Book List

Introduced to my by my daughters therapist, this book had become my go-to when I need reminders as a parent of the principles and reasons behind the changes we made as a family. It has helped me to let go of the need to control and helped me to empower my children. I have this both in print and audiobook and recommend it to just about everyone.

This was read as part of SUU's EDGE-4020 class. I did not expect to get much from this book, but I am glad to say that I was wrong. It is filled with so many helpful ideas for self promotion. A few of the ideas he presents that I found to be helpful include a new view on being an amateur, scenius, products vs. process, and attribution. It is a quick read filled with wonderful quotes and thought-provoking ideas.

This was read as part of SUU's Children's Literature (LM-3120) course. I truly wish that I would have been introduced to this book when my first child was a baby. Trelease points out the vital importance of reading aloud to children, proof behind it, examples of how to approach it at different ages, and success stories. He also provides a treasury of book lists in the second half of the book. I believe that this book is an incredible resource to any parent.

Randy Pausch was a successful professor of computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon when he was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He knew he would leave behind a loving wife and three young children. He wanted to leave them his wisdom, his perspective, and his voice. To do this, he presented his last lecture at Carnegie Mellon for them. He expanded on the ideas of that lecture to create this book. His positive outlook and zest for life is apparent on every page and this book is a record of a life truly lived. He may have embarked on this project for the sake of his children, but it has benefited thousands of others, including me and my little family. I have read this with my own children, I give it away as a gift to graduating seniors, and I find myself thinking of his stories often. It is a book worth reading again and again.

When I first picked up this book, I did not expect much. Yet as I turned the pages, I came to love the main character, Sarah Agnes Prine, and her perseverance through every difficult experience and circumstance of a pioneer's life on the frontier. The reader witnesses her growth from a naive 13-year old girl to a strong independent woman. It is almost painful to me to know that Sarah is a fictional person. I found myself wanting to know her and benefit from a friendship with her. This has become one of my all time favorite books.

After seeing the movie, Harry Potter and Sorcerer's Stone, I finally had the desire to read these books. A friend suggested listening to the audio book and I have never looked back. Jim Dale, the narrator of the Harry Potter audio book series, does the most amazing job of any book narration that I know of. I cannot say that I have officially read these books, as I let Jim Dale read them to me. I did want to experience them in any other way. He actually has a different voice for every single character in the series!

J.K. Rowling has also done the most amazing job of creating a world of magic, leaving almost every reader wishing it were real and lamenting the fact that they are simple a muggle. Beyond the magic though, Rowling guides the characters of this series, and the reader, through a myriad of life's challenges, the ability to choose no matter the situation, and the ultimate conflict of good versus evil. This series is my family's favorite!