We’ve got another blog tour for you guys this time for the book The Route by Gale Sears.  The blog tour runs from Monday, August 24th through Monday, September 14th (except weekends and Labor Day).  You’ll find reviews of the book and some author interviews along the way.

The publisher will be giving away a free signed copy of the book so follow the tour and leave as many comments as you like.  Every comment gives you a chance to win.  Look for our reviews on August 28th.

For blog tour dates and sites click here.

Book description from Amazon:

Carol, a middle-aged wife and mother, is pondering the meaning of life. On a trip to the grocery store to find some energizing dark chocolate, she sees a sign asking for volunteers to deliver meals to the elderly. When Carol decides to take a chance and help out, she’s in for a life-changing-and route-altering-experience.

Normally I’m a vampire girl but one of my friends gave this series a good review on Goodreads so I thought I would check it out.  Kitty is a werewolf and when the series starts out she’s a very submissive werewolf.  I almost stopped reading because the alpha of the pack would take advantage of her and she wouldn’t just roll over and take it she actually craved his affection.  Gag me.  I can’t stand weak women.

Then one day Kitty grew a pair and stood up for herself and that’s where the story gets interesting because her alpha doesn’t like that.  Kitty is a talk show host and one night decides to bring up the supernatural and it comes out after someone tries to kill her that she’s a werewolf.  So things get even more exciting as all the weirdo wanna be’s and all the actual vampires and werewolves start coming out of the woodwork.

As in most series like these Kitty is a magnet for trouble and each book in the series tackles a new set of supernatural problems.  I loved these books with the third being my favorite because everyones lives get turned upside down (Kitty Takes a Holiday).

The Kitty Norville series begins with Kitty and the Midnight Hour.  Anyone else love Kitty?

When I started reading this book a few months ago I was totally turned off by the main character.  She is a Graceling, which in other worlds is to say she has super powers or is a mutant, and her Grace is manipulated and turned into something devastating and evil.  She’s totally cold and feelingless and I was afraid she would stay that way throughout the whole book.  Thankfully she doesn’t turn into some mushy girly girl but struggles and finds herself and what her Grace means to her.

This is a throughly exciting tale of two kids with Graces that push against the powers that be and find their own way in their world while trying to save all seven kingdoms from absolute evil.

I love this book and would totally read it again.  It looks like Cashore has another book coming out in October which will be a prequel to Graceling which scares me a little bit because that means Katsa will be cold and calculating for the whole book but I am certainly willing to give it a look.  For Katsa I’d do just about anything.

Have you read Graceling?  Is it on your list?

The new book, Illuminations of the Heart, is out and we’re part of the reveal.  A blog tour will begin today and end on September 18th.  Illuminations, a historical romance novel,  is written by Joyce DiPastena.  BtDA is spotlighted on September 17th and anyone who makes a comment on our post is entered in a drawing to win some great prizes.  Make comments on multiple posts from the tour and get multiple entries.

Check out the blog tour dates and destinations here and don’t forget to check out our reviews of Illuminations of the Heart here on September 17th.

AUTHOR BIO
Joyce DiPastena moved from Utah to Arizona at the age of two, and grew up to be a died-in-the-fur desert rat. She first fell in love with the Middle Ages when she read Thomas B. Costain’s The Conquering Family in high school. She attended the University of Arizona, where she graduated with a degree specializing in medieval history. Joyce has taught piano lessons to children and adults of all ages for over twenty years. She loves to play the piano and sing for her own amusement, and sings in her church choir. Other interests include reading, spending time with her sister, trying out new restaurants, and, unfortunately, buying new clothes. The highlight of her year is attending the Arizona Renaissance Festival, which she has not missed once in its twenty-one years of existence. Joyce has been owned and loved by many cats, the most recent being Clio (who helps her with her website), and Glinka Rimsky-Korsokov (that’s all one cat). Illuminations of the Heart tells the story of Triston, a character from Joyce’s first medieval novel, Loyalty’s Web.

Do you love Agatha Christie novels as much as me?  It’s apparent that Bradley does, since this book is a good dose of Agatha Christie meets Sherlock Holmes meets Harriet the Spy.  That combination makes for a perfect “curl up late at night with hot cocoa and devour in one sitting” mystery novel.  He’s created the new Miss Marple in 11 year old Flavia  deLuce, a heroine you can’t help but just love- even when she’s doing exactly the opposite of what you think she should be doing.  Which happens a lot, and is extremely frustrating.  Which is even more of a reason to go and read this book.  I love a good mystery that makes you think, no, believe that you know all the answers- only to slap you in the face with surprise after surprise.  I did manage to guess a few bits and pieces, but the book just wouldn’t have been as suspenseful if you weren’t one tiny step ahead of Flavia toward the end.  I’m so happy this is the first in a series, since I finished it and then was immediately hungry for more.   The next books should be out in 2010 and 2011 respectively.

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is written by Alan Bradley

The first book in the series, City of Bones, can be read online for free until Aug. 10th at this link .  Unfortunately I’m a total sucker for a free book, no matter how bad it is, so I decided to give it a read.  First off, these books have to be read together.  They are not complete stories on their own, so if you’re committing yourself to read one- you’re committing yourself to read all them.  This was the first of many problems with them for me.  These are probably a great read for teenagers, as long as you don’t mind the completely cavalier attitude toward underage drinking, the occasional drug use, casual sex between anyone and everyone, and most of the storyline revolving around an incestuous relationship.  I remind you, these are geared toward teenagers.  I’ll tell you, I wouldn’t consider myself a prude-  but I really felt like Cassandra Clare was just trying to push the envelope a little too hard.  So much of this was just completely unnecessary to the storyline- it felt a little like Gossip Girl meets Dungeons and Dragons.  Speaking of the storyline, I found it a little tedious.  I’m so tired of the love triangles between the mysterious, dangerous guy, and the fun loving best friend.  Ok already, been there, done that- even with Clare trying to make it fresh with new twist and turns (including the whole incest thing)- it just fell flat for me.  These aren’t books for those of us that love literature, they’re totally geared to a texting, myspace, mtv watching, late teens/early twenties crowd.  I was interested enough in the plot to keep me reading, but I wasn’t up late into the night devouring them.

City of Bones, City of Ashes, and City of Glass are written by Cassandra Clare

I loathe books written in letter format- loathe them.  I don’t like having to guess who the main character is, and in the case of this novel guess the sex of them as well.  I never understand why an author finds this plot device necessary.

Now that I got that out of my system, I’ll tell you that beyond this one little failing- I thoroughly loved this book.  It’s a book meant for book lovers.  For those of us that feel like reading is like the air we breathe, and books are not only an escape from real life, but help us to understand life better.

It’s based in post World War II, and most of the negative reviews I’ve read center around how fluffy this novel is in post war times and how annoying they found the main character Juliet.  Sometimes I wonder if people just like to be cynical.  I’m pretty sure not every human being in post war Europe was destitute, starving, and near death.   Not to mention last time I checked authors were allowed to take liberties in fiction. The war isn’t glossed over in this book, as much as it’s almost another character in the book.  Don’t read this expecting WWII carnage and misery (although there is a very little bit of it sprinkled throughout).  I found the main character Juliet refreshing- she’s a little self deprecating, and it offsets her selfishness enough so that you fall in love with her.  The people of Guernsey are really the stars of the book, and my lifelong dream of visiting PEI after having read Anne of Green Gables, has almost been upstaged by a fervent desire to visit the Channel Islands.

A beautiful, quirky, and at times heartbreaking read.  Will have you staying up half the night to finish it.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is written by Mary Anne Shaffer & Anne Barrows

it can be ordered on Amazon

This book was suggested to me by one of our readers, Terresa.  I’m really not one for the fantasy genre, but I do love YA/J fiction so I thought I’d give it a shot.  I thought the concept and the story was fascinating, and to be honest, that’s the only reason I kept reading.  That, and the fact that Jones totally had me in the beginning with her witty and sarcastic tone.

The book begins really strong with Sophie, the eldest of three daughters sent into the world to make their fortunes, and this interesting world of moving buildings owned by wizards.  The book took a downward spike for me when I started to realize how much I actually disliked Sophie, who carries the entire book on her back.  She starts out meek and timid, then moves on to pushy and rude, and then ends with completely clueless.  I absolutely hate it when I’m reading a book and feel smarter than the main character.  I actually put the book down in disgust a few times because I was so annoyed with the way things were going.

The book felt a little like an extended Grimm’s Fairy Tale, and I’m not talking about the Disney version.  If you like this sort of thing, you will like this book.

Then we get to the ending, and if you’re going to read this book, skip this paragraph.  I really, really did not want Sophie to be with Howl.  I wanted her to walk away, strong on her own- I hated how the whole book moved in the direction of tricking her into being in love with him.  Then when she realizes it, they both live happily ever after.  What the?  There was no moment in the book for me where Howl really redeemed himself, so why would I want him with Sophie(even if I do find her annoying)?

My only other big issue was a completely personal one.  I don’t read the fantasy genre, so a lot of the terms were really confusing to me.  It was also difficult for me to keep up with the confusion of a world where scarecrows stalk people, magic just suddenly reveals itself, and pieces(literally) of people and dogs and men are confusingly intertwined.  Basically the book wasn’t “commercial” enough for me; it didn’t stretch itself to include those of us that just want a quick fantasy fix.

It absolutely made me realize why this genre is just not for me.

I am going to include the link to Amazon’s reviews and description though, since I seem to be fighting a tidal wave of love for this one.

Howls Moving Castle is written by Dianna Wynn Jones

I was waiting for some of the others to finish this one up before I sat down to review it.  I’m not sure how to approach this review because I really liked this book, but had a really hard time becoming immersed in it.  I finally realized why when I checked out the authors bio and found out she’s a screenwriter.  This book is totally missing the descriptive elements that I need, to have the characters and scenes in my head.  I hope that makes sense.  It almost reads like a play.  I don’t want to put you off of this since it’s a beautiful story, and I shed tears both times I read it.  I fell completely in love with the main character Piper.  From birth she’s had the ability to fly, much to the chagrin of her parents and townsfolk’s who’ll do anything to keep her on the ground.  Her defiance to this attitude lands her in a school for children of special abilities.  This is the only time the book falls a little short for me.  I really wish Forester had devoted a few more pages to the other children.  Their abilities are quickly summarized, and for me quickly forgotten, and then when they come into play later in the book I had to keep flipping back to see who was who.  I can look past this though for a character like Piper, who’s determination and loyalty to her friends wins the day.

A great read for all ages, especially anyone who’s ever felt like they just don’t fit in.

The Girl Who Could Fly is written by Victoria Forester

This book is lengthy, almost hitting the 700 pages mark- but absolutely perfect for a good Summer read.  I picked it up last year on the way home from Europe and I was really pleased to see it at Costco last week.  I feel awful for shamelessly neglecting to review this book, when it’s been on my shelf for almost a year now.  My favorite adult reads are those that focus on female relationships and the complexities of their friendships, with a little mystery and romance thrown in for good measure.  This book fits that bill perfectly.  The female characters are strong and fascinating and complex.  It’s quite obvious from the get go that Kate Morton finds women to be the vehicles to move the story forward, while the men are mearly the road they drive upon.  They’re just background in the story, but also ultimately necessary for the destination.  The book can be a little confusing at first since it spans five generations of women, and is told not only from a bunch of different perspectives- but also from a bunch of different generations.  A quarter of the way into it and you’ll hardly notice the changes, and I think it just adds to the richness of the story.  It’s a serious read that you’ll want to devout some time too.

The Forgotten Garden is written by Kate Morton

This book was just not my cup of tea.  I got completely sucked in by the fact that it was a Stephenie Meyer recommendation, and it sounded like an interesting plotline.  To be completely fair, I did actually read it twice, just to make sure my initial impression was the same on a subsequent reading- and it was.  I hate to give away any plot points in case you want to read this, but to be perfectly honest the whole book is so completely predictable that nothing I say is going to spoil anything.  The main character Laurel I found to be a little annoying.  She’s a sheltered home-schooled kid from a small town that’s suddenly thrust into a “normal” teenage life by a move to a bigger town.  A week into her new life, she suddenly discovers she’s a faerie.  One of the things I found most annoying about Laurel is how easy she finds everything- she has easy going parents that just ignore her bizarre eating patterns and have forgotten half her life growing up but don’t seem to find anything strange about that.  Her first day of high school, the perfect boy (David) falls right into her lap, he’s smart and non judgemental, with perfect friends who all completely accept her immediately.  Even when we discover Davids best friend Chelsea is actually jealous of her, there’s absolutely no tension or awkwardness- she befriends Laurel immediately and is even happy for them as a couple- I just find this to be completely beyond the realm of belief for a group of high schoolers.  I also felt the storyline wasn’t very well developed, so much of the plot is in the introduction that there’s not a lot left over for exploring what I actually read the book to discover- Aprilynne’s Faerie land.  We only really see Tamani the faerie, and his part is more in explanation of the the past, instead of us getting any glimpse of the present.  This would probably be a great read for younger teenagers, and anyone that loves the mystical world of fairies(although you’ll have to wait for the sequel if you actually want to enter fairy world).  If you’ve read it I would love to hear your opinion.

Wings is written by Aprilynne Pike and is currently really cheap at Costco

Once again I found myself lurking around the teen section at Borders and picked up the first book in this series, Vampire Kisses.  It turned out to be exactly what I was looking for.  An afternoon read full of teen angst, a goth girl and her new, could he be a vampire, boyfriend.  There are currently 6 books in the series and they’re all pretty good.

The series starts out with Raven, a sophomore who happens to be the only goth in her school, suspects a new neighbor is a real undead vampire.  But is he really or is it just a trick the soccer snob Tyler is trying to play on her?

If you like vampires and are totally in touch with your inner goth, or if you have teenage girls that love vampires check these books out.  Just plain fun.  And seriously a couple of hours for each book.  That’s all it takes.  And totally completely clean.  No sex, no violence, no drugs no swearing.  Quite a shocker.

So guess what I spent my entire weekend reading?  I was recommended this series a couple of years ago and at the time I thought- “Greek mythology, 12 year old boy main character (Harry Potter and “Where the Red Fern Grows” are my only two exceptions to books I’ve loved with prepubescent boys as the main character), Greek mythology, series wasn’t complete yet, Greek mythology, not really a sci-fi kids saving the earth kind of gal, and did I mention Greek mythology?  Ok my eyes glaze over a little bit every time I think of, well,  you know.  Then they kept popping up in my recommended lists everywhere, and I’m currently in between books- so I ordered them, and can I tell you, no regrets.  They are totally and completely 10-16 year old boy books- super easy reads(I read all five of them in a weekend, like two days- and I still managed to keep my house in order), and pretty engrossing- but not in a can’t put them down kind of way, just in a “I didn’t know GREEK MYTHOLOGY could be so much fun” kind of way.  Percy is the main character in all five books and I’m going to warn you, I picked them up thinking the series is over, and it’s not.  The author left them completely open for a whole new adventure.  I’m really hoping he’ll go in a female heroine direction for the next set- but there’s still a lot of those in these books that you just can’t help rooting for.  Percy reminds me a little of Jacob Black from the Twilight series, he’s sort of this snarky, wise ass kid that always seems to be getting into trouble- but when it comes down to it he’s a loyal and true friend with a really great heart.  I won’t go into the plot line, but if you’re looking for something light and fun (with lot’s of teen angst, 21st century Greek Gods, and ancient monsters) to fill your Summer reading void, then this is it.

Percy and the Olympians is a five book set written by Rick Riordan.  The first book in the series is “The Lightning Thief.”

The Inkheart Trilogy is three books, Inkheart, Inkspell, and Inkdeath- written by Cornelia Funke.  I’m reviewing them together because I made a huge mistake in not reading them together and spent way too much time backtracking and cross referencing characters to understand the storyline.  This should warn you, there is a HUGE cast of characters- like Lord of the Rings huge, by the time the last book rolls around, most of the story is, wrapping up most of the story.   

The trilogy revolves around a secret Mortimer has been keeping from his daughter Meggie.  When he reads aloud, he brings the characters out of the book into this life.  Unfortunately, every character he reads out of the book must be replaced by a character from his own life, and one night while reading aloud the book Inkheart, three characters appear and Meggies mother and two cats disappear.  Nine years later, one of the characters appears on Mortimers doorstep willing to do anything it takes to return back into his bookworld.  Great premise right?  and it’s an equally great read.  Inkheart can almost be read alone and be totally satisfying, as long as you don’t care what happens to some of the more minor characters. 

Without giving away too much of Inkspell, the second book- I enjoyed it almost more then the first.  I loved discovering the world of Inkheart, and this book satisfied that D&D geek in me.  It was chalk full of fairies and witches, and all manner of villains, you totally understand Dustfinger’s(one of the characters read out of the book by Mortimer) longing to return.  I also loved watching Dustfinger develop as a character- you go from hating to loving to hating to loving him.  This is the book where you also realize there’s more then one hero to the story, and although Meggie is still central to the storyline- it turns from a story that could be read to the 9-12 year old set, into a total young adult novel.

This brings me to Inkdeath- which should not be read by anyone younger than teenage age.  This is one of the reasons the last book upset me so much- it turns Meggie from the heroine into only a very minor player.  It almost felt like the author was trying to find a role for her- and she goes from being the savior to the bookworld to a little girl trapped in a not very well developed love triangle.  I was so upset that so many things about Meggie that were hinted at in Inkspell, never came to fruition.  I was also incredibly upset that this was billed as a trilogy, and then the ending was clearly left open for another book.  The book is incredibly lengthy- and yet the entire ending of the story feels crammed into the last 50 pages of the book.  More characters are introduced- more twists and turns for development, and then it very abruptly ends without really finishing the story.

So read the books, but be prepared to be satisfied by an ending to the trilogy, that is not wholly satisfying.

I’m just so flippin’ excited that a date has been announced for the second book, that I have to post it. If you haven’t read “The Hunger Games,” you need too. It’s a great quick read that will leave your head spinning.

Here’s the Amazon summary:

Against all odds, Katniss Everdeen has won the annual Hunger Games with fellow district tribute Peeta Mellark. But it was a victory won by defiance of the Capitol and their harsh rules. Katniss and Peeta should be happy. After all, they have just won for themselves and their families a life of safety and plenty. But there are rumors of rebellion among the subjects, and Katniss and Peeta, to their horror, are the faces of that rebellion. The Capitol is angry. The Capitol wants revenge.

“Catching Fire” will be released September 1st and can be pre-ordered on Amazon.

My heart is breaking inside because the fourth and final book is not out yet.  I have thoroughly enjoyed this series.  This is the story of Eragon, a farm boy, who finds a dragon egg and becomes a famed Dragon Rider.  He does not do this on his own, he has elves and dwarves and other humans to guide him along his path.

My only complaint about this book is when Eragon goes and lives with the dwarves for a while.  There are very important things going on but it’s kind of boring.  Sorry Christopher but I only kept reading because I knew eventually he was going to be out of there and back onto more exciting things.

Other than that short part the book was fabulous.  So many exciting things are happening for Eragon and Saphira, and Eragon’s cousin Roran.  Eragon is the one true hope of defeating the evil tyrant Galbatorix and unfortunately all of that is left until book four of course.  But they make good headway into the empire in this book.

I feel so lonely not having Eragon and Saphira as my companions.  I wholeheartedly look forward to the fourth  book.  This series is at the very top of my favorites.

My reviews on the last two books:  Eragon, Eldest

This is the second book in the Inheritance series, Eragon being the first.  I am totally smitten.  I absolutely love this series.  The third book, Brisingr, just came out last September so that means a long wait for the fourth and final book in the series.

The third book splits between Eragon’s further instruction with the elves and his cousin Roran’s experiences in their home town of Carvahall when the Empire comes snooping around.

I didn’t think I would love Roran as much as I love Eragon but he really surprised me.  He is plunged into some nasty situations and makes some good and some bad decisions but he stays true to his quest.

My only complaint is that this is a youth book so there’s major foreshadowing.  There really aren’t any twists and turns that you can’t figure out beforehand.  That just goes to show what a good read it is that I’m still continuing with the series even having a good idea what is going to happen.

I would totally read Eragon to my kids without blinking but I would have to think about reading Eldest to them.  There are a lot of descriptive and vicious battles.  My oldest is 7 so he would really understand all that I read to him.  That being said, knowing me, I’d probably read it to them.  It’s just so darn good.

I am totally in love with this series.  Read my review of Eragon here.

I am in love with Eragon.  Eragon is a farm boy who discovers a dragon egg and with much hard work becomes one of the legendary Dragon Riders.  The book is like Harry Potter meets Lord of the Rings.  By that I mean that there’s magic and elves and a young boy who saves the world.  You see, the Dragon Riders used to rule until one of their ranks turned against them and brought them down.  This Dark Dragon rider is now ruling with horror with no one powerful enough to stand against him.  Eragon must find the right friends who can protect and train him as he learns his full potential.

I just finished the book and I am filled with joy right now.  I feel like a proud mama watching her boy grow into a strong, smart, loving man.  I am totally smitten with Eragon.  So far there are three books (Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr) in the series and I have them sitting next to me.  I’ll let you know how they go and if the series ends with the third book or continues.  

I love Paolini’s voice.  His writing was so laid back and comforting to me.  It really spoke to my heart and soul without being overbearing.  I sincerely care about Eragon and his future and his past and his present.  I want him to succeed and I want every detail of how he does it.

I highly recommend this book.  Please check it out.

Now it’s obvious by now that I love Twilight but is it as obvious that I absolutely adore Harry Potter?  Well, I do and I try to share my obsession with my kids.  My 7 year old has been watching Harry Potter since the first movie came out.  I would watch it with him before he even learned how to sit down and watch a movie.  He’s grown up with it and same with my 5 and 4 year olds.  The first two movies that is.  I made the mistake of taking the older one to see the third one in the theater.  Not pretty.

I’ve also been reading the books to them.  We got about halfway through the third when they started to revolt and wanted to read something different.  I’m sorry to say, that made me mad.  How dare they not want to know what happens to Harry and Sirius Black!  Shame on them.  So we’ve been in a Harry Potter hiatus for a while now.  I’m letting them get a little bit older so hopefully they can appreciate it more.

Then you wont believe what happened.  My baby.  My 4 year old little angel brought me the case for HP and the Sorcerer’s Stone.  He picked it out of all the videos and brought it to me to watch.  My heart swelled inside me.  I can honestly say that I loved him a little bit more at that moment.

He watched the movie and the next day he brought me HP and the Chamber of Secrets to watch.  He was actually enjoying the movies!  The day after that he wanted to watch the one with the dragon.  I told him that was number one when Hagrid gets a dragon egg.  He watched it and complained because he wanted to see the one with the big dragon.  What a great memory!!  He’s only seen that in commercials but he still remembers it!  Oh, I am so proud.  Just busting at the seams.

With all this great progress I decided it was time to try HP and the Prisoner of Azkaban again.  This is the one I took my oldest to when he was really young.  So I turn the movie on and wait for the kids to come running scared into my room.  The oldest one did.  He didn’t like the movie at all and in fact he has had nightmares about it.  So major bummer there.  I had no intention of scaring him so bad.  But the other two.  The other two loved it.  In fact the little one is watching it right now as I type.  The 5 year old asks to watch it every chance he gets so I got 2 out of 3.  That’s not so bad.  In fact, it’s pretty darn good.

Now I wont let them watch the latest movies because they are PG-13 but I don’t mind reading them the books if they ever want to get back into them.  And they better.  It’s just so fun to have something I love be something they are interested in too.  Do you guys have a book like that?  That you  want so badly to share with your kids that you’re probably pushing it on them a little too hard?

In YW Sunday we did a lesson where everyone shared a favorite Christmas memory or story- I thought it’d translate well to a post, so here’s some of our favorite Christmas books and stories.

“The Polar Express”

My daughter really doesn’t like this movie, and I have to admit I think it’s a little weird too.  I don’t think it translated well to the big screen, and Tom Hanks just isn’t the right fit for the voice- but my daughter loves this book, and I love reading it to her.  A beautiful story, and Jordyn’s not quite old enough to understand that it’s speaking about the “spirit” of Santa Claus, so she can still believe he exists when I read it to her. -Laura

“How the Grinch Stole Christmas!”

Is there any book that’s more fun to read at Christmas time then this one?  This is an especially great follow up to all our readings of “Horton hears a Who” lately- since it’s based in who-ville.  We even love Seuss cartoon of it- so much so that Jordyn honestly believes “We wish you a merry Christmas,” ends with “and a can of Who-hash.” -Laura

Two of my absolute favorite Christmas Stories that I haven’t found in any book, but were read to me over and over as a child(if you have these in a book form please comment below, because I would love to buy them). -Laura

“In the Great Walled Country” is an amazing story about the power of “giving” rather then receiving

“Why the bells Chimed” A great “Christ” in Christmas centered story

We like the classic “The Night Before Christmas” by Clement C. Moore.  We have the Mary Engelbreit version that my mom gave us.  It’s actually really fun illustration.  The kids like to pretend to eat the candy off the pages and tell the story along with us. – Alisa

This was the first Christmas book that both my boys loved and begged for me to read to them at ages one and two (Eli asks for it almost every day).  It’s a little board book told from the perspective of the animals in the stable, preparing for the arrival of someone special, although none of them know who it will be.  All the animals help to clean things up and make the stable as clean as possible for the humble birth of the Savior.  Such a sweet and tot-friendly read.   -Julianne

A few other favorites:

From the Toot and Puddle series, I’ll Be Home for Christmas is another book that we love to read this time of year.  If you’re not familiar with these books, they’re about two best friends who have very different interests.  Toot loves to travel the world and see new places, while Puddle loves to stay at home and enjoy the changing seasons.  This book has Toot traveling home for Christmas but getting stuck in a huge snowstorm that only a mysterious man in a sleigh can save him from.  Meanwhile Puddle is making all the Christmas preparations at home and anxiously awaiting the arrival of his friend.  -Julianne

Like Alisa’s kids, Bennett loves The Night Before Christmas; we have the same one, in fact, also given to us by my mom.  Another fun book along the same lines is called The Mouse Before Christmas, where a curious mouse hitches a ride in Santa’s toy sack to see the world from the top of Santa’s sleigh.  The mouse is mesmerized by the rooftops of London, the pyramids of Egypt, the Eiffel Tower, etc. and gets to see Santa in action to boot.  This is Benito’s most-requested Christmas book this year.  -Julianne