The first one read, Judy Moody

Just remember one thing, this list is not in strict order of preference, it is in reading order. So the first one I read in my path to 100 was Judy Moody, by Megan McDonald and Illustrations by Peter H. Reynolds.  You might wonder why this was my first selecction on my path, and the answer is simple, one of my nephews loves this character and there it was, the book, standing alone, waiting, craving that somebody grab it and fulfill its duty over and over again. I was the one that heard the call and grabbed the book, and help it satisfy another mind.

Well, I think that a lot has been said about this book. This series has been so successful that a movie its being filmed about Judy, and it is near to being featured in cinemas.

Judy Moody is an excellent and graceful story that girls that want to start reading a series will love its characters. You can get hooked to the story and hence reading. Judy Moody is at its 10th birthday and as the fame hits, looks like it will be around for so more time, as its adventures are mostly, timeless and can be adapted throughout time.

So I think that if you are a girl middle grade or almost middle grade and can handle the reading, you will love this sometimes grouchy but vibrant person.

If you are a boy, wondering about what to read, do not look at it, really its a girly girl book, but Judy's brother Stink, is starting with its own adventures, and as we usually say, but that is another story... well another post...

350+

Yes I know, curiosity kill the cat, and today I was the cat. After my last post I got curious and started counting the books we have, and they are many. Between picture books, early readers, middle grade readers and Young Adults, we have over 350 books. I got shocked. I did not want to think how much money we have spent in books. But you now something, it does not matter because they are books and books helps us to regain the humanity we are loosing in this rampant and ferocious competitive world. So we will increase our own library.

I know I said last blog that in this I was starting the review of the 100, but I had to tell you about this. And as the majority of our books are picture books I opted to tweet the ones that I have read, if it deserves a special mention I will consider a special post.

Read and regain humanity.

The "reading came in late" part

Well, in my previous post I told you that reading came in late to me, this is like at between 20 and 25 years old I started to be an avid reader, before I was just an eventual reader. I like almost all types of lectures, being Umberto Eco one of my favorite writers.

Now, you could ask your self why I started getting interested in YA reading/writing, well that is easy, my wife is to blame, se is an artist , a Graphic Designer, but above all she is and loves illustration. As me, she is starting in this business, but she has achieved some and has been hired for some illustrations works.

Since I know her, we have spent our money in books, I am confident to say that we have a pretty good library in our house, mainly with picture books, chapter books and lately more YA novels. So it could be easy for me to say that I have achieved the homework that Cynthia Leitich Smith has posted on me, I could say that I have read the 100 books, I is true, but the intention of the homework is to read and analyze them as a writer, that I have not done. So I have material to use for my work.

But as I have said here, I have spent a lot of money buying books, I like to buy books, I need to own the books. This Sunday, tomorrow ends in Mexico City the annual YA Book Fair. I went there and bought some for my research. This I will tell you in my next blog.

Why?

For me reading arrived late in life, but let me tell you that I love it. It is my favorite hobby. Writing, it has always been there, I always wanted to write something and that somebody could read it. So I did, I wrote, but it was always to me.

Now that I have the reading part within me, always, I have decided to start writing, and this time to never quit or hide the work. This time I will pursue this old dream of mine. This time I will write and tell, and why not show and wait for all the critics, good and bad.

I started researching on writing, and as I have encountered, there is a Young Adult (YA) writer that says at her web page that the first thing that an aspiring YA writer has to do is to read, and to read a lot. This writer has to bleed all the reading and has to know all writers, illustrators, editorials and all the people around the business.

So in order to do so I have decided to take her advise - thanks Cynthia Leitich Smith - and to get to the 100 minimum books an aspiring YA writer has to read.

In this blog I will tell my road to this 100 books, so come on and join me in this incredible ride, this might help you also knowing new books that you might not known.

Enjoy.