What are you reading?

I haven't read as much as I normally do this year.

It's not the usual excuse of just being too busy, or of having five kids, or...

In late January I determined that I was no longer going to let circumstances control me. My health and the health of one of our children prevented me from working out very much over the last 18 months or so. I had two surgeries and, in fact, had another surgical procedure two weeks ago.

In spite of all of that I decided to redeem the time and take control of as much as I am able. I began a diet and exercise regimen on 25 January 2012. I've not fallen off that wagon once. I've been using MyFitnessPal on our computer and on my iPhone to track my progress. I've found it very encouraging.

With all that exercising I have read a little bit more but only when I go to the gym and workout using the elliptical. If I work out at home it is with a DVD and I can't read until I hit our treadmill as a follow-up but often give in to my baser needs and watch silly old tv shows on Netflix just for the mindlessness of it, as a reward for my hard work.

So, you've not seen the last of me. I am currently reading three books for my own pleasure and am also reading a book with our ten year old son. I am reading countless books with our five year old daughter of course.

Stay tuned in; more to come, this week.

NOOK deal, includes an ebook from The Hunger Games Trilogy

If you're still in the market for an eReader Barnes and Noble is offering a free ebook from The Hunger Games Trilogy with the purchase of any NOOK eReader.

NOOK Hunger Games ebook Offer 

I haven't yet begun reading this trilogy. Our fifteen year old daughter loves the series and wants me to read it. It seems to me that it isn't the sort of book series I can handle reading though. I think I am going to see the film and then decided whether or not I can handle reading the books...

Kindle Fire deal this week at Walmart

If you're in the market for an ereader check out this deal:  CouponingToDisney

I've read that the NOOK products may have a slight advantage for those with vision issues; other than that, I feel that one can't go wrong with either brand.

Happy reading!

Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding

Did you love Bridget Jones' Diary?

Helen Fielding has hit the pages again; this time with a new character but just as many funny circumstances.

Olivia Joules is a young British woman who has had to fight to make her way, alone, in the world. She has that fiesty British determination to rise above her circumstances.

Orphaned at the age of fourteen, she changed her name from Rachel Pixley to the much more romantic Olivia Joules.

She has a list of "Rules for Living" that helps her to remain grounded in reality...most of the time. And yet...sometimes...sometimes she gets in over her head.

Olivia Joules is a writer for the Sunday Times. She yearns for the chance to writesomething a bit less "fluffy". If only her editor would assign her to somethingmore important.

Grab this book and join Olivia on the adventure that lies ahead. You won't believe what she gets herself into.

January's over. Did you read any great books?

2012 began as a great year of reading for me.

I read these titles:

Mr. Monk is Miserable by Lee Goldberg

Olivia Joules and the Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding







Sleepwalk with Me and Other Painfully True Stories by Mike Birbiglia






Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) Explained: For
 Teenagers, by Teenagers by G.R. Lauder




     
Sabotaged (The Missing, Book 3) by Margaret Peterson   
Haddix







The Mailbox by Audrey Shafer







Any of them that I havent already reviewed will be reviewed here in the future. Tune in to read my reviews!


                                  
                              

2011 Superlatives ~ What were your favorite books in 2011?

I've finally compiled my reading list for all of 2011.

Out of a total of 42 books I read:

3 books I rated as 5*
7 books I rated as 4.5*
12 books I rates as 4*

What were your top reads?

Here's a surprise for me; 9 of the books that I read were books I had previously read. I am not a big rereader of books. I generally figure there are so many books out there that I haven't read that I shouldn't spend the time on rereading books.

Did you reread any books last year?

Here are the titles of the books I read in 2011, to which I gave the top ratings.

5* titles
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (a reread)
Arctic Homestead by Norma Cobb (a reread)
A Fraction of the Whole by Steve Toltz (a reread)

4.5* titles
Looking for Alaska by John Green
The Postmistress bySarah Blake
The Thirteenth Tale: A Novel by Diane Setterfield
A HeartbreakingWork of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
I Am the Messenger by Marcus Zusak
A Lotus Grows in the Mud by Goldie Hawn
Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919 by Stephen Puleo

4* titles
Shakespeare in an Hour by Christopher Baker
Louisa: The Life of Louisa May Alcott by Yona Zeldis McDonough
A Red Herring Without Mustard: A Flavia de Luce Novel
Emma by Jane Austen
The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place by Maryrose Wood
Spooky Little Girl: A Novel by Laurie Notaro
At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson
There's a (Slight) Chance I Might be Goingto Hell by Laurie Notaro
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
Little Women Illustrated Classic Editions by Louisa May Alcott
The Search for Delicious by Natalie Babbitt
Entombed in Alcatraz by Robert Victor Luke

Authors from the above list who are ones thatI return tofor fresh titles, timeand again, are: Natalie Babbitt, Bill Bryson, Laurie Notaro

Who are your favorite go-to authors?

I also broke my reading down into genres. I have listed only one genre for each title even though many could fall into more than one genre. I chose the genres based only on my own feelings and  not by the publishers' designations.

Classics - 5
Non Fiction or Biography -  8
Fiction - 4
Juvenile Fiction - 9
Historical Fiction -2
Memoir or Auto-Biography - 8
Mystery - 2
Humor - 1
Young Adult Fiction - 3

My favorites, sorted by genre are:

Classic - Emma
or Little Women (because I read it to our five year old daughter)
Non Fiction or Biography - Dark Tide, then At Home
Fiction - Spooky Little Girl (I loved Notaro's jump into fiction)
Juvenile Fiction - Phantom Tollbooth, with Search for Delicious a worthy second
Memoir or Auto-Biography - Arctic Homestead, followed by Heartbreaking Work
Mystery - 13th Tale, followed by Red Herring (I love Flavia de Luce)
Young Adult Fiction - I Am the Messenger rates just above Looking for Alaska

Have you determined your favorites in each genre for 2011?

Sabotaged by Margaret Peterson Haddix (3rd in the Missing Series)

The focus of this final book of the Found trilogy is Virginia Dare who was the first white child born on American soil. I've got to tell you I was very intrigued to see where this story would go.

The author held my attention well and then, I felt, abruptly ended the story, leaving me unsatisfied. I found the story-line confusing too. I think a lot of kids could read this book and just see it as an exciting story. For adults, I think the author created unanswered questions and scenarios. I was left wanting more from it.


My Review of: Found (Book 1)


My Review of: Sent (Book 2)

Why are websites going black on January 18th?

If you need the scoop, here are some vital links explaining what is going on.


Click here>Wikipedia's Explanation


Click Here>Reddit ~ Stopped they must be...


Here it is:

Click Here>Google ~ End Piracy, Not Liberty


On the right side of the page is where you sign.


I'm signing off now for the rest of the day.

The Devil's Storybook by Natalie Babbitt

I read this book because I loved Natalie Babbit's Tuck Everlasting. This was nothing like that.

This selection felt very juvenile in its writing style. Many of the stories felt very similar to each other. 


Each selection is meant to have the reader walk away with the sense of a moral. The end product just really didn't suit me though. 


If you haven't read Tuck Everlasting, I highly recommend that. If you have, rest in that. The prose of Tuck Everlasting was pure joy.

The Mailbox by Audrey Shafer

If you dont mind crying...

I read this book because I was intrigued by the mystery it seemed to hold. It holds more than that. It was on one of our sons' Christmas lists last year because he'd seen it on the Caudill Award Nominee list in 20100 for 2011.

This is a book about: fostering, adoption, pet fostering, death and life, trust, and facing your fears.

Gabe is used to being shuttled from foster home to foster home when a caring caseworker is finally able to locate his uncle who agrees to take him in. Death strikes unexpectedly and Gabe finds himself alone and unsure of what to do. When this happens he also finds a curious correspondence has begun between him and a stranger, via Uncle Vernon's mailbox.

This is a book written for juveniles but it explores some very mature themes. There is some discussion about a Vietnam vet who mistakenly fired upon a Vietnamese child who was firing on him. This tragedy haunted the vet who eventually fired upon himself due to the guilt for which he couldn't forgive himself...

This same veteran, though mentally unstable, reaches out to Gabe, via the mailbox, and the two become friends from afar. Each helps the other in his own way, to face a world without Vernon.

This story also portrays teachers, caseworkers, and law officials as being human beings with feelings and with the ability and need to reach out to others. In the end, the story line is nicely tidied up with everyone moving appropriately forward.

I strongly caution a pre-read by parents and teachers prior to allowing or encouraging children to read this book. While it is well-written and thought-provoking, in my opinion, it should probably only be read by kids ages 12 or 13 or older. And then only if they will not be tormented by a man shooting half his head off in an attempt to expunge himself of guilt... This story has its place but it isn't for everyone. It certainly isn't something I'd have chosen to read if I'd known the subject matter more fully. If our boys choose to read it I'll be glad I've already read it.