Books I've Read...Books I've Loved...

Over the last month or so, I've had a lot of time to catch up on reading, and while my "To Be Read" pile/box is still looming over me, I've found some great treasures.

First up...                                          The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

This is the second book in the series the first is The Dark Divine.  If you haven't read them...go get both of them now.  Really...GO!  The pacing, the voice, the characters...HELLO DANIEL...all make both of these fantastic reads.  I'd been waiting for months to read The Lost Saint and it did not disappoint.  Check it out!

Next up...                                        Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

I simply cannot rave enough about this book! I LOVED it.  If you are looking for a fun, captivating, paranormal read, you must get this one.  Evie is under the protection of the IPCA (International Paranormal Containment Agreement), her ex-boyfriend is a faerie, and her best friend is a mermaid.  If that doesn't have the makings of a great story, I don't know what does.

And finally for today...

                                                              Matched by Ally Condie

Let me just say this about Matched.  Not often do books move me to tears; TV shows, movies, commercials, songs, yes...I'll cry at anything but not usually books.  I cried like a fool in this one...like sobbing and sniffling...it wasn't pretty.  Thank you, Ally Condie, for Matched. I loved it.  The pacing catches you right from the beginning and you are immediately drawn into this society where EVERYTHING is decided for you: your job, your spouse, how many kids you will have, even down to what and how much you eat. I read this book cover to cover in less than a day.  If you like The Hunger Games, I think you should check this one out.

So there you have it...completely unofficial, random thoughts about a few great books I've read.

Writing Notebooks for Youngsters

My latest blog on Plugged in Parents is about encouraging writing with your young children using Writer's Notebooks.  If you have school-aged children, you may have seen them before...did you ever think about getting one started for your pre-schooler?

Here's a snippet about how my four year old uses his notebooks.

I’ve let him pick out his notebook, he has a Toy Story one, and two different composition notebooks he likes to use.  If you plan on trying a notebook at home, make sure your child is involved in the process.  Allow them to choose a notebook and let them decorate it with stickers or drawings to really make it personal.  Also, this should be fun, so give your child an opportunity to experiment with a variety of writing tools: pencils, crayons, markers, colored pencils, and fancy pens. That freedom gives way to creativity and expression.

He loves tracing right now, so I might write his “big name” and have him trace the letters.  Some days we talk about shapes, I draw a shape and he traces it and then colors it.  Some nights, I get special requests, like draw the Mickey Mouse Choo-Choo Express Train, so I draw and he colors.  It isn’t always structured like that though; sometimes he just wants to draw.  He likes drawing pictures of people he knows, and on a page that may look like just scribbles, he can tell you exactly what everything means.

If you want to read more from my original post click here!

2011...What's UP?!?!

So it’s 2011…important for a few reasons.  Number 1, I turn 30 in July.  I know, right? I don’t look a day over 25 or that’s what I tell people when they ask me how old I am.   I’m being silly, it’s not so much the number, it’s the changing of the decade thing that gets me.  I’m not going to be in my 20’s anymore….I’ll be in my 30’s.  Maybe I’ll just rock 25 for a few more years. J

In some ways being 30 makes me nervous and my stomach aches just thinking about it.  Although, a friend of a friend told me last summer that 30 isn’t so bad—think of all the stuff you’ve done up to this point…you’ve worked hard to get to where you are so who cares.  I don’t have to put up with the drama anymore, I’m past that.  That’s a nice feeling.  Maybe I need to adapt to her way of thinking a little more. Embrace it…yep, that’s what I’ll do…OR what I say I will do and then freak out a little on the inside.  That’s probably more like me.

Another reason why 2011 is important to me:  I did something the other day that could really be a big change for me, a good change, but a big one.  I’m keeping quiet now, because nothing is for sure.  I don’t know what will come from this; I’m hoping that it will be a great opportunity for me. So we’ll see.

So here’s what I’m looking forward to in 2011

1. Prince William & Kate Middleton’s wedding….I’m a royal nerd…no pun intended….but I CAN’T WAIT!!!!
2. Summer vacation
3. Girls trip to Chicago to celebrate the big 30 for all of us
4. Above mentioned possible change
5. NKOTB/BSB concert coming to St. Louis

Prom and Prejudice

Are you looking for a fun YA novel to read?  Check out my review on YABC of Prom and Prejudice. I LOVED it!!!

After winter break, the girls at the very prestigious Longbourn Academy become obsessed with the prom. Lizzie Bennet, who attends Longbourn on a scholarship, isn’t interested in designer dresses and expensive shoes, but her best friend, Jane, might be — especially now that Charles Bingley is back from a semester in London.
Lizzie is happy about her friend’s burgeoning romance but less than impressed by Charles’s friend, Will Darcy, who’s snobby and pretentious. Darcy doesn’t seem to like Lizzie either, but she assumes it’s because her family doesn’t have money. Clearly, Will Darcy is a pompous jerk — so why does Lizzie find herself drawn to him anyway? Will Lizzie’s pride and Will’s prejudice keep them apart? Or are they a prom couple in the making? ~From Goodreads

Click here to read my review!