This month’s guest blogger is Rebecca Stead, author of When You Reach Me, a middle-grade novel that just won the Newbery Medal (the most distinguished honor in children’s literature). Rebecca is in Seattle today to visit schools, chat with Nancy Pearl for an upcoming episode of Book Lust on the Seattle Channel and to read tonight at the University Village Barnes and Noble (7 p.m., 206.517.4107). We’re thrilled that in the midst of a busy book tour, Rebecca took the time to share what she’s been reading — and what she will soon be reading.
So, here’s what’s on Rebecca Stead’s nightstand:
Currently reading:
Persuasion by Jane Austen. This is my last Jane Austen novel, and I am savoring it. I refused to read it in my twenties because it was published posthumously and I thought that meant it had probably been “finished up” by some man. It turns out to be wonderful.
Seed Across Snow by Kathleen Driskell. Kathleen is a poet who taught a workshop I attended earlier this month. I’m a long-time poetry-phobe, and it was a real stretch, but she made me see a future for myself that includes poetry. Amazing.
Recently finished reading:
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann. A fantastic book. The writing is gorgeous, almost impressionistic in some parts. But it’s also a complicated, moving, all-around satisfying story. I’m a fan.
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers. This was different from what I expected after reading What is the What. The writing is entirely straightforward, and the book is a bit like a very long, well-written newspaper article that completely held my interest.
Spooner by Pete Dexter. I read this book because Nancy Pearl told me to (on NPR), and I completely fell for it. I’d read Dexter’s Paris Trout, and was prepared for the possibility of a dark story. But it’s something completely different, fresh and amazing. I think it’s about recognizing the people who have made you: my favorite kind of love story.
Started to read, and then put down:
The Girl Who Played With Fire by Stieg Larsson. I enjoyed The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, but I couldn’t stay with this one very long. I will try again someday.
Looking forward to reading:
Where The God of Love Hangs Out by Amy Bloom. My husband just gave me this book for my birthday. I love short stories, and enjoyed Amy Bloom’s other collections. I hear that some of the characters from her earlier work appear here, in later stages of their lives. That kind of thing always hooks me – I’m actually going to get to find out what these folks have been up to all these years.
themed art
Tacos! – Are you hungry again? Then take a stop at the 
The idea of being able to see with one’s tongue may be too far-fetched even for the world of science fiction, but through recent developments in science, the tongue has become an important nerve center. Modifying a damaged optical nerve to the tongue, or instructing a robotic cell to embed itself into the location of the damaged nerve, may return sight.
chair of the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Washington, will address the many issues associated with blindness as well as new and emerging treatments. It is anticipated by the year 2020 macular degeneration will affect 3 million people, making early detection of the symptoms of blindness and treatments essential. Van Gelder finds that four of the leading causes of blindness are cataract, diabetic retinopathy, macular degeneration and glaucoma.
So, what is Día de los muertos and why would anyone want to celebrate death? México and other Latin American countries have an intimate and playful attitude towards the life/death relationship. Unlike the sober Memorial Day celebrated in the United States, the dead are invited to return
and enjoy costumed parades and personalized altars festooned with color and light. Every year, on November 1st, Día de todos los santos (All Souls Day), and November 2nd, Día de los muertos (Day of the Dead), families decorate their loved ones’ graves and home altars, adorning them with flores de cempasúchil (marigolds), velas (candles), photographs, personal talismans and a feast of favorite foods. Traditional decorations, such as calaveras de azucar (sugar skulls), papel picado (cut paper), pan de muertos (bread of the dead) with personal epitaphs in frosting, skeleton vignettes and miniature baskets of marzipan fruits and vegetables, are sold in the markets and offered as gifts to entice the dead into paying a holiday visit. 
There are many books for children that express the fun and sentiment of the holiday. 
reads, you might check out 
You don’t have to go to México to celebrate Día de los muertos. 
For sure, the rain and wind have arrived to the Emerald City. For many of us, that means we need to add to our list of authors and books that we want to read before the snow falls and the ice does you know what. Have I got an event to tell you about!
Shelf Talk 