Boxes & Books.

Today was tax day. I don't mind as my taxes are done, Uncle Sam has been paid, and so have I, in a pleasant, unforeseen turn of events. However, it was also moving day. Again. This was my fifth move since living in Sacramento. Let me put it out there that it's not because I'm a particularly difficult person to live with that I find myself constantly in stock of U-Haul boxes and packing tape; rather, my roommates have a lovely little tendency to get engaged, married, or make other life-altering decisions. So, after the latest roomie's big decision, I found myself heading back into Sacramento from one of its many suburbs.


I don't really like moving -- putting my life into boxes, making sure all my things (and when did I acquire so many things?) are packed Tetris-like in the best, tightest, and least-likely-to-break way, and carrying heavy furniture down steep, narrow flights of stairs and through impossibly small doorways.


But I guess, as with anything you don't like doing, you have to find the good in it or be one of those gloomy people who walk around with a rain cloud perpetually hovering over his bowed head. Among the more pleasant things about moving, I think one of my favorite is unpacking my books. There's something I love about organizing my bookcase and putting my books in just the right order, not only by topic, but aesthetically as well. Maybe that's crazy talk for some of you. But for those of you who, like me, color code your closet and sort your movies alphabetically, I think you will understand the joy I get from such a simple task.


I could ramble on about the joys of reading, the books in my collection, or why people who read are simply more interesting creatures, but I think perhaps I'll save that for another day. Today, since I've just sorted through all my books, I figured I could make a couple reading suggestions for all four of you who are reading this.


I'm a nanny and I love, love, love a good children's book. As Meg Ryan says in one of my all time favorite movies, You've Got Mail, "When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does." My first suggestion is for all you moms (and dads...and kids...and moms and dads who have an inner kid). It is one of my newest favorites: Hiccupotamus by Aaron Zenz. This book is super fun to read with its nonsense words, silly rhymes, and vibrant illustrations. The last page may be my favorite because it lists the "cast bios" for the animals that appear in the story. Brilliant. It'll get you to giggle almost as much as the little ones. If it doesn't, we have deeper issues to work on and we might have to find a sense-of-humor wholesaler immediately.

You can visit the author's site or find the book on Amazon. I recommend the hard cover as the color seems to be better than in the soft cover edition.


My second suggestion is perfect for someone like me: an English Literature-loving nanny. The book is Y is for Yorick: A Slightly Irreverent Shakespearean ABC Book for Grown-Ups. Author Jennifer Adams is a word wizard whose sleight of hand writing style will leave you chuckling quietly to yourself over her seemingly effortless way of summing up entire characters or plays in a single sentence. Warning: you might want to try to read this to your kids because of the whole ABC thing but you may find them staring off blankly into space as they wonder why Ariel is a boy fairy and not a red-headed mermaid. Unless, of course, you had the good sense to read your children Shakespeare while they were still in the womb as you faithfully blasted baby Mozart at the same time, making them instant witty infant geniuses as soon as they entered the world. If so, Bravo and well done! May you all laugh it up together like the big genius family that you are.

You can find the book on Amazon or the artist's website: (where you get a better sneak peek inside than you do on Amazon).


I think that is enough for now. There is much left to unpack and a glorious glass of wine awaiting me. Perhaps that is my favorite part of unpacking, now that I think about it. Cheers and happy reading!