Magic Tree House

I love children's literature but I am not sure I would call the Magic Tree House books children's literature. I adore these books, but they are all quite similar and repetative. I can always guess what will happen next. Even though this is true I can always count on these books. They are always informative, entertaining and use good writing.

I just finished reading Dingoes at Dinnertime and was able to read it in about a half an hour. At the same time I really enjoyed myself and even learned a thing or two about life in Australia. I use these books a lot in reading groups and to help in teaching about a topic. If you have never read any of the many books Mary Pope Osbourne has written you should try at least one. They are fun!

Eclipse......Finally

I have been waiting and waiting to read this book. I didn't want to buy it because I didn't own the previous books and I thought it was silly to have only the third book of a series in my possession (ok maybe that is odd). So I immediately put myself on the waiting list at my local library and was 40 somethingth (gasp) on the list. So I finally got the book a few days ago from the library and saved it to read as I took a long plane trip to Chicago.

I have been reading comments on library thing about these books a lot lately so it was difficult to not take what I read in these into account. I agree with the group opinion about many of the negative parts of this book, however, I continue to be compelled to finish the story. The group doesn't like the relationship between Bella and Edward for many reasons, but my dislike comes mainly from the fact that Bella is so focused on Edwards looks as opposed to his behaviors.

The engaging part of these books to me, a non-vampire book reading girl, is the relationship between the humans and vampires. I have also come to quite enjoy the werewolf introduction to the events. In this edition of "Hunt for Bella" we find Bella finishing high school. She continues to date Edward and struggles to find a way to have Jacob as part of her life while still loving Edward. I like that she is standing up for what she wants in her life (at least a little bit) and both of the men in her life allow her to do it her way. Not that they don't pressure her to do it the way they want, but she finds a great balance. I love Jacob and Bella's camaraderie throughout the story and an intrigued to see how his character is involved in the lives of Bella and Edward in the following installments of the book.

So at the end of this installment of the book I am not much further than I was before. I am still wondering what Bella and Edward will do with their lives. I am still wondering if Bella will really become a vampire and I am wondering what Jacob will do about it.

Books and Movies

I have been to the movies more times in the last month than in a long time. During one set of previews I saw the trailer for P.S. I Love You. Even though I only saw the preview I immediately put the book on hold at my local library. I was finally able to pick it up yesterday and finished it quickly.

It was a fast read (even for me) and I really enjoyed it. In this story the main character has lost her beloved husband and is learning to deal with the effects in her life. She is only forced to deal with the loss of her husband, she has no job or children to complicate her grieving process, but that does not make it any easier for her. One thing that does bring joy to her grief filled life is the arrival of a package filled with letters from her dead husband. She has one letter for each month of the remainder of her year. In each letter her husband gives her a challenge. It is through these challenges that she learns to live again without him. It is a constant battle, as I am sure it would be in her circumstances. Although the premise of the book is death, the story is filled with laughter, fun and positive events as well.

The thing I enjoyed most about the book was the growth of many of the characters through the events in the book. While they mainly focus on the woman there are people in her family, and new friends she makes that also must endure hardships and learn from them. I am excited to see how the screenwriter has changed this tale as it goes from the written word to the big screen. One thing I can guarantee is that I will cry in the movie just as I cried in the book and yes...even the preview.

Cryptid Hunters

Last weekend I spent the morning at the Nevada Young Readers award banquet. The authors the children of Nevada choose come to receive an award for their writing. The authors of Cryptid Hunters and Molly Moon were both present. It was nice to hear the authors speak to our small group of teachers, librarians and children. Roland Smith is the author of Cryptid Hunters and his speaking is what made me want to read his book. He wrote other books I had heard of but never gotten around to reading such as Zach's Lie, but this current book I had not previously heard of.

I read through Cryptid Hunters quite quickly. It is the story of two very intelligent teenage children who are sent to live with their Uncle after their parents disappear. As soon as they arrive at the home of their uncle they learn that he must go on a trip to the Congo. The children desperately want to go with him, but he will not allow it. In a series of mistakes and perfect coincidences the children end up in the Congo without their uncle and in danger. They must figure out how to survive the wild as well as the human dangers on their tail. Although the story is not realistic, it is quite enjoyable and fun. The ending leaves you hoping for the best for these children. I am looking forward to finding out what Roland has in store for these great characters.

The Golden Compass

The reason I chose to read this book was because of the upcoming movie. Then sometimes I read a book and say to myself "How did I never hear of this book before now?" I felt this way completely when I read this book. Especially knowing that there is a movie coming out I was dumbstruck that I had never even heard of the book.

Now after saying all of that you know I loved the book, but it actually took me a little while to really get into the book. About the time when Lyra was traveling with the Gypsies I felt an uncontrollable need to read and read and read. I really think that the thing that pulls me into books are those that have great characters. If I don't like the character for some reason or another I have a hard time reading books. I usually like characters because of their actions or their humor or their character and Phillip Pullman was able to bring all of these things out in Lyra (with the help of her daemon, I personally think the fact that she has this addition helps a lot, and it makes me want one too). So once Lyra really set forth on her adventure I became hooked. I needed to know what happened to this poor girl with the most horrific parents ever.

I think you will love reading about Lyra's adventures. I am not a huge fantasy fan, but this fantasy is more in the real of dystopian (I think this is the word I am searching for) fantasy. It is more of a setting that could possibly BE at some point in our past or future. It is this type of fantasy that I find myself drawn to more and more.

So right now I am on the second book of the series The Subtle Knife and loving every word of it (except the title, but I am not done yet). Please let me know what you think of this great book.

Gossip Girl

I don't usually watch something then go read the book that it was based on, but I did it with this book.

The book and the first episode of Gossip girls are quite similar which makes me wonder what the CW will do once they get through the books Cecily von Ziegesar has written.

I also don't usually like the movie, or TV show in this case, more than the book, but so far in this case I prefer the TV show.

The actors and actresses of these snobby elite children make the characters much more likable. Especially S. My favorite characters are the not so snooty ones, of course, because they are so much more likable. I did enjoy the book, but it was ruined a little because I had already watched the episode on television. I think I would enjoy reading the rest of the series a bit more having not already known what is going on.

S and B, as they are often called in the book are the main characters in the book. Gossip Girl is also a main character, however, we never learn who she is. She is the writer of the Blog that lists all the events of the lives of the elite and their friends. The book only takes place over a few weeks and focuses on the estranged friendship of Blair and Serena. There is an endless supply of drugs, alcohol and sex in the book to keep any teen interested. I, of course, stay interested to root for the underdogs of the story. I will continue to read and root them on as well as to see how the TV show and the books relate to one another, but I won't expect a lot honor from the main characters. Just a little bit of entertainment.

So Many Books....

Ok so i have finished the second book in the Something About Me Challenge I am participating in. It is called So Many Books, So Little Time by Sara Nelson.

With so many books in the world I feel like I could have done without this one. Although, the explanation for that may be that I am not really a non-fiction fan. I did feel this book was well written and I did enjoy hearing about some of the books the author read, but I felt the purpose of the book was better figured out on your own than explained. It was interesting to hear about how the books came to be on Sara's list and what she thought of them, and I could easily see how and why lovers of books love this book. There were many people who chose this book for their "Something about me" choice and with this many lovers of books I completely understand. I hope that no one who has picked this book or read it because of their list takes offense to my opinion, this book was just not a good choice for me. I try to broaden my horizons in regards to the types of books I read, but the more I read the more I realize that I read to escape into another world. I prefer when there is a good lesson to be learned, or some hard work to be done by the characters.

There is a part at the end of this book that I will remember for its irony. It took me a long time to read this book because it was a non-fiction. There wasn't something drawing me back to the book to pick it up and read it to the end. I felt a need to finish it for the challenge and so as I drove the the library to return it, I sat in the parking lot rushing to read the last few chapters. Sara was talking about her difficulties in finishing books and how her friends and colleagues were explaining to her that it is acceptable to skip around or not even finish a book. She accepted what they said and felt no need to finish certain books she had started. To me felt I was getting permission from the author herself to shut the book and return it without reading the entire thing. So that is what I did and I feel no regret for doing it.

The City of Ember

There are spoilers in this review......beware.......

The City of Ember is on my must read list for others. I just re-read it for class and remembered how much I liked and enjoyed the story. That being said, I think I was a little more critical in my read this time. For me reading books is sometimes like watching a movie or a theatre production. There are times where you have to make do with the little bits of a story or production that seem to be over the top. Everything in this story fits too perfectly. I know that if this story were to really happen that the events might not go so smoothly. Doon and Lina, the main characters, seem to luck out quite often. That is really my only critique of the book.

I love the book for so many other reasons. The story begins as Doon and Lina are getting ready to receive the jobs they will have in their community. The mayor is handing them out randomly with not attention to qualifications or desire. Doon gets "messenger" while Lena becomes "a pipeswork worker". While these two youngsters have never really been friends the opportunity for them to swap jobs makes them one step closer. Lina wanted the messenger job because she loves to run, a necessary requirement for this job. While Doon didn't necessarily want to work in the pipeworks he does want to help their community and being a messenger would not be beneficial at all.

Doon and Lina live in Ember, a community of people living underground. The people have no idea where their community is, in relation to the Earth, or even that Earth exists. Their community is crumbling because the generator that lights their world is deteriorating. Their supplies are running low and no one knows what the answer is to their problems. Doon has his heart set on finding a way to fix the generator, but isn't quite sure how to go about it. Lena, a descendant of a past mayor, finds an set of instructions she must decipher that will lead to Doon and Lina becoming better friends and finding a way to help their community.

This original story will quickly draw you in as you root for the good of these children and the community they live in.

Ender

I read Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card originally because of the Something about Me Reading Challenge. I chose this one to read only because I had heard of it before. I first remember it when I was looking for science fiction type books to read for a reading group at school. It never worked out because I couldn't find enough copies to buy right away, nor did we have it at school. Since then I have seen the title pass by me, however, as a "non" fan of intense science fiction material, I let it pass me by. This, I see now, was a mistake. I had even started a book for this challenge before beginning Ender's Game and had to set it aside for this book.

I am completely surprised at my love for this book. Karlene and Becky chose it because of their love for the writing of Orson Scott Card. I see now what they love so much about this book and its author. I assumed that science fiction would lack empathy and emotion and I felt more of those two feelings in this book than I have in quite a long time. Card was able to create a character so amazingly full of will and innocence it was hard for me to read of the injustices he had to endure. I instantly wanted to help and protect him. I never once doubted his desire to do the right thing, but I was pained at the torture he was put through. Without such a strong and likeable character there would be nothing to this tale.

I was amazed at the world Card had created. It was one that was easy for me to create in my own mind, even if I didn't understand everything scientific phrase or event. This is one reason I fear SF. Everything can be completely obsure to me because I can't wrap my mind around the ideas presented. This story was much easier to relate to and that only added to my love for the book. There were minor things that I could not understand without a bit of research, but it wasn't something that effected my understanding of the story.

Because I love happy endings I was smiling by the time I finished this book, but I am not sure how realistic, even for a SF, the ending really is. For a child to be put through all that Ender was put through I have a hard time believing everything would turn out so well. For this character though, I am willing to suspend my disbelief and believe in Ender's wonderful life. He definitely deserved all that he got in the end.

I sometimes get so wrapped up in the characters and emotions of a book that I feel like I have gone on an emotional roller coaster. Since I finished this book only minutes ago I feel that way now. I think that some of what I say now will change as I remove myself from this story, but I will definitely pick up another book by Orson Scott Card and will recommend this one quickly to others who might enjoy it.

Themes

Ok so I came across the themed reading challenge and I really would like to participate. I keep thinking about how I would like to join. Do I read all YA books, all Newberrys I have not read, books about vampires (just cause I am really excited to read Eclipse), books with a dog as an important/integral character, or even a set of books in a series. The opportunities are endless and I am not sure where I want to head. I keep waiting for the perfect opportunity to pop up and show itself. I am leaning towards doing the series with a dog as an integral character. I will go with that for now and read 4 of the following books:

1. Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
2. Fifty Acres and a Poodle by Jeanne Laskas (not sure this has a dog as an integral character)
3. Lost and Found by Jacqeline Sheehan
4. A Good Dog by Jon Katz
5. Walking in circles before lying down : a novel by Merrill Markoe
6. From Baghdad, with love : a Marine, the war, and a dog named Lava
by Jay Kopelman
7. Sight hound : a novel by Pam Houston
8. A dog year : twelve months, four dogs, and me by Jon Katz
9. Dog is my co-pilot by BARK Editors
10. Tails from the bark side by Brian Kilcommons

Ok, I know there are so many to pick from, but I didn't have 4 in mind that I wanted to read so when I did my research all of these came up. I will have to narrow it down later.