If nothing else, I was drawn to this cover. All those books? And the title? The Reading Promise: My Father and the Books We Shared. Perhaps I love the thought because my father and I are on the same path of reading. Generally, we read the same type of books. It is fun to read and pass on or get a recommendation from him.

I read a review of this book somewhere when it first was published in May. I read only a portion of it and knew I had to add it to my list. A few days later I was in need of a read, so I jumped into the lives of Alice Ozma and her father.

Young Alice and her father, a hard working school librarian, both love books. He is a single father who works hard and strives to be both a mother and father in Alice’s life. He succeeds. As a school librarian, his love for books carries over from school straight into his home. He and Alice start out with a promise. A reading promise. They set out to read 100 nights in a row. Once that 100th night passes, they enjoy it so that they decide to continue on.

For eight years they do not miss a night. Eight years later, Alice’s father helps her settle in college as a freshman. Before he leaves her, they sit for one final read. They sit together on a stairway in a hallway-away from any interruptions. It is here that “The Streak” ends.

Alice and her father read a great variety of books. They cover several time periods, genres and authors. In the back of the book, The Reading Streak book list is also given. It is quite extensive but here is a sample list.

Wish You Well by David Baldacci

L. Frank Baum

Judy Blume

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko

Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie

James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl

The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Be a Perfect Person in Just Three Days by Stephen Manes

Select short stories and poems by Edgar Allan Poe

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Esperanza Rising by Pam Munoz Ryan

Christmas is already on my mind. I know that my father will be receiving this book along with a book I know he will love. Not a bad gift. Come by and see us; we would love to help pick the perfect book from Alice and her father’s reading  list to pair with The Reading Promise.  -Quinn

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