Welcome!

Nana’s Books is a labor of love.  Now, you may be wondering, why have I spent so much time reading so many “kid” books?  Surely there are some good books for adults out there.  Of course there are.  Part of it is because I home-schooled my kids for five years, and worked hard to find books that would be everything a good book should be:  hard to put down, exciting, challenging, something that makes you think, something you think about when you have to put it aside, something that gets inside your head and your soul and becomes part of you, even if it’s just a quick flash when something else reminds you of it.

I have a daughter and two sons, and two very young grandchildren (I’m now a Nana!), and have loved reading “boy” books and “girl” books, and loved most of all those books that are just flat-out good books.  It used to be, when life was slower and people read books out loud, that reading was a family thing.  There weren’t so much “children’s books” as books that captivated a whole family.  These books, and plenty just as good, are still out there.  Books for the family.  Books for everybody.  Books adults and children can get something out of, books you don’t have to feel embarrassed reading, books you wouldn’t hesitate to read out loud or recommend.  Books with no caveats.

Do you ever just love a book so much, you want to talk about it with other people who have read it and love it, too?  Well, sadly, you can’t do that here, because I don’t have comments enabled — because we had a terrible problem with evil bots and junk comments.  However:  You can do it on Facebook.  But please:  Freedom of thought is welcome, but bad words are not.  This is a family site, people!  You can also contact me through the link on this website.

I aim to pack this site with good books, for kids of all ages.  There are no duds here, and if I can’t recommend a book, I won’t put it out there.  The more books I put in here, the more come to mind.  There are so many books I want to tell you about, and I can’t wait for you to read.

Where Can I Get Older Books?

“But wait,” you may be thinking, “some of these books are out of print!  Are you just tormenting me by getting me excited about a book I won’t be able to read?”  Fear not!  True, if you just go to the bookstore or, alas, even the library, it is highly unlikely that you will find some of these books, and this is sad, because you may be missing out on greatness!  But if a book you want is out of print, do not despair!  This doesn’t mean it’s unattainable.  It means that the game is afoot, as Sherlock Holmes said.  My whole mission is to shed light on the many good books out there that are not being read by kids and families today, because they’re not on the shelves of Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Target, or independent bookstores.  But they are available, often for just a few bucks, from booksellers online.  Note:  many used bookstores make their inventory available and sell online through such websites as Amazon (where it says, “Available from Other Sellers), Thrift Books, eBay, Etsy, Bookshop, The Good and the Beautiful, and others.  I have done very well on eBay.  I have also done well just scouring the shelves of used bookstores around the country.  Yearly book sales at local libraries or by charity groups are great book-finding opportunities!  For example, when we lived in Maryland, the Catholic church just up the road had a huge spring fair every year, and their parishioners must have gathered used books all year to get ready for it, because there was always a huge selection.  Paperbacks went for fifty cents, and hardcovers were a buck.  It was a dream come true for me!  You can also search for books (or anything) on eBay and get a notification when it comes in.  Whenever I can, I will put a link for Amazon, because that will get you to the other vendors selling it used.  If you know of any other websites with good used books, please tell me, and I will pass it on!

Note:  I am an Amazon affiliate, so if you do click a link and buy a book, I will theoretically make a small amount of money, but I’m just starting this thing, so I don’t even know how that works.   Still, full disclosure, etc.