Knuffle Bunny Free

Dear Mo,

Thank you for your Knuffle Bunny books. Tonight when we read Knuffle Bunny Free we were sad and mad. We can't believe Knuffle Bunny is over. We can't believe Trixie gave her prized Knuffle away. We are mourning in our household, while still enjoying the final book in this series. Please keep writing such wonderful books!


Big Sister, Middle Sister, and Little Sister

When I stopped by Barnes and Noble today I couldn't resist picking up Knuffle Bunny Free by Mo Willems. I loved Knuffle Bunny when it first came out and read and re-read it to my oldest daughter who quickly memorized it and read it herself repeatedly. The second book offered up more entertainment. As did the stuffed Knuffle Bunnies we bought. And now, this third book has summed everything up quite nicely. Readers will still appreciate Mo's awesome photography with artwork on top, still enjoy the love Trixie feels for Knuffle Bunny, her stuffed animal she has grown up with, and will appreciate that Trixie is truly growing up, and perhaps is not quite as reliant on Knuffle.

We read Knuffle Bunny Free just one time tonight. My oldest daughter, who has grown up with Trixie, and invested the most time in the Knuffle Bunny books had a hard time with the way things ended. She still sleeps with "Puppy," a gift given to her on the day her little sister was born, and has a deep understanding of what Knuffle meant to Trixie. Right now she isn't happy with Mo. However, she did take Knuffle Bunny Free to bed with her - probably to read again and look things over more slowly and with more attention than we can when I am reading aloud to three children.

While I am sad that this is it for Knuffle Bunny and Trixie, I love, love, love these three books, and recognize Knuffle Bunny as the book that first turned me on to Mo Willems' work. I can read and re-read these books to my own children, or my students at school, and know immediately that they will love them, too. We have been awaiting the publication of Knuffle Bunny Free for a while - and as usual, are happily entertained.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's picks:

The Winter of Our Disconnect: How Three Totally Wired Teenagers (and a Mother Who Slept with Her iPhone)Pulled the Plug on Their Technology and Lived to Tell the Tale by Susan Maushart

Due out: January 20, 2011

Product Description from Amazon:

The wise and hilarious story of a family who discovered that having fewer tools to communicate with led them to actually communicate more. When Susan Maushart first announced her intention to pull the plug on her family's entire armory of electronic weaponry for six months-from the itsy-bitsiest iPod Shuffle to her son's seriously souped-up gaming PC-her three kids didn't blink an eye. Says Maushart: "Looking back, I can understand why. They didn't hear me." For any parent who's ever IM-ed their child to the dinner table, this account of one family's self-imposed exile from the Information Age will leave you LOLing with recognition. But it will also make you think. The Winter of Our Disconnect challenges readers to examine the toll that technology is taking on their own family connections, and to create a media ecology that instead encourages kids-and parents-to thrive. Indeed, as a self-confessed single mom who "slept with her iPhone," Maushart knew her family's exile from Cyburbia wasn't going to be any easier for her than for her three teenagers, ages fourteen, fifteen, and eighteen. Yet they all soon discovered that the rewards of becoming "unplugged" were more rich and varied than any cyber reality could ever be.

And....

a Tween Novel I am anxious to read:

Sugar and Ice by Kate Messner (the author of The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z)

Due out on December 7, 2010
Product Description from Amazon:

For Claire Boucher, life is all about skating on the frozen cow pond and in the annual Maple Show right before the big pancake breakfast on her family's farm. But all that changes when Russian skating coach Andrei Grosheva offers Claire a scholarship to train with the elite in Lake Placid. Tossed into a world of mean girls on ice, where competition is everything, Claire realizes that her sweet dream come true has sharper edges than she could have imagined. Can she find the strength to stand up to the people who want to see her fail and the courage to decide which dream she wants to follow?

What are you waiting to read?

Healer

A few years ago I happened upon the novel Oxygen by Carol Cassella, a debut author. I loved, loved, loved Oxygen and was unable to put it down. This past spring I read somewhere that Cassella's second novel, Healer, was going to be published. I wanted to read it so badly that I did something I have never done before - wrote the author begging for a copy to review. And Cassella was so very nice, quickly replying and explaining that all the ARCs were gone, but she would have her publisher send me a book when they came out. And while I didn't really doubt that she would pass my name on, I have been promised books before that never materialized. Healer arrived a few weeks ago and has been calling my name ever since.

I had intended to read it during my runs on the treadmill, savoring it as I read it slowly. However, while I started it on the treadmill, it immediately became my main read as I devoured it in the course of one day.

Healer is like Oxygen in some ways - well written, hard to put down, women's fiction, focusing on an ethical issue in medicine. Yet, the two books are also very different. Oxygen (at least from my memory) was more of a mystery. And while there is suspense in Healer, the story centered around relationships and life changes as Claire and her family had to re-evaluate the decisions they had made in the past and the lifestyle they chose to lead.

Claire and her husband Addison are the parents of a daughter, Jory. Claire never finished her residency having to take time off for bedrest during her pregnancy. Yet, there is something more that kept her from finishing up her degree. And, Addison, who loved research and never dreamed of striking it rich did just that, developing some new and miraculous drugs, which has allowed Claire the privilege of not having to work. Suddenly (at least it seems that way to them) the money that seemed to be in endless supply dries up as Addison's research uncovers some serious side effects of his new drug in mice. The family moves out of their Seattle mansion and into their vacation home in a rural are of Washington. Jory is unhappy with the move, and while Claire tries hard not to blame Addison for their fate, there is still a bit of bitterness about their new and more humble circumstances. Claire also finds employment at a clinic that has been opened for the migrant workers. Claire enjoys her job, and learns a lot about medicine and also about the lives of migrant workers. One woman, Miguela, who Claire meets in town is especially curious to Claire. As Jory also comes to know the woman, Claire invites her into their home, not expecting the way in which Miguela will influence her family's future and Addison's career.

A great portion of this novel is spent exploring the decisions Claire and her family have made - the way in which money is spent as though it is water, the excessive overconsumption that made me want to dislike Claire. Yet, despite these flaws, Claire comes across as a decent person- although perhaps not very aware of how the "real world" lives. Her work in the clinic puts her in a position to finally see what really matters in life, and even as she is trying to find a way for her family to get back to their idea of "normal" and return to Seattle I continued to hope for a realization on Claire's part - to finally see all that they do have. Addison spends much of the novel working toward restoring their former life, and it takes a lot for him to realize that the past is past.

While I knew from early on that there was something Claire was not revealing about why she didn't finish her residency, I didn't know where Cassella was going with this story, never seeing in advance the way in which Miguela's story is connected to Addison and his research. Even though I needed to put this book down this morning to get ready for work, I kept right on reading, unable to wait until this evening to finish it up. Instead I raced through until the ending, barely getting myself ready to leave our house on time. Healer is an entirely absorbing sophomore novel by a gifted writer already working on her next book.

This Is Where We Live

Janelle Brown's first novel, All We Ever Wanted Was Everything, was a favorite of mine the summer it was published. As soon as I saw that Brown was publishing another book, This Is Where We Live, I was instantly intrigued. The cover picture is also gorgeous, which didn't hurt things.

Brown's novel is another interesting and entertaining read, with well-developed (and very flawed) characters. Claudia and Jeremy are in their thirties trying to make a go of it in Los Angeles - he as a musician and she as a film producer/writer. They have purchased their own home - which is a bit above what they can afford- and have high hopes for their futures. In fact, it looks as though both of them are about to realize their dreams. While bad luck can be blamed for a few of their bad breaks, Jeremy and Claudia also make many bad decisions - and while I may have understood their decisions, I was mentally screaming at them to think things through. However, even though I found Jeremy and Claudia a bit frustrating, I also found them very real. The way they resolved their problems was not the smartest, yet I was still rooting for them. Ultimately the couple must decide what is the most important thing in their lives. Is their careers? Their marriage? Their home? And what price are they willing to pay to get what they want. Set in LA during the recent real estate crisis, This Is Where We Live is sure to strike a chord with many young couples trying to get started.

An Important Reminder

September is Pediatric Cancer Awareness Month - something I don't get the chance to forget because I am the mother of a child who was treated for Stage IV hepatoblastoma in 2005 and 2006. While parts of Leah's treatment have faded a bit, there is (and always will be) a scar that we bear from everything she went through. It has faded over time, but will never entirely disappear.

Recently I read a review about a teenager's memoir of her cancer diagnosis and treatment. Grace: A Child’s Intimate Journey Through Cancer and Recovery, by Melinda Marchiano is the type of book that I am not sure I can yet read, but that I hope many people do. This is a firsthand account of what it feels like to be diagnosed with cancer as a child, and the actual ins and outs of treatment. Happily, Marchiano survived Hodgkins Lymphoma and is now healthy, yet I am sure that all she endured will never fade entirelyfor her, either.

Caribou's Mom is hosting a giveaway of this important book. While I would love to win one, I encourage you all to visit her site where you can read her review of Marchiano's story, and find a way to support Pediatric Cancer Research yourself.

Visit Reading for a Cure and find out how you can help children like Melinda and my daughter, Leah.

Bamboo People

Over the past day, since I finished reading Bamboo People by Mitali Perkins, I have been asking people what they know about the country of Burma. I probably haven't thought much about Burma, but now having read Bamboo People I can't stop thinking about it. Especially since we have also been told that the school district I work in may be getting an influx of refugees from Burma.

Perkins' books are always well written, always thought provoking, and always with just enough hint of her religious beliefs that she is able to make her point without ever seeming preachy. I should have known I would love this book, but I was a little skeptical because I knew the story was going to be sad/disturbing. I should have trusted Perkins a bit more, because I ended up loving Bamboo People.

Set in Burma (a country I will need to do some serious research on), this book uncovers the war that plagues this country. Chiko is the son of a doctor, a boy/young man who wants to be a teacher. When he is tricked into becoming a soldier, his life changes quickly. Now Chiko is trying to survive. While in a training camp, he makes friends with Tai, a street boy. While Tai doesn't have book smarts, he does have street smarts and the boys learn from each other. Tai repeatedly puts himself at risk for Chiko, and Chiko who is aware of this, ends up volunteering to go on a mission with some soldiers, allowing Tai the chance to go back to the city they were taken from where he is hoping to reunite with his sister.

Tu Reh is another boy/young man from the opposing side of the war, the Karennni, a Burmese minority group. His father has discovered some soldiers who have been killed, along with one young man who is barely clinging to life: Chiko. Now the two boys' lives have intersected. Chiko depends on Tu Reh, and Tu Reh is feeling pressure from his village to get rid of this Burmese soldier.

This novel is thought provoking, a portrait of a country at war. Highly recommended.

Visit Mitali Perkins' website

Friday Five

I'm always a little late with my Friday Five, but I love reading Kate's post at Kate's Library, so I hope she will forgive my tardiness each and every week!

1. Just this week I started my fifth grade book clubs. As usual, I have one group reading The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis. This always ends up being a huge favorite when we recall books at years' end. My other group is reading The Cay. This is totally different for me, and honestly, if it hadn't been for my friends' endorsements of it, I never would have picked it. My students looked at the cover picture and were not impressed. I can talk until I am blue in the face about not judging a book by it's cover, but I am guilty of it, too, and the cover on our version of The Cay stinks. Anyway, Jim at TeacherNinja has an interesting post on the covers of The Cay that I will have to share with my book club.

2. Pragmatic Mom has a great post about the ten top children's books featuring teachers. I love her choices, but I have a few more I might add.

3. Each Tuesday night my girls have gymnastics. This eats up our entire Tuesday, and I (of course) bring a book along. I hardly ever get to read, though, because someone (the daughter(s) not taking a lesson at that particular time) is always talking to me. This week we discovered a kids sudoku puzzle book. Perfect. And, when I got home, I discovered a great online site. My oldest daughter is all over it, and I am impressed with how much my seven year old gets it, too.

4. Several years ago I knew of and used a wonderful website for book clubs. For the life of me,I could not recall it or find it. Just this morning I happened to be browsing through a book club book I own, Goodbooks Lately by Ellen Moore and Kira Stevens, and found the url. Awesome. I can't wait to explore.

5. Another great article that Pragmatic Mom has posted from the School Library Journal blog is talking about the 2011 Newbery winner candidates. I love looking over these lists, and can add a few more titles to my wish list.

Silencing Sam

Julie Kramer is back with another great mystery in her Riley Spartz series. While I don't read a ton of mysteries, I do like ones that are a part of a series - and these are fast moving and entertaining- perfect for me.

Set in Minneapolis, reporter Riley Spartz is once again tangled up in a murder. Gossip columnist Sam Pierce is murdered just days after Spartz gets in trouble for throwing a glass of wine in his face - after Sam printed some not-so-nice (and incorrect) information about Riley's current romance. Spartz is on the list of suspects and decides to do some sleuthing on her own. While Pierce's murder is making the news, Riley supposed involvement has forced her to give up her reporter role on this story, allowing the new guy at the station to take the glory. Clay Burrell, Riley's latest competition at the television station, is a Texas transplant that grates on Riley's nerves. The story Spartz is sent to cover is one in her small rural community as farmers explore wind energy as a source of power. Explosions, the unexplained deaths of many bats, and finally the loss of life create another subplot.

In this installment we learn a little more about Riley and where she came from as we are introduced to her parents and hometown. The changing economy and the decline in need for print journalism is explored a bit as well. While this book may not win accolades for its writing style, it is a fun read, and a great series to explore.

Book Blog Hop

It's almost Friday- time for another Book Blog Hop! I missed last week's Hop, so this weekend I will have to try and find some time to look at some great blogs.

This week's question:

When you write reviews, do you write them as you are reading or wait until you have read the entire book?

I usually try and write my reviews within a day of finishing a book. If I wait much longer, I forget some things, and have usually completed another book that is a bit fresher in my mind. When I type up my monthly list of books that are linked to my blog, I am always kind of amazed at the number of books I don't even write a review on. Usually, even as I am reading, I am also thinking about what I want to say about the book when I blog. Right now I have 2 books I finished and have not yet written about, so we shall see if I end up reviewing them or not. Another book is already underway.

Thanks for hopping by! I can't wait to visit some blogs and find some new to me sites to visit, and books to read.

Ninth Ward

Jewell Parker Rhodes brings the events of Hurricane Katrina to childrens literature. Lanesha is twelve, growing up with Mama Ya-Ya after her mother dies in childbirth. While Mama Ya-Ya is not a blood relative, she loves and cares for Lanesha like her own child. The two of them make an interesting pair. Lanesha can see the spirits of the dead, and Mama Ya-Ya is a midwife, able to predict the future. When Mama Ya-Ya's predictions about Hurrican Katrina bring her great worry, Lanesha looks to her mother's spirit to reassure her. However, no reassurance can be given about Hurricane Katrina, as the storm picks up speed and force as it nears New Orleans. Lanesha and Mama Ya-Ya weather the storm only to then be confronted with flooding, forcing them and their neighbor boy, Tashon (who has returned after losing his parents in the Superdome) to the roof as they wait for help.

Ninth Ward is beautifully written, recreating the devastating events of Hurricane Katrina. Rhodes has managed to bring this event to life for children - doing so by writing of the loss Lanesha experiences in a way young readers will understand and not be overwhelmed by.

While the cover doesn't do much for me - and I don't think most kids will find it appealing, either, I am hoping this is one that my students can look beyond the cover to enjoy the story inside.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick: My Reading Life by Pat Conroy

Published on: November 2

Product Description from Amazon:

Bestselling author Pat Conroy acknowledges the books that have shaped him and celebrates the profound effect reading has had on his life. Pat Conroy, the beloved American storyteller, is also a vora­cious reader. He has for years kept a notebook in which he notes words or phrases, just from a love of language. But read­ing for him is not simply a pleasure to be enjoyed in off-hours or a source of inspiration for his own writing. It would hardly be an exaggeration to claim that reading has saved his life, and if not his life then surely his sanity. In My Reading Life, Conroy revisits a life of passionate reading. He includes wonderful anecdotes from his school days, mov­ing accounts of how reading pulled him through dark times, and even lists of books that particularly influenced him at vari­ous stages of his life, including grammar school, high school, and college. Readers will be enchanted with his ruminations on reading and books, and want to own and share this perfect gift book for the holidays. And, come graduation time, My Reading Life will establish itself as a perennial favorite, as did Dr. Seuss’s Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

Fragile

Fragile is a novel of suspense by Lisa Unger - a nice quick read - one that kept me wanting to learn the resolution. And, even better, while the book was a quick read, there was a little more to it than just a fast paced mystery.

Fragile begins with Maggie and her husband Jones as they struggle relating to their teenage son, Ricky. Jones, a policeman, has a hard time dealing with Ricky and his goth appearance. The boy he raised has changed before his eyes into someone he doesn't know. While Maggie is more understanding of Ricky, she, too is concerned with her son and his friendship with Charlene, a girl from a troubled home. When Charlene fights with her mother and then is missing, Ricky is a suspect in her disappearance. Fragile follows the investigation into Charlene's whereabouts, while at the same time revealing the role that Jones and Maggie and their friends played in the disspearance of Sarah, a girl from their class, twenty years ago. Set in the Hollows, a small town an hour outside of New York City, the people involved in Charlene's investigation are also a part of Sarah's mysterious disappearance.

This book is more than just a novel of suspense. As the story unfolds, Maggie's feelings about her marriage are revealed, and the different issues that she and Jones face with raising their son are brought to the forefront. Jones' part in Sarah's disappearance and the secrecy surrounding that involvement has developed into a heavy burden for Jones, one that has helped in creating some barriers in his relationship with his wife and son. Unger's development of this aspect of her characters makes this an interesting read as relationships grow and change, are damaged and repaired.

I have only read a few of Unger's books. Fragile makes me want to seek out more of this author's work.

Scaredy-cat, Splat!

Splat, one of my favorite cats, is back just in time for Halloween. Once again Rob Scotton has created a picture book with beautiful illustrations depicting Splat, the black haired, bug-eyed cat. This time Splat is trying to be the scariest cat in the class for Halloween, even though he is scared by many different things. While his plans don't turn out like he intended, Splat does indeed end up being a very scary cat, and Scaredy-cat, Splat ends up being a very cute Halloween story. I have been looking forward to the release of this book for a while, and was very excited to find it in my mailbox today, sent from Harper Collins. We happily read this as our bedtime book this evening, all of my daughters anxious to read the next Splat story. Scotton's story and illustrations are delightful, as usual, and we are happy to have Scaredy-cat, Splat for many bedtime story times.

Ruby's School Walk

Ruby's School Walk by Kathryn White, illustrated by Miriam Latimer is one of several picture books I have on my review pile. This book was obtained from The Picnic Basket, and published by Barefoot Books.

Ruby's School Walk is a cute, rhyming picture book about a girl and her walk to school. Where Ruby sees lots of excitement on her walk to school with her mother, making the extraordinary out of everyday things. Her mother reassures her as Ruby meets all these "dangers," while Ruby chants "I must be brave. I must be strong."

Of course Ruby makes it to school and safety, only to continue using her imagination as she dreams of what her day may hold for her while there.

The illustrations in this book are so colorful that readers will be instantly drawn into this story. I loved the rhyming text - perfect for lower elementary students who are learning this concept, and also because it gives a rhythm to the story, making it fun to read aloud.

I can see teachers using this book as school begins to reassure their students about coming to school, and to spark a discussion on the ways people arrive at school each day, the different things that are seen on their walk to school, and the ways we can use our imagination.

Sunday Salon

5:30 AM on a Sunday and I am up cooking. Today is the family birthday party for my daughters, who all happen to have fall birthdays. We used to do individual parties for them, and I don't mind that, but with all three happening in the fall, it is hard to get people to want/be able to come back for a Sunday lunch that many times so close together. Usually we grill since the weather is so good, but this year my husband and I decided to change it up a bit and we would make some different soups. (This actually means that I will make some different soups). Since we have church first, and I thought making the soup yesterday and reheating it wouldn't be as tasty (nevermind the fact that I don't have refrigerator space for this) I am now up before the crack of dawn chopping, sauteeing, browning, draining, and doing some more chopping in an effort to make three different types of soup. Of course we will have chili- my old standby that is tasty, and a bit spicy. Because it is spicy, we are also having cheeseburger soup: my daughters' favorite. And, because I have had the ingredients for several months and because my husband raved about it when I last made it, we are having black bean soup with sausage. The rest of the menu consists of different breads, a veggie tray, strawberries, chips, crackers and a sharp cheddar with apple bacon dip, beer bread with a spinach dip, and birthday cake. I don't think anyone will go away hungry. As long as I get it all made, that is. Right now I am browning meat for chili. The bean soup is simmering (for five hours!). The cheeseburger soup takes the longest to make because I have to cut so many different things.

Anyway, I will be glad to be done cooking so I can go back to reading! Hopefully when everyone leaves I can take a nap. The only other highlight to our weekend is that someone stole my husband's Garmin from his work vehicle, and all the CDs from my van. Once they realize the only CDs I have are Justin Bieber, Kidz Bop, High School Musical and Alvin and the Chipmunks I doubt they will be very impressed. Still, since it will barely meet our deductible, we will have to replace the CDs slowly. Ugh. Our neighbors' vehicles were also gone through, but the items they took from them were discarded and left by their mailbox.

I have started two different books and then discarded them midway through. Neither was very entertaining for me. I did start This Is Where We Live by Janelle Brown this morning and am enjoying it. Hopefully I can read sometime between the birthday party, church, nap, and lesson planning.

Stiltsville

Stiltsville by Susanna Daniel begins in 1969 and spans several decades, ending in 1993. Set in Miami, Daniel's description of life in this time in Florida were so vivid, I felt as though I could see her characters living out the story. I can't quite lay my finger on what I loved so much about this book, but I absolutely loved it and couldn't put it down.

First of all, I really enjoy women's fiction books, and Stiltsville is that, following the life of twenty six year old Frances from her move to Miami in 1969, to her relationship and then marriage to Dennis, their years raising their daughter, and then Dennis' diagnosis of ALS. Frances was easy to identify with - someone who loved her husband and led a fairly "average" life, a good life, with the usual ups and downs in her marriage, the normal struggles that people face. Throughout the novel she grew and changed, from a young woman to a wife and mother, and finally a caregiver. The Miami setting was beautiful. While I have only been to Florida a couple of time in my life, I could envision what Daniel described, and was especially intrigued by the stilt house in Biscayne Bay where Frances and Dennis spent their free time.

As Frances reflects on her life, she is happy with how things turned out. One favorite passage from Stiltsville:

"I love this photograph. All these years, I've loved it. And one day my daughter found it in a chest filled with other old photographs, and she framed it and propped it up on her bookcase, first in her dorm room and then in her home. Once I overheard her pointing it out to a friend: "These are my parents," she said. "This is my aunt Bette, and this is my mother's best friend Marse." In the way old photos sometimes do, looking at it makes my heart ache a bit. But I also enjoy remembering my younger self this way: as an adventurer, as carefree. Mostly, I don't think I was these things, but I guess sometimes, in Miami, I could be (59)."

While Stiltsville's ending is not happy, it is not sad, either, and Daniel has managed to create closure to Frances' story that was quite satisfying. I so hope that Daniel has plans for more work in the future, because Stiltsville is one of my favorite women's fiction books I have read in 2010.

Visit Susanna Daniel's website.

For Freedom: The Story of a French Spy

Oh, how I love historical fiction novels based on real events. And I love Kimberly Brubaker's writing. As soon as I read The President's Daughter by Bradley a few years ago, I began searching out this author's work. After seeing For Freedom: The Story of a French Spy recommended on a blog, I realized I had not read this book by her.

For Freedom has a lot going for it. It is set in France during World War II, a time period I still find fascinating because of the way the entire world was impacted. Suzanne is only thirteen as the book begins, and still not quite aware of the effect the war will have on her. Her family is forced out of their home by German soldiers, left to live in a small apartment. Suzanne's focus in life is singing and she aspires to one day be a professional opera singer. The war reduces Suzanne's ability to pursue her dream, yet Suzanne and her family are among the lucky ones as her father continues to have work. When Suzanne's arm becomes infected from a cut and she must make repeated visits to Dr. LeClerc, the doctor entrusts Suzanne with a secret that could cost them both her life. He is a spy for the Allies, and would like Suzanne to deliver messages for him. Knowing that if she agrees to this she will never be able to turn back to her life before spying, Suzanne forges ahead, anxious to help the Allies defeat Germany. Now in addition to singing, Suzanne spends time meeting and delivering messages for Dr. LeClerc, hiding the secret messages in her hair.

Bradley has done a wonderful job retelling the story she learned from the mother of her husband's co-worker. Another great historical fiction tween novel by a talented author.

Still Missing

Chevy Stevens' Still Missing is suspenseful -and creepy- in a good way. Realtor Annie O' Sullivan is abducted from a home showing and taken prisoner in a remote mountain cabin. "The Freak" as she calls her abductor makes her operate by a strict schedule, monitoring what she eats and how much she sleeps, bathing her each evening and then forcing himself on her. I probably could not have continued reading, but because this story is told as Annie retells her story while in counseling sessions, I at least had the comfort of knowing she survived this horrible ordeal. When Annie finally does return to her former life, she realizes how much she has changed. She is unable to have relationships with people she was once close to - her best friend and boyfriend - and even her relationship with her family is different. Annie has never been particularly close to her mother whose life became difficult when she lost her oldest daughter Daisy and Annie's father. Now, remarried, her husband does not have the money for them to live the lifestyle which she desires. Annie also questions her mother about her uncle Dwight, a man she has never met, a person her mother never wants to speak of.

Through Annie's counseling sessions not only are the events of her abduction revealed, but also the details of the investigation as Annie remains terrified that her abductor may have worked with someone else and perhaps they are not done with her. As the investigation eventually leads to the real mastermind behind Annie's abduction, Annie's life is forever altered.

This book was a little bit creepy for me...the fact that something like that could perhaps really happen made it a little scarier. I was always happy for Annie's narration of her counseling sessions that reminded me she had survived. I also enjoyed the suspense of this novel, not knowing until the end who had been resonsible for Annie's abduction.

This one was hard for me to put down. I stayed up late reading, got up early to finish it, and ended up missing my morning workout because I "needed" to get this one done.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick: Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff

Due out November 1, 2010

Product Description from Amazon:

The Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer brings to life the most intriguing woman in the history of the world: Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt.Her palace shimmered with onyx, garnets, and gold, but was richer still in political and sexual intrigue. Above all else, Cleopatra was a shrewd strategist and an ingenious negotiator.Though her life spanned fewer than forty years, it reshaped the contours of the ancient world. She was married twice, each time to a brother. She waged a brutal civil war against the first when both were teenagers. She poisoned the second. Ultimately she dispensed with an ambitious sister as well; incest and assassination were family specialties. Cleopatra appears to have had sex with only two men. They happen, however, to have been Julius Caesar and Mark Antony, among the most prominent Romans of the day. Both were married to other women. Cleopatra had a child with Caesar and--after his murder--three more with his protégé. Already she was the wealthiest ruler in the Mediterranean; the relationship with Antony confirmed her status as the most influential woman of the age. The two would together attempt to forge a new empire, in an alliance that spelled their ends. Cleopatra has lodged herself in our imaginations ever since.Famous long before she was notorious, Cleopatra has gone down in history for all the wrong reasons. Shakespeare and Shaw put words in her mouth. Michelangelo, Tiepolo, and Elizabeth Taylor put a face to her name. Along the way, Cleopatra's supple personality and the drama of her circumstances have been lost. In a masterly return to the classical sources, Stacy Schiff here boldly separates fact from fiction to rescue the magnetic queen whose death ushered in a new world order. Rich in detail, epic in scope, Schiff 's is a luminous, deeply original reconstruction of a dazzling life.

I think the cover picture is absolutely gorgeous!

Perfect Reader

Maggie Pouncey's Perfect Reader is a magnificent read....I absolutely loved the writing. Flora is an only child. Her parents divorced years ago, but she can recall vividly many events that occurred when they were still a family. After her father's death, Flora returns to the small town she was raised in, the town where her father served as the president at its small college and still taught. Once back in her hometown, Flora is confronted with information about her father's life that she had never known : he had a girlfriend!, and he also penned a collection of poems that Flora is the executor of. Flora is not very open to Cynthia, the woman her father had been dating, especially after it is discovered that the poems her father left Flora to be in charge of are actually only copies and Cynthia holds the originals. All of a sudden it becomes apparent that Flora was not the focus of her fathers' life. His poems barely hint at her, instead the poems are a love letter of a sort to Cynthia. With this new realization Flora also begins to grow up, recognizing for the first time that her father's life is separate from her own.

Pouncy's writing, as I mentioned was wonderful. It is the type of writing I want to savor and hold onto, that I can think about for a while.

"We readily accepted that there were no perfect fathers or daughters or lovers. But we persisted in thinking history might give a writer in the fullness of time a perfect reader; or, on the other side, the scholar's fantasy that he could understand, see, know a book, a poem, as all others had failed to see before. We saw so little, so wrongly, with the people in front of us, and yet with words on a page, we fooled ourselves that we could get it right. If Flora knew anyone, it was her parents. She had studied them in that academic way children learn their parents. She wa the world's living expert on her father. Ready with the footnotes, a thoroughly cross-referenced index: the boarding school years, the Yale years, the Rhodes years, the city interlude, and the Darwin recapitulation and coda. And yet, did such scrutiny and research make her his perfect reader? Looking closely did not mean seeing truly. In fact, it might mean reading wrongly - magnifying glasses distort- everything writ large. And then there was all she did not know, all he'd kept from her. How little she factored in. She, his own daughter. Barely a footnote in his journal (161)."

Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives

I am just going to be upfront about the fact that I am not really much of an animal lover. I grew up on a farm and we always had a dog, some cats, and a few other critters from time to time- sheep, goats - and no matter how much time I have spent around animals, I am not totally comfortable with them. Over the years I have gotten better, and after having owned a St. Bernard for several years, I hardly even think twice about getting out of a car at someone's house while their dog is baring its teeth at me. However, animals seem to know that I am not comfortable with them, and therefore seek me out, rubbing up against me, jumping on me, and inevitably reinforcing my discomfort with their unpredictability. I am not sure exactly what attracted me to Zoo Story: Life in the Garden of Captives by Thomas French, a book about wild animals and zoo life, specifically at Lowry Park Zoo. Yet I found this book fascinating.

Zoo Story begins with the events in 2003 where eleven elephants were flown to the United States to begin their lives in captivity. While this may seem cruel, Zoo Life goes on to explain the problem with elephant overpopulation in Africa and the potential fate that may have befallen the elephants had a home not been found for them. Zoo Story continues to check in from time to time with the elephants and their life in the United States.

Herman, a chimpanzee, was donated to the zoo by his adopted human family. As the alpha male in his group, Herman's life at the zoo was really the third phase in his life. He had lost his chimpanzee family, then his adopted family had given him to the zoo when they no longer were able to care for him. His human family visited him often and he continued to know them and become upset each time they left him, showing to all the bond that existed between Herman and the people he cared about. Herman is also interesting in that he never showed much interest in female chimpanzees. He reserved his affection for attractive blond women, not relating much to his chimp background.

Enshala a female tiger at Tampa's Lowry Park Zoo is another memorable character, a true queen, who is able to dominate males and is truly a huntress. Lex Salisbury, the CEO of Lowry Park is responsible for the zoo's rise in popularity and status, yet events force a close inspection of the zoo and its safety, leaving Lex to ponder some of the decisions he has made.

Zoo Story deals with issues of conservation, whether animals suffer while living in captivity, the condition of zoos, the treatment of animals by underpaid staff, safety for staff from wild animals, and the remarkable animals that live in zoos.

Zoo Story is for anyone, animal lover or not, who is amazed by the complex and beautiful creatures that God created and the world they live in.

Juliet

Usually a novel set in 1340 would hold no appeal for me. Nor would a novel about Romeo and Juliet. And yet, I decided to start Juliet by Anne Fortier, knowing it was due back at the library, just to see if I would enjoy it. From page one I was sucked into the story, which alternates between the present and 1340, as Julie Johnson (formerly Guilietta Tolomei) tries to uncover the secrets to her past. Julie and her twin sister Janice were raised by their Aunt Rose after the unexpected death of their mother Diane and their much older father, an Italian professor. Immediately after their mother's death the girls were brought to the United States from Italy, never learning about their father's side of the family or what really happened to their parents. After their Aunt Rose dies Janice is given her house, and Julie is given a bizarre inheritance, one in which she must go to Italy to uncover the secrets her mother has kept. Not knowing what could be in store for her, Julie sets off. Once in Italy things become complicated as she meets up with a few people who all have their hand in trying to recover Julie's hidden treasure.

Julie, or Guiliana, and her sister are direct descendants of Juliet's family and as things unfold, Julie must finally put an end to the curse that has befallen her family. Told in alternating chapters of the present and the past - 1340 - the true story of Romeo and Juliet unfolds. While people may be familiar with Shakespeare's version, his is merely a re-telling of events, and Julie comes to learn what may actually have transpired between the two star-crossed lovers.

There is a lot to this book - suspense, romance, history. While the two books share nothing in common in terms of topic, reading Juliet reminded me of The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. Both books are ones that I would not normally consider myself liking, yet the writing was so easy to get into. Both are long with many twists and turns along the way, hard to put down, and full of suspense. Despite my initial disinterest because of the time period, Fortier's ability to move the story back and forth in time kept me wanting to read more.

Seattle Blues

Set in the 1970s, Seattle Blues by Michael Wenberg is a great tween historical fiction novel. Maya has been sent to Seattle for the summer to stay with her grandmother, a woman she has never met or talked to before. Maya's mom is busy trying to finish college and her father is missing in action in Vietnam. Angry about her circumstances, things don't get off to a great start, as Maya tries to find ways to irritate her grandmother. Grandmother also has a new neighbor who Maya befriends. Although he is autistic, he is an amazing musician and the two develop a relationship as they make music together. Maya is able to find out more about jazz music and her grandfather, an accomplished musician as she takes trombone lessons, and seems gifted in the way that her grandparents and mother are. When the summer begins Maya is unable to accept that her father may not be coming home. She is certain that he will return one day and continues to write him letters. Despite her grandmother's attempt to talk to Maya about this she continues to remain in denial for a long time. This book focuses mostly on the relationships in Maya's life - hers with her mother, hers with her grandmother, with her neighbor instead of the time period it is set in. I really enjoyed this one- the time period, the place, and the focus of music while a girl learns where she came from.

Blog Hop!

What a fast week! It's already Thursday night- I still have to clean my house up a bit more in anticipation of a sleepover my oldest daughter is having for her birthday tomorrow night. That means the house will be trashed by Saturday morning and I can start cleaning again. The week has been so fast that I have three books going right now and haven't finished anything in the past few days. Also depressing.

Jen at Crazy For Books is hosting the weekly blog hop at her site. I love finding new to me book blogs!

This week's topic asks us to post a link to a favorite post we have written in the past three months.

I'm not sure I have a favorite post - mostly what makes a post one I like is the amount of enjoyment I got from reading the book. Some of my posts that I have taken the most time with and felt like I have done a decent job on (in terms of writing and being evaluative) have received no comments, while others that I have dashed off more quickly garner a handful of comments. I'm not sure why that is. I absolutely loved My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira that I reviewed in July. You can visit the review by clicking on the book title.

I'm hoping that in between laundry and vacuuming and a few other household jobs I can sneak in some reading. I need to finish up H is for Hollywood by Mona Simpson and Juliet by Anne Fortier. The tween book I am reading is Seattle Blues by Michael Wenberg. All three are great reads, I just need more "me time" to get them done.

Happy Hopping!

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick:

A Cup of Jo by Sandra Balzo.

Due out October 1, 2010

In Balzo's delightful sixth Maggy Thorsen mystery (after March 2010's From the Grounds Up), Maggy, the co-owner of Uncommon Grounds, a gourmet coffeehouse, which was destroyed during a freak snowstorm, is planning to celebrate the opening of her rebuilt shop at the same time that the town of Brookhills, Wis., dedicates the new Milwaukee commuter-train line. Maggie is pleased with the giant inflatable coffee cup she hired for the occasion, until it accidentally deflates and reveals the body of missing Brookhills event manager JoLynne Penn-Williams sprawled at the bottom. When amateur sleuth Maggy begins to investigate, she's dismayed that clues point to her boyfriend, county sheriff Jake Pavlik, as the killer. Devastating innuendos that Jake has been unfaithful shatter Maggy, but don't prevent her from seeking the truth. As ever, Maggy's wit and wisdom help keep the pages turning through this lighthearted cozy. --Publishers Weekly, 16th August 2010

I have enjoyed the others in this mystery series and am looking forward to this newest installment.

Tomorrow River

On the recommendation of my good friend, Kristin, I reserved Tomorrow River by Leslie Kagan for myself at the public library. I didn't have any idea what the book was about, but knew that I already owned one novel by Kagen, and that Kristin had enjoyed the narrator in this book.

I started it, but had a hard time concentrating...maybe too many things needed to get done that day. So, I restarted it and found a little time yesterday to work myself far enough into the book that I didn't want to stop reading. I stayed up a bit too late last night, read it while using the elliptical this morning and finished it over lunch.

Yes, the narration is fantastic. I love Shenny. I love the story. And I love the ending which surprised me.

Shenandoah and her sister Jane Woodrow (Woody) are being raised by their father after their mother's mysterious disappearance last year. Since that time Woody has stopped talking, although some of her behavior has become downright bizarre. Their father, a judge, is a hard man to please and the girls have spent much of the year on their property, sometimes even locked up at night in the root cellar. Shenny feels like she should take care of her sister, and decides that finding their mother would help Woody. So she begins to look for a bit of information about where her mother may have gone. No body has been found, so Shenny is sure that her mother is out there somewhere waiting for them. Until her father lets it slip one day that her mother has died. Still, things don't quite add up, especially when her mother's close friend is arrested for her murder. This read is rather suspenseful - I had to pack it in my book bag to take to school today just in case I could find a spare minute or two to finish it off.

I also liked the writing. One example of the writing I enjoyed so much:

"On the kind of spring afternoon that makes you want to crawl into Mother Nature's lap and give her a kiss of gratitude, I was snuggled out on Mama's and my reading bench (155)."

I will be looking for more of Kagan's work as I was totally taken in by this book. What a great read! Finding my next book may be challenging.

The Dancing Pancake

I love Eileen Spinelli's picture books, but had never read anything longer by this author- amazing since she has written nearly fifty children's books. The Dancing Pancake is written in verse, making it a fast read. Bindi is encountering several challenges in her life. Her father has lost his job and is moving to another town in order to find one. This makes Bindi nervous, worried that her father is leaving them and will not return, even if he does find a job. This means Bindi's mom can no longer afford their house, and the two must move into an apartment above the restaurant Bindi's mom and aunt are opening- The Dancing Pancake. Luckily Bindi has some good friends that are there to help her out. She also enjoys reading and working as a library aide at school. Bindi takes her Sunday School lessons to heart, trying to put to practice what she is learning at church. Life isn't easy, but Bindi finds a way to deal with the things that are thrown her way - her parents separation, the homeless woman named Grace who visits the restaurant, and even begins to notice that other people have problems, too.

This book reminded me a lot of they Lucy Rose books by Katy Kelly (except a lot faster). Bindi is a girl that readers will be able to identify with. While writing a novel would be challenging enough, I am always amazed by writers who are able to convey an entire story using words so sparingly. A great novel for readers wanting a chapter book, but not wanting to be overwhelmed with the length of time it takes to read one.

When Did I Get Like This?

I always enjoy reading books on parenting that make me feel less guilty about the things I struggle with as a mother. Wilson's book, When Did I Get Like This? The Screamer, The Worrier, The Dinosaur-Chicken-Nugget-Buyer, and Other Mothers I Swore I'd Never Be is a humorous account of motherhood and the many joys and challenges that accompany the job.

Beginning with trying to conceive, Wilson becomes aware that a job that looked so easy and natural for her own mother is more of a struggle for her. From the moment she knew she was going to be a mother, life for Wilson has never been the same. Reading about some of Wilson's thoughts and events in her life, I couldn't help but finding a great deal in common with her and could easily imagine her as one of my girlfriends. It is nice to hear that other mothers are crabby with their children sometimes (and then feel extremely guilty and apologetic afterward), that they, too, long to have some acknowledgement from their husbands that not only do they do the bulk of parenting, but that it is hard and they are appreciated, that many of the situations they find themselves in as parents have no easy answers. While Wilson's book does not offer advice, it does offer an inside look at motherhood and provides a bit of comfort for other mothers who may be less than perfect.

Visit Amy Wilson's website - I am enjoying her blog immensely.

Tangled

Sometimes the fact that I am extremely late in getting to books and have a TBR pile that is out of control works to my advantage. Many times I read reviews months (and sometimes more than a year) before I actually get around to reading a book - no matter how good it may be or how much I am looking forward to it. Since so much time passes between me reading reviews and me actually reading a book, I have had plenty of time to forget what a book may be about. Of course I could read the inside flap to refresh my memory, and sometimes I do that, but sometimes I just dive right in to the book and enjoy being surprised.

Surprised I was with Tangled by Carolyn Mackler because I knew absolutely nothing about this book before I started it yesterday, except that I had been wanting to read it for quite a while. The first portion of the book is narrated by Jena, a girl I felt I could relate to. She doesn't feel as pretty as her mother's friend's daughter, Skye, and the two are forced to room together on a week long vacation they take with their moms. The two don't do any real bonding, and when Skye hooks up with Dakota, a guy Jena had an interest (and very short-lived romance with) in, they have even less to do with each other.

Dakota narrates the second portion of this book which was helpful since I had not liked him at all during Jena's story. His narration does make him more likeable since I could see where Dakota was coming from. At the time of the trip Dakota had just suffered the loss of his girlfriend who was killed in a car accident. He eventually finds out that this girlfriend was planning on breaking up with him and was in the car with another highschool boy, leaving him to question why the two of them were together.

Skye narrates the third portion where it becomes obvious that the drop dead beauty doesn't really have it all and is just as confused as every other teenager. She is also dealing with the issue of never knowing her biological father, who died in a motorcycle accident before she was born, and who her mother never wants to talk about.

The final portion is narrated by Owen, Dakota's younger brother. Owen is the total opposite of his muscular, athletic older brother, preferring to spend his time online than doing anything physical. Because Owen has always lived with his mother and Dakota with his father after their parents' divorce, the two boys have never really spent a lot of time together. Owen finally has a chance at a relationship - for once living in the real world instead of online.

Because I really had not remembered anything about Tangled, I was not expecting the different narrations, but enjoyed hearing each characters' story. These four teenagers end up tangled up in each other's lives in ways they would never have predicted prior to their meeting each other. Each section ends with readers not knowing for certain how things are resolved until it is revealed during the next person's narration, something that kept me wanting to finish this book in one sitting.

Mackler has written other young adult novels: The Earth, My Butt and Other Big Round Things, Guyaholic, and Vegan Virgin Valentine, all of which I have yet to read and am looking forward to.

Friday Five

This week I have been finding a lot of great posts! And, I have even been writing them down so I remember them. The Friday Five is hosted by Kate at Kate's Library.

1. IndieBound has their new September IndieBound Next list out. USA Today also has their interactive calendar of fall book releases online - both places to find books to add to your TBR list.

2. On Monday at The New Dork Review of Books there was a great post about not judging a book by it's author. I will admit I am guilty of this from time to time, and then am pleasantly surprised when I find out that an author whose work I have not been impressed with previously, ends up amazing and delighting me.

3. I have been jealously eyeing the new header that Peaceful Reader has on her blog. PR found this by visiting The Eagle's Aerial Perspective and taking note of a little button making blog on the site. I may have to take action myself and see about having a banner created for me.

4. Over the past few days I have been a bit obsessed with checking things on the 2010 world clock. This website has an ongoing counter that tracks deaths, births, diseases, and all sorts of other nifty facts. Visit World Clock 2010.

5. Pragmatic Mom posts her thoughts on an a Harvard Study that focuses on whether boys are behind girls on reading. Interesting and thought-provoking.

This has been a busy week so far, and I am excited about a three day weekend....high school football game last night, college game tonight, and preparation for a garage sale next weekend. This is not looking good for leisure reading time, but I am hoping for a less cluttered house.

Vanishing Cultures

The Vanishing Cultures series by Jan Reynolds caught my eye on a recent trip to the public library. Peaceful Reader and I were there together, quickly snatching up titles that we wanted to peruse before we purchased them for our own libraries. The wonderful photography in these books instantly grabbed my attention. The two books in the series that I took home, Sahara and Far North (about the Samis)focus on two different groups of people I have not given much thought to prior to reading these books. There is a great deal of information about what a typical person in this society experiences. While these weren't exactly a great nighttime read aloud, I was fascinated by these books and the lifestyles these people lead. Peaceful Reader managed to snag two of the Vanishing Cultures books for herself -visit her site to see her review of this series. Other books in the series include: Amazon Basin, Down Under, Frozen Land, Himalayas, and Mongolia

Teachers will find these books helpful for studies of different cultures, especially with the fabulous photography.

Book Blog Hop

YAY! It's Friday...and a three day weekend. And, it's time for the Book Blog Hop hosted by Jen at Crazy for Books.

This week's question: Do you judge a book by it's cover?

Yes and no. There are a lot of books that I am interested in or intrigued by because of their covers. And there are also some great books that I have read despite their covers. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo definitely did not lure me because of it's cover. But the book was fabulous.

Head over to Crazy For Books to find some new to you book blogs. Each week I add several more to my favorites. And hopefully with this longer weekend I will have a bit more time to catch up and add my most recent finds to my blogroll.

Happy Hopping!

Life, After

Dani Bensimon is from Argentina, a country that has never quite been the same after July 18, 1994, the day a Jewish community center in Buenos Aries was bombed and Dani's aunt and unborn baby were killed. Nine years later the country of Argentina and Dani's family are still feeling the effects of this. Dani's family was once middle class; her father owned a clothing store and life was good. After the 1994 bombing much in Argentina changed. The economy faltered and Dani's family lost the store. With her father sinking further into depression, it doesn't seem that there is much hope for Dani, especially because Roberto, her boyfriend, is moving to Miami with his family. As a last resort, Dani's mother convinces her father to move to the United States. Dani, her younger sister Sarita, and their parents make their home in New York. The change is the easiest on Sarita, who at the age of seven, is excited about her new friends and is easily able to assimilate into the American way of life. I found Dani's ability to fit in quite amazing as well, yet she struggles a bit more. She misses Roberto, has a hard time understanding American slang and idioms, and finds some of the girls at her school to be mean and cliquish. When she befriends Jon, a classmate with Aspergers things get a bit more interesting as Jon's sister is one of the girls who had initially made fun of Dani.

While "real life" may not have ended with such a nice resolution, I did like how things end up for Dani and her family. Littman also includes some other interesting plotlines in this novel: Jon and his sister who seem to have everything, are still reeling from the loss of their father who was killed in 9-11 as he worked in the Twin Towers. Dani is able to truly understand what they are going through because of the experience of losing her aunt. Family loyalty, young love, and perseverance are also themes that are explored.

This is another wonderful read by Littman. I have loved her two previous novels, Confessions of a Closet Catholic and Purge as well. This novel is somewhat different because it is loosely based on an actual event that took place in Argentina. I was instantly intrigued by this aspect in the novel and quickly did a little research on my own to determine if Littman was creating a fictional event or one that really had taken place. Sadly, 87 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the terrorist bombing Littman writes of.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

Today's pick: Dirty Secret: A Daughter Comes Clean About Her Mother's Obsessive Hoarding by Jessie Sholl

Publication Date: 12/28/10

I love memoirs and I am totally amazed by hoarding and Sholl contacted me to be a part of her blog tour, so I am very excited to get this one in my hands and start reading.