May Reading Recommendations: Part II from Half Moon Bay Book Nooks

In Part Two of our Reading Recommendations series, many suggested titles from our local bookstores and keepers speak of mothers and children, once again, to celebrate May:  the Month of Mom.  Maybe these choices from Coastside Books and the Half Moon Bay Library will put a spring in your step.

Don’t forget to stop by your favorite place for books as school ends and summer reading begins.  Many places, like the Half Moon Bay Library and Ink Spell Books, offer summer reading challenges for children, often with prizes as incentives to read.

Nancy Arruda of Coastside Books delighted in picking titles about mothers and women for May.

Letter to My Daughter by Maya Angelou.  Author Angelou's life lessons are here, throughout the short stories and poems.  “She wrote it for all women and it would make a good pick for a mother or for a close friend's birthday,” says Arruda.  

”Another book I like to give to my woman friends is Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh,” says Arruda, who wrote a short blog post about it a few years ago.  Filled with meditations, this book covers aging, love and marriage, and many other meaningful topics. 

Mom: A Celebration of Mothers edited by Dave Isay.  A collection of stories told by ordinary people about their mothers makes for a sweet read, says Arruda. 

Children Make Terrible Pets by Peter Brown. What happens when you’re a bear and you find a little boy to keep as a pet?  The art from this children’s book was chosen as the 2011 Children’s Book Week poster.  Children’s Book Week was recently held May 2-8.  Watch and listen to a reading of the book here.

432 Main Street, Half Moon Bay, 726-5889

Open Monday-Saturday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.

Karen Choy, Youth Services Librarian, of the Half Moon Bay Public Library says she likes to ask her co-workers for titles they’ve enjoyed.  Some of their May selections are below.  Choy is excited about the new furniture and toys in the children's section of the library.  She invites families to stop in and take a peek.

Rescue Bunnies by Doreen Cronin and Scott Menchin. Newbie, a Rescue Bunny trainee, is asked to pass the hardest test of all in this children’s book from the author of Diary of a Worm.

Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskell.  Choy’s co-worker, Shannon Nottestad, recommends both the book and BBC series (starring Judi Dench as the pivotal character) for Cranford, which is perhaps Gaskell’s best-known book.  “Romance does not dominate the story,” says Nottestad, and there’s a sense of humor within the characters.

The Value of Nothing: How To Reshape Market Society and Redefine Democracy by Raj Patel.  This book helps us look at economics in a fresh and clear way, while informing us of the decisions we will need to make to ensure a secure economic future.

Shoe-la-la! by Karen Beaumont and illustrated by Lellyen Pham.  When little girls can’t choose a pair of shoes while shopping, they add their own special touches to make them irresistible.

620 Correas Street, Half Moon Bay, 726-2316

Open Monday-Wednesday 10am-8pm, Thursday 1pm-8pm, Friday 10am-6pm, Saturday 10am-5pm, Sunday 1pm-5pm

Ocean Books was not available for comment at the time of publication.  They specialize in offering many hard-to-find used titles, and will buy your used books, as well.

416 Main Street, Half Moon Bay, 726-2665

Open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, 11 a.m.-5:30 p.m., weekends 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Closed Tuesdays.

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