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The Dolls's House by Rumer Godden (1976- Penguin Random House)

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The Dolls's House by Rumer Godden (1976- Penguin Random House)

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I remember having read this book when I was in elementary school with my mom.  It was a book that she would read to me at night before I would go to bed.  I also remember that this was the first book to have made me cry.

Out of the family of mismatched dolls, there is a doll named Birdy who is made from celluloid.  While I don’t recall the how it happened, there may not have been anything that happened specifically but Birdy melted.

It was a very somber moment in the book.  I remember being so upset from this and trying hard not to cry but I remember my mom telling me that it was okay to feel sad from what happened in the book and that it was in fact, okay to cry from it.

Since reading this book, I've read many books that have made me cry.  One of more recent books, I mention later on in my reading autobiography.  To me, this book shows that literature can be powerful and it can stir up emotions within someone. Emotions that will make the reader laugh and smile; or emotions that will cause pain and sorrow.

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Emergency! by Mark Brown, MD (1997- St. Martins)

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Emergency! by Mark Brown, MD (1997- St. Martins)

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In 2000, the Disney Channel premiered a show entitled In a Heartbeat.  The show followed 4 teenagers who were EMTs and they would volunteer after their school day.  I knew at that moment that healthcare was something that I wanted to be a part of and do.

The show was ultimately cancelled a year later but I knew that this was something I wanted to do when I turned 16.

At the young age of 13, I remember going to Barnes and Noble with my dad and getting this book.  I also remember being very excited to read about all of the accounts from these doctors, so much so that I would share their stories with my mom in amazement.

There was a downside to this however; she was not amused that I was reading such a book at the age of 13 and promptly informed my father of such.

That being said, this was one of the many items that helped to spark my interest and desire to get involved with healthcare.

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The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Anne Brashares (2001- Delacorte Press)

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The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Anne Brashares (2001- Delacorte Press)

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The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was one of the first series that I read over the course of a few days.  I remember taking books with me down the shore to Lavallette for the summer.  The summer was my chance and read read as many books that I wanted whenever I wanted.

What I loved about this book (and the series) was that the characters were older than I was at the time.  These characters were relatable on that front and because how they spent their summer was similar to me and the things that they were going through were relatable; either it be babysitting or going to sleep away camp.

Not to mention that these girls found a magical pair of pants!  To have a strong circle of friends that would share these pants and the experiences in these pants sounded so perfect to me at the time.

After several years, Brashares put out the last book in this series that became an adult fiction novel. To me, this shows that the series grew with it's readers; as most of us who read the book were in our early and mid-teens at the time of its publication. Even as an older title, I believe that topics it covers are still relevant and it's a title that should still be recommended.

Article about The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants book to movie adaptation:
https://nymag.com/nymetro/movies/reviews/11891/

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Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (1997- Doubleday)

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Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom (1997- Doubleday)

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In 2004, my 8th grade English teacher, Mr. Mauriello assigned us to read Tuesdays with Morrie.  He was very passionate about the message that was told within the story.

I distinctively remember him explaining to our class that the book would help us with our transition into high school but it would also be something to read at different parts in life because there are messages within the story that would help us at other points in our lives.

My favorite quote from this book is about the wave who is vastly approaching the shore.  This little wave is expressing its fear to another wave.  The second wave goes on to explain that even though they're going to crash, they're all part of the ocean.  They're not singular, they're part of something bigger and more important.  I always found comfort in this quote and it's one that I look back to, even though I have a fear of death and dying.

Since having read it in 8th grade, I have re-read the story a few times.  I read once during high school and I read it after my first year at Seton Hall University, before I transferred to Bergen Community College, because Mr. Mauriello was right: there is still a lot to learn from Morrie's words.

Interview with Mitch Albom about 20th Anniversary of Tuesdays with Morrie:
https://youtu.be/vM_4rjiia90

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Boy Meets Girl by Meg Cabot (2004- HarperCollins)

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Boy Meets Girl by Meg Cabot (2004- HarperCollins)

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I remember being a freshman in high school when I read this book, it originally belonged to one of my friends at the time and she lent it to me.

Boy Meets Girl was first true taste of rom-com and it set the stage for every book that I read afterward.  I loved the humor that Cabot was able to weave throughout the book.  Meg Cabot is truly the queen of rom-coms and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw she had released an addition to the Boy is Back series in 2016.

To this day, this book (and the series) is like something that I've never read before. Cabot was creative in how she told the story through emails, voicemails and notes left for the characters. That was something I loved about this book. I wish that she would continue to write rom-coms- make the switch from YA back into contemporary fiction!

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Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (2010- Hodder & Stoughton)

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Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (2010- Hodder & Stoughton)

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If you asked me what my favorite book was, I would tell you that it's Before I Fall.  I read this book 10 years ago, when I was 20 and it's stuck with me ever since.
I think one of the main reasons why it has, is because I have a fear of death/dying, so there is this strange morbid curiosity attached to it.

What would it be like to wake up everyday for a week, knowing that you're going to die at the end of the day?  Knowing that no matter what you did, the outcome will always be the same?
I found that there was a lot of growth within Samantha in the days that she was reliving, even though her death was imminent.

What I liked most about this book was the reflection within the main character and how it caused the character development. It showed that reflection is a way for people to learn and to grow.

Book Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldyMb9cneAQ#action=share

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All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda (2016- Simon and Schuster)

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All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda (2016- Simon and Schuster)

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In November 2016, I started a bookblog with my cousin: For the Love of Dewey.  All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda was the first book that I reviewed on the blog.

I would like to say that this was my first attempt at psychological suspense and I didn't care for the genre.  However, I was still able to gain something positive from the purpose of why I chose to read this book for my first blog post.

This was the book that made me become more aware with how I read books.  I knew that I wanted my book review to be done through a critical eye: to look at the book as whole but also to break down the book into pieces; to see how all these different pieces fit together.  It was also the reason why I tried to find background information about the author's inspiration with other books.

My review: https://fortheloveofdewey.blogspot.com/2016/11/all-missing-girls-by-megan-miranda.html

Deep South Magazine Review of All the Missing Girls:
https://deepsouthmag.com/2016/07/18/writing-backwards-megan-miranda/

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What to Expect When You're Expecting, 4th Edition (2008- Workman Publishing Company)

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What to Expect When You're Expecting, 4th Edition (2008- Workman Publishing Company)

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In June 2016, I found out that I was going to have a baby!  While it's some of the best news you'll ever hear or share, I also found it to be one of the most terrifying pieces of news to receive!

What to Expect When You're Expecting is a popular titles amongst those who are expecting and for good reason.  It's a book that is full of much information for when you're entering the "unknown".

Not only did I find it to be helpful during my pregnancy but it was also  a book that I referenced during that first year with my son.

New York Times opinion piece of What to Expect When You're Expecting:
https://www.nytimes.com/2005/09/15/fashion/thursdaystyles/expecting-trouble-the-book-they-love-to-hate.html

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Stronger Within by Coral McCallum (2015- Coral McCallum)

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Stronger Within by Coral McCallum (2015- Coral McCallum)

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Coral McCallum was one of the first authors to reach out to the book blog asking for us to review the first book in her Silver Lake series- Stronger Within.

This book taught me that I understand why people can stretch the truth when it comes to reviews.  While I didn't care for the author's writing style and I found the book to be somewhat messy, there was something that I did enjoy about it and that was where it took place.

For the last 14 years, my family and I vacation down to Rehoboth Beach, DE.  Within the first few sentences of the story, I was able to determine that this story did in fact, take place down in my favorite summer town.

I found the enjoyment in this because I liked to see how another person visualizes the same area that I've come to know so well.  How they are able to perceive it and what they think about it.

My Review of Stronger Within:
https://fortheloveofdewey.blogspot.com/2017/12/stronger-within-silver-lakes-1-by-coral.html

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Only Child by Rhiannon Navin (2018- Alfred A. Knopf)

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Only Child by Rhiannon Navin (2018- Alfred A. Knopf)

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I read this book when my son was almost 20 months old.  I want to point that out because I feel that being a mother has a large impact on how I feel about Only Child.
Navin tells the story of Zach, a kindergartener who bears witness to a horribly traumatic event: a school shooting, and he lost his older brother.
While this story is heartbreaking and sad, it's also beautiful- if that's possible to say.  While he is only 6 years old, Zach is able to heal and move forward from this tragedy through the works of Mary Pope Osborne in her series "The Magic Treehouse" and through art.  The idea that this young character is able to move forward and to help his parents heal as well, is truly amazing.

As a mother, I don't know how I could ever handle losing a child in this way; both physically and mentally.  I also don't know as a mother, how I would be able to know that my child lived through such an event and I wouldn't be able take that moment away, so that they would never had to have gone through it.  It was book that made me think from a different perspective: as a mother.

New York Times Book Review of Only Child: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/15/books/review/only-child-rhiannon-navin.html

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Bad Call: A Summer Job on a New York Ambulance by Mike Scardino (2018- Little, Brown and Company)

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Bad Call: A Summer Job on a New York Ambulance by Mike Scardino (2018- Little, Brown and Company)

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At the time that I read this book, I had been an EMT for 8 and half years.  In that time, I had not only volunteered for the two towns that I lived in, but I also have worked the paid sector.  I found an instant interest in Bad Call by Mike Scardino.

While there are many years between when I first became certified in 2009 and when Scardino became am EMT in the late 60s. The calls that he encountered where similar to many of the calls that I had encountered. Some calls run smoothly, others are bumpy; some patients will walk away, and others don't make it.

There was comfort in knowing that there is someone else out there who felt similar feelings or views to me in a certain situation.

I feel that this book is a good example of how we gravitate toward a book when we’re looking for insight or the ability to connect with someone else about similar experiences.

EMS World Book Review of Bad Call:
https://www.emsworld.com/article/1222005/book-review-bad-call

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The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017, Balzer + Bray)

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The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas (2017, Balzer + Bray)

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The Hate U Give was a book that I read a year after it was published, which was later than I would have liked but I was able to read it before the movie came out in the fall of 2018.

Reading this book was important to me because of current events and the hate that exists in the world today- the idea that is acceptable to treat people differently out of hate and fear.  I knew that The Hate U Give was going to push me into reading a story from a preceptive that I didn’t want to believe: the notion that a person would harm another person because they were driven by prejudice.  Unfortunately, it's a reality and it's one that is very hard to stomach.

I would be lying to myself if I said that I wasn’t uncomfortable reading about how Kahlil was killed- no one should ever have to experience the tragedy of death like that.

Thomas wrote a story that was impactful but at the same time, it was bold and beautiful.  There is an important take away from this book and even though it was published in 2017, it still carries weight today, if not more so than it did in 2017, given what just happened in the Minnesota earlier this week.

This book is one that has made banned book lists, which I don't agree with. I think that it's such an important piece of contemporary literature. You couldn't not recommend have this in your collection as a librarian.

7 Fast Facts about Angie Thomas from Epic Reads: https://youtu.be/YiI3jtebWu0

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11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass (2009, Scholastic Press)

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11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass (2009, Scholastic Press)

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Last summer, I decided that I was going to add a new layer to my book blog- a section just for tweens.  I was thinking about becoming a youth services librarian, so it made sense to me.  11 Birthdays was the first book that I read from the juvenile genre in about 10 years.

I have to admit, that I had to get into the mindset of a tween while reading the book.  Once I started reading it, I found there be a relation between this book and Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver which I had read several years before.   The characters in both books were re-living the same day over and over again.

No one wants to a friendship and no one wants to find out that their parent has lost their job.  Having said the latter, I felt that that might be a topic that an 11 year old might not think of and worry over.  I felt that it was a worry an older child might have.

I knew from working in the library that this was a popular title and after the reading the book, I can see why. The magical element in the story is one that would help keep a young reader drawn in. I'm glad that I took the time to read it.

Book Trailer for 11 Birthdays:
https://youtu.be/ZsQMBr7bALA

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Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me by Gae Polisner (2020, Wednesday Books)

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Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me by Gae Polisner (2020, Wednesday Books)

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There was something about this book that I didn't know that I needed until I read it and was drafting my review on it.

It was a contemporary fiction story that told the story of a teenager and the pressures she felt from her friends and how she's coping with her mother.  I believe that I felt so strongly about this book because on some level, I could relate to JL's need to fit in with her old friend, Audrey, as I had gone through a similar experience (but for different reasons) my freshmen year of high school.

I could also identify with the struggle JL faces with her mother.  Although my experience with my mom were different, the understanding toward JL's situation was there.

Interview with Gae Polisner:
https://youtu.be/g7aEo1pwsus

My Review of Jack Kerouac is Dead to Me:
https://fortheloveofdewey.blogspot.com/2020/04/jack-kerouac-is-dead-to-me-by-gae_7.html

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As I look back on the book that I've read within the last 20 years, I can confidently say that these books have helped me move through the different phases and stages of my life.  These books also helped me understand better that books are often seen as being the windows into someone’s experiences, whether they are fictional or if they are non-fictional.

There were books that I read because I was able to relate the main character (like Bad Call) and then there were books that I read because I wanted to see what it would be like to have to potentially have those experiences (like Emergency!).  There were also books that I read because I knew that I needed to gain a different perspective, even though I found the topic discussed to be uncomfortable but that’s what made these books some of my favorites (like The Hate U Give).  Books that I’ve read to my 3 year old son have also shaped me as a reader.  Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site is a great example of this because this not only showed me how much an interest can drive a little one into picking out their books but it’s the first book that he had memorized.  When we read this book before bed, he is quick to finish the sentences before I can.  Being able to share that experience with him and to see him grow is incredible!

Reflecting on the reading autobiography that I submitted, I would add some other books to my timeline, the ones I found to not be a great or ones I didn’t feel passionately for.  I think that those are important to growing as reader, as it helps you refine your tastes in literature.  I’m happy that I added books that made me feel something, as well.  Those aren’t the only two books to have ever made me cry- a more recent book would be The Last Letter by Rebecca Yarros.