I'm clawing through my memories, trying to remember the books that I loved as a kid. See, my two older boys love listening to audiobooks (whilst reading along) when we're in the car. It's a great pacifier, too--they don't argue or fight or wiggle too much, because the books keep them occupied and focused. Plus they help them improve their reading, and it gives me something to do whilst driving. Since the daily commute equates to about an hour a day, that's pretty good.
Though there are more Pern books, I kind of don't want to revisit McCaffery's special planet again for a while. The emotional ending of All the Weyrs of Pern is so perfect I'd rather let it rest for a while, as I mentioned before. Being "done" with the series for the nonce, we scoured the library for the better part of an hour, trying to find the next set of books to read/listen to. I managed to score a digital audio copy of Redwall, by Brian Jacques. Frustratingly, there weren't any hard copies. Nevertheless, we started listening to the book anyway, and it's transporting me back...again.
I am a fairly obsessive kid: While I don't read broadly, I do read deeply. There are a handful of books that comprised my childhood, and I read all I could in that vein. Redwall, Dragonriders of Pern, The Prydain Chronicles, and Spider-Man books were my primary diet. I remember reading other books (The Cay didn't impress me, but I liked The Island of Blue Dolphins and I loved Maniac Magee), but in terms of series, they're pretty much what I listed above. Harry Potter wasn't a thing until I was in middle school, and I was too cool to read it (I finished the first novel early in my marriage, back in 2005).
So I'm trying to remember and find books that the boys will enjoy that don't have too much "content". I've heard some things about the Michael Vey series, and I know my oldest enjoyed some of the Percy Jackson stories, so we may try those at some point. I'd better put together a list, since the commute isn't going to be changing anytime soon, and I have to keep this kids entertained.
Anyway, we've only listened to about an hour of the book so far, but already I'm remembering the many different events and adventures of the Redwall series. I remember writing my own fanfiction whilst mowing the lawn--that is, I would turn on music on my Discman, stomp about the yard, and write in my head my own stories in the Redwall universe--and how many stuffed animals I bought that would be represented in the books. I still have a stuffed otter toy (which my boys found and were playing with today after having listened to the book) and other companions that populated the foot of my bed.
It's fun to see my children enjoying and exploring these to-me-familiar worlds, knowing that there are great lessons to learn, adventures to be had, and imaginings to relish. I hope these books help make them into better people--that's what I always hope for the literature I read.
Though there are more Pern books, I kind of don't want to revisit McCaffery's special planet again for a while. The emotional ending of All the Weyrs of Pern is so perfect I'd rather let it rest for a while, as I mentioned before. Being "done" with the series for the nonce, we scoured the library for the better part of an hour, trying to find the next set of books to read/listen to. I managed to score a digital audio copy of Redwall, by Brian Jacques. Frustratingly, there weren't any hard copies. Nevertheless, we started listening to the book anyway, and it's transporting me back...again.
I am a fairly obsessive kid: While I don't read broadly, I do read deeply. There are a handful of books that comprised my childhood, and I read all I could in that vein. Redwall, Dragonriders of Pern, The Prydain Chronicles, and Spider-Man books were my primary diet. I remember reading other books (The Cay didn't impress me, but I liked The Island of Blue Dolphins and I loved Maniac Magee), but in terms of series, they're pretty much what I listed above. Harry Potter wasn't a thing until I was in middle school, and I was too cool to read it (I finished the first novel early in my marriage, back in 2005).
So I'm trying to remember and find books that the boys will enjoy that don't have too much "content". I've heard some things about the Michael Vey series, and I know my oldest enjoyed some of the Percy Jackson stories, so we may try those at some point. I'd better put together a list, since the commute isn't going to be changing anytime soon, and I have to keep this kids entertained.
Anyway, we've only listened to about an hour of the book so far, but already I'm remembering the many different events and adventures of the Redwall series. I remember writing my own fanfiction whilst mowing the lawn--that is, I would turn on music on my Discman, stomp about the yard, and write in my head my own stories in the Redwall universe--and how many stuffed animals I bought that would be represented in the books. I still have a stuffed otter toy (which my boys found and were playing with today after having listened to the book) and other companions that populated the foot of my bed.
It's fun to see my children enjoying and exploring these to-me-familiar worlds, knowing that there are great lessons to learn, adventures to be had, and imaginings to relish. I hope these books help make them into better people--that's what I always hope for the literature I read.