Let’s talk about books this week, friends! Ever since my Puffin in Bloom post kicked off a children’s literature discussion, I’ve been brainstorming my definitive list of favorites. Today, we’ll do picture books, later this week, chapter books, and I’ll finish it off with the twenty books I’ve read so far this year. I can’t wait to hear what you think!!

In alphabetical order, my top 25 favorite picture books:

Barnyard Dance
A Bear Called Paddington
The Berenstein Bears series
Blueberries for Sal
Bread and Jam for Frances

Burt Dow, Deep-Water Man
The Butter Battle Book
Caps for Sale
Curious George
Frederick

The Giving Tree
Gregory the Terrible Eater
How My Parents Learned to Eat
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear
Lobsterman

Madeline
Miss Rumphius
Mr. Pine’s Purple House
Olivia
One Morning in Maine

The Paper Bag Princess
The Sneetches
Time of Wonder
Where the Sidewalk Ends
Where the Wild Things Are

I know I left off a ton of fantastic books, but these are the ones I remember most fondly from my childhood. What would be on your list?? (For reference, here is Design Mom’s list of her top 50 picture books!)

I love to read, and I have for as long as I can remember. I would bring a book everywhere with me when I was younger, and I can still plow through whole series in a weekend, if given the chance. The way a book can transport me to an entirely new world will never get old! My sisters are the same way, so clearly it’s something we got from our parents. I think growing up in a home where reading is valued is one of the best gifts they gave us, and I am so grateful for all of the things it has lead to in my life, and the way it has shaped me as a person. Unsurprisingly, it is one of THE things I am most adamant about cultivating in our future children – I think there are few things that will open more doors for someone than teaching them to love reading.

Evidence of my love for reading at a young age!

What I read:
So, what do I like to read? I could (and will) devote a separate post to favorite kids books, but these days, I try to read a variety of genres. I track the books I read throughout the year in the Notes app on my phone, which helps me decide what type of book I should read next. I read mostly novels, with a healthy dose of financial advice, books on faith, historical nonfiction, and classics mixed in.

What I’ve read:
In preparation for this post, I updated my Goodreads account so you can get a sense of books I’ve read in the past, if you’d like. In 2013 I read about 18 books (aside from the Bible). My favorites included The Glass Castle, Blue Like Jazz, Seven, and Outlander. So far I’ve read six books in 2014, so I’m off to a good start! The best by FAR was Red Rising – if you liked The Hunger Games, I can’t recommend this book enough! So, so good.

What I want to read:
I also keep a Note on my phone for books I want to read — it’s easy to access and I can update it from anywhere. I find my best recommendations come from friends and family members whose taste I trust. I subscribe to O Magazine, and they often have spot-on recommendations, too! My “to-read” list is about 50 books long at this point; here are a few in my queue:

The Cat’s Table
The Omnivore’s Dilemma
Mathilda Savitch
The Light Between Oceans
Heft
The Interestings
Margin
The Silver Star
Rumors of God
The Last Days of California
All Joy and No Fun
The Goldfinch

If you’ve read any of these, I’d LOVE to hear your thoughts!

How I read:
I rarely buy books – most come from the library, and some are borrowed from friends. I prefer to read physical copies, but I just heard that Scribd (a Netflix-like e-book subscription service) is giving away FREE three-month subscriptions this week in honor of National Reading Month, so I’m excited to load up our Kindle, too!

What I am currently reading:
Now, for the most marvelous part of this post! I couldn’t share my thoughts about reading and books without mentioning an exciting development in my literary world. My brother-in-law Seth (you may remember him from his wedding) is a literary agent and now a published author; his first book, The Well’s End, was released just one week ago. I’m only a few chapters in, but I’m already chomping at the bit to find out what happens next! Every so often I pause and think how funny it is that this person I know wrote these sentences :) If you like The Hunger Games and other young adult thrillers, I think you should order The Well’s End right now (or run out and buy a copy wherever books are sold!). SO excited for and very proud of Mr. Seth.

I would love to hear: Are you a reader? Have you read any of the books I’m considering picking? Do you have any other favorites to recommend?

P.S. The Amazon links in this post are affiliates, just FYI!