Reading Aloud: The Best Thing in the WORLD. (...and what are you reading?)

Chapter 1: Exeunt on a Leopard

In Which a Girl Names September is Spirited Off by Means of A Leopard, 


Learns to Rules of Fairyland, and Solves a Puzzle

Right now The Mom and The Little Sister are reading:

The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making 

by Catherynne M. Valente

While at first it was hard to read aloud --so many new things, wild words and spelling, but THEN, BAM, MAGIC... Catherynne's fantasy pulls you in and we are THERE! We can't read fast enough. Today is a rainy day. We might just try to finish it!

Here's a little more if you're interested in reading this wonderful book along with us! 

Twelve-year-old September lives in Omaha, and used to have an ordinary life, until her father went to war and her mother went to work. One day, September is met at her kitchen window by a Green Wind (taking the form of a gentleman in a green jacket), who invites her on an adventure, implying that her help is needed in Fairyland. The new Marquess is unpredictable and fickle, and also not much older than September. Only September can retrieve a talisman the Marquess wants from the enchanted woods, and if she doesn’t . . . then the Marquess will make life impossible for the inhabitants of Fairyland. September is already making new friends, including a book-loving Wyvern and a mysterious boy named Saturday.

Now, Tell Us:

What are you READING? 

Share in the comments!

TC Reads Announces the 2013 Selection: 'A Good American' by Alex George

A city that reads together...

"Please join with TC Reads as we celebrate the joy of reading and appreciate the common threads that unite us as a community by encouraging your friends to read and discuss this book, an uplifting novel about the families we create and the unique place that we call home," explains Ruth Bay, president of Friends of the Traverse Area District Library.

The story of every city needs a character like Ruth Bay, a slight of a woman, always on the move and always impeccably dressed -we dare you to ask her how you can help. We have the pleasure of seeing her often in our book loving corner of the world; this last weekend while she was working at just one of Traverse Area District Library's epic book sales. Oh, we love their book sales.

Thanks to Ruth and her team of trusted bibliophiles, Traverse City celebrates the 12th year of TC Reads, with another wonderful selection:

"A Good American, by Alex George, is a story of immigrant hope.

Set in a fictional Midwestern town and spanning more than a century, the novel tells the story of three generations of the Meisenheimer family.  Beginning with an improbable love affair ignited by the power of song, the story follows an unorthodox young couple as they flee to America in search of a new life together. Their new home, Beatrice, Missouri, is filled with unforgettable characters: a jazz trumpeter from the Big Easy who cooks a mean gumbo, a teenage boy trapped in the body of a giant, a pretty schoolteacher who teaches more than just music, a minister who believes he has witnessed the second coming of Christ, and a malevolent, bicycle-riding dwarf.

From bare-knuckle prizefighting and Prohibition to sweet barbershop harmonies and the Kennedy assassination, and beyond, the family is caught up in the sweep of history. Each new generation discovers afresh what it means to be an American, and in the process they sometimes finds out more about themselves than they had bargained for.

Poignant, funny, and heartbreaking, A Good American is a novel about being an outsider – in your country, in your hometown, and sometimes in your own family. It is a universal story about the families we create and places we call home." from www.alexgeorgebooks.com

Want More?

• Listen to what NPR had to say: read and listen.

• Learn about it on Good Reads, with a click.

• Find a copy at a library near you: start here.

• Read more from the Traverse City Record Eagle, here.

• Begin with an excerpt on Alex George's website, to enjoy just click here.

We look forward to hearing what everyone thinks of this year's TC Reads! Enjoy!