Summer Reading so far

I have actually read a suprising amount so far this summer. I thought it might be harder with a 6 month old baby. While I have to read around her schedule I am getting a good amount of reading done so far. To start the summer off I read The Girl Who Drank The Moon by Kelly Barnhill. It was on the current Sunshine State reading list. I loved everything about this book. I am not a hige fan of fantasy books but this one was very engaging and the worl building was great. I enjoyed the characters and the journey this novel takes you on. This is a great middle grades book. The next book I finished was When Beauty Tamed the Beast by Eloisa James. I enjoyed this historical romance a lot. What I like about Beauty and the Beast retellings in historical fiction is it tends to add more demention to the characters, especially the male characters. I enjoyed the characters and the plot. The next book I finshed Beowulf: The Original Graphic Novel.I am a huge fan of Beowulf and was very excited to start this graphic novel. In truth it felt like a watered down version of the tale. The illastrations also left much to be desired. This book fell far from my expectations and was a disappointment. The 4th book I read was To Beguile a Beast by Elizabeth Hoyt. This historical romance was amazing. I loved the characters and the plot. The characters have depth and their interactions are very enjoyable. So that is my summer reading so far. My goal is to finish more of teh Sunshine State books, a few romances I took out of the library, and a couple of teaching books I plan to read this summer.

Lilly Post Box: March

I just received March's Lilly Post box. I really like this subscriptions service. Now you can go on and buy a past box if you want to check it out before getting a subscription.

Each box comes with 5 wrapped board books. There is also a subscription to get 4 picture books a month as well. Depends on how old your child is. Here is how your box will come.

This month came with some really cute board books. The first one I got was Happy Birthday Elephant. This book is super cute and has a small wooden toy that pops out.

The second books was Farm Animals.

The third books is a touch and feel book called I love Puppies. It has a bunch of different puppies and fabrics for baby to touch.

The fourth book is Big and Small mix and match book. This one was very interesting since there is a book within a book and you can match them up or just go through the small one with the book one. This one will be a lot of fun.

The last book is Baby Einstein First Words. It is very colorful and has a large variety of pictures and words. This is a really nice book.

So I am very hapy with the selection that we recieved from this month's Lilly Post box.

1000 Books Before Kindergarden

I recently heard about the 1000 books before kindergarden program. I am very excited about this. I planned on doing a lot of reading with my baby and this is a fun challenge I can undertake to help her succeed. I am making sure I keep track of all the books I read to her so I can keep track of how many we read and which books she reads. This will also help me to see what type of books I am reading to her and what to add to the list. My goal going into this is to give her access to a wide variety of diverse books. So i am excited to learn more about children's board books and picture books. I do admit this is not an area of strength for me. Since my daughter is six weeks old right now I have some time to explore this spcific world of books. If you know of any diverse books I need to add to my list please let me know! is spcific world of books. If you know of any diverse books I need to add to my list please let me know!

Reading Slumps

Right now I am in the middle of a terrible reading slump. Usually reading a favorite book or a favorite genre kicks me out of it. But for the past 10 weeks or so I have not been able to kick it. I have gotten in a few books, but not my typical amount. I think with the start of a new school year and a bunch or chances that have taken place at work I am very tired. Right now I am reading ParaNorman trying to get into the Halloween spirit. So I am hoping that kicks me out of my slump. So hopefully I will have more posts soon! I am doing more You Tube videos which is a good thing and hopefully that will help as well.

Where to start in Urban Fantasy!

Urban fantasy is a type of fantasy that we are seeing more and more books categorized as. They are books that have magical or supernatural elements most of the time they take place in a contemporary setting. A great example of this would be the Dresden series by Jim Bucher. The series revolves around Harry Dresden. He advertises in the yellow pages as a Wizard and has an office. He is a private eye type character. Butcher set his series in Chicago and it is a fantastic place to set these stories. The series takes place in modern times and deals with magic, vampires, fairies, etc. It is my favorite type of fantasy and I am constantly on the lookout for new ones. If you are interested in diving into this genre here are some suggestions on where to start.

1. The Dresden series

As I mentioned above, I love the Dresden series by Jim Butcher. They are funny and fast paces and as the series goes on the books get so good. I would definitely recommend this series to anyone. Especially if you love the Harry Potter books this may be up your alley. If you are big into audio books or even looking to try them this is an awesome series to do in audio. This is actually how I started listening to audio books and all but one are narrated by James Marsden. He does such a fantastic job.

2. Written in Red

Written in Red is the first book in The Others series by Anne Bishop. The world building is amazing in this book. This book takes place in an alternate reality. The characters are well done and I like how she progresses through each book. The third book in the series was just released in March.

3. The Diabolical Miss Hyde

This book by Viola Carr is on my TBR. This book is about Dr. Jekyll's  daughter and how she is a crime scene investigator. I have seen this on a couple lists for Urban fantasy but it also could be under the steam punk genre. I cannot wait to see how this author takes my understanding of the original classic and makes it something new.

4. Tales from the Nightside

This is a very interesting idea by Simon R. Green. I really enjoyed the first book and the series is now complete. This series is about John Taylor who is a private investigator and can find missing things. He also can go between his home in our world and the Nightside. This is a pretty fun read.

5. Monster Hunter International

Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia is an adventure in a group of special agents trained to hunt the monsters of the world. This is another one that is good in audio book. There are several books in the series and are a lot of fun. 

Watching What I Read

Watching What I Read

                Every year I take tracking my reading a bit further. In 2013 I just listed what books I read. In 2014 I listed the books I read and included the date I finished it. I started tracking how many books I read each month and how many pages I read each month. When Book Riot posted a reading spreadsheet I entered all my data and kept that as well. This year I have several ways I track and a lot of data I collect on my reading. I am curious about my reading stats and I honestly enjoy it. So in 2015 I am using the reading spread sheet with the following categories: Title, Author, Gender, Translated, POC (person of color), Date Published, Nationality, date started, date finished, pages, genre, format, where I got it, and if it fits into one of my challenges.  That is one epic spreadsheet. I also keep a book journal. I track how many books I read each month, how many pages I read, and what genres I have read that month.

                This year I am making more of an effort to evaluate what I read. I already read a lot of female authors and I do read somewhat diversely. This year I wanted to watch what I read and where I need to improve. I wanted to read more diversely  and I wanted to explore genres I do not  typically read. Last year my main focus was on new genres. This year I am continuing that but I am also looking at the authors I am picking up. I also want to explore different cultures through books.

                There are several ways I am doing this. I reflect on what I am reading as I go so if I see quite a few no's in my POC column I know that I need to improve in that area.  In March I noticed I had not read as many diverse authors and made it a point to go through my TBR and select books that would help me look at other cultures and points of view.  This is also the same with the my translated column. That is also a column I need to focus on this month and next month. Which is why I find a lot of value in tracking what I read closely. I won't know where to make improvements if I am not looking at trends.  

                Another great way to make sure I am reading a variety of genres and authors is my TBR jar. What I do for my TBR jar is a have a small mason jar and I put slips of paper in it that I pull out when I want to. I don't do it once a month or anything like that. I like to pull the slips when I need some guidance on what to read. I am completing three challenges right now. I am doing the Read Harder challenge, a 25 book challenge my friends made, and a classics challenge. I put the different categories in my TBR jar, not book titles. The only challenge that is not in the jar is the classics challenge because I read one a month and my book club votes on a classic each month.

                A  book club is also a great way to get some strong recommendations. The members of my book club have very different tastes in books. That is why typically we just bring what we have read and talk about great books we loved. We would occasionally do group reads or buddy reads.  This year we are all trying the classics challenge to expand out horizons.

                I also like to look at what genres I am reading because I love romance novels and I tend to slip very comfortably back into reading that genre. I love crossover genres as well. Paranormal romance and mystery romance are some of my favorite genres.  I also love YA, which is a good thing since I am a middle school teacher. So I never have to struggle finding books I want to read in those genres. But I have also found out that I like certain kinds of sci-fi and fantasy. I would never have said I was a huge fan of either genre just two years and now I am finding aspects of those genres that I love.

                Many of us have lots of reasons for tracking our reading or not. Whatever system you have that works for you is a great way to help you explore who you are as a reader. I would love to know how other track their reading. 

Matilda by Roald Dahl

As a child I didn't read any of Roald Dahl books. I had seen some of the movies that were based on the books and they were a bit dark for me. This is the third Roald Dahl that I have read. I enjoyed this book very much. I thought it thoughtful and really got down to looking at the importance of people in our lives. It also looks at how important it is to believe in yourself and go after what you think is important. I love how Dahl looks at the world in his books and how he empowers kids. It is why I think his books stand the test of time. Kids still love them and are reading them. They are stories that are relatable no matter how old you are. 

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer

           

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I really enjoyed this book. It is written as a journal entry and I think it was very different. It is a very strong opening to this trilogy and I am very interested to see where it goes. I also do like that the books were released so close together. While I am not reading them as they are coming out, if I had known about the series then I definitely would have been more inclined to read it. I usually wait for a chunk of books in a series to be out since I hate waiting a year in between books.

            This book really makes you think and how the narrator sees the world and comments on it is very interesting and well done. Vandermeer also was able to write very strong and compelling characters. I loved the use of memory as a way to learn more about our narrator and the connection we feel towards her. In this type of book it did not bother me that none of the characters had names, but where referred to by their role in the group. I think that added to the mystery and danger of the mission and was an interesting psychological feature to the book.

             Another thing I really enjoyed was his writing style. It was very easy to read and was fast paced. I never felt like this book lagged or was slow. It was a fast paced book and he unraveled just enough mystery that you really wanted to keep going so you could find out more.

             I would highly recommend this book if you are looking for something new. It was a delightful read. It also is pretty short which is great for the first book in a series. I know the other two are different and I actually look forward to see the other side of the world and exploring more of Vandermeer's work.

My top 14 books of 2014

I went through my Goodreads account and went through all the books at had read. I read 86 books in 2014. I went through and pulled the books that I had given 5 stars. It worked out wonderfully because I gave 14 books 5 stars. I just wrote them down in the order I read them.

1. Murder of Crows by Anne Bishop: This is the second book in her new series.

2. Written in Red by Anne Bishop: This is the first book in her new series.Her new series is one of my all time favorites. 

3. Delusion in Death by J.B. Robb: This is book #35 in the "in death" series. I love this series  and if you are interested in it the first book is Naked in Death.

4. A Rogue By Any Other Name by Sarah MacLean. This book was the first in her The Rules of Scoundrels Series.

5. Skin Game by Jim Butcher. This is the 15th book in the Dresden Files series. This was one of his best books!

6. Slave of Sensation by Nalini Singh. This is the first book in her Psy-Changeling series.

7. The Martian by Andy Weir. Great survival story.

8. Landline by Rainbow Rowell. It was a sweet story and really makes you think about the choices we make.

9.  What We See When We Read by Peter Mendelsund. This was so fantastic.

10.  The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. I had not read this classic before and can't believe I waited this long to read it.

11. Worlds Afire by Paul Janeczko. Great book done in poems.

12. Doll Bones by Holly Black. This is a middle grades book.

13. As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes. If you are a fan of The Princess Bride you are going to love this book.

14. Christmas Brides by Suzanne Enoch. This is actually a collection of short stories by a couple of authors. This is a wonderful Christmas read.

I also realized when I was typing up this list that apparently I have an addiction to series....but i love them so much. 

Review for Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

                I loved the movie and when I first saw the movie I didn't know it was a book. Well I finally got around to reading the book. I had been looking forward to reading it for awhile.  Typically I love the book just as much or more than the movie. In this case I love the movie a lot  more than the book. I was very disappointed in the book. The plot felt a bit slow and the characters where not very likable. I was very surprised how unlikable the characters where.   I did not actually care what happened to them. I thought magic would also play a bigger part in the story, and it doesn't.  My biggest problem with the book was the character development. I would have liked more three dimensional characters and for them to be more likable. I gave the book 2 out of 5 stars. 

Classics Challenge: January

Classics Challenge: January
Classic read: One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Agatha Christie

WHEN I Discovered This Classic: I actually found this book in the bookstore in Logan Airport in Boston.

WHAT Makes It A Classic: Agatha Christie is a staple in the mystery genre. I think her books are classics because they stand the test of time and are still widely read. 

WHY I Chose to Read It : I had decided to pic up one of her books because I loved the new editions that have been released. 

WILL It Stay A Classic: I think it will stay a classic. 

WHO I’d Recommend It To: I would recommend it to anyone who loves mysteries or historical fiction. 

Review of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Review of Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

                When I started this book I actually didn’t know much about it. All I had really heard about it was that people really enjoyed it. The story starts in 1987, which was actually delightful. The author successful weaves an engaging and relevant story. I loved his characters and was very interested in what would happen to them. This book really makes you think and contemplate who you are and why you are who you are. What can you control and what things can’t you control. I loved his writing style as well. I actually went online and ordered another one of his books once I had finished this one because I need to read another one of his books. The topics Saenz deals with some very relevant topics that readers today can relate with. I think this is a very important book for  young adults to read. I think male and female readers would get a lot of out this book. If you are have a student in middle school I would recommend reading it first and see if your student is mature enough for this book, but every high school student should read this book.

New Years Reading Resolutions...goals

This year was a great reading year for me. My goal for the year was to read 52 books, which is about a book a week. I ended up reading 86 books. I was very surprised by how much I had read. Looking at the last couple of years I find that I read a lot more when I have a goal. I have made reading more of a priority since it calms me and I enjoy it. I have also tried to stretch myself as a reader. I did a couple of reading challenges to help me select books that I would not typically pick up. So for 2015 there are some things I want to focus on as a reader. 1. Podcasts: I started listening to book podcasts this year and it really helped me get book recommendations and stay on top of any book news. So I want to continue listening to those. 2.Reading Goal: I want to read 52 books this year. While this is the same goal as 2014, I feel like one book a week is a realistic goal for me. I don't want to get to ambitious and stress myself out. This is a goal that makes it fun for me. 3. Book Tube: I would like to make more book tube videos. I think I need to wait till I get a better camera or at least figure out how to make better videos with the technology I have. So that is going to be something I will be working on this year. 4. Blog: I want to make sure I update my blog and website every week. So making the effort to write entries and become more consistent in my posting. 5. New books: I want to continue to stretch myself as a reader. I would like to read more books that I would not typically pick up. So I am thinking about what I am picking up and what I want to read. 6. I am also going to try not to buy as many books this year. I am going to use the library and set specific times to put in a book order to curb the book buying. I also have a subscription to Oyster so I can use that to read a large variety of books. So that is a goal I will be documenting as the year progresses. So those are my goals for 2015 and I will be documenting my progress through the whole thing. Have a great New Year!!!

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes

Now I am biased. The Princess Bride is one of my favorite movies and I have read the book. On Twitter the first line in my bio is The Dread Pirate of Twitter. My Tumblr is actually titled The Dread Pirate of Tumblr. So I am already in love with the book and the movie. I actually preordered this book once I found out about it because I was so excited about it. Generally I struggle with non-fiction and thought when I read this it would take me a little while to get through it. I read this book in two days. It is not a very long book, about 245 pages, which I actually appreciated. This book was beautifully written. I loved the writing style and I how he told stories. What I also loved about this book was that throughout the whole book there are boxes with interviews from the actors, writer, director, ect. The blurbs relate to what he is discussing in the book. At first I wasn't sure how I felt about them, but I actually really liked the different perspectives and stories throughout. If you are a fan of the movie you have to read this book. It is full of heartfelt stories and perspectives of the movie

October Wrap up 2014

Dead City Review

Dead City by James Ponti This book is on the Sunshine State list for 2014-2015. It is about Molly, a seventh grader, who attends MIST. MIST is a school for gifted students and where he mother went to school. She doesn't have many friends and hangs out at the morgue where her mom worked before she passed away. All that changes when she is recruited to join a team of Zombie hunters called Omegas. The story is about her building relationships and learning what she needs to be a member of the team. I really enjoyed this book. It was a really fun adventure story. I loved Molly and the choices she makes really make a lot of sense. I liked that the we got to see this story from her perspective so you get to really understand how the character feels. It wasn't a scary book so it is good for kids. This is the first book the sequel is Blue Moon. I also loved the first page of this book!

The Doll Bones by Holly Black This book is about three kids who acquire a haunted doll. Zach, Poppy, and Alice have been friends for a long time and they decide to go on a quest to discover who the ghost girl who is visiting and communicating with Poppy is and hat happened to her. This is a great coming of age story. The kids are in the painful stage of changing and growing up. When it is time to focus on becoming who you are and to start putting away childish things. They all struggle with what they want to do and what they feel they should be doing. You watch the characters grow and discover more about themselves and each other. They are trying to navigate through their changing relationships and trying to help and understand the ghost. This was a good middle grades book. It was a bit creepy and if you have someone who isn't a big fan of dolls this book is not for them. I loved that the book had some illustrations to go with it. They were very well done and they were so beautifully done. I took the book out of my school's library and plan on buying my own copy of the book. I enjoyed everything about this book.

How has social media changed my perspective on my reading?

I was thinking about this question earlier this week. As a kid my reading life was a very solitary hobby. I selected my books by going into the book store and seeing what caught my attention. I remember wandering around the Books-A-Million or the smaller Walden bookstore that were in the shopping plaza down the street. My mother would take us to the bookstore frequently and we would pick out books or just wander around and read a variety of books. I would select books from the kids section and when I got older I moved into classics. The fiction section was a bit too daunting for me and I loved reading classics so that is what I read. My book selection was looking at classics or buying books that were on sale. I had one friend that we would talk about books occasionally, but it was not a regular occurrence. I loved talking about books and stories in my English classes. Hearing other peoples thoughts and perspectives on the stories and how it affected people differently. I wanted to hear what people thought and how we saw it differently. So my reading before social media was very solitary. In the last few years my reading has become a more social activity. Once I started getting more into Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram it allowed me to share my passion for books and follow others who are just as passionate. I can get book recommendations and reviews from people around the world. I can have discussion with people online all over the world about books we are reading or want to read. This has opened up the opportunity to stretch myself as a reader. I can explore different types of books and get ideas on where to start with new genres I want to try. Once there it was an obvious move to branch out to Book Tube videos. I am now on You Tube all the time watching a variety of Book Tubers who are reviewing and discussing books. This has made me even more aware of different books out there and what I might be interesting to check out. It also allows me to anticipate when books will come out. I am also more aware of new releases and what to pick up that people are talking about. Some Book Tubers also have groups on Goodreads that then discuss a specific book and you can be a part of an online book club. While I still struggle with finding people to meet with in person, I can find discussion and suggestions on different social media sites. I can get involved in live web chats and watch videos that allow me discover new authors and genres that I would otherwise not have known about. It also makes me more culturally aware of what and who I am reading. I think social media has made me a more active reader because I like to share my thoughts and see what other people are saying about specifics books and the book world in general. Podcasts are another great way to learn about books and interact with others on your thoughts and questions. I have discovered so many interesting books and book news from the wide variety of podcasts available to me. I also think that all of these avenues of exploration all us to feel more connected to each other as readers. Reading is becoming a more social hobby in which we can share our thoughts and feelings with each other. I am excited to see how our communities as readers changes and grows.

Reading Challenge

I have been spending a lot of time watching book tube videos. One of the topics that has come up a few times is the idea of doing reading challenges. I did not realize what a hot topic this was. I feel like approaching this topic negatively from either side is not a great approach. I was actually surprised how passionately people where for or against them. I have done the Goodreads reading challenge for a couple years now. In 2012 I didn't reach my goal of 50 books, I got to 28 books, but that did not bother me. In 2013 I challenged myself to read 50 books and I surpassed my goal and read 53 books. This year I challenged myself to read 52 books in the year. As of today (10/3/14) I have read 63 books. Over the last couple for years I have made reading more of a priority. I also know my number is higher for me because of the types of books I enjoy reading. I also have been reading more because I am a middle school Language Arts teacher. I need to be able to recommend books to my students and model that I am a reader. I use the 40 book challenge in my classroom that Donaylnn Miller writes about in her book The Book Whisperer. I think this is the book that really had me making time to read. I challenged my students to read 40 book in a school and I felt I had to model this and participate as well. Now there are a lot a of rules I use to help students achieve this. They don't have a page minimum, any book over 350 pages counts as two books, and they may read graphic novels. Also middle grades books tend to be shorter reads. So this is not an unobtainable goal for them. But we also celebrate the success they have. If they read 20 books that year I make them feel great about that because that is usually a lot more books then they typically read. This also started me on reading a variety of genres. Since I need to have book recommendations in a variety of genres this means I have to read widely. I do read a lot young adult and am working on including more genres to my TBR. I also do the challenge instead of giving them book lists. I have tried that in the past and students hate selecting a book off a list. This gives them the freedom to explore and discover what they like. Now while that has also broadened my own reading horizons, I also find I like the reading challenges throughout the year. This year for example I have a few challenges going on. I have my Goodreads challenge of 52 books, I do the 40 book challenge between August to June, and I have a 25 categories challenge. The last one I chose to do because I wanted to stretch myself as a reader. I don't find it stressful or feel under the gun to read a certain number of books. My average is about four books a month. I do average one a week. Sometimes it takes me two weeks to get through a book and sometimes I fly through a couple in a weekend. I also read graphic novels which don't take as long to read. So it does depend on what I want to read. It also depends on how much time I have during the week. Having the challenges are like goals for me. But it helps me stay focused on my reading as opposed to freaking myself out. Now I also do not make a goal of a number that I don't think is obtainable. So I don't see a problem if people want to participate in a reading challenge. I was starting to feel a bit bad and having some self doubts as I watched the growing number of Book Tubers telling me how stupid it is. But you know what if the challenges make me a more focused and motivated reader then so be it. I don't have a problem if you find them stressful and choose not to do them, that is what is right for you. But I am not going to feel bad or like less of a reader because I do enjoy them.

Review: Not Quite a Wife by Mary Jo Putney

Laurel and her husband have been separated for ten years out of their eleven year marriage. The story is about the reconciliation for the couple and how they and the people around them deal with it. While this is an over simplification of the story, I do not want to give anything away. I enjoyed this book but it was not one of Mary Jo Puntey's best. I liked the concept of the book, but I think some parts of the relationship for this couple were too easy. I would have liked to see more emotion on both sides. The plot was very enjoyable. This one is hard for me to review. I enjoyed it, but it was not very strong. This is a very fun series. I would have also liked to see some more complex scenes between Kirkland and his wife. It is worth reading especially if you want a fun summer read.