false34426319true5655522read1true282152currently-reading106true282151to-read120false551943fiction58false1079005own-but-haven-t-read44false551694kidsfiction42false287164bestofkids42false551693kidspicturebooks40false1113066graphic-novels35false2871634mybookclub35false551702kidsclassics28false338595historicalfiction24false287165myfavorites24false552045my-favourite-authors21false458146books-i-read-but-dont-remember-much20false551887memoirs17false1888542for-the-baby16false551695teenreads16false551707suretobeclassic14false1899087board-books13false552093good-chick-lit-fun9false1079070classics8false1079054couldn-t-get-through8false721389coversthatmakeyouwanttoreadthem6false6638489bellas-favorite-books6false5468792horror4false458145to-re-read3false287166comicgenius2false458185when-i-was-a-trashy-teen2false2542359for-mommies-2-b2false1889353on-deck2false551734kidspoetry1false5420907non-fiction1false1328836plan-to-finish-one-day1false2489926pop-ups0false5420908non-fictionmemoirs0false1117329must-buy
<![CDATA[Crystal added 'Her Fearful Symmetry: A Novel']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63381689
Her Fearful Symmetry: A Novel (Hardcover)
byAudrey Niffenegger bookshelves: currently-reading,
fiction,
my-favourite-authors
November: I went to see Audrey Niffenegger at an event for the Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival. She was fabulous. A very dry and sarcastic sense of humour and when I went and had my book signed afterwards she was so warm and appreciative that I was a fan. I had my book signed and just started reading it. So far it is fabulous. Completely different than The Time Traveler's Wife but really, really good. I'll update when I'm done reading it!
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August:
Oh my god Audrey Niffenegger has a new book coming out! The Time Traveler's Wife is my favorite book ever. I can't wait... though I will try to keep my expectations low. Not much could compare to The Time Traveler's Wife.
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<![CDATA[Crystal added 'The Wife's Tale']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69932585
to: The Wife's Tale (Hardcover)byLori Lansens bookshelves: fiction
This book would make an excellent choice for a book club. By Lori Lansens the author of The Girls. Fans of She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb would enjoy this book.
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<![CDATA[Crystal added 'The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69933356
to: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie (Hardcover)byAlan Bradley bookshelves: fiction,
myfavorites
I love books where the main character is a very intelligent child. This book provided me with a main character who was just that. Reminisant of Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, The History of Love, The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time and Special Topics in Calamity Physics.
Flavia is an 11 year old girl who is obsessed with Chemistry. She lives in a manor that has been passed down in the family for hundreds of years and has a real chemistry lab equipped with bottles and beakers decades old.
Flavia is sleeping one night when she is awoken by a sound in the garden. She runs out to the cumcumber patch and finds a man laying on the ground, the word "Vale" escapes his lips and then he kicks the bucket. Flavia takes it upon herself to beat the police in solving the mystery of who this man is and how he died.
A fabulous book. I was so busy with life that it took me a few weeks to read The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. I wish that I had more time to read this over a few days. I think I would have enjoyed it more. I am still marking it as a favorite though and can not wait until the next book comes out in the series.
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<![CDATA[Crystal added 'Violet']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71561653
Violet (Hardcover)
byTania Duprey Stehlik bookshelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Crystal recommended the book
Little Bee to
Kelly]]>
http://www.goodreads.com/book/recommendation/564141
Crystal
recommended the book
Little Bee
to Kelly
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<![CDATA[Crystal added 'Little Bee']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69934279
to: Little Bee (Hardcover)byChris Cleave bookshelves: fiction,
myfavorites
While it did not break it's way onto my top five list, Little Bee did not disappoint. This is a beautiful and heartbreaking story about an unlikely friendship between a girl and a woman. The publisher's of this book ask for those who have read it not to "spoil" how the two women become friends for others. I don't think it would have spoiled the book for me. All I will say is that what happens on the beach where the two women meet is truly horrible and brutal. It will stick with you for a long time and after reading it you would never question why their lives are forever intertwined.
This would be a great book for book clubs and I would definitely recommend it to all of my "bookie" friends.
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<![CDATA[Crystal added 'Anywhere But Here']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/71141500
Anywhere But Here (Paperback)
byMona Simpson bookshelves: to-read
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<![CDATA[Crystal added 'Great Pet Sale']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70760435
to: Great Pet Sale (Paperback)byMick Inkpen bookshelves: bellas-favorite-books,
bestofkids
I can't believe I am the first person to review this. I was familiar with Mick Ingpen but had never read his books before. I saw this on the table of books that they were selling from the local library and picked it up for $0.50. It was the best $0.50 I have spent in a long time. The book is very cute. It's about a little boy who goes to a petstore that is having a clearance sale. All animals must go. The first animal he sees is a rat for $0.01. The rat is... well ratty! His whiskers are broken, his fur is messy, but he really, really wants to find a home. He follows the boy around as he looks at the other animals and comes up with reasons why the boy wouldn't want them as a pet and why he would be an excellent pet.
Who does the little boy end up taking home? You'll have to read it to find out! Lift the flaps throughout the book make guessing what the next pet might be lots of fun!
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<![CDATA[Crystal added 'Is Your Mama a Llama?']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70759886
to: Is Your Mama a Llama? (Paperback)byDeborah Guarino bookshelves: bellas-favorite-books,
bestofkids
The first time this book came on my radar was when Patrica Arquette was reading it to her daughter on the show Medium. It had such a fun rythm to it that I vowed to look for it the next time I was in a bookstore. Over the summer I was in a used bookstore in Steveston and found it in paperback for $2.00. I had to buy it.
This book sits on my bedside table and I frequently read it to Bella when she is either falling asleep or just waking up. I only read it to her when she is sleepy because she loves turning the pages and I'm afraid she will rip them. However this book is available in board book format so she may end up with it in her Christmas stocking. The illustrations are beautiful and I haven't tired of reading it yet. I also love it when my husband is in the room and I check to see if he is listening by asking him what kind of animal Lloyd's friend's mamma is. I can't wait until Bella is old enough to shout out the answer!
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<![CDATA[Crystal added 'Barnyard Dance!']]>
http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/70759524
to: Barnyard Dance! (Boynton on Board)bySandra Boynton bookshelves: bellas-favorite-books,
bestofkids,
board-books
This is one of Bella and my favorite books to read together. One of the reasons I love it is because it has so many farm animals in it. As I read the book I do the ASL sign for each of the animals and make the animal noise for Bella. The rythm and rhyme of this book is also especially wonderful making it fun to read over and over and over again.
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