I love this book! It was book four of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles. My sisters would like these books. I laugh a lot out loud while reading them.
This one was actually clever and cute. The Son of the King of the Enchanted Forest is the main character, the other three books it was mainly his mom's adventures.
One day his mom just hands him a sword and sends him into the Enchanted Forest. He doesn't know why or where he is going. Everyone he meets knows who he is and why he is there but they won't tell him. He meets a fire-witch and she needs to learn some manners. They become friends and have a fun adventure figuring out the who's and whys and what's in the story.
I read this out loud to the kids and my oldest girl of 7 years really liked the story and actually snuggled right up on the bed and listened for hours. She even laughed at the funny parts so I know she was really listening. It has been raining so it was perfect timing for a good book. My oldest 9 yr. old son of course took the book the first day and read to the end before we did. He couldn't wait that long to find out what happened.
Whole Book.
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Sunday, February 25, 2007
The Dragons of Blueland by Ruth Stiles Gannett
This is the Third book in the series of My Father's Dragon. It was good but her first book was the best. They are all pretty short so I do like a story to continue and she does this nicely with the 2nd and 3rd book. I think everyone should read these books to their kids. They are so creative and funny and easy for kids 6-10 to understand.
Elmer is the main character. His friend is a gold-winged dragon named Boris. They have great adventures. In this book Boris and Elmer save his family from danger. Very clever and I love happy endings.
Whole Book
Elmer is the main character. His friend is a gold-winged dragon named Boris. They have great adventures. In this book Boris and Elmer save his family from danger. Very clever and I love happy endings.
Whole Book
Thursday, February 22, 2007
Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones
This was a most curious book. I couldn't put it down but when I got to the end there were so many loose ends still... I wish I hadn't read it. I usually don't read books about witches and stuff but a friend said this was a good book. It was creative and fun but it never really cleared up a few mysterious details.
A girl and a boy are orphaned. They live on a different world then the world we know. Witches and warlocks are quite common. The girl is Gwendolen and she is Cat's sister. She is a very powerful witch. He doesn't seem to be able to do any magic.
One day they get adopted by a distant relative and move to a mansion. blah blah blah...Gwendolen has a little temper tantrum and tries to get noticed. Then she does some bad things with magic. Cat is terrified that his sister will take things to far. Chrestomanci is another magic guy...but we never get to find out all the important things about this guy. That is where it really just leaves you hanging. Maybe the book was supposed to be this way because it is written from the perspective of the boy and he seems to be clueless about alot of things...and this leads to his death but only uses one of his 9 lives....
hmmm, weird story and I don't recommend it.
Broken Book
A girl and a boy are orphaned. They live on a different world then the world we know. Witches and warlocks are quite common. The girl is Gwendolen and she is Cat's sister. She is a very powerful witch. He doesn't seem to be able to do any magic.
One day they get adopted by a distant relative and move to a mansion. blah blah blah...Gwendolen has a little temper tantrum and tries to get noticed. Then she does some bad things with magic. Cat is terrified that his sister will take things to far. Chrestomanci is another magic guy...but we never get to find out all the important things about this guy. That is where it really just leaves you hanging. Maybe the book was supposed to be this way because it is written from the perspective of the boy and he seems to be clueless about alot of things...and this leads to his death but only uses one of his 9 lives....
hmmm, weird story and I don't recommend it.
Broken Book
Monday, February 19, 2007
Harriet Beecher Stowe and the Beecher Preachers by Jean Fritz
After reading Uncle Tom's Cabin written by Harriet Beecher Stowe last week, I still can't get the story out of my head. Saturday my sister-in-law pulled out this book sitting on her shelf. It is a biography of Harriet. I asked to borrow it and I read it in one day. It is only about 130 page scholastic children's book but very interesting.
Harriet had quite an amazing life. She also had a very interesting family. Most of her siblings took part in significant events and changes in this countries history. I think her impact was greatest of all but wouldn't have happened without her family.
Her father was a preacher. Most of her brothers were preachers. She was a girl or she would have been a preacher too. Instead she preached through her writing. They were changing lives one at a time serving in the clergy and she was changing the nation by writing one book at a time.
I think reading her biography really brought this great women in American History to life. She was an instant celebrity, not only here but in Europe after writing Uncle Tom's Cabin. That part really isn't as impressive to me as her determination to make a difference despite so many things in her life that she could have used an excuse to just mind her own business and stay at home raising her children. Instead she believes she can make a difference and doesn't let herself be discouraged.
She eventually becomes an abolitionist. She writes letters to Senators. She writes articles for papers. She gets to meet Lincoln. She supports him, despite all the criticism he was receiving around the time the the civil war finally starts. She helps free slaves. Her relatives fight in the war. She tours Europe getting support for the Northern States against slaves and to support the war. She made a difference.
I really enjoyed reading about her and what led her to writing Uncle Tom's Cabin. It was really cool to see what happened after the book was published. She also wrote another book called Dred. I think I will find that and read it. She didn't care what the critics said, there were a lot of them, she spoke out anyway.
Later in her life after the war and the slaves were free she started speaking publicly not just writing her thoughts but speaking in large lecture halls. She also supported women's rights. She was a Christian and also a good wife and mother. She was a teacher since she was 14 years old and she taught throughout her life by her great example.
Whole book.
Harriet had quite an amazing life. She also had a very interesting family. Most of her siblings took part in significant events and changes in this countries history. I think her impact was greatest of all but wouldn't have happened without her family.
Her father was a preacher. Most of her brothers were preachers. She was a girl or she would have been a preacher too. Instead she preached through her writing. They were changing lives one at a time serving in the clergy and she was changing the nation by writing one book at a time.
I think reading her biography really brought this great women in American History to life. She was an instant celebrity, not only here but in Europe after writing Uncle Tom's Cabin. That part really isn't as impressive to me as her determination to make a difference despite so many things in her life that she could have used an excuse to just mind her own business and stay at home raising her children. Instead she believes she can make a difference and doesn't let herself be discouraged.
She eventually becomes an abolitionist. She writes letters to Senators. She writes articles for papers. She gets to meet Lincoln. She supports him, despite all the criticism he was receiving around the time the the civil war finally starts. She helps free slaves. Her relatives fight in the war. She tours Europe getting support for the Northern States against slaves and to support the war. She made a difference.
I really enjoyed reading about her and what led her to writing Uncle Tom's Cabin. It was really cool to see what happened after the book was published. She also wrote another book called Dred. I think I will find that and read it. She didn't care what the critics said, there were a lot of them, she spoke out anyway.
Later in her life after the war and the slaves were free she started speaking publicly not just writing her thoughts but speaking in large lecture halls. She also supported women's rights. She was a Christian and also a good wife and mother. She was a teacher since she was 14 years old and she taught throughout her life by her great example.
Whole book.
Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff
Hmm, this book was just one that I judged it by the cover. Looked interesting so I got it from the library. It was okay. It won a Newberry honor award. It is written for maybe a 8-10 yr. old.
It takes place in 1944 right in the middle of World War II. A little girl and her grandmother live in Rockaway during the summer near the Atlantic Ocean. They see the convoys of ships going out to sea and to fight in the war. They have to eat Spam and canned fish. The vegetables are from a victory gardens. The little girls dad is an engineer and has to go to war to help rebuild France. The little girl likes to spy and look for Nazi's in her neighborhood.
She finally finds a friend. He is a young boy that escaped from Europe but his sister is still there. He is staying with some friends in Canada that always come to Rockaway for the summer. His grandmother, mother and father are killed in the war for trying to print propaganda against the war in Budapest. He wants to go back and get his sister but he can't swim. He talks Lily, the little girl, into teaching him so he can swim out to a ship going to Europe. She knows this is impossible but she wants to go too and plays along with the idea until one evening there is a storm and they both almost get drowned.
They find a cat and they share secrets about their dreams and fears. They become best friends. I think they must be about 10 years old. It is a cute story. It was interesting to think about what life was like for those left at home during the war. The only thing they have to go by is the radio and letters from loved ones. So many boys didn't come back, so many people died.
The story has a happy ending when the dad comes home and the little boys sister is found and brought to America also. Lily starts to write stories and play the piano and she really learns that summer how much her grandmother loves her.
Whole Book
It takes place in 1944 right in the middle of World War II. A little girl and her grandmother live in Rockaway during the summer near the Atlantic Ocean. They see the convoys of ships going out to sea and to fight in the war. They have to eat Spam and canned fish. The vegetables are from a victory gardens. The little girls dad is an engineer and has to go to war to help rebuild France. The little girl likes to spy and look for Nazi's in her neighborhood.
She finally finds a friend. He is a young boy that escaped from Europe but his sister is still there. He is staying with some friends in Canada that always come to Rockaway for the summer. His grandmother, mother and father are killed in the war for trying to print propaganda against the war in Budapest. He wants to go back and get his sister but he can't swim. He talks Lily, the little girl, into teaching him so he can swim out to a ship going to Europe. She knows this is impossible but she wants to go too and plays along with the idea until one evening there is a storm and they both almost get drowned.
They find a cat and they share secrets about their dreams and fears. They become best friends. I think they must be about 10 years old. It is a cute story. It was interesting to think about what life was like for those left at home during the war. The only thing they have to go by is the radio and letters from loved ones. So many boys didn't come back, so many people died.
The story has a happy ending when the dad comes home and the little boys sister is found and brought to America also. Lily starts to write stories and play the piano and she really learns that summer how much her grandmother loves her.
Whole Book
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
February is Black History Month. I have owned this book for over 15 years and have just now finally read it. (My copy was lost in a fire last year so the copy I read was actually a replacement.) The story was very familiar, probably because it was one of the first to fuel the Abolitionist movement. It was also very popular and actually was the best selling novel in the 19th century. The best selling book in that century was the Bible. This book was written in the 1850's. Many plays and movies and additional books were based off of this original depiction of life in the southern states where slavery was abundant.
This book takes a look at slavery in America. It jumps right into the harsh realities of being a slave, a slave owner and a slave trader. It also made you ponder how a christian could declare to be a good christian yet still own a slave. The best part of this book is how the author again and again shows faith in Christ and christian love helping to overcome even something as evil as enslavement of fellow human beings.
The book was written by a white woman, a mother and a christian. Her descriptions of mother's having their children taken from them or trying to protect them are very real. I'm sure it would give me nightmares if I thought about it too much. I think this is actually what she is trying to do because these things really happened and were really bad yet they were legal and no one cared.
You might think that one person can't make a difference but just the opposite. One person can make a difference. One person wrote this book and it touched the hearts of people all over the world. Even Abraham Lincoln read it and commented on it at the beginning of the American Civil War. The main character in the book, Tom, was one person but he made a difference in fellow slaves day to day lives of sorrow and oppression. He also, through his christian example, helped his "mast'r's" to start to have a different outlook on their own lives. The one person that made the biggest difference and was referred to many many times in this book was Jesus Christ. His life, his death, his Resurrection made the ultimate difference and showed us all the way. There were so many sad stories about people in this book and it was very depressing. The hope of Christ helped me see and many of the characters, a different light on the senseless, shameful events surrounding slavery.
I am glad I read all 500 plus pages of this book. I hope that when I am faced with something hard, (I can't imagine what I would be faced with that was harder then the time depicted in this story when slavery was as common as eating bread), I hope that I can remember to turn to Christ. I hope to keep my integrity and my promises. I hope to be honest and be able to hold my head high and stand up for the truth. I hope to make a difference.
This was a WHOLE and HEALING book.
This book takes a look at slavery in America. It jumps right into the harsh realities of being a slave, a slave owner and a slave trader. It also made you ponder how a christian could declare to be a good christian yet still own a slave. The best part of this book is how the author again and again shows faith in Christ and christian love helping to overcome even something as evil as enslavement of fellow human beings.
The book was written by a white woman, a mother and a christian. Her descriptions of mother's having their children taken from them or trying to protect them are very real. I'm sure it would give me nightmares if I thought about it too much. I think this is actually what she is trying to do because these things really happened and were really bad yet they were legal and no one cared.
You might think that one person can't make a difference but just the opposite. One person can make a difference. One person wrote this book and it touched the hearts of people all over the world. Even Abraham Lincoln read it and commented on it at the beginning of the American Civil War. The main character in the book, Tom, was one person but he made a difference in fellow slaves day to day lives of sorrow and oppression. He also, through his christian example, helped his "mast'r's" to start to have a different outlook on their own lives. The one person that made the biggest difference and was referred to many many times in this book was Jesus Christ. His life, his death, his Resurrection made the ultimate difference and showed us all the way. There were so many sad stories about people in this book and it was very depressing. The hope of Christ helped me see and many of the characters, a different light on the senseless, shameful events surrounding slavery.
I am glad I read all 500 plus pages of this book. I hope that when I am faced with something hard, (I can't imagine what I would be faced with that was harder then the time depicted in this story when slavery was as common as eating bread), I hope that I can remember to turn to Christ. I hope to keep my integrity and my promises. I hope to be honest and be able to hold my head high and stand up for the truth. I hope to make a difference.
This was a WHOLE and HEALING book.
Monday, February 05, 2007
A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Can you believe it? I have never read this book before. My son brought it to me and said it was good, so despite the 4 other books I am reading I got this one in!
It is a WHOLE book. Very mysteriously written. You never know what is happening next, it is always a surprise. Some kids go to outer space but it isn't really about that or martians or anything. It is about time travel and defeating evil with love. There is a funny word they use, "tesseract". That is where they get the title of the book. It is a wrinkle in time or a jump using a shortcut.
There is a lot of imagination in this book and descriptions of beauty and concepts that are hard to grasp, yet we almost do because it is written with such power and patience.
In one part, the girl is on a different world and everything is gray. The beings that live there can't see with their eyes so they don't understand color or have a need for it. They know the sun is there because it is warm and gives life. They can tell it is night or day by the temperature. The little girl is trying to communicate but she uses words that describes things she can see and they just don't understand because they only feel. It is neat when the little girl realized that maybe that would be really cool to be so in touch that you don't need to see something to understand it. This goes along with the Faith concept, believing without seeing and it is still true.
I give this classic two thumbs up. I can't wait to read the sequel.
It is a WHOLE book. Very mysteriously written. You never know what is happening next, it is always a surprise. Some kids go to outer space but it isn't really about that or martians or anything. It is about time travel and defeating evil with love. There is a funny word they use, "tesseract". That is where they get the title of the book. It is a wrinkle in time or a jump using a shortcut.
There is a lot of imagination in this book and descriptions of beauty and concepts that are hard to grasp, yet we almost do because it is written with such power and patience.
In one part, the girl is on a different world and everything is gray. The beings that live there can't see with their eyes so they don't understand color or have a need for it. They know the sun is there because it is warm and gives life. They can tell it is night or day by the temperature. The little girl is trying to communicate but she uses words that describes things she can see and they just don't understand because they only feel. It is neat when the little girl realized that maybe that would be really cool to be so in touch that you don't need to see something to understand it. This goes along with the Faith concept, believing without seeing and it is still true.
I give this classic two thumbs up. I can't wait to read the sequel.
Thursday, February 01, 2007
what to post...hmmm
I keep thinking of things I want to blog about but then forget when I sit down to write.
Our chickens started laying today! We don't know which of the three hens the eggs belong to. They are happy to run around outside and scratch in all the empty flower beds. I have to sweep daily because they scratch all the dirt out of the beds onto the walkway. AND those little presents are all over our porch waiting to be stepped in. They also found the cat food dish and make sure it is cleaned up every last teeny bit. No leftovers for you kitty!
We finally replaced our stolen car with a blue mini van! It came with a purple marble! YIPPEE! Now I can go...where ever I please!
Went to the pediatricians earlier this week. Our new baby is 2 months old and 12.9lbs. She still has a yeast problem, thrush. She has stopped spitting up so much and she hardly ever cries unless she gets scared at my husbands loud sneezes or if someone bumps her wrong. Living in our barrel of monkeys sometimes that happens on accident. Usually she is all smiles, even when she wakes up from naps she has the biggest cheesiest grins!
We hit the dentist this week too. Cavity city for the sugar freak girl. The other two were just getting sealants on their new molars. Sugar girl was sad the rest of the day with a big fat lip and a very funny lisp because the left side of her face was sleeping. She took two naps too.
What a week and we still have a few days left. My brother's just got home from their missions and all my siblings are having a party in Utah, (sob) without me!
That's all for now.
Our chickens started laying today! We don't know which of the three hens the eggs belong to. They are happy to run around outside and scratch in all the empty flower beds. I have to sweep daily because they scratch all the dirt out of the beds onto the walkway. AND those little presents are all over our porch waiting to be stepped in. They also found the cat food dish and make sure it is cleaned up every last teeny bit. No leftovers for you kitty!
We finally replaced our stolen car with a blue mini van! It came with a purple marble! YIPPEE! Now I can go...where ever I please!
Went to the pediatricians earlier this week. Our new baby is 2 months old and 12.9lbs. She still has a yeast problem, thrush. She has stopped spitting up so much and she hardly ever cries unless she gets scared at my husbands loud sneezes or if someone bumps her wrong. Living in our barrel of monkeys sometimes that happens on accident. Usually she is all smiles, even when she wakes up from naps she has the biggest cheesiest grins!
We hit the dentist this week too. Cavity city for the sugar freak girl. The other two were just getting sealants on their new molars. Sugar girl was sad the rest of the day with a big fat lip and a very funny lisp because the left side of her face was sleeping. She took two naps too.
What a week and we still have a few days left. My brother's just got home from their missions and all my siblings are having a party in Utah, (sob) without me!
That's all for now.
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Which hero are you?
Your results:
You are Green Lantern
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test
You are Green Lantern
| Hot-headed. You have strong will power and a good imagination.  |
Click here to take the Superhero Personality Test
Sunday, January 21, 2007
INKHEART by Cornellia Funke
This book was recommended by a few people. It is a Juvenile Fiction/fantasy type book. I was excited to read it but was very disappointed after just a few chapters. For one, usually a long book is just really good because so much is in it and the plot can be developed in a clever way and you love to keep reading. BUT this book though it was 534 pages long never really got better.
For some reason I had to get to the end and I kept reading. So I guess it was okay just not great. A little girl and her dad go on an adventure but then they are kidnapped...there were so many bad guys in this book it was kind of scary. Someone has the ability to read out loud and the characters come to life out of the book. There was mystery and suspense and a lot of characters introduced but nothing really happened.
I read the book because I heard they were going to make a movie based on the book. I don't know if I want to see it now. AND there are more books after this one so I guess I will read those to just to see what happens next or if they get any better.
Broken and Healing book.
For some reason I had to get to the end and I kept reading. So I guess it was okay just not great. A little girl and her dad go on an adventure but then they are kidnapped...there were so many bad guys in this book it was kind of scary. Someone has the ability to read out loud and the characters come to life out of the book. There was mystery and suspense and a lot of characters introduced but nothing really happened.
I read the book because I heard they were going to make a movie based on the book. I don't know if I want to see it now. AND there are more books after this one so I guess I will read those to just to see what happens next or if they get any better.
Broken and Healing book.
Wednesday, January 17, 2007
The Anybodies by N.E. Bode
Did you ever suspect you were swapped in the hospital with the kid next to you by a flustered nurse having a bad day? Well, this is a story about Fern. She was swapped.
When she was unswapped her life turned into an adventure you can could never imagine, unless you read this book. She also felt so much better and things started making sense to her finally.
I really liked this book. It was quite cute and unpredictable. If you love books then this is the book to read because it is about people that love books!
I like the way the author refers to children's classics to tell this story and you can picture the story you read a long time ago as a child and just get it. Kind of clever.
I laughed a lot too while reading this book. If my grandmother (Nana) were still alive I imagine she was a lot like Fern's grandmother. My Nana loved to read books and had so many you could barely walk in her house. They were all piled up and I always wanted to stay with her a year so I could read them. She also had a peach tree in her backyard..or maybe it was an apricot tree.
This is a Whole book and a quick read. Well, it took me a few days because of all the interruptions but my son finished it in one night. This is the best book I have read all year!
When she was unswapped her life turned into an adventure you can could never imagine, unless you read this book. She also felt so much better and things started making sense to her finally.
I really liked this book. It was quite cute and unpredictable. If you love books then this is the book to read because it is about people that love books!
I like the way the author refers to children's classics to tell this story and you can picture the story you read a long time ago as a child and just get it. Kind of clever.
I laughed a lot too while reading this book. If my grandmother (Nana) were still alive I imagine she was a lot like Fern's grandmother. My Nana loved to read books and had so many you could barely walk in her house. They were all piled up and I always wanted to stay with her a year so I could read them. She also had a peach tree in her backyard..or maybe it was an apricot tree.
This is a Whole book and a quick read. Well, it took me a few days because of all the interruptions but my son finished it in one night. This is the best book I have read all year!
Monday, January 08, 2007
Personally Classifying Books 2007
Four Distinctions Per Thomas Jefferson Education Model
(p. 73 in A Thomas Jefferson Education, by Oliver DeMille)
(p. 73 in A Thomas Jefferson Education, by Oliver DeMille)
1. BENT: Stories portray evil as good, and good as evil. Such stories are meant to enhance the evil tendencies of the reader. (Best to avoid)
2. BROKEN: Stories portray evil as evil and good as good, but evil wins. Something is broken, not right, in need of fixing. Such books are not uplifting, but can be very inspiring. Broken stories can be very good for the reader if they motivate a person to heal them, to fix them. Example: The Communist Manifesto is a broken classic; so are the Lord of the Flies and 1984. In each of these, evil wins; but they can be very motivating if you want to help reverse their message in the real world.
3. WHOLE: Stories are where good is good and good wins. Most of the classics are in this category. This a good place to spend most of your time.
4. HEALING: Stories can be either WHOLE or BROKEN stories where the reader is profoundly moved, changed, significantly improved by his/her reading of the book.
Hey,
My blog is mainly to classify the books I read and write about if I liked them or not. I choose my books from my two book groups lists and also to preview books before my kids read them. Every once in a while I just get a book I think might be good or perhaps I heard was good. I have a long list of classics I hope to read in this lifetime also. Sometimes I like to read books that have movies based on them, then I compare them to see if the movie came close to the book or improved it.
This year my goal is to read 55 books. Last year was 50 and I barely made it. I also want to work on my 5 pillar certification for TJed. I hope to be a good example to the family of balancing learning, work and play. (or just combining them). I hope to inspire not require my children to read good books. I am working on my own education and hopefully the kids will follow along.
If I could I would just live in a library and read all day and night but reality bites when there are kids and responsibilities. I don't think that means never taking time to read for pleasure or educational purposes. Finding the balance in life is the best kept secret. So I read when I breastfeed, I read at night after the kids go to sleep. I read in the morning before the day starts or I read when there is some down time. Okay I admit I also read when I am avoiding or putting off something.
Sometimes books become really popular but aren't exactly all too good in content. Like for example the Harry Potter Series. I read all of these. At first I was totally against them. Then because everyone said they were so good and my kids would probably want to read them soon I picked one up and read it. It was very good and I was hooked. BUT I wasn't blind. The books were not appropriate in my eyes for children under 10 or a child that didn't understand the difference between fantasy and reality. Some of the stuff in the Potter books are BROKEN. Witchcraft isn't exactly Godly even if it is being used to help people. So the fantasy world can get confusing between what is good and what is evil. These books are on the wait list for my children.
Another example are the Lemony Snicket series. These are very clever books and I was hooked after the 3rd one. I bought them for the family because they were on sale at a book fair and in a set of 3. I gave them to my husband and I admit, as a gift that keeps on giving. (I wanted to read them). At first they were just awful. They were BROKEN/HEALING books. They had a lot of dark plots, like murder, lying, stealing, abuse, kidnapping, and just a lot of not listening to children that need help from any sane adult. They never ended very happy. How can this be a good book for a young child reading and absorbing the world of a book? The books are very funny and have wonderful vocabulary used and usually explained right in the story line. They also are mysterious and exciting . This was a good thing and probably what most people were taken with. For me it didn't balance out or negate that most of the book was too dark. These books are on the wait till later list for my children. I on the other hand am painfully hooked on the series and must get to the end to see if it is a happy ending.
Here goes another year of reading like crazy!
Thursday, January 04, 2007
The Grim Grotto #11 by Lemony Snicket
I really think the books are getting better and more clever every time he writes one for the series. This was a nice read with scary parts, not too many sad parts and some super funny parts. Finally the ending wasn't so depressing but it was still mysterious.
Some of the mysteries from the other books were revealed this time around so more things are making more sense.
If you like the ocean, caves or mushrooms you will like this book. If you don't like adorable tap-dancing ballerina fairy princess veterinarian's then join the crowd!
You might want to take along some horseradish while your read this book.
This was a Whole Book
Some of the mysteries from the other books were revealed this time around so more things are making more sense.
If you like the ocean, caves or mushrooms you will like this book. If you don't like adorable tap-dancing ballerina fairy princess veterinarian's then join the crowd!
You might want to take along some horseradish while your read this book.
This was a Whole Book
Wednesday, January 03, 2007
2006 Reading list
Becky's Book list - 50 completed in 2006:
(in Bold are my favorites)
Persuasion by Jane Austin
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Kogi's Mysterious Journey by Elizabeth Partridge
Early Morning Cemetery by Patricia Wiles
The TJed Conveyer Belt by Rachael DeMille (Essay)
Calling On Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
The One Minute Teacher by Constance Johnson
Collection of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories
The Innkeeper's Wife By Lynda M. Wilson
The Island by Gary Paulsen
Funeral Home Evening by Patricia Wiles
The Rifle by Gary Paulsen
Snicket #10
Snicket, #9
The Voyage of the Frog by Gary Paulsen
The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
The Boy That Owned the School by Gary Paulsen
Dogsong by Gary Paulsen
Boys Who Became Prophets by Lynda Cory Robinson
How To Be Lost by Amanda Eyre Ward
The Winter Room by Gary Poulsen
Walking the Bible by Bruce Feiler
Chocolate Fever by Robert Kinnel Smith
River Secrets by Shannon Hale
My Mom's a Mortician by Patricia Wiles
Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen
The River by Gary Paulsen
Series of Unfortunate Events-book 8
Series of Unfortunate Events-book 7
The White Mountains #1
The City of Gold and Lead #2
The Pool of Fire #3
When the Tripods Came #4.
The DeVinci Code by Dan Brown
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kinsolver
White Teeth by Zadie Smith.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
The Princess And the Pauper by Mark Twain
A Murder, A Mystery And A Marriage by Mark Twain
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Prairie Dog Town by Janette Oke
Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Man Of The Family by Ralph Moody
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Anne of the Island (book 2) by L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Avonlea(book 3) by L.M. Montgomery
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
Books I'm reading at the moment:
Pippi Longstockings
Standing for Something
TJed Home Compainion
L. Snicket #11
(in Bold are my favorites)
Persuasion by Jane Austin
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Kogi's Mysterious Journey by Elizabeth Partridge
Early Morning Cemetery by Patricia Wiles
The TJed Conveyer Belt by Rachael DeMille (Essay)
Calling On Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
The One Minute Teacher by Constance Johnson
Collection of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories
The Innkeeper's Wife By Lynda M. Wilson
The Island by Gary Paulsen
Funeral Home Evening by Patricia Wiles
The Rifle by Gary Paulsen
Snicket #10
Snicket, #9
The Voyage of the Frog by Gary Paulsen
The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
The Boy That Owned the School by Gary Paulsen
Dogsong by Gary Paulsen
Boys Who Became Prophets by Lynda Cory Robinson
How To Be Lost by Amanda Eyre Ward
The Winter Room by Gary Poulsen
Walking the Bible by Bruce Feiler
Chocolate Fever by Robert Kinnel Smith
River Secrets by Shannon Hale
My Mom's a Mortician by Patricia Wiles
Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen
The River by Gary Paulsen
Series of Unfortunate Events-book 8
Series of Unfortunate Events-book 7
The White Mountains #1
The City of Gold and Lead #2
The Pool of Fire #3
When the Tripods Came #4.
The DeVinci Code by Dan Brown
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kinsolver
White Teeth by Zadie Smith.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
The Princess And the Pauper by Mark Twain
A Murder, A Mystery And A Marriage by Mark Twain
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Prairie Dog Town by Janette Oke
Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Man Of The Family by Ralph Moody
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Anne of the Island (book 2) by L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Avonlea(book 3) by L.M. Montgomery
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
Books I'm reading at the moment:
Pippi Longstockings
Standing for Something
TJed Home Compainion
L. Snicket #11
Tuesday, December 19, 2006
ONLY ONE BOOK LEFT TO GO!!!!
Well, if you read my blog...which not many do, you might be wondering why I still have one one book to go. I should be at 50 with the last two books, but if you read my blog, which not many do, you might have noticed that I have a book listed twice on my list of 2006 completed books. That makes one more to go!
I have been busy getting ready for Christmas, changing the baby, burping the baby, feeding the baby, playing with the baby, sleeping, and listening to a baby scream from reflux a couple hours each evening and almost all night. I have also been busy trying to keep the place clean so the ants will go away. I have also been trying to blog! (must keep my priorities straight) I don't know what to read next! I am trying to read Standing for Something but it doesn't have any adventure or romance in it. I was thinking of going to the library but dragging 4 kids with me this early in the game is suicide in the library!
For instance: Today I attempted to try again to get to Target and pick up my pre-ordered Christmas cards. I thought it would save some time by ordering online....I thought it would be easy and fast! I was supposed to pick them up yesterday, of course the only Target with the picture place is the one on Hesparian in Hayward. I live further then you think from this part of the world...there isn't even a straight shot to this Target from where I live. So of course I set out to do a few errands on the way. First we stop at the recycle place so the kids can get money for last minute presents. Then we head to the bank...the line is longer then heck. Then we go to the theatre to meet Mike, but I got the time wrong for the movie so cancel that idea and everyone is in tears...then we go to the dollar store so the kids can spend their money on presents, oh and the 4 year old needs to use the toilet so we go out of our way to get to one but she piddles her pants right before we get there. After that we head to the pizza place to make up for missing the movie. (it is my sons Birthday and the movie was the thing we were doing for that.) After the pizza we head home to cook it and have Family Home Evening and Birthday. Four year old piddles her pants again right before we get home. Of course I am sick of cake so I didn't make one but luckily I have some rice crispy treats left over from the wedding last weekend and surprise surprise the ants haven't found them yet in our kitchen. Almost suicide.
So today we try to run the errand again and see the movie...this time I got the right time. We meet up in Dublin and the movie is good (not as good as the book but good enough). Then we head to the bookstore, then back toward Hayward but of course now there is lots of holiday traffic. I am determined to pick up the darn cards so we plow forward. We only make it to Castro Valley and the baby is screaming. We pull over to feed and reassure her we still love her. Then we make it to Target, FINALLY!
They don't have the complete order. The nice lady looks everywhere and they decide somehow it got lost in ciber space...they have on record I made an order but the order didn't come through. Now the baby is crying. The pacifier works sometimes. We decide to do the whole thing over right there in the store with the picture employees help. Only it isn't working on the computer touch screen thing. The kids are getting out of hand...they all need to use the bathroom. They are bored. I am trying not to spank any of them and use my nice voice but they are really pushing my buttons. By now the baby is screaming and I am just trying to finish the order...everyone in the store is giving me those mean looks like I am the worst mother in the world....So two Target employees are helping me with my order and two employees are trying to get the baby to stop crying. AND the kids need to use the bathroom again! Long story short...I didn't kill anyone and the baby stopped crying and I got my cards and they gave me a discount for my troubles...almost half off. I grabbed them and ran....fed the baby...started driving home...got stuck in more traffic...baby starts screaming again...pull into a Taco Bell. I feed the baby again and run in and buy some tacos for the starving kids. We are almost home...the baby is screaming again...we pull into the carport and she falls asleep. WHEW!
I am so hungry!
I just don't think I can go to the Library this week. Tomorrow I will take a day off...NO ERRANDS! I guess I just try to put too much in all at once but there are only 6 days till Christmas and I can't find Parasols! The kids want to go see Santa but that is not a good idea because they will change their wish lists this late in the game and the ELF is done! Well, almost...
Blogging is so therapeutic, I feel much better now. I hope no one starts throwing up!
I have been busy getting ready for Christmas, changing the baby, burping the baby, feeding the baby, playing with the baby, sleeping, and listening to a baby scream from reflux a couple hours each evening and almost all night. I have also been busy trying to keep the place clean so the ants will go away. I have also been trying to blog! (must keep my priorities straight) I don't know what to read next! I am trying to read Standing for Something but it doesn't have any adventure or romance in it. I was thinking of going to the library but dragging 4 kids with me this early in the game is suicide in the library!
For instance: Today I attempted to try again to get to Target and pick up my pre-ordered Christmas cards. I thought it would save some time by ordering online....I thought it would be easy and fast! I was supposed to pick them up yesterday, of course the only Target with the picture place is the one on Hesparian in Hayward. I live further then you think from this part of the world...there isn't even a straight shot to this Target from where I live. So of course I set out to do a few errands on the way. First we stop at the recycle place so the kids can get money for last minute presents. Then we head to the bank...the line is longer then heck. Then we go to the theatre to meet Mike, but I got the time wrong for the movie so cancel that idea and everyone is in tears...then we go to the dollar store so the kids can spend their money on presents, oh and the 4 year old needs to use the toilet so we go out of our way to get to one but she piddles her pants right before we get there. After that we head to the pizza place to make up for missing the movie. (it is my sons Birthday and the movie was the thing we were doing for that.) After the pizza we head home to cook it and have Family Home Evening and Birthday. Four year old piddles her pants again right before we get home. Of course I am sick of cake so I didn't make one but luckily I have some rice crispy treats left over from the wedding last weekend and surprise surprise the ants haven't found them yet in our kitchen. Almost suicide.
So today we try to run the errand again and see the movie...this time I got the right time. We meet up in Dublin and the movie is good (not as good as the book but good enough). Then we head to the bookstore, then back toward Hayward but of course now there is lots of holiday traffic. I am determined to pick up the darn cards so we plow forward. We only make it to Castro Valley and the baby is screaming. We pull over to feed and reassure her we still love her. Then we make it to Target, FINALLY!
They don't have the complete order. The nice lady looks everywhere and they decide somehow it got lost in ciber space...they have on record I made an order but the order didn't come through. Now the baby is crying. The pacifier works sometimes. We decide to do the whole thing over right there in the store with the picture employees help. Only it isn't working on the computer touch screen thing. The kids are getting out of hand...they all need to use the bathroom. They are bored. I am trying not to spank any of them and use my nice voice but they are really pushing my buttons. By now the baby is screaming and I am just trying to finish the order...everyone in the store is giving me those mean looks like I am the worst mother in the world....So two Target employees are helping me with my order and two employees are trying to get the baby to stop crying. AND the kids need to use the bathroom again! Long story short...I didn't kill anyone and the baby stopped crying and I got my cards and they gave me a discount for my troubles...almost half off. I grabbed them and ran....fed the baby...started driving home...got stuck in more traffic...baby starts screaming again...pull into a Taco Bell. I feed the baby again and run in and buy some tacos for the starving kids. We are almost home...the baby is screaming again...we pull into the carport and she falls asleep. WHEW!
I am so hungry!
I just don't think I can go to the Library this week. Tomorrow I will take a day off...NO ERRANDS! I guess I just try to put too much in all at once but there are only 6 days till Christmas and I can't find Parasols! The kids want to go see Santa but that is not a good idea because they will change their wish lists this late in the game and the ELF is done! Well, almost...
Blogging is so therapeutic, I feel much better now. I hope no one starts throwing up!
My Father's Dragon by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Here is a real delight! A children's book about nonsense with a little logic and humor.
A little boy goes to the jungle to rescue a baby dragon. Of course he has a cat to help him pack and plan for the trip. He out smarts most of the wild animals in the jungle. Good thing he had a bunch of gum with him, a toothbrush, magnifying glass, comb and a lot of lollipops!
This is an exciting adventure and even has cool illustrations to go with the story. I can't wait to read the other two books in the series! The dragon is so cute.
Whole Book!
A little boy goes to the jungle to rescue a baby dragon. Of course he has a cat to help him pack and plan for the trip. He out smarts most of the wild animals in the jungle. Good thing he had a bunch of gum with him, a toothbrush, magnifying glass, comb and a lot of lollipops!
This is an exciting adventure and even has cool illustrations to go with the story. I can't wait to read the other two books in the series! The dragon is so cute.
Whole Book!
Persuasion by Jane Austin
Whole Book. I loved this story! It was like Pride and Prejudice but takes its own twists and plot turns. Of course it was a happy ending and it was romantic but it wasn't sappy romance.
I always get all the characters mixed up when reading books so I made a list of the characters with a few facts next to their names as I went. There are just too many Jane's, Elizabeth's, Anne's, Marys, Captains, Charles and Frederich's too keep straight. Okay so I exaggerate, but still I got them all mixed up because first off, Jane Austin makes the longest paragraphs. She doesn't make it simple like, saying a quote and then saying it was said by so and so then starting the next sentence on the next line. IT is all lumped into one paragraph!
Second, I only got to read the book for 2 min. stretches because I was trying to read while I nursed the baby and she kept needing to burp or choke or spit up or something so my reading was all broken up and hard to keep track of what was actually happening. I ended up reading some parts over and over again.
This book was pretty short. Only 117 pages...not like other Austin books. It also took me a while to figure out what they meant by BATH. Everyone was going there, to take a bath? I was very confused at first. At least everyone was clean.
If you are a Jane Austin fan and haven't read this one...go find it and read it! Well worth an afternoon.
I always get all the characters mixed up when reading books so I made a list of the characters with a few facts next to their names as I went. There are just too many Jane's, Elizabeth's, Anne's, Marys, Captains, Charles and Frederich's too keep straight. Okay so I exaggerate, but still I got them all mixed up because first off, Jane Austin makes the longest paragraphs. She doesn't make it simple like, saying a quote and then saying it was said by so and so then starting the next sentence on the next line. IT is all lumped into one paragraph!
Second, I only got to read the book for 2 min. stretches because I was trying to read while I nursed the baby and she kept needing to burp or choke or spit up or something so my reading was all broken up and hard to keep track of what was actually happening. I ended up reading some parts over and over again.
This book was pretty short. Only 117 pages...not like other Austin books. It also took me a while to figure out what they meant by BATH. Everyone was going there, to take a bath? I was very confused at first. At least everyone was clean.
If you are a Jane Austin fan and haven't read this one...go find it and read it! Well worth an afternoon.
Monday, December 11, 2006
The Innkeeper's Wife by Lynda M. Wilson
This is a special Christmas book. I really like it because it is written from the perspective of a midwife at the birth of the baby Jesus. Of course it is fiction, we don't know if a midwife was there or not. It makes me feel good to think that someone was there to help Mary as she was in labor and to coach her in delivering her son. Maybe there were Angels there, maybe Joseph was inspired to know what to do...we don't know.
This story has the innkeeper's wife there to help them. It is a beautiful testimony of that night and the Shepard's coming afterwards to see the baby because of the angels appearing to them on the hill. I love it!
If you haven't read it, next time you are at desseret books or seagull book and tape grab a copy and take a few minutes to read this short story! I also like the illistrations too!
Whole Book
This story has the innkeeper's wife there to help them. It is a beautiful testimony of that night and the Shepard's coming afterwards to see the baby because of the angels appearing to them on the hill. I love it!
If you haven't read it, next time you are at desseret books or seagull book and tape grab a copy and take a few minutes to read this short story! I also like the illistrations too!
Whole Book
50 books in the year 2006!!!
Well, so much for 100 books...I will reach the 50 book goal. I'm reading Persuasion by Jane Austin and will have it done before the new year. Also Standing for Something by Gorden B. Hinckley and A Thomas Jefferson Education Home Companion by the Demille and Diann Jeppson. (I don't know if I will finish that last one it isn't exactly one to read straight through.) That will put me at 50 I believe...the new baby is slowing me down!
I didn't read all the books I had planned for the year...I got distracted with a few series and of course that whole Gary Paulsen spurt...he is a really good author, what can I say?
Most of my books are children's classic fiction. I didn't read anything too heavy this year. Next year maybe I will tackle more adult classics. My book clubs have some pretty interesting lists made for the new year.
Becky's Book list completed 2006
The Innkeeper's Wife by Lynda M. Wilson
Early Morning Cemetery by Patricia Wiles
Calling On Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
The Island by Gary Paulsen
Funeral Home Evening by Patricia Wiles
The Rifle by Gary Paulsen
Snicket #10
Snicket, #9
The Voyage of the Frog by Gary Paulsen
The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
The Boy That Owned the School by Gary Paulsen
Dogsong by Gary Paulsen
Boys Who Became Prophets by Lynda Cory Robinson
How To Be Lost by Amanda Eyre Ward
The Winter Room by Gary Poulsen
Walking the Bible by Bruce Feiler
Chocolate Fever by Robert Kinnel Smith
River Secrets by Shannon Hale
My Mom's a Mortician by Patricia Wiles
Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen
The River by Gary Paulsen
Series of Unfortunate Events-book 8
Series of Unfortunate Events-book 7
The White Mountains #1
The City of Gold and Lead #2
The Pool of Fire #3
When the Tripods Came #4.
The DeVinci Code by Dan Brown
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kinsolver
White Teeth by Zadie Smith.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
The Princess And the Pauper by Mark Twain
A Murder, A Mystery And A Marriage by Mark Twain
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Prairie Dog Town by Janette Oke
Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Man Of The Family by Ralph Moody
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Anne of the Island (book 2) by L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Avonlea(book 3) by L.M. Montgomery
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
The One Minute Teacher by Constance Johnson
Collection of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories
The Innkeeper's Wife By Lynda M. Wilson
I didn't read all the books I had planned for the year...I got distracted with a few series and of course that whole Gary Paulsen spurt...he is a really good author, what can I say?
Most of my books are children's classic fiction. I didn't read anything too heavy this year. Next year maybe I will tackle more adult classics. My book clubs have some pretty interesting lists made for the new year.
Becky's Book list completed 2006
The Innkeeper's Wife by Lynda M. Wilson
Early Morning Cemetery by Patricia Wiles
Calling On Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
The Island by Gary Paulsen
Funeral Home Evening by Patricia Wiles
The Rifle by Gary Paulsen
Snicket #10
Snicket, #9
The Voyage of the Frog by Gary Paulsen
The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine
My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara
The Boy That Owned the School by Gary Paulsen
Dogsong by Gary Paulsen
Boys Who Became Prophets by Lynda Cory Robinson
How To Be Lost by Amanda Eyre Ward
The Winter Room by Gary Poulsen
Walking the Bible by Bruce Feiler
Chocolate Fever by Robert Kinnel Smith
River Secrets by Shannon Hale
My Mom's a Mortician by Patricia Wiles
Brian's Winter by Gary Paulsen
The River by Gary Paulsen
Series of Unfortunate Events-book 8
Series of Unfortunate Events-book 7
The White Mountains #1
The City of Gold and Lead #2
The Pool of Fire #3
When the Tripods Came #4.
The DeVinci Code by Dan Brown
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kinsolver
White Teeth by Zadie Smith.
Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
The Whipping Boy by Sid Fleischman
The Princess And the Pauper by Mark Twain
A Murder, A Mystery And A Marriage by Mark Twain
Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
The Prairie Dog Town by Janette Oke
Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Man Of The Family by Ralph Moody
Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy
Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
Anne of the Island (book 2) by L.M. Montgomery
Anne of Avonlea(book 3) by L.M. Montgomery
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
The One Minute Teacher by Constance Johnson
Collection of Rudyard Kipling's Just So Stories
The Innkeeper's Wife By Lynda M. Wilson
Saturday, December 02, 2006
Early Morning Cemetery by Patricia Wiles
Whole Book
This is the 3rd book in the Kevin Kirk Chronicles. It was silly as usual. This time Kevin has to deal with all kinds of things...like a psycho lady that threatens him, a seminary class that goes on field trips to cemeteries and they do gravestone rubbings, the death of a loved one...telling the truth, dealing with people that judge you because of your religion, and learning to drive also a mystery to solve...
The Kirks pretty much show what it means to be a family and stick together.
What is really funny is I forgot to read to the end of the book before this one and had returned the book to my sister in law thinking I had finished it. Then she mentioned something that happened in the book and I said...that must be in the 3rd book because I don't remember reading that. Well when she loaned me the 3rd book she also sent the 2nd book back because there was my bookmark still in it but 5 more pages to go till the end. So I read them and it all made sense about him losing his finger...it was in the last 5 pages! Silly me...you can tell my mind wasn't really in the book....must have been pregnant or something...Ha Ha.
This is the 3rd book in the Kevin Kirk Chronicles. It was silly as usual. This time Kevin has to deal with all kinds of things...like a psycho lady that threatens him, a seminary class that goes on field trips to cemeteries and they do gravestone rubbings, the death of a loved one...telling the truth, dealing with people that judge you because of your religion, and learning to drive also a mystery to solve...
The Kirks pretty much show what it means to be a family and stick together.
What is really funny is I forgot to read to the end of the book before this one and had returned the book to my sister in law thinking I had finished it. Then she mentioned something that happened in the book and I said...that must be in the 3rd book because I don't remember reading that. Well when she loaned me the 3rd book she also sent the 2nd book back because there was my bookmark still in it but 5 more pages to go till the end. So I read them and it all made sense about him losing his finger...it was in the last 5 pages! Silly me...you can tell my mind wasn't really in the book....must have been pregnant or something...Ha Ha.
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