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Emily C Gardner

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Recent Posts

  • The Wondering Years by Knox McCoy
  • 25 Bunny Books perfect for Spring
  • 17 Wintery Children’s Books
  • A Bible Literacy Book Flight
  • An Epistolary Book Flight

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Kids got up way to early so now it’s back to a tranquil Cotswold village during naptime at 10 o’clock. Because that will be successful, right?? 🤞🏻😴 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I have been caffeine free for about a month and feel SO much better. The physiological manifestations of my anxiety (not everyone is the same and I’m certainly not a doctor just sharing my experience 😊) are drastically reduced. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Sometimes it’s frustrating to be tired and not have a quick fix available, but I’ve become way more grace-filled about giving my body rest if that’s what it needs. Dishes and laundry can wait. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Somehow in the time it took me to type that my kiddos have escaped their napping quarters and are cavorting with one another upstairs. Time to lay down the napping law. Wish me luck 😏
Thanks to @erindotsmith for recommending this middle-grade mystery. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Two Things: ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 1. One of my favorite parts of Greenglass House was the house itself. It’s a hodgepodge of 5 floors, a storied history, a full attic to explore, rambling grounds and beautiful stained glass. I’ve always been delighted by the idea of exploring an old house and finding hidden nooks and crannies (my earliest memory of this proclivity was Brambly Hedge’s The Secret Staircase, which I still love reading as a 31 year old). ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ What’s your favorite house in literature? ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ 2. If you’ve read Greenglass House... I was initially thrown off by the role playing game that frames some of the action in this book. It helps explore the theme of identity and belonging woven through the book, but do you think that could have been achieved WITHOUT the alter egos?
A charming sequel peppered with references to childhood classics I loved. Fun to see the characters blossom a bit more. I’m so looking forward to the third Vanderbeekers installment in 2019! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Reading this reminded me of a book version of the show Big Dreams, Small Spaces (a favorite on Netflix).
A treasure of a book about how kindness and reading connect us. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I would add this to @annebogel’s list of short books to knock out your reading goal (on her blog today!).
A snapshot of some of our favorite Christmas books. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ We didn’t do a book countdown this year - I’m sure I will return to that tradition again; but this year I cleared our kid book shelf in the living room (normally a hodge podge of whatever books have migrated downstairs from the kiddos’ rooms) and filled it with our Christmas/Winter picture books. It is a delight to have all our festive books within easy reach. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I will forever wave the banner for picture books being a legacy worth curating. There’s something incredibly special about opening books to read with my kids and remembering times huddled with my brother and Gramma reading that very same book or seeing the inscription my mom penned on the front flap marking celebrations past. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ If you’re looking for a library or gift list of Christmas books, there’s a link in my profile to my favorites. What are yours?
I’ve had the Vanderbeekers on my TBR for ages and didn’t realize what a perfect match it was for this impending Christmas season. Book serendipity at its best. Add this to your holiday reads list! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Fans of The Penderwicks will fall equally in love with this charming and slightly disheveled family of seven. I cried at the end and can’t wait to hand this to my kiddos in a few years. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Now I just need my hold to come in for the sequel 😊
Apologies for the disembodied appendages in this photo... ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Thank you to @lifebetweenwords and @erindotsmith for convincing me that I should read Nevermoor. It was nostalgic, inventive and completely engrossing. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ So begins the pattern of anxiously awaiting the next in the series to arrive. (The second is already out and I’m desperately hoping our library will purchase it but I doubt I’ll be able to wait that long to find out.) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Have an series like that for you?
We were able to catch opening day of @greenvalleybookfair while in Virginia. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ I was really proud of myself for putting a couple things back on the shelf and walking away with only five books. (Especially because they had a ton of C.S. Lewis books with those amazing covers.) ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ How did I do with my five? 😊
Our first snow of the season in Eastern PA! ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Found this beautifully illustrated book discounted at @shermansbooks while on vacation. I try to have a stack of Wintery picture books to help stave off the post-Christmas blues and this is an awesome addition. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Fun Fact: Until very late into my twenties, I sang the lyric “....and pretend that he is Parson Brown” as “and pretend that he is parse and brown” (not knowing at all what that could mean.) 😂 ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀ Make me not feel as lame and share your misheard lyrics in the comments!
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