Wendi {at random}

This pretty much speaks for itself.




Gratitudes this evening are dedicated to all things literary.



111: Author Mo Willems is a gift from God. I don't know who loves his books more - me or my second graders!




112: We heard Mo read this one last fall at a book signing in Mass. He is such an animated reader. Benjy has totally picked up that expression in his own reading.




113: Mo's latest arrived today at our house!




114: John Irving is the author of The World According to Garp which I read right after college and am ready to reread now. I'm nearly finished with my thrifted copy of Irving's The Fourth Hand.




115: This shot on my MacBook Pro desktop reminds me of the blessings of being able to read.





116: Pat Conroy is my favorite contemporary author. His latest is a collection of essays he's written on books he loves. I finished it early this winter. I can't wait for him to publish a new novel.

This is Conroy's writing desk.
No computer for him.
He hand writes his novels on yellow legal pads.
Every single word.

117: My next read, after The Fourth Hand, is this book on teaching reading. More to-the-point, it's about teaching so that kids fall in love with reading. Like I am.





118: I'll probably read this one while I'm reading the passion for reading book. I can easily shift between nonfiction works, but I'd never be able to juggle two novels at once. Jonathan Kozol has been a favorite voice since my days studying for my master's degree. I love how he speaks for children, not for the system.





119: A friend from church loaned me this book. I can't wait to read it for my nightly devotions time to myself. Patsy Clairmont is a favorite on the Women of Faith tour. She's a hoot, too.





120: And finally, the book that gets me through every single day of my life - The Bible. This is the one book that I read on my computer. Oh, I still love my hard copy of the Good Book, but the BibleGateway version makes flipping between books and chapters and verses so much simpler. Hey, simple is good when you want to get to the point.



Thank God for the blessings of being able to read.