Happy Halloween

Happy Birthday Dear Sister Kimberley!!!

Last Week in a Nutshell #4

One] The world's longest week began with Promethean Board training in St. Louis. We didn't get back until way late and left at 5.30 in the morning...in the A.M.!!! I gotta tell you though, I love going to these things I learned how to use Twitter with my Promethean (which is like a SMARTboard only better!) and refreshed how to use containers. Not a good way to start the work week though...especially since I had to get up early again on Wednesday for an FTA meeting and we had Parent-Teacher conferences Monday and Tuesday, which made for two 10 hr. days and a very long week, even if we had Friday off!

Two] Lila is Dorothy for Halloween. She has little short fluffy piggy-tails. She looks adorable, I look forward to all the candy she'll be getting...wait, maybe not! I figure I have only a few years of getting to decide what cute adorable outfits she wears for Halloween, must make the most of it!

Three] OK, so I read, in one day, the most beautiful book I've read in a long time. What's even more fun is that it's one of those dreaded banned books! I'll review it and talk more about it later. What I want to talk about is how the author was in Springfield, Missouri talking about its ban at a local high school there and I missed it. I didn't even know! I live an hour away and didn't get a chance to talk to her. Frankly, this is the kind of book I think EVERY teenager should read, it's honest and real and I think that sometimes grown-ups are afraid of these kinds of books, but teenagers know how real they are. Anyway, you should go find Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler and read it right now, and then you should read her blog and then you should fall in love with her...yes, I demand you fall in love with her. It's that good!

Four] My lovely cousin, Lynette, has a blog. This blog is lovely and diverse she talks art, she talks restoration, she talks food and recipes, her garden and a little about her life in Texas, her home state. I love her writing voice and I love her pretty, pretty face!

Six Word Saturday #25

My life in six words
Team from Missouri wins World Series!

Even if I only watched 2 of the 7 games, and about 4 regular season games, I still think that's pretty darn cool!

Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, try clicking here. Feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing. The full list and linky can be found here. And, here's where I found it.

13 Halloween Questions

Who doesn't enjoy a
lovely vintage postcard?
[Source]

So, my sister was born on Halloween and I've spent most of my life thinking of Halloween as being a time of crazy celebration...I mean ice cream, cake and candy...what more could someone ask for?

I found the questions below at So Many Books and thought they'd be fun to answer.

Which urban legend ghost scared the bejeesuz out of you when you were a kid?

Well, the one about the boy who collects moths and butterflies and he enjoys putting them in the jars and killing them and one night these moths and butterflies come and get him and drag him across the swamp and in the end he is pinned to a tree deep in the forest. I think our librarian read it from Tales From the Midnight Hour.

Which horror movie has the best premise?

Gothika "Ghost story in which a repressed female psychiatrist wakes up as a patient in the very asylum where she worked with no memory of why she is there and what she has done."...There's something so scary about deserted psych wards full of ghosts.

What is the most disappointing “treat” to receive in your bag on Halloween night?

Well, anything that wasn't professionally wrapped because we had to wait for Mom to expect it and more often than not we weren't allowed to eat it...

What’s the best non-candy item to receive?

Stickers, I am, and will always be a sucker for stickers.

Did a monster live in your closet when you were a child?

Nah, I was never really scared of monsters. Of course, it probably helped that the closet door was always opened and its light was always on.

Which supernatural creature sent chills up your spine when you were ten and still does?

Zombies. They are not cool undead, like vampires and they spend their whole existence trying to find you and attack you so you turn into a zombie or even worse they try to eat your brains out and the only thing that stops them is the daylight...zombies are frightening and real.

Which supernatural creature makes you yawn?

Vampires, they're a little overdone now and it seems that they don't really want to suck your blood, they just want to suck face and be mopey. Thanks for ruining a really scary creature there, Stephenie Meyer, with your sparkly, moody vamps.

What’s your favorite Halloween decoration?

Any really, I love that people are decorating their houses in the same manner that they would for Christmas...I love scarecrows and pumpkins and purple lights...sigh...

If you could be anywhere on Halloween night, where would you be?

I always enjoy going out on Halloween, not to dress up in costume, but to see others dressed up in costume...pretty cool, well except for the Borat wrestling costumes...not cool at all.

What’s the scariest book you’ve read so far this year?

Um, I don't really like to read things that scare me. I have a tendency to read something so very fast if I read something scary. The closest I've gotten to scary is Horns, but then...not so scary really.

Haunted houses or haunted hayrides?

Haunted houses scare the crap out of me...seriously, I've only been to one and one is enough.

Which Stephen King novel/movie would you least like to find yourself trapped in?

Pet Sematary. I would not want to be killed by my undead toddler. Sometimes I hear "No Daddy, no" in my head for no reason at all. Killer children are evil and scary. They rank right up there with killer dolls. Gahhhh! I'm going to have nightmares just thinking about them.

Which is creepiest: evil dolls, evil pets, evil children?

Evil children, first *insert cold chill* and then evil dolls...all dolls, especially those porcelain ones with the heads that can spin and have smiles that never reach their cold, dead eyes...and then pets.

Booking Through Thursday (Hard)

         From Booking Through Thursday:

What’s the hardest/most challenging book you’ve ever read? Was it worth the effort? Did you read it by choice or was it an assignment/obligation?

     I just finished the world's hardest/most challenging book EVER! It's called Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray. It took me almost a year to read it. Almost every page was pointless and dry...I'll review it in-depth later. Let's just say I feel good in saying that I've read Vanity Fair, but that's about all I got from the whole ordeal (and, yes, it was an ordeal).  I read it by choice, it was the most challenging book I've ever read, ever...in the end it felt like an obligation. I felt hollow and weary for days after reading it. Ick.

Feel free to share your answers below, on the original post (above), on FB or on your own blog!

30 Day Book Challenge: Day 06

Several months ago I found this book challenge (since then I have seen many variations of it, but I like this one best!), and have been intrigued about how I would answer the questions posed. Feel free to comment with your own answer or post the challenge to your own blog.

Favorite book of your favorite series

From Goodreads:
Following the cliffhanger ending of Blood of Amber, Merlin is stranded in surrealistic Alice in Wonderland-esque bar where the Mad Hatter serves cocktails. Managing to escape, Merlin meets new family members--one of whom is intent on killing him. As events escalates, Merlin finds himself surrounded by his worst enemies including his ex-girlfriend--back from the dead.

Day 01 – A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)
Day 02 – A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about
Day 03 – The best book you've read in the last 12 months
Day 04 – Your favorite book or series ever
Day 05 – A book or series you hate
Day 06 – Favorite book of your favorite series
Day 07 – Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise
Day 08 – A book everyone should read at least once
Day 09 – Best scene ever
Day 10 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 – A book that disappointed you
Day 12 – A book or series of books you’ve read more than five times
Day 13 – Favorite childhood book OR current favorite YA book (or both!)
Day 14 – Favorite character in a book
Day 15 – Your “comfort” book
Day 16 – Favorite poem or collection of poetry
Day 17 – Favorite story or collection of stories (short stories, novellas, novelettes, etc.)
Day 18 – Favorite beginning scene in a book
Day 19 – Favorite book cover (bonus points for posting an image!)
Day 20 – Favorite kiss
Day 21 – Favorite romantic/sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 22 – Favorite non-sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 23 – Most annoying character ever
Day 24 – Best quote from a novel
Day 25 – Any five books from your “to be read” stack
Day 26 – OMG WTF? OR most irritating/awful/annoying book ending
Day 27 – If a book contains ______, you will always read it (and a book or books that contain it)!
Day 28 – First favorite book or series obsession
Day 29 – Saddest character death OR best/most satisfying character death (or both!)
Day 30 – What book are you reading right now?

Word of the Week: Katabasis

50 Books in a Year: Book #44 Final Friends Book Three: The Graduation

Here are somethings I noticed/remembered/liked/disliked about Book Three: The Graduation (the link is to Goodreads).

From the back

The last day of school has arrived at Tabb High. Michael Olson is convinced that Alice's death, nine months before, was murder rather than suicide and is just concluding his investigations. Will he survive this day?

Let's see...
Noticed
1] Pike really does go out of his way to make Jessica likeable in this one.
2] Ummm...how could anyone not notice where he was going with Claire's boyfriend...???
3] The second I started this book I knew exactly what happened to Alice, I remember every detail from this book especially the ending on the boat.

Remembered
1] Jessica and Michael and the sex in the shower...except for my 13 year old brain, really did think this scene lasted longer than 3 lines...hurrrmphf
2] I guess the Jessica of Book 3 is the Jessica I always remembered.
3] I'm still wondering if Polly killed her *spoiler* old grandmother, or was it old aunt...hmm...can't remember that part.

Liked
1] Michael, always have always will
2] This book is full of surprise and action and murder and lots of mystery.
3] That Clark was strange, but innocent.

Disliked
1] That Polly really does get away with a lot.
2] The stereotypes about homosexuals, black people, Hispanic people, sports players, cheerleaders, druggies et cetera that are thrown around carelessly.
3] That it took me until Book 3 to remember everything.

My next bit of nostalgia will be The Emily books by LM Montgomery...

Kelly Gallaghar's "101 Books Reluctant Readers Love to Read"

Means I've read it

"Shameless!: the true story of how I won over a reluctant reader,
in graphic form,
 by LaDuska Adriance and Ellen Lindner.
Found on School Library Journal (9/26/2008).
I found it here.

Means I want to read it

Means I have no idea what this book is or whether I want to read it or not

COMING OF AGE/PEER PRESSURE/RELATIONSHIPS

1.  The Bluford series, Paul Langan.  Life in an inner city school.

2.  The Book Thief, Markus Zusak.  Death narrates this story of a young girl who finds solace in books during the Holocaust.

3. Cut, Patricia McCormick.  Callie, a fifteen-year old, is a “cutter” who seeks help for her self-destruction.

4.  Dark Angel, David Klass.  A family has a dark secret that is about to reemerge.

5.  Dreamland, Sarah Dessen.   This book explores the consequences of having an abusive boyfriend.

6.  Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature, Robin Brande.  Mena knew her first day of high school would be bad, but this bad? Examines the evolution of debate in high school.

7.  The First Part Last, Angela Johnson. A sixteen year-old father struggles to care for his baby.

8.  Gossip Girl series, Cecily Von Ziegesar.  Life in side a New York City jet set private school.

9.  I am the Messenger, Markus Zusak.  A botched bank robbery changes a nineteen-year-old’s life.

10.  I Love You, Beth Cooper, Larry Doyle.  Denis’s life changes when he blurts out at his graduation speech that he loves Beth Cooper.

11.  Invisible, Pete Hautman.  Doug, 17, has come to terms with a tragic past.

12.  It’s Kind of a Funny Story, Ned Vizzini.  A teen seeks counseling in a psychiatric hospital.

13.  Just Listen, Sarah Dessen.  An incident at a high school party has far-reaching consequences.

14.  The Kite Runner, Khaled Hosseini.  Two young boys in 1970s Afghanistan take very different paths.

15.  Lemonade Mouth, Mark Peter Hughes.  Five outcasts in detention form a bond.

16.  Looking for Alaska, John Green. Miles, 16, is an outcast sent to a boarding school.

17.  Madapple, Christina Meldrum. A girl raised in isolation must learn to cope with the world after her mother dies.

18.  Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac, Gabielle Zevin.  A teenager loses her memory after a bad fall.

19.  My Sister’s Keeper, Jodi Picoult.  Examines the difficult choices a family must make when one of the children is diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

20.  Nineteen Minutes, Jodi Picoult.  Another delicate topic: the consequences of a high school shooting.

21.  The Pact, Jodie Picoult.  A teenage suicide has devastating consequences for two families.

22.  The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky.  Charlie, a freshman, tries to find his way in a high school.

23.  Rooftop, Paul Volponi.  A shooting becomes a focal point for social justice.

24.  The Rules of Survival, Nancy Werlin.  The story of three siblings struggling to overcome child abuse.

25.  Running Out of Time, Margaret Peterson Haddix.  Jessica, who thinks it is 1840, is more than surprised to find out it is really 2006.

26.  The Skin I’m In, Sharon Flake.  An adolescent navigates an inner-city school.

27.  Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie, Davis Lubar.  Scott Hudson hopes to survive his freshman year.

28.  Snitch, Allison van Diepen.  A teen tries to navigate between rival gangs.

29.  Someday This Pain Will Be Useful to You, Peter Cameron.  James, 18, is trying to find his way in the world after high school graduation.  For mature readers.

30.  Someone Like You, Sarah Dessen.  Two best friends lean on each other when a calamity occurs.

31.  A Step from Heaven, An Na.  The trials and tribulations of a Korean family’s journey to America.

32.  Strays, Ron Koerge.  Ted’s parents are killed in a car crash, and his troubles are just beginning.

33.  Street Pharm, Allison van Diepen.  A teenager takes over his father’s drug dealing business but must decide if it’s worth it.

34.  That Summer, Sarah Dessen. A teenage girl deals with her parents’ divorce.

35.  Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher.  A teenager receives haunting audiotapes after a suicide.

36.  This Lullaby, Sarah Dessen.  A modern-day teen romance.

37.  The Truth about Forever, Sarah Dessen.  A teen has to cope with her father’s death.

38.  Twisted, Laureie Halse Anderson.  Tyler, busted for tagging, tries to find his way through his senior year.

39.  Tyrell,  Coe Booth.  Tyrell is determined to stay clean despite a father in jail and a mother who is involved in welfare fraud.

40.  Upstate, Kalisha Buckhanon.  Two lovers are separated by a horrendous crime.

FANTASY/ SCIENCE FICTION/ VAMPIRE

41.  The Alfred Kropp Series, Rick Yancey.  Fifteen-year-old Alfred has a series of adventures after finding a magic sword.

42.  A Certain Slant of Light, Laura Whitcomb.  Helen died 130 years ago, but she’s still around.

43.  Cirque du Freak series, Darren Shan.  There is more to a traveling freak show than meets the eye.

44.  The Demonata series, Amelia Atwater-Rhodes.  The adventures of a 300-year old night stalker.

46.  Elsewhere, Gabrielle Zebin.  Liz is getting younger, not older, every day.

47.  The Gemma Doyle trilogy, Libba Bray.  Gemma, who has visions, travels to other worlds.

48.  A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray.  The School Library journal calls this novel “an interesting combination of fantasy, light horror, and  historical fiction, with a dash of romance thrown in for good measure.”

49. The Host, Stephanie Meyer. N The human race is infiltrated by a species of parasites.

50.  House of the Scorpion, Nancy Farmer.  In the future, a scientist brings a number of clones to life.

51. How I Live Now, Meg Rosoff.  A world war breaks out in the twenty-first century.2.  52.  Life as We Knew It, Susan Beth Pfefs, A meteor collides with the moon, with disastrous results for Earthlings.

53.  Mother’s Helper, A. Bates.  A most unusual babysitting experience.

54.  Rash, Pete Hautman.  Life in 2076 is not easy.

55.  Rebel Angels, Libba Bray.  A sequel to A Great and Terrible Beauty.

56.  Remember Me, Christopher Pike. Shari is dead, and she is determined to find out who killed her.

57.  The Twilight Saga series. Stephen Meyer. A teenage romance with a vampire twist.

58.  The Uglies series, Scott Westerfeld.  Life in a futuristic society where everyone is “ugly.
59.  Walk of the Spirits, Richie Tankersley Cusick.  Seventeen-year-old Miranda  hears voices at night.

60.  Wheel of time series, Robert Jordan. The world has been broken by a phenomenal power in this series that is reminiscent of J.R.R. Tolkien.

61. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War, Max Brooks. The world is threatened by a zombie invasion.

MEMOIR AND NONFICTION

62.  Always Running: La Vida Loca: Gang Days in L.A., Luis Rodriguez.  Memoirs of an East L.A. gang member.

63.  Come Back: A Mother and Daughter Journey to Hell and Back, Claire and Mia Fontaine. A riveting account of a mother’s fight to rescue her daughter from drugs.

64. Getting Away with Murder, Chris Crowe. The story of Emmett Till, a fourteen-year-old African American boy murdered for “inappropriately” talking to a white woman.

65.  Girl, Interrupted, Susanna Kaysen. A sixteen-year old is  hospitalized in a psychiatric hospital.

66.  The Glass Castle, Jeanette Walls.  Another account of growing up in an eccentric, dysfunctional family.

67.  Kick Me: Adventures in Adolescence, Paul Feig.  A series of stories about the rigors of high school survival.

68.  A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier, Ishmael Beah. A twelve-year-old’s account of surviving civil war in Sierra Leone.

69.  Monster: The Autobiography of an L.A. Gang Member, Sanyika Shakur. The personal account of an L.A. gangbanger.

70.  Phineas Gage: A Gruesome but  True Story About Brain Science, John Fleischman. The incredible story of a recovery from severe trauma, and what it taught the scientific community.

71.  Running with Scissors, Augusten Burroughs.  An account of growing up in an eccentric, dysfunctional family.

72.  True Notebooks, Mark Salzman. The author tries to reach convicts through the formation of a writing group.

73.  Undaunted Courage, Stephen Ambrose.  Meriwether Lewis overcomes disease, starvation, hostile Native Americans, and an unforgiving environment as he explores the American West.

74.  U.S. Army Survival Handbook, Department of the Army.  How to survive under the most adverse conditions.

75.  Young Men and fire, Norman Maclean.  The courageous story of Forest Service smoke jumpers.

POETRY

76. Burned, Ellen Hopkins. Growing up in an abusive household, told in verse.

77. Crank, Ellen Hopkins. A teenager's struggle with crystal meth, told in poetic form.

78. Glass, Ellen Hopkins. This picks up Crank a year later.

79. Paint Me Like I Am: Teen Poems from Writerscorps, Bill Aquado. Poems written by disadvantaged youth.

80. A Rose That Grew from Concrete, Tupac Shakur. The poetry of the late rapper.

81. Tears for Water, Alicia Keys. Poems that recall the singer's childhood.

82. Things I Have to Tell You: Poems and Writings by Teenage Girls, Betsy Franco Yas. Teens from around the country submit poems about growing up.

83. You Hear Me? Poems and Writing by Teenage Boys, Betsy Franco Yas. Real world topics addressed through poems and notes.

SPORTS
84.  Ball Don’t Lie, Matt De La Pena. Stick, 17, is determined to make it out of the neighborhood through basketball.

85.  Black and White, Paul Volponi.  Two boys, “Black” and “White” try to make it to big-time basketball.

86.  Crackback, John Coy.  The trials and tribulations of teenage life, woven through the lens of a high school football team.

87.  Gym Candy, Carl Deuker.  Mick Johnson, high school football star, considers using steroids.

88.  Knights of the Hill Country, Tim Tharp.  Readers who liked Friday Night Lights will like this football drama.

89.  Three days in August, Buzz Bissinger.  An in-depth, behind the scenes look at three-game series between the Chicago Cubs and the St. Louis Cardinals. 

MYSTERY
90.  Crazy Little Things, Adam P. Knave.  Twelve very strange tales.

91.  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, Mark Haddon. A poodle, Wellington, has been murdered.  Christopher, who is autistic, is on the case.

92.  Fake IE,, Walter Sorrells.  Chase, 16, only has six days to figure out why his mother disappeared.

93.  Falling, Christopher Pike.  FBI agent Kelly Feinman is on the trail of the “Acid killer.
94.  The Lovely Bones, Alice Sebold.  Susie Salmon recalls her murder from heaven (10^th grade curriculum)

95.  The Perfect Shot, Elaine Marie Alphin.  A triple homicide is not what it seems.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

96.  300, Frank Miller. Only a few hundred warriors stand against a huge army.

97.  Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Frank Miller.  Gotham is falling apart, and Batman has not been seen for ten years.

98.  The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, Alan Moore.  A group of adventurers are pulled together ot protect the Empire.

99.  Sin city: The Hard Goodbye, Frank Miller.  Tough guy Marv hunts the back streets to find the murderer of his girlfriend.

100. V Is for Vendetta, Alan Moore.  Rebellion under authoritarian British government.

101.  Watchmen, Alan Moore. Time calls this story of Crimebusters a “masterpiece.”

Six Word Saturday #24

My life in six words
Upcoming Parent/Teacher Conferences Oh My!

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Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, try clicking here. Feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing. The full list and linky can be found here. And, here's where I found it.

Friday Five: Everyday Task

I love doing surveys and questionnaires. I love reading peoples answers to surveys and questionnaires. They are a weakness of mine, and in looking for topics for my blog to make it easier for me to post everyday once school started...I found this. So, Fridays we're taking a break from talking about reading and books and words to answer silly surveys and questionnaires. Feel free to post your answers below, on your own blog, or both!!! Ideas from Friday5.org


Everyday Task

1. What everyday task is more difficult for you than it should be?
2. What everyday task do you usually put off for as long as possible?
3. What everyday task do you perform especially well?
4. What everyday task has most recently been added to your every day?
5. What everyday task makes the least sense to you?

Answers

1. Brushing my teeth...I don't want to talk about it. I'm pretty sure I'd make a wonderful Old World British woman or a sassy toothless Pioneer woman...I hate brushing my teeth and I usually do it at school because I'd be late otherwise.
2. Washing my undergarments...it's so easy to buy new...
3. Eating three meals a day *big grin*
4. Picking out clothes for the tiny tot to wear that day, finding the tiny tots shoes and picking her up from daycare
5. Bed-making, we don't do it...as a household!

Booking Through Thursday (Vacation)

         From Booking Through Thursday:

Do your reading habits change when you’re on vacation? Do you read more? Do you indulge in lighter, fluffier books than you usually read? Do you save up special books so you’ll be able to spend real vacation time with them? Or do you just read the same old stuff, vacation or not?

     I look forward to being on vacation as it allows me time to read books. Not so much by waiting in the airport like I used to pre-kidlet, but while I'm actually on vacation. It's great to wake up early for reading, take a nap later in the day, or read while my mother/sister/friend is hanging out with the kiddo. There's always so much more time to read while on vacation. My reading on vacation really does vary, on one vacation I brought only Madame Bovary, I knew that I wanted to read it and also knew I wouldn't finish it if I had other distractions. I read it every free moment, there's a lot of down time taking a vacation overseas. Last Spring Break I read Jane Eyre and The Help. And, over the summer I read about 20 or so books from all genres and reading levels. Vacations are made for relaxing, hanging with family and friends and READING!

Feel free to share your answers below, on the original post (above), on FB or on your own blog!

30 Day Book Challenge: Day 05

Several months ago I found this book challenge (since then I have seen many variations of it, but I like this one best!), and have been intrigued about how I would answer the questions posed. Feel free to comment with your own answer or post the challenge to your own blog.

A book or series you hate

      I just finished Vanity Fair and although I dislike this book, its plot, its character, its premise and its ending. There is a book that I hate more if I have to choose only one and it is Southern Gothic (although, I love Southern Gothic literature) and by an author whose short stories I adore. I do dislike this book, though, not the story, but the execution of it all. And, seriously, *plot spoiler* don't kill off the only character with a soul...

And, a series I loathe...bet, you thought it was going to be something to do with Hogwarts, uh?...but the book series below has the most horrible ending EVER, especially since the first book was so beautiful!

Day 01 – A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)
Day 02 – A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about
Day 03 – The best book you've read in the last 12 months
Day 04 – Your favorite book or series ever
Day 05 – A book or series you hate
Day 06 – Favorite book of your favorite series
Day 07 – Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise
Day 08 – A book everyone should read at least once
Day 09 – Best scene ever
Day 10 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 – A book that disappointed you
Day 12 – A book or series of books you’ve read more than five times
Day 13 – Favorite childhood book OR current favorite YA book (or both!)
Day 14 – Favorite character in a book
Day 15 – Your “comfort” book
Day 16 – Favorite poem or collection of poetry
Day 17 – Favorite story or collection of stories (short stories, novellas, novelettes, etc.)
Day 18 – Favorite beginning scene in a book
Day 19 – Favorite book cover (bonus points for posting an image!)
Day 20 – Favorite kiss
Day 21 – Favorite romantic/sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 22 – Favorite non-sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 23 – Most annoying character ever
Day 24 – Best quote from a novel
Day 25 – Any five books from your “to be read” stack
Day 26 – OMG WTF? OR most irritating/awful/annoying book ending
Day 27 – If a book contains ______, you will always read it (and a book or books that contain it)!
Day 28 – First favorite book or series obsession
Day 29 – Saddest character death OR best/most satisfying character death (or both!)
Day 30 – What book are you reading right now?

Word of the Week: Meretricious

50 Books in a Year: Book #43 Final Friends Book Two: The Dance

Yes, I'm sticking
with the old covers!

Here are somethings I noticed/remembered/liked/disliked about Book Two: The Dance (the link is to Goodreads).

From the back

For Jessica Hart and Michael Olsen, the homecoming dance will end just like the party--in horror. The murderer will walk through another wall.

Let's see...
Noticed
1] Again this book isn't really about the murder as it is about getting to know the characters more and then there's this horrible accident.
2] Bubba is not a good best friend.
3] Parts of the book are a little racist...hmm...

Remembered
1] That Clark wasn't the killer, so the ending of this book *spoiler* where he finds his yearbook and figures out where he goes to school didn't really surprise me, I also don't remember being surprised the first time around, which tells me that I knew Clark wasn't the killer then.
2] Jessica and Michael almost kiss/kiss, however you want to look at it.
3] The girls in this book series are really weak...all of them.

Liked
1] Michael, always have always will
2] Strangely, that these books really aren't very suspenseful. I like the fact that we get to know all of these characters BEFORE something bad happens...we like the characters more.
3] All the sub plots that in some way tie in to the murder of Alice.

Disliked
1] Jessica...how could I have ever thought of her as a role-model...this realization has made me kind of sad.
2] *spoiler* there's a girl that has sex, gets pregnant and her male counterpart pays for her abortion...this whole subplot seems to be taken pretty lightly and it seems that she is sadder that people find out than she is about the whole experience itself, I would have liked this portrayed a little more realistically and, frankly, more in-depth or not at all.
3] The accident and how I couldn't remember how it happened or how Maria acted so harshly

Book Three soon to follow...

A Day of Celebration!

Six Word Saturday #23

My life in six words
Tomorrow the tiny tot turns 2!

The BIG present...

Then and now...

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Want to play along? All that's necessary to participate is to describe your life (or something) in a phrase using just six words. For more information, try clicking here. Feel free to explain or not explain. Add an image, a video, a song, nothing. The full list and linky can be found here. And, here's where I found it.

Friday Five (Out of Place)

I love doing surveys and questionnaires. I love reading peoples answers to surveys and questionnaires. They are a weakness of mine, and in looking for topics for my blog to make it easier for me to post everyday once school started...I found this. So, Fridays we're taking a break from talking about reading and books and words to answer silly surveys and questionnaires. Feel free to post your answers below, on your own blog, or both!!! Ideas from Friday5.org


Out of Place

1. What non-food items are in your refrigerator or freezer?
2. What non-book items are on your bookshelves?
3. What song or album in your music collection doesn’t fit in with your usual tastes?
4. What item in your wardrobe really doesn’t match anything else?
5. What scar on your body did you receive in the unlikeliest of ways?

Answers

1. Baking soda, until I read this question there was something in the freezer that I don't want to talk about...let's just say my kid is 2 years old and I don't them anymore...they are now in the trash can...hm? maybe I should clean out the freezer more often.
2. Pictures, CDs, toys, items that I want to get out of the kidlets way in a hurry (ie. permanent markers and pens)
3. My taste are diverse...so, um...none. Check out my 30 Day Songs list
4. My mother got me a kitty cat sweatshirt one year for Christmas...it isn't really in my taste although I love cats and sweatshirts...I wear it anyway, especially when it's flipping freezing as it is incredibly thick and fluffy.
5. I have this thin scar on my left thumb...I got it breaking through the screen and window on my own house when I was in high school. I'd forgotten my keys and needed to get in...

Literary Muse

So, I've been the sponsor of this book group called Lit Muse for literally 11 years, but now we're on the interwebs. Come join us!

30 Day Book Challenge: Day 04

Several months ago I found this book challenge (since then I have seen many variations of it, but I like this one best!), and have been intrigued about how I would answer the questions posed. Feel free to comment with your own answer or post the challenge to your own blog.

Your favorite book or series

      Ok, so no lie I feel like Days 1, 2 and today can have the same answer and are a bit repetitive...but here we are...

First, my favorite book isn't really THE favorite book I have in the world. I'm pretty sure that if you ask any book lover what their favorite book is they say one book and then another and the theme of yet another and they mention characters and scenes from at least a dozen more. I've found though, that as a teacher of literature, people always want to know my favorite book. Below you will find my go-to book...I am a sucker for a good love triangle, I love history and nostalgia and books about the affects of war and I love books with gorgeous settings. I love this book!

And, here's my favorite series...bet, you couldn't guess...

Day 01 – A book series you wish had gone on longer OR a book series you wish would just freaking end already (or both!)
Day 02 – A book or series you wish more people were reading and talking about
Day 03 – The best book you've read in the last 12 months
Day 04 – Your favorite book or series ever
Day 05 – A book or series you hate
Day 06 – Favorite book of your favorite series
Day 07 – Least favorite plot device employed by way too many books you actually enjoyed otherwise
Day 08 – A book everyone should read at least once
Day 09 – Best scene ever
Day 10 – A book you thought you wouldn’t like but ended up loving
Day 11 – A book that disappointed you
Day 12 – A book or series of books you’ve read more than five times
Day 13 – Favorite childhood book OR current favorite YA book (or both!)
Day 14 – Favorite character in a book
Day 15 – Your “comfort” book
Day 16 – Favorite poem or collection of poetry
Day 17 – Favorite story or collection of stories (short stories, novellas, novelettes, etc.)
Day 18 – Favorite beginning scene in a book
Day 19 – Favorite book cover (bonus points for posting an image!)
Day 20 – Favorite kiss
Day 21 – Favorite romantic/sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 22 – Favorite non-sexual relationship (including asexual romantic relationships)
Day 23 – Most annoying character ever
Day 24 – Best quote from a novel
Day 25 – Any five books from your “to be read” stack
Day 26 – OMG WTF? OR most irritating/awful/annoying book ending
Day 27 – If a book contains ______, you will always read it (and a book or books that contain it)!
Day 28 – First favorite book or series obsession
Day 29 – Saddest character death OR best/most satisfying character death (or both!)
Day 30 – What book are you reading right now?