What's all the noise?

Books may not make a whole 'lotta noise on their own, except maybe for the satisfying sound of a cracking spine (BOOK spine!). But books can certainly be splendiferously sonorous: great volumes of poetry and well-written children's books BEG to be read aloud and shared, and just as many books are the conveyances of great music or the science thereof. Below are a few recent finds in the Used Book Cellar that showcase the gamut of sound-related books for part two of my little blog-series on UBC finds and the senses...

The Singing Life of Birds by Donald Kroodsma is a book on how to listen to bird's sing. You wouldn't think you'd need to read a whole book weighing in at 400-some-odd pages, but this bad boy delves deep into the science of bird songs, as well as differences in songs among many types of birds. It even comes with a CD to follow what Kroodsma is talking about. It's a beautiful hardcover in fantastic condition that would make an excellent gift for the avian audiophile in your life.

Just a Little Critter Collection by Mercer Mayer is a a collection of seven of the Little Critter books all in one volume. No more reaching for another and then another when the little one(s) cry "MORE!" - the crème de la crème of America's favorite monster are all handily bound in a not-unwieldy volume. Whenever I think of read-alouds, the first that comes to mind is Little Critter. Of all the books in my library as a child, Little Critter were my mom's favorite to read over and over, (HI MOM!) and perhaps that's why I have so many fond memories of her voice reading the refrains ("I was so mad!") when I think of childhood, books, or nondescript lovable critters. Pick up a copy and make it your family's bedtime favorite.

Vermont Sings is a tiny pamphlet of sheet music printed in 1959. It has great lettering throughout and a lovely illustration on the cover. The songs within all celebrate the awesomeness of Vermont, and there are even a few songs in French and German. It's a great little find that celebrates music AND The Green Mountain State. Win!

That's all from the UBC this week, folks, thanks for reading. If'n you have any books to sell, be sure to bring them by Wednesday through Saturday, 10 AM-4 PM. Tune in next week when I celebrate all things tasty for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Lovah, read to me...

Is there anything better than being read to sleep? My lord, it is wonderful. Instead of flowers, try a book you have both been interested in, and read it together before you fall asleep. You can take turns reading aloud, or get two copies and read next to each other. There is something really intimate about sharing that private reverie. It's also kinda nice to fall asleep to your darling's slight speech impediment or tendency to over enunciate their "t's" or when they just pretend that all "h's" are silent.

(On second thought, get an audio book. I kid I keeeeed.)

In short, let us enjoy tomorrow in our own non-Hallmark way, with our non-Hallmark friends and non-pastel/ naked aviary-cherub- crossbow- wielding sigi-others. We can reclaim this mass produced forceful intrusion on our private lives, and still not be penalized for failing to acknowledging our loved ones.

We have oodles of traditional and non-traditional gifts to help celebrate your own unique affections for the poultry in your life. Including the unspeakably delicious chocolate from Taza, a huge selection of cards, (some of them normal, others hysterical, and still others just bizarre.) We also still have an amazing selection of books, and romantical poetries, and jewelry and and and andand and (EXHALE)((Okay you get the point))

This is a judgement free zone, open till nine pm on Sundays.

Happy hearts friends, happy hearts.

and that's what christmas is all about

Until I was about fifteen years old, my family had a Christmas Eve ritual that featured reading out loud as the main event. The whole day was highly ritualized (luminaria, church, cookies for Santa, etc), but the annual reading was my favorite part. We would come home from church, turn the lights on on the tree, get into pajamas, and start reading.

We always began with Dr. Seuss's How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and my little brother would read that one. We had an old copy, with pages that felt like fine sandpaper and a barely-erased pencil drawing that someone had once made in a fit of book-defacing glee. Then we moved on to The Polar Express, which my dad read. He always inflected the lines in the exact same way, but his version was never boring -- in fact, I can still hear the way in which he always said, "We were on our way home." (Aw. Nostalgia.)

After that, it was my turn, and I read Harvey Slumfenburger's Christmas Present. It's a totally endearing story of one Christmas Eve when Santa realizes, upon returning to the North Pole after a long night of present delivery, that he still has one gift left in his sack. That gift belongs to Harvey Slumfenburger, who lives at the top of the Roly-Poly Mountain, which is far, far away. The book chronicles Santa's journey to Harvey's home -- the reindeer are too tired to fly, so Santa has to find alternative means of transportation. Along the way, he is aided by all sorts of lovely people and gets up to all kinds of hijinks. (When I discovered that my beloved Booksmith doesn't currently carry this title, I was dismayed. Hint hint, Alie/Mark!)

My mom always wound up the reading with The Night Before Christmas. She, too, always read with the same inflections every year, and I'm never able to read the poem without hearing the way she recited it. Then it was off to pick out cookies to leave for Santa (we always left homemade ones that we had frosted earlier that day), and, perhaps foreshadowing the ardent bleeding-heart animal lover that I was to become, I always insisted on leaving carrots, too ("for the reindeer!").

Of course I associate Christmas Eve with cookies and milk, and lights on the Christmas tree, and presents the next morning, but I also will never be able to dissociate it from reading. If your own Christmas Eve ritual needs more oomph, more family-togetherness, try throwing in a book or two (or three, or four). I know that I sound hopelessly nostalgic and tied to the past (and yes, Zoe will probably accuse me of nerdiness -- again), but I can't imagine a better way to have wrapped up our family's Christmas Eve.

It sounds cheesy, and I'm sure that if my parents were to read this blog entry they would dissolve into fits of nostalgia and call me, in tears, immediately -- "I can't believe you remember how I used to read The Night Before Christmas!" -- but really, reading on Christmas Eve is one of the strongest traditions from my own childhood, and I wholly recommend it to anyone and everyone who celebrates Christmas (and Christmas Eve).

And if you need ideas for titles, Booksmith carries three out of four of the books mentioned here, and hopefully will be carrying the fourth shortly. :)