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.
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
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!
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.
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!
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 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!
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
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!
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.
"Though she be but little, she is fierce." William Shakespeare
I think I could wrap the whole book up in that one phrase.The girls of the Manhattan Ballet Institute are some of the most manipulative, conniving, and competitive characters I have ever read about. Every girls desire is to be the prima ballerina and they will get it at any cost.
What I liked about the book:
The Diverse Cultures-Many readers will be able to find something in this book to identify with. Even if you're not a dancer (I'm not) you can look at each girls culture struggle and see something in you.
The Ambition- Every girl was driven by something in their life. There were distinct back stories that helped you understand the drive that lead them to what they did to each other.
Gigi-Her determination to be the best and not stoop the everyone elses level was inspiring. No matter what Bette and June did, she still tried to see the best.
What I didn't like about the book:
There were so many questions left unanswered at the end.I am happy to say now that I know there is a second book in the works.
Overall I really did enjoy the book. If I didn't, I wouldn't have finished it or be writing this review. It was an escape into a world I know nothing about. I was a band nerd, not a dancer.
Does the book interest you? Let me know in the comments below.
All The Little Fathers by Margaret Wise Brown. The illustrations is what will really draw the reader in. They are quite simply beautiful. The textures will draw the eye of the adults, while the kids will love the colors. This book would be perfect for an early reader storytime and great for a Father's Day themed one.
The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires. This is really an inspiring book for kids. Throughout the book the little girl will inspire anyone to just keep trying. Sometimes it's best to take a step back from your work, but then you just might see what you needed to see all along. This could be great used in a STEM themed storytime.
The Snake Who Said Shhh by Jodie Parachini. A great picture book that teaches children it's OK to be different. Seth the snake has a lisp! This sets all the jungle animals to laughter. In the end though they learn maybe all Seth wants is quiet!
The Lion Who Lost His Roar, But Learned How To Draw by Paula Knight. I absolutely adored this book! The colors are very eye catching. For little ones just learning colors this could be a very useful book in teaching them!
What's In Your Pocket? by Ruth Symons and Laura Watkins. This was an adorable book. I could see it being used as a tool for teaching older siblings about the coming of a new baby.
When I Grow Up...by Gil McLean. What should I be when I grow up? That is the question Fergus wants answered. The only problem is that everyone gives him different answers. What's a puppy to do???? Find out what Fergus learns in this cute book. The softness of the illustrated animals will make the children want to pet the book!
What do you think of these new titles? Any out there you think I need to know about? Drop me a comment and let me know!
I finished The Heir by Kiera Cass this weekend! It was just as amazing as the first three books! I was beyond thrilled when I heard that Kiera was writing more in this series, because even though she wrapped the first three up nicely, I still wanted more!
The setting of The Heir takes place 20 years after the close of The One. This time we are on the adventure with Maxon and America's daughter Eadlyn as she takes her place in a selection. Now mind you the first three were about 35 girls. If you thought that guys are more easy going and this one wouldn't have as much action then you would be wrong! 35 young adults full of testosterone!!!! Holy cow was this a good ride and it leaves you wanting so much more! Kiera Cass did it again. I can't wait to read more and continue on with the story. I know there is at least one more book in this series.
I just finished Rae Carson's latest book and it was a thrilling ride. This was the first time for me to read a California gold rush era book and let me tell you, Rae did not shy away from writing it. This wasn't some easy reading fluffy YA title. Rae got down into the real nitty gritty of what it was like to travel overland in that time, but didn't let it bog down the writing with so many minute details that you get bored. She put her characters through every hardship you could imagine and some you even couldn't unless you had been there!
Because this book will not come out until September there's not a lot I can say about it, YET! I can tell you though that Rae put a lot of work into her character Lee. Lee is this incredibly brave tomboyish figure who you really just want to be your best friend. She really puts on a brave face, but isn't scared to show you her vulnerability and her incredible work ethic.
This is definitely another winner for Rae Carson. If you haven't read any of her other work, I suggest you start with The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy. Head to your local library, bookstore or favorite reading device and give it a try!
If you have read them, then let me know what you think in the comments section below.
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