Christmas Read-Alouds 2017

Every year I add more books to our “Wrap the books up and read a package every night”. First there was one book, then two in each package and this year most packages had four books. 

I think there were too many this year because we are still reading “new” books and Christmas passed a few days ago. I’m not sure what the solution is, I just can’t help myself from bringing more great books home. I’ll ponder this for next year. Maybe I just keep the favorite books in the wrapping and keep the rest of the books out in bins.

For now, here’s another updated list. Alphabetized by author now because the other way was making me crazy when I was requesting books from the library. For this list, I also put a *next to books that are becoming interwoven with our family Christmas

"Make it Yourself" theme: Nice for the beginning of the season.
A Homemade Together Christmas by Cocca-Leffler
The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen
Shall I Knit you a Hat? by Klise

Traditions in Other Countries Themes
Jingle Bells by Trapani
The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaloa
The Legend of Old Befena by Tomie dePaloa
First Dog's White House Christmas by Lewis (A pleasant surprise, I was initially put off by the title.)

"Don't Get Too Carried Away/Remember What Christmas is About" theme
The Amazing Christmas Extravaganza by Shannon
Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Dewdney

Fun Non-Nativity themed books

Mr. Willoughby's Christmas Tree by Robert Barry
Home for Christmas by Jan Brett
The Twelve Days of Christmas by Jan Brett
The Night Before Christmas by Jan Brett
The Wild Christmas Reindeer by Jan Brett
Who's That Knocking on Christmas Eve by Jan Brett
Snowmen for Christmas by Buehner
The Twelve Days of Christmas Dogs by Conahan
Click, Clack, Ho! Ho! Ho! by Cronin

Strega Nona’s Gift by Tomie dePaola
Llama Llama Holiday Drama by Dewdney

Stick Man by Julia Donaldson
Mary Engelbreit's Nutcracker by Englelbreit
Olivia Helps with Christmas by Falconer

*Christmas Lights by Fearrington—I like to start the season with this book and talk about the symbol of light.
Christmas Wombat by Jackie French
Oh, What a Christmas by Garland
A Creature was Stirring by Goodrich
The Night Before Christmas illustrated by Cheryl Harness
Houseful of Christmas by Joosse
My Penguin Osbert by Kimmel
Gingerbread Pirates by Kladstrup
Redheaded Robbie's Christmas Story by Luttrell
Dear Santasaurus by McAnulty
The Christmas Ship by Morrissey (Amazing illustrations!)
Auntie Claus by Primavera
Dinosaur vs. Santa by Bob Shea (ROAR!)
How The Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss
Too Many Tamales by Soto
Twelve Lizards Leaping by Stevens
On Christmas Day in the Morning by Sweet
The Polar Express by Van Allsburg
How do Dinosaurs Say Merry Christmas by Yolen
The Night Before Christmas illustrated by Bruce Whatley

Next are the fun books, B list. Still good, especially for my younger two. Just not on my personal classics list.

What's Coming for Christmas by Banks
Christmas Parade by Sandra Boynton

Christmas Trolls by Jan Brett

Home for Christmas by Jan Brett
Grumpy Badger's Christmas by Bright (This has the word "piffle" in it and it's fun to read.)
Merry Christmas, Old Armadillo by Brimner

When Cows Come Home for Christmas by Dori Chaconas

Cobweb Christmas by Shirley Climo
The Christmas Bears by Chris Conniver (The storyline is OK, but the illustrations are darling.)
Christmas at the Top of the World by Coffeey
There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell by Colandro

Mrs Wishy Washy’s Christmas by Cowley
Carl's Christmas by Day
Santa's Stowaway by Dorman
The Three Bears Christmas by Kathy Duval

Christmastime by Alison Jay

The Twelve Days of Christmas by Susan Jeffers
Tacky's Christmas by Lester

Santa Claus and the Three Bears by Modugno

Santa’s New Suit by Rader

Christmas Cookies by Rosenthal

Together at Christmas by Eileen Spinelli

Inside, Outside Christmas by Spowart
Christmas Magic by Stainton

The Christmas Quiet Book by Underwood
Merry Christmas Hungry Bear by Don and Audrey Wood

These next books are about Christ's birth, and/or have themes like charity and giving. I save these for Sunday story time especially.

December by Bunting
Christmas in the Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
Saint Francis and the Christmas Donkey by Byrd
Great Joy by DiCamillo
Christmas Is by Gibbons
Asleep in the Stable by Hillenbrand

Our Very Own Christmas by Annette Langen
The Little Fir Tree by Lamarche (This one makes me cry. Every. Single. Time.)

Song of the Stars by Sally Lloyd-Jones
The Crippled Lamb by Lucado
Listen to the Silent Night by Mackall (artwork is lovely)
Gifts of the Heart by Polacco
The Orange for Frankie by Polacco
All the the Newborn Baby by Phyllis Root

The Friendly Beasts by Rebecca St. James

The Donkey’s Christmas Song by Tafur
One Starry Night by Thompson
Spirit of Christmas by Tillman

Room for a Little One by Waddell

Other Books not for the Wrap and Read tradition, but fun to have around

Here Comes Santa Claus by Mary Englebreit

Red Sled by Rita Judge

The Snowy Day by Keats

The Strega Nona books by dePaolo, to understand the Strega Nona story
The Snowmen books by the Buehners, tis the season

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

The Snow Child, by Eowyn Ivey, is on my current favorites list. You can check another source for a more complete summary, but here's mine: A childless couple lives in Alaska and wants a child. They build a snow child out of snow and then they see a real child flitting in and out of the woods. Is she real? Is she for them? And so the story goes . . .

It's more fairy tale than fiction as far as genre goes. It is itself, and it is lovely.

I checked it out of the library, and I felt like Ivey sent me my own beautiful gift. It is kind, it is gentle, it's about hope and love and losing and finding.

It's lovely.

I think Santa is going to bring me a copy. I will put it next to the other books I use as literary comfort food, warm and filling.

Grandma Gatewood's Walk by Ben Montgomery

Grandma Gatewood's Walk is about this really amazing lady who, at age 67, walked the Appalachian Trail. She wasn't wealthy, she wasn't well-equipped, she wasn't in amazing physical shape, she was just plain stubborn.

The story is great, the writing approachable, the character unforgettable. I'd recommend it. 

Go Granny, Go. 

Hillbilly Elegy by JD Vance

JD Vance's Hillbilly Elegy has gained rapid popularity and notoriety. I see his name referenced in New York Times articles (the latest one about his interview with Betsy De Vos), and hear his name tossed around on literary blogs.

I was beginning to feel like I'd been in the room where he was introduced and I wasn't paying attention:

I was starting to ask, "Should I know him? Have we met?" when I was seeing all the references.

So I read the book, for no other reason that to know what the chatter was. That usually doesn't motivate me (Ahem, because those books usually aren't reading. No comment, of course not, on certain way-popular books that worry me about how far our society has fallen).

But this time the chatter was for a GOOD reason, not a bad one.

JD Vance grew up, in what he calls, a hillbilly culture, and eventually goes to Harvard. It's a great narrative about the importance of family, how family/town/regional culture can be anti-education, and about how Vance's grandma encouraged him despite all the circumstances against him.

There's swearing. There's adult content, some.

But I thought it was a fascinating read. Especially from a cultural study standpoint.

Currently, I live in an area of the US, and sub-area of that area, where education is highly valued. Kids are expected to attend universities someday, and emphasis is on being prepared for prestigious ones. My sons and my daughter are surrounded by teachers, peers, and role models who re-inforce this. Furthermore, education is seen as career preparatory---no "*in case" degree expectations here. My community values education and resources are put towards good public and private schools. After-school programs and educational enrichment opportunities abound.

But I know we live in a bubble. This isn't the case everywhere in my state, and certainly not in our country. I've lived in some of these areas. Been there.

Vance's narrative is a valuable reminder of these regional and cultural differences. I'm glad he's being talked about, and glad he's being read. He adds great insight into the discussion of education in the US. That's a rather sweeping statement, but Hillbilly Elegy is compelling because it gives a face and a story to very real issues.

I'd say put it on your list if it interests you.

*As in, to a female: "You need your education---in case you don't get married." That's what I mean. There's none of that here.
None.
Of.
That.
Here.

Homegoing by Gyasi

When I recommended, with caution, the book Beartown to my dear friend in Denver, she recommended Homegoing by Gyasi to me. With caution.

Homegoing is historical fiction, a sweeping many-generational view of slavery and its' everlasting historical rippling effects. It starts in Ghana more than a century ago and sweeps and sweeps forward.

It's a magnum opus. It's magnificent. It's poignant, painful, insightful, brilliant. It doesn't apologize for or try to make sense of the complexities. It just is, and lets the reader figure it out. I guess that's what I like the best---Gyasi doesn't talk down to her reader, she expects a brilliant recipient for her brilliant work.

Gyasi is very good. I think she handled so much very deftly, and I think she'll get better as she writes more. I look forward to seeing if she will try again.

You can read the summary on Amazon. But if you can handle something with meaning, try this. If you want fluff and a feel-good storyline, this is not for you.

Like last week when a friend asked me about Flowers for Algernon. I said, "It's good. Just heavy. But good. Just heavy." She said, "Oh, I can't handle that right now," and I told her to go find Ove.

So Homegoing. There is adult content, you have to decide if you want that. But just know it's good.

Just heavy.

But good.

Just heavy.

I will read it again. It belongs with Their Eyes Were Watching God and Things Fall Apart. And also with The Good Earth, though that's Chinese not African.

American Fire by Hesse

I haven't read many historical novels---I'm not taking historical fiction, but real history. But I guess I should read more, because I really enjoyed American Fire by Hesse.

In this book, Hesse examines the arson (86 fires!) that occurred a few decades ago in the Accomack region of Virginia. It is about the arsonists, but it's also about the town, and why there were all these old buildings because of the vanishing railroad industry. And what happened to the town after that. It's about the fires, but also about the men and women who volunteer on the town fire department and fight them. It's about what happened and why.

Hesse found the story, and I like her writing! She took this topic: arson, that I would readily dismiss, and make it interesting and accessible. Her style is conversational and interesting, but not too chatty. I'd like to have Hesse over for dinner and try to get her to talk.

I don't need to own a copy, but I would recommend this to history buffs and book clubs.

Just not necessarily church book clubs looking for a certain kind of content---there is some adult content in this book. But for some members in my book club, I'll whisper to them during our book club meetings about books deemed appropriate: " . . . Hey, you should try American Fire by Hesse."

Yep, it's true. I'm one of THOSE women. Who whispers clandestine recommendations under her breath while someone else is talking.

Oh Dear. There, I've confessed.

Mariann, I think you'd like this one.

Fredrik Backman's works

I read my way through Fredrik Backman's works. What a writer! Here's what I thought:

1. I absolutely loved  A Man Called Ove. I've recommended it to everyone in the last year who has asked for a good book.

It's been a long, long time since I've read something that made me weep from laughter and sentiment. I read it on a road trip we took with the kids (Eric was driving. I was managing food distribution, conflict resolution, and media consumption. It's how we roll on every road trip.) But in my off moments of negotiating, I read. I would cackle loudly, and then sob, with tears gushing down my face. Eric would look over at me and ask, "Are you OK, over there?" I would whimper/sniff, "Yessssss", and then go back to my blubbering and cackling.

The main character is a lovable, grumpy old man named Ove. My favorite thing about recommending this book is that everyone who reads it comes back and tells me about the "Oves" they have in their own life. For me, it's my grandfather, for a friend: her neighbor, for another friend: her husband.

There is some swearing.

*Note: If you are missing Ove after you read him, and you want to meet Alfie, his kindred spirit, go watch The Beautiful Fantastic, which is a lovely, quirky movie. I like quirky charming movies, not quirky weird movies, and the movie is quirky charming.

2. Britt Marie Was Here. I read this because I wanted more Ove. Well, there was no Ove, but another quirky, lovable, flawed, funny character.

It's amazing to me that these were all written in Swedish, because whoever translated them did a flawless job with translation (not that I know Swedish). I just know that the humor comes through: dry and hilarious.

Also some swearing, I think adult content. But another book I liked.

3. I read most of My Grandmother Told You To Tell You She's Sorry, and I bought the book. Out of Backman's four books, this is the one I'll pass on and not keep on my shelf. I didn't get into this one so much, but the concept of a fable having more meaning than just a bedtime story isn't new to me.

Some people adore this book, great. Just not me this time.

4. Lastly. I also read Beartown. I'm conflicted about recommending this one. Ove and Britt Marie had language, but I could manage it. I enjoyed their character sketches with one main character, developed very well.

Beartown is different. There are main characters, but the book is about so many things: misogynist sports culture, small town mindset*, loyalty, etc . You can get a summary from Amazon.

My brother Jon was once telling me about his movie choices and he said, "You have to know how much filth/questionable material you are willing to see in the name of entertainment." I feel that way about this book. For some of my friends, this book is too much. Too crass. Too crude. Too anti-women, too vulgar. For other friends, this is a beacon a illuminating light into dark places: a marvelous commentary about difficult topics.

But I can say this. It's offensive. It's meant to me. I skipped what I couldn't handle, but if you skip everything . . . you skip everything.

So I wouldn't hand it to everyone. I will keep it high on my restricted shelf. I don't want my kids to read this until they are past 25. Personally, I wouldn't have gone past the first page until well into my thirties.

But from here, in my mid-forties, I've seen more. I'm more comfortable with ambiguity. I can tell the difference between an author who is using crude jokes because he/she can't do any better, an author who uses crude jokes because he/she thinks they are genuinely funny, and an author who uses crude jokes because he/she knows they are repugnant, and to make a point. Backman is the latter.

In short, I thought Beartown was one of the best books I've read in a long time.

But maybe it's not for you.

At any rate, go meet Ove. Start there. Then proceed at will.

*I've lived in several small towns. There are some very nice things about small towns. But when I say, "small town mindset" I don't mean it kindly. I mean the darker side of living in a small town---the manipulation that goes on to keep kids in the small town; the pressure to marry kids from the same town hoping the imagined couple will stay there; the anti-achievement culture that pervades; and the long-held town gender stereotypes that the upcoming generation is indoctrinated into following. That kind of small town mindset, I've seen it plenty. And I don't think it's good.

Visiting Washington DC with Kids 2017, notes and hints

Our family had a family reunion in North Carolina this summer, so, hey, we decided to add a family trip to Washington DC before that. We had to fly all that way so why not.

I did a lot of research and realized that there was no way we could possibly do everything we wanted to do. Eric and I also have already been to DC, and we knew this would be "DC lite"/we could only go as fast as our kids were willing to go. So with this in mind, we made plans. All in all, it was a really great trip and I'm glad we did it.

Here are some helpful tips if you are planning on taking your kids:

1. You are going to walk a lot. Make sure every person has really good walking shoes. We debated between taking a little umbrella stroller or our jogging stroller and in the end we took our jogging stroller. I'm glad we did because it was where we carried the kids' stuff in addition to the tired pre-schooler.

2. Most museums are free, but food and lodging are expensive. We decided to just accept the prices and eat in the Smithsonian museums for convenience sake. We usually got discounts on food and in the gift shop---I happened to have my Smithsonian member card with me because I subscribe to Smithsonian magazine. Best magazine purchase ever, that card saved us from paying full price.

3. You can spend a lot on a fabulous motel, but we opted for reasonable and stayed at the Marriott Residence Inn in Foggy Bottom. Not a flashy hotel and IMO it could be updated, but free breakfast and near the Metro. A good choice for our family. There is a pool on the roof, but the kids and Eric said it was more like a puddle than a pool.

4. We flew into Baltimore and with a delayed flight we landed at about midnight. I had booked a shuttle, but their drivers didn't show up for us, so we took a random taxi. I was worried we were being hijacked, but it turned out that our taxi driver was an honest guy and really a taxi driver, how nice. He said that taxi drivers who drive early don't like to be out late and won't show up even if they do work for a shuttle service. The ride worked out for us this time, I'm not sure how to make it work for another time. If I take my kids again, I'll try to fly into Ronald Regan airport because it's right on the Metro. Then get a hotel I could get to on the Metro.*

5. It's nice to have a few places you know you can go and give the kids a break. There are ice cream and food trucks on Constitution Avenue by the sculpture garden. You aren't supposed to wade, but kids do take their shoes off and put their feet it. So it goes. We used the sculpture garden/ice cream truck as a resting place a couple of times. There are also gelato places, like the one in the underground passage between the two National Art Galleries. Most of these little cafes that serve gelato have early closing times, I don't know why.

6. There's an underground passage from the Library of Congress to the US Capitol. I read a lot of travel guides, but somehow I missed that. So it makes complete sense to start at one and use the passage for the other. The Library of Congress also has this charming Young Readers room that's like a little library with lots of children's books. I'm not sure you can check the books out, but it didn't matter, because after a long morning it was nice to just let the kids read books on the squashy beanbags in in the air conditioned room. My kids were grateful for the "ahhhh" rest.

*7. Speaking of the Metro---riding the Metro was a highlight of the whole trip for our kids. Go figure. I was happy to introduce them to big city public transportation, but I had not idea how much they would LOVE THE METRO. Not a big deal to me, but a WOW to them. As soon as we figured out how to find the elevators, getting our big stroller around was no problem.

8. One of the best things we did was put a big attraction in that would thrill each kid. Kid One loved the Natural History Museum, kids two and four adored the National Zoo, and kid three liked the American History Museum. I'll do that again---make sure there's a least one big thing for each kid/level.

9. A great thing we did was that Eric and I split up for the afternoon. He took the three big kids to Air and Space and I wandered the National Gallery---with the littlest one who napped in his stroller. Lovely for all involved, and a good mental note to me: even on a family vacation, it's OK for a few hours where not everyone is together.

10. On the way out of town we went to the National Cathedral, which isn't a national thing government thing, but a national thing because it's in WA DC. It's not a government church, but an Episcopalian church. I'm glad I didn't know that or we wouldn't have made the effort, but the church is magnificent and I'm so glad we went. It's beautiful and we chatted with a sassy-pants retired teacher docent who had lots of juicy stories to tell of her years as a teacher of diplomats' kids in the school nearby. Delightful.

11. One thing I'm really glad we did was that I made an effort to plan to see the things the kids had studied in school. We did a lot of Woodrow Wilson stops (like the National Cathedral where WW is entombed) because Kid One did a project about him in grade 5. We did a lot of monuments that Kid Two had studied in grade 3.

12. We took a trolley tour on our first night there to see the monuments at night. Our bus driver took us all around downtown DC, not just the monuments route. An expense, but for our family, with jet-lagged kids who didn't want to walk anymore, a good use of our travel budget.

13. Mount Vernon has always been on Eric's bucket list and I didn't even know it, so of course we had to stop. It was fun to compare it with Monticello---two different men, two different lives.

14. I planned our trip itinerary by proximity to eliminate walking (and whining). Smart.

15. Senators and House Reps have great resources on their websites. Some senators even have reserve-able constituent breakfasts. I didn't plan far enough ahead for that, but I'd have liked to have had my kids meet one of actual representatives in the actual place where they represent us. You can also schedule tours through those offices, but I just used the website for our US Capitol tour time and it wasn't a problem.

16. There are some attractions (like the National Archives and Ford's Theater) where you can pay a small fee ($9?) and have a timed entry. For our National Archives exhibit list, this was a good choice even though the line that day wasn't really long.

17. One final note: If you have stroller, you can just walk right into the rotunda at the National Archies and avoid the long waiting line where there are stairs. But the wheelchair/stroller entrance has no line, you just walk right in the exit.

18. We thoroughly enjoyed every tour we went on and wish we'd had time to do more tours. Our kids did OK on those tours and I was prepared for miserable, so it turned out pretty well.

Here was our itinerary:

Day One: Natural History Museum (lunch there), National Archives, Sculpture Garden, Union Station for dinner, Monuments Moonlight Tour

Day Two: Library of Congress (wish we had time to take a tour), US Capitol Tour, quick flyby of the Native American Museum, lunch at Mitsam (buffalo chili!), Air and Space/National Gallery for Deb.

Day Three: National Zoo, lunch there, back in time for an hour at American History, WA Monument and bookstore to get our National Park Passports mega-stamped. Dinner at shops at the Watergate Hotel---the food wasn't very good.

Day Four: Rented a car. National Cathedral, Mount Vernon.

And that was our trip. We barely scratched the surface of all the things we could have done, but it was great and by the end we were tired out.

We won't go back any time soon necessarily, but I'm glad we did it, and even though are kids our younger (as in not teenagers), it was a fun time to travel with them.

Book Recommendations 6th grade

Meg asked a question about book recommendations. She has 3rd grade girls who read at a 6th grade level. I've been in this predicament myself: kids who read "above" their age level. The trick is to find books that are challenging, but content appropriate. Tricky. Here are my suggestions for books that are about 6th grade reading level (or higher) but still innocent enough for kids in younger grades.

There are in no particular order:

1. Mysteries like Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, Encyclopedia Brown, and the Bobsey Twin books.
2. The Choose Your Own Adventure Series.
3. Anything by Beverly Cleary.
4. The Superfudge series by Judy Blume, but nothing else by her just yet. The Superfudges are light, but Blume gets into other stuff you don't want your 3rd grader exposed to.
5. Astrid Lindgren: Pippi Longstockings of course, but I like her Emil books even better. Funny stuff.
6. The Little House books.
7. The Shoe Books by Noel Stretfield.
8. The All of a Kind Family series by Sydney Taylor.
9. The unabridged Anne of Green Gables by Montgomery. You can even watch the movies with Megan Follows with your kids. I just started watching these with my kids and my boys tease me because I cried (for the hundredth time) when Matthew died in the movie. They walk around the house wailing "Matthew is DEAD!!!!" just to mock me. Sniff. I love those movies, I adore the books. (Higher than 6th grade reading level, but advanced readers will be there soon.)
10. Frances Hodgson Burnett: A Little Princess and Secret Garden.
11. The Mary Poppins series by P.L.Travers. Not really like the Disney movies, so charming though.
12. Tom's Midnight Garden by Phillippa Pierce.
13. The Great Brain series by Fitzgerald.
14. Behind the Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassidy.
15. The Roald Dahl novels.
16. Daddy Long Legs by Webster.
17. The Wizard of Oz novels by Baum. (Those are higher than 6th grade)
18. E. B. White's books if they haven't read them already: Stuart Little, Charlotte's Web, etc.
19. Comics are fun to have them read at this age, and a great introduction to irony.  My two favorites for kids are Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes.
20. Anything they want to read that's non-fiction. Usually, if my kids are interested in a topic, we just go to the library and check out anything related.
21. My favorite non-fiction series for kids is the DK Eyewitness books. The Brainwaves books are particularly good for this age: How the Incredible Human Body Works and The Most Explosive Science Book in the Universe.
22. Poetry. There are lots of poetry compilations for kids and some authors like Shel Silverstein that are especially for kids.
22. At this age, I like to make sure my kids know all the fairy tales and their spoofs. Fairy tales are good for teaching pre-analysis skills (hero, villain, plot), but 3rd graders can start to see the ironies in fairy tale spin-offs: like Bigfoot Cinderella and Fannie's Dream with Cinderella. There are lots of spoofs and spin-offs and they are fun at this age. Also, at 3rd grade, kids can appreciate the artwork in some of the well-illustrated children's books that they may not have appreciated younger.
23. Catherine Called Birdy and Midwife's Apprentice by Cushman.

Two more notes:

1. For really voracious readers, I love stores like DI, Goodwill, and Savers. When my kids are bored of all the library books, we go to these stores and buy 20 books for $10, especially with series like Choose Your Own Adventure books and Encyclopedia Brown. When the kids are bored with the books, I just donate them back.

2. I don't recommend all the Newbury award winners. The books are well written, no doubt, but sometimes the topics are more serious than I want my 3rd graders to read: world wars, divorce, racial oppression. Important topics, just not quite light enough for fun reading. A few years, a little more maturity, and kids would be more ready.

When you have exhausted this list, let me know.

Happy reading!

Meg in Sheridan, I am not ignoring you.

Hi Meg,

I'll answer your question this week, I've been thinking about it.

And where are you now? Are we FB friends so we have a way to message without you having to post a comment on my blog with your info? (Those comments are private until I approve them anyway, but still, safety first.)

I mean, really, I'd actually like to add you to my Christmas card list because you are my longest (and possibly only) fan.

:)

My answer to follow, stay tuned.

The High Mountains of Portugal by Martel

I read (sort of read, mostly skimmed) The High Mountains of Portugal because of the title.

Ah, Portugal, I adore you. Someday I will return to your azulejos, your bolos de Berlim, and your gracious people. I would like to tour the inside of the Palacio de Pena, not just the outside, and I want to see Cascais in the summer.

I did not read the book because of the author. I never did get the Life of Pi, Martel wrote that one too.

Turns out, I really didn't get this book either. It's not really fiction, it's not really a folktale, it's not really a story. It's more of a journey and I just couldn't full-heartedly jump on the train because I kept thinking, "This book is weird. This book is very weird."

That was the point, and there is a lot of meaning in this weird book, it just wasn't time for me.

I will go back to this book when I am in a foreign film mood. I will go back to this book when I am looking for meaning and trying to find it in the story about a gorilla, Agatha Christie, and a nice car. I am sure there are profound truths here, just not for me, not this time.

Maybe it is your time, though. If you liked Life of Pi, you will like this.

Or it will be like dating the guy you know it's not going to work out with, and at the end, when it doesn't work, you will say, "I guess I knew that wasn't going to work out anyway."

Either way, it will make you think of Portugal, and that will be worth the ride.