Friday, January 31, 2014

Friday Five

I am going to blame the mess my house is in now for the fact that I didn't even touch my  computer last night. I can't think of the last time that has happened, which is a little bit sad.  I also came home to Little Sister sleeping at 6:00 PM.  When I finally woke her up and asked if she was OK, she began sobbing because her ears and stomach hurt. I'd been hearing about the ear pain for a few days, so instead of a relaxing evening at home, we spent it at Convenient Care.  Despite the fact that her ears hurt, she does not have an ear infection. She does have strep throat, which apparently can present itself as a stomach ache.  I'm feeling pretty good that  I had them check for strep since she had told me her throat was not sore and they didn't seem inclined to check that themselves.  She cried through the entire appointment, but once she got some medicine in her it was like she was on fire.  She talked at me and danced around until we forced her to go to bed which didn't happen very quickly. I am exhausted this morning, but I'll bet she will feel great.

So....the Friday Five?  Here we go....

With this new kitchen I'm going to get, I want a new dining room table. One that is not stained with Sharpie marker preferably.  Sinking a lot of money into a nice table seems like a bad idea right now with my artsy crafty kids.  Love this DIY IKEA hack farmhouse table on East Coast Creative.


And to go with that new table, I would love to update my dishes.  My Fiestaware is still great, but they've added some new colors, and I would love to have a bright blue set, or even several blue colors to mix together. 

The other new kitchen toy I have been waiting to purchase is this beautiful mixer. I'm still not sure about the color- there are so many to choose from, but if I had new blue dishes, this one would look great! Click on the image for product information.

I'm still trying to purchase books for the book room at our school. This project is dragging on and is very time consuming.  A new publisher I'm impressed with is Blueberry Hill Publishing. There books remind me of Rosie and Bella from Pioneer Valley Press.

And, I came across a great blog post at Kirby's Lane discussing how to help students develop a love of reading.  She echoes my own beliefs about getting kids to be readers.

I've got bread in the oven and an episode of Parenthood to watch before I wake up the girls for school. Have a great Friday, everyone!

Thursday, January 30, 2014

Construction Update



We came home yesterday from work and school to discover that there was definitely some work that had been done in our kitchen.  The good news is that my husband loves it (I do, too), which is nice since he had to be sold on the idea in the first place.  We did discover a leak from our bathroom last night. Since the kitchen walls are out we can see the pipes in our bathroom in between our stove and refrigerator.  We wouldn't have seen the leak for a long time so at least we can fix it right away. I can't wait to see what things look like tonight!

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday


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


This week's pick: The One and Only by Emily Giffin
Due out: May 20, 2014

Product Description taken from Amazon:
In her eagerly awaited new novel, beloved New York Timesbestselling author Emily Giffin returns with an extraordinary story of love and loyalty—and an unconventional heroine struggling to reconcile both.
 
Thirty-three-year-old Shea Rigsby has spent her entire life in Walker, Texas—a small college town that lives and dies by football, a passion she unabashedly shares. Raised alongside her best friend, Lucy, the daughter of Walker’s legendary head coach, Clive Carr, Shea was too devoted to her hometown team to leave. Instead she stayed in Walker for college, even taking a job in the university athletic department after graduation, where she has remained for more than a decade.
 
But when an unexpected tragedy strikes the tight-knit Walker community, Shea’s comfortable world is upended, and she begins to wonder if the life she’s chosen is really enough for her. As she finally gives up her safety net to set out on an unexpected path, Shea discovers unsettling truths about the people and things she has always trusted most—and is forced to confront her deepest desires, fears, and secrets.
 
Thoughtful, funny, and brilliantly observed, The One and Only is a luminous novel about finding your passion, following your heart, and, most of all, believing in something bigger than yourself . . . the one and only thing that truly makes life worth living.
 

Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Award Winning Thoughts

Yesterday just happened to be a day off from school due to the extreme cold we have been having here.  Although I am tired of not having school, I was excited to get to watch a live webcast of the ALA awards.  It is always fun to see how many of the award winners I have read, and exciting to add some new titles to my TBR stacks.

It should surprise no one that Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo is the big winner capturing the Newbery medal. I read and reviewed this book a while ago, and enjoyed it enough - but not enough for me to gush to others about it or consider it a must read.  On my way to work I stopped at the public library where the two youth librarians weren't all that excited, either.  Seems the consensus among the three of us is that while Kate DiCamillo is a good author, there are other great authors out there that deserve an award, too.

I'm pretty proud of myself that I have read The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes,  and Paperboy by Vince Vautner. That means I have only two Newbery titles to read - Doll Bones by Holly Black - totally not my type of book, but I'll give it a whirl at some point, and One Came Home by Amy Timberlake.


On to the Caldecotts....this is the one award that I have no skill in predicting at all simply because there are so many titles out there to choose from.  But this year I already own Locomotive by Brian Floca, and Mr. Wuffles by David Wiesner and Journey by Aaron Becker.  I haven't seen Flora and the Flamingo yet, but already had it checked out from the library.  

The one title I do wish would have received some mention is Mr. Tiger Goes Wild by Peter Brown. I absolutely love that picture book.  

The Newbery and Caldecott are the two "big" awards, but I love reading through the list of other award winners....the Pura Belpre winners look amazing and I've already added them to my next library order along with the Coretta Scott King award winners. There are plenty of titles for me to add to my list of books to read and explore.

You can click here for a full list of award winners

Monday, January 27, 2014

North of Boston

Elizabeth Elo's debut novel, North of Boston, had me hooked from the beginning.  Pirio is thirty years old, single, and working for her family's perfume business.  Her best friend, Thomasina, is her own worst enemy, turning to alcohol when the going gets tough. This is especially sad since Thomasina's ten year old son, Noah, a brilliant and sensitive boy is impacted by his mother's poor decisions.

As North of Boston begins, Noah's father, Ned, has just died after the fishing boat he and Pirio were aboard is hit in the fog by another ship.  What at first looks to be an unfortunate accident is something more.  Pirio begins investigating, putting herself and those she loves in danger.

North of Boston is the perfect start to what I hope is a new series by Elo. Elo develops Pirio as a character and introduces readers to her family and friends. Much of the novel is focused on these characters, yet as the novel develops, Elo weaves in the suspense of determining what happened to Ned and why someone was trying to silence him.

Sunday, January 26, 2014

Sunday Salon


Another snowy and cold weekend here in Iowa - and another day off of school for me this past Thursday due to the weather.  UGH!  I am so ready to get back into a routine.  



Today we are boxing up more kitchen stuff since the construction workers are planning on demolishing things this week.  I am not sure where everything is supposed to go and feel disorganized already.  Tonight I am going to make jambalaya one last time before I pack up the pots and pans I need.  The girls and I went grocery shopping yesterday but had a hard time coming up with anything to make this week considering the kitchen mess.

Since the weather has been nasty the other highlight of the weekend has been using our new vacuum cleaner. It does an amazing job of cleaning our carpets, and since it is new the girls have been fighting over who gets to use it.  I doubt this continues, but I'll take advantage of it while I can.  

The rest of the day I am hoping to do a bit more cleaning, write a few blog posts, and read.  That is one thing that this cold weather is good for - cuddling up and reading some good books.

Friday, January 24, 2014

My Friday Five

Another week is coming to an end. Here are the things I've been looking at on the internet these past few days.

The Huffington Post has a great article about what kids remember about their teachers.

It's been so cold here that apparently winter apparel is on my mind.  I would love these Sorel boots

Somehow I managed to bruise the ball of my foot which has meant no running this week. I did try on Monday morning, but my husband yelling, "Bad Choice" at me repeatedly did make me re-think.  For now, I can dream of running on the treadmill. This treadmill work-out is a bit of a switch-up for me. It doesn't make the time go faster, but it did make my legs tired.



I found these a while ago on Bake It Pretty and loved them.  I am thinking about buying myself some for my new kitchen when it is finished.  A lot of our glasses are pretty old and grungy looking. Click on the image for more product information.

I won't have a fridge for a few weeks, but this list on Iowa Girl Eats of staple food items is a great one to refer to.  I'm keeping this one handy for when I can start organizing my refrigerator, freezer and pantry.

Thursday, January 23, 2014

A Royal Day

Monday was a day off of school for me in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr.  My girls had school, a snow make up day having been scheduled to take this holiday away from them.  This is the one day I could come up with to make a trip with my kitchen designer, Jen, to trek to Davenport and look at granite counter top.

Although the purpose of the trip was to select counter top, after doing a little research I found that the Princess Diana dress exhibit was still at the Putnam Museum in Davenport.  I came clean to Jen about my royal family obsession and she agreed to stop there with me.  





The dresses that I once enjoyed seeing in photographs I could look at up close.  Many of them had beading and details that I was never able to enjoy in a photograph.  Although we didn't spend a long time there, I loved the exhibit.

Incidentally, I did select a counter top for my kitchen.  That somehow doesn't seem nearly as exciting as seeing Princess Diana's dresses.

Wednesday, January 22, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday


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


Ruin Falls by Jenny Milchman
Due out April 22, 2014

In a suspenseful follow-up to her critically acclaimed Cover of Snow, Jenny Milchman ratchets up the tension with this edge-of-your-seat story of a mother determined to find her missing children.
 
Liz Daniels has every reason to be happy about setting off on a rare family vacation, leaving their remote home in the Adirondack Mountains behind for a while. Instead, she feels uneasy. Her children, eight-year-old Reid and six-year-old Ally, have only met their paternal grandparents a handful of times. But Liz’s husband, Paul, has decided that, despite a strained relationship with his mother and father, they should visit the farm in western New York where he spent his childhood.
 
On their way to the farm, the family stops at a hotel for the night. In the morning, when Liz checks on her sleeping children, all of her anxiety from the day before comes roaring back to life: Ally and Reid are nowhere to be found. Blind panic slides into ice-cold terror as the hours tick by without anyone finding a trace of her kids. Soon, Paul and Liz are being interviewed by police, an Amber Alert is issued, and detectives are called in.
 
Frantic worry and helplessness threaten to overtake Liz’s mind—but in a sudden, gut-wrenching instant she realizes that it was no stranger who slipped into the hotel room that night. Someone she trusted completely has betrayed her. Liz knows that Ally and Reid are safe, but she will stop at nothing to find them and get them back. From her guarded in-laws’ unwelcoming farmhouse to the deep woods of her own hometown, Liz follows the threads of a terrible secret to uncover a hidden world created from dreams and haunted by nightmares.



Tuesday, January 21, 2014

It's a Mystery to Me

I have several mystery series that I enjoy, but I see myself as more of a women's fiction reader, a memoir lover, not really someone who gravitates toward grisly who-done-its.  However, this January I have been sucked in to some great mysteries.

Jussi Adler-Olsen is back with The Purity of Vengeance: A Department Q Novel. Carl Morck is once again busy trying to solve another of Denmark's cold case.  Rita, a brothel owner, went missing in the 1980s, and as Carl tries to track her down, his assistants Assad and Rose discover several other people that went missing during that same weekend.  None of them have been found.  
Nete Hermansen spent a childhood short on love, and full of hardships.  After the death of her mother she and her father existed together for a time, but eventually Nete's misbehavior leads her to foster care and more unfortunate circumstances.  As a teenager she is forced into having an abortion by Carl Wad, a successful surgeon who secretly controls the fate of many Danish women by surgically "fixing" them so they are unable to conceive.  Nete vows revenge on Wad for what he has done to her.

Adler-Olsen's series is hard to put down and in this installment there was a twist at the end I didn't expect. This is a great series, and those who loved the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo will want to get their hands on it.

Julia Spencer Fleming's one flaw is that she cannot churn out her mysteries more quickly. I had been waiting for this one for some time, and after I finished am already anticipating her next installment.

Clare and Russ plan to get away for a honeymoon to a cabin they are considering purchasing as a vacation home.  The remote location seems like a wonderful and relaxing place, but they soon find themselves all alone in the middle of a terrible ice storm.  From there things get worse.  Just a few houses down from their retreat two drug dealers are holed up with a missing child desperately in need of her anti-rejection meds she takes because she has had a kidney transplant. 

Back in Millers Kill, the police department is investigating the whereabouts of this missing child, finding themselves getting deeper and deeper into exploring the backgrounds of various suspects.  

I loved the suspense, but I was thoroughly excited to see Hadley Knox and Kevin Flynn, two of the officers with a lot of chemistry and a short-lived relationship, thrown together for work. And of course, just when things appear to be looking up for the two of them, Spencer Fleming throws in a curve ball.


Sue Grafton's W is for Wasted was another wonderful reacquainting with some familiar characters. Kinsey Milhone is curious as to why her name and phone number are found in the pants pocket of homeless man that turns up dead.  Soon she discovers not only was the man going to contact her, but he is also related to her - a cousin on her father's side. And, he has left her quite a bit of money.  All Kinsey needs to do is inform his children that their father left them out of his will.  
And somehow, this man's death is related to the death of Milhone's former colleague. A man murdered and with many enemies.

These three mysteries are just a few of the suspenseful reads I've been keeping myself awake reading.  Although my reading in January has been slower than some other months, I'm enjoying everything I am spending time on, and have read 3 titles on my Kindle.

Sunday, January 19, 2014

Sunday Salon: Construction Update and Responsibility



So, instead of discussing the weather, which seems to change at a moment's notice here in Iowa, we'll talk about my kitchen again.  In case you are getting tired of hearing my construction update, I am warning you that my kitchen has yet to be demolished.  Which means you will be hearing about this project for a few weeks more.

We are making progress:
 The view from the windows in our addition


 What was once the entrance to the screened in porch

The view into the kitchen

Tomorrow I am going to pick out our counter top and the electrician is coming in the morning to discuss lighting with us.  We have been cramming things in boxes and trying to get things out of the kitchen slowly. Considering how small our kitchen is, I am amazed by the number of boxes we have to store away.  Split level homes are not known for having any storage space, so this is a little tricky.

On to Responsibility. Yesterday I made a trip to Sears since we had some rewards money to spend after purchasing new appliances.  I didn't want to miss out on this "free" money, which needed to be spent by the end of this month, but wasn't set on any one thing to purchase.  What I wanted was a television for our bedroom, even though I don't think having a TV in the bedroom is a great thing.  What I purchased is a Dyson Vacuum cleaner - quite responsible of me, I think.  
I can't pick it up until later this week since it was out of stock, but I am looking forward to having carpets that look cleaner after I am done vacuuming, rather than continuing to look grungy.



I'm still slowly working my way through the second season of Parenthood and enjoying it very much. Today I should be able to finish up North of Boston by Elizabeth Elo, and maybe even write a few reviews if I am lucky.  There are lots of books on my TBR piles, so the problem won't be that I don't have anything to read, just that I don't  know what to choose to read next.


I've got chili simmering on the stove, a book calling to me, and a volleyball scrimmage to attend later.  I don't have school tomorrow, so I'll leave the lesson planning until tomorrow night.  Enjoy the rest of your weekend, friends!

Friday, January 17, 2014

Friday Favorites

Every week I seem to come across lots of articles, videos, and things that get my attention.  My hope is that I can be organized enough this year that I can organize these items and share a few each week.  We'll see how that goes!
This week's Friday Favorites:


There's a great article over on The Scoop on Balance talking about what parents should do when someone is mean to their child.  Good advice for parents and kids.


Pottery Barn has some great sales right now....I'm looking at buying some of this winter's decorations and tree ornaments to have for the holidays at the end of 2014 - it's never too early, right?  I love these hanging crystal stars, which I think could be up year round. Click on the image to get more product information.


As my kitchen remodeling project begins, I noticed these cute baskets at Target last weeekend. I have yet to purchase any, but two of my daughters also liked them and mentioned them to me.  Click the image below to see the product information.


TED Talks - I have seen some TED talks at teacher in-services, but A Year of Reading posted this TED talk by Susan Cain, author of Quiet The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - a book I enjoyed immensely.  As Cain begins her talk, reminiscing her summer camp day where there was nothing more she wanted to do than sit in a group of girls and read books together (something that sounds absolutely delightful to me), I could see myself. I am still someone that would rather curl up with a good book and spend some quiet time than go to a party with a whole bunch of people.


This picture should get your attention!  These rundies by Oiselle are a little bit of fun!  Lead From Behind, Get Your Rear in Gear, and Run Your Butt Off are the latest messages in the newest 3-pack available at Title Nine. Click on the image below for more product information.


What about you? What' caught your attention this week?

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Book Love

Long ago I learned about Thomas Jefferson's love of books.  His donation to the Library of Congress after it lost its books in a fire amazed me. Here was a man who had enough books in his own personal collection to provide the largest library in our country with enough books to rebuild its collection.


Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library by Barb Rosenstock, illlustrated by John O'Brien is a perfect picture book depicting Jefferson's love of reading.  Rosenstock traces Jefferson's love of books back to his childhood, when he had read all of his father's books before he began school (his father's collection was an impressive 49 books!).  That love of words and reading continued throughout his life.  It seems that Jefferson was never without a book.  

Chronologically presented, there are also little snippets- facts about Jefferson and libraries that are included on each page.  O'Brien's illustrations are a perfect fit for the 1700's era setting, as girls are adorned in bonnets and men in their breeches.

I'm adding this to my collection as well as my school library's.  Thomas Jefferson Builds a Library was a fun, fact filled read for young bibliophiles, and for those who might need a bit of encouragement to find a reason to love books and reading.

Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday

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


This week's pick: Prairie Girl by Bich Minn Nguyen
Due out: February 4, 2014

Product Description taken from Amazon:
From an award-winning author, a novel about a Vietnamese American family’s ties to The Little House on the Prairie

Jobless with a PhD, Lee Lien returns home to her Chicago suburb from grad school, only to find herself contending with issues she’s evaded since college. But when her brother disappears, he leaves behind an
object from their mother’s Vietnam past that stirs up a forgotten childhood dream: a gold-leaf brooch, abandoned by an American reporter in Saigon back in 1965, that might be an heirloom belonging to Laura Ingalls Wilder. As Lee explores the tenuous facts of this connection, she unearths more than expected—a trail of clues and enticements that lead her from the dusty stacks of library archives to hilarious prairie life reenactments and ultimately to San Francisco, where her findings will transform strangers’ lives as well as her own.

A dazzling literary mystery about the true origins of a time-tested classic, Pioneer Girl is also the deeply moving tale of a second-generation Vietnamese daughter, the parents she struggles to honor, the missing brother she is expected to bring home—even as her discoveries yield dramatic insights that will free her to live her own life to its full potential.

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Buying In



Laura Hemphill's novel Buying In gave me a dose of nostalgia - reminding me of one of my favorite chick lit stories, The Devil Wears Prada.  While The Devil Wears Prada centers around the fashion industry, Buying In focuses on Wall Street.  

Sophie Landgraf is new to New York City, but although she would love to experience life in the Big Apple, she spends most of her time at work.  Her relationship with her boyfriend, Will is suffering.  And Sophie has only made one friend at work - the only other female in her department.  

Sophie has escaped her small town upbringing, making more money than her father could imagine.  Her best friend, Kim, is still back home, a single mother to a young son, Bryce.  Although Sophie loves her father and friend, she views their lifestyle as somewhat inferior to her big city ways.  

Life on "the Street" is ruthless, which Sophie learns the hard way.  Yet, despite all its challenges, it is a life that Sophie loves.  

This was a fun chick lit novel, reminiscent of The Devil Wears Prada.  The ending took me a bit by surprise, yet worked well.  And Sophie, despite her obsession with her career, is still a likeable character, even though I did wish from time to time that she make different decisions.

A fast, fun read.

Monday, January 13, 2014

Curling Up With a Board Game or Two

Every year I try to find a few new board games to add to our collection at home.  I wish we were better about finding time to play them all year long, but over Christmas break, we generally do dig them out and sit around with board games a time or two or three.

This year we added Name 5 to our stash.  While we were at my in-laws on Christmas Day, this was a perfect game to play after our meal.  We divided into teams as the game directed and tried to follow the rules of taking turns with the questions and letting each team answer their own "name 5." However, this was hard to do.  All of us wanted to chime in with an answer to whatever the topic might be.  Although this game is listed as for ages 12 and up, my ten and seven year old were able to contribute to the teams they were on.  I like this one, and could even see using this as a little icebreaker or opening activity at school.

Smart Mouth is a game I played long ago with a student at school. I was always intrigued by  this game, but had forgotten about it until I happened upon it again on Amazon.  This is a great game for word lovers who must think of a word that begins and ends with a certain letter. There are a couple other variations to this, but that version is all we have played at this point.  

Although not board games, I must have been in the mood to shop at one of my favorites, Mindware.  My girls have had their noses buried in these extreme dot to dot books.  I have been looking at these for a while and after they have been so engrossed with them, I think I'll add a few more to our collection.  I'm also thinking these would make great birthday gifts for friends if I had some on hand.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Sunday Salon


What did I do before Netflix?  I only signed up for a Netflix account last week, but I have become a total Parenthood addict.  As much as I love that show, I also feel like I am wasting my free time - and it is definitely cutting into my reading time.

Last week I had two "snow days" which really didn't have anything to do with snow.  The temperatures dipped to 55 below zero with wind chill, giving me a little free time (Netflix).  Sadly, we will be making these days up in June.  Tomorrow we have a professional development day, translating into no students, and hopefully time after our meetings where I can get lesson plans done.

Little Sister was sent home from school on Thursday and Friday with a stomach ache.  She is a hard girl to figure out- often her stomach hurts because she is nervous about something.  However, I do think she had some bug of some sort since she hardly ate a thing and ran to put her face over the toilet every time she did eat, thinking she was going to throw up.  Happily she seems recovered today.

Tonight I'll be cooking an old favorite- chicken enchilada casserole to serve for supper this week while we are busy getting kids to practices.  I whipped up some calico beans yesterday along with a loaf of beer bread.  

We actually are making progress on our addition.  The windows are in! I am hopeful that the construction will continue this coming week and there will be more to report next Sunday.


I'm looking for a for a few new blogs to add to my blogroll- teacher librarian blogs, running blogs, parenting blogs....any recommendations?

Saturday, January 11, 2014

Living With Jackie Chan

Even though it's his senior year in high school and should be one of the best times of his life, Josh has moved away from home and in with his uncle Larry where he will attend a new school and try to start over.  Last year he fathered a baby and can't get over his feelings of guilt.  Larry and  Josh were closer when Josh was younger, but Josh is desperate for a chance to start over and although they feel a bit like strangers, Josh accepts Larry's generosity and moves in.  

Larry is obsessed with Jackie Chan and karate and quickly gets Josh signed up for lessons. At first Josh thinks Larry is a little nerdy, but the two spend quality time together - something Josh wasn't getting with his parents - and it soon becomes evident that Larry is a great guy- the real thing.  And if anyone can help Josh, it will be Larry.

Josh manages to find a friend in Stella, a girl who lives upstairs in Larry's apartment complex.  Although Josh has feelings for her, there are two obstacles in the way- the fact that Stella's boyfriend controls her and wants to know her every movement, and the fact that Josh feels far too guilty about what happened last year for him to begin a relationship.


Jo Knowles is quickly becoming a must read author for me.  I loved See You at Harry's, and Living With Jackie Chan is another great novel. Knowles creates characters that are real - with flaws and struggles.  My only regret in reading Living With Jackie Chan is that I have yet to read Jumping Off Swings, which is referred to as a companion novel, and would have given me a bit more background knowledge about Josh.  

I'm highly recommending this to YA readers I know along with all of Jo Knowles work.

Thursday, January 9, 2014

What I Have to Say About Kindle Reading

In 2010 my Kindle was new to me- and I read only 5 books on it the entire year.  In 2011, I was up to an even dozen books. It appeared this e-reading thing was getting easier. But in 2012, I was back down to 8 books. In 2013, I read 13 books on my Kindle Fire.  I'm not sure if I should be encouraged by this, or consider this a failure. I still love holding and reading good old fashioned books, with actual pages.  However, I do appreciate how a new book is truly just a click away.  And, I love NetGalley (even though I don't seem to get those books read very quickly).  

A list of the pros and cons of e-reading versus actual books doesn't take into account how much I enjoy holding a book in my hand, or the fact that growing up as a reader of paper/print books is a habit that I might never break.

A few year ago, I would have made some resolution or entered a reading challenge.  I have given up on challenges. I'm just not good about being so regimented and planned out with my reading. I like perusing my bookshelves and reading whatever title catches my eye. And I like looking at my kindle books and reading whatever I want whenever I feel like it.

I will say that I have been doing a bit more kindle reading on my ipad while running.  I love to read while running on the treadmill, and turning a page on my ipad takes far less coordination than turning a page in a book.  If I can convince myself to read kindle books while running, I am hopeful that my Kindle book totals will be much higher in 2014.  

Already on January 9, I have finished two books this way - the new Julia Spencer Fleming mystery (review to come) and Made From Scratch and Homeward Bound by Emily Matchar.

So, when 2014 comes to a clsoe, we'll see just how many kindle books I have read by then, and whether my preference of holding a book in my hands remains intact.

Wednesday, January 8, 2014

Waiting on Wednesday

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


This week's pick: Frog Music by Emma Donoghue
Due out April 1, 2014

Product Information taken from Amazon:
Emma Donoghue's explosive new novel, based on an unsolved murder in 1876 San Francisco.

Summer of 1876: San Francisco is in the fierce grip of a record-breaking heatwave and a smallpox epidemic. Through the window of a railroad saloon, a young woman called Jenny Bonnet is shot dead.

The survivor, her friend Blanche Beunon, is a French burlesque dancer. Over the next three days, she will risk everything to bring Jenny's murderer to justice--if he doesn't track her down first. 

The story Blanche struggles to piece together is one of free-love bohemians, desperate paupers and arrogant millionaires; of jealous men, icy women and damaged children. It's the secret life of Jenny herself, a notorious character who breaks the law every morning by getting dressed: a charmer as slippery as the frogs she hunts.

In thrilling, cinematic style, FROG MUSIC digs up a long-forgotten, never-solved crime. Full of songs that migrated across the world, Emma Donoghue's lyrical tale of love and bloodshed among lowlifes captures the pulse of a boomtown like no other.

Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Louise's Dilemma


World War II is one of my favorite time periods to read about, and I love Sarah Shaber's series featuring Louise Pearlie, who works for the Office of Strategic Services.

In this installment, Louise is able to escape her office for a few days as she helps locate a couple who received a suspicious postcard from a German cousin.  Although it appears that the couple are just as confused by some references in the postcard as the government is, it soon comes to light that Mr. and Mrs. Martin know more than they are saying, and there is some illegal activity occurring.

Suddenly Louise finds herself in the middle of things, as she is unable to leave this mystery alone.

This is perhaps my favorite Louise Pearlie mystery. I appreciated that Shaber was able to get Louise out of her office for a few days and created a story entirely unlike the other mysteries Louise has been involved in. I'm going to keep recommending this series to my mystery loving friends because I just can't get enough of them.

Monday, January 6, 2014

Me and TV

I used to be a huge television watcher.  Dukes of Hazzard, The Facts of Life, Benson, Growing Pains, Days of Our Lives, Dallas, Happy Days, Laverne and Shirley, Gilligan's Island, The Brady Bunch, The Cosby Show, Santa Barbara, Friends, Cheers.....and then I went to college and didn't have time (or reception) to watch television anymore. 

I have had brief moments when I have found shows that I have enjoyed, lie Boston Public, my guilty pleasure after the birth of my first child. After Child #2, I managed to watch the entire first season of West Wing while I was up in the middle of the night feeding her. 

But in recent years, I have not found time to watch much television. There are lots of shows that would appeal to me - if I had more time.

Well, over this break, I did allow myself a little bit of tv/movie watching. I'll never catch up, but here are a few things I can check off my list:

Super Size Me - this movie fit in nicely with the book Chew on This: Everything You Don't Want to Know About Fast Food by Eric Schlosser that we read aloud just a few weeks ago.  Definitely interesting.  And a little disgusting, too. (I'm still thinking about my blog about the book).



The Short Game- a Netflix documentary that my friend, Kristin, told me about.  Follows child golfers who are competing to be #1 in the world in their age division.  I can think of lots of people who would like this- and someday I will probably be hearing these names again as they join PGA and LPGA.




From Earth to the Moon- a documentary that I have just started (it's like 72 hours long, so this might be all I get to watch in 2014!), narrated by Tom
Hanks, about the US space race.  I so wish I would have paid attention while this was being taught when I was in sixth grade instead of reading a book under my desk as we would round robin read.




Parks and Recreation - I'd never seen this sitcom before, and I did manage to get in an episode before the girls' bedtime one night.  I don't love it yet, but I would watch it again.



Still on my list to watch someday are Breaking Bad, Parenthood, The Good Wife, Friday Night Lights, and Grey's Anatomy.  What shows should I be adding to my growing TBW list?

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Sunday Salon: Arctic Edition



School has already been called off for tomorrow in anticipation of wind chills that may reach -25 to -55 - yes, that is below zero! I have been out and about all day, and can testify to how horribly cold it is from my own experience.

I did manage to make it to school where a group of us helped sort 66 boxes of books that arrived on Friday for our school library and classroom libraries.  It is a rare event that I get tired of opening boxes, but it took me two separate times of working on these books for me to get all the boxes opened.

These are just a few of the boxes that I managed to open on Friday. I wish I had taken a better picture to document this but there were boxes in so many different locations, not lined up neatly.  While all of this is very exciting, it is also a lot of work.

I also finally broke down and signed up for Netflix.  The girls all have some type of e-reader now that they can watch on, and I can watch on my iPad as well. I don't want us to become a family that is constantly watching television - or who lets their kids watch television as they drift off to sleep, but I do like the different options of programs available to watch.  And, even though I rarely watch TV, I have seen a few more episodes of Parenthood (I'm still on season 2) and have watched the first three episodes of From Earth to the Moon that I checked out from the library.   

On New Year's Eve I had our family watch Apollo 13, which didn't go over very well.  Big Sister is still complaining about how sad this movie was, and apparently my husband has never liked this movie.  

Right now the Green Bay Packers are playing, so Wrestling Man and Middle Sister decided to watch with some friends while I had Big and Little Sister working at school with me.  They are now at my mom's playing with their cousins, which means I am all alone.  I didn't have to cook supper, so I made myself a salad with some blue corn chips, and am nearly ready to curl up with a book.
Since I will have plenty of time tomorrow I should be able to finish off some books and maybe even get in a run on the treadmill. This is the perfect weather to stay inside and get in some reading.