Book recommendations

[Kas]

It can be general thread for book recommendations if someone will need it in future.


Could someone recommend me a book for a 9-year old girl ? She likes reading fiction- fantasy, adventure, detective stories, she also likes the stories about animals. Just no Holly Webb, please. She reads a lot, so length of the book is not a problem.

 

[Haight]

I was reading "Hardy Boys" at that point. However, I moved on to Agatha Christie novels around twelve. I think I still have a box of them in the attic. She's no doubt smarter than I was at 9, so she might be able to skip the Hard Boys stage. I wish I had.

I think when my kids were that age they were reading "A series of unfortunate events." Good books.

Great idea for a thread, by the way. Surprised I never thought of it.

 

[The Cat]

It can be general thread for book recommendations if someone will need it in future.


Could someone recommend me a book for a 9-year old girl ? She likes reading fiction- fantasy, adventure, detective stories, she also likes the stories about animals. Just no Holly Webb, please. She reads a lot, so length of the book is not a problem.

The Cinder Spire series by Jim Butcher. Book one The Aeronaught's Windlass. You might want to take a look at it first, but its the kind of thing I would have read when I was 9 and I turned out fantastic.

 

[Kas]

Thanks for the recommendations!

She already read "A series of unfortunate events." last year and she liked it

 

[Haight]

Thanks for the recommendations!

She already read "A series of unfortunate events." last year and she liked it

I actually asked one of my kids about this, and she said she went onto Harry Potter after that. But after she told me that, I realized that was obvious.

 

[Kas]

I actually asked one of my kids about this, and she said she went onto Harry Potter after that. But after she told me that, I realized that was obvious.

She read 5 Harry Potter books too and she loves them. The other two my sister ( the girl is my niece) so far doesn't let her to read bacause she considers them too violent

 

[Haight]

I'll just note that you are incredibly lucky. Getting kids to read anything from an actual book these days, which is not teacher-mandated, is rare. And you're 9 year old is setting the bar pretty high. So with that understanding, I recommend that she starts reading a bit of non-fiction on topics of her interest, or the simpler "Classics."

Fun fact: I had over two-thousand books in my house a few years ago. I kept the books I had read over the years, and knew I would never read them again, because I had dog-earned, highlighted, underlined, and made notes in them for my kids to come across when they became bibliophiles like myself. Thinking that in the very least, they could get a summary by just skimming what I had pointed out. But that never happened. The family reading cycle seems to be broken. So once I finally came to that sad realization, I donated most of them. Now I'm just left with books I reference, ones that I haven't read, and the ones I plan to read again.

Again, you're a very lucky person. Which is me saying that I'm jealous.

 

[Kas]

I'll just note that you are incredibly lucky. Getting kids to read anything from an actual book these days, which is not teacher-mandated, is rare. And you're 9 year old is setting the bar pretty high. So with that understanding, I recommend that she starts reading a bit of non-fiction on topics of her interest, or the simpler "Classics."

Fun fact: I had over two-thousand books in my house a few years ago. I kept the books I had read over the years, and knew I would never read them again, because I had dog-earned, highlighted, underlined, and made notes in them for my kids to come across when they became bibliophiles like myself. Thinking that in the very least, they could get a summary by just skimming what I had pointed out. But that never happened. The family reading cycle seems to be broken. So once I finally came to that sad realization, I donated most of them. Now I'm just left with books I reference, ones that I haven't read, and the ones I plan to read again.

Again, you're a very lucky person. Which is me saying that I'm jealous.

She reads sometimes non-fiction mostly nature books about animals. I think I could try to recommend her some simpler classics.

I think my sister was really lucky with her, especially that younger siblings pattern themselves on their big sister and so far they read too. But they are all kids, I heard that many stop reading in teen years.

That must have been amazing collection. As a bibliophil I like a lot reading someone's notes, thoughts or discussing book with someone. However even the last one recently hasn't been easy. I have a couple of friends who read, the others at this point read only work related specialized books.

 

[Haight]

Sad fact. Even I listen to books on Audible when I commute. I know . . . "sacrilege!"

I will stop spamming your thread. Mostly because others will provide better suggestions to you.

 

[The Cat]

She read 5 Harry Potter books too and she loves them. The other two my sister ( the girl is my niece) so far doesn't let her to read bacause she considers them too violent

Check out Storm Front by Jim Butcher, its About a Wizard Private Investigator, you might enjoy it yourself, or get an idea for your kiddo as they grow up

 

[SensEye]

I tried to remember some of the books I was reading around age 9, but I couldn't really do so. It was a different time back then, nothing along the likes of Harry Potter around. I don't think book trilogies or the like even existed (outside of maybe Lord of the Rings).

I remember reading A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's court when I was young (but maybe more around age 11 than 9). And I read HG Wells the Time Machine about the same era. Of course the grade school classic An Incredible Journey was good when I read it (that would have been about age 9 I think).

 

[Totenkindly]

I know she's reading more complex books, but I remember trying to find all the Encylopedia Brown books. They are more for working your mind than necessarily for straight story, though -- trying to find the clues in the story to solve the mystery each short story presents. I don't know how popular they are now, 30-40 years later. "The Great Brain" series (about a young Mormon I think, growing up out west, and his older brother Tom was really smart and always out for a con) was fun and not a hard read, they can be plowed through pretty quickly.

I really liked LeGuin's Earthsea stuff. The first three books were around when I was young, but she later put out Tehanu, Tales from Earthsea, and I think The Other Wind. They might or might not be too much, but she's been able to handle Harry Potter fine. LeGuin's kind of a tricky writer, you can read her stuff easily enough but you might miss some of the reverberations of what she's written until you think more about it, maybe even later in life.

Robert Asprin's "Myth-adventures" series is also a lot of fun, for a fantasy series.

I know there's probably a ton of modern stuff I've never heard of, in the current YA publishing wave. I know The Hunger Games stuff is oversaturated in the public mind, but the books are actually a decent, thoughtful read, and Katniss is more nuanced and difficult than the film version.

 

[Kas]

Thank you guys for new recommendations.

I remember reading A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's court when I was young

I remember that I liked it a lot!

I know she's reading more complex books, but I remember trying to find all the Encylopedia Brown books. They are more for working your mind than necessarily for straight story, though -- trying to find the clues in the story to solve the mystery each short story presents. I don't know how popular they are now, 30-40 years later. "The Great Brain" series (about a young Mormon I think, growing up out west, and his older brother Tom was really smart and always out for a con) was fun and not a hard read, they can be plowed through pretty quickly.

That sounds fun, I haven't heard about this series before

 

[LightSun]

What self help book or inspired book had an impact on your understanding of self, others or life?

What book, movie, etc. inspired you and made a fundamental difference in your life?

A few books to share that have been some positive influence.

Please others please do share those specifically pivotal readings which did make some impact upon you.

(1). Feeling Good by David D. Burns, M.D. (1980). [Cognitive Discipline of your mind].

[CBT 10 cognitive distortions in the human thought process).

(2(. The Seven Sacred Spiritual laws of Success by Deepak Chopra (1994).

(3). A New Guide to Rational Living by Albert Ellis, PhD. & Robert A. Harper PhD. (1961, 1975).

([Rational-Emotive, basically similar to Cognitive Disciplinary mind set].

(REBT 11 Irrational Beliefs In the Human Thought Process).

(4). Reason and Emotion in Psychotherapy by Dr. Albert Ellis (1962).

[Rational-Emotive, basically similar to Cognitive Disciplinary mind set].

(5). Dr. Helen Fisher Why Him, Why Her? (Biological Anthropology).

(6). Frames of mind: Theory of Multiple Intelligences. by Howard Gardner (1983/1993).

(7). Emotional Intelligence by Daniel Goleman (1995).

(8). 365 Days of Walking the Red Road: The Native American Path to Leading a Spiritual Life Every Day by Terri Jean (2003).

(9). Dr. David Keirsey & Marilyn Bates, Please Understand Me, 1984. [Myers Briggs Typology Index).

(10). World Scripture: A Comparative Anthology of Sacred Texts (Of International Religious Foundation (1991).

I am an admirer of Eastern Buddhism’s mindful approach. I will share a Western approach that can vastly help in becoming mindful of our inner thoughts and thus evolve.

It’s a discipline of the mind for those who wish to better themselves and disentangle themself from illusions of the world and so discover a deeper, truer self.

CBT and REBT teach mindfulness. Dr. Albert E. Ellis acknowledged the role of the Greek and Roman stoic thought as preliminary precursors to western society cognitive science in psychology.

This is the psychology field. CBT (cognitive behavior therapy) has identified 10 cognitive distortions that are always present within negative emotions.

REBT (rational emotive behavior therapy) has identified 11 irrational beliefs present in negative emotions.

They are present in the subconscious. If people were aware of this, they then could take responsibility for their own thoughts, feelings and actions.

This instead of blindly and negatively reacting and projecting unto life and others their own unfinished business,

unresolved conflicts, emotional baggage, and psychic wounds. If we would educate our young with this knowledge and help them learn to be more cognitively mindful the world would be a far better place.” LightSun

 

[Julius_Van_Der_Beak]

What book, movie, etc. inspired you and made a fundamental difference in your life?

I think Fahrenheit 451 had a profound influence on me. The same criticism could be applied to social media; the core idea of the book is that everyone is speeding up and nobody has the time to think anymore. The book is against both cars and TV; the censorship everybody thinks is the focus of the book is the public demanding something get destroyed because it makes them uncomfortable.

 

[LightSun]

Thank you Julius. I hail from a psychology and human services background. To me the two books that help me understand fundamental behavior are Professor Keirsey of Myers Briggs research.

The other is Dr. Helen Fisher of biological anthropology. I combine these two pivotal works. (This is from Please Understand Me statistics. I understand Please Understand Me II has revised the statistical breakdown).

12% of the population NF have a heightened estrogen levels. The NF have what Helen Fisher refers as Executive Social Skills.

12% of the population are NT who have a higher testosterone level.

I don’t know why the heightened sexual hormones give the intuitive’s their insight. I however do find it quote intriguing to me.

The sensory population of SP and the SJ posses greater brain neurotransmitters.

38% SP have higher dopamine levels.
38% SJ a higher brain neurotransmitter Serotonin.