What We’re Reading Now

Today we’d like to share a little bit about what we Random House Children’s Books Sales Reps are reading. You know, when we’re not reading for our jobs……We’re in this business because we love to read and we love to talk about books! I just finished How to be a Woman, by Caitlin Moran, and I’ve been making a mental list of friends that need to read it since the first sentence. Part memoir and part feminist manifesto this book will make you laugh out loud, cringe, think deeply and make significant changes in your life. Perfect for anyone that needs a reminder that “feminist” is not a dirty word. –Nic

Right now I’m reading and listening, depending on where I am. In the car I’m listening to Libba Bray’s The Diviners, a terrific story set in 1920s New York. Libba has outdone herself with this first of four books, the atmosphere combined with history and her pitch perfect storytelling is making me take the long way home so I can keep listening. It’s a murder mystery with magic and  paranormal powers and evil and creepy characters in creepier situations that will totally give you the creeps and you still won’t want to stop listening. And bonus, reader January LaVoy may be the best I’ve heard, she truly brings every one of the large cast of characters to life.

When I’m not driving I’m reading the next volume in Maureen Johnson’s “Shades of London” series, The Madness Underneath. I really enjoyed the first book The Name of the Star, the story of an American girl at a London boarding school/paranormal/Jack the Ripper/murder mystery. So it’s delightful to be back in London with Rory for another heart-pounding contemporary/historical crime solving adventure. – Kate

I just started Elders by Ryan McIlvain from Crown’s new literary imprint, Hogarth. It’s got great quotes from T.C. Boyle and Jayne Anne Phillips (among others) and it’s about Mormonism. How can I go wrong? – Deanna

And a bonus (!) from Dandy who shares what everyone in her family is reading:

Emerson & Lucas:                                A friend just gave Emerson The Strange Case of Origami Yoda and The Secret of the Fortune Wookiee for his birthday. Both boys were dying to listen to them so we’ve been reading them aloud. I think they are a little old for 5 & 7 so I’ve been ‘editing’ some of the big kid words & issues, but the bottom line-the boys LOVE these books.

Mike: The Twelve by Justin Cronin. I picked up an extra galley for him at a recent trade show & he was ecstatic! I haven’t heard much from him about it but I notice he’s been going to bed earlier than usual so he has more time to read.

Me:

 The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe. I promised myself this was the next grown up book I was going to read & I couldn’t wait any longer. I have heard such wonderful things from so many different types of readers that I had to put down what I was reading to see what they loved so much. I’ve really just begun but am already swept up in Will & Mary Anne’s lives & as a mother am deeply moved by their relationship.

And here’s what Erin and her family are reading:

I’m reading Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner. I did an author study on Stegner in a high school literature class, but for some reason, this wasn’t one of the six books I read. After the wonderful chapter on it in another recent read I can’t stop raving about, The End of Your Life Book Club, I decided to start it and so far, I’m loving it. Stegner has a deceptively simple style but his characters and words really linger.

My husband, like Dandy’s, is reading The Twelve by Justin Cronin. The second my flight landed after a recent tradeshow I worked, he grabbed the galley out of my suitcase and dove in. So far, he said it’s just as thrilling as The Passage.

Our kindergartner is reading book after book each night. She’s a little bit obsessed with her reading chart from school and wants to make sure she does at least 20 minutes of individual reading each night, in addition to what we read to her at bedtime. Because she has just started reading independently, we are pulling out a lot of simple picture books and early readers. Her favorites this week are Hop on Pop by Dr. Seuss and My Friend Rabbit by Eric Rohmann.

Finally, my littlest, who is three, is “reading” Lots of Bots by David  and Noelle Carter. He carries it around with him everywhere and we have read it so many times we finally had to branch out, so when we were recently at Powell’s on vacation, I bought him Tons of Trucks by Betsy Snyder and it has been a nice variation!

I’m catching up on reading for work since I was out for a few months, so my nightstand is stacked high with galleys from our summer and fall 2013 lists.  However, what I’ve been reading for the last few days is Super Baby Food by Ruth Yaron, recommended to me by a bookseller who is also a mom to two young kids.  The blub on the front cover says it all… “Absolutely everything you should know about feeding your baby and toddler, from starting solid foods to age three.  Includes more than 350 quick, easy, delicious and nutritious recipes and thousands of money-saving and time-saving child care and kitchen tips.”  I realized it was time to start reading up on how and when to start feeding my 4 month old solid foods since she’s suddenly started acting very intrigued by my husband and I when we eat! 

And to my little one this week I’ve been reading Haiku Baby, Brown Bear, and my new (old) favorite, Hooray for Fish! by Lucy Cousins.  I love watching her stare at the bright colors and reach out to grab the edges of the book – before I know it she’ll be turning the pages for me!  –Sarah N.

Thanks for joining us today at RAoReading, we hope we’ve given you a few new titles to add to your To Be Read pile. Please share your thoughts and book recommendations in our comments section.