2016 is here! Along with it are more books to read. I have Amazon Prime and along with it I can get a new Kindle book for free before it is released.
This month I chose Harmony Black by Craig Schaefer. I read this book in a couple days. Harmony is a witch who is also an FBI agent. She is one of the few who know that witches and demons and other sinister things exist. She has always worked alone and followed the rules to a "T". This is all about the change. Harmony has been recruited to be a part of Vigilant Lock, a special team with the purpose of finding the sinister monsters and making sure that humans do not find out and are not harmed. Thirty years ago the unspeakable happened and it is happening again. Children are being kidnapped and it dredges up some nightmarish memories for Harmony. Who, or what, is taking the children? Will they be able to find the children before it is too late? Harmony and her team meet characters along the journey of the investigation. She learns what it means to be a part of a team and learns the answer to questions that have haunted her for most of her life. (Because I enjoyed this book I bought a couple other ones from the series which Harmony Black is a spin-off. Though they were riveting and I liked them, the material in the first of those books were graphic and not something I would recommend for everyone. Therefore I am not recommending them on my blog.)
I was at the library and I noticed that Alexander McCall Smith had written a new novel in the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency Series. I remember when this series was first started. I waited anxiously for the next one in the series. I have not read any of these books in recent years, as things change and reading taste changes and time restraints have forced me to put my reading aside often. I decided that I should reread the series and then read the last few novels I have not read so I could read the new book. The author opens up the reader's eyes to what life is like in Botswana; the weather, the landscape, the thoughts, the traditions. He shows how beautiful the culture is. The first book is called nothing more than No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency. I absolutely love the main character, Mma (Precious) Ramotswe. She has common sense and sees the world so clearly. Her goal in life is to help the people with their problems. She opens up her own Detective Agency, but not any Agency. It is the No. 1 Ladies Agency, run by ladies, yet serving everyone. Her understanding of people, their characters, desires, needs, of traditions, and of human nature allows her to solve mysteries and help people with problems. From a missing 11 year old boy, to a girl wondering if the man claiming to be her father really is her long lost daddy, Mma Ramotswe delves into problems, solving them in very interesting ways. When I was growing up I loved Agatha Christie and Miss Marple. I saw a reviewer compare Mma Ramotswe with Miss Marple, but in all honesty? Precious Ramotswe is in a class all her own and no one can compare to her. I ordered the second book from the library and checked out the third so watch for those reviews in coming months. (At the end of the month I had read books 2-4 and was partway through book 5 as well.)
I went to the library one day with a student. I told the student that I needed a happy type of book to read. The student told me that they had a recommendation but they did not think it was necessarily a "happy" book. They took me to the Young Adult section and showed me Graceling by Kristin Cashore and preceded to tell me I had to read it. So I picked it up and started reading right there in the library. I read the first chapter and checked the book out. This book was great. Katsa is a Graceling, meaning she has 2 different colored eyes. In the land where she is born, made up of 7 different kingdoms, those whose eyes settle as 2 different colors have a Grace (a power). Each Grace is different and manifests itself differently with each Graced person. Those who are Graced are considered the King's property in Middluns, the kingdom that Katsa lives in. The young Graced are sent to the King to see what Grace they are Graced with. If it is useful to the King they are kept in his service, but if it is not, they are sent back to their families. Those sent back are often shunned by the community. No one seems to like the Graced. Katsa found, at 8 years old, that her Grace was one of killing. Her life has been fraught with killing and maiming at the whim of the King of Middluns, Katsa's uncle. To counteract the killing Katsa organizes The Council, which she uses as a way of righting wrongs that are heard about in the 7 kingdoms. On a mission she meets someone who's Grace opens her eyes that maybe, just maybe, she is not just a killer. Maybe there is more to her Grace than she realizes.
Monday, February 01, 2016
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Books I am Reading, December 2015
The month of December was so busy that even though I had two weeks off I never had time to post about the books that I was reading, so here it is:
After reading Mother Carey's Chickens I was rather on a classics kick. I reread The Emily Starr Trilogy by L.M. Montgomery, who is most well known as the author of the Anne of Green Gables series. I found it on Amazon for the Kindle for 99 cents and it is still that price. The formatting of this one is a bit off but it was readable. The italics did not come through, as Emily has a bad habit of using italics, yet I still enjoyed reading it.
The first book in the trilogy was Emily of New Moon. (I am including the link for the paperback in case you are interested in that vs the Kindle version.) Emily is a young girl with imagination. Her mother has passed away and she lives with her father...at first. Shortly into the book he passes away as well. Her mother's family, the Murrays, comes along and they must decided what will be done with her. Where will she live? What will be done with her? She embarks on a new life, living at New Moon. She learns what it means to be a Murray.
In Emily Climbs, Emily hones her skill of being a writer. She wants to go to school in Shrewsbury but has been told she would be allowed to go if she will give up writing. Can she give up writing for an education? What type of adventures await Emily in the years to come?
In Emily's Quest, Emily learns about love and heartache. She handles the disappointments of life with grace and poise.
I started a couple other books I am sure during the month, but in the hustle and bustle of December I did not get far enough along to write about them.
After reading Mother Carey's Chickens I was rather on a classics kick. I reread The Emily Starr Trilogy by L.M. Montgomery, who is most well known as the author of the Anne of Green Gables series. I found it on Amazon for the Kindle for 99 cents and it is still that price. The formatting of this one is a bit off but it was readable. The italics did not come through, as Emily has a bad habit of using italics, yet I still enjoyed reading it.
The first book in the trilogy was Emily of New Moon. (I am including the link for the paperback in case you are interested in that vs the Kindle version.) Emily is a young girl with imagination. Her mother has passed away and she lives with her father...at first. Shortly into the book he passes away as well. Her mother's family, the Murrays, comes along and they must decided what will be done with her. Where will she live? What will be done with her? She embarks on a new life, living at New Moon. She learns what it means to be a Murray.
In Emily Climbs, Emily hones her skill of being a writer. She wants to go to school in Shrewsbury but has been told she would be allowed to go if she will give up writing. Can she give up writing for an education? What type of adventures await Emily in the years to come?
In Emily's Quest, Emily learns about love and heartache. She handles the disappointments of life with grace and poise.
I started a couple other books I am sure during the month, but in the hustle and bustle of December I did not get far enough along to write about them.
Friday, December 04, 2015
Books I Am Reading, November 2015
November came and went so quickly that I forgot to do my monthly post on the books I was reading!
I did some rereading in November. I started with the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares. I enjoyed the first book when it was first printed in 2001. The story is of four girls who find that one pair of jeans amazingly fit them all, even though they all have different body types. Bee, is a jock; the star soccer player who is always moving. Lena is a natural beauty but is painfully shy. Hispanic Carmen has a spicy personality and speaks her mind. Libby is the wild child who live her own way, no one else's. The first book is about the first summer the girls are apart; the summer they are all 15 going on 16. They all find that they hit some rough and hard patches in their journeys and they all handle them differently. Each book after the first touch on the next summer in the girls' lives. These books hit some tough concepts: family member suicide, the death of loved ones, grief, depression, romance, anger, self-control, bad choices, consequences, etc. I really enjoyed rereading them...again. I think this would be the 4th time I have read the series.
Ann Brashares later wrote Sisterhood Everlasting. The setting is ten years after the fourth Sisterhood book; the girls now women around 29 years old. I think this was a great way for closure for those who waited each year for the next Sisterhood book to be published. How often do we read a book in our teens and later wonder if the characters grew at all? Though these books might be considered "light reading" or "feel good" books, they do touch on some very hard and very real life issues. Questions the women face are faced by so many women each day. I found it once to see that the book was realistic. Is there something wrong with me that I am not married? Is this man the one for me, because my friends don't like him and have valid points? Is this really what I want for the rest of my life? Why am I sitting here waiting for someone who may not even remember me? These are just a few of the questions that the women face. This book showed that people do not have perfect lives, no matter how it looks on the outside. Not only that, we need others to help us through the tough times.
Continuing on my theme of the Maze Runner series by James Dasher, I started the third book in the series, The Death Cure. I have yet to finish it at the time of my writing this post. I can say however that this book is INTENSE. There are so many twists and turns and just when you think life is going ok...BAM! another plot twist hits you in the face! Thomas just cannot win. Just when he thinks he is rescued, he finds himself imprisoned again by WICKED. He cannot tell who is lying and who is telling the truth. He finds himself faced with tough choices and once again thinking on the fly.
During the month of November my family watched Summer Magic, an old Disney movie starring Haley Mills. I noticed that it was based on Mother Carey's Chickens by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin. I found it for free for my Kindle! I love classics and I greatly loved this one. There was one reference in the book that I did not understand so I had to look it up. The reference is to Charles Kingsley's The Water Babies and they reference this multiple times in this book. If you find yourself a little lost to these references I suggest you read a synopsis on the book (if you don't want to or cannot find the book itself). Summer Magic is about a family whose father passes away and they must make due. They move to a small town called Beulah, where they live in a large yellow house that is too fancy for the town but just right for them. Reading about the simple life of the past makes it easier to shun the drama and fuss of the nowadays for me. The book is, of course, different than the movie Summer Magic but I really enjoyed going through the book and seeing what was different and what was the same and seeing why they changed it for the movie (smaller cast, too much info for the time allotted, etc.).
December will be bringing more books, both classic and modern, new reads and rereads.
I did some rereading in November. I started with the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series by Ann Brashares. I enjoyed the first book when it was first printed in 2001. The story is of four girls who find that one pair of jeans amazingly fit them all, even though they all have different body types. Bee, is a jock; the star soccer player who is always moving. Lena is a natural beauty but is painfully shy. Hispanic Carmen has a spicy personality and speaks her mind. Libby is the wild child who live her own way, no one else's. The first book is about the first summer the girls are apart; the summer they are all 15 going on 16. They all find that they hit some rough and hard patches in their journeys and they all handle them differently. Each book after the first touch on the next summer in the girls' lives. These books hit some tough concepts: family member suicide, the death of loved ones, grief, depression, romance, anger, self-control, bad choices, consequences, etc. I really enjoyed rereading them...again. I think this would be the 4th time I have read the series.
Ann Brashares later wrote Sisterhood Everlasting. The setting is ten years after the fourth Sisterhood book; the girls now women around 29 years old. I think this was a great way for closure for those who waited each year for the next Sisterhood book to be published. How often do we read a book in our teens and later wonder if the characters grew at all? Though these books might be considered "light reading" or "feel good" books, they do touch on some very hard and very real life issues. Questions the women face are faced by so many women each day. I found it once to see that the book was realistic. Is there something wrong with me that I am not married? Is this man the one for me, because my friends don't like him and have valid points? Is this really what I want for the rest of my life? Why am I sitting here waiting for someone who may not even remember me? These are just a few of the questions that the women face. This book showed that people do not have perfect lives, no matter how it looks on the outside. Not only that, we need others to help us through the tough times.
Continuing on my theme of the Maze Runner series by James Dasher, I started the third book in the series, The Death Cure. I have yet to finish it at the time of my writing this post. I can say however that this book is INTENSE. There are so many twists and turns and just when you think life is going ok...BAM! another plot twist hits you in the face! Thomas just cannot win. Just when he thinks he is rescued, he finds himself imprisoned again by WICKED. He cannot tell who is lying and who is telling the truth. He finds himself faced with tough choices and once again thinking on the fly.
During the month of November my family watched Summer Magic, an old Disney movie starring Haley Mills. I noticed that it was based on Mother Carey's Chickens by Kate Douglas Smith Wiggin. I found it for free for my Kindle! I love classics and I greatly loved this one. There was one reference in the book that I did not understand so I had to look it up. The reference is to Charles Kingsley's The Water Babies and they reference this multiple times in this book. If you find yourself a little lost to these references I suggest you read a synopsis on the book (if you don't want to or cannot find the book itself). Summer Magic is about a family whose father passes away and they must make due. They move to a small town called Beulah, where they live in a large yellow house that is too fancy for the town but just right for them. Reading about the simple life of the past makes it easier to shun the drama and fuss of the nowadays for me. The book is, of course, different than the movie Summer Magic but I really enjoyed going through the book and seeing what was different and what was the same and seeing why they changed it for the movie (smaller cast, too much info for the time allotted, etc.).
December will be bringing more books, both classic and modern, new reads and rereads.
Friday, November 06, 2015
Choice Technical Academy
My friend Sara works at Choice Technical Academy in Owatonna, MN. I used to work with her at another school and we became friends. This week I decided to go visit her so here I am.
This school is in its first year. Technical Academies of Minnesota is expanding and Choice is the second of four schools they are opening in coming years. Earlier this summer I came down and was at an open house for the school. I met prospective students and students who already knew that this is where they wanted to be. It is really cool that some of the students here recognize me from this summer.
We arrived at the same time that 2 students arrived. The students immediately decided to vacuum the room where school is held. It was awesome to see them take initiative to clean their community.
We started off the school portion of the day with Advisory. Sara's Advisory introduced themselves to me and told me a little tidbit about themselves that was new since starting here. We also all shared one fear that we had; ranging from the brave who claimed to fear nothing, to silly (Humpty Dumpty), and real (of graduating and what the future holds). Being a Friday, the students were a little more rammy than usual but were all at ease and curious as to why I was here. It seems shocking sometimes to teens that their teachers actually have friends and a life outside of school. *wink*
Math came next. I worked with a student on decimal place values, fractions with exponents, and some algebraic equations. I greatly enjoy working on math.
After math, some students went to a teacher led seminar. Others stayed behind to work on their individual projects. I went around to students in Sara's advisory and spoke with them about what they were working on. I saw projects on Australia, a personal Atlas using PowerPoint, Slipknot (as in the band, music, and psychological effects), tornadoes, cells, computer programing, foreign languages (German, Russian, Spanish), the Holocaust, photography, what colleges a student was looking at attending when they graduate, calligraphy, and more! Most were very excited to talk to me about their projects and books they were reading and using to research.
A few students needed to go to the library so I tagged along. The group grew to 8 students when others heard of the outing. While we were at the library a boy expressed his interest in reading Manga books. I learned last year from a student that you start Manga books from the back and read from the right to the left. (I found an example.) A couple of the students took him over to the Manga section. Pretty soon there were about 6 of the students in the section. I was standing right by them and I listened as the students all encouraged the boy and explained to him how to read the Manga books. He said it seemed confusing and they told him to come sit down, they would teach him. Five of the students went to a table and proceeded to teach him how to read the Manga and they gave him advice on what books he should try, what series were good, what ones might interest him, etc. I found this very cool and encouraging. A fun note on the trip is that a girl was VERY disappointed that the librarian would only let her check out 11 books. This reminded me of myself when I was a girl. I would check out 20 or so at a time.
After we came back from the library, we had lunch. Everyone, including students bring their own lunch. The school is too small (39 students so far) for a lunch program and there is no kitchen for them to prepare lunches. Sara had brought homemade chili for us. The only thing missing was avocados. 2 years ago she was eating her chili with avocados. I love avocados but had never tried them in chili. I tried it and LOVE my chili that way. But alas, there were no avocados today.
After lunch we had reading time. Ah, the quiet. Everyone was engaged in a book or in a reading group. I got a few chapters of The Death Cure by James Dashner read. No matter what school, reading time never lasts long enough!
Finally there is personal project time, which is when I am typing this. The last 40 minutes also include an optional fitness activity. Today was soccer and most of the students are signed up to play.
I greatly enjoyed my day at Choice Technical Academy with Sara and her students.
Selfie: Myself and Sara
Thursday, October 29, 2015
Books I am Reading, October 2015
Last month I posted on the books I was reading that month. My intention was to write a post each month, near the middle of each month. I did not have time to do so this month so I am playing catch-up a little here. I am still reading On Writing, Firewall, and It Takes a Witch. I have added a few others though.
One of the students that I get to work with enjoys ghost stories. We searched online and found Ghost Stories of Minnesota by Gina Teel. We searched together on Amazon and ordered this book. We don't get to read it every day but we try to do a short story from it once a week or so. It will probably take us a little while to get through it. It is full of short stories about ghosts and unexplainable things in the state of Minnesota. Some of the towns are even towns that are near us so we find those ones the most interesting.
Another of the students that I get to work with is very into vampires. This student had been reading fan fiction online because they had not been able to find many teen vampire books to read that they had not read. I went shopping at Barnes & Nobel during their Teacher Appreciation Days and I was able to buy a bunch of books at 25% off! That is an awesome thing in my life. I found a few books for this student, but the one we are starting with is Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. We have read about 2 chapters and it has been very interesting so far. The books starts out with 2 girls, one being a vampire and the other is basically her guardian. From what you gather at the beginning, they ran away from a vampire school and have been running for a couple years or so. They don't want to be found for some reason and it has to do with the protection of the vampire girl. The books starts off with action and a foot chase! This one will take a little time to read because we are reading it together and we only get to do this about 1 time per week.
My husband bought me The Scorch Trials because I was enjoying The Maze Runner. The book is nothing like the movie. It is completely different. After being rescued from the Maze Trails, the Gladers wake in a dormitory that they arrived at the night before. Their wake up is jarring and scary. The realize that Teresa is missing and a new boy is in her place. Nothing is what it seems and strange things happen. They are eventually told that they all have The Flare and that they must make it to a place in the mountains called Safe Haven and they will be given The Cure. The entire book is action packed. Running, dodging, fighting, blood and gore; this book has got it all! Unexpected twists and turns are in each chapter. This book is not for the week at heart, nor it is for small children. There is a lot more violence in this book than the first in the series. I finished this book last night. I can't wait to start the third book!
I could not resist Cinder by Marissa Meyer. It looked so interesting that I just had to buy it! Cinder is a part girl, part machine girl. Basically, she is a cyborg; less than a person, but more than an android robot. She is s second class citizen and has no real rights, but she is also a gifted mechanic; the best in the land. She was adopted by a man who died of a mysterious disease that shows up randomly to the citizens of earth. She has an evil adoptive mother, and 2 adoptive sisters, though one is sweet to her. Her best friend is an android that her adoptive father programed. The Prince of her nation comes to her, asking her to fix one of his androids. Through dangers, illness, and the dreaded rival of the vicious Lunar Queen, Cinder makes surprising discoveries not only about her adoptive father, but also about herself. I am about half-way through this book and am greatly enjoyed.
These are the main books of this month. I will post November's books more timely next month.
One of the students that I get to work with enjoys ghost stories. We searched online and found Ghost Stories of Minnesota by Gina Teel. We searched together on Amazon and ordered this book. We don't get to read it every day but we try to do a short story from it once a week or so. It will probably take us a little while to get through it. It is full of short stories about ghosts and unexplainable things in the state of Minnesota. Some of the towns are even towns that are near us so we find those ones the most interesting.
Another of the students that I get to work with is very into vampires. This student had been reading fan fiction online because they had not been able to find many teen vampire books to read that they had not read. I went shopping at Barnes & Nobel during their Teacher Appreciation Days and I was able to buy a bunch of books at 25% off! That is an awesome thing in my life. I found a few books for this student, but the one we are starting with is Vampire Academy by Richelle Mead. We have read about 2 chapters and it has been very interesting so far. The books starts out with 2 girls, one being a vampire and the other is basically her guardian. From what you gather at the beginning, they ran away from a vampire school and have been running for a couple years or so. They don't want to be found for some reason and it has to do with the protection of the vampire girl. The books starts off with action and a foot chase! This one will take a little time to read because we are reading it together and we only get to do this about 1 time per week.
My husband bought me The Scorch Trials because I was enjoying The Maze Runner. The book is nothing like the movie. It is completely different. After being rescued from the Maze Trails, the Gladers wake in a dormitory that they arrived at the night before. Their wake up is jarring and scary. The realize that Teresa is missing and a new boy is in her place. Nothing is what it seems and strange things happen. They are eventually told that they all have The Flare and that they must make it to a place in the mountains called Safe Haven and they will be given The Cure. The entire book is action packed. Running, dodging, fighting, blood and gore; this book has got it all! Unexpected twists and turns are in each chapter. This book is not for the week at heart, nor it is for small children. There is a lot more violence in this book than the first in the series. I finished this book last night. I can't wait to start the third book!
I could not resist Cinder by Marissa Meyer. It looked so interesting that I just had to buy it! Cinder is a part girl, part machine girl. Basically, she is a cyborg; less than a person, but more than an android robot. She is s second class citizen and has no real rights, but she is also a gifted mechanic; the best in the land. She was adopted by a man who died of a mysterious disease that shows up randomly to the citizens of earth. She has an evil adoptive mother, and 2 adoptive sisters, though one is sweet to her. Her best friend is an android that her adoptive father programed. The Prince of her nation comes to her, asking her to fix one of his androids. Through dangers, illness, and the dreaded rival of the vicious Lunar Queen, Cinder makes surprising discoveries not only about her adoptive father, but also about herself. I am about half-way through this book and am greatly enjoyed.
These are the main books of this month. I will post November's books more timely next month.
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