Solitude

The Fault in Our Stars

2012-01-09T20:39:00.002-06:00

This is a SPOILER FREE review of the Fault in Our Stars by John Green except for the last paragraph (I have a warning before the spoiler)!

There are two things you should know about me at the outset:

1. I am not a very patient person

2. I do not like stories whose sole purpose seems to be to Make You Cry. For example- most stories involving animals & anything by Nicholas Sparks (full disclosure- I have never actually read a Nicholas Sparks book, but have several friends who have & who have cried every time and I have seen the Notebook. I bawled for ten minutes after that movie ended)

The first one is important because I was one of the Lucky (?) ones who got an early copy of John Green's new novel The Fault in Our Stars. When it came in I vowed to wait as long as I could to read it. I did, however, open it to see if my copy had been doodled in by John's brother or wife (I got a Hanklerfish!). My every intention was to wait until Jan 10, the official release date. I almost made it. I started Sunday & ended up staying up waaay past my bedtime to finish it.

On the second point- I know there are people who love those kinds of stories. I am not one of those people. I feel like a lot of those books are overly melodramatic just to get the tears flowing.

THIS IS NOT ONE OF THOSE BOOKS!

Sure, the characters have cancer and sure, there were a few tears, but it is handled with well and not in a stab-you-in-the-heart-and-twist kind of way.

The Fault in Our Stars is a story about Hazel. She has cancer and, as the book flap says, Hazel has been nothing but terminal. She meets a cute boy named Augustus at her Cancer Support Group & her outlook on life begins to change.

John Green has been one of my favorite authors since I read Looking for Alaska and discovered the VlogBrothers videos. Paper Towns ranks in my top ten favorite books of all time. Hazel & Augustus, like many of his characters, are people who I would have loved to have been friends with in high school (as a matter of fact, other than the cancer, I know people a lot like them). The quick wit, the humor, the heartbreak, are all great elements in this story. I laughed out loud quite a few times & teared up a few times as well. The way he handles these characters and the way they deal with their cancer, their families, and their friends is done with grace while allowing the them to be irreverent about their diagnoses. This irreverence was authentic to the characters.

When I finished the book I re read the last paragraph about five times because that is exactly how the story needed to have ended. This is one of the most beautiful stories I have read.

SPOILER SPOILER SPOILER

I have to admit, when Hazel & Augustus talked about their favorite book -An Imperial Affliction & how it ended there was a small part of me that was afraid he might take that same route with this book.

Also I really loved the scene where Hazel & Isaac read their eulogies to Augustus. It was such a touching scene. My favorite part though is Augustus' letter about Hazel. So beautiful, so perfect.

After Obsession

2012-01-07T19:37:00.000-06:00

After Obsession by Carrie Ryan & Steven E Wedel is a creepy supernatural story told from two perspectives. Aimee is a teenager who has the same psychic abilities of her late mother. Alan is part Navajo who is in tune with his mystic side. Alan moves to town with his mom to help out his cousin Courtney who happens to be Aimee's best friend. While they are drawn to each other, they also know they must work together to fight the River Man- an evil spirit who is responsible for deaths over the years & is taking over the town again.

I loved this book. The chapters switched between Aimee & Alan. Sometimes this can be distracting, but in this story it transitioned well. I cared what happened to these characters & would love to read more about them (maybe more mystical evil-spirit fighting!)

5 Stars!

2011-what I did & what I read

2012-01-01T19:49:00.003-06:00

Every year I like to post a wrap up of my year- mostly so I can keep a record for myself.

2011 was a pretty good year overall I will have to say.

Theatre played a huge part in my year.

I was honored to play a role in two productions this year. The first was Bethel's production of All My Sons. That was possibly the best show I have been a part of. The cast, direction, set were all spot on. It was an intense story & I got to play a bitchy neighbor. :)

Probably the one of the biggest things for me this year was singing onstage in front of people I know. I have always loved acting in plays & one of my goals for a long time has been to be in a musical & be confident enough to do it with people I know in the audience. During the summer I was in a musical version of the Jungle Book. The show started with me onstage by myself.....singing in another language. I was so nervous, but I did it! I am so appreciative of the rest of the cast for being so supportive & encouraging, especially right before curtain that first night when I was about to have a heart attack.

One of my most memorable moments was the last night of dress rehearsal when I missed a cue & didn't come out during my song with Rene (the mother wolf). Thank goodness that was just dress rehearsal.

I also learned to knit this year. My friend Jessica showed me how to cast on (which I can never remember so I have to look up videos on it) & the knit stitch. I learned how to do other things by watching videos. My current project is a mini Ravenclaw house banner that I am double knitting (where the image shows on both sides, in contrasting colors). Knitting is something that I have been wanting to learn to do since I learned to crochet many years ago.

This year I was introduced to the roller derby. I love the Nashville Roller Girls & look forward to watching more games this coming season.

I saw only one show-Wicked- this year. I need to see more.

I made some new friends (mostly thanks to the theatre) who have become some of my favorite people on the planet.

I MET JOHN GREEN! One of the best things about the NCTE conference is being able to hob-nob with some of my favorite authors. John Green happens to be very close to the top of that list & I was excited to hear him speak & get my picture with him for my author wall at school.

Also at NCTE this year I rode in a limo to get real Chicago pizza. This was quite an exciting adventure for me & the other 11 teachers that crammed ourselves in that car.

I read 41 books this year, far less than my goal. I abandoned many books. I may pick some of them back up & give them another go, or I may not. We'll see. My to-read pile is quite huge at the moment.

Now, on to what I read in 2011. I have been in a reading funk the last year or so. I WANT to read, I just think I may be overwhelmed at all the good books to read I just don't know where to start ;)

January
Scott Pilgrim & the Infinite Sadness
Awakened ~ PC Cast & Kristin Cast

Old Habits: A Wicked Lovely Story ~ Melssa Marr

Zombiecorn~ John Green
Red Glove (Curse Workers #2)~ Holly Black
February
Bird in a Box ~ Andrea Davis Pinkney
Dead is Just a Rumor ~ Marlene Perez
Dead is Not an Option ~ Marlene Perez
Dead Tossed Waves~ Carrie Ryan
All My Sons~ Arthur Miller
The Dark & Hollow Places~ Carrie Ryan
March/April
Because of Winn-Dixie
The Last Little Blue Envelope ~ Maureen Johnson
Eighth Grade Bites ~ Heather Brewer
Hare Moon ~ Carrie Ryan
Harry Potter & the Philosopher's Stone ~ JK Rowling
May/June
Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets ~ JK Rowling
Wings ~ Aprilynne Pike
Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban ~ JK Rowling
Clockwork Angel ~ Cassandra Clare
Boy Meets Boy ~ David Levithan
Unwind ~ Neil Schusterman
Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire ~ JK Rowling
Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix ~JK Rowling
Harry Potter & the Half-Blood Prince ~ JK Rowling
Forest of Hands & Teeth ~ Carrie Ryan
Evermore~ Alyson Noel
July
Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk ~ David Sedaris
Forever ~ Maggie Stiefvater
Beauty Queens~ Libba Bray

Great & Terrible Beauty ~ Libba Bray
Daughter of Smoke & Bone~ Laini Taylor
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl (audiobook) ~ Barry Lyga
Dumpling Days~ Grace Lin
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows~ JK Rowling
The Name of the Star~ Maureen Johnson
Wake~ Lisa McMann
Black Heart ~ Holly Black
Every You, Every Me ~ David Levithan
Future of Us ~ Jay Asher & Carolyn Mackler
Chime ~ Franny Billingsley

Mini book ornament how-to

2011-12-12T21:06:00.008-06:00

Author Cheryl Rainfeld posted on her blog how she made book ornaments for her own books. This gave me the idea to make mini books of some of my favorite books to use as ornaments. My goal is to eventually have most of the ornaments on my tree be literature related.

After looking at several how-to blogs for making the mini books I decided to try my own way.

1. Scan the dust cover of your favorite book. I laid it out flat so that the front, spine & back are scanned at one time. If you have a paperback, you can open it & scan the whole cover that way.

Because the dust covers are sometimes longer than the scanner, some of the edges will be cut off.

2. Open the scanned images using a photo editing software (I use Photoshop Elements). Print on white cardstock at 2in x 4in.

3. Cut out the covers & fold into book form so that you can see the spine. Lay out flat & paint on a thin layer of ModPodge. This will help seal in the color & make them shine more.

4. For the inside pages I used a beat up extra copy of Harry Potter & the Goblet of Fire. (It almost killed me having to tear up a book, btw) Cut the edges off the sides using a paper cutter then fold the page in half twice. Cut these strips & fold them into thirds & cut. One page is enough for a mini book.

5. Once the modpodge is dry, squirt a layer of hot glue into the spine. Make sure all the pages are turned the same way and stick them in the book. Tap them in place to make sure all of the pages get in there.

6. Trim off any excess. Punch a small hole in the back. Tie a string through the hole & you have an ornament.

OF COURSE I had to make an entire Harry Potter collection.

In which I rave about Barry Lyga's books & give one away

2011-10-18T16:23:00.008-05:00

I first picked up a copy of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga at a used book store because of the title (yes, I do sometimes judge a book by it's cover & title). It is told from Fanboy's point of view. Fanboy is a nickname given to him by Kyra, a Goth girl that befriends him at school after seeing a bully hit him in gym class. Fanboy tries to lay low in school. He's a smart, comic book nerd and that is a recipe for torment in most high schools. He is working on his own graphic novel & plans to show it to a big name comic book writer at the convention he is planning to attend.While Kyra encourages Fanboy on ways to improve his comic, she has her own issues. I loved this book when I read it and even more so listening to the audiobook. I was cackling out loud in the car when Fanboy sees a part of a certain female's body. Just the way that whole scene was written makes me laugh now thinking of it.

One of my favorite scenes (and probably the most heartbreaking to me) is when Fanboy is mentally beating himself up in the bathroom at the convention. I won't give anything thing away but I could relate to him.

I loved flawed Kyra and was quite excited when I found out that she got her own book. Goth Girl Rising is the follow up to The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl. It is told from Kyra's point of view & begins after she spends six months in a psychiatric hospital. She comes back to school expecting everything to be like it was only to find that Fanboy isn't quite the same nerdy guy she new. I know people like Kyra. People who jump to conclusions and think everyone is out to get them. You know Kyra is hurting but at the same time you just want to shake some sense into her.

Barry Lyga has created some wonderfully flawed characters here. Another of his books, Boy Toy, is one of my favorites. That story centers on a high school kid dealing with the aftermath of an affair with a teacher.

Barry also likes Book Bloggers & often gives books & things to bloggers to give away on our blogs. I have a *signed* copy of Goth Girl Rising that I am giving away RIGHT HERE! (For the record- it pains me to give this away! I love this book & I don't currently posses a signed copy of my own.) And since I love these books so much I am throwing in one of my copies (unsigned) of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl because you need to read it first.

Here's how you enter:

1. Leave a comment here telling me something you enjoy or enjoyed from high school (me- I was a band nerd. I loved going to competitions on Saturdays)

2. I will give you an extra entry if you post about this contest(facebook, twitter, your own blog, etc) Just let me know where you posted.

I will use an online Randomizer to choose the winner.

Good Luck & Happy Reading!

Contest ends on November 5.

WINNER! JESSICA MERRELL!

Thanks to all who entered :) Be watching for more contests soon.

The Name of the Star- Maureen Johnson

2011-10-16T21:55:00.004-05:00

I always stay up way too late reading. Last night I finished Maureen Johnson's The Name of the Star around 1:30. It is set in modern day London. Rory is an American girl attending a boarding school & copy cat Jack the Ripper murders start occurring. Also, Rory starts seeing ghosts & she gets mixed up with a secret government police force.

I love Maureen Johnson. I love her books, her tweets (seriously, follow her. She's is the funniest thing on Twitter), & her cat pictures. One of my all time favorite books is Thirteen Little Blue Envelopes by her & I've really liked everything else I've read that she's written. I knew this one would not disappoint. I was 50 pages from finishing and put off reading for a day because 1. I didn't this story to end and 2. it was INTENSE! I loved loved LOVED the ending & how it sets up perfectly for more.

This one gets my stamp of approval :)

(in a week or so I will be hosting a contest to win a signed copy of Barry Lyga's Goth Girl Rising. Be on the lookout!)

Harry Potter & the Epic Conclusion

2011-07-15T11:32:00.006-05:00

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS! HARRY POTTER & THE DEATHLY HALLOWS pt2

I went to the midnight premiere of Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows pt2 last night with several friends. It was amazing.

It picks up right where the last left off (so you really have to watch pt1). From the first moment to the last it was quite a ride- suspenseful, scary, touching, funny, sweet...

It wasn't the sob-fest I had thought it would be. I got a little misty-eyed a few times, though. I am ready to see it again! & I really would like to see it in regular-D instead of 3-D. I went back & forth with the 2D glasses at first but the 3D ones worked better here. I think something was wrong with the projection or something bc part of the screen stayed fuzzy.

Here are some of my highlights from my first viewing (in no particular order):

*Daniel Radcliffe absolutely killed as Harry Potter. He has improved so much over the years & I think he was channeling the boy wizard straight from the pages of the novel. When he stepped out from the crowd during Snape's assembly I cheered (which I did quite a few times throughout)

*I simply adored every moment Professor McGonagall was onscreen- from her duel with Snape to her awakening the suits of armor (and that coy little way she delivered that line! "I've always wanted to use that spell") to her absolutely heartbreaking expression when she thought Harry was dead.

*Molly Weasley got her moment! "Not my daughter you bitch!" Way to kick ass, Molly! more cheering for you!

*Neville! Not only has he become a hottie, but he ain't taking no crap! Loved loved loved where he said something to the effect of "Where's Luna? I got the hots & I want to tell her since we'll probably both be dead by morning." AH! & their sweet moment at the end.

*Oh Luna- "you listen to me, Harry Potter!" You tell him, girl!

*Every single scene with Harry & Ginny. (& her agonizing cry when she sees Harry dead)

*Helena Bonham Carter as Hermione-as-Bellatrix.

*Snape's last moments- Alan Rickman is amazing & I have a crush on him.

*Ron & Hermione kiss! & the audience cheers!

*The Forest Again- My favorite chapter in the entire series (really, in any book I've ever read) is chapter 34 of the Deathly Hallows, when Harry makes his final walk to meet Voldemort. "Does it hurt when you die?" <-- that line got me in the book AND the movie. That whole scene is heart-wrenching.

*King's Cross scene was well done also, but EWWW Horcrux Voldy was gross.

*I am SO GLAD they refilmed the Epilogue. They looked so much better than the early pictures....and looked closer to the correct age!

My not-so-hi-lights:

*My only complaint, really, is that Harry did not use the Elder wand to repair his own. Um, that's kind of important.

There were a few other things that I either wished they had done differently or wish they had included. I'll try to add more to this as I think about it (with my fuzzy, sleep deprived brain).

My letter in response to the "Don't say gay" bill

2011-04-26T10:20:00.007-05:00

As you may have heard, a senator in my state of Tennessee is trying to get a bill passed through the senate (and it's already passed a committee) essentially saying that discussions, books, or any other material that mentions anything other than heterosexuality are not welcome in elementary or middle schools.

My very first thoughts went to the kids who have committed suicide because they were bullied. In some cases those kids were just perceived to be gay.

I have heard of letters that authors like Ellen Hopkins, Laurie Halse Anderson, Maureen Johnson & countless others have received from kids thanking them for their books because they gave the kids a voice & showed them that they were not alone.

How can anyone who cares for the well being of kids think this is a good idea? I see my first job as a protector of these kids-whether they are in my classroom or not. That's why I wrote a letter to my senator and representative (because the House has a similar bill that hasn't moved yet-HB0229).

If you live in TN, please contact your senator and them him/her to STOP this bill.

Here is my letter:

As a middle school teacher in a TN public school I am deeply concerned about this so-called "Don't Say Gay" bill (SB0049). It is my understanding that as an educator I wouldn't be allowed to acknowledge the fact that students are gay. Please don't forget the recent headlines where kids- some of them in middle school- committed suicide because they were gay or just perceived to be gay. Don't tie our hands where we cannot
address these situations. Don't silence these kids who are struggling with who they are by banning novels that deal with similar situations.
Ask any young adult author who writes on these subjects just how powerful & lifesaving their novels are & ask them how many kids write to them to tell them that.

Be bold enough to say no to this intolerance. Say no to this dangerous bill.

Severe Weather Testing Procedures

2011-04-07T16:10:00.000-05:00

We had our TCAP meeting today since our tests are next week. You know the drill-

make sure everything is covered up (bc my Harry Potter poster might give someone an answer)

they aren't allowed to have a book in case they finish early (bc the book might give them an answer)

walk around & make sure they are putting the answers in the correct section but DO NOT look at the test! (bc we'd hate for the teachers to know what the kids are tested on)

lock your door when it's break time (bc a troll might break in and eat the tests?)

etc, etc, etc,

But this last part really takes the cake. Because this is Severe Weather Time, they decided to give us procedures on what to do if weather hits during the test. This is getting ridiculous..........

SEVERE WEATHER TESTING PROCEDURES:

1. Should a severe weather situation occur during testing, please remain calm. To display any kind of anxiety would be a testing irregularity and must be reported.

2. Please do not look out the window to watch for approaching tornadoes. You must monitor the students at all times. To do otherwise would be a testing irregularity and must be reported.

3. Should students notice an approaching tornado and begin to cry, please make every effort to protect their testing materials from the flow of tears and sinus drainage.

4. Should a flying object come through your window during testing, please make every effort to ensure that it does not land on a testing booklet or an answer sheet. Please make sure to soften the landing of the flying object so that it will not disturb the students while testing.

5. Should shards of glass from a broken window come flying into the room, have the students use their bodies to shield their testing materials so that they will not be damaged. Have plenty of gauze on hand to ensure that no one accidentally bleeds on the answer documents. Damaged answer sheets will not scan properly.

6. Should gale force winds ensue, please have everyone stuff their test booklets and answer sheets into their shirts…being very careful not to bend them because bent answer documents will not scan properly.

7. If any student gets sucked into the vortex of the funnel cloud, please make sure they mark at least one answer before departing…and of course make sure they leave their answer sheets and test booklets behind. You will have to account for those.

8. Should a funnel cloud pick you, the test administrator, up and take you flying over the rainbow, you will still be required to account for all of your testing materials when you land so please take extra precautions. Remember, once you have checked them out, they should never leave your hands.

9. When rescue workers arrive to dig you out of the rubble, please make sure that they do not, at any time, look at or handle the testing materials. Once you have been treated for your injuries, you will still be responsible for checking your materials back in. Search dogs will not be allowed to sift through the rubble for lost tests…unless of course they have been through standardized test training.

(BTW, my principal has a great sense of humor. Honestly, I was buying it for the first 3 because it's about this bad. I needed this laugh today) :)

Red Glove by Holly Black

2011-01-26T14:13:00.003-06:00

Oh that Holly Black is a tricky one. I almost think she is an emotion worker but has a way of working through her words. At the end of White Cat it was like she stuck a knife right into my heart and twisted it just a little, and, just when you think the worst is over and things might actually be looking up for Cassel in Red Glove, she punches you right in the gut.

I have never been one to watch mob-related movies. I have never seen the Godfather movies or Goodfellas (though I use to watch the cartoon Goodfeathers, if that counts for anything). So I wasn't sure how I would like the Curse Worker series. I knew I loved Holly's storytelling and White Cat probably had a CAT in it, so I figured this would be good. And let me tell ya- I LOVED IT. It was probably my favorite book that I read in 2010. I try to get everyone I can to read it. I was able to get my grubby hands on an advanced copy of Red Glove thanks to the kind publisher who loves teachers who ask nicely. I got this book Monday and while I whined about having yet another snow day that closed schools today (because I have A LOT left to cover before those tests, but I digress) I stayed bundled up in my house and finished it.

(Slight Spoilery)

In White Cat Cassel Sharpe comes from a family of curse workers and feels left out that he isn't one, only to discover that he was being worked himself and is one of the most dangerous ones. Red Cat picks up a few months later. Cassel is dealing with a work his mother had done that left him wondering if Lila's intentions are true, his brother Phillip is murdered and the Feds want him to help find the killer, he is being recruited by some of the top mob families, all the while trying to find a way to pass physics. He doesn't know who, if anyone, he can trust.

There are so many twists and turns and discoveries. I was so drawn into this story. On the one hand I wanted to slap Cassel around for continuing to put up with his family's deceit and betrayal, but on the other, I can see how deeply rooted he was and how much he felt he had no choice. It breaks my heart that he felt so bad and not worthy of something good. I had Jesse Eisenberg's voice in my head which helped. He did an amazing job reading White Cat and he has a way of making Cassel sound just vulnerable enough. Hopefully they will get him to read Red Glove.

If you have not read White Cat, don't hesitate! Red Glove comes out in April of this year. This series is awesome. There are so many books coming out this year that I am looking forward to. If the rest are anywhere near as good as this one, I am in for a great year of reading.

What's this about education reform? A teacher's perspective

2011-01-20T18:07:00.005-06:00

Ah yes, EDUCATION REFORM. Every politician promises to "fix" public education. Public schools and teachers are the current punching bags.

In case you haven't heard, Tennessee raised their standards last year. Without knowing that, one look at the schools' report cards across the state one would think that we have a bunch of failing schools where kids just show up and teachers play tiddlywinks all day. But you have to know more. When I say they raised the standards, it wasn't just a little. TN made huge jumps in the curriculum, and last year, the first year of the implement, we were told we had to teach the old standards and the new standards. For example, I am now teaching slope-intercept form in 7th grade. Do any of you remember when you learned this? Probably high school algebra.

And some of my students can't tell me what the opposite of multiplication is. It's not because our schools or teachers are failing. I think it's because we are cramming more on more on our kids earlier and earlier.

Look, I am all for accountability. I am a great teacher. But tell me if there is something I can do to improve my teaching and I will try it. This new evaluation model that we are having to go through is enough to make me question my career choice at times. We had to fill out a 40 page (yes, FORTY page) Self Evaluation, ranking ourselves on a scale of 1-4. Our principal was told, and relayed the message to us, that "There should not be many 4s." Really? So this person comes in believing TN doesn't have many exemplary teachers. Thanks for the vote of confidence.

And testing. Dear, sweet TCAP test. Now the government has decided that they are going to use the scores from a test that is given once, before the school year is even over, and taken by creatures of free will, and count those toward my evaluation. Please keep in mind that these scores have no bearing on whether the kids will move on to the next grade. This is not the fault of the school. How could they have any bearing when we don't get the scores back until summer? Now this is different in the high school where some of the subjects give an End of Course test and the score counts as part of the final grade. But in the elementary & middle schools the students have this idea that the "TCAP doesn't matter" so they don't have to try. I can be the biggest cheerleader, motivator, etc., but if a kid doesn't want to try, or is mad at someone, or has had a bad morning and just doesn't want to try, they won't. And there isn't anything we can do.

But this counts against my evaluation.

Also, keep in mind that our Value-Added scores change. Let me explain. Let's say in 2007 my value-added score for math was 3.5. (Yeah, I don't really know what that number means either, I just know if it's in the green, it's good. Go with it). So the next year I get my value added scores-which shows three years' worth-and my 2007 scores have changed to 2.8. How is this possible? I didn't have those kids. How was I able to take knowledge away? I've not been able to get a straight answer about this yet and I've been doing this for 15 years.

And tenure- I am tired of tenure being knocked with the old "We don't give doctors and lawyers tenure" Do you know what tenure is? It's DUE PROCESS. It says that the school system cannot dismiss a teacher without cause. My first year of teaching was not in my hometown. I was hired a few days before school started & was an outsider. At the end of a school year all non-tenured teachers are up for re-hire. The school board at this school postponed until the last possible day making their decision. And they decided not to rehire any of their non-tenured teachers. Then picked who they wanted to hire back. They don't have to give a reason, however I asked my principal and a few others. There were several local kids who were fresh out of college and needed jobs.

Can you imagine? Not knowing from one year to the next if you were going to piss off the wrong person and not be rehired. Or if someone in administration has a niece who needs a job. Tenure doesn't protect bad teachers. If a teacher is "bad" and is still in the system, the admin may not be doing enough. If the teacher is not doing his/her job and won't try to improve, then get them out of the school. But don't punish the majority by taking away tenure.

I love my job. I love teaching middle schoolers and being a part of their dramatic lives. I love teaching math and talking to kids about books. But I am tired. I am tired of all the teacher bashing and jumping through hoops to prove that I am a good teacher to people who have never stepped foot in a classroom.

I can now carry around a library

2011-01-14T22:56:00.004-06:00

So I finally did it....I bought a nook. A nook, for the unfamiliar, is an e-reader sold by Barnes & Noble. Amazon has a similar one called the Kindle and there are a few other brands I am not as familiar with. I have been going back and forth on whether or not to get one for a while.

On the one had you get to carry around a whole library where ever you go. There have been many occasions where I was made to wait and I didn't have a book with me. This was the selling feature.

But on the other I am a huge book nerd. I love the way books feel in my hands, I like the way the spine looks on a new book and how sometimes books keep that new-spine look even after multiple readings. I love meeting authors and getting books signed. I have almost three shelves filled with author-signed books. You can't get an e-copy signed.

But I broke down and got one. It came in this week and so far I am enjoying it. Because I have to be different and don't want just a plain ol' white one, I have a decal coming. There are so many cute decals on there it was hard to choose. I narrowed it down to the library & the book tree.

I have been on Barnes & Noble's site downloading free & cheap books. I will only download legal copies (read this if you are are thinking about downloading illegal copies of someone's books. Please don't). There is also a a website called READS where you can check out digital copies onto your e-reader for two weeks from the library system from your home (you can also borrow audiobook files).

I probably won't have the popular books on my nook, but that's ok. I will buy a physical copy. I can't spend $10 on a digital copy of a book when there are so many books my students at school want to read. I live in a fairly poor area. There are no bookstores around here unless you count Wal-Mart (and while I am glad WM carries books, they don't have a huge selection). Also, the county library is sorely lacking in the Young Adult section. So I feel like I am providing a service to the kids around here. And I like buying books. It's an addiction.

If you're thinking about buying an e-reader, weigh your options & check out the options on each.

my 2010 year in review blog post

2010-12-31T13:48:00.003-06:00

I decided a year or so ago to start doing a year end post to kind of sum up my year. Mostly for me so I can look back and see when significant things happened, but also for any of you who just really wanted to know what I did this year :)  I didn’t find cures for diseases, or win any awards, or get my name in the tabloids, but I experienced things and learned some things about myself. I can’t complain too much.

2010

I didn’t see any Broadway shows (even on tour) or concerts this year. I think that’s a first in many years. This must be remedied in the new year.

I survived The School Year That Almost Killed Me. Not that I didn’t like the kids I had last year, I loved them to pieces. It was just a whole group of things that came together to make it one tough school year. Thankfully I really, simply adore my current group of 7th graders (I just wish more of them would catch on to two step equations) and I don’t have as many demands on my time or sanity.

I got into sort of a funk around September/October. I think I have it pegged to a couple of significant things. I officially retired as a color guard instructor- something that has defined part of my life for a very long time. It was something that needed to be done, I just hate that it ended the way that it did. Also, my eyes were finally opened to some things. Misunderstanding or not, some things could have been handled better. With all things, it’s really hard when you’ve invested so much time and effort into something. Even when the signs are all there it’s hard to walk away.

I decided that one of the mottoes for my life is- I’m too old for this crap.

(edited to add) How could I forget- I had jury duty for the first (and hopefully last) time this year.

On a more positive note:

I went to Florida THREE times. Two of those times were Orlando-once for a family trip and once for a conference. I love to travel.

I visited Hogwarts! And ate at the Three Broomsticks! And drank Butterbeer! And got a Wand! and a Pygmy Puff! I think the Wizarding World of Harry Potter might have been the highlight of my year.

I met some really awesome authors again this year and got tons of books to add to my To Read pile. Hopefully, I will achieve my goal of reading 100 books in 2011.

I played Charlotte in the play Charlotte’s Web. That was my first big role and I loved.every.minute.

I also played Cook in the high school’s production of Alice in Wonderland. While I love being in plays, I had more fun watching kids I had in class act on stage for the first time.

I sang in front of people for the first time...and I wasn’t bad! I didn’t know anyone there but the voice teacher & Mark, I was nervous as heck and didn’t look up much from the page with the words but I sounded decent.

I am thankful for my husband, Mark, who has helped me keep my sanity, helped me laugh when I felt like crying, helped me make decisions and has been my biggest cheerleader since day one.

Goals for 2011:
Read more
Write a lot more
Laugh more
audition for a musical
sing in front of people I know
see at least one show
meet Laura in person this year (Laura, we WILL make this happen this year! I’m coming to Chicago in November.)

I’ll stop there. There is so much more I want to accomplish in the coming year.

What I loved and what I WANT!

2010-12-30T23:45:00.005-06:00

These are my favorite books that I read this year, not that they necessarily were published this year. If you read nothing else from my 2010 book list, at least pick these up. Mockingjay is book 3 in the Hunger Games trilogy & Guardian of the Gate is book 2 in the Prophecy of the Sisters series.

In no particular order, these are MUST READS!!

White Cat by Holly Black (this might possibly be my fave of the year)

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Linger by Maggie Stiefvater

Forest of Hands & Teeth by Carrie Ryan

The Dead Tossed Waves by Carrie Ryan

Liar by Justine Larbalestier

Huntress by Malinda Lo

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

Guardian of the Gate by Michelle Zink

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Aaaaaaand, here is my list of books that are being released in 2011 that I am DYING to get my grubby little hands on. I can haz advanced copy plz?

Also, in no particular order, the GIMME GIMME list:

City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare

Red Glove by Holly Black

Forever by Maggie Stiefvater

The Dark & Hollow Places by Carrie Ryan

Circle of Fire by Michelle Zink

Darkest Mercy by Melissa Marr

Awakened by PC Cast

Witches of East End by Melissa de la Cruz

Lost in Time by Melissa de la Cruz

OMG I almost forgot! The 13th Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson

No worries, my TO READ pile is huge and I will have plenty to keep myself occupied while I wait for these :)

What I read in 2010

2010-12-30T23:09:00.002-06:00

Well, I didn't reach my goal of reading 100 books this year. There were a couple of months where I only read 3 and I got into a funk around September/October and it threw me off. I am determined to achieve it next year though!

Here is my list of what I did read. With the exception of Deathly Hallows and two books I read with my enrichment class, all books are first timers. I did listen to two audiobooks of books that I read this year and included them because I listened to them after I read the books (and it made them so much better!) I will post another blog of my favorites from this list later.

Total- 75 books- not too shabby.

2010 Book list

January

Pendragon:The Pilgrims of Rayne~ DJ MacHale (547 pages)

Dark Magic bk4~Cate Tiernan (186 pages.)

Pendragon bk 9: Raven Rise~DJ MacHale (544 pages.)

Awakening bk5~Cate Tiernan (188 pages)

Spellbound bk6~Cate Tiernan (190 pages)

The Calling bk 7~Cate Tiernan(189 pages)

Changeling bk8~Cate Tiernan (188 pages)

The Lightning Thief~Rick Riordan (375 pages)

Diary of a Wimpy Kid~Jeff Kinney (217 pages)

Strife bk9~Cate Tiernan (188 pages)

10 books, 2812 pages

February

Seeker bk 10~ Cate Tiernan (pages 172)

Origins bk 11~Cate Tiernan (pages 188)

Guardian of the Gate~Michelle Zink (340 pages)

Eclipse bk 12~Cate Tiernan (pages 184)

Reckoning bk13~Cate Tiernan (189 pages)

Full Circle bk 14~ Cate Tiernan (190 pages)

Night's Child bk 15~Cate Tiernan (318 pages)

7 books 1554 pages

cumulative- 17 books 4393 pages

March

Catching Fire ~Suzanne Collins (391 pages)

Shiver ~Maggie Stiefvater (390 pages)

Stop in the Name of Pants ~Louise Rennison (310 pages)

Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me?~ Louise Rennsion (310 pages)

The Forest of Hands & Teeth ~Carrie Ryan (310 pages)

Lessons from a Dead Girl~ Jo Knowles (215 pages)

Living Dead Girl~ Elizabeth Scott (170 pages)

7 books 2096 pages

cumulative- 24 books 6489 pages

April

Prom ~Laurie Halse Anderson (215 pages)

Need~Carrie Jones (290 pages)

The Dead Tossed Waves~Carrie Ryan (407 pages)

Twilight The Graphic Novel vl 1~Stephenie Meyer/Young Kim (224 pages)

Captivate ~ Carrie Jones (258 pages)

Hero Type~ Barry Lyga (304 pages)

6 books 1698 pages

30 books 8187 pages

May

An Abundance of Katherines ~ John Green (256 pages)

Linger~ Maggie Stiefvater (362 pages)

Radiant Shadows~ Melissa Marr (352 pages)

3 books 970 pages

33 books 9157 pages

June

Burned~PC Cast & Kristin Cast (323 pages)

Pendragon book 10:Soldiers of Halla~ DJ MacHale (594 pages)

The Dopple Ganger Chronicles: The First Escape ~ GP Taylor (280 pages)

Happy Birthday Bad Kitty ~Nick Bruel (159 pages)

Hate That Cat~ Sharon Creech (153 pages)

Sixth Grade Glommers, Norks, & Me ~ Lisa Papademetriou (217 pages)

Top Eight~ Katie Finn (308 pages)

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac~Gebrielle Zevin (284 pages)

The Summoning ~ Kelley Armstrong (390 pages)

The Awakening ~ Kelley Armstrong (360 pages)

Charlotte’s Web:a full length play ~ Joseph Robinette (adapted from EB White) (72 pages)

Second Short Life of Bree Tanner~Stephenie Meyer (192 pages)

12 books 3332 pages

45 books 12489 pages

July

Reckoning~Kelley Armstrong (391 pages)

Blue Bloods~Melissa De La Cruz (302 pages)

Masquerade ~Melissa De La Cruz (305 pages)

Revelations ~ Melissa De La Cruz (264 pages)

Van Alen Legacy ~ Melissa De La Cruz (369 pages)

The Book of Dreams~ O.R. Melling (698 pages)

Liar ~ Justine Larbalestier (376 pages)

Luv Ya Bunches~ Lauren Myracle (335 pages)

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows~ JK Rowling

9 books

55 books to-date

August

Soul Enchilada~ David MacInnis Gill

Dark Song ~Gail Giles 292 pages

Mockingjay ~ Suzanne Collins 398 pages

September- December

Witches’ Kitchen~

The Hollow~ Jessica Verday

Going Bovine~ Libba Bray

Misguided Angel~ Melissa de la Cruz

White Cat~ Holly Black

Gathering~ Kelley Armstrong

Scott Pilgrim’s Precious Life bk 1~ Bryan Lee O’ Malley

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World bk2~ Bryan Lee O’Malley

Middle School- The Worst Years of My Life

White Cat audiobook ~ Holly Black

Forest of Hands & Teeth audiobook~ Carrie Ryan

There’s a Wocket in my Pocket~ Dr. Seuss

Huntress~ Malinda Lo

Bloody Valentine~ Melissa de la Cruz

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland play adapted by Tim Kelly

Re-reads (with class)

Sisters Grimm- Fairy tale detectives~Michael Buckley

Wonderful Wizard of Oz ~ Frank L Baum

Archvillain by Barry Lyga CONTEST!

2010-10-13T21:03:00.006-05:00

I have a SIGNED advanced copy of the middle grade novel ARCHVILLAIN by Barry Lyga that I am giving away. He is the author of Boy Toy, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl, Goth Girl Rising, and many more.

ARCHVILLAIN is the story of Kyle Camden, a middle school kid who just happened to be in a field when a plasma storm hit that gave him super human powers - and sent an alien to earth. An alien who looks just like a kid. Everyone thinks Mighty Mike, with his awesome powers, is wonderful. No one except Kyle knows the truth about his alienness and Kyle is on a mission to stop him, however misguided his attempts are.

Archvillain is the funny first book in a series for middle schoolers.

And I'm giving you the chance to win it. All you have to do is leave a comment telling me who your favorite fictional villain is.

You can also earn extra entries by promoting this contest. For every place that you post a link to this contest I will give you an extra entry. All you have to do is leave me a comment with the link.

If you haven't checked out any of Barry Lyga's books before, do it! They are some of my favorites.

(this contest is also being held on my Facebook page)

Top 100 YA Novels via Persnickety Snark's Poll

2010-09-26T20:52:00.004-05:00

My friend Liz posted this on her blog and I am borrowing the idea.
From the PersnicketySnark blog. She took a poll of her readers earlier this year and came up with a list of the top 100 YA novels. Bolded novels are ones I have read

Top 100 YA Novels via Persnickety Snark's Poll
#100 The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley (1985)  
#99 The Pigman by Paul Zindel (1969)
#98 Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (1987)
#97 Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver (2010)  
#96 The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks (2009)  
#95 Going Too Far by Jennifer Echols (2009)
#94 Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (2008)  
#93 Whale Talk by Chris Crutcher (2001)
#92 Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech (1994)  
#91 The Astonishing life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party (2006)

#90 Glass Houses by Rachel Caine (2006)  
#89 A Ring of Endless Light by Madeleine L’Engle (1980)  
#88 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (2003)  
#87 An Abundance of Katherines by John Green (2006)  
#86 The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi (1990)
#85 Shadow Kiss by Richelle Mead (2008)
#84 Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder (2006)
#83 The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness (2008)  
#82 Jacob I Have Loved by Katherine Paterson (1980)
#81 The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (2009)

#80 Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen (1998)  
#79 Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954)  
#78 Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr (2006)
#77 Go Ask Alice by Anonymous (1971)  
#76 The Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants by Ann Brashares (2001)  
#75 Feed by MT Anderson (2001)
#74 The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley (1983)  
#73 Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley (1978)
 #72 Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (2009)
#71 The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner (2006)

#70 If I Stay by Gayle Forman (2009)  
#69 Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (1999)
 #68 Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer (2008)
#67 Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen (1999)  
#66 City of Glass by Cassandra Clare (2009)
#65 How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff (2004)  
#64 Looking for Alibrandi by Melina Marchetta (1992)
 #63 The Diary of a Young Girl (1947)
#62 Weetzie Bat by Francesca Lia Block (1989)  
#61 The Chocolate War by Robert Cormier (1974)   

#60 Fire by Kristin Cashore (2009)
 #59 Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan (2006)
 #58 Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer (2007)  
#57 Dreamland by Sarah Dessen (2000)
#56 Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty (2003)  
#55 Saving Francesca by Melina Marchetta (2003)  
#54 Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick (2009)  
#53 The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (1973)
#52 Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones (1986)
#51 Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli (2000)

  #50 The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot (2000)
 #49 Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine (1997)
#48 I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (1948)  
#47 Forever by Judy Blume (1975)
#46 Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margie Stohl (2009)  
#45 Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix by JK Rowling (2003)
#44 Sabriel by Garth Nix (2003)  
#43 Evernight by Claudia Gray (2008)  
#42 The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (2000)  
#41 Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen (2008)

  #40 The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (2007)  
#39 A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith (1943)  
#38 Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (2009)
 #37 Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire by JK Rowling (2000)
 #36 Paper Towns by John Green (2008)  
#35 The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin (1978)
#34 Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen (1813)
#33 The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart (2008)  
#32 Tomorrow, When the War Began by John Marsden (1995)
#31 A Great and Terrible Beauty by Libba Bray (2003)   

#30 Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (2005)
 #29 Harry and the Half-Blood Prince by JK Rowling (2005)  
#28 Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (1985)  
#27 Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce (1983)
#26 The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien (1954)  
#25 Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty (2001)
#24 Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher (2007)  
#23 Graceling by Kristin Cashore (2008)  
#22 Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead (2007)  
#21 Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater (2009)   

#20 Along for the Ride by Sarah Dessen  
#19 The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky (1999)  
#18 Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by JK Rowling (1999)  
#17 Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger (1951)  
#16 On the Jellicoe Road by Melina Marchetta (2006)  
#15 City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (2005)  
#14 Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (1868)  
#13 Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by JK Rowling (2007)  
#12 Just Listen by Sarah Dessen (2006)  
#11 Looking for Alaska by John Green (2005)

#10 This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen (2002)  
#9 Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (2005)  
#8 The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (1967)  
#7 The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (2006)  
#6 The Truth About Forever by Sarah Dessen (2004)  
#5 Northern Lights [The Golden Compass] by Philip Pullman (1995)  
#4 Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson (1996)  
#3 To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee (1960)  
#2 Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by JK Rowling (1996)
 #1 The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008)

I've read 42 of these. I own several more that are on this list and they are on my TO- READ list, which is really really long.
I love lists like this so I can see what other people are reading and see which of my favorites made the list.

How many have you read? What books are not included that you like?

The Witches' Kitchen

2010-09-16T21:06:00.003-05:00

Little, Brown offered a few teachers the opportunity to provide middle school students with galley (or advanced reader copies) of some of their books in order to get feedback from the target group. The first book we received was The Witches's Kitchen by Allen Williams.

Toad wakes up and realizes she is dangling above a cauldron. She doesn't know how she got there, nor does she know if she was always a toad. She is able to get free and tries to find her way out. One problem though- the Kitchen is constantly moving and many things are lurking trying to sabotage her way and turn her over to the Witches. She meets a ragtag group of creatures that help her find a way out and to find out who she is.

The book started a little slow but the action did pick up. However, there were a few times that I felt the action was kind of repeating itself. I don't really feel that there was a lot of character development because while I was rooting for Toad, I didn't really feel like I knew a lot about her. I learned more about Jack and was disappointed in how his story worked out.

While I liked The Witches' Kitchen, I can only hope there is another book with these characters. I guess the ending was a let down considering how much time was spent getting there.

and SPOILER ALERT

I was REALLY hoping Jack would overcome his evil father and show back up with Toad.

This book was sent to me by the publisher. This has no influence on my review.

Mockingjay-no spoilers here!

2010-08-28T20:51:00.004-05:00

The wait is over! Mockingjay, the final book in the Hunger Games trilogy, is finally out!

For those new to the Hunger Games- these books are set in post- apocalyptic times and the US is now known as Panem and is divided into 13 districts. To remind the other 12 districts of the failed uprising attempt by District 13, each district must send two kids to fight to the death in the televised Hunger Games. The winner is set up for life and his or her family no longer has to worry about having enough food,etc. The story follows Katniss Everdeen and her battle to win the games.

Without spoiling- Mockingjay still follows Katniss and her battle against the Capitol. It is much more action packed and violent. There was one time that I gasped aloud because something so unexpected caught me off guard. But, as in the other books, the violence is not glamorized.

There was a lot of talk about Team Peeta or Team Gale as the series progressed. Honestly I couldn't tell you whose team I was on because I could see pros and cons of both choices and as I read Mockingjay I couldn't have told you who she was going to end up or if she was going to end up with anyone at all.

Suzanne Collins packs so much action in this book. One of the things I love about this series is that the main character is a girl who is not afraid to get in there and get dirty. Katniss doesn't sit back and let people fight for her, she's the one who steps up.

And I am going to let you in on a little secret- I DIDN'T PEEK AT THE END! I am terrible about that! But this book fell in with Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows & Breaking Dawn and I forced myself not to look (and it was hard not to!) because I wanted to experience the story as it unfolded. I am so glad I did.

For me this was a great ending to the series. I was not disappointed.

Middle School book recommendations

2010-08-22T14:48:00.007-05:00

I was recently asked for some recommendations of books for middle schoolers. Since I began teaching middle & high school most of my reading comes from Young Adult fiction. These books tend to deal with tougher issues that high schoolers (and some middle schoolers) deal with. YA books tend to have more language and some subject matters that parents of younger middle schoolers prefer their kids not be exposed to yet. While these books are important, I respect the parents' decision for their own children here.

After going through most of my library I have come up with a list of books that I, as an avid book reader and teacher, would recommend to any kid. I have also linked each book title to its webpage or, when one was not available, to a bookseller. I am not getting any kickbacks from anyone- publishers, booksellers, authors, etc, for promoting these books. I just think they are great books that get kids into reading.

Some of these books have the occasional strong language and some fantasy violence. Neither of which are to the extreme. Nor should they exclude a book from this list.

Harry Potter series by JK Rowling- I think you know the story. An orphan is raised by his aunt & uncle until he discovers he is a wizard and is the only to have survived a killing curse. Even if you've seen the movies, read the books! While I love the movies, the books are so much richer and more detailed.

A series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket- Orphans fight against the evil Count Olaf.

Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis- A fanastical journey through the wardrobe for 4 kids who discover they are royalty in Narnia and are called back when Narnia needs them most.

Percy Jackson & the Olympians series by Rick Riordan- Percy discovers that he is the son of Poseidon and embarks on several journeys to save the world

Kingdom Keepers series by Ridley Pearson-five youngsters find themselves trapped as virtual images of themselves and have to battle the "Disney villains & witches after the park closes. A great series for Disney fans. The first is set in Magic Kingdom, the second in Animal Kingdom, & the third (which I've not yet read) in Epcot.

Pendragon series by DJ MacHale- 14 yr old Bobby Pendragon discovers everything about his life is not what it seems when he discovers he is a traveler and must travel to different "territories" in order to battle the evil Saint Dane for control of all of Halla. A great series for boys.

Shadow Children series (Among the Hidden, Among the Importers, Among the Betrayed, etc) by Margaret Peterson Haddix-Families are only allowed to have two children. The Shadow children are the hidden third children.

Giver, Gathering Blue, & Messenger by Lois Lowry- A dystopian society where everything is controlled- to what people wear, to who they marry, to what jobs they have. Jonas is selected to become the next Receiver of Memory and discovers that the restrictions are there to protect people from war, famine, etc, but in the process good things like celebrations have been taken away. He has some tough decisions to make when the fate of a baby comes into question.Gathering Blue & Messenger are companion novels set in similar societies.

Inkheart Trilogy by Cornelia Funke- A man can read characters out of books & evil man escapes from one who wants him to read out more and more. So much better than the movie.

Charlie Bone series by Jenny Nimmo-A kid discovers he has the ability to go into pictures & is sent to a school where he meets a few other students with different abilities. They discover they are descendants of the Red King but not all of them are on the same side.

Eragon by Christopher Paolini (this is the first of the series)- A boy finds a dragon egg and becomes a dragon rider. He is pursued by a man who wants to destroy all dragon riders. MUCH better than the movie.

Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage- the seventh son of a seventh son discovers he has magical abilities.

City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass (the Mortal Instruments series) by Cassandra Clare- Clary discovers the existence of the Shadowhunters who are tasked with protecting the world from evil.

Land of Elyon series by Patrick Carman- a girl spends another summer in a city surrounded by high walls that are there to protect the town from the evil outside. She discovers the truth is much more than she is being told.

The Sisters Grimm by Michael Buckley- The Grimm sisters are the great, great-something nieces of the Grimm Brothers. After their parents disappear and they are shuffled to different foster homes they end up with the only living relative- a grandmother they thought was dead. She is the keeper of Ferryport Landing and is in charge of the fairy tale characters living there. Buckley does a great job of weaving different characters & stories into these books. I have read the first one with my classes over the years and they love the story.

My Sister the Vampire by Sienna Mercer- A girl moves to a new town and discovers she has a twin....who happens to be a vampire. A cute series for girls.

Ghostgirl by Tonya Hurley- At the start of a new school year girl decides she is no longer going to be invisible at school. She makes the decision to dress differently and talk to her crush. She is lab partnered with her crush and when everyone leaves the class she celebrates by popping a gummy bear in her mouth- and chokes to death. She spends the rest of the book trying to figure out how to get her ghost to move on to the next realm. A funny book!

Hunger Games & Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins (and the soon to be released Mockingjay)- A dystopian story where the US is divided into 13 districts after some unnamed war. To remind the other 12 districts of the failed uprising by the 13th several years prior, the government requires all districts to send 2 kids to fight to the death during a televised contest. The winner is set up in a nice house and their families no longer have to worry about food. Very action packed. One of the best series I've read. The highly anticipated series finale-Mockingjay comes out August 24.
Edited to add:There is violence in here because of the nature of the Hunger Games- they are literally fighting to the death (for example-there are hybrid hornets in a nest that gets cut down over some of the contestants). In my opinion, Collins writes it in a way that fits the story and doesn't glamorize it. I would compare the level similar to that in the later Harry Potter books. Please give these books a shot and read more reviews online before passing them by!

These next few series are some that I have not read but I have had several boys who love them. I had a waiting list for them last year.

Spy High series By AJ Butcher (I've not read these but I have several boys who love this series)

Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz (another I've not read but my boys love)

The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud (another that my boys love)

Chronicles of Ancient Darkness by Michelle Paver

These are not the only books I recommend but I will stop here for now. I love books where the kid is the hero and gets to battle (and usually defeats) evil forces.

Please feel free to add your own recommendations in the comments or comment on books in this list.

Later I will post a list of recommended books for older kids.

July Reads

2010-08-08T20:55:00.004-05:00

I will be better at reviewing books on this blog! I haven't blogged in over a month. I got extremely lazy having more time off in July, but I am going to try to do better.

July
Reckoning~Kelley Armstrong (391 pages) the third book in the series. Has a little of everything-witches, werewolves, etc. good stuff.
Blue Bloods~Melissa De La Cruz (302 pages) This series follows kids who discover they are vampires at an elite private school.
Masquerade ~Melissa De La Cruz (305 pages)
Revelations ~ Melissa De La Cruz (264 pages)
Van Alen Legacy ~ Melissa De La Cruz (369 pages)
The Book of Dreams~ O.R. Melling (698 pages) The final book in the Chronicles of Faerie. It dragged a little in spots but worth it in the end
Liar ~ Justine Larbalestier (376 pages) main character is an habitual liar. I honestly didn't know if she was lying after I finished. I need someone else to read this book so we can discuss!!
Luv Ya Bunches~ Lauren Myracle (335 pages) follows a group of girls as they enter middle school. there was controversy about this book bc one of the girls has two moms *gasp* *rolleyes*
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows~ JK Rowling my favorite book of all time

previous reads

May & June reads

2010-07-02T16:23:00.002-05:00

I forgot to post my list that I read in May so I'm doubling up. I got to catch up on my reading!

May
An Abundance of Katherines ~ John Green (256 pages) (love John Green)
Linger~ Maggie Stiefvater (362 pages) (the thrilling sequel to Shiver that's not out until later this month. SO GOOD)
Radiant Shadows~ Melissa Marr (352 pages) (the latest book a series about faeries)

3 books 970 pages

33 books 9157 pages

June
Burned~PC Cast & Kristin Cast (323 pages) (Loved the story, but they went overboard w/ the language to the point of ridiculousness. and language does not offend me)
Pendragon book 10:Soldiers of Halla~ DJ MacHale (594 pages) (the final chapter in the Pendragon series)
The Dopple Ganger Chroicles:The First Escape ~ GP Taylor (280 pages) (this one alternates between mostly written and some graphic novel storytelling. can't wait for the next one)
Happy Birthday Bad Kitty ~Nick Bruel (159 pages) (a lower grade book about kitties. love it)
Hate That Cat~ Sharon Creech (153 pages) (by the author of love that dog. written poem style)
Sixth Grade Glommers, Norks, & Me ~ Lisa Papademetriou (217 pages) (cute middle grade book)
Top Eight~ Katie Finn (308 pages) (a girl's facebook-type social media is hacked and she has to clean up the mess)
Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac~Gebrielle Zevin (284 pages) (a girl falls and loses her memory. Her journey back during her school year)
The Summoning ~ Kelley Armstrong (390 pages) (book 1. you have shapeshifters, witches, shamans, necromancers, sorcerers. good stuff!)
The Awakening ~ Kelley Armstrong (360 pages) (book 2)
Charlotte’s Web:a full length play ~ Joseph Robinette (adapted from EB White) (72 pages)
Second Short Life of Bree Tanner~Stephenie Meyer (192 pages) (an Eclipse novel focusing on a minor character but gives a lot of background info)

12 books 3332 pages

45 books 12489 pages

Previous reads

Disney Tips

2010-06-07T11:18:00.006-05:00

Hubby & I went to Walt Disney World with my parents and 5 yr old nephew. It was a great trip. I visited several websites prior to our trip and almost got information overload. So, to save you some time, I thought I would put together some tips and hints to make your trip better.

1. Stay in a Disney Resort. They will pick you up for free at the airport and take you to your resort. And if you plan so ahead of time, you can skip baggage claim. They will send you yellow tags ahead of time to put on your luggage and will claim your bags for you. They will arrive at your resort a couple of hours later so pack essentials (including swimsuits) in your carry on.
Another advantage of staying in a Disney Resort is the free shuttles to the Disney parks. Also, each member of your party gets a keepsake Disney mug that you can refill for free at the resort food court as much as you want. Soft drinks, lemonade, coffee, tea etc.
Yet another perk is being able to charge things to your room and having your purchases sent to your room instead of wagging them all over the park.

2. Take advantage of the Magic Your Way packages and get the meal plan! We did the Quick service dining where each person got 2 snacks and 2 quick service meals for every night we booked. They are all pooled together so you can get them in any order and use anyone's card to get them. And let me tell you, they are worth it! The first night there we ate in Downtown Disney at Wolfgang Puck Cafe and if we had paid for it, it would have cost $95. The counter service meals include an entree, a drink, and a dessert (you can't get refills in most of these places so order the large drink). You get more than enough food. I printed out a list of eligible restaurants found here and took with us so it would be easier to decide. I was afraid that we would be stuck eating hamburgers & hot dogs all week, but there is so much variety and everything we got was delicious. We had two meals left over the last night bc Mark & I got stuck longer at Universal than we intended but we were able to trade them in for three snacks each. We also had snacks left over so we went to the resort food court and stocked up for the trip home. Snack options are listed here. So much to choose from!

3. Take advantage of the Extra Magical hours at several of the parks. If you stay in a Disney resort you can get to some parks earlier or stay later than the general public. Keep in mind that not all rides and attractions are open during the extended hours (you can find which ones are here ). I planned our park visits according to which days they had extended hours. The first day we got almost right on Space Mountain first thing. You can check the calendar here
for the hours. Also, look for which rides utilize the Fast Pass system and go there first. If the wait is not too long, hop in line. If the wait is long, get a Fast Pass ticket. Fast pass info is here. Everyone who plans to ride will need to use their park ticket to get a Fast Pass ticket.

4. Get the Park Hopper pass. This is one thing that I wish we had done. For us, Hollywood studios was not an all day park and I would have loved to have gone back over to Magic Kingdom or Epcot later that day. Without it, you are free to leave and come back to the same park on the same day but being able to hop parks would have been nice.

5. Take a water bottle to refill at the water fountains. And take some drink powder to mix in with it (like the powerade or crystal lite powders). Some of the fountains are filtered but most taste like tap water so the powder helps. And it's a way to save your snack credits for food and not use them up on bottled water.

6. Take a part of one day to visit Universal's Islands of Adventure, especially if you are a Harry Potter fan. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter section will be open June 18 and is a must for any Potter fan (my thoughts about that are here.) Admission to that section is included with your Islands of Adventure park ticket (around $78). If you do go, call ahead to schedule your transport (usually the night before) We used Mears. It was $18 each for round trip. One thing to keep in mind, though, their first pick up time from the park is 3:15 and you have to call at least 2 hours before to schedule your return trip. Had I known that ahead of time I might have done things differently since we didn't really want to stay until 3:15. There is a movie theater right outside the park in the City Walk area, so Mark & I watched a movie until pick up time.

7. Make sure to pick up a TIMES GUIDE when you pick up your park map. This will tell you when shows and character greetings are scheduled so you can plan your day accordingly.

Everyone has their favorites but here is a quick list of some must dos that we enjoyed:

Magic Kingdom
Splash Mountain- my 5yr old nephew wanted to ride this from the moment he saw it. It was a lot of fun. We got a little wet which helped cool us off since it was so hot in the park (just got splashed a little, not soaking)
Pirates of the Caribbean Capt Jack has been added!
Space Mountain-This is a dark and wild roller coaster ride. I think Austin might have been scared at first but he said he liked it when we got off.
Walt Disney World Railroad is a must if, like us, you have a kid who is a railroad fan. It's a nice, cool ride around the park.
Haunted Mansion ghosts sit in your lap!
It's a Small World really cool dolls of the world sing to you as you take an indoor boat ride (but once you read Kingdom Keepers you'll never look at them the same way!)
Mad Tea Party fast spinning cups. The 5 yr old loved it.
Parade They have different parades at different times of the year. We saw the Spectral Magic parade. Very nice.

Hollywood Studios
The Great Movie Ride you journey through many old movies and become part of the show
Indian Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular a 30 minute show featuring really cool stunts and how they are done
Muppet Vision 3D a 3D show featuring your favorite muppets
Star Tours a Star Wars flight simulator (unfortunately you don't end up in Endor, much to the disappointment of a kid who was on it when we were)
Toy Story Midway Mania A fast pass is recommended but this was a lot of fun. As you move around in your buggy you have to shoot at different things and try to beat your buggy mate (I won over Mark though he had better hit rate than I did)

Disappointments at Hollywood:
Studio Backlot Tour the special effects with the tanker didn't go off and the rest of the tour, for me, just wasn't as interesting.
Journey into Narnia:Prince Caspian I was expecting more. It was a 15 min retelling of the movie with a few costumes and props thrown in. I hope they add more to this.

Epcot
Spaceship Earth you travel through the big Epcot ball and at the end a little video is shown of your future using your picture. It's hilarious. Once you finish the ride stop by and have it emailed to you.
World Showcase visit several countries in one day. You can buy a "passport" and have it stamped at the different countries and you can have the kids make a mask and get something added to it at different stations as well
Soarin I didn't ride this one, but my parents and nephew did. They really liked it. They said it was like you were hang gliding

Animal Kingdom
Festival of the Lion King It is not the Lion King Broadway show but it has some of the music and characters in a fun and high energy show.
Kilimanjaro Safaris a safari vehicle takes you through the savanna so you can catch a glimpse of elephants, giraffes, lions and much more
Conservation station take the Wildlife express train over to see some animals up close. Go early and you might get to see an animal being treated.
I wanted to ride Expedition Everest but no one would ride with me.
Finding Nemo the Musical a stage show retelling of Finding Nemo. The costumes and puppets are great!

Skip Primeval Whirl I thought it was going to be like the Tea cups but in roller coaster form. This ride slings you around way too much, way more than a coaster should. Austin & I both had headaches when we got off.

These are just a few of the tips and highlights from our trip. I hope you found some useful info here that will help you plan your trip

Helpful sites:
Walt Disney World Resorts
allears.net
wdwinfo
disney forum boards

My journey into Hogwarts

2010-06-05T17:01:00.011-05:00

Anyone who knows me well knows that I am a huge Harry Potter nerd. I make no apologies for that and am not embarrassed one bit to admit I was GIDDY when I found out that Universal studios was using part of their park for Harry Potter.

Flash forward to this week. Even though it has not had its GRAND OPENING, they began letting people who had bought their hotel packages in for a couple of hours earlier this week. I was not one of those people but I kept hoping. Then they started letting the general public in (you had to buy a ticket to Islands of Adventure, of course, which I had already done).

Since I was staying in one of the Disney Resorts, I booked my transport over to Universal. We got picked up at 8:05 but with the other stops and people taking for.freakin.ever to get on the bus, it was a little after nine when we were let off the bus. Then I had haul tail to get to the park, exchange my ticket voucher for a ticket in, then sprint as fast as I could to the Potter area...still not knowing if I could get in.

Then I heard the magical words- Wizarding World is open until 10. We picked up the pace bc at that point it was 9:25. What I didn't know yet was that once you are in, you can stay, they just didn't let anyone else in after 10.

Walking in, the first thing you come to is the Hogwarts Express. Walking on through Hogsmead, all of the storefronts are decorated with great care. You can't go in every store, most are just for decoration, but there are several to see. And what's great- the receipts have the store names on them! I have some from Zonko's, Dervish & Bangs, Filch's Emporium.....like someone on Twitter said- This is so surreal; like mixing fiction & reality.

Must sees & dos:
1. Stop by the Butterbeer cart and get a Frozen Butterbeer. It is a butterscotch-y flavored drink and is slushy. Also, pay the extra and get a keepsake mug (at least the first time) . Also, buy a Pumpkin juice for the bottle if for nothing else (it tastes a little like pumpkin pie and I am not a huge fan)
And take a picture of your first Butterbeer mustache!

2. Zonko's and Honeyduke's are connected on the inside. Go in and pick up a chocolate frog and many of the other Potter world goodies (canary cremes, Bertie Botts, etc) then walk through to the Pygmy Puffs. They are 12.95 and completely adorable. When you go to buy it, you have to name it first. Then they make you ring this huge bell and announce to the whole store the name of your puff. I named mine Lulu :)

3. Even if you don't want to buy a wand, go to Ollivander's show. It takes maybe 10 minutes. They let in about 25 people at a time. Ollivander chooses one or two people to see if a wand will chose them. He hands them a wand & tells them to make a bell ring once, then hands them another to do another task, then when handed the third wand the person is lit up,air blows around them, music swells (like what happens when Harry gets chosen by his wand). It's cool to watch. Then you proceed into the Owl Post & Dervish & Bangs where the wands, postcards, and other goodies are for sale. (If you want to skip the show, you can head straight into these shops.)
When you buy postcards they stamp them with the owl post postmark, but as far as I know, you can't mail them from there.
Ollivander

4. Go through the Hogwarts castle and ride the Forbidden Journey. (SPOILERISH) You take a walk through the greenhouses then the castle where you see the portraits moving and talking. When you step in to Dumbledore's office, he comes out to greet you and welcome you as muggles to the castle. (it's a video but it looks really good). You move on to the Defense against the Dark Arts classroom that Lockhart used in Chamber of Secrets where you hear people entering at the top of the stairs then Harry, Ron & Hermione come out from under the cloak and tell you essentially that if you don't move along you will be subjected to a History of Magic lesson from Prof Binns. Honestly, I was trying to take it all in that I missed most of what was said.
The Sorting Hat warns you about the ride (the regular same old dont ride if you're pregnant, ill etc but said in Sorting Hat rhyme) Then you get up to the ride itself. You sit four to a car side by side, separated by little walls. Your feet dangle and a harness comes down to strap you in. Then you are helped by Hermione & Floo powder out to the grounds of the castle. The ride itself is tamer than most roller coasters but you are still moved around, up & down, leaned back etc. as you "see" the grounds around you and follow Harry on his broom as he flies around. They way they projected this is amazing. It's part video and part animatronic (dragons, spiders, dementors, etc)
Go here to read an in depth review.
It was one of the coolest things I've ever done.
(cell phone pic- not the best quality) Dumbledore greeting us

Harry, Ron & Hermione
The Sorting Hat

When you finish the ride you end up at Filch's Emporium to buy even more stuff. Here I got a Hedwig puppet and a Gryffindor Potter shirt. You can also buy your picture from the Forbidden Journey ride, but like all of these types of photos, it is way overpriced.

Before you go through, you have to store all of your belongings in a locker. Even cameras unless they are thin enough to fit in the pocket behind you. We actually had to leave right before we got on the ride and put our camera up. We were escorted by a cast member so we were able to get right back on. It's free for the first hour and a half which was enough time for us to go through it. Since it wasn't at full capacity, I don't know how long it'll take to go through.

There are two other coasters that I was not able to ride. They shut those down soon after 10.

All of the workers in this section were dressed in Wizard robes or other school gear. You might also catch a quick show from the Durmstrang & Beauxbatons students.

Wizarding World of Harry Potter is not a huge area of the Islands of Adventure park but it is an absolute MUST for Potter fans. Admission to Wizarding World is included with your Islands of Adventure admission ticket (which is around $78). There are plenty of other things to do in the rest of the park.

I look forward to going back in November!

(more pictures are posted here)

Winner of Hero Type!

2010-05-24T22:12:00.002-05:00

Thanks to all who commented! I used random.org to plug the names in and the winner is:

Amber Gilmer!

Amber, I will be in touch and getting the book to you soon!

I'll have more contest throughout the summer. Keep reading.

Heroes - and a book contest

2010-05-02T11:11:00.006-05:00

I have a signed copy of Hero Type by Barry Lyga to give away. In thinking about how to do that, I got to thinking about what makes someone a hero. I remember several years ago filling out my Myspace profile page and putting that very question in the "heroes" section-what makes someone a hero?

Is a hero someone who saves a life? Someone who excels in sports? Someone who is in the military or on the fire department or a law enforcement officer? Someone who stands up for his or her beliefs?

What happens when our heroes do something to get themselves knocked off their hero pedestal? Golden boy Tiger Woods has been criticized recently for his behavior and one of the things people are saying is that as role model he should have known better. Was he a hero before this happened?

I want your thoughts. I have a signed copy of Hero Type to give away. I will randomly choose the winner using one of the randomizing websites. This contest will close on May 23 at 11:59pm central time. I also have post cards from The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl, Goth Girl Rising, & Boy Toy that I will include in this contest.

Here's how you can win and earn extra entries:
1. Comment on this blog post telling me what, in your opinion, makes someone a hero. You get one entry for your first comment only.

2. Post a link to this contest on your blog, facebook, twitter, etc. and send me the link (you can send me the link in comments, or send it to sandilu (at) hotmail (dot) com- please put "hero type contest" in the subject line.) You will get one entry for every place you post.

This is open to anyone. People outside the US are welcome to enter as well. I look forward to reading what you have to say!

COMMENTS NOW CLOSED!

April books

2010-05-02T10:42:00.003-05:00

I didn't read nearly as many as I had wanted to, but summer break is only three weeks away so maybe I can get more read :)

April
Prom ~Laurie Halse Anderson (215 pages)
Need~Carrie Jones (290 pages)
The Dead Tossed Waves~Carrie Ryan (407 pages)
Twilight The Graphic Novel vl 1~Stephenie Meyer/Young Kim (224 pages)
Captivate ~ Carrie Jones (258 pages)
Hero Type~ Barry Lyga (304 pages)

6 books 1698 pages

cumulative 30 books 8187 pages

Prom is about a girl who has no intention of going to Prom but when the sponsoring teacher runs off with the prom money, Ashley is roped into helping. Along the way, she learns about herself.

Need & Captivate follow a girl who goes to live with her step-grandmother. She is being stalked by a man who turns out to be a pixie and discovers that a few other people in her town have secrets of their own. She becomes involved in a battle between the weres (as in werewolf, weretiger, etc) and the Pixies, and finds out her biological father is not human.

The Dead Tossed Waves is a follow up to the fabulous Forest of Hands and Teeth and picks up several years later. The story centers on Mary's daughter as she deals with the undead. I don't want to give too much away, but go read these two books! I cannot wait for the third installment.

Twilight the Graphic Novel - I am an unapologetic Twilight fan and I like graphic novels. The illustrations in this are well done and the story itself is preserved. My only complaint is that it is only the first half of Twilight and I didn't realize that until I had already bought it.

Hero Type is reviewed in the previous post. A boy goes from zero to hero after saving a classmates life then back to zero when he is seen throwing away some Support the Troops ribbons. A great story about standing up for your beliefs and thinking for yourself.

March books
February books
January books

Hero Type by Barry Lyga

2010-05-02T10:41:00.001-05:00

Hero Type by Barry Lyga

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Kevin Ross saves a classmate from a serial killer and goes from a nobody to hero overnight. But his reasons for being in the right place at the right time are not exactly something he wants everyone to know and he doesn't exactly feel like a hero. His time at the top doesn't last long when he is seen removing some 'Support the Troops' ribbons from his car and he goes from hero back to zero. Suddenly, he is viewed as someone who doesn't support the troops and hates America.

My Thoughts:
I love Barry Lyga's writing style and characters. Hero Type takes place in the same school as Goth Girl Rising & Boy Toy and characters from those books make brief appearances.
One of the things I loved the most about this book is that I agree with Kevin and I love that he stands up for his beliefs. I think it is important for people to think for themselves. I support the troops and love America, but I don't have to have ribbons on my car or say the pledge at every gathering to prove it.

Like Kevin says, "I guess what I'm saying is that I wish people would think for themselves. Don't just do what everyone else does- use your own brain and figure things out for yourself. If you want to put a ribbon on your car because it's important to you, then great-just don't do it because everyone else is doing it or because you're afraid not to. Because freedom of speech is pretty pointless if everyone keeps saying the same thing." (Hero Type, pp 136-137)

View all my reviews >>

where has my wit gone?

2010-04-02T14:11:00.000-05:00

I am re-reading old blog entries from one of my very first blog sites. Reading them, I see that I used to be kind of witty.
What happened?

I think it was as I have said before, people I know in real life are reading my blog now and I tend to self edit too much. And I have gotten so much busier and stressed out so writing has taken a back seat.

I also think I wrote more because I knew people were reading and commenting. I get so few comments on this blog (Thank you for commenting, Laura! You're awesome) This brings up the question-why do I post- for others or for me?

Then there is Twitter which has taken blogging and shrunk it down to 140 characters or less.

Maybe I'll re post a few of them better ones here to help get my creative juices flowing again.

March books

2010-04-01T21:39:00.002-05:00

March
Catching Fire ~Suzanne Collins (391 pgs)
Shiver ~Maggie Stiefvater (390 pgs)
Stop in the Name of Pants ~Louise Rennison (310 pgs)
Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me?~ Louise Rennsion (310 pgs)
The Forest of Hands & Teeth ~Carrie Ryan (310 pgs)
Lessons from a Dead Girl~ Jo Knowles (215 pgs)
Living Dead Girl~ Elizabeth Scott (170 pgs)

7 books 2096 pgs

cumulative- 24 books 6489 pgs

Catching Fire is the follow up to Hunger Games. This continues the story of Katniss after the her participation in the Hunger Games. Her rebellious actions might during the games might have set some things in motion in the other areas. OMG this was action packed and a few twists and turns. and that ending! I cannot wait until August for the third book!

Shiver is a book for werewolf lovers. A teen was attacked my wolves as a child and has had a fascination with them ever since, especially one that watches her from the woods behind her house. There is more to this wolf than meets the eye.

Stop in the Name of Pants & Are These My Basoomas I See Before Me? are the 9th & 10th books in the Georgia Nicholson series. They are written like a diary and are "vair vair" funny. Too bad this series is now over.

The Forrest of Hands & Teeth is one I have heard about but just recently bought and read. It is the story of Mary who lives in the US but after some event that has turned most of the population into zombies. Her community is surrounded by a fence to keep the zombies out and they live in fear everyday of infection. When an outsider gets in and just as suddenly disappears Mary knows something is not being told to the community. I loved the book, but had a few questions about what initially happened and what the Sisters knew. I look forward to reading the follow up.

Lessons from a Dead Girl is about a girl who was abused by her best friend when she was younger and tormented by her later on. It is a sad story about kids abusing kids.

Living Dead Girl is a story about a girl who was abducted then abused for five years. The story is written from her perspective and is a disturbing look at emotional, physical and sexual abuse.

To see what I've read previously, go here

Harry Potter and the disappointed Sandi

2010-04-01T20:37:00.005-05:00

My name is Sandi and I am a Potternerd.

When I heard that Universal Studios was transforming part of their park into the Wizarding World of Harry Potter I could hardly contain my glee. The more i heard about it, the pictures that were posted on The Leaky Cauldron website, the more excited I became. I would have the chance to see Hogwarts! I could get a WAND from OLIVANDERS! I could try Butterbeer! OMG!

Then I found out they were planning to open the park in the Spring of 2010.
Since my parents, Mark & I were planning to take my nephew to Disney World I planned to get a couple of tickets to Universal and spend part of the day geeking out.

I took a gamble, partly because my dad & I are pre-planners and want to get things in place and scheduled ahead of time, and partly because I figured they meant Spring as in "the time before Memorial Day" since that day is usually the unofficial start of summer for most tourist hotels. I got a little excited when they started offering their vacation packages for trips taken beginning May 25.

Boy, did I lose out on that gamble. BIG TIME.

I guess technically June 18 IS still Spring, but it is, what, THREE days before summer....and about two weeks after I am there.

Sigh

And the biggest slap in the face? They are letting people who bought their packages in to that part of the park. Which, really, is only the right thing to do. But if they can let them in, why not all of us? I am tempted to stand at the gate and gaze longingly at the people who were lucky enough to be in there.

The bright side is that NCTE (that conference I go to where I meet all the awesome authors) is in Orlando this year, so I'll try again later this year.

Goth Girl Follies!

2010-04-01T20:30:00.002-05:00

Goth Girl Rising is a really great follow up to The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl by Barry Lyga. In Goth Girl Follies, you get to learn even more about our favorite girl. Click the image to go see more!

LIES!:

Movies I like!

2010-02-27T15:17:00.003-06:00

I like to watch movies that are fun. I am not particularly fond of the big, sweeping dramas that are nominated for Academy Awards. And I refuse to watch movies if I know the dog or other significant animal dies (This goes back to my childhood and bawling my eyes out when Dumbo wasn't allowed to see his mother and she cradles him in her trunk outside of her crate and sings to him *sniff*) But fun for me and fun for a lot of other people are vastly different...For instance I hate Will Ferrell movies-especially Elf. I also hate movies like Super Troopers, etc. I think it has something to do with people acting dumb.

I also want to know what's going to happen in movies so if we are watching one at home I will get on a movie spoiler site to see what's coming. I really don't like the edge-of-your-seat feeling that some movies cause so I'd rather know ahead of time what's coming. (I also glance at the back of books to see if character names are still showing up. I have to know! Except I didn't do this with the last Harry Potter book or Breaking Dawn. Those stayed spoiler free, amazingly enough)

Here is a list of some of the movies that I watch over and over. Sometimes I pop one in because there is nothing on tv worth watching. Sometimes it's because I border on being attention deficit and have to be multitasking, so I will put a movie on in the background as I am grading papers or whatever. I know these aren't what movie snobs consider marvels of film making but I don't watch movies for that. I watch them because I like the stories or the characters or they are just plain fun.

In no particular order:
1. All of the Harry Potter movies
2. Juno-Ellen Page!
3. Day After Tomorrow (what! I love this, especially the tornadoes in Hollywood. It's flawed and I can only remember one character's name but I like it!)
4. Whip It- Ellen Page!
5. Penelope
6. Twilight
7. Charlie & the Chocolate Factory
8. Napoleon Dynamite
9. Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist
10. All of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies

I would put the Lord of the Rings Trilogy on this list because I can watch them over and over, it just takes a long time. LotR movies are some of my all time favorites!

So, what are some of YOUR favorite movies? or movies that you watch over and over?

2010 books- February

2010-02-27T15:02:00.003-06:00

February
Seeker bk 10~ Cate Tiernan (pgs 172)
Origins bk 11~Cate Tiernan (pgs 188)
Guardian of the Gate~Michelle Zink (340 pgs)
Eclipse bk 12~Cate Tiernan (pgs 184)
Reckoning bk13~Cate Tiernan (189 pgs)
Full Circle bk 14~ Cate Tiernan (190 pgs)
Night's Child bk 15~Cate Tiernan (318 pgs)

7 books 1554 pages

cumulative- 17 books 4393 pages

I am finishing up Cate Tiernan's Sweep series. Seeker is told from Hunter's pov as he looks for his parents and tracks down someone collecting the true names of things. It was different to read Hunter's story but I didn't feel it was as strong as some of the earlier books in the series.

Origins This was the story of Morgan's ancestor Rose and is told from her perspective. It is the story of where the Dark Wave originated and gave some background on the Woodbane clan.

Guardian of the Gate is the following up to Michelle Zink's Prophecy of the Sisters. In this installment, we follow Lia as she searches for the missing pages to help her end the prophecy. She travels with her two companions and keys, Sonia & Luisa to Altus, a safe haven for the Sisters to meet her Aunt Abigail. She discovers much about herself, love, & betrayal.

Guardian of the Gate moves us closer to a final showdown between Lia & Alice. I can't wait to see what comes next!
(for the purpose of disclosure, I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher and consider Michelle as an online friend. I was in no way compensated or influenced in my review of Guardian of the Gate)

Eclipse This installment is told from both Morgan's perspective and Alisa's perspective. Alisa is the youngest member of the Kithic Coven and is not sure if she still wants to be part of the coven. She discovers something about her late mom that changes her outlook. At the same time Morgan and Hunter are still battling Ciaran and trying to find a way to stop a Dark Wave.

Eclipse moved along better than the previous two books. A major event happens close to the end of the book and I am curious about the fallout

Reckoning is the 13th book in the Sweep series. This one is told solely from Alisa's pov. She is still coming to terms with being a witch and runs off to Massachusetts to meet and get to know her late mother's family. There, she helps uncover the reason behind the strange hauntings at her grandmother's house.

I do enjoy getting to know some of the back story with some of the characters from this series and it's interesting seeing how Alisa works through what she learns. I hope a certain male friend of hers shows back up.
Full Circle is another installment written from dual perspectives- Hunter and Morgan. Morgan is being haunted in her dreams from someone from her past. Hunter has given up being Seeker but is approached by someone who needs his services to help check on the leader of her Coven. (I'm not wanting to spoil too much)

While I did enjoy this one, there were times I felt Hunter's part was forced.

Night's Child is the final book in the Sweep series. I was a little worried since this one jumps ahead 20 years when Morgan has a 15 yr old daughter,Moira Byrne. Moira discovers some painful truths about her family that shakes everything she has believed to its core. This one is action packed and ties up many of the loose ends. I was pleased with how this wrapped up the series.

To see my January books- go here

2010 books

2010-02-01T20:40:00.002-06:00

I have a goal to read over 100 books this year. so far, so good!

January
Pendragon:The Pilgrims of Rayne~ DJ MacHale (547 pgs)
Dark Magic bk4~Cate Tiernan (186 pgs)
Pendragon bk 9: Raven Rise~DJ MacHale (544 pgs)
Awakening bk5~Cate Tiernan (188 pgs)
Spellbound bk6~Cate Tiernan (190 pgs)
The Calling bk 7~Cate Tiernan(189 pgs)
Changeling bk8~Cate Tiernan (188 pgs)
The Lightning Thief~Rick Riordan (375 pgs)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid~Jeff Kinney (217 pgs)
Strife bk9~Cate Tiernan (188 pgs)

10 books, 2812 pgs

The Lightning Thief was my favorite from this month. Action, adventure, mystery.... and a movie coming out!
I love stories where kids get to be the hero. I know several kids at my school who have read and love this series. RECOMMENDED!

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a very quick read. I wanted to read it when I saw the movie trailer. It is so funny and if the movie is as good as the book and trailer, it's going to be hilarious.

Pilgrims of Rayne & Raven Rise are the 8th & 9th books in the Pendragon series. Bobby Pendragon discovers he is a traveler who has to help save the different territories of Halla from the evil Saint Dane (current day Earth is known as second Earth. Bobby and his fellow travelers visit past and future Earth along with places on others "worlds") They are pretty good, but could have been better if trimmed some. I like long books as long as the story doesn't drag and these tended to drag in spots. There is one more in this series that I will get to soon. Overall, I think it is a great series for boys (and maybe some girls who like this kind of action)

The books by Cate Tiernan are part of the SWEEP series. At 17, Morgan discovers she is a blood witch from a long line of powerful witches. These books follow her as she deals with learning more about her powers, betrayal, and someone she loves trying to kill her. I love the underlying story, but some of the books could have been combined and trimmed. In every book, the author tells back story......and honestly, 10 books in I don't need to be reminded of some of these details.

Pilgrims of Rayne- DJ MacHale

2010-01-07T22:00:00.000-06:00

The Pilgrims of Rayne by D.J. MacHale

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I have been reading this series for a while. I really like the story- a kid-Bobby Pendragon- discovers he is a Traveler and must go to different the different territories that make up Halla in order to save them from the evil Saint Dane. He travels using a flume that sends him to the territory right when he's needed. The territories include current time Earth, past and future Earth and seven other places that are not on Earth at all. He sends journals of what happens to him through the traveler ring to his friends Mark & Courtney back on second Earth (current day & time)

In the 8th installment, Pilgrims of Rayne, Bobby must discover the turning point on Ibara. Of course, he meets up with Saint Dane who is mixing things from the different territories. This is a big no no. Bobby also breaks a few rules himself.

I enjoy these books because they keep me on the edge of my seat as it goes back and forth between what's happening to Mark & Courtney and the journals that Bobby sends. I would have rated this one higher but it times the story got a little bogged down with details, especially ones from Bobby's travels.

SPOILER ALERT!!!

The ending really annoyed me...what Bobby decides to do on Ibara was a little selfish. How did he expect Courtney to leave First Earth? What about Siry- he was now stranded somewhere other than the only home he knew.

There are two more books in this series. It is well worth picking up and reading but start at the beginning. I have several boys in my class who also love these books.

View all my reviews >>

2009 in review

2010-01-01T02:26:00.004-06:00

In 2009:
I visited New York City, Panama City Beach (and surrounding areas), Philadelphia, St Louis (twice to see shows)

I saw Mary Poppins on Broadway, the tours of: Rent with Anthony Rapp, Wicked, In the Heights, the concerts of:the Indigo Girls, New Kids on the Block, Jennifer Knapp

I met lots and lots of my favorite authors and actors from my favorite musicals

I learned I am not half bad as a theatre actor and was in two plays

I began voice & piano lessons and realized that I can sing and play the piano (tho not at the same time and I'm better at singing)

I accomplished my goal of reading 100 books

I drove through Nashville & Murfreesboro by myself for the first time

I started working with a college color guard

I lost a friendship

I reconnected with someone

I said goodbye to a man who has known me since birth and who was a very good friend of my parents

I got to teach high school algebra

I had surgery for the first time

I lost a dog and gained a cat

My goals for 2010:
Read more books
meet more people
rid myself of the negative
get healthier (once my foot is healed)
sing in front of people
write my book

(it's nearly 3 am and I have probably forgotten something. I may add more later)

December books, plus everything else

2010-01-01T02:13:00.002-06:00

December
City of Bones~Cassandra Clare

City of Ashes~Cassandra Clare

City of Glass ~Cassandra Clare

The Flying Flea, Callie & Me~Bill & Carol Wallace

The Unwritten Rule~Elizabeth Scott

Suite Scarlett~Maureen Johnson

Scarlett Fever~ Maureen Johnson

Sweep:Book of Shadows~ Cate Tiernan

Sweep: The Coven~Cate Tiernan

Sweep:Blood Witch~Cate Tiernan

The Strange Power~LJ Smith

The Possessed~LJ Smith

The Passion~LJ Smith

Boyology:A Crash Course in all Things Boy~Sarah O'Leary Burningham

Emily the Strange:Seeing is Deceiving~Rob Reger

Rapunzel's Revenge~Shannon & Dean Hale

Alice in Wonderland (play)~adapted by William Glennon(this was actually read in June but was left off the list)

January

The Tales of Beedle the Bard~JK Rowling

Kingdom Keepers:Disney After Dark~Ridley Pearson

Fade to Blue~Sean Beaudoin (not released until Spring 09)

My Sister the Vampire:Switched~Sienna Mercer

My Sister the Vampire:Fangtastic~Sienna Mercer

February

Kingdom Keepers:Disney at Dawn~ Ridley Pearson

The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl~Barry Lyga

Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist~Rachel Cohn & David Levithan

Night World vl 1: Secret Vampire

Daughters of Darkness

Spellbinder ~LJ Smith

Zombie Queen on Newbury High ~ Amanda Ashby

Prophecy of the Sisters ~Michelle Zink

March

Geektastic ~Edited by Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci

Oh My Goth ~ Gena Showalter

Hunted~PC & Kristen Cast

The Thirteen Treasures~Michelle Harrison (this one of the best written books I've read in a while)

Wit~a play by Margaret Edson

Angus, Thongs, & Full frontal Snogging~Louise Rennison

Twilight Director's Notebook~Catherine Hardwick

April

On the Bright Side, I'm now the Girlfriend of a Sex God~Louise Rennison

Cabinet of Wonders~ Marie Rutkoski

Giver~Lois Lowry (read with my class)

Why I Let My Hair Grow Out~Maryrose Wood

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Thing~Carolyn Mackler

Boy Toy~Barry Lyga

13 Little Blue Envelopes~Maureen Johnson

Westing Game~Ellen Raskin (read with class)

North of Beautiful ~Justina Chen Headley

Knocked Out by my Nunga-Nunga~Louise Rennison

May

Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants~Louise Rennison

Blue is for Nightmares~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Away Laughing on a Fast Camel~Louise Rennison

To Kill a Mockingbird~ Harper Lee

White is for Magic~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Burned~Ellen Hopkins

Fight Club_Chuck Palahniuk

The Fashion Disaster that Changed my life~Lauren Myracle

June

Dead is the New Black~Marlene Perez

The Misfits ~James Howe

The Book of One Hundred Truths~ Julie Schumacher

Then He Ate my Boy Entrancers ~Louise Rennison

Looking for Alaska~ John Green

The Hate List~Jennifer Brown

Magic or Madness~Justine Larbalestier

So you want to be a wizard~Diane Duane

New Moon audiobook~Stephenie Meyer

July

Sea Change~ Aimee Friedman

Magic Lessons~Justine Larbalestier

Goth Girl Rising~ Barry Lyga

Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince audiobook~ JK Rowling

Eclipse audiobook~ Stephenie Meyer

Silver is for Secrets ~ Laurie Faria Stolarz

Red is for Remembrance~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Devilish~Maureen Johnson

The Center of the Universe, Yep, That'd be Me ~Anita Liberty

Something to Blog About~Shana Norris

Love is Hell (collection of short stories)~ Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfield, Justine Larbalstier, Gabrielle Zevin, Laurie Faria Stolarz

South Beach ~Aimee Friedman

Re-Vamped!~Sienna Mercer

August

Ash~Malinda Lo

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows audiobook ~JK Rowling

Peace, Love, & Baby Ducks~Lauren Myracle

Startled by his Furry Shorts~Louise Rennison

Love is a Many Torusered Thing~ Louise Rennison

Sabriel~Garth Nix

September

Lirael ~ Garth Nix

Magic's Child~Justine Larbalestier

Wintergirls~Laurie Halse Anderson

Surviving the Applewhites~ Stephanie S. Tolan

October

Dark Angel~LJ Smith

Time Traveler's Wife~Audrey Niffenegger

Paper Towns~John Green

Dead is a State of Mind~Marlene Perez

Dead is so Last Year~Marlene Perez

Vampalicious~Sienna Mercer

The Chosen~LJ Smith

Soulmates ~LJ Smith

November

Tempted~PC & Kristen Cast

Beautiful Creatures~Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Hunger Games~Suzanne Collins

13 Reasons Why~Jay Asher

Will Grayson, Will Grayson~David Levithan & John Green

the best books I read in 2009

2009-12-27T23:02:00.004-06:00

I DID IT! I reached my goal of reading 100 books this year and I read a lot of really good ones this year. Here is a list of the ones I gave 5 stars to on Goodreads.com. I liked them for different reasons. All of them are young adult, some are fantasy, some are for older teens, some have language not appropriate in some circles, but all, in my opinion, were really really good.

In no particular order with a quick, one sentence summary of sorts:

The 13 Treasures by Michelle Harrison (a fairy book. a girl goes to stay with her grandmother and discovers she is connected to the fairy world. well written)

13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson (a fantastic story. a girl's grandmother leaves her a package with 13 blue envelopes and sends her on a trip around the globe that she will never forget-one of my faves!)

The Hate List by Jennifer Brown (a story about a school shooting and the road to forgiveness)

Paper Towns by John Green (a night with Margo Roth Speigelman a boy will never forget -its not what you think-leads to a search for her later-one of my faves!)

Looking for Alaska by John Green (a boy's life is changed when he meets a girl named Alaska, then changed again when tragedy strikes- I *heart* John Green)

13 Reasons Why by Jay Asher (a girl leaves audio recordings detailing the 13 reasons that led to her suicide- probably my fave of the year)

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman (a girl goes to her mom's childhood vacation home one summer and meets an intriguing and mysterious boy named Leo, who has a very cool secret-my book-boy crush of the year)

Mortal Instruments series (City of Bones, City of Ashes, City of Glass) by Cassandra Clare (a mixture of warlocks, vampires, werewolves, and shadow hunters- I think boys and girls alike will enjoy these)

Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (in this society, children are selected to fight to the death with other children. a match that is televised for the whole country to see. )

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headly (a girl was born with a facial birthmark and her mother has spent her entire live trying to get rid of it. a story of love and loving who you are)

The Astonishing Adventures of Fan boy & Goth Girl by Barry Lyga (nerdy guy meets goth girl. girl tries to give boy confidence in his comic book work while hiding secrets of her own)

Goth Girl Rising by Barry Lyga (set 6 months or so after astonishing adv. of fanboy & goth girl. Focuses more on goth girl as she deals with coming back to school)

Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl (a new girl comes to town to live with her reclusive uncle, but there is more to this family that meets the eye. boy meets girl and they realize their lives are connected in many ways)

Magic or Madness by Justine Larbalstier (a girl deals with the fact that if she uses magic, she'll die at a younger age, but if she does not use magic, she'll go mad like her mother has)

Sabriel by Garth Nix (a girl has become a necromancer as a birthright to banish demons and save her father)

Boy Toy by Barry Lyga (a story of a boy who was manipulated into a relationship by a teacher and deals with her getting out of jail)

Angus, Thongs & Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison (a fictional diary of a British teen dealing with her cat, her sister, her parents and her friends at school- hilarious!)

Prophecy of the Sisters by Michelle Zink (twin sisters realize that they are destined to be at war with one another- one on the side of good and one on the side of evil. Can they find a way to break the curse?)

The Earth, my Butt, and Other Big Round Things by Carolyn Mackler (a plus size teen in a family of skinny people feels like an outcast until she decides to take charge of her own life)

Kingdom Keepers: Disney After Dark by Ridley Pearson (kids try to save Disney World from the evil Disney characters that are trying to take over)

Rapunzel's Revenge by Shannon & Dean Hale (a girl-power graphic novel featuring Rapunzel and her hair)

Scarlette Fever by Maureen Johnson

2009-12-23T15:17:00.000-06:00

Scarlett Fever by Maureen Johnson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Scarlett Fever picks up very soon after Suite Scarlett. Without giving too much away, we learn more about Spencer's job prospects, Scarlett's love interests, Lola's angst, & Marlene's secret agenda. (curious now? good)

It really left me hanging though! I can only assume there will be another book in this series...there has to be.

Cute story, quick read.

View all my reviews >>

Religious discourse

2009-12-23T14:16:00.003-06:00

As a rule, I don't engage in religious or political discussion with people. One reason is that is always seems to turn personal. Why can't we have conversations about things and still walk away as friends.

Right, because people don't seem to know what those are.

I broke my rule today and got into a religious discussion on someone's Facebook page. It turned personal for me when I said I didn't think that it was the public school's responsibility to teach Christian heritage, traditions or beliefs, as one poster said they should. He then proceeded to say he was glad that his children weren't in my class. Wow. Since he has never had a conversation with me other than my post me I find it amazing he can pass that kind of judgment. (Edited to add- upon further reflection and conversation, turns out that we DID have a conversation once before.)

But I don't think public schools should. What would they teach? Each denomination thinks what they do is correct. Can you imagine the fights over what goes in the curriculum?
Personally, I don't think there should public led prayer at school. Prayer, unless you are in an intercessory group, should, in my opinion, be a private thing. What if I don't agree with what the person is praying out loud? If I am standing there aren't I essentially saying that I am in agreement?

I hear all the time that God has been kicked out of public schools. No, he hasn't. At my school and probably most schools kids still have every right to pray on their own, wear a cross or Star of David, etc. They can wear shirts with bible scriptures. They just can't distract from instruction (bc ya know, that's what they are going to school for, to learn) And as a public school teacher, I cannot teach MY beliefs. I am quite ok with that. I wouldn't want someone whose beliefs I disagree with teaching my nephew that theirs was the correct way. I think it is the parents' responsibility to guide their children. In my classroom I do my best to be fair, to show my students that I love and care for their well being and that I want them to be the best person they can be. My hope is that they know my heart and what kind of person I am through my actions.

Am I perfect? Of course not. I screw up all the time. Do I have all of the answers? Oh Heck no. I am still trying to figure stuff out. I struggle with & question things all the time. I think that's how we learn though. And conversations, without destroying the person, are key.

Mortal Instruments books 1-3 by Cassandra Clare

2009-12-19T15:40:00.001-06:00

City of Glass by Cassandra Clare

My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I waited until I finished the last in the Mortal Instruments series before giving my thoughts.

This series includes City of Bones, City of Ashes & City of Glass by Cassandra Clare. These books are fabulous! I was completely hooked from the first page. So many twists and turns. And it has a little of everything- vampires, werewolves, warlocks, shadowhunters, almost-epic battles, and a little love and heartache thrown in.

I will confess that I began to suspect something in book two....so I flipped to the back of book three before I started it. I HAD TOO! I was dying to know! But how it all comes together is great. I would love to know more about the characters, though, after the last book.

Read this series!!

View all my reviews >>

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

2009-12-19T15:31:00.000-06:00

The Unwritten Rule by Elizabeth Scott

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
The unwritten rule of friendship is that you don't steal your best friends boyfriend. But what if she always takes the boys you like?

I'm 35, but as I read this book I saw my 15 year old self and heard the things that my "best friend" at the time said to me. Have we all had those "friends" that put us down with a compliment?

Spoilerish-

I understand Sarah wanting to try to fix her relationship with Brianna even though it was toxic. You invest in something that long and you hate to see it gone.
I enjoyed this book as an adult and would have loved it as a teen. I can't wait to read more by Elizabeth Scott!

View all my reviews >>

November books

2009-12-02T21:07:00.001-06:00

November

Tempted~PC & Kristen Cast This one is ok, I love this series but the books tend to drag at times

Beautiful Creatures~Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl Loved this one! and I just found out that there will be five books in this series AND there is going to be a movie!

Hunger Games~Suzanne Collins you must read this book. Reality tv taken to an all new level.

13 Reasons Why~Jay Asher This one is a great story. Must read

Will Grayson, Will Grayson~David Levithan & John Green I love John Green

I am at 83. Behind on my goal!!

October books

2009-11-04T21:49:00.001-06:00

October

Dark Angel~LJ Smith

Time Traveler's Wife~Audrey Niffenegger

Paper Towns~John Green

Dead is a State of Mind~Marlene Perez

Dead is so Last Year~Marlene Perez

Vampalicious~Sienna Mercer

The Chosen~LJ Smith

Soulmates ~LJ Smith

you can scroll down a few posts to see what I've read so far this year.
I'll be posting more non-book related blogs soon. gotta get through this week first. :)

Book Contest! Prophecy of the Sisters!

2009-10-17T13:41:00.003-05:00

My author-friend Michelle Zink is hosting an awesome giveaway on her blog. Check it out, and check out her novel Prophecy of the Sisters! (I highly recommend the book!)

Soul searching

2009-10-12T00:01:00.002-05:00

It's been a while since I have taken to my blog and posted more than just snippets of what I am reading. I think that once people I knew in real life began reading my blog I started to censor myself and I believe I started losing my voice some. I hope I can begin writing again and gain it back. The things I write might be offensive, whiny, stupid, boring, enlightening, funny, whatever...but they need to be said bc I need to say them. I do appreciate feedback but as this is my spot in the interwebs, respectful dialogue is appreciated.

Today (after looking at the clock I realize it was yesterday) is my 35th birthday. I don't feel 35- however that is supposed to feel. But lately I have felt 15. Let me explain....

When I was about 15 my best friend decided she didn't want to be my friend anymore. Without explanation she just became more distant and cruel. Then it all came to a head when she started using phone conversations against me- baiting me and then telling other people what I said to make fun, etc etc etc. This incident in my life had a profound affect- I stopped trusting other females. Even now I have a hard time opening up to people for fear that I am going to get hurt, bc even at 35 it sucks. I feel that I have a lot of "friends" but a lot of times I feel it's all superficial and shallow. I know part of this is my fault bc I am unwilling to put my self out there completely but I can't seem to find the people willing to engage in deeper relationships.

I heard an analogy once -I think it was Stephen Mansfield who said that we are like a full glass of water. We pour a little of ourselves into the people who come into our lives. But if people don't pour into ours we run dry (I completely mangled the analogy, but I hope you get the meaning.)

My soul is dying. I am desperate for deeper, meaningful relationships. People who will not only will open themselves up to me but want me to open myself up. People who want to know my beliefs and will be OK when they differ from theirs- bc most likely they will.

I want to take nothing away from the people in my life now that consider me their friend. I thank you for your friendship. Little snippets here and there help me navigate through this life. But I am in need of more. I need flesh-and-bone humans willing to share their lives. I sure as hell don't want pity or to be manipulated.

How do other people do it? I really want to know.

(and if you would prefer to, feel free to email me at sandilu at hotmail dot com)

September books

2009-10-09T13:50:00.002-05:00

I plan to start blogging more than just what I've read. I used to write a lot more but for various reasons stopped. For now though- here is my book list.

September was overwhelmingly busy so I didn't get to read nearly as many books as I had hoped.

September
Lirael ~ Garth Nix

Magic's Child~Justine Larbalestier

Wintergirls~Laurie Halse Anderson

Surviving the Applewhites~ Stephanie S. Tolan

August

Ash~Malinda Lo

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows audiobook ~JK Rowling

Peace, Love, & Baby Ducks~Lauren Myracle

Startled by his Furry Shorts~Louise Rennison

Love is a Many Torusered Thing~ Louise Rennison

Sabriel~Garth Nix

66 so far (slightly behind schedule!)

July

Sea Change~ Aimee Friedman

Magic Lessons~Justine Larbalestier

Goth Girl Rising~ Barry Lyga

Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince audiobook~ JK Rowling

Eclipse audiobook~ Stephenie Meyer

Silver is for Secrets ~ Laurie Faria Stolarz

Red is for Remembrance~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Devilish~Maureen Johnson

The Center of the Universe, Yep, That'd be Me ~Anita Liberty

Something to Blog About~Shana Norris

Love is Hell (collection of short stories)~ Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfield, Justine Larbalstier, Gabrielle Zevin, Laurie Faria Stolarz

South Beach ~Aimee Friedman

Re-Vamped!~Sienna Mercer

13 this month

60 total for the year

June

Dead is the New Black~Marlene Perez

The Misfits ~James Howe

The Book of One Hundred Truths~ Julie Schumacher

Then He Ate my Boy Entrancers ~Louise Rennison

Looking for Alaska~ John Green

The Hate List~Jennifer Brown

Magic or Madness~Justine Larbalestier

So you want to be a wizard~Diane Duane
New Moon audiobook~ Stephenie Meyer

so far this year- 47

May

Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants~Louise Rennison

Blue is for Nightmares~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Away Laughing on a Fast Camel~Louise Rennison

To Kill a Mockingbird~ Harper Lee

White is for Magic~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Burned~Ellen Hopkins

Fight Club_Chuck Palahniuk

The Fashion Disaster that Changed my life~Lauren Myracle

so far this year- 38

April

On the Bright Side, I'm now the Girlfriend of a Sex God~Louise Rennison

Cabinet of Wonders~ Marie Rutkoski

Giver~Lois Lowry (read with my class)

Why I Let My Hair Grow Out~Maryrose Wood

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Thing~Carolyn Mackler

Boy Toy~Barry Lyga

13 Little Blue Envelopes~Maureen Johnson

Westing Game~Ellen Raskin (read with class)

North of Beautiful ~Justina Chen Headley

Knocked Out by my Nunga-Nunga~Louise Rennison

so far this year- 30

Goal for the year-100

March
Geektastic ~Edited by Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci
Oh My Goth ~ Gena Showalter
Hunted~PC & Kristen Cast
The Thirteen Treasures~Michelle Harrison (this one of the best written books I've read in a while)
Wit~a play by Margaret Edson
Angus, Thongs, & Full frontal Snogging~Louise Rennison (this book is HILARIOUS!)
Twilight Director's Notebook~ Catherine Hardwick

Books read so far this year- 20
Goal for the year-100

February
Kingdom Keepers:Disney at Dawn~ Ridley Pearson
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl~Barry Lyga
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist~Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Night World vl 1: Secret Vampire
Daughters of Darkness
Spellbinder ~LJ Smith
Zombie Queen on Newbury High ~ ~Amanda Ashby
Prophecy of the Sisters ~Michelle Zink

January
The Tales of Beedle the Bard~JK Rowling (Brilliant!)
Kingdom Keepers:Disney After Dark~Ridley Pearson (A must read for any Disney fan)
Fade to Blue~Sean Beaudoin (not released until Spring 09) (This one had me guessing until the end)
My Sister the Vampire:Switched~Sienna Mercer (Vampire books for the Middle school set. Really cute books)
My Sister the Vampire:Fangtastic~Sienna Mercer

Uniforms!

2009-09-12T00:03:00.002-05:00

For some reason when I snapped this with my phone it showed up as royal blue. But the uniforms are a deep purple. The girls love them and squealed when they saw them.

First contest is in two weeks. EK!

August books

2009-09-01T21:32:00.000-05:00

August

Ash~Malinda Lo

Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows audiobook ~JK Rowling

Peace, Love, & Baby Ducks~Lauren Myracle

Startled by his Furry Shorts~Louise Rennison

Love is a Many Torusered Thing~ Louise Rennison

Sabriel~Garth Nix

66 so far (slightly behind schedule!)

July

Sea Change~ Aimee Friedman

Magic Lessons~Justine Larbalestier

Goth Girl Rising~ Barry Lyga

Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince audiobook~ JK Rowling

Eclipse audiobook~ Stephenie Meyer

Silver is for Secrets ~ Laurie Faria Stolarz

Red is for Remembrance~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Devilish~Maureen Johnson

The Center of the Universe, Yep, That'd be Me ~Anita Liberty

Something to Blog About~Shana Norris

Love is Hell (collection of short stories)~ Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfield, Justine Larbalstier, Gabrielle Zevin, Laurie Faria Stolarz

South Beach ~Aimee Friedman

Re-Vamped!~Sienna Mercer

13 this month

60 total for the year

June

Dead is the New Black~Marlene Perez

The Misfits ~James Howe

The Book of One Hundred Truths~ Julie Schumacher

Then He Ate my Boy Entrancers ~Louise Rennison

Looking for Alaska~ John Green

The Hate List~Jennifer Brown

Magic or Madness~Justine Larbalestier

So you want to be a wizard~Diane Duane
New Moon audiobook~ Stephenie Meyer

so far this year- 47

........ ........

May

Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants~Louise Rennison

Blue is for Nightmares~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Away Laughing on a Fast Camel~Louise Rennison

To Kill a Mockingbird~ Harper Lee

White is for Magic~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Burned~Ellen Hopkins

Fight Club_Chuck Palahniuk

The Fashion Disaster that Changed my life~Lauren Myracle

so far this year- 38

April

On the Bright Side, I'm now the Girlfriend of a Sex God~Louise Rennison

Cabinet of Wonders~ Marie Rutkoski

Giver~Lois Lowry (read with my class)

Why I Let My Hair Grow Out~Maryrose Wood

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Thing~Carolyn Mackler

Boy Toy~Barry Lyga

13 Little Blue Envelopes~Maureen Johnson

Westing Game~Ellen Raskin (read with class)

North of Beautiful ~Justina Chen Headley

Knocked Out by my Nunga-Nunga~Louise Rennison

so far this year- 30

Goal for the year-100

Why yes, I read (or listened to) 13 books in July

2009-08-01T16:46:00.001-05:00

July

Sea Change~ Aimee Friedman

Magic Lessons~Justine Larbalestier

Goth Girl Rising~ Barry Lyga

Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince audiobook~ JK Rowling

Eclipse audiobook~ Stephenie Meyer

Silver is for Secrets ~ Laurie Faria Stolarz

Red is for Remembrance~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Devilish~Maureen Johnson

The Center of the Universe, Yep, That'd be Me ~Anita Liberty

Something to Blog About~Shana Norris

Love is Hell (collection of short stories)~ Melissa Marr, Scott Westerfield, Justine Larbalstier, Gabrielle Zevin, Laurie Faria Stolarz

South Beach ~Aimee Friedman

Re-Vamped!~Sienna Mercer

13 this month

60 total for the year

June

Dead is the New Black~Marlene Perez

The Misfits ~James Howe

The Book of One Hundred Truths~ Julie Schumacher

Then He Ate my Boy Entrancers ~Louise Rennison

Looking for Alaska~ John Green

The Hate List~Jennifer Brown

Magic or Madness~Justine Larbalestier

So you want to be a wizard~Diane Duane
New Moon audiobook~ Stephenie Meyer

so far this year- 47

........ ........

May

Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants~Louise Rennison

Blue is for Nightmares~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Away Laughing on a Fast Camel~Louise Rennison

To Kill a Mockingbird~ Harper Lee

White is for Magic~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Burned~Ellen Hopkins

Fight Club_Chuck Palahniuk

The Fashion Disaster that Changed my life~Lauren Myracle

so far this year- 38

April

On the Bright Side, I'm now the Girlfriend of a Sex God~Louise Rennison

Cabinet of Wonders~ Marie Rutkoski

Giver~Lois Lowry (read with my class)

Why I Let My Hair Grow Out~Maryrose Wood

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Thing~Carolyn Mackler

Boy Toy~Barry Lyga

13 Little Blue Envelopes~Maureen Johnson

Westing Game~Ellen Raskin (read with class)

North of Beautiful ~Justina Chen Headley

Knocked Out by my Nunga-Nunga~Louise Rennison

so far this year- 30

Goal for the year-100

Scrapbooking stuffs

2009-07-24T22:15:00.002-05:00

I recently purchased a Silhouette SD Digital Craft cutter and it's the coolest thing ever! There several places where I can get free files for it. One of the best is Jennie Bean Crafts. They have some of the most incredible sliceforms.
If you have a Digital cutter or are considering getting one-go check that blog out!

Further thoughts on Half Blood Prince

2009-07-19T14:10:00.002-05:00

Spoilerages abound!

I keep seeing status updates on Facebook & Twitter where people say they hated the new Harry Potter movie bc they left so much out. (Did we watch the same movie?)

Yes, there are things from the book that were left out. That is the nature of film making. They cannot take every.single.detail. from a book and put it in a movie. We'd all still be at the cinema.
Here's what I keep hearing and my opinion on them:

One thing people are complaining about is that the funeral was left out. I think this was done for a number of reason (including what the director said about it)
At the point in the movie were DD dies, it's already well over two hours in. Adding the funeral would have added more time. But most importantly, I think the raising of the lit wands was much more poignant than a funeral would have been (and less costly).

Another thing people are complaining about is the missing battle at the end. I think (and this is only my opinion remember) they left it out bc
1. they ended Order of the Phoenix with a battle at the Ministry. Ending with a major death instead of a battle seems to flow better, movie wise.
2. there is going to be an EPIC battle at Hogwarts at the end of movie 7 part two (at least there better be). Ending with Dumbledore's death sets the stage for what's coming.

As an avid, rabid, dorky Harry Potter fan, I was quite ok with how they ended it.

I was not, however, ok with the burning of the Burrow. I have heard two theories on that and neither justify it enough. One was that the movie needed more action at that point (puh leez) and the other is that Helena Bonham Carter's contract may have called for more face time (not good enough).

I was also rather miffed that Dumbledore did not freeze Harry in place when Draco confronted him. How heartbreaking it was when I read that part in the book when Harry realized that DD was really dead bc the jinx broke.

Mark thought -and upon further reflection I agree- that they could have used a little more explanation about the Horcruxes and about why the Dementors and Death Eaters were attacking Muggles at the start. For someone (the hubs) who had not read the book, those were a little confusing.

However, none of what I disliked was enough for me to say that I "hated" the movie or that it "sucked", as many have so eloquently put it. And from what I understand, JK Rowling signed off on the changes (including the pointless Burrow scene).

Half Blood Prince- my thoughts

2009-07-15T22:58:00.004-05:00

I saw Harry Potter & the Half Blood Prince tonight. It was fantastic! I have read or listened to the book multiple times and, with two exceptions, the movie captured the book marvelously.

I will talk about some scenes from the movie, so if you want no spoilers you might want to stop reading here...

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Still reading? good

First, I cannot get over how grown those kids are! They are so adorable and have become much better actors over time. Tom Felton was perfect as a tormented Draco Malfoy.
I thought that, given the limited time, they covered the majority of the major points from the book (except that Bill was not in it so he wasn't mauled by Greyback)

And speaking of the Weasleys.....my wtf moment came when the Burrow was attacked and burned. Not only was it not in the book at all, I didn't see where it served any purpose in the story. To show that Harry can be tracked down? The Burrow is supposed to have almost as many protections while Harry is there as Hogwarts. I'm not buying it. That was the most troubling bit.
The second bothersome part was that Harry was not stupefied under his invisibility cloak during the Astronomy Tower scene. Harry would not just stand there. Maybe, just maybe, he thought Snape was really going to help but still, DD could have stupefied him after he went down a level.

Other than those two bits, I was extremely happy with how this movie was done. I thought the death scene was well done (and the "Severus, Please" part-wow) I (along with about everyone else in the theater) cried when everyone held their lit wands up.

This is the best movie of the series so far and I cannot wait to see how they do Deathly Hallows.

Review- Goth Girl Rising

2009-07-08T23:42:00.002-05:00

I have been eagerly awaiting this book for a while and was finally able to get my hands, er, eyes on a (completely legal) digital copy. (I still want the book!)

Goth Girl Rising follows Kyra after she is released from the mental hospital after attempting to commit suicide. When she returns, she expects things to be exactly like they were before- particularly that Fanboy is still an outcast. When she discovers that he is anything but, she gets pissed and wants revenge.

Goth Girl is a sequel of sorts to The Astonishing Adventure of Fanboy and Goth Girl, but this one is told from Kyra's point of view. There were times when I felt sorry for her and times I wanted to throttle her for being so self centered by thinking everyone is against her and nothing is her fault.

I did like how the book ended, but I wanted MORE!

Win Along for the Ride

2009-07-06T20:28:00.002-05:00

Just Blinded Book Reviews is holding a contest for a galley copy of Along for the Ride. Go over there and enter! good luck

Sea Change by Aimee Friedman

2009-07-05T15:16:00.002-05:00

Miranda's mother and grandmother have been estrange since before Miranda was born. When Isadora, her grandmother, dies, Miranda goes to Selkie Island in Georgia to help go through the things at Isadora's summer house. There, Miranda's mom reconnects with old friends and Miranda feels thrust into the world of the upper crust- that is, until she meets local boy Leo, who might be harboring a fantastical secret. Should Miranda believe the local lore?

I loved this book so much. I so wanted to know more about the summer house, Isadora's secrets, Selkie Island, and Leo. LEO! I think he might be replacing Edward as my book-boy crush.

I've heard (from the author herself!) that there could be a sequel and that makes me very very giddy.

June books

2009-07-03T22:00:00.002-05:00

June

Dead is the New Black~Marlene Perez

The Misfits ~James Howe

The Book of One Hundred Truths~ Julie Schumacher

Then He Ate my Boy Entrancers ~Louise Rennison

Looking for Alaska~ John Green

The Hate List~Jennifer Brown

Magic or Madness~Justine Larbalestier

So you want to be a wizard~Diane Duane

so far this year- 46

........

May

Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants~Louise Rennison

Blue is for Nightmares~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Away Laughing on a Fast Camel~Louise Rennison

To Kill a Mockingbird~ Harper Lee

White is for Magic~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Burned~Ellen Hopkins

Fight Club_Chuck Palahniuk

The Fashion Disaster that Changed my life~Lauren Myracle

so far this year- 38

April

On the Bright Side, I'm now the Girlfriend of a Sex God~Louise Rennison

Cabinet of Wonders~ Marie Rutkoski

Giver~Lois Lowry (read with my class)

Why I Let My Hair Grow Out~Maryrose Wood

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Thing~Carolyn Mackler

Boy Toy~Barry Lyga

13 Little Blue Envelopes~Maureen Johnson

Westing Game~Ellen Raskin (read with class)

North of Beautiful ~Justina Chen Headley

Knocked Out by my Nunga-Nunga~Louise Rennison

so far this year- 30

Goal for the year-100

Fanboy contest winner!

2009-07-02T22:28:00.005-05:00

Congrats to ALEXA for winning the signed copy of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. Her name was picked using Random.org

Alexa, I sent an email to the address you left.

Thanks to everyone who entered. I will post other contests soon. Keep checking back!

Check out this contest

2009-06-30T20:41:00.002-05:00

OHHHH! Another book contest! New author Jennifer Brown is celebrating a countdown to her book, Hate List, coming out by having a contest every week

Week 1's contest is HERE

My contest for The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth girl is now closed. Thanks for all that entered! I'll be announcing a winner in the next couple of days.

Be on the look out for future contests!

Go check out this new blogger

2009-06-28T20:48:00.001-05:00

JG Sexton is a new author and blogger and is holding a contest to get more readers.
Go here to check it out (and tell him Sandi sent you!)

here are some more book contests- Enter mine too!

2009-06-22T12:44:00.006-05:00

Cupcake Witch's spring cleaning contest(ends June 30)

Win The Awakening & The Summoning (ends July 2)

Win Suite Scarlett (ends July 17)

Must & Lust for books is giving away Suite Scarlett also (ends July 6)

A whole bunch of cool prizes here @Cindy's Book & Movie review (ends June 29)

More will be added, so keep checking back.
And make sure you enter mine for a *SIGNED* copy of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl

Book Contest! The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl

2009-06-22T11:56:00.006-05:00

I have a *signed* copy of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl by Barry Lyga to give away!

Fanboy is a little on the geeky side. He is a favorite target of bullies at school. His mom is married to a younger guy and is pregnant leaving him to feel left out at home. But he loves graphic novels and is secretly working on one of his own.
And his life begins to change when he meets Kyra- also known as Goth Girl- a girl who hates bullies & jocks and loves graphic novels as much as he does. He starts to have more confidence in himself because of Goth Girl, but is she hiding her own secrets?

Fanboy was the first book by Barry Lyga that I read. I first picked it up because of the cool title and loved it. I got to meet him in NYC this past March and bought a copy of Boy Toy (not connected to Fanboy but also fabulous!) I am eagerly awaiting Goth Girl Rising.

In the meantime, I am giving away not only the signed Fanboy, but also three postcards and a bookmark showcasing the other books.

Here's how to enter-
*You'll get 1 entry just for commenting here telling me that you want to enter(the first comment you make on this post).

*You'll get 2 entries for being a follower of this blog (Just click follow up there -----> to become a follower)

*You'll get 2 entries for reposting about this contest on your site (please post the link here, if you don't mind, so I can see it!)

*You'll also get 1 entry for anyone that you refer to this contest- just tell them to mention your name

What are you waiting for? Enter! The contest will close June 30!!

*Comments are now closed. Thanks to all that entered. Winner will be announced in the next couple of days!

Prophecy of the Sisters Winner!

2009-06-21T00:17:00.002-05:00

Congrats to LISA A for winning the ARC of Prophecy of the Sisters (name was drawn using a name randomizer site). Lisa, I'll be contacting you for your shipping info.

EVERYONE- Be on the look out in the next couple of days for another *BOOK CONTEST*
I'll be giving away a signed copy of The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl by Barry Lyga, along with a few goodies.

Thanks for entering!

Hate List by Jennifer Brown

2009-06-18T15:27:00.003-05:00

Valerie's boyfriend, Nick, goes on a shooting rampage at school and kills several people. His targets were people on Valerie's Hate List- a list of people and things they hated. After spending the summer by herself, Valerie decides to go back to school for her senior year. This proves even tougher than she thought as people question just how much Valerie knew about the shooting before hand. She learns a lot about friendships and enemies during this journey.

Jennifer Brown really touches on what it's like to feel like an outcast and gets into Valerie's mind as she deals with the pieces of her shattered life- at home and at school-after the shooting. Valerie realizes that people don't always stand by you when you need them and allies can come from surprising places.

I really enjoyed this book. I could feel Valerie's anxiety. Bullying doesn't just come from shoving someone in a locker. Name calling, especially at the middle school and high school level, seem to affect people for many many years. While I never condone violence, I can see how a person can get to the point where they feel there is no other option. As a teacher, I have to figure out how see the signs before it even gets to that point. We have to give kids other options. We have to teach kids that yes, words can hurt even more and they stay with us much longer than the bruises from sticks and stones.

Hate List is scheduled to be released in September 2009 from Little, Brown

*By the way- there are still a couple days left to enter the Prophecy of the Sisters contests. See the previous post for details.

Win an Advanced copy of Prophecy of the Sisters!!

2009-06-08T22:21:00.007-05:00

I have an extra copy of Prophecy of the Sisters, a fabulous book by Michelle Zink that I am giving away.

How can you enter? It's very simple, and I'll even give you extra ways to get your name in there.

*You'll get 1 entry just for commenting here (the first comment you make on the the post).

*You'll get 2 entries for being a follower of this blog (Just click follow up there -----> to become a follower)

*You'll get 2 entries for reposting about this contest on your site (please post the link here, if you don't mind)

*You'll also get 1 entry for anyone that you refer to this contest- just tell them to mention your name

You can still enter a contest over at Michelle's blog to win her book plus a lot of other cool things.

Other contests are in the works, so help me spread the word!

This contest will end June 20.

Book Trailer contest

2009-06-05T12:50:00.003-05:00

Calling all creative types- Author Barry Lyga is having a contest on his site where you can win a copy of his upcoming book Goth Girl Rising (which I am extremely anxious to get my hands on)

You can find details here.

If you don't know Barry Lyga's work you are missing out. I have two of his books- The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl and Boy Toy, both of which are fabulous but Boy Toy is one of my favorites. I also got to meet him when I was in NY in March and he was super nice.

SO, check out the contest and read his books.

Dead is the New Black

2009-06-04T13:45:00.001-05:00

Dead is the New Black follows Daisy, a teen who come from a family of psychics. Except she doesn't seem to have any powers. She wants to help out when a series of attacks on cheerleaders at her high school begin, so she joins the squad to find clues and she finds out more about her town than she bargained for.

The book has an interesting story but lacks interesting character development. Mom comes home and sits in a chair, oldest sister Rose studies all the time, & middle sister Poppy is hard to peg because her character seems to jump all over the place.
I liked the book, but didn't love it. I think it might have suffered from over-editing because it seemed rushed. There are two more books in the series out and I do plan to read them. There is a lot of potential here.

lessons in spray tanning

2009-06-04T01:04:00.002-05:00

I went to Florida last week and it was fabulous. A well deserved and much needed vacation. The weather was beautiful, the water was not too cold (and there was no icky slime in the ocean, just spots where some of that grass stuff was floating)

I've *almost* gotten to a place where I am comfortable in public in a bathing suit. I have a cute turquoise and brown tankini (which is much better than the wholesome wear suits . Guess I'm not too wholesome) We spent several days on the beach and in the ocean which meant I had to walk to and from my ocean side chair without my coverup. I say *almost* bc I am still not ready to be seen by someone I know.

Anyway, vanity got the better of me before we went and I decided that instead of subjecting the other beach goers to my vampire-white legs I'd get a spray tan. I had never done this before so it was quite.......interesting. She told me that the ocean and pool would make the tan either fade or strip it completely so I was prepared. The first couple of days were fine. Then it started happening........the streaks. I wasn't like it was tan-looking one day then..... POOF.....all white.

no.

My legs looked like I was losing pigment. I am in no way making fun of people who have to deal with vitiligo but that's exactly what my legs looked like (the spray tan was darker there). We were in walking distance of Pier Park, a shopping and dining area, so I went looking for an exfoliant. The lady from Merle Norman was really helpful bc instead of selling me the $40 per drop stuff they had in there she told me about another place that had some cheaper stuff. I found a Bath & Body works instead. I got some of this and let me tell ya- while it didnt strip the tan off, it smelled wonderful and made my skin silky smooth.

It's been a week and a half since the spray tan and there are places around my feet and ankles that look rusty. Lesson learned.

So, what goofy thing have you done in the name of vanity?

Prophecy of the Sisters contest!

2009-06-03T20:00:00.004-05:00

One of my new online author friends, Michelle Zink, has a book coming out and is having a contest.
Go here to see how you can enter to win a copy of the book plus a whole lot more stuff. (If you go from my blog, please say Sandi referred you!)

The book is Prophecy of the Sisters. It is the story of newly orphaned twin sisters who discover they are part of an ancient prophecy that turns sisters against each other. I hope this will be the first in a successful series.

I recommend it!

Quik reviews of my May reads

2009-05-31T22:54:00.000-05:00

I am going to try to at least give a quick review of the books I read from now on. Bear with me! you can find my ratings of the books here

*Dancing in my Nuddy Pants & Away on a Laughing Camel are two more installments in the Georgia Nicolson series. They are still just as funny as the first ones I read. They are written journal-style and tell the story of British teen Georgia as she deals with typical kid stuff. fun reads

*Blue is for Nightmares & White is for Magic are the first two in a series that deals with a teen who, through her dreams, can see when some one in her life is in serious danger. She is also a wtich. These are pretty good books. They kept me on the edge of my seat at times. I am going to have to get the next books in this series.

*To Kill a Mockingbird is one that I have had for a long time but just now got around to reading. I think I put it off because I thought it was going to be your typical courtroom drama/John Grisham type book, which I don't like. It was much better than I thought it was going to be. The "southern speak" got on my nerves a lot.

*Burned is one that I had been wanting to read. I have heard a lot of good things about Ellen Hopkins books. This one tells the story of a a girl from a Morman home that has many skeletons in the closets. Her alcoholic father is abusive and she starts to question everything. When her father sends her to live with an aunt in Nevada she starts to descover who she is. I loved this book until the end. I absolutely hated the book ended.

*Fight Club- I watched the movie forever ago and Mark kept telling me I needed to read the book. The movie stays pretty true to the book except right at the end. As for the book itself, I am not a fan of his writing style. I didn't like how he abruptly jumped scene. I am also not a fan of people beating the crap out of each but I knew what I was getting myself into there.

*The Fashion Disaster that Changed my Life- I love Lauren Myracle's books. She writes to the "tween" set and really gets them. As a middle school teacher I see and hear a lot of things that she writes about in her books. The Fashion Disaster That Changed My Life is no exception. 7th grade girls want to fit in and be popular and sometimes they forget what is important. I've been there myself. I still feel bad for ditching a long time friend when I moved to the junior high building and she was still in the elementary building. Lauren's characters are so easy to relate to and real. I would recommend any of her books to the girls in my class

May Books

2009-05-31T22:32:00.003-05:00

May

Dancing in my Nuddy-Pants~Louise Rennison

Blue is for Nightmares~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Away Laughing on a Fast Camel~Louise Rennison

To Kill a Mockingbird~ Harper Lee

White is for Magic~Laurie Faria Stolarz

Burned~Ellen Hopkins

Fight Club_Chuck Palahniuk

The Fashion Disaster that Changed my life~Lauren Myracle

so far this year- 38

April

On the Bright Side, I'm now the Girlfriend of a Sex God~Louise Rennison

Cabinet of Wonders~ Marie Rutkoski

Giver~Lois Lowry (read with my class)

Why I Let My Hair Grow Out~Maryrose Wood

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Thing~Carolyn Mackler

Boy Toy~Barry Lyga

13 Little Blue Envelopes~Maureen Johnson

Westing Game~Ellen Raskin (read with class)

North of Beautiful ~Justina Chen Headley

Knocked Out by my Nunga-Nunga~Louise Rennison

so far this year- 30

Goal for the year-100

March
Geektastic ~Edited by Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci
Oh My Goth ~ Gena Showalter
Hunted~PC & Kristen Cast
The Thirteen Treasures~Michelle Harrison (this one of the best written books I've read in a while)
Wit~a play by Margaret Edson
Angus, Thongs, & Full frontal Snogging~Louise Rennison (this book is HILARIOUS!)
Twilight Director's Notebook~ Catherine Hardwick

Books read so far this year- 20
Goal for the year-100

February
Kingdom Keepers:Disney at Dawn~ Ridley Pearson
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl~Barry Lyga
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist~Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Night World vl 1: Secret Vampire
Daughters of Darkness
Spellbinder ~LJ Smith
Zombie Queen on Newbury High ~ ~Amanda Ashby
Prophecy of the Sisters ~Michelle Zink

January
The Tales of Beedle the Bard~JK Rowling (Brilliant!)
Kingdom Keepers:Disney After Dark~Ridley Pearson (A must read for any Disney fan)
Fade to Blue~Sean Beaudoin (not released until Spring 09) (This one had me guessing until the end)
My Sister the Vampire:Switched~Sienna Mercer (Vampire books for the Middle school set. Really cute books)
My Sister the Vampire:Fangtastic~Sienna Mercer

More book contests!

2009-05-03T16:34:00.003-05:00

Here is your chance to win some books. Go here to win a copy of the Reformed Vampire Support Group

and here to win a copy of Kiss of Life, the hilarious and heart breaking follow up to Generation Dead

April books

2009-05-02T16:12:00.001-05:00

April

On the Bright Side, I'm now the Girlfriend of a Sex God~Louise Rennison

Cabinet of Wonders~ Marie Rutkoski

Giver~Lois Lowry (read with my class)

Why I Let My Hair Grow Out~Maryrose Wood

The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Thing~Carolyn Mackler

Boy Toy~Barry Lyga

13 Little Blue Envelopes~Maureen Johnson

Westing Game~Ellen Raskin (read with class)

North of Beautiful ~Justina Chen Headley

Knocked Out by my Nunga-Nunga~Louise Rennison

so far this year- 30

Goal for the year-100

Adventures in book signing

2009-04-29T17:18:00.005-05:00

Those of you who know me know how much I LOVE meeting authors. I have been very fortunate the last few years to get to go to the conferences where authors come. Last night, though, hubby took me to Nashville (about two hours away) so that I could meet Melissa Marr. She is one of my favorite authors (she wrote Wicked Lovely, Ink Exchange, & Fragile Eternity) We got there early and I chatted with another book nerd about the different books we like to read.

It was advertised that Melissa was going to read but she did a question and answer session instead(that was ok! she answered so many questions). She is so personable! I really enjoyed hearing what she had to say on writing in general and about her books. I planned to tell her about a certain part in book three that I had to read twice because I misunderstood the intentions of one of the characters....but I was so befuddled that I forgot the character's name! (It's Sorcha) Throughout the talk she would grab a bracelet that had a jump drive with some extras and throw it into the crowd. I really really really wanted one of these....and ended up with one whacking me in the nose. :)
Afterward she signed copies of her books. I made one girl's day today when I gave her a personalized copy of Wicked Lovely. I wish I could buy books for people every time I go to signings. (maybe one day I'll be independently wealthy, then I will)

If you like faerie books, check these out.

READ THIS BOOK!

2009-04-21T21:36:00.002-05:00

It's been awhile since I did a READ THIS BOOK entry. But I have to tell you about this book and you HAVE To read it!

Ginny was sent a package when her aunt died containing 13 letters. The first contained $1,000 and told her to get a passport and a one way ticket to London, setting up her first task. Ginny was to open a letter after a task was completed. She ends up on a whirlwind journey that changes her life.

13 Little Blue Envelopes is a fantastic book. What an exciting and terrifying idea- running off by yourself across the globe, relying on letters from a dead aunt to get you through.

It kind of makes me want to take off on a journey of my own.

READ THIS BOOK! (but you can't borrow mine because it's signed by the author and I'm stingy with those)

Win some books!

2009-04-19T20:45:00.002-05:00

Go HERE to enter for a chance to win an Advance Reader Copy (ARC) of Ghostgirl:Homecoming or Eyes Like Stars.
And if you win and I don't you have to let me borrow it! :)

March Reads

2009-03-31T19:55:00.001-05:00

Geektastic ~Edited by Holly Black & Cecil Castellucci
Oh My Goth ~ Gena Showalter
Hunted~PC & Kristen Cast
The Thirteen Treasures~Michelle Harrison (this one of the best written books I've read in a while)
Wit~a play by Margaret Edson
Angus, Thongs, & Full frontal Snogging~Louise Rennison (this book is HILARIOUS!)
Twilight Director's Notebook~ Catherine Hardwick

Books read so far this year- 20
Goal for the year-100

February
Kingdom Keepers:Disney at Dawn~ Ridley Pearson
The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl~Barry Lyga
Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist~Rachel Cohn & David Levithan
Night World vl 1: Secret Vampire
Daughters of Darkness
Spellbinder ~LJ Smith
Zombie Queen on Newbury High ~ ~Amanda Ashby
Prophecy of the Sisters ~Michelle Zink

January
The Tales of Beedle the Bard~JK Rowling (Brilliant!)
Kingdom Keepers:Disney After Dark~Ridley Pearson (A must read for any Disney fan)
Fade to Blue~Sean Beaudoin (not released until Spring 09) (This one had me guessing until the end)
My Sister the Vampire:Switched~Sienna Mercer (Vampire books for the Middle school set. Really cute books)
My Sister the Vampire:Fangtastic~Sienna Mercer

ooo! Another shout out!

2009-03-30T17:56:00.002-05:00

Author Marie Rutkoski gave me a shout out in her blog
http://www.marierutkoski.com/journal/283!

She is the author of Cabinet of Wonders, which I am currently reading, and it is really really good so far. She is one of the authors I met in NY at the signing and a fellow Battlestar Galactica fan :) Fellow sci-fi nerds unite!

How cool!

NYC 2009

2009-03-26T10:28:00.004-05:00

A group from the school where I teach went to New York over spring break. Being the NY fan that I am, I went as well. On these trips you pack as many things in as possible and in some cases you get just a fleeting glimpse. It was a fun trip but we spent waaaay too much time on shopping excursions and very little time in Times Square and the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

A few highlights:
*We got to go out on the observation deck this year at the Empire State Building (it was icy last time). NYC is gorgeous at night at that height.

*The Statue of Liberty is an awesome sight regardless of how many times I see it.

*Instead of going with the group to Chinatown and eat at Puglia's in Little Italy, I went to the Books of Wonder bookstore to an author signing. There were about 45 authors there. I bought 7 books (bc I had to pay full retail I couldn't afford many more). The authors signed in three shifts and it was a madhouse trying to find the author you wanted.
The authors I found:
Aimee Friedman -The Year My Sister Got Lucky
Maureen Johnson-13 Little Blue Envelopes
Barry Lyga- Boy Toy (he also wrote The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Gothgirl, which is fantastic)
Carolyn Mackler-The Earth, My Butt, & other Big Round Things
Justine Larbalestier-How to Ditch Your Fairy
Maryrose Wood-Why I Let My Hair Grow Out (she was kind enough to sign my book even though it wasn't her time. I had to leave in order to ride the subway to meet the others fot Mary Poppins)
Marie Rutkoski-The Cabinet of Wonders (she is also a fellow Battlestar Galactica fan!)

*We saw Mary Poppins. It was a good show & the sets were amazing. I didn't get to stagedoor afterward like I wanted to but I did buy the poster with the cast signatures that they were selling for charity.

*We spent THREE HOURS shopping on 5th avenue. #1 I am not a huge shopping fan. #2 I don't have the money to spend in stores on 5th avenue. #3 I would have preferred to have spent that time in Times Square. But I did buy socks and camis in H&M. And I saw a beautiful sapphire and diamond necklace in Tiffany's that I want if I ever become stupidly wealthy (as in more-money-than-sense wealthy.)

*We saw Mario Lopez filming a segment for Extra. AC SLATER!

*We took the NBC tour and saw the studios for Saturday Night Live (it's so small!) and the Today Show.

*We stood outside the Today Show and got on tv. If you were watching at 7:30 Tuesday morning you might have seen me!

*We had only one hour in the Metropolitan Museum of Art. That was barely enough time to find the part I wanted to see and run through that tiny section. I needed more time!

*I made my way to the Nederlander, where RENT was, to see what the theatre looks like now. I was curious about how different it would look.

Over all it was a great trip. Few people griped about things, most people were on time and when we did have to wait it was only a couple of minutes. It is hard to please everyone on trips like this, but I think they did a great job planning this one. So far I've made four trips to NYC in two years. Wonder when my next one will be.....

Follow me in NY!

2009-03-20T19:59:00.001-05:00

I am going to New York with a group. I am going to try to update periodically through Twitter since i won't have internet access. Follow me!

www.twitter.com/childofthe80s