I have to tell you a secret.

Even though I try my hardest to read outside of my comfort zone, there are books that I just.will.not.touch.

I’m not going to list them here, lest you think I am shallow.

I like what I like. You like what you like.

So let me pose a question to you, blog readers.

When was the last time you walked into a library or bookstore and purposely picked up a book that was business-related?

Be honest.

Me either.

When I’m working, I tend to breeze past that section, unless I have new titles to shelve.

Say the word “business” and my brain shuts down.

Sometimes I even snore.

But now I stand corrected. At least with one particular title.

I’ve mentioned before that I find myself picking up books to read because the cover was appealing.

I blew by this little book because the cover didn’t grab my attention, although I “got” the point of the cover.

You’re probably asking, “How did you manage to get your nose into THIS book?”

A few weeks ago, I was given the opportunity to “host” the author, Mark O. Hubbard, when he came in to do an author signing.

Honestly, I wondered how I was going to get through two hours talking to someone whose subject matter wasn’t sitting anywhere on my TBR pile.

So I started chatting with him, asking about what he did and how he came to write this book. And while we were chatting, a picked up the book and flipped to someplace in the middle. I read a chapter. Not bad. I flipped to another page, read another chapter. I liked THIS one. After about an hour of chatting and flipping through the book (including a couple chapters Mark had suggested I look at), I decided I LIKED the book.

ME! like a BUSINESS book!

I. bought. my. own.(autographed) copy.

Now it didn’t make me want to run out and take a business class. But it’s not THAT kind of business book.

Remember Robert Fulghum? He wrote those awesome little books like: All I Really Needed to Know, I Learned in Kindergarten and Words I Wish I Wrote.

Take that concept, throw in some sound and sage business advice, personal anecdotes, and be able to also apply it to other areas of your life, and it comes out under the name Mark O. Hubbard.

I’ll also throw in the fact that Mark is a very down-to-earth person you could sit and have coffee with and forget about the time.

If you have the chance to pick up a copy of Business Wise Guide make sure you take a look at the chapters about Lady Bird Johnson, the baseball cap (my personal favorite), whining, and how the Titanic can be related to business.

I’m still a little iffy on the cover, but there’s a real gem underneath. Proving once again that:

You can’t judge a book by its cover.

Come visit Antonette at her other homes, Mama Writing So I Don’t Go Crazy and Books In Every Room. She can be found there when not here at BD. She welcomes your comments and suggestions!

As an avid reader, one of the few declarations I made prior to my children being born that has stuck is that we would be a family of readers and we would be surrounded by books. I remember being engrossed in the Ramona series (by Beverly Cleary) when I was younger, devouring anything by Judy Blume, and being captivated by The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe (and the remainder of the Narnia series).

These books are classics – and they are classics because their engrossing stories truly can withstand the test of time. When I questioned friends on their favorite children’s books (in this case, books for kids eight years and younger), many people suggested Shel Silverstein’s The Giving Tree, Margaret Brown’s Goodnight Moon, and anything and everything by Dr. Seuss (the man did no wrong – my kids particularly love Thidwick the Big-Hearted Moose). They are well-loved favorites that most of us already have on our shelves – I wanted to explore some stories that might perhaps be a little-less familiar to you, but great additions to your family library nonetheless.

Leonardo The Terrible Monster by Mo Willems. We borrowed this book from the library, have renewed it twice and we will be going out to buy this so we can read it over and over (without incurring late charges!). This story is a great length for reading to the kiddos – not so short that they feel you are ducking out of reading time – but not so long that anyone loses interest. Leonardo, as the title suggests is a monster who is not so great at his job of scaring people. He’s on a mission to “scare the tuna salad” out of someone. Mo Willems is a genius – we have loved every book of his that we’ve read : Knuffle Bunny, The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog, and Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!

Fancy Nancy and the Posh Puppy written by Jane O’Connor and illustrated by Robin Preiss Glasser. The Fancy Nancy series (which includes Fancy Nancy  and Fancy Nancy Bonjour Butterfly) is a favorite of my six-year-old daughter. The illustrations are bright and engaging and the title character is a little girl, much like my own, who likes to be as fancy and grown up as she can. This is fun because not only does she remind me of my daughter, her use of big words and the way they are broken down (“Ecstatic” is a fancy word for “happy”) allow you to throw some fifty cent words at your kids while entertaining them. And you’ll be ecstatic to hear them use Nancy’s vocabulary in their day-to-day doings.

I Like Myself is written by Karen Beaumont and illustrated by David Catrow and falls into the category of books that are more empowering. Particularly as a mother of daughters, I am conscious all the time of making sure that the books I select send the right message. This one has it. With rhyming prose and silly illustrations the point that we should like ourselves for who we are is given to us lightly rather than beaten into our heads.

The Day the Babies Crawled Away is written and illustrated by Caldecott Medal Winner Peggy Rathmann. The silhouetted illustrations complement the adventures of a group of babies that chase after butterflies, crawling away from where their families are picnicking. The text is rhythmic and the repetition is enough that by the end, your children can recite certain parts with you. It truly is a beautiful book.

What are the go-to books in your children’s book arsenal? Tried and true favorites among your kids?

Sarah talks books, music and that whole mom thing over at The Mom Chronicles.

Today I have a guest reviewer who would like to share some of his favorite reads.

My three year old son, participated in our library’s summer reading program. He goes through phases where he likes to read books on the same topics.

Here are his top five picks for library themed books:

1. Library Mouse by Daniel Kirk

Why he likes it: “I like the pictures. Sam the mouse likes to read and write stories for the kids!”

2. Library Lion by Michelle Knudsen

Why he likes it: “The lion is nice, and helps the librarian when she gets hurt.”

3. Corduroy Goes to the Library by B.G. Hennessy

Why he likes it: “It has flaps I can lift to see what books are hiding underneath. And they wear costumes!”

4. But Excuse Me That Is My Book by Lauren Child

Why he likes it: “I Loooove Charlie and Lola!”

5. Beatrice Doesn’t Want To by Laura Numeroff

Why he likes it: “Beatrice doesn’t want to go to the library. But then she does, and she goes to story time, just like I do!’

Mom’s note: These books have wonderful illustrations and help kids become interested in reading and going to the library.

What are your kids’ favorite books?

Come visit Antonette at her other homes, Mama Writing So I Don’t Go Crazy and Books In Every Room. She can be found there when not here at BD. She welcomes your comments and suggestions!

With just a few short days before we elect a new occupant for the White House, my three year old has adopted a new favorite story: “Duck For President” by Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin. Though the book isn’t new, it has won many awards - though if you’re like me, that means nothing if you’re not entertained.

This book is entertaining. Follow Duck as he campaigns to run Farmer Brown’s farm, moves upward to win the election to governor of his state, and then takes the highest office in the country.

We lucked out and scored a free copy of this book in our Cheerios box via their Spoonful of Stories program. You may also with to check out the accompanying website which includes a printable activity kit, as well as “Duck For President” buttons.

When Sarah isn’t reading to her kiddos, she can also be found at The Mom Chronicles.

Alas, I am sorry to report that I am one of those women who does not have the MIL from hell.

Why am I bringing this up here?

Because I had the chance to review a book recently that falls into this realm of MIL relations.

Sally Shields has written a book, The Daughter-In-Law Rules: 101 Surefire Ways to Manage (and Make Friends with) Your Mother-In-Law!

This book contains 168 pages of advice on how to get along with your MIL. The book is divided into the following sections:

• Part One: The Newlywed
• Part Two: On House and Home
• Part Three: Her Beloved Son
• Part Four: Before and After the Baby
• Part Five: Most of All

Within each section are different subsections for each look-up. For example, Part Four is broken down into pregnancy, infancy, toddlerhood, etc.

As a woman who doesn’t have issues with her MIL, I was interested to read what kinds of advice would be included. Shields’ take on getting along with your MIL is humorous, and there are some great nuggets of advice contained within its pages.

My own personality would, however, prevent me from putting some of Shields’ advice into practice. For example, Rule #32 states:

“Be prepared for your MIL to wear lots of perfume: You might be the type that has a fragrance allergy…She may not know about your hypersensitivity, and you may be reluctant to mention it either. Plus, she really enjoys her perfume, so who are you to deprive her of her trademark scent?”

Sorry, I’ve never been much of a brown-noser. I have severe asthma, and you can bet if there’s something that can cause me to end up in the emergency room, favorite perfume or not, the MIL is going to know about it.

I would in that case, deprive the woman of her opportunity to bathe in “Eau de Bingo Hall.” If I am expected to show her respect on certain things, then she can certainly return the favor, especially if she is coming to visit MY fragrance-free home. If a person is too nervous to bring up the subject of a scent or food sensitivity, you have other issues besides MIL-related ones.

I will agree with Shields’ advice:

• Send thank you notes
• Compliment your MIL on how she raised her son
• Sending her cards on birthdays and other important days.

This is common courtesy. I always made sure that my MIL saw our son wearing outfits that she purchased for him, the quilt that she made for him was used and on display, and his artwork is made into flags for her garden every year.

I decided to hand off my copy of DIL Rules to a friend of mine who DOES have problems with her MIL, to get a different perspective of the book. Here is what she said:

“Seriously?! No way I’d kiss that woman’s behind. Compliment her on her wig?!”

“Ain’t gonna happen.”

I found the book tongue-in-cheek humorous, but nothing within its pages would be helpful to me that I’m not already doing.

If you’d be interested in reading it and giving your opinions, leave a comment. I’ll be happy to pass it on to you. If you’ve already read this book, let me know if it helped!

Come visit Antonette at her other homes, Mama Writing So I Don’t Go Crazy and Books In Every Room. She can be found there when not here at BD. She welcomes your comments and suggestions!