I used to love to read the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories. It was fun reading about a girl that could solve mysteries with only her two friends to help. She would get herself into some sticky situations, but always find a way out. I remember sitting in my room, reading through the books as fast as I could to see who the villain was. Sometimes, I would pretend that I was Nancy, and my two best friends were George and Bess. My favorite of the series was the second book, The Hidden Staircase. I've read it more than 20 times. I like the way they mixed the mystery with ghosts and a haunted mansion. Plus, they add extra drama when Nancy's dad goes missing. Luckily, Nancy always figured it out by the end of the book. There was never a dull moment in the original Nancy Drew Mystery Stories. The best part was knowing there was another book to find and start reading.

My favorite author when I was 6-8 grade age was William Sleator.  He is a Science Fiction author.  I"m not inot science fiction but I was then I guess.  "The Duplicate" was my favorite book of his because it was a book that I remember actually made me jump just like a horror film does.  I read several of his books during that age range.

I have always loved to read! I remember loving to read The Little House on the Prairie series with my mom. From a young age I liked to read mysteries which I still like to read today! I could always imagine me looking for all the clues to solve a crime. Encyclopedia Brown was one of my favorites because I liked having to turn to the back of the book to see how the story ended. My very favorite book was probably From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. In this book two children run away from home and live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. While they are there they discover a mystery that needs to be solved. Their only clue is a file that is very mixed up! To find out if they solve the mystery and get to go home read the book!

I have ALWAYS loved to read! Some of my childhood favorites included books by Dr. Seuss, Paul Bunyan and His Blue Ox, Curious George books, Bernstein Bears books, Maria Von Trapp, and Arch books (Bible stories) and many, many others. The Arch books are a series of stories from The Bible. I remember my mom reading these to me as a child. It was a special time and is a wonderful memory I have of my mom. Recently, I have read the book called Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton, which there is now a movie about. This book is about a girl who lives in Hawaii and loves to surf. One day while surfing she is attacked by a shark and she loses her arm. In the book, she shares her story of recovery and how her faith in God helps her through this horrible tragedy.  She is truly an amazing person. The reason I bought this book was because the setting was in Hawaii. The ocean has always fascinated me. I would love to live on an island in Greece! I also enjoy reading biographies of Christian people.  It is amazing how God works in people's lives. I enjoyed this book and recommend it to everyone!

 
The Boxcar Children Series by Gertrude Chandler Warner: When I was younger, my grandmother and I would take turns checking these books out from the library. We would talk to each other about the books and we would see who could read the most books in this series. David Shannon: They are some of my favorite books to read. David Gets in Trouble No, David! It's Christmas David ( I got this book last Christmas from my sister.) Good Boy, Fergus Alice the Fairy The Ramona books by Beverly Cleary: These books remind me of my mother. Before I started school, my mother and I would go to the library and check-out books. I would check-out these books over and over so that my mother and I could read them together. Louis Ducan : Her books are some of my favorite books I read during junior high school. Lock in Time (This one is my favorite of her books!) Don't Look Behind You I Know What You Did Last Summer R.L. Stine (The Fear Street Series): In junior high, I used to read these books. I have over 50 different Fear Street books and I have read them all, some more than once.

One of my favorite books when I was a child was /The Rainbow Fish/ by Marcus Pfister. I can still remember sitting on the carpet in my first grade classroom while my teacher read this to me. I was captivated by the fish’s shimmering scales on every page and the message of sharing something important with the people we love. This book is still very special to me. Even now when I read it, I am charmed by the glittering scales and the simple yet significant message.

The most amazing book I have ever read is one that you can read over and over again.  You can read it no matter what your age and you can read it all your life.  It has drama, war, love, peace, mystery, prophecy and instructions for life.  It tells you where you came from, who you are and where you are going. It is a love letter from the Author to you.  It can answer all the questions you might have about life. If read and mediated upon it promises to make your way prosperous and that you will have good success.  It is a wonderful treasure book that you will never be able to discover all the hidden treasurers that are contained therein.      It is the Holy Bible.

I have enjoyed reading for as long as I remember.  Some of my favorite books have been The O’Malley Series by Dee Henderson, T he Red Rock Mysteries series  by Jerry B. Jenkins & Chris Fabry and the Orphan Train Series by Joan Lowery Nixon.  I also enjoy books written by Janette Oke, Lori Wick, Gary Paulsen, Bill Wallace and Avi.

I enjoy reading historical fiction, but I like all types of books.   I enjoy reading books that are fun and light hearted like Romeo and Juliet--Together (And Alive!) at Last by  Avi and The Absolutely True Story...How I Visited Yellowstone Park With The Terrible Rupes by Willo Davis Roberts.  Lawn Boy by Paulsen was a very fun book to me because I have three sons who mowed yards to earn money and there were a lot of things in this book that brought back good memories.    Adventure books are always exciting to read and two that I have enjoyed are Hatchet and Escape from Fire Mountain by Paulsen.

Reading has many benefits which include: transporting you to places beyond where you are at, enriching your life, relaxing and rejuvenating you, opening your mind to new possibilities, and above all it will entertain and bring satisfaction.  Reading books will add spice to your life, wisdom to your knowledge, inspiration to your soul, and take you on a life time of adventure!

I can't think of anything special that I remember, but I remember my youngest son read Where the Wild Fern Grows every year for several years. He first read it in fourth grade, then every year he would read it again, at least through Junior High. I don't remember if he read it in high school or not. He may have moved on by then.

The Giving Tree
Shel Silverstein

Personally, I am a sucker for a story of self-sacrifice.  The idea of giving up everything for someone else is an element that catches my interest every time.

I suppose that is why, even at a very young age, I remember getting choked up when reading the story of "The Giving Tree" by Shel Silverstein.

This book is written for small children, and therefore it is only a few pages long, and can be read in a few minutes. Nonetheless, it is a message that I think is universally important and relevant. 

Into Thin Air
by Jon Krakauer

The words "Freezing Cold" are nowhere near strong enough.  You are hungry, and tired.  There is so little air that you are confused to the point that you don't even know who the people are, and you've been with them for weeks.  After all that, you have still have to climb a mountain.  THE mountain.  Mount Everest.

If it could go wrong, it does.  Blizzards, bad falls, forgetting important supplies, frost bite.  Your friends are dying left and right, and your not sure if you'll be able to make it home alive.

Creepy isn't even the word for it, but it is true story that the author, Jon Krakauer, lived through.  This book is an adventure of courage, and an unwillingness to give up.  While your heart breaks for the individuals who didn't make it home, and their families, you will find yourself yelling out loud with excitement when you read about the many instances where people put others lives ahead of their own and heroically saved the lives of their friends.

Not a story that I would recommend for the timid or mild.  However, for those people with an adventurous spirit, those enamored with the concept of courage, this book can't be missed.


Count of Monte Cristo
by Alexandre Dumas

Imagine that you've always been an honest and diligent citizen.  You just got a great promotion and your engaged to a beautiful woman that you love.  Then, the night before your wedding you are arrested, and you have no idea why.  Not only that, but without even getting an explanation, you find yourself in prison.  Not the kind with cable TV and a basketball court, but a tiny dungeon cell with stone walls, no lights, and not even a real bed, and you NEVER get to leave the room for even a minute.  You have to fight off the rats and you don't hear or see another person for years.

Horrible right?

Now imagine you befriend the prisoner next to you, and spend the next few years learning virtually everything from them.   You become an expert in nearly every language.  French, Latin, Spanish, English, Chinese.... Everything. You have become a master of chemistry and physics.  You are a genius of philosophy and psychology.  On top of all of this, you are planning your escape from the prison and you have a treasure map to a treasure worth more than anyone in the world has ever had.

Then, after nearly dying during an amazing escape, you find your treasure.  Yesterday you were a prisoner fighting the rats for your moldy bread, and today you are the richest man the world has ever known.

What's next?  Travel?  Adventure?  An easy retirement?

No... REVENGE!

This book is not an easy read, you have to really think about everything that is going on, but it is absolutely worth it.  I read this book for the first time in college, and have read it two more times since.  The language is beautiful, and the story is one of the greatest adventures in literature.

This is as good of an example of how a book can be better than the movie.  Don't even waste your time watching the movie, it is NOTHING compared to the book.