was selected for book club that I realized its settings were closely tied to the settings of my own life. Paul Kalanithi, who wrote this memoir as a young doctor dying of cancer, moved to Kingman, Arizona when he was ten years old. About ten years later, I moved to Kingman, Arizona when I was nine years old. Eventually Paul moves to Connecticut to study at Yale. I currently live in Connecticut, about an hour from Yale. I really enjoyed connecting with the settings of Paul's life so strongly. 

I expected this book to be more about dying than it was. I expected it to be like The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, which I had read previously and enjoyed. When Breath Becomes Air is much more a descriptive memoir and less a prescriptive, well, lecture than The Last Lecture. I felt like I got to know Paul a little bit, and that was meaningful to me, knowing that we have some mutual friends. 

This was another book the people marked passages from and shared insights about. Discussing hypothetical situations about death, current medical situations and problems, and tender family moments was the meat of our book club conversation.   

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck

I listened to this one on audio, and the narration was excellent. I had never heard of The Good Earth before it was picked for book club, but Jacob had. 

The Good Earth reminded me of The Fiddler on the Roof -- it's a life story. The Good Earth follows Wang Lung from the  morning of his wedding day until his death. There's a lot that happens in between! I feel that I learned about Chinese culture in the late 19th and early 20th century, along with learning about these particular characters. 

I was reminded of Boxers & Saints, a pair of graphic novels that I love, since the books are set in the same time period. 

Our book group talked about Chinese culture, what we loved and hated about Wang Lung's choices, the strength of O-lan, the way nature grounds us, and more. 

For next month's book group I get to pick the book. I've chosen All Thirteen. It's really SO good. It's winning all the awards right now. My review here. 

Three good books!

Hi there! It looks like I've been holding out on you. I've got some good books to recommend, so here they are without further ado. All three are historical fiction with female protagonists. All three make great books for book club. The book covers are links to Amazon, as usual.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
I read this one because it was chosen by my book club, and I loved it. It was a lot of fun to read, tough to put down, and not too scary or gory, as some mysteries can be.

The story follows Flavia, a girl living on the family estate in England in ... gosh I can't remember what year. But she rides a bike and uses a telephone, though it is somewhat unusual that their home has "the instrument." When Flavia finds a dead body in the back garden, she does what 10-year-old girls do best: finds out as much information as possible as unobtrusively as she can. And of course that leads to trouble.

This book comes the absolute closest to a Nancy Drew mystery that I've read in adulthood. Flavia and Nancy are both young girl detectives with independent transportation and permissive families, but Nancy generally is appreciated by the police. Flavia is not.

It made for a good book discussion with questions like "How realistic do you think it is that Flavia had the skills needed to solve the mystery?" "When did you know who the murderer was?" and "What ages do you think this book would be appropriate for?" It was generally agreed that 12+ would be fine.

This is the first in the series, and I would mind reading the other ones at all. The mystery is all tied up at the finish, but some loose ends about the characters remain.

The Hired Girl by Laura Amy Schlitz

I first heard this recommended by Leila Roy, who was gushing about it a couple of years ago. I finally picked it up, and I loved it. I was going to pick it for my next book club pick, but Bethany beat me to it!

The Hired Girl is the diary of a farm girl circa 1910. Her mother died a few years before the story opens, and we find her working like a slave (unpaid, unprivileged, constantly belittled) to keep the family farm going. When she sees advertisements for positions as a Hired Girl and realizes the worth of her work, she runs away from home and her abusive father. Of course, being a runaway in 1910 comes with its own huge set of challenges and learning experiences.

I think it can be really tricky to do a diary format novel right. I'm really picky about diary format, because I keep a personal diary. The author does a really good job here, and also makes the story so interesting that I was happy to forgive entries that seemed too long or too detailed to be completely realistic. The story was realistic, and captivating, and I can't wait to discuss it with the book club ladies. Everything from journal keeping and women working to domestic abuse and religion.

I loved the way that religion featured largely in the book. Religion features largely in my life, and I find that a lot of young adult literature these days doesn't touch the subject. our protagonists late mother was a different religion than her father, and other characters of other religions and various degrees of devotion to their religions are big in the book, and make the whole story more nuanced and believable.

The Grand Sophy by Georgette Heyer

Ashley has been telling me for a while now that I need to read some Georgette Heyer books. And as we all know Ashley has great taste. So I went over to the grown-up section and it looks like Heyer is prolific. I picked The Grand Sophy because I seemed to remember hearing about it before. Now that Bethany has stolen The Hired Girl as her book club pick, I think The Grand Sophy will be mine. (Do you hear that, friends? DIBS)

The Grand Sophy is set in post-Napoleonic England, and will remind you of Jane Austen's books if you've read them. (Heyer was not, however, a contemporary of Jane Austen. Heyer wrote The Grand Sophy in the 1950s.) The book follows a family in London whose situation is rough: father has gambled away all of the money, and his eldest son has inherited a fortune from an uncle. Because the eldest, Charles, has a good heart, he is helping his family out, but he's a bit of a tyrant about it. Into the picture comes cousin Sophy, who needs a place to stay while her father is out of the country on government business. She has all kinds of virtues and a few vices and upsets the apple cart in all the best ways.

This one was just SO fun to read. I laughed out loud several times and loved the scene with the moneylender, particularly. I have to wonder if Eugenia from the Mercy Watson books is named for Eugenia in this book. That will be something to ask Kate DiCamillo someday! Anyway, good call Ashley, and I'll definitely be reading some more Georgette Heyer.

18 Classics to Read with Kids

Today's question comes from Debra:

"Have you ever done a post about your favorite classics for kids? I have been thinking about starting some classics with Kolt over the summer but all the ones I can think of off the top of my head are either way too heavy, or I don't think he would really be into them. "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" is not really up his alley for example." 

Well, I'm glad you asked! Because it gives me a great excuse to list my favorite classics of children's literature. For those who don't know, Kolt is a nine year old boy, and a very strong reader. I'm making this book list with him in mind. I'm going to stick affiliate links in here, in the form of cover images, just in case you are interested in any of these but can't find them at your local library.

Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White -- As I've been thinking about this list, I keep thinking about The Trumpet of the Swan. I know that Charlotte's Web is the most talked-about of E.B. White's books, but The Trumpet of the Swan has a special place in my heart from my childhood. It follows a swan who can't make a trumpeting noise, so he learns to play the trumpet. What he has to sacrifice in order to communicate and what he is able to do . . . it's just a book I'm never going to forget. Great one to read together and discuss.

The BFG by Roald Dahl -- This is my personal favorite of Dahl's books, and I'm sure you're aware of Dahl as and author, but I just had to list this one. Gotta love it when a little girl makes friends with a misfit giant.

The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster -- I honestly don't remember that much about this one except that I loved it! It is a very clever book, and just the sort of thing that a strong reader is going to like -- full of wordplay and complex ideas but completely devoid of questionable content. A boy takes a journey into a strange land.

Sure to be an Adventure: Benjamin reviews Treasure Town

I've got something special for you today! Benjamin wants to tell you about a book he read this week.

Ready!

What is the name of this book?
Treasure Town!

Who is it by?
Ummm. Doug . . . [Doug Wilhelm, and illustrated by Sarah-Lee Terrat]

How was it?
It was good.

Who would like it? 
Probably like, 5-, 6-, 7-year-old's or anybody who likes Magic Tree House. [The book is designed for grades 2 and 3.]

What was it about? It was about these four kids, no three kids, um, and they met they two guys named Bug and Yuke, and they were looking for treasure in Alaska, but they were down in Sandy Feet, Florida! And then the three kids told them about the treasure that was down here in Sandy Feet, Florida. And they all went hunting for it together. And Yuke was a really fat guy and he was strong, so one of the kids named Speedup was helping dig with him for the treasure; and the treasure was Jean Lafitte's treasure.

What did you learn from it?
That there are two girl pirates that were braver than boys! Anne Bonny and Mary Read.

Was it funny? Why?

It was funny. Cuz one time, Yuke said "excuse me" when Speedup told him to get out . . .

Who are all the main characters?
Bug - He's an old fat guy looking for treasure
Yuke - Really good digger and Bug's partner
Speedup - Good digger, too, like Yuke. And he's a kid.
Luis - A kid who day dreams with Bug about treasure.
Hayley B. - A kid who has a strong intuition. She can tell when there is treasure or not! Only girl that's part of the main characters.

Tell me more about the pirates.
Jean Lafitte - If you had all of his gold, then you could build a bridge of gold across the Mississippi River!
Anne Bonny - Escaped from jail. We don't know what happened after she escaped from jail.
Mary Read - Sailor that got captured, but girls back then were not supposed to be sailors. Died from a fever in jail.

Here's the rest of the characters.
The townspeople - gathers around if a police car is on top of a geyser of the town's main water pipe!
Chief Gherkin - he doesn't like the beach.

Did you like the pictures? YES!

Would you say this is a good book for kids?
Yes. Ok, can I read you one chapter??

___________
Haha! Oh man, I get a kick out of this kid. Doug Wilhelm, author of Treasure Town, sent me a copy of the book for review, on my request. I thought Benjamin might like it! He also sent a Classroom Guide to go along with it, if that's your thing. Treasure Town is available for pre-order and will release on April 20, 2015. I have posted affiliate links above, for your convenience.

Great graphic novels!

Ok, I'm back with the second half of the Cybils Finalist list, as promised. These are graphic novels I highly recommend, published in 2014, nominated in the Elementary/Middle Grade category, and agreed upon by my fellow panelists and I as the best of the bunch in terms of kid-appeal and literary merit.

2014's Best Graphic Novels for Younger Readers (Part 2):

Hidden: A Child's Story of the Holocaust by Loic Dauvillier I just recommended this book to a friend whose eighth grade daughter is studying WWII. Though I think this book would be fine for some 3rd graders, I think it's poignant enough that it can interest older audiences as well. It is a relatively mild story from the holocaust which details one girl's experience fleeing the city and hiding in the country. It does an excellent job of conveying the confusion, disgust, and sadness that affected her for years.

The Dumbest Idea Ever! by Jimmy Gownley is autobiographical. This is the story of how Jimmy Gownley published his first comic, about him and his friends. It features middle school antics and teaching nuns. Anyway, I found it to be both more interesting and more enjoyable than Sisters by Raina Telgemeier, another strong contender in the realistic genre.

Ballad by Blexbolex I've written about Ballad before. Did you know that in its original language it is titled Romance? I can see why they changed the title -- there is nothing "romantic" about it but this story of a child going home from school goes from simple to incredibly complex and is full of interesting things. Read more about it in my full review.

Remember, you can catch Part 1 of this list right here. Happy reading!

Gateway Books -- Benjamin reviews the Magic Tree House series

"Hey Mom, do you still have the list of, like, 'You Should Read These' books?"

"Yes." I could tell Benjamin was referring to a guest post I put together a little while back.

"Because I want to put Magic Tree House on there, because if you don't like reading, you read one of those and it just, like, changes your life."

BAM! When your 6 year old says something like that? That's book recommendation GOLD right there. I knew I was going to have to interview him about Magic Tree House books. 

"What do you mean it changed your life?"
"When I actually read a book and found out what it was, then that actually changed my life."

He brought me one of the Magic Tree House books, as corroborating evidence:

"See, Mom? Like that."

Magic Tree House series
by Mary Pope Osborne
includes 52 fiction books and 29 non-fiction companion books, series still in progress.

Let the interview begin!

Tell me about the Magic Tree House books.
They're really fun. Once you like know what they are you're like "Wow, I love reading them." They can get whisked back to a time of true places and false places. And in Midnight on the Moon (which is in one of the pictures) they get whisked forward in time! Kind of weird. You don't know what's going to happen then, right? They're just awesome!

My mom sent us a big stack of Magic Tree House books a couple months back.
Featuring Midnight on the Moon.

Who would you say would like the Magic Tree House books? Hm. People who love to read; people who don't love to read. They're great.

How do you feel about the characters in Magic Tree House? I feel like they're nice. And like they're really good. They actually make better choices than you would probably make. [Agreed! Jack and Annie are definitely models of good behavior] What are their names? There names are Jack, Annie, Morgan, Teddy, Kathleen. . . . Teddy and Kathleen are in the "Merlin Missions." Merlin. I think that's all.

What do you think of the adventures that Jack and Annie have?
Exciting. Cool. Awesome!!!

What is different in your life now that you've read the magic tree house books?
That now I love reading them! Do you read more now, than you used to? Because of the books? Yes. [He definitely does. These books were his gateway into independent reading.]

Levi jumped in at the end: "Mom, I want to tell you something. Kathleen can actually turn into anything."
Benjamin: They met Kathleen in the library book that I have! Summer of the Sea Serpent. 

"Take some pictures of me pretending to read."

These books really are popular for good reason. Jacob commented, "They're nice because they're short." And I have to agree. The last two nights I've read Summer of the Sea Serpent out loud to the boys before bed. Levi wanted in on the action, you see. Two nights of not-too-many chapters, and we are more than halfway through this little adventure.

There is something to be said for the way the books are structured: Each book is short, about 10 chapters, less than 100 pages total. A nice, short chapter book. However, continuity is kept in larger arcs across 4 books at a time. The Merlin Missions, mentioned above, begin with book 29, and signal the end of an arc across books 1-28. My point here is that you can read as much or as little as you like in the series, and that flexibility is really liberating.

So, does it surprise you that Benjamin has requested some more of the Magic Tree House collection from Grandma's shelves? My younger sister (now all grown up and not even a teenager anymore) enjoyed these books for a long time. You're probably familiar with them if you have a child in school. But if you aren't there yet and you're looking for something a little more grown up than Mercy Watson and a little more adventurous than Junie B. Jones, this will hit a sweet spot.

These books are super easy to find used -- I bought several at Goodwill a couple weeks ago. But if you'd like to purchase them new, you can do so through my affiliate links below and I'll receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. (In fact, I earn if you purchase anything after clicking through my affiliate links.) Thanks for helping to support our reading lifestyle!

Here's an Amazon link for books 1-4
in the Magic Tree House Series.

Here's a fun collection I found from Barnes & Noble.
It includes Magic Tree House, Junie B. Jones, and others.

So, what is your take on Magic Tree House books? (If they changed your life, I really must hear about it.) What books were your gateway into independent reading?

I hated this book: Gone with the Wind

You guys I finally finished Gone with the Wind! Phew. I'm so glad that's over.

Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell
This image is not a fair representation
of what lies inside.  

It was very well written, highly informative, and fascinating. But despite its literary merit I will here assert the validity of my own emotional response, and say . . . I hated it.

I couldn't relate to Scarlett very well. I don't think you're really supposed to relate to her, but that's not the point. The point is the whole book is about her crazy, stressful life and how she overcomes hardship and tragedies of all kinds. That sounds great, but ugh it just was not great for me! I was totally stressed out reading this book. Especially when she first returns to Tara. I put the book down to do dishes. I saw the crusted rice on the bottom of my rice cooker and thought, "That's perfectly good rice! We should just soak it again and eat it. It will save us from starvation!" Rinsed rice down sink. Felt horrible about it.

Anyway, it's easy to see why this book is a classic -- why it has endured the test of time so well. I learned quite a bit about the Civil War and race relations in the South at that time, and it was enjoyable to do so. :) But, yeah. I hate Scarlett. I've decided that it must be because I'm like India Wilkes (at least when it comes to how I feel about Scarlett). Also hated Ashley. Rhett's alright. Melanie just keeps getting more awesome, throughout.

I know for sure that part of my problem was the sheer length of this book. I borrowed a copy from my friend Katie and couldn't even bring myself to begin reading it until I downloaded a free sample of the e-book. I got into the book and interested in it and then I could stand to heft it. (Let me toss in a couple affiliate links to the e-book, in case you want to go that route. Here's one: Gone with the Wind. Here's two: Gone with the Wind.)

Have you read it? Did you enjoy it? I really must know WHY you love it, if you do. Many friends have told me they love it, and now I want to hear ALL about how you overcame all your chances to hate Scarlett and liked this book. Ready? Go!

Me and Scarlett, showing our disdain at #DBF2014

p.s. Yes, I saw the movie once, many years ago. Don't remember much from it, but I can still say the book was better than the movie.