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.

Where I buy Baby books

Baby books can be very expensive. I didn't really want to spend almost $20 per book for picture books. Board books can be less expensive at $7 to $10 a book. Here are some great places to get discounted books. Local Library: A lot of libraries have sales or second hand stores in them. My local library has a small used store that is open during the weekdays. They sell books from .25 to a couple dollars. They have a good variety. you can usually get some good children's books there. I got over 20 books for about $4.50 last time I went. Any money this stores make usually help the library, which is an added benefit. If you are not interested in buying books obviously you can check them out of your local library. Second Hand Stores:Used book stores are a great way to support your local community. You can also find some amazing books. Usually they depend on what people bring in. The two stores I go to will give you store credit based on what books you bring in. This can also help offset the cost of children's books (or books for you). I have found some older books with such lovely illistrations in them. You should look up any used bookstores in your area. Book Outlet: Book Outlet is an online discount book site. Their stock revolves so you can't always find specific books. This is more for browsing and seeing what they have available. The prices range but you can get hard cover, soft cover, board books, library bound, or scratch and dent. So there are sometimes a variety of ways to save money on this site. The shipping can seem pricey but for what you are saving on the books I have always found it worth it. They are having a sale this week were you get free shipping so now would be a good time to check them our. Lilly Post: There is also a service called Lilly Post. For $26 a month they send me 5 wrapped board books. When my daughter is a little older it will be more fun to watch her unwrap them. But I have gotten some great books through this. I signed up through Book Outlet so you can go to their site for more info. There is also a plan that sends you 4 picture books each month. Barnes and Noble or Books a Million: If you have a chain bookstore near where you live you may be able to find some deals in the clearance sections of these stores. They also have discount cards you can buy and off coupons fairly regularly. So you probably won't save as much as the places above, but if you are looking for a specific book this may bee a good option. If you don't live near a books store Amazon usually has good prices and offers used books you can buy sometimes as well. That is how I save money on books for my baby. This is also how I get books for myself and my classroom. So sometimes you just need to look around what is available in your community.

Where to start

I am an avid reader. I love books and everything dealing with books. When I found out I was pregnant last year one of the things I was excited about was sharing my love of books with my new baby. That also made me relize that I knew nothing about children's books. So I will be writing a number of blog posts on my journey in this new area of literary exploration. Let's start with where I started on this journey. I started with classics. I got The Very Hungry Caterpiller, Good Night Moon, and Puff the Magic Dragon. But I also wanted something more for my daughter. I wanted to make sure she had diverse books (which more on that at a later date) and interesting books. One of the things I did to help me is I subsrcibed to Lilly Post (http://www.lillypost.com/about_us). I get 5 board books every month for a very good price. I also have visited the library and checked out a selection of books. I also bought some from the used book store and the library second hand store. My online reseach has left much to be desired. So I am going through books myself and trying to create a list of great childrens books. I am starting with board books for right now. So we shall see how this goes. My next step is to also look up story times and start taking her to story times around town to see if I can encounter books that way. Access is the key to success with books! If you have any great diverse book recommendations please let me know!

The Importance of Reading

I have always loved reading. I can't remember a time that I did not love books. As a child I loved The Babysitter's Club and Illistrated Classics. I remember reading books that impacted who I was and how I viewed the world. In elementary school we read such great books as The Giver, Are You There God, It's Me Margaret, Number of Stars, Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry, Bridge to Terabithia, and From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. As a Language Arts teacher today I know how important reading is. There are debates and arguments on what is right and how we should be having kids read. I do not feel that there is one right way. I still read class novels. But the novels you select need to be important and have a reason. For example one of the books we teach every year is The Outsiders. I have seen how well 12 and 13 year olds connect to this novel. It speaks to them and that gets them more interested in reading. You will not reach every child with one book. Even though in my expereince The Outsiders comes really close. But just seeing their peers excited and to feel the energy reaches the kids the book might miss. Do we need more diverse books in our school. Aboslutely. I am always looking for books to put in my school library or stories to teach that have more diverse characters. When I first started teaching I read Donalyn Miller's Book The Book Whisperer and it was life changing. My goal in life is to get books into the hands of kids. As my classroom library shows I am very dedicated. I have books lining each wall, on tables, on the white board. Kids see new stacks not yet processed and they want to see what i have bought for them. I have more kids read beacuse I have given them access to books. Access is one of the things kids don't always have. At this time of year in a lot of schools kids don't have access to their media centers because of testing. So they are cut off from books in a way some teachers may not consider. It's why having books for my students is so important. Now part of that is I am a book buyer. I buy books from Book Outlet, libraries, and usded book stories to save money. I want to give the love I had as a child to other children. I want them to have the access and diversity in thier books. I want them to see themselves in what they read.

Phy-changeling series

This series by Nalini Singh is amazing. I had read the first book a couple years ago and decided to read the rest of the series. Over the last two months I binge read 14 books in this series. It is amazing! I will write more about my favorite books in this series! 

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.

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I give this book 4.5 stars. How you approach this book is very important; I would not approach it as a sequel to TKAM. That is not how this book was written. I went into this book with the understanding that it was the source material for TKAM. So while it is fine to take it as a sequel you have to keep in mind that she wrote this one first. It almost felt like a parallel universe. With that being said I loved it. I love her writing style and how she presents her characters. I think that Go Set a Watchman is a realistic view of the world Scout lived in and TKAM is that of someone looking back on their childhood and reflecting on their father. Most children do not perceive the realities of their childhoods, because they are learning so much at one time and are sheltered from that world to a point. The Atticus in this book is the same man from the other, but he comes off as more of a person as opposed to the unobtainable expectation. This book deals with issues we are still dealing with today and helps us realize it is a good thing to reevaluate our surroundings and our own beliefs. I also think it is very important to take into account when she wrote this book. You need to realize where Harper Lee is coming from and the experiences she is writing from. I highly recommend reading this book. I also warn the reader to take into account when it was written and that it is the novel the inspired TKAM.

Original post: I am torn between. 4 and a 5 star rating. I have a lot of thoughts about this book. So a more in depth review will be coming once I have processed my thoughts.

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Book Riot: Young Adult Quarterly Box #2

This week I received the second Book Riot: Young Adult Quarterly Box. I enjoy receiving the subscription book boxes. Each box is $50 and they are delivered every three months. This makes this box very affordable. I am usually very happy with the contents of this box and their other box designed for adult readers. Each box has a theme and the theme for this box is friendship. In the box this month I got some great items. The first item in the box was a book light. It also came with a pack of cards that look like library classic library cards. You can use them to make lists, take notes, or keep track of books you lend out. This box also came with three books. I loved that so many books where included this month! The first book is Everything Leads to You by Nina LaCour. I had not heard of this book but I am very interested in it. It is a story about finding out who you are and finding adventure. I am interested to see the female relationships presented in this novel and how the others looks at teen issues. The second book is A Sense of the Infinite by Hilary T. Smith and it also came with a signed book plate. This one looks very interesting. It looks like it is about becoming your own person, defining yourself, and coming to terms with your past. I can't wait to dive into this book. This book also came with three postcards that have quotes from the book on them. The third book is Chasing Shadows by Swati Avasthi with graphics by Craig Phillips. I love that this book has graphics within the text. This book is about dealing with a tragedy and how that can effect a friendship and how you deal with that. This is another book I had not heard of and am excited to dig into! Overall I am very excited about this box. I got three books I had not heard of and they look very interesting. I like the surprise aspect of the boxes and not knowing what I am going to get. I have been looking at other boxes to see if there are others I would want to try, but they tend to be a little bit more expensive. So we shall see. But I highly recommend this box or the other box they offer. Book Riot is also getting ready to do a comic quarterly box. So keep your ears open for that one if that is more your style.

Harper Lee Day

Got my copy today on release day! Hoping to finish it tomorrow and then I will post my review. But has to post a picture of this beauty!! 

The Little Free Library Book

The Little Free Library Book by Margret Aldrich
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This was a delightful book. If you are interested in knowing more about Little Free Libraries or if you are interested in starting your own this is a must read book. It has lots f stories from people who have Little Free Libraries and it discusses planning, upkeep, and has lots of pictures to give you ideas. I highly recommend this book!

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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. 

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. 

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!!!

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!

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick

This is the first book I have read written by Becca Fitzpatrick. I was not sure if I was going to enjoy this book going in, because I am usually not a fan of thrillers but I was pleasantly surprised and I do have to say that I loved this book. I gave it 5 stars. I thought the pacing was very well done and it kept you on the edge of your seat. I think it did slow down for a bit in the middle, but it picked up again and was very well written. While I did have problems with some of the characters because I thought they were annoying. It may be accurate depictions of high school kids, so it may just have been me having trouble connecting. But beside that I did love this book. I am really glad I bought a lovely hardcover edition. I have a copy of her book Hush, Hush on my bookshelf and can't wait to get to read it.

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.

Sleepy Hollow: Children of the Revolution by Keith DeCandido

Sleepy Hollow: Children of the Revolution by Keith DeCandido I am a big fan of the T.V. show. When I saw this as an option on the Blogging for Books site I was excited to give it a chance. I really liked the writing style for this book. It definitely had the same feel and mood for the T.V. show. The plot was interesting but I at times I wasn't quite sure where it fit into the season. But the back of the book as an explanation of how the book fits between the episodes “The Golem” and “The Vessel.” The problem I had with this book was that it was structured just like the T.V. show. There were a lot of flash backs for numerous characters and I felt that slowed the book down. While this works great in the T.V. show, in the book I felt it pulled me away from the current story and I wanted to know how that went. The flashbacks where really not that necessary. It also made some of the scenes a bit confusing. So I liked the book for the most part. I gave 3 out of 5 stars to this book. If you are a fan of the show you will probably find it entertaining. I got this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

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.

Book Tube and my digital TBR

I have been watching a lot of Book Tube/ You Tube bookish posts. I have been getting a lot of great book ideas. I love the videos on books. I also have a book haul post to or two to put up on recent books I have bought. Most are young adult books since I bought them for my classroom. I do enjoy reading young adult as well. I also bought some ebooks I want to talk about. So let me start with my digital TBR: 1. Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. For this book I have downloaded the sample and am trying to decide if I want to buy a hard copy or just download it for my ereader. 2. Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer. This is the first book in a dystopian trilogy. I heard some good things about this series from Book Riot and it was not very expensive on my Nook so I picked it up. 3. Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer. I pre-ordered this book. It is ready to be downloaded on my Nook once it is available on September 30th. I had been hearing so much about this book all over the place, I had to read it. 4. The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton. It was on sale and I had been eyeing this book for a bit. It sounded really interesting and for $6 on my Nook I could not pass that up. 5. Vision in Silver by Anne Bishop. I also pre-ordered this book, which does not come out till March. I loved the first two books in this series. Written in Red and Murder of Crows. I read both and have listened to them on audio books. I love them so much and can not wait for this one to come out.