The Berenstain Bears: Trick or Treat

 The Berenstain Bears: Trick or Treat by Stan and Jan Berenstain

1989

Weight: 3.5 oz

Method of Disposal: Donated

I can only begin to describe my childhood love for the Berenstain Bears, and my two favorite books, which I have held onto all of this time.  Trick or Treat and No Girls Allowed.  I have always loved Halloween, dressing up in costumes, animals.  It is no stretch that I would be in love with tiny bears, wearing clothes, and performing childlike dramas.  The illustrations were the best part, but each book has a lesson, of course.  I am confident the Berenstain Bears helped me develop my empathy and my love for reading.  

Halloween is upon us, y'all.  I am struggling to decide what costumes Harriet and I will be wearing this year!  It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Unaccustomed Earth

Unaccustomed Earth  by Jhumpa Lahiri

2009

Weight: 8.8 oz

Method of Disposal: Donating or giving away

October was not a shining moment for me when it comes to reading, writing letters, or typing on this blog.  I have fallen behind, but it is because I was busy celebrating Halloween all month long.  It is such a great holiday because you do not have to believe in anything, you get to be whatever you want (for real this time—not like when you are a kid and they tell you lies about how you can be anything when you grow up), and there are no imaginary characters used to fool kids into believing ridiculous fantasies.  At least not long –term.  The scares are always very brief and exciting.  Belief is only temporarily suspended, not held up like Santa Claus, a lesson in good behavior.  I could be anything or anyone.  What did I choose?  I was Agent Dana Scully, of course.  

Anywho, that is neither here nor there.  The only book I finished reading in October was Unaccustomed Earth.  I am ashamed.  I had never read Jhumpa Lahiri, and I heard so much about her.    I could tell right away that I would enjoy the writing style.  It was beautiful.  It was like receiving a massage, very pleasant and soothing.  The shocking moments were delivered through the use of mundane or simple details that stood out, screaming, in the context of the story.  I get the feeling that she will be an incredible novel writer so that is what I will read next when I pick her up again.  If I starred this book, I would give it 3-3.5 stars out of 5.  It did not blow me away, but I felt like the author could with the right story.