Poison Study 10th Anniversary Read-Along

I am so excited!

 One of my very favorite authors is celebrating the 10th anniversary of her book "Poison Study" by having a month long read along! If you've already read this book, it is a great chance to re-read it and ask all those questions that you have been wanting to ask Maria, or even Yelena or Valek too! If you haven't read this story then you should join in, it is such an exciting book, well series actually!!! Follow the link below to Maria's blog and learn more about this exciting month long event! 

 Maria V. Snyder

 

Book Review: This Is Where It Ends

I have been in a reading slump lately. I haven't really found a book that I just had to read, so, I haven't actually read a book in over a month now. I go through times like this. Sometimes I am reading voraciously. I can finish 3 books in a weekend, and then I hit the slump, like a hitter who just can't swing and connect with the ball. Hopefully though that dry spell is over.

I have started reading This Is Where It Ends. It's a really tough book to read, not because of the writers ability, but because of the content. This book deals with a school shooting. Who wants to read about that? We see enough of it in our everyday lives now, and that is sad. That being said, Marieke has done a wonderful job catching my attention with this fastball. We are immediately drawn into this story. we have alternating viewpoints. At breakneck speed we are discovering the connection between this one boy and all the narrators in this story. I have a feeling, I will finish this book tonight. I have to find out what made this boy crack. Why is Tyler shooting up his school. I've already shed a few tears in this book, and I know I will shed more.

This book is set for release in January 2016. Look for it soon peeps.

An open letter to the world...

My heart is broken today. My heart has been shattered by the passing of the world I thought I knew. I thought I lived in a safe small community, but now I know that was a lie, because people on social media say it's so. The media too, tells me this is a lie. I don't live in a small and safe community, but in a much larger place. A place where decency and respect have fallen to the wayside. A world where people no longer take responsibility for their actions. A world where people think that their lot in life was cast on them by other people.

I grieve for Waller County. I grieve for its citizens. I grieve for the peace and quite that we once knew, but now has been shattered. I grieve for the family who lost a daughter, sister, niece and more. I grieve for the people who lost their friend. Suicide is a very ugly side of life. Never is it pretty. It always leaves people with too many unanswered questions. Suicide never hurts the dead, it only hurts those left behind in its wake.

My heart aches for the people who are so blinded by their anger and hate that they are no longer able to see the good around them. My heart cries out to those that have lost their way in life. My heart wants your heart to know that hate is not the answer. I know that these last pleas will fall on many deaf ears, be scoffed at and ridiculed. That's ok though, because just as you use your voice for hate, I will use mine to tell you that it's not too late to find your way back.


I leave you with one simple message: You matter, I matter, He matters, she matters-WE ALL MATTER.

How Do You Like To Read???

How do you like to read? Do you read sitting up, laying down or something else?

Do you read multiple books at one time or stick with just one?

Do you like e-readers, physical books, audio books or a mix?

That's quite a few questions! You would think I was conducting a survey. If you haven't gleamed it yet from my blog maybe now you'll see that I really like to read! Currently I find myself in an odd situation for me. Normally I'm only reading 1 book at a time. Well I guess that's a lie. In the last year I have started listening to audiobooks. In the past I couldn't pay attention long enough to gain interest in the audio. My mind was always flitting to one thing or another and then I would get lost. I finally decided to listen to a book I had already read, Innocent Blood by James Rollins. From that point on I was hooked. Now when I am in the car by myself I usually have a audiobook playing.

As usual, I have digressed from the original point of this blog...

I find myself right now with 4 books, 3 different formats, 2 genres and 1 me.

Here's what I got going on: While in the car I'm listening to the Mindy Kaling book "Is Everone Hanging Out Without Me?". When I'm at work I have "The Program" by Suzanne Young on my desk. While at home during the daylight hours I'm reading "Red Queen" by Victoria Aveyard. Then to top it all off at night after the lights go out I'm reading "The Darkest Minds" by Alexandra Bracken in bed on my Nook. I'm not sure I've ever read 4 books at one time. Maybe it's because none have grabbed my undivided attention, YET! I have high hopes for the three YA novels.

What are you currently reading right now? Have you read any of these four books? Let me know in the comments below.

...and just like that she's back!

I totally disappeared on you for a while! This summer was totally crazy. We had the best summer reading attendance ever and of course that made me very, very, very busy. Hopefully though, all will begin to take on a slower pace now. School starts in just a smidge over three weeks. That will bring with it a whole new round of busy, but at a slightly slower, less manic pace.

With the school year also comes the hope of cooler weather and FOOTBALL! I freaking love football. I am so excited to meet back up with my Fantasy League for our annual draft day. We seriously have the best time. I may never live down selecting Hoyer in the first round, but when I get ribbed with that I just show that I came in 4th last year and beat out 8 other people! I'm really hoping to bring home a first place finish this year. I was dead last the first year, 2nd the the second year and 4th last year. Look out STILL CONFUSED LEAGUE, I'm coming for you!

I did get a chance to review a few picture books this past week and I found two that are incredible and that I can't wait to purchase for my library.

The first one was called SNAP!  This was a delightful book full of water color drawings. I was mesmerized by how the author took something as seemingly as simple as a crayon breaking and come up with an entire story! I know my kids want to throw away crayons as soon as they break. This child though found a whole world of things to do with broken crayons. It was quite lovely and I am so very excited to add this to a storytime in the near future! This book is set for publication on September 22nd. I hope you will fall in love with it as much as I have.

The other book was called The Night Children. The illustrations in this book are very reminiscent of Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are". Usually the illustrations compliment the text, but this was really the other way around. The illustrations were quite simply amazing! I loved them so much. They stole the show in this picture book. This book is set for publication on August 18th.

I hope that you will love these two titles as much as I did. I reviewed a few other picture books this week, but they weren't anywhere near as amazing as these two.

Did you like today's blog? Have any comments or questions? Let me know in the comments section below! Have a wonderful day

I'm A Grumpy Bear...

...Yes I'm a grumpy bear.
A not happy, big and grumpy bear.

I downloaded the song this morning, "I'm a Gummy Bear" or "Funny Bear" depending on which one you listen too. Now I have it stuck in my head and decided to make up my own rhyme. My poor kids got the brunt of my "grrrrr-ness" this morning. Poor kids. I'll have to make it up to them. If you are one of those people that don't know what The Gummy Bear song is, well here ya go! You're welcome!

Other than being grumpy I've also decided that I need to start worrying about me and less about other people. No matter how much I think the world should be fair or how much I gripe about someone else it won't change anything at all. All it does is make me an even grumpier person. See what I did there. I brought it full circle.

Ugh! I had other thoughts but my mind is too flighty right now to get them all down.I hope you all have a great day and if you have the grumpys too, I hope that you can Shake It Off!!!

Let me know what kind of day you're having in the comments below! I also promise to have a new book review very soon. I'm kind of in a reading slump right now, but I have so much that I want to read too!

Wonderful World of Words

Wow! So as you may know, Summer Reading is in full force. I had just started this weekly tradition of giving you a wonderful and amazing word on Wednesdays when I was suddenly hit with the lack of time to get it done! So today I bring you a new installment of the Wonderful World of Words!

Today's word you will not find in any dictionary, and you may never find it in one, but it is a word that resounds with me!

Dunandunate

verb- “to overuse a word or phrase that has been recently added to one’s vocabulary”, or to learn a word and then use it incessantly. 

 

 

 For me I know that I way over use LOL...ugh! I can't get it out of my system. It used to mean something, but now its just the passing comment on any random post or text or anything. I know I over use like. When I first learned discombobulate, I used that word like crazy! 

Are there any words that you overuse or that you are just so very tired of hearing? What words or phrases need to be dropped from all use in today's vocabulary all together? Drop me a comment and let me know.

Snail Mail

In this day and age when communication is instantaneous it is so wonderful to receive correspondence via the good ol U.S. Postal Service! Letter writing seems to be a lost art. I want to make a better effort at sending out a little piece of happiness a couple times a month!

Some might say, what's the big deal? The big deal is that someone took the time to sit down and write me a letter. Paid around half a dollar to mail it and actually dropped it in a mailbox. There's a bit more energy and effort required to send a letter. To put a cherry on top of this I also received pictures! Actual hard copies of pictures! Once again, in this digital world we live in, who has time for real pictures?

Thank you Marcie for your little piece of sunshine that came in the mail today! I loved everything about it, from the sunflower yellow envelope to the awesome return address logo! Was that a stamp? If so where did you get it made? I will definitely be returning the sweet gesture in the near future!

Until a few years ago I had a box full of notes that Marcie had written to me. One of my greatest regrets is that the box got ruined In a move. In school that was the best way to to tell your friend something. Even if it was just to tell them how bored you were. Even better were the doodles you would inevitably draw in the margins. Of course what note wouldn't be complete without your current crushes name! Please tell me kids still write notes to each other and that it's not just text mesages!

When was the last time you sent or received some good old fashioned snail mail? When was the last time you passed a note?  I encourage you all to put a little effort in your communication this week. Make someone's day with a letter or note. Include something fun in it like confetti or use awesome stationary!



Let me know what you think in the comments below!

Midnight Ramblings

Its about 12:26am in my part of the world. Currently I have purple food coloring in my hair. This is what happens when I can't sleep; I do wierd things! I tried to go to sleep again, but my mind is reeling with every thought imaginable. I know if I pick up a book I'll be out in no time. I don't feel like reading right now though, so here are the thoughts circling in my head that won't go away.

1. I've always been the kind of person that believes what I'm told, especially if I don't know a lot about the subject. I take everything thrown my way at face value. I believed what was taught to me in school. I hate to think that history was altered to hide truths. This may make me naive, but I'll take being naive every day over being so jaded that I can't believe anything.

2. I don't understand why people are so hateful. How do people do ugly things to each other and not feel bad about it? How do people torture animals and just go on with their day?

3. This kind of links with number 2, my mind never shuts off. If I even think about doing something bad my mind will run through all the repercussions that could possibly come about. If I do something bad it takes me a very long time to stop thinking about it or have it rule my every waking thought. My conscious is always going and going and going....I have a very obsessive mind.

4. I'm not a very political person, but it drives me crazy how people blame one person for all their problems. People the president was elected. He is working with a government that resents him and won't work together to get anything done. Stop being such hateful and vindictive people and help work for change. I'm learning that people are just idiots.

5. Cospiracy theorists drive me nuts. Not everything is a conspiracy people. Sometimes things are real and true.

6. There has to be life on other planets right?

7. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I
always have, always will. I'm not hard to read. I don't try to hide behind subterfuge. I like people to be open and honest. However that being said, I don't like confrontation and will just about avoid it at all costs.

8. Sometimes I feel like a snake in the grass.

9. Do you people really believe that Jade Helm is real? Really? Is this why Texas wants to move all of its stores of gold within the state? Has anyone else read the story about the gold?

10. I'm so ashamed of the way people act. When did people become so self entitled as to think that every problem they have can be fixed by suing someone else.

11. Why do bad people make it hard for good people to do the right thing? You can't stop and help someone did a tire anymore for fear of being killed. You can't donate money to causes anymore because it's a scam. There are some really bizarre laws out there because some whacko person made it necessary.

12. All my life people have always said how depressing country music is. I wonder if they have ever stopped to listen to the lyrics of some of their favorite songs in any genre. The best music evokes feelings and a lot of the time it's depressing. That said, I love music and all the feelings it gives me. I can always find a song to fit any mood.

13. Have you noticed that most YA books are about 1 girl and 2 guys? Triangles make for the best mateial.

14. I am daily blown away by how talented people are. I'm not very talented. Thank goodness for pinterest! It has allowed me to piggy back off of some very talented people!

15. Have these ramblings gone on long enough? Maybe I can try to go to sleep again. I know a lot of those weren't even the whole thought that I wanted to express. I had better, deeper thoughts before I decided to actually get up and type them out.



Where are you? Are you even on planet Earth? Let me know in the comments below!

Where did the last few weeks go?

Wow, I bet you all think that I disappeared on you! It's been a crazy busy couple of weeks. At the end of each day I pretty much just fall into bed and pass out. I wake up the next day just to begin it all over. Thus is the life of a library worker. This is the summer season and the busiest 10 weeks of my entire year!

I feel as if I have abandoned my lovely books that I want to read. I promise soon I will return to them! My Nook is full of the promise of far away adventures. I've got a hard copy of Grey calling my name too.

As of right now there are three more weeks of summer reading left. I'm nervous about this week. I'm not sure how it's going to go. I have no performer this week. I have invited out several local agencies to come and show off their vehicles and tools of their trade to my kids of summer. I hope it goes off well, ice never done this before and I'm not sure it's organized well, but we shall see.

Here are a few pics from my last few weeks!

 I took this photo of my ever so photogenic kiddos today. They drive me crazy, but I love them!

 Thursday I took a day off work and my neighbor decided we needed to see Magic Mike XXL, I didn't fight it! This one was so much better than the first one! This was like a guy buddy movie, but made for girls! It was HOT!

I am announcing a slumber party for our patrons stuffed animals this week. These are our mascots: pig the cow and cow the pig!

 Fourth of July obviously!

 I had a spider guy come in to the library. I called this program "Face Your Fears!" The kids loved it! The response to this program was amazing! I'm in the background ready to hit the door!

The kids enjoying the spider!

My co-worker is enthralled by them!

 My daughter getting her pic with Ronald McDonald. He had nothing to do with our summer theme, but he is free so he's always worth it!

A few weeks ago I did my first Foam Glow 5K. It was fun, but I wasn't impressed. These are some of my favorite people pictured here!


What have you been up to? Let me know in the comments below! Happy summer y'all!

Picture Book: Worms by Bernard Friot

Worms by Bernard Friot

 Pub Date: September 1st, 2015

 What is the best thing to do when you're sitting at a boring dinner??? Why add worms to the mix of course!!!

This is an adorable picture book about the best of plans gone awry! This is the story of a little boy forced to attend a fancy dinner by his father for his boring employees. What else is a little boy to do? This book has delightful animations that make the simple text come to life. It is sure to enthrall every reader from the youngest to the young at heart!

Most importantly this can also be a morality lesson book. What comes around, goes around! Simplistic and hilarious at the same time!

A Very Busy Weeked=No Time For Reading

I had a wonderful visit with my oldest bestie this weekend! Somehow we let just shy of 3 years slip away without seeing each other. We live about 4 hours apart and we both have kids, so it was real easy for the time to slip away. Thankfully my very adventurous friend decided not to let those four hours come between us anymore and made the drive up to me! YEAH!!! We have always balanced each other out well. She's adventurous and kind and I'm outspoken and loud and apparently pretty funny. I try to keep the people around me in stitches.

We mostly kept it lowkey this weekend. We basically just hung out, let the kids play and enjoyed our time together. I loved getting to snuggle and play with Manny. What an adorable baby! We did get to top it off though with a Foam Glow. I can say now that I probably won't do another Foam Run. It feels totally icky when your shoes are full of that solution and everybody stopped in the middle of the foam to take pictures and we were stuck trying to get the stroller through. At the first foam station we had Manny in the stroller. We hit that foam and next thing we know he was completely buried in it! When all is said and done it was still a fun night, but a poorly put together event. I think this company just decided to jump on the 5K wagon and get all the money with the least amount of effort put into it.

 Here's Marcie and I at the last foam station.

Here's the fabulous group that we went with! I love my coworkers. They are awesome! We do a few 5Ks together throughout the year!

When I say no time for reading, I mean that I only snuck in maybe an hour or two worth of reading. I know for some people that could be a whole week worth of reading. Currently I am finishing up the newest Janet Evanovich title, Wicked Charms, which comes out tomorrow, June 23rd. As usual Janet takes us on a wild caper all over the northeast part of the U.S. I'm partial to the Stephanie Plum novels because honestly I am in love with a fictional character, RANGER. Who wouldn't be in love with Ranger. I know Joe is probably the right guy, but that magnetism that Ranger has is WHOA and he's just a FICTIONAL CHARACTER....as usual though I have completely gotten off the subject here. Back to Wicked Charms, its been a great read so far. If you've read the other two books in this series, then you know that there's a little of the mystical taking place. We're never sure exactly where or what Diesel is. We know he's HOT and MAGICAL, that might be all that matters! No matter what, I can honestly say though that this is another fun comedic undertaking and you'll be panting from laughter or from being in heat for Diesel the entire book. I'll update this post when I finish this book, probably tonight.

Wicked Charms

Check out Janet's FB page and Website. She is always running fun contests, games and ways for fans to interact! 

Janet's FB Page

Janet's Website

Wallabys, Lemurs and Pigs: Oh My!

Today was so much fun! It was our first day of summer reading and what better way to kick it off than with a Zoofari! I loved seeing the looks on the kids faces when they got to learn about and pet 6 different baby animals! There was a pig, Ring tail lemur, cockatoo, wallaby, chinchilla and  porcupine. I work for a small library so to have over 60 people in our small meeting room was amazing. I honestly expected more people since we have 3 times that many registered, but I'm glad that was it. The room had just enough space left for the presenter to walk around the kids and introduce the animals to the entire room.

 I would say the best part were the excited kids, but who am I kidding!?!? The best part was that I got to snuggle the adorable wallaby! I'll probably never get to do that again in my life! Look at that face! I would have snuggled the piglet too, if I'd had the chance.

Wonderful World of Words Wednesday

Petrichor The smell of earth after rain.

Can you think of a smell that relaxes you more than the way it smells outside just after the rain. It's as if everything has been renewed and washed clean. There's something about the smell that centers me and makes me feel at peace. Of course we are preparing to get another deluge as a storm is brewing in the gulf right now, but I'm still happy about the rain and I pray that everyone makes it through the storm.

If you would like to get a little more scientific on the scent then here ya go...

What do you think of today's word? Let me know in the comments below!

Ami Rubinger: Picture Books for the Very Young

I was looking through NetGalley and I ran across a series of picture books by Ami Rubinger. I really liked what I saw and I will be adding these to the collection to use in storytimes for preschoolers!

 

 Big Cat, Small Cat

I love a picture book that encourages kids to guess. This book teaches kids about opposites. It doesn't always tell them what the opposite is though, it leaves it open for the reader or listener to fill in the gap themselves. I also liked that it didn't stick with basic opposites of big/little, tall/ short etc, but explored more varied opposites. Some that are even quite silly.

 

 I Dream of an Elephant 

I loved how Ami didn't shy away from the color orange. She could have left it out of her book entirely, but instead she went right and ahead and included this color in a very special way. Like the other two books Ami helps the reader out through rhyme and the colors in the illustrations, but leaves the actual answer up to the child! 

 Dog Number 1, Dog Number 10

I really find that I like Ami Rubinger's style. She gives the kids the context clues to figure out what is next. It's really a great way to encourage kids that they know the answers without giving it to them. As you count up in the book, there is a little rhyme for each dog. You know what the number is, but she leaves it blank so that the kid can take a guess and feel great when they get it right.

What do you think of these picture books? Do you think they would be helpful in teaching little ones these early essential lessons? Let me know in the comments below. #bookreview

New Book Alert: The Witch Hunter

The Witch Hunter
Pub Date: June 2nd, 2015

Lately, I am finding a love for books about the supernatural. I guess pre Harry Potter and Twilight, I would not read a book about witches or vampires. I was strictly a romance girl. Bring me Gone With The Wind, Scarlett, Anne of Green Gables, and the like! Those were my gravy. In the last 10 years my comfort zone with books has really grown. I love just about a little bit of everything. Even some horror books, GASP! I find that where I can't watch scary and bloody things, I don't have a problem reading about them. 

All that being said, I really liked The Witch Hunter. I was able to get wrapped up in the characters. I was Elizabeth, trapped in the jail. I was in a fight to choose between Caleb and John. It's always so hard to choose between your first love and your true love. If life were perfect they would be one and the same, but we know life ain't perfect.

Besides a good amount of the gushy romantic stuff that us girls like it also held a moral story. Elizabeth had been taught from an early age that magic is bad. Magic is the root of all evil. What happens though when you are forced into that world that you thought was wrong?  What happens when you learn more about that forbidden world? What happens when you find out everything you were ever taught was a lie?

What I liked best about this book was that it was wrapped up nicely, with enough wiggle room for a sequel, which has to be coming. I need to know what happens!

Will you take this journey with Elizabeth? Will you find out what happens in the end? Let me know what you think about the book in the comments below!

Virginia Boecker on Twiiter

#SRO15

Wonderful World of Words Wednesday

Ever just get the urge to kiss somebody...there's a word for that! 

No, not anorexia...we're not talking about a disease. Unless you think this is a disease, and in that case, where the heck do you come from??? I'm down for this. Who can resist the kisses or their lover, or sometimes a stranger? Weirder things have happened. I'm not saying I've kissed a strange, at least not in the last 10 years or more.

So the next time you feel the urge to kiss someone, don't worry, the urge has a name!

OMG could this clip be any more perfect! The first kiss is from Pride and Prejudice. You know the one with Colin Firth, cause it's the best one to watch!

Are you feeling it? The urge the kiss someone?? Let me know in the comments below!

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

FOOTBALL IS BACK TWO MONTHS FROM TODAY!!!

I don't care if it's just preseason. It's still football, and any kind of football is AMAZEBALLS! I used to be very single minded in my love of the game, it was Texans and only the Texans. The Texans are still my team, but after watching for years now, I can now enjoy and find something to root for in every game I watch. I like to think I am a more rounded fan than I was just a few years ago!

 Just a little over 2 months and 6 days to TEXANS football baby!

I so need this summer to fly by so that I can get back to the weather I love and FOOTBALL!!!!

Summer Reading Isn't Just For Kids!!!

 

Do you love to read? Do you love the possibility of winning fabulous prizes? Then head on over to the link below and join this fun online program that gets adults reading too!  Don't let some of the peoples goals scare you! You can read as much or as little as you want. I set my goal at 12 books, I'm hoping to exceed that though. Join in the fun!

Summer Reading Program Online

#SRO15

New YA Book: Pixelated by L.S. Murphy

Pixelated by L.S. Murphy 

 Pub Date: June 30th, 2015

This is a typical YA romance. I must say that ever since I read Endangered a few months ago, I find I'm drawn to books about photography.

Some of you know that I am all about my Texans. For some reason the description of Les made me picture JJ Watt. Soooo, while reading it I would say JJ in my head everytime I came across Les. Let me tell you, every dream I've ever had of JJ matched perfectly with how Les treated Piper in this book. Good ol', too nice country boy. The last play in the football game at the end of the book really drove home the JJ Watt fantasy! Oops, I seem to have gone off on a totally different tangent here! Hey a book is really good though if it makes you think of someone! I'll always image JJ Watt when I look at the cover of Pixelated!

OK, so  after all that, here's what you need to know! If you like YA books, you're good. If you like romance books, you're good. If you like a little mystery, once again, you're good! I really loved the whole inner struggle that Les was going through, and thought that L.S. did a great job of writing his character. I could feel Piper's drive to keep going and her heartbreak at several points in the book.

Picture Book: The Princess and the Fog by Lloyd Jones

The Princess and the Fog

Pub Date: June 21, 2015

It's hard to imagine a depressed child, well at least for me it is. Children are supposed to be happy and go lucky and perfectly happy. What happens though when a child isn't? This is a perfect book for youngsters. For those of you who know children facing depression this could be a handy tool to let them know they are not alone and that the people around them could help. For children who are happy and don't have these problems it could be a useful tool to teach them why other kids are different and how they can help the depressed child out. Most importantly it teaches about friendship and leaning on those close to you.

I really enjoyed the illustrations in this title. The king and queen are something else with all their funny antics. They were willing to do anything to see their little princess smile. This would be a great addition to a storytime where we talk about how we are different. The book even includes a guide at the end for parents who are dealing with the issue of childhood depression.

Star Wars Cover Reveals! Nerdgasm!!!

Squeeeeee! I'm so excited! If you haven't heard there are new Star Wars novels being released. These are three new original YA takes on the original 3 movies. The authors were given some free rein to reinvent them! I was lucky enough to meet the three authors in April at the Texas Library Association annual conference! Check out these covers! Aren't they awesome!

 Need alert! I was able to get my advance sneak peek at all three books autographed!

This is Tom, Adam and Alexandra at TLA! Tom also writes the Origami Yoda series which is also in my TBR!

New Book Alert! Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan

Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan

Fans of the now defunct TV show REVENGE will love this book! I know what you're saying, the show just ended, but it was a really good show. I was pretty upset when I heard they were ended it after this season. I am so getting off subject right now. I meant to tell y'all about this book.

This is the story of Libby/Frances. Hmmm does this sound already a little like the Emily/Amanda thing? Yes! Sorry back to topic. Libby/Frances was pulled out of the ocean 4 years prior to the main events in this book. She was on a cruise ship that was taken out by a rogue wave....or was it? You seriously just need to read this book to find out.

Daughter of Deep Silence has all the angtsy YA stuff you love, but also this full of revenge plot that will have you sitting on the edge of your seat. Carrie wrapped the story up nearly and I don't know if there's room for a sequel, but I would like the possibility. Either way this is a great book.

When I started it, I was blown away by Carrie's use of descriptive language. I felt like I was right there in the raft with Libby and Frances. I could smell the salt air and taste the salt water. I swore I could feel my tongue swelling in my mouth from her descriptions. I really fell in love with Carrie's style of writing and I hope to read more.

This book was released on May 265th. If you haven't yet please head to your nearest library, bookstore, or reading device and get your hands on a copy! You won't regret it!

Let me know what you think in the comments below.

Wonderful World of Words Wednesday

****Dreamt****

 

Dreamt  - verb - a simple past tense and past participle of dream.

One little word, but so very special! Do you know what it is that makes this word amazing? It's the fact that DREAMT is the only word in the English language to end with the letters -mt! I know what you're thinking, it just can't be so! It is though. You will not find another word with those two letters ending it. I'm not much of a poet, but here's a little ditty. Hopefully it inspires you!

Before I knew you, I dreamt of you.

I dreamt of a world where dreams came true. 

I dreamt of a world with you.

I know it's a bit redundant, but who knows maybe it will be the start of something more. I dreamt it before I knew it.

On a lighter note....

I once dreamt of an all Texas Super Bowl...the Texans won of course!

Does anyone rememeber that old King of The Hill episode where Hank says...I dreamt of an all Texas Superbowl, and Gods will be done....lol

What have you dreamt of? What is worthy of this magnificent word.

Every Hero Has A Story! Summer Reading Club 2015

In my part of the world there is now less than a week of school left. There are many people everywhere beginning to rejoice that the summer season is upon us. For my fellow library workers our busy season is just beginning. SUMMER READING IS UPON US!

This seems to be the most popular meme for children's librarians right now!

I thought I would give you a sneak peak into some of what goes into preparing for our Summer Reading Program. What you see below is a streamlined version of multiple months of planning. Many great ideas were found and tossed as being too difficult or just not doable with time, money and other constraints. Below you will find the finalized itinerary for the next 2 months.

Week 1
Heroes of the Wild
I am bringing in an Austin, Texas based Zoofari! They will bring with them 6 baby animals for the kids to learn about. It doesn't really fit with the theme, but after holding the baby monkey at TLA, I had to have them out! At the close of this program we will make playdough out of corn starch and conditioner. I tried it out and its pretty fun and easy. A bit messy though. Two Ingredient PlayDough

Week 2
Ronald McDonald
Ronald is pretty darn entertaining. Last year we had him do a magic show and the kids loved it. Once again it doesn't really fit the theme, but it's free programming. After Ronald we will introduce salt art to the kids and let them makes their own pictures. Salt Art

Week 3
Face Your Fears
Every hero is scared of something, but they face it, right? I have an archeological service out of Austin coming with several varieties of spider! I know I have a few adventurous souls who will be brave enough to hold a spider. I just hope the rest of the room doesn't have a heart attack! The activity this day will be handprint spiders on paper plates with yarn webbing over the top. Spider Hand Prints and Yarn Webs

Week 4
Community Heroes
This one is pretty simple, but hopefully will have a big impact. I have asked various community helpers to come out and help. The county will be bringing their SWAT truck, deputy cars and hopefully a mounted patrol. I will have the Fire Department bringing a truck, a local police cruiser and the EMS will be bringing an ambulance. In additon to these I have the Department of Health and Human services set up a table and Texas Children's Health Plan will be providing popcorn and other goodies for everyone! I'm excited to have the kids make thank you cards for all these departments that are helping us out! At the end of this we will make paper plate hats. I plan to print out various logos and the kids can decide what kind of community hero hat they would like.

Week 5
Hero Training/Hero Games
This day will be a variety of activities. The kids will get to make capes out of table cloths, Pin the Star on Captain America's Shield, Choose Your Power Super Drops, Creating Your Own Shield, Play Super Hero Bingo and participate in other fun activities. I won't have a craft after this program because they will already make items and have many hands on activities to do.

Week 6
Julian Franklin
We have this amazing performer in the Houston area. Julian Franklin always puts on a mesmerizing show. Kids and adults alike are just entralled when Julian enters the room. He keep everyone in stitches until the very end.This day ends in a pizza party and prize giveaway so we don't have a craft on this day either.

We end our summer reading program at 6 weeks every summer. Sometimes we have a float in the annual Watermelon Festival Parade as another incentive to finish the program, but not always. When Summer Reading ends we then go into a Backpack Giveaway. We buy some pretty awesome backpacks and stuff them full of school supplies. We then use the same guidelines for summer reading and the kids can earn raffle tickets to put in the backpack of their choice. It's a great incentive to keep kids reading all the way up until school starts. It also helps out the parents of the area too!

In addition to the summer reading program, I also host a Lego Club and multiple family movie nights throughout the summer.

What do you do for Summer Reading? Do you have any unique ways to keep the kids reading all summer long? 

Some of my summer reading decor!