What a delightful book! Elinore Pruitt Rupert Stewart was a prolific writer of letters. After her husband died, leaving her with a young infant, she decided to head west and see as much of the world as possible.
After a bout of flu she was advised that she should travel out to Wyoming as she was supposed to fare better there. On a whim she contacted a man who was advertising for a housekeeper. She moved from Denver to Wyoming, near the Bad Land hills.
This book is a collection of letters which she wrote to a dear friend and former employer in Denver. Over the course of the letters on learns bits and pieces about her life...a few secrets even. If you've never read this type of book or if you just think you might not be interested, I would still encourage you to broaden your reading horizons and read this little gem.
At only 112 pages it is certainly a page-turner. I couldn't wait to see what Elinore and her gang might be upt to next. The best part is that she is quite the humorist. Not only does she find humor in many things, she is also able to convey humor through her writing. What a talent! How pleased must have been those people to whom she wrote letters! I can only imagine what a pleasure it must have been to know her. With such a bright and giving spirit, those around her must truly have been blessed.
She, too, was blessed. Moving to Wyoming brought her to a land that was much less inhabited than where she had previously lived. She had to learn new ways. She also learned independence as she was also on a quest to prove her own homestead! In the course of doing that she also made many life-long friends and found that she did not have to be always so fiercely independent because she was surrounded by people who loved her and cared for her.
27 December 2010
Our initial impression of VTech's Vreader...
Well, here we are, only two days out from Christmas Day. Our darling 4 1/2 year old received her VReader on Christmas Day, from us. I am back to give our impression of it so far.We didn't really find time to do much with it until very late last night. I was going to look at it a bit while she had a late snack of peppermint ice cream. Before I knew it she had finished and was back to me just as I was about to start playing with it.
I handed it over to her. We bought her five cartridges/titles for it, plus the one it came with. The titles we own are: Shrek, Toy Story 3, Olivia, Dora and Tinkerbell. The age spectrum varies a lot among those titles. I was eager to see the representation of various age levels. I was pleased to find that Shrek is much more difficult than some of the other titles. I believe it has the highest age rating; it is ages 5-7. Toy Story 3 has an age rating of 3-5. While Toy Story 3 was relatively easy/babyish for her, it was still fun and I believe engagin if not exactly challenging. This means the creators pulled together a pretty good package. The Shrek title will certainly last her a LONG time. Some of it is easy enough for her to do now but some will take her a while to master and that is good.
We'd played with the demo units in the stores this Christmas season. But demo units such as the stores had are not really definitive. There just wasn't enough variety in what it allowed the user to do. So far it seems that every title has the option of reading the title story or having the unit read it aloud to you. Each title also appears to have a lot of games, say, perhaps about 10-12, associated with the story! I was really surprised by the number of activities included in each title!
I think this unit is going to last her a long time. I believe we will end up buying a lot more titles. Our little one is a big reader. She is already reading 3 and 4 letter words on her own and I recently caught her decoding the word "chapter" as she tried to read a book herself! I love that she loves to read. I think her VReader is going to be a lovely compliment to her homeschooling as well as her personal enjoyment of books.
26 December 2010
So far I haven't strayed from posting strictly book reviews.
I am going to post our favorite new board game because some of you may be interested in hearing about it.I think it will become a new favorite for many of us. We love strategy games that don't tend to involve luck. This game has won many awards and is worthy of them!
I will include a link for an online version of it:
http://www.pentago-online.com/
02 December 2010
An Idiot Girl's Christmas: True Tales from the Top of the Naughty List by Laurie Notaro
All right, I hate to admit it. Laurie Notaro makes me laugh. She can be vulgar and childish, yes; even irreverent.. That is the reason for my reticence. However, she can also really make me giggle.
I'll also admit I have had greater enjoyment from other books she has written. Parts of this book were taken from various other books she wrote in the past; this is a compilation with some new material also, I believe.
In this book, Laurie shares that she is a clear-lights person with regard to Christmas trees and that she is "tired of living a brightly colored lie." She just isn't afraid to "call them as she sees them"; she says exactly what is on her mind. She writes things that some people would be embarrassed to think. And so I laugh.
Here is what happens when she looks to her fiance for some encouragement after meeting his family for the first time at their family Christmas celebration: "'This is horrible, they hate me,' I told him as I handed over some of the presents. 'I think I'd rather have my next Pap smear broadcast over satellite TV or have my credit report published in the paper or just about anything than go back in there." A bit later, whlie explaining how she ruined the entire holiday she writes "I had completely destroyed the family's holiday even further than I had when they thought I was a pregnant, homeless stripper with knotted hair."
I really enjoyed her spiel about hating Kmart stores and then finding that she was forced to shop at one on Christmas Eve one year. I have rated this title 3.5* out of 5.0.
I'll also admit I have had greater enjoyment from other books she has written. Parts of this book were taken from various other books she wrote in the past; this is a compilation with some new material also, I believe.
In this book, Laurie shares that she is a clear-lights person with regard to Christmas trees and that she is "tired of living a brightly colored lie." She just isn't afraid to "call them as she sees them"; she says exactly what is on her mind. She writes things that some people would be embarrassed to think. And so I laugh.
Here is what happens when she looks to her fiance for some encouragement after meeting his family for the first time at their family Christmas celebration: "'This is horrible, they hate me,' I told him as I handed over some of the presents. 'I think I'd rather have my next Pap smear broadcast over satellite TV or have my credit report published in the paper or just about anything than go back in there." A bit later, whlie explaining how she ruined the entire holiday she writes "I had completely destroyed the family's holiday even further than I had when they thought I was a pregnant, homeless stripper with knotted hair."
I really enjoyed her spiel about hating Kmart stores and then finding that she was forced to shop at one on Christmas Eve one year. I have rated this title 3.5* out of 5.0.
01 December 2010
All Shook Up by Shelley Pearsall
I found out about this book through our son, Matthew. This book is proposed for the Rebecca Caudill Young Reader's Award for 2011. Matthew's school gave a presentation to fourth graders highlighting some of the proposed titles of the Caudill Award for this year. ALL SHOOK UP is one of the books that interested him.
Josh Greenwood is a 13 year old boy who lives in Boston with his mom. When Josh's mom's mother falls and injures herself badly he learns that he must visit his dad for an extended time. His grandma lives in Florida and his mom is going to have to visit there to assist her with her recuperation. Josh's dad lives in Chicago which means that Josh will have to sign up to attend school there, away from all of his friends.
Upon arriving in Chicago it isn't long before Josh finds out that the shoe store his dad worked for has gone out of business and his dad is now making money doing gigs...singing as Elvis. Now, while this might sound pretty cool to some adults, Josh is extremely embarrassed at even the thought of it.
While living in Chicago Josh meets his dad's new girlfriend Viv, and her daughter, Ivory, as well as an elderly neighbor who is making his dad's Elvis-scarves for his stage shows.
The story is told through the eyes of a 13 year old. It's not deep, but it does remind one of how simple the viewpoint of a young teen can be. That said, there is a bit of character growth by the end of the book. I actually thought the book might be a bit more exciting than it was. The story does see Josh make a pretty bad decision that affected his dad worse than his dad's actions were affecting him. There is some resolution to that situation though and it certainly provides a point for discussion with younger readers. One interesting point occurs when Halloween sneaks up on them and they are not prepared; this finds Josh scrambling for a costume and he spends a bit of time wearing some of his dad's Elvis clothing. After doing so he finds that he actually had a bit of fun with it and begins to see things from his dad's side a bit more.
My son doesn't know that I have read the book. I bought the ebook for my NOOK. I also bought a hardcover version for him for Christmas. I think he will really enjoy the book and he'll be surprised to hear that Mom has already read it. If he saves enough to buy a NOOK (he received a gift card for B&N for is birthday) he will be pleased to find that he can read the ebook too!
I am rating this book a 3.5 on a 5.0 scale.
30 November 2010
PSA- to PARENTS purchasing VReaders as Christmas presents:
PSA- to PARENTS purchasing VReaders as Christmas presents:
The VReader requires an SD card in order to download the 6 "free"
books from the VTech website. I'm so glad I brought that bundle of
gifts down to wrap this evening. Now I have 4 AA batteries loaded
in it and I will be shopping for the necessary SD card as soon as I
have the chance!
Of course I will report back with details of the process of setting
up the VReader. It will be good to share my experience with anyone
who can gain from it.
The VReader requires an SD card in order to download the 6 "free" books from the VTech website. I'm so glad I brought that bundle of
gifts down to wrap this evening. Now I have 4 AA batteries loaded
in it and I will be shopping for the necessary SD card as soon as I
have the chance!
Of course I will report back with details of the process of setting
up the VReader. It will be good to share my experience with anyone
who can gain from it.
20 November 2010
NOOK on sale on Black Friday
The original NOOK (Wi-Fi) (not the NOOK Wi-Fi +3G) will be on sale the day after Thanksgiving.
The price will drop to an amazing $99! You can find it at Best Buy according to this site:
http://tinyurl.com/NOOKSaleAtBestBuy
The price will drop to an amazing $99! You can find it at Best Buy according to this site:
http://tinyurl.com/NOOKSaleAtBestBuy
I saw the NOOK color!!
NOOK color is in the stores, Peeps!
If you have an opportunity, stop by a B&N and check it out!
I recalled last night that a store rep had called to tell me it was in stock and they would hold one for me for 48 hours. The store was abuzz!
I only had to wait a few minutes for my chance to see the demo.
I had our daughter, Marlo, with me.
It weighs noticably more than the original NOOK. It is fairly sleek and attractive. More attractive than I expected. The silly little corner piece for NOOK charms didn't bother me as much as expected, either.
The color is a nice dark slate with a slight sparkle to it without being truly shiny.
The screen is very nice. It's big. They've managed to allow the product to be mostly screen actually.
I really wanted to see an "interactive" child's book in action. The only real problem is that B&N has not provided training for the store agents so they only know what they know from playing with the product themselves or from reading the owner's manual (and did they??). When I asked to see a child's book I was told "no problem, great". We looked at a couple of them. Cute. But I was not quite impressed enough with the "interactivity" to think "I have to go home with this product!"
Upon arriving at home our son, Matthew, asked where we'd been. I told him. He had not been aware of a color version being marketed. He immediately wanted to know more. I told him to run find it online and I would look at it with him. He returned to me and we looked at the B&N site together. He managed to find an interactive child's book on their site and there was a demo for it!
http://tinyurl.com/NOOKColorInterativity
Go down to where there is a NOOK with a bear in the picture and a button that says "Read To Me".
Click there for a nice demo.
That demo makes me think "Gee, I want to go home with that product!"
Before I left the store last night I told the agent that I was not making a purchase that night but that I'd be happy for her to place my name on the waiting list for the next shipment that is due in a few days. She did so.
Of course a big part of ME wants the NOOK Color now; I'll admit that. But I also want this for Gigi, our
4 1/2 year old who is now reading 3 and 4 letter words on her own. She loves books more than almost anything else. This would be an amazing gift for her and it is one that could continue to grow with her which is very important in a gift for a child.
Matt really likes what he saw too. I told him that there really wouldn't be much interactivity in books for kids his age (but what do I know, there could be, actually). He also knows that the NOOK original (Wi-FI-i) is going to be on sale on Black Friday at B&N for just $99. Our budget is stretched since we have five children. I wonder if we will add any NOOKs to our household this Christmas.
If you have an opportunity, stop by a B&N and check it out!
I recalled last night that a store rep had called to tell me it was in stock and they would hold one for me for 48 hours. The store was abuzz!
I only had to wait a few minutes for my chance to see the demo.
I had our daughter, Marlo, with me.
It weighs noticably more than the original NOOK. It is fairly sleek and attractive. More attractive than I expected. The silly little corner piece for NOOK charms didn't bother me as much as expected, either.
The color is a nice dark slate with a slight sparkle to it without being truly shiny.
The screen is very nice. It's big. They've managed to allow the product to be mostly screen actually.
I really wanted to see an "interactive" child's book in action. The only real problem is that B&N has not provided training for the store agents so they only know what they know from playing with the product themselves or from reading the owner's manual (and did they??). When I asked to see a child's book I was told "no problem, great". We looked at a couple of them. Cute. But I was not quite impressed enough with the "interactivity" to think "I have to go home with this product!"
Upon arriving at home our son, Matthew, asked where we'd been. I told him. He had not been aware of a color version being marketed. He immediately wanted to know more. I told him to run find it online and I would look at it with him. He returned to me and we looked at the B&N site together. He managed to find an interactive child's book on their site and there was a demo for it!
http://tinyurl.com/NOOKColorInterativity
Go down to where there is a NOOK with a bear in the picture and a button that says "Read To Me".
Click there for a nice demo.
That demo makes me think "Gee, I want to go home with that product!"
Before I left the store last night I told the agent that I was not making a purchase that night but that I'd be happy for her to place my name on the waiting list for the next shipment that is due in a few days. She did so.
Of course a big part of ME wants the NOOK Color now; I'll admit that. But I also want this for Gigi, our
4 1/2 year old who is now reading 3 and 4 letter words on her own. She loves books more than almost anything else. This would be an amazing gift for her and it is one that could continue to grow with her which is very important in a gift for a child.
Matt really likes what he saw too. I told him that there really wouldn't be much interactivity in books for kids his age (but what do I know, there could be, actually). He also knows that the NOOK original (Wi-FI-i) is going to be on sale on Black Friday at B&N for just $99. Our budget is stretched since we have five children. I wonder if we will add any NOOKs to our household this Christmas.
Christmas for book lovers...
So, Christmas is only 44 days away. Yes. It's true. It's also likely, if you are reading this,
that you are a person who is shopping for others. Those of us who shop for others are
not always on the ball about developing our own wish lists; we take the back seat.
And so here is your challenge. Make a list of your own wants. It will make it much
simpler for those who will buy you gifts.
Here is another challenge; perhaps a bit more motivating. List your book-related wants here.
I love to read about what other people are reading or wishing to read. Inspire us with your list.
Feel free to elaborate in regard to where you heard about the book or why you wish to read it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My number one wish, I think, is for an additional cover for my NOOK.
I think the the top of my list is occupied by this little gem:
http://tinyurl.com/TupperQuoteCoverInLeafNOOK
I love the feel of the cover; for that, alone, it is a very popular choice. The cover is graced with this quote, front to back: “A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever.” It's not as girlie as I'd like, to give me a very different cover from the one I have but the price is certainly appealing at only $29.95.
If I felt I could be extravagant in my wish I would choose this one probably:
http://tinyurl.com/SheKeptHerNoseInABookCoverNOOK
I like the inside even more as it could actually become my wallet. The only drawback I see is that while it is attractive the cover does not begin to compare in softness to the TupperQuote cover above. Price- $125. Still, I think they could charge more if it were as soft as the Tupper as it would combine great functionality with true fashionable appeal for a woman.
If I could be truly indulgent I would ask for the NOOK color.
For now, I am very happy with my original NOOK and I do appreciate the eInk technology which
is not used on the NOOK color. I would probably use both if I owned both though.
that you are a person who is shopping for others. Those of us who shop for others are
not always on the ball about developing our own wish lists; we take the back seat.
And so here is your challenge. Make a list of your own wants. It will make it much
simpler for those who will buy you gifts.
Here is another challenge; perhaps a bit more motivating. List your book-related wants here.
I love to read about what other people are reading or wishing to read. Inspire us with your list.
Feel free to elaborate in regard to where you heard about the book or why you wish to read it.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
My number one wish, I think, is for an additional cover for my NOOK.
I think the the top of my list is occupied by this little gem:
http://tinyurl.com/TupperQuoteCoverInLeafNOOK
I love the feel of the cover; for that, alone, it is a very popular choice. The cover is graced with this quote, front to back: “A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever.” It's not as girlie as I'd like, to give me a very different cover from the one I have but the price is certainly appealing at only $29.95.
If I felt I could be extravagant in my wish I would choose this one probably:
http://tinyurl.com/SheKeptHerNoseInABookCoverNOOK
I like the inside even more as it could actually become my wallet. The only drawback I see is that while it is attractive the cover does not begin to compare in softness to the TupperQuote cover above. Price- $125. Still, I think they could charge more if it were as soft as the Tupper as it would combine great functionality with true fashionable appeal for a woman.
If I could be truly indulgent I would ask for the NOOK color.
For now, I am very happy with my original NOOK and I do appreciate the eInk technology which
is not used on the NOOK color. I would probably use both if I owned both though.
11 November 2010
What is on your Christmas list?
If you are reading this you are probably someone who is in charge of buying Christmas gifts.
I am doing pretty well, myself, with regard to this task. I don't like to get stressed about it
so I try to put some planning into it and approach it with thoughtfulness.
Often those of us who purchase gifts for others neglect to consider our own wants. We take
a back seat,but that just makes it difficult for those who want to buy us gifts. I am going to
challenge you to make their task easier by giving some thought to your own wishes as you
prepare for Christmas this year.
Now, since I like to keep this site pertaining to the love of reading, what I am asking you
to do is to post some of your book-related wants here for us to see. I love to hear about
what others are reading or hoping to read. Try to inspire us; point us in the direction of
something of which we were previously unaware.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think the the top of my list is occupied by this little gem:
http://tinyurl.com/TupperQuoteCoverInLeafNOOK
I love the feel of the cover; for that, alone, it is a very popular choice. The cover is graced with this quote, front to back: “A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever.” It's not as girlie as I'd like, to give me a very different cover from the one I have but the price is certainly appealing at only $29.95.
If I felt I could be extravagant in my wish I would choose this one probably:
http://tinyurl.com/SheKeptHerNoseInABookCoverNOOK
I like the inside even more as it could actually become my wallet. The only drawback I see is that while it is attractive the cover does not begin to compare in softness to the TupperQuote cover above. Price- $125. Still, I think they could charge more if it were as soft as the Tupper as it would combine great functionality with true fashionable appeal for a woman.
I already own this one:
http://tinyurl.com/JonathanAdlerPunctuationCover
I still like it. I am just ready for some variety. I chose this cover because it is a bit mysterious, with the large question mark on one side and the ampersand on the other. I also thought I liked the canvas inner cover. I have only had my NOOK for about 3months and already the inside is becoming dingy; the outside too, along the white areas. I just took a moment to try to give it a good cleaning. It does look better but the inside didn't improve a lot. These days I tend to be drawn to more feminine choices so I was a bit surprised that this is what I chose.
Books I hope to purchase with B&N gift cards are:
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Mr. Monk and The Dirty Cop
The Quiche of Death by MC Beaton
The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud
One Day by David Nicholls
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
(I am sure there will be more added and perhaps some deleted by the time Christmas actually arrives!)
I can't wait to see what your replies are...
I am doing pretty well, myself, with regard to this task. I don't like to get stressed about it
so I try to put some planning into it and approach it with thoughtfulness.
Often those of us who purchase gifts for others neglect to consider our own wants. We take
a back seat,but that just makes it difficult for those who want to buy us gifts. I am going to
challenge you to make their task easier by giving some thought to your own wishes as you
prepare for Christmas this year.
Now, since I like to keep this site pertaining to the love of reading, what I am asking you
to do is to post some of your book-related wants here for us to see. I love to hear about
what others are reading or hoping to read. Try to inspire us; point us in the direction of
something of which we were previously unaware.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I think the the top of my list is occupied by this little gem:
http://tinyurl.com/TupperQuoteCoverInLeafNOOK
I love the feel of the cover; for that, alone, it is a very popular choice. The cover is graced with this quote, front to back: “A good book is the best of friends, the same today and forever.” It's not as girlie as I'd like, to give me a very different cover from the one I have but the price is certainly appealing at only $29.95.
If I felt I could be extravagant in my wish I would choose this one probably:
http://tinyurl.com/SheKeptHerNoseInABookCoverNOOK
I like the inside even more as it could actually become my wallet. The only drawback I see is that while it is attractive the cover does not begin to compare in softness to the TupperQuote cover above. Price- $125. Still, I think they could charge more if it were as soft as the Tupper as it would combine great functionality with true fashionable appeal for a woman.
I already own this one:
http://tinyurl.com/JonathanAdlerPunctuationCover
I still like it. I am just ready for some variety. I chose this cover because it is a bit mysterious, with the large question mark on one side and the ampersand on the other. I also thought I liked the canvas inner cover. I have only had my NOOK for about 3months and already the inside is becoming dingy; the outside too, along the white areas. I just took a moment to try to give it a good cleaning. It does look better but the inside didn't improve a lot. These days I tend to be drawn to more feminine choices so I was a bit surprised that this is what I chose.
Books I hope to purchase with B&N gift cards are:
Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
Mr. Monk and The Dirty Cop
The Quiche of Death by MC Beaton
The Death and Life of Charlie St. Cloud
One Day by David Nicholls
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
(I am sure there will be more added and perhaps some deleted by the time Christmas actually arrives!)
I can't wait to see what your replies are...
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