School's back in session!

(Think Alice Cooper song lyrics - only in reverse!)  And it looks like quite the challenging semester is up ahead.  In preparation, I finished one more back last night - The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey.  This one is actually classified as adult fiction - though teens might enjoy reading it also.   It takes place on the Wolverine River in Alaska in 1920 (which is apparently fictional - since there is a Wolverine Creek in Alaska, but not a river).   Mabel and Jack are in their 50s and have moved to Alaska from Pennsylvania - homesteading in the Alaska wilderness.  They have no children - they did have one baby in PA, born prematurely, who did not survive.  And their longing for children is a driving force in the book.  The book has so many layers - I really enjoyed it.  It's a gentle read which is interesting when you consider that homesteading in Alaska is anything but gentle.  And it is also many different things - a retelling of an old Russian fairy tale; a tale of community and pitching in together to help a neighbor in need; a couple of love stories; a tale of remembering old passions (as in a passion for art, for example).  It also involves magical realism to some extent - which the author pretty much leaves up to you.  I think it would be an excellent book club choice because there will be those that love it, those that like it, and those that do not like it at all.  Below, from Eowyn's blog, are the US cover and the UK cover.  Which do you prefer?

AH - AH - AH CHOOOOOO

At last - it is here!  Neil Gaiman's new book - "Chu's Day"!

Chu is a panda.  Chu sometimes sneezes.  Will he sneeze at the library?  Or at the diner?  You will just have to read this wonderful new picture book and find out!

Eighth day of January

And another book is finished! I actually finished at 1:00 AM this morning

 so that counts for today, yes? 

The book added to my "Read" shelf is Sapphire Blue by Kerstin Geir.

This was book the second in the Ruby Red Trilogy. The book further develops the relationship between Gwyneth (Gwen) and Gideon, a fellow time travel gene carrier who is two years older than Gwyneth. We learn a bit more about the secrets behind the historical time travel society - The Guild. But the obvious answers are still not revealed to Gwen. As an adult reading the books, I find them somewhat predictable and a bit heavy on the "now he loves me, now he doesn't" view of life. But I do look forward to seeing how the mystery is resolved, how the secrets will be revealed and how Gwyneth will respond when they are. Recommended for tweens and YAs who enjoy a good love story, mystery, time travel and precocious gargoyles.

I also watched a movie today - "The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel". This was one that I had wanted to see for quite some time but decided to wait until I could borrow it from the library. With a cast of Judi Dench, Maggie Smith, Tom Wilkinson, Billy Nighy, Penelope Wilton - well, it would be sort of like Downton in India..... It was an enjoyable film. Nothing earth shattering - but a fun movie. I am still a bit perplexed that a rather rundown hotel in India - where the phones did not work well - had WiFi available for Dame Judith to keep up with her blog. But there you have it - India is a country full of surprises. And I have firmly assured my DH that I have absolutely no desire to go there.  

Oh look - I finished another book!
This is the first in a series.   I would say the main element is time travel.  In the first book, we are introduced to two families that carry a time travel "gene".  Since her birth (on a date that was foretold!), Charlotte has been groomed to be the next time traveler.  Unfortunately, it turns out that the carrier of the gene is her cousin, Gwyneth.  There is a bit of history, a bit of romance and LOTS of unanswered questions.  I am looking forward to reading the next book, "Sapphire Blue", which will hopefully provide a few answers.  And maybe Gwyneth will heed the advice she has been given to "Trust no one."

I have committed to read fifty five books this year.  Three down!

Sorry - my blog is being a bit strange -- but this is the second book I read this week - 


"Days of Blood and Starlight" by Laini Taylor - #2 in the "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" series. Seraphim and chimaera locked in a neverending battle. And Karou - the blue-haired girl we met in "Daughter of Smoke and Bone" is back to try to reconcile who she is with her love for Akiva. Love and hate; death and resurrection; true friendship. I found it a bit confusing at first but the pieces finally started to fall into place. It is a series so if you want to read them all together, you'll have to wait a bit for Book #3 - also, not for the faint of heart and for the older end of the YA spectrum, methinks.





What have you been reading over the holidays?  Did you receive any books for Christmas?  Or did you give any?  I gave LOTS of books this year.  I received a cookbook and a devotion - "Heart of the Matter" from CCEF.  

Talk to you soon!

Happy 2013!

I am sorry I have neglected my blog - I did manage to finish up my first semester back to school!  Huzzah!  And then the holidays descended with a whoosh!  And even with a White Christmas - which in our neck of the woods is  a rarity!  

But I have been reading.  In fact, I even won a Kindle at Staff Development Day at my library.  So now I have lots of free books on my Kindle.  I think I may have actually even paid a small pittance for one of them....  

So let me tell you about a couple of YA books that I finished reading this week.  The first is "Crewel" by Gennifer Albin

Just to be fair - Amazon had the first five chapters of this book available for free on Kindle. Once I started reading it, I was hooked (not intending to pun the Crewel title...)
If you liked "The Giver" by Lois Lowry or "The Hunger Games" by Collins - or if you enjoyed the Matrix movies - then you should give "Crewel" a try. It is a post-apocalypse story and the premise is that our world is woven by women - called Spinsters - who are selected because of their abilities to weave on a loom. Adelice has reached the age to be tested but her parents do not want her to be a "Spinster" so they have trained her to hide her talent. And that is how the story begins - with Adelice being compelled to reveal her hidden talents and being swept into the world of the weavers. 
Very original premise. I will be interested to read the second book.

Fun Non-Fiction selections for the K-3 group!

OK - so the perfect book to read before or after the parade on Turkey Day?

Balloons Over Broadway:  The True Story of the Puppeteer of the Macy’s Parade written and illustrated by Melissa Sweet (2011)

Perfect for the Thanksgiving holidays!!  Learn a bit about puppetry and the history of the parade along with an introduction to Tony Sarg, the inventor of the balloons over Broadway. (guess who one of his apprentice's apprentice was?)

If you have kids that love the Lulu the Ladybug Girl by David Soman, then please share this book with them so they can learn all about real ladybugs!

Ladybugs by Gail Gibbons (2012)

I learned a lot about ladybugs from this book!  They live on six of seven continents.  There are over 5000 different types of ladybugs.  And they are similar to butterflies and moths – they form a pupa and when they hatch, they become a ladybug.  

And while you are reading about ladybugs, check out 

The Story of Silk: From Worm Spit to Woven Scarves. by Richard Sobol (2012)

What a fun story!  This would be a great book to share with 2^nd or 3^rd graders about life in Thailand and how silk is made.  They would especially enjoy the parts about worm poop and eating the silk worms!

Owen & Mzee:  The True Story of a Remarkable Friendship, by Isabella and Craig Hatkoff and Paula Kahumu.    Photography by Peter Creste, 2006.

I love this story of a baby hippo named Owen and a 130-yr-old giant tortoise named Mzee (Mm-ZAY).  Owen lost his mom in a tsunami.  Cranky old Mzee adopts the baby hippo and takes care of him after Owen is moved to an animal sanctuary. 

Stars Beneath Your Bed: The Surprising Story of Dust, by April Pulley Sayre Illustrated by Anne Jonas (2005)

A fascinating, lyrical look at where dust comes from.  K-3^rd should all enjoy this one as a read-aloud or on their own for the more experienced reader.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!