Jonathan Yardley’s Second Reading:
Notable and Neglected Books Revisited
Europa Editions, 2011

Originally published in “The Washinton Post” between 2003 and 2010, these pieces were accompanied by this snippet:

“An occasional series in which the Post’s book critic reconsiders notable and/or neglected books from the past.”

Well, what could be more wonderful than the idea of rescuing neglected books.

Whether we do it at the individual level, from the library stacks where volumes sit unborrowed, to booksales where books have been abandoned.

Or whether we attempt to gain recruits for beloved tomes by discussing them in a public forum, from bookclubs to online communities.

We all love the idea of rescuing books.

Of course the books that Jonathan Yardley might not rescue the same books that another reader might choose, but his selection offers a tantalizing balance of recognizable and new volumes.

“My own tastes certainly are not everybody’s tastes, but the steady, heavy volume of incoming e-mail convinced me that I had stumbled onto something that readers wanted.”

Intrigued? There’s more from Jonathan Yardley here.  (Warning: This site could be devastating for your TBR list.)

Roger Sutton’s and Martha V. Parravano’s 
(Editors of The Horn Book Magazine)
A Family of Readers:
The Book Lover’s Guide to Young Adult Literature
Candlewick, 2010

This is really the perfect kind of book for a Weekend Sampler. It’s just the kind that you can pick up and read for 20 minutes and set aside again.

(Whereas, for my reader’s taste, Yardley’s volume is something that I really do find myself wanting to read straight through, adding titles of particular interest to my TBR list en route.)

Here, there are interviews, articles, booklists, and resources. Take your pick!

You can read Marc Aronson’s essay on non-fiction for young readers (“Cinderella Without the Fairy Godmother”). Or you can read Virginia Hamilton’s recollection of her children’s experiences with books growing up.

Or check out the interview with Maurice Sendak. Or flip through for the darkened text-boxes with ready-made TBR lists.

The book is divided into four parts:
Reading to Them (Books for Babies, Picture Books),
Reading with Them (Easy Readers, Chapter Books),
Reading on Their Own (Genres, Nonfiction, Girl Books and Boy Books, Messages), and
Leaving Them Alone (Books for Teens).

If you’re relatively new to kidlit, this would also make a fine introduction.

Anyone else reading bookish things lately?