Reading Esperanza

Since I had a long drive in the car today, I stopped by the library to see if they had an audio version of Esperenza Rising and thankfully they did! :) I am on CD 3 out of 4 and brought it in the house tonight so I can listen some before I go to bed. Monica, I understand why you cried now and I want you to know when you said that I knew I had to read it. So thank you! It is a really beautiful story and I love the narrator they are using. If you've ever seen Little Women with Winona Ryder, they use the oldest sister, Meg, who is Trini Alvarado to read. She does a fabulous job! I can't wait to find out how it ends!

The Help

So the workshop I went to with Becky Koesel this past week was amazing! She taught me amazing things about read aloud, finding "just right" books for kids and inspired my love for reading again! First she had us make a super cute Reader's Notebook...she provided the composition books and scrapbook paper. Then, so we could understand the power of the read aloud, she read this book to us. I cannot tell you how much I looked forward to going and hearing The book each day. When I was running late, I thought, "Oh, no! I hope I don't miss the read aloud!" So of course since she could only read us 3 chapters, I had to go out and get the book for myself. Amazing! It tells the story of 3 ladies: Skeeter, Minny, and Aibileen. It's based in Jackson, Mississippi during Civil Rights time - 1962.It is a powerful story of love, forgiveness, judgment, trust, and standing up for beliefs. It is a MUST READ! I have already passed it on to my sister, she loves stories like this and I thought of her. Check it out! It is so worth the read and I know I will read this one again!

The Wolves of Mercy Falls: A Stop Motion trailer for Linger

So Linger officially came out today! :) I know Heather and I read it, but not sure if Monica ever made it through or Stacy got the copy. It's in all bookstores now! And the other great news is that the author, Maggie Stiefvater, is coming to Houston! She will be here next Wednesday, July 28th!

http://www.bluewillowbookshop.com/event/maggie-stiefvater

Maggie really likes to support indie book stores, so the book has to come from Blue Willow in order to be autographed. I figure she might talk about writing too, so who would like to go? It is super close to my house, so I was thinking I could have everyone over for dessert after the signing so we could chat. :) Let me know if you're interested!

Mr. Lincoln's TMails

I was in Indiana last week visiting Rich's brother and nephew and found this great book on his brother's bookshelf! I love history, but don't always read books about it. This was a GREAT read. It explains how Abe Lincoln used the telegraph to communicate instantly with generals to strategize during the Civil War. It's like old-fashioned email and he used it to his advantage. Brilliant writing and a totally new look at Lincoln! I truly enjoyed it.

So Long Insecurity by Beth Moore

I've been working through this book with a bible study group from 2nd Baptist, and I know that, Brandee, you have read this or a part of it. I hate the title. It sounds so needy, and as I read, I felt a little like, "Beth, you are coming across a little needy," but I guess in that same way, it's very transparent, very real. The book is interesting in that I think Moore intends that it would be applicable for anyone, whether you are a Christian or not, but it fails quickly in that, in my opinion, because she is so at home when she is connecting our entire being to Christ. When she picks and chooses her personal stories to relate to points she wants to extend, it feels a little selective, but when she ties our strength and dignity inherent through Christ to God's word and to the bible, now that feels like Beth Moore, and I really loved that part of the book. The verses that she references were great reminders to hide in my heart; the prayers that she speaks along with the reader feel real, feel personal, and I loved those. I really loved those. Would I recommend this book? Yes! And I'll tell you that often throughout this read, I thought of you all, of our team, and knew that I was blessed to be surrounded by genuine, secure, and blessed women... and that, ladies, is an amazing, irreplaceable gift!!!

2 more books (at least) that I HAVE to get through for summer. Vacation this week, so wish me luck!

~ monica

Monster by Walter Dean Myers

Well, I did finish Shiver. I'm almost finished with my Beth Moore book, but I had to pick this one up at the bookstore with Kayla (she grabbed Lord of the Flies for our trip). Have you read this? It's not new, published in 1999, but the format of the book is very interesting. It is written as a screen play, a movie of his experience with journal entries here and there to give us his perspective from "the inside." I really liked the style; really I can't think of anything I've read quite like it. I enjoyed how it gives little bits of film and camera detail. I liked how it told the story in stage directions to emphasize maybe how different characters had different perspectives throughout, and it is a crime drama, so Stacy, you might like it if you haven't already read it. Anyway, I finished it in about 4-5 hours today, so I LOVED that, especially after my Shiver epic fail!!!

~ monica

The Off Season

This is the sequel to the book, Dairy Queen, by Catherine Murdock. DJ Schwenk proves to be just as lovable in this book as the first. Her awkwardness, family trials, and teenage angst create a great story! There are amazing twists and turns as her family faces a whole new future. Her strength and determination are tested as she has goes through personal and family struggles. There is a third book, Front and Center, which I started last night. I would highly recommend this series! The characters are flawed, but prove to be genuine. A great book for a rainy day, which we've had a lot of these days!!!

Is it already July????

I cant believe it...July is here already...and I know it is going to fly by! I hope everyone had a fabulous fourth of July! I went to my aunt and uncle's house. They let me sit in their pool and read a book...best 4th ever! :)

Also, thanks for going to "Eclipse!" I had so much fun that I couldnt sleep when I tried to sleep at 3 am...so I picked up a book and read until 5 am. :)

Free Audiobook Downloads

I found this website on Dr. Lesene's twitter account: http://www.audiobooksync.com/. She was my YA literature professor and reads like crazy! She knows a lot of great books and writes her own blog each day. Anyways, this site has FREE audiobook downloads. It looks like they give a "new" release and classic each week. Fun!

Wicked

I have been waiting to see this show for SO long...if anyone is interested and wants to go, please let me know!!!! I believe it runs from June 30th through July 25th at the Hobby Center!

No Air

Okay, so this is not a book but rather a song... the only thing I can think of right now because my AC is out. I have NO AIR! Tell me how am I gonna breathe with no air~ air? Yes, these are the lyrics going through my brain!

RE: ECLIPSE

I am super excited 1) to see everyone tonight and 2) to see the movie! The reviews I've read have indicated that it should be a good one! I'm hopeful. Brandee, thanks for making our reservations! Can't wait!

Until tonight!

The Dairy Queen

I cannot believe I forgot about this book! I read it before my recent Agatha Christie books. Lisa Hutchison recommended it to my students and to me, but I never got around to it. It was great because the main character, DJ Schwenk, is completely flawed and completely lovable at the same time! Her family owns a dairy farm and she is pulling the weight of upkeep and such while her dad recovers from surgery, her mom starts a new career, and her little brother plays baseball. It is full of twists and turns, but a GREAT read! :) There are sequels too and I plan to check them out this week!

Lament and Ballad

So after reading Shiver and Linger, I had to read Maggie Stiefvater's other novels, Lament and Ballad. By they way, I love that she uses 1 word for her titles. Check out her website: http://www.maggiestiefvater.com/. It has some cool stuff and Heather, Forever comes out NEXT July!

So back to the books...Lament is the first one and it introduces us to the world of faeries, not nice fairies, evil ones! Musically gifted characters Deidre and Luke face the challenges of the faerie world when Deidre finds out she has something all the faeries want. A great read! Ballad is the sequel to Lament and it is also excellent. It was darker than Lament. There was heartbreak, sorrow, an evil queen, homicidal faeries and much more. These are both excellent books in my opinion! It takes you out of the vampire/werewolf world and into a totally different world! Enjoy!

I finished another Agatha Christie book, A Caribbean Mystery. It was full of intrigue, murders (but not graphic), and jealous men and women. Infidelity, fake suicide, all kinds of topics are covered. It was a good read and I was surprised yet again at the end who the killer was! This book also sparked some strange conversation. I was at a Kwik Kar place getting my radiator worked on when the clerk asked me what I was reading. I told him and he knew it was a mystery. Then he proceeded to tell me that there are ghosts beneath his shop, where they drop the oil. He invited me to come back anytime at closing to hear/see/feel the ghosts. CREEPY!!! I let him know I was NOT interested because I believe God tells us not to mess with that stuff. He continued to tell me more stories about his workers seeing things and then his own experiences. Very strange!

What a great read! This was definitely an adult book! I have been reading so many young adult books lately, this was a little shocker at some of the steamy romantic scenes. Sookie Stackhouse is the main character. She is a waitress that often keeps to herself because she can read people's minds. She meets and falls in love with a vampire named Bill. He seems to truly love her, but something is very mysterious about him. I have a feeling there is much more to tell about his character as the series continues. It is a series on HBO, and I want to get it now so I can watch it. My neighbor said she tried to watch it once, but it was SCARY. This read was definitely more intense than Shiver or Intertwined. If you are looking for a good ADULT vampire read, this is the one!

I thought this quote said it all! What a love story! Who has read Shiver now? I would love to chat and see what everyone thought. I couldn't put the book down, but I know Monica is struggling to finish it. I am dying to see Laury so I can get Linger from her. Brandee, is Linger a good sequel? Laury said she liked Shiver better. I loved how it alternated between Sam and Grace's point of view. One part of the book that really bothered me was how in the world could Grace's parents really have no clue what was going on in their daughter's life! I don't want to spoil the book by giving examples, so I will wait and make sure everyone has finished it! :)

Okay, this is the book I had to go and spend my own money because I never finished reading it when I borrowed it from one of my students. HA! It started out slowly for me, but then it was so interesting I just had to finish it. I think it was a little slow at first because it was confusing with all of the characters. The main character, Aden, has four souls living inside of him. One can predict the future, one can time travel, one can raise the dead, and one can possess another body. Aden meets Mary Ann who somehow can stop the voices of the four souls. They meet a vampire and werewolf and end up in dangerous situations. The sequel, Unraveled, comes out in September, and I plan to read it! :) I found a video on You tube but can't figure out how to attach it. ??? Go to You tube and type official trailer for Intertwined. Surely you Twilight fans would love this one!

Cut is a very quick read about a young girl named Callie. It is a little depressing since it is about a teen who cuts herself and ends up in a treatment facility, but I wanted to read it because it is told from her point of view. I had a student caught doing this last year, so I was curious WHY someone would ever do this! Cutting is often about feeling you have something you can control. If you are interested in this subject, it is a good read.

This is not my first read of the summer, but my most recent. I have read quite a few and have really, really enjoyed the time to read for pleasure! I've been reading so much young adult literature that I made myself go to the 2nd floor at my library, the "grown up" books, and choose one to read. I stumbled upon Agatha Christie and loved this book! It makes me see how she is the #1 mystery seller of all time. The main character is Miss Marple, a nosy old lady who has a lot of time on her hands. In the end she helps solve the crime. There are other Miss Marple mysteries and I just checked out two new ones today!

Eclipse

http://www.eclipsethemovie.com/

Tickets? We've got them... lots of them... extras! So please come!

Eclipse?

Okay, so looking at the Alamo site today, it looks like they might be sold out of the midnight showing. I didn't really look into it, but do we want to try for a midnight showing? Let me know what you are thinking. :) Can't wait either way. Brandee, I know you have more fun adventurous movie excursions behind you than I do. Any fun ideas?

Looking forward to getting together. Any official first book suggestions? Maybe we could set a tentative time/date... or just coordinate a get together with Eclipse movie or not... Just ideas.

Miss you all!
~monica

Possible Read

I absolutely love books set in histroical time periods(especially if it is set in England...which explains why Pride and Prejudice is my favorite novel :) If you enjoy that as well and also want a little mystery and a strong female character who does as she pleases, check out Tasha Alexander's Lady Emily Series. There are currently four books (the fifth comes out in the fall) which starts with And Only to Decieve. I have found that the books get better as you travel through the series!

Happy reading!

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner

Officially, my first book, my first summer read, was The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner. Perfect summer read if you loved Eclipse (which was my favorite of the Twilight series). This is a summer quick read, no chapters even, almost like an aside or an extended excerpt of Eclipse. This book reminded me of why I love Stephenie Meyer. Her style is so fluid~ like she's streaming the thoughts of her characters as they happen and you just happen to be a bystander to the affairs. Mostly, I think she's so effective in this style because you can just tell that she LOVES her characters. The way she talks about their backstories as though she's just been holding on to these pasts, these stories, rather than creating them is so intimate. This quick read is a little different in the vampire lifestyle that is Bree's life, but Meyer concludes in an easy transition to the action of Eclipse and a brilliant publicity movement for the upcoming movie (June 30th).

Well, The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner was a quick, enjoyable jumpstart summer read. Let me know what you thought. Oh, and I bought the book even though I think you could read it online. I'm a book buyer and wanted it as a part of my Twilight shrine. :) I wonder what ya'll did?

Keep reading!