Spring rituals

I find that I’m trolling the library shelves fairly frequently these days.  Up and down.  Back and forth.  Furtively glancing at book titles.  Surreptitiously running fingers down spines of books.  Until the urge can no longer be resisted and I pull a book or eight (or more) off the shelf.  And   so begins a springtime ritual that goes way back, the collecting of stacks of books in great anticipation of the when I’ll be able to do more reading – LOTS MORE READING!  Its called summer.

So, back to my trolling habit.  It’s sort of like birds in spring; finding the perfect match, building and feathering a nest, and lots of time just sitting around waiting and then enjoying the hatching of my ‘nestlings’.  (I don’t really ‘know’ whether birds are joyful about hatching nestlings or not – but for the sake of my analogy, just go with it, please.)

So, trolling… It does feel like I’m well underway feathering my nest with all the books that I’ve  not read during the school year but thought looked interesting or could have potential tie-ins with school curriculum.  So many books, so little time…

Here are a few that I’ve collected so far:

The Sea of Trolls by Nancy Farmer

 I love Nancy Farmer’s writing and must admit I’ve put off reading this as I’m usually not into Norse mythology.  But, I trust Nancy as a storyteller and have yet to be disappointed.

The Smile by Donna Jo Napoli

Again, a strong storyteller who I usually enjoy.  This one may have some cross-curricular potential with social studies, the Renaissance and art.

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming

I’ve always meant to read this book as it takes me back to when I was a kid and how much I really, really loved the movie.  Dick Van Dyke was the man back in the day.  So, I’m curious as to what the book will be like and will be looking for connections with the science curriculum.

Thief of Hearts by Christopher Golden & A Murder For Her Majesty by Beth Hilgartner

These ones are even a bit more indulgent as I love mysteries.  The first one is a contemporary story about a college freshman who works as a pathology assistant and becomes involved in a murder investigation.  The second book is a historical mystery for kids grades 5-8.  The setting is during the reign of Elizabeth I and has a young girl on the run from the men who murdered her father.  Supposed to have fantastic detailing of the time period and great suspense.

The Liberation of Garbriel King by K.L. Going & Broken Soup by Jenny Valentine.

Two contemporary reads about growing up.  Both authors are award winners that I’ve come across previously and I have great hopes for both of these.

That’s the list so far but it certainly won’t end there.  I haven’t even started pulling nonfiction books, yet.  This ‘feathering’ business may be continuous but truly it is the best time of year.