The Lorax

Children across the country will be celebrating Read Across America Day. It also just so happens to be the birthday of Dr.Seuss and... the new film The Lorax will hit theaters. Coincidence? I think not! I plan on spending the day reading The Lorax in the reading lab at Trouble's school. I'll be reading it about 10 times which means I will most certainly be a rhyming fool by the end of the day. Besides reading, we will be handing out some goodies to help the kiddos connect to the book.

We have brightly colored Truffula Trees.

The Lorax himself will be in attendance if you please.

Swomee-Swans might find a space...

and the Brown Bar-ba-loots will be in their place.

Humming-Fish might just splash around.

And a pile of rocks with UNLESS can be found.

I just couldn't resist rhyming. Sorry! The Swomee-Swans are really chicks cheese crackers found at Target, Brown Bar-ba-loots are chocolate Teddy Grahams and of course the Humming-Fish are goldfish crackers.

The Lorax mustashes are simply taped to pencils.

Happy Birthday Dr.Seuss!!

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothings going to get better. It's not.

The Pillars of the Earth

  

My mom passed The Pillars of the Earth on to me a few years ago. I was reluctant to read a super thick historical fiction novel for fear of being bored to tears but after the first few pages I was immediately in love with the book. The book is centered around the construction and architecture of a cathedral in 12th-century England. It also follows the life of the small village and its people where the cathedral is being built. The characters all come to life and seem so very real and compelling. There's plenty of death, love, destruction, suspense and tragedy that make for one magnificent read.

After reading The Pillars of the Earth I was left wanting more.  Low and behold, Ken Follett came out with World Without End which picks up 200 years after The Pillars of the Earth ends and is another fantastic book that I couldn't put down.

Go to your local library, book store or borrow it from your BFF and get to reading!

PS- There's a made for TV miniseries for The Pillars of The Earth. (I watched it via Netflix and really enjoyed it)

The Hunger Games Trilogy

Have you ever finished reading a book or series and found you were sad there was no more to read? That you miss the characters? That's me... I miss reading The Hunger Games. I'm depressed. 

A friend that works at Trouble's school recommended I read the book because she loved it. She also warned me that it was violent, scary, brutal and twisted but oh-so-good.

The Hunger Games is a young-adult novel by Suzanne Collins.  It's a post-apocalyptic tale after the destruction of North America in the unknown future. The protagonist of the series is Katness who lives in one of 12 districts controlled by 'The Capitol'. Katness has assumed the role of provider for her family after her father's death. She constantly struggles with the weight of her overwhelming responsibility. The Capitol televises the annual Hunger Games where two children from each district are forced to fight to the death. That's right... to the death! Imagine Survivor meets Lord of the Flies with a twist of science fiction.

The trilogy consists of The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay. So go to your local library, book store or borrow it from your BFF and get to reading!

Happy Hunger Games and may the odds be ever in your favor.

     

Jane Eyre

Jane Eyre is one of those 'classic' Gothic romance novels that I was probably assigned to read in high school but unfortunately, never did. I picked up a copy in hopes that it would be similar to a Jane Austen book and boy was I blown away. Jane Eyre instantly became one of my all time favorite books.

I seem to love books with strong female characters and Jane is no exception. The heroine is a woman who is fiercely independent. Her strong will allows her to grow as she defies society's expectations of her. Without a doubt Jane Eyre is early feminist literature. Published in 1847, author Charlotte Brontë was ahead of her time.


Now, let me tell you about the story. Jane is abused by her aunt and cousins early in her life. She is sent to a boarding school where she makes friends for the first time but also suffers due to the school's very poor living conditions. Jane takes a job as a governess to a young girl, Adèle. While living in the manor Jane falls in love with her dark and mysterious employer, Mr. Rochester. Okay, that's enough I won't spoil it.

Go to your local library, book store or borrow it from your BFF and get to reading!

PS- Here's a place to get a free download of Jane Eyre.

My Favorite Vampire Series

After watching the first episode of the HBO show True Blood I learned that the show was based on a series of books by Charlaine Harris called The Southern Vampire Mysteries.  I decided to give the first book, Dead Until Dark, a try.  I couldn't put it down. I all too quickly devoured the rest of the series and was left to wait for the next book to come out. It's been like that ever since. A new book comes out, I race to buy it and read it in a few days and then.... wait.

The heroine, Sookie Stackhouse, is a telepathic waitress in a small Louisiana town. Vampires have recently 'come out' reveling their existence to the world with the invention of a synthetic blood, allowing them to survive without having to feed on humans...yummy. The books delve into the Vampires and 'Others' who come into Sookie's world.

For me The Southern Vampire Mysteries are always fun, kooky, & crazy reads. They are a great break from the serious and insightful high literature you might be reading in your book club.

Here's me all dressed up like Sookie Stackhouse for Halloween this year.

So go to your local library, book store, or borrow it from your BFF and get to reading!

*Be warned that these novels are not for everyone. Some conservative readers might find them too violent, disturbing, and upsetting.  Now there, I warned you!

Make a Lifetime Reader

 I love to read! That being said, I know many smart & wonderful people who just don't like it. I also know that these wonderful people love their children and want them to be readers even though they aren't. (That's what makes them smart.)

Make A Lifetime Reader, It's  Easy!

1. Get a book.
2. Get a child.
3. Read the book to the child.


Book Time Tips

• Get comfortable! Find a relaxing spot on the couch, in a big soft chair, or in bed and let that be your child's favorite reading spot. Trouble loves to get in my bed in his PJ's.
• Make it fun! Let them pick the books or read books about things they find interesting. Trouble loves reading about little boys who get into trouble... imagine that.
• Set a good example! Make sure your child sees you reading too. When Trouble reads to himself, I read my book and Mr. Perfect reads a magazine.
• Make it a habit! Schedule the time so that it can be part of their normal routine. For me, reading is like brushing my teeth. If I don't read before bed... I just don't feel right.

Books Trouble and I Love:

 
Ricky Ricotta's Mighty Robot Collection (Books 1-4)
Where the Wild Things Are
The Lonely Doll
No, David!
Duck on a Bike
Guess How Much I Love You
Magic Tree House Boxed Set, Books 5-8: Night of the Ninjas, Afternoon on the Amazon, Sunset of the Sabertooth, and Midnight on the Moon
Henry and Mudge: The First Book

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

 

This book is marvelous! My Bestie recommended it to me, Nana's BFF recommended it to me, and still I didn't read it until I stumbled upon it at my library. I instantly remembered their high praises of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society and grabbed it before anyone else did. By the way, I live in a tiny town and our library is smaller than small. There is rarely a soul in the place and it's usually an older fella using that new fan-dangled thing the young people call 'the internets'.


About the book: It is set at the end of World War 2 in London and on Guernsey Island. By chance Juliet, the main character, starts to exchange letters with a farmer, Dawsey, who lives on the island. Juliet is a writer and decides to write about the island's interesting war stories. The book is a collection of letters of her correspondence with the people of Guernsey and her closest friends. I must admit that I usually don't like books that are a collection of letters, but I loved this one. You get a real sense of the hardships that were endured and the courage of the people... I totally cried!


So go to your local library, book store, or borrow it from your BFF and get to reading!

Jane Austen

I first discovered Jane Austen in college when I stumbled upon this book while looking for something to read at my parent's house. I took the book over Christmas break sometime in the 90's and that's the last time Nana has seen it. Sorry Nana... I'm keeping it!



I always felt a connection with Jane, she was born almost exactly 200 years before me. Her writing shows the dependence of women on marriage to secure their social standing and economic security during her time. In my eyes she is a subtle feminist. Her heroines interests are not only in marriage and child rearing, despite the fact that this was the only acceptable career for women.

My absolute favorite Jane Austen book is Persuasion. It was her last completed novel. It's about a girl named Anne who falls in love with Frederick, a handsome young navel officer. He's smart, ambitious, and very poor. Anne is persuaded to break off her relationship with Frederick because he is considered below her.  At age 27 Anne is still unmarried and is thrown into Fredericks acquaintance once again. This time Frederick is seen as a catch, in the time that has past he has made a fortune in the Royal Navy. Anne is still in love with him.... the rest you'll have to read.

All of Jane Austens books are wonderful! Give Sense and Sensibility, Northanger Abbey, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, or Emma a try.


So go to your local library, book store, or borrow it from your BFF and get to reading!

Water For Elephants

I simply love to read! I love reading all types of books. When I love a book, I need to share it. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is one of those books. Mr.Perfect read it and even he loved it and he's a bit pickier than me (being that he's Mr. Perfect and all.)  I think the powers that be even liked this book enough to make a movie about it but, it hasn't come out yet. The Vampire actor from Twilight and Reece Witherspoon will be in it. I'm so there!

Water For Elephants is the story of a man's life as a veterinarian in a very crappy circus during The Great Depression.  The man falls in love with a star circus performer along the way. This book catches you from the beginning and doesn't let you go. Mr. Perfect read it in a week and it normally takes him all summer to read one book. It's good!

So go to your local library, book store, or borrow it from your BFF and get to reading!