Reading update...

**Updated - if you like the reviews I posted on this blog almost 10 years ago, please go to my NEW BLOG (which is really not so new) at TexasLibraryLady.Blogspot.com.***

I know I said in an earlier post I was going to be diligent about writing posts, well I guess I lied.

I have actually been more diligent about reading than anything else. Since the beginningod the yea, I have read a total of nine books. I know to some that is not too great, but for me that is an accomplishment since I tend to be a slow reader. I actually read every single printed word on the page. I don't skim the paragraphs in order to get the main idea. I want to absorb the author's intent.

Since last I wrote, I have read the following great books:
*The Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
*Tick Tock by James Patterson
*Nostradamus Prophecies by Mario Reading
*The Case of the Case of Mistaken Identity by Mac Barnett
*Squirrel Seeks Chipmunk by David Sedaris
*Dave Barry's Book of Bad Songs by Dave Barry
*The Funny Thing Is... By Ellen Degeneres

I am currently reading Sing You Home by Jodi Piccoult. I simply love her books and her writing style, but I can't read her books too close together. They are great, don't get me wrong, they just make you think and question your life, your feelings, and your beliefs so much that my brain can only take so much.

I know I may and crazy, but I am so excited about this spring break because I am going to spend the days in the TCU Library. I am hoping to finish evenmkore books this week and then come back and write about them. Don't hold your breath though, I might get so involved I read nine more books before I come back to post.

Happy reading!

I am currently reading All Clear by Connie Willis. It is the conclusion to the time travel novel Blackout which begins in 2060. Historians allowed to go back in time to research various events from the past. In Blackout a group of historians travel back to different events during World War II in London and the surrounding areas. The historians are not always together and the chapters jump from character to character and year to year. At times it can be a little frustrating to follow, but if you keep trudging through the storyline makes sense and is completely engrossing. I did not know a great deal about World War II (especially in London) but find myself constantly thinking about the well developed characters and storyline.

I have completed my first book of 2011...reading it that is, not writing it.

Granted it was a YA (young adult) book, but it was, like the author says, "Awesome". I was totally engrossed in the story from the first page. This is a wonderful debut novel by Adam Gidwitz. In nine chapters he tells of Hansel and Gretel in a way I have never before seen or heard. This is not your typical Disney-fied version of a fairy tale. In fact it is far from it! This story is grim, bloody, dark, and AWESOME! The reviews suggest this book for grades 3 and up. I have asked three of my young reader friends to read the book (if they were interested) and let me know what they think of it. One of them, D.D., read the blurb and the first chapter and was so taken by the story she took my copy away from me. Another of my friends, D. R., went to get her library card from her mother so I could put the book on hold for her at the nearby branch of the public library. They both seemed very excited, which thrilled me beyond belief. I LOVE connecting readers and books!

What am I reading now?

Well, to go along with the previous post, I thought I would let you know the books I am reading right now. (I say books because I have recently started reading more than one book at a time...something I have had a HARD time doing because of the similarities in the books...if the books are not similar it makes it A LOT easier).


Schuyler's Monster : A Father's Journey with His Wordless Daughter
by Robert Rummel-Hudson.

Robert is actually a friend. I met Robert when MSC and I were first dating. We were so surprised to hear about Robert's book (and family) when another UTA friend called us one night and told us to turn on the news.

The book is a heartwarming memoir and wonderful account of a parent's advocacy for special needs children. Robert's words, sometimes very blunt and overwhelming, convey never ceasing desire to have the very best for his daughter, no matter her abilities or disabilities.

Not only am I reading this book because Robert is a friend, but because of my invovlement in education. I do not have a background in special education. When I was a child my elementary school had inclusion students from the School for the Deaf and the special education school located next door. I was one of the students partnered with one of the inclusion students. I never saw the students as different, just from a different school. This idea continued on through my years as a classroom teacher, having inclusion students from this same School for the Deaf, and even now as a share time with the special needs students in my school. I love the way Robert advocates for his daughter, Schuyler. He fights for her on a daily basis.


The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

In this historical fiction account of the lives of Mary and Anne Boleyn, we learn how Mary was the first Boleyn to catch the eye of King Henry VIII. I have fallen in love with the writing style of Philippa Gregory (thanks Monica for the recommendation0 and want to read everything she has written.

My love of history combined with the fictionalized account of Henry VIII. I love this time period and I love historical fiction. A win, win for me!



Identical by Ellen Hopkins


I was introduced to this book through a blog (I don't remember which one). The synopsis intrigued me..."Kaeleigh and Raeanne are identical down to the dimple. As daughters of a district-court judge father and a politician mother, they are an all-American family -- on the surface. Behind the facade each sister has her own deark secret, and that's where their differences begin.


For Kaleigh, she's the misplaced focus of Daddy's love, intended for a mother whose presence on the campaign trail means absence at home. All the Raeanne sees is Daddy playing a game of favorites -- and she is losing. If she has to lose, she will do it on her own terms, so she chooses drugs, alcohol, and sex.



Secrets like the ones the twins are harboring are not meant to be kept -- from each other or anyone else. Pretty soon it's obvious that neither sister can handle it alone, and one sister must step up to save the other, but the question is -- who?" (Amazon.com)


Now, doesn't that sound intrigueing? I thought so. I have always been fascinated by twins. This book, however became something like a challenge...it is written in prose. This is something I did not expect. Not hard to read, rather easy actually, but very different from anything I have ever read. It is a Young Adult book, so something a middle school / high school student might read. I am intrigued by Hoplkins' writing style and plan to read some of her other books.





Frill Kill by Laura Childs

I just started this fifth book in Child's scrapbook mystery series. As a scrapbooker, I love reading these mysteries about the owner of a scrapbook store in New Orleans, Carmela and her best friend Ava, the owner of a voodoo magic shop. There have been times I have felt as if it would be fun to be Carmela, except for her involvement in murders. They are just fun to read...the next one in the series (on the table waiting for me to crack the cover) is Death Swatch.

Okay, here you go...yes, I am reading four books right now, but they are all different, so I don't get them confused too often, as if I could...Henry did not have a twin, Schuyler is not involved in murders, Carmela does not have a monster to slay, and Kaleigh is not having an affair with a king...I don't think!

Oldest house

We just visited the oldest house in St. Augustine. We had to go to the gift shop to let my dad but the new books he needs on the city. This is always a stop when visiting the city.
Sent via BlackBerry from T-Mobile

On Reading ...

MSC sent me a link to an interesting "news" post about a young man reading an entire book. As a professed bibliophile, I thought it was one of the funniest posts I had ever read. However, it started me thinking...how many times have I felt physical pain for a person when they said they were not a reader. I can't imagine reading not being part of my life. I have always been surrounded by books (growing up with a teacher for a mother and a librarian for a father) I thought it was normal for kids to be read to before going to sleep at night, going to the library to check out books, and carrying a book whenever you walk out the front door. As I grew older I realized my reality was not everyones. Now as a librarian myself (for four year olds), I have discovered books are not a priority to have in the home. Instead my paper companions have been replaced by battery operated devices which provide little (if any) mental growth...oh, yes the argument can be made that learning is occuring, but hopefully these children are not going to need to know how to shoot, blow up, or fight evil forces when they grow up! I mean, a book, come one...you can pick them up just about anywhere now. Why not grab one and escape for a little while? Oh, don't get me wrong. I grew up in the 80s. When I got my Atari, I thought it was "totally awesome", but I still read books. I remain a video game player. When CB got a Wii for Christmas, it was just as much for MSC and myself. We exercise AND read!

I want everyone to have the heart palpatations I feel when I see the new release of a favorite author at the store or hear the voicemail message telling me my hold has arrived at the library. I can't wait to get to the library to pick it up! However, I have to stop, go to my computer and login to see what is waiting for me at the library. I can squeal with delight at the library...shhhh! All in all, I am a obsessed fan for books, reading, book stores (HPB is one of my favorites.."Different stores. Different stories.") and libraries. I hope I am not of a dying breed. If I am, please bury me with some of my favorite books.