It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date, and adapted by Kellee at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts with a children’s/YA focus. This weekly roundup is a great way to discover new blogs and bloggers, share recommended (or not so recommended….) titles, and add to your ever-growing to-read list.
Happy Victoria Day Weekend to my fellow Canadians!! This has got to be one of the stranger national holidays, but hey, I’ll take it.
I love Earl! This imaginative-verging-on-delusional little hedgehog is one of my new favourite picture book characters. He is absolutely irrepressible, always ready for a new adventure, striding into battle like a charming miniature Don Quixote. Poor old Buddy the dog ends up getting dragged into Earl’s adventures, but he’s such a good-natured fellow, and Earl always recognizes his friend’s contributions to their missions. This sequel is a sweet, charming little book, and I really enjoyed it.
I love seeing beloved classics get refreshing makeovers. There’s nothing more disheartening for a librarian than seeing a child turn up their nose at a wonderful books because they’re turned off by a horribly dated cover. When I saw that the first book in Brian Jacques’ classic Redwall series had a new cover, I was inspired to pick it up and give it another whirl. I was reminded why I enjoyed this book so much as a child – it combined two of my favourite genres: animal stories and historical fiction. Matthias the mouse is a young novice monk at Redwall Abbey who dreams of a life of adventure. When a nasty rat and his horrible army threaten the peaceful animals of the forest, Matthias must follow in the footsteps of his idol, Martin the Warrior, and defend Redwall. A classic adventure tale for middle grade readers.
Confession time….I don’t typically enjoy reading long books. I have a notoriously short attention span, and I’m always losing interest in books and abandoning them without finishing them. A terrible admission for a librarian, I know, but this blog is a safe space, we can all be ourselves here. This book was one of the rare exceptions to my rule, in that I actually finished the entire thing! I do enjoy historical fiction, so it was already right up my alley, and the writing was fast-paced and engaging. Definitely the perfect book for taking with me on a trip to the island by train, bus and ferry!
Hope you’ve all been having a great reading week!!
Buddy and Earl Go Exploring looks cute, and it is nice to see Redwall get updated. I’m not sure I’m crazy about that cover, but it did need something fresh I imagine. I wonder if they’re redoing all the covers…
I’m torn too – I love that Redwall is getting a refreshed new look to appeal to a new generation of readers, but I’m not sure how much I like the new look. I’ll have to see what the kids at the library think.
I have yet to read Buddy and Earl and see that now that there is a second book, I should get on it!
They’re very sweet, definitely worth a look.
I really enjoyed The Pillars of the Earth. I hope you do too! Enjoy reading this week.
My It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? post.
It was quite the epic!
I’ve not seen that copy of Redwall. Have to say I prefer the classic cover, which is very rich and medieval looking. I did have to buy a fresh copy because mine was so worn out. There aren’t a lot of students who read them now, so I only have one copy of each book instead of the two or three I had 15 years ago. Definitely a classic! When Jacques died, I had to e mail parents so that they would tell their children and I wouldn’t have to!
I’m glad that Redwall is getting a fresh new look, even if I don’t know how much I like it personally, I’m glad that the publishers haven’t given up on this fantastic series and are trying to attract a new generation of readers. We’ll have to see if the new cover attracts some new readers.
I just put both Buddy and Earl books on hold at the library. Thanks!
They’re so fun, hope you enjoy them!
I haven’t read the Buddy and Earl books, and they look fun, Jane. I loved the Redwall series, hope the covers bring new fans! I don’t have a lot of time for adult books, but have been reading a few more lately. I used to like those by Ken Follett, so thanks for sharing that one.
I actually borrowed the Ken Follett book from my parents, I needed something to read on the trip home from a visit, otherwise I probably wouldn’t have thought to read it, but I actually enjoyed it! Like you, I’m usually buried in kids books.
So glad to see Redwall here – I did so love that series!
It’s wonderful to see a classic series being reissued for a new audience to enjoy!
I’ve heard great things about As Brave As You – looking forward to hearing your thoughts when you’ve had the chance to finish reading it.
Oh I really do miss reading children’s books! I was so on top of them when I taught second grade!
There are so many new books coming out every month, and so many old favourites to get caught up on, that I’m sure if I wasn’t being paid to keep up to date with the literature I’d be hopelessly out of touch pretty quickly!
Enjoy your books! I haven’t read Ken Follett in a long while.
Thanks for visiting my blog, and have a great week.
I actually haven’t read any of his other books – they’re so big, and I’m so intimidated by big books, ha!
I’ve been a bit intimidated by Pillars but you have reassured me. It’s been on my list since I watched the series and loved it. Great pick. Happy Reading!
That’s actually why I picked it up in the first place, I really enjoyed the miniseries too!
I’ve not met Buddy and Earl yet. So, I’ve ordered them from my library (both the first and second book). Thanks for the awesome suggestion.
Hurray! I hope you like them.
Buddy and Earl sounds charming. I love books about friendships. The illustration on the cover just looks really sweet, too.
It’s such a fun series, and the two characters are so adorable and work so well together.
I hadn’t seen the new cover for the Redwall books; so glad it’s come out! And I have to confess that I abandoned The Pillars of the Earth; I was not in the right place to handle the brutality of living in that age. I’ll try it again later!
I love seeing classic books get a makeover
I loved Pillars of the Earth. Will you tacked the next book? Hope this is a great week.
Maybe? Not sure yet….we’ll have to wait and see!
I can understand how long books can easily go unfinished. I read and loved Pillars of the Earth in audio several years ago. Even so, I’ve not picked up the sequel. There’s just something about the bricks.
HA yes, that’s my feeling exactly…sometimes I just look at big books and despair….
I don’t like reading long books, either. It’s a relief to hear a librarian say that! I read a lot of middle grade and YA…and some books are just unnecessarily long. If it’s long and I’m riveted throughout, fine. But if I’m thinking, “This book could have been shortened to 80,000 words EASILY,” it’s probably too long!
Stephanie
http://stephie5741.blogspot.com
HA yes!! Sometimes I feel like a charlatan of a librarian – I don’t like long books, I frequently abandon books without finishing them, I dog-ear my pages and my book shelf is an absolute mess!
You know, I keep lamenting that my nieces and nephews are now too old for things like Buddy and Earl. But it just occurred to me…all my friends are having kids!
Yes, the next generation of bookworms!
Buddy and Earl looks cute. I will have to look for them. I haven’t read many of the Redwall books, but I remember my daughter enjoying them.
Such a cute series, and there are now a few sequels to enjoy, too!
I’ve started Pillars of the Earth a few times and never made it through. It’s so long! But it’s still there on my shelves, willing to give me another chance.
My kids LOVED Redwall, although I never got into it. There was also a TV show with the characters, which came on when we got home from kindergarten.
I’ll be honest, I’m not much for long books either, I just don’t have the willpower and attention span…!
Great mix of titles here. I’m glad I have a namesake that is likable.
Very likeable!