Picture Book Thursday (16)

How The Grinch Stole Christmas, Dr. Seuss  

In keeping with the Christmas Theme, I completely forgot about this one.  I'm not even sure how I forgot about this classic.  With the brilliant half hour Christmas special and the mediocre Jim Carrey movie, this beloved story of the nastiest, horriblest grinch who goes into Whoville and steal everything he can, to erase Christmas.

But when the Whoville-ians band together and celebrate Christmas even without their tree, presents and roast beast, something happens to Grinch who suddenly develops a heart!

A great read on Christmas Eve or pretty much, anytime during the year, the little one will love the rhyming and bright colorful pictures.  Plus the famous Cindy-Lou Who is right there in glorious color!

Happy New Year Everyone!

Beautiful Creatures, Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

• Reading level:       Young Adult
  
• Hardcover:            576 pages
• Publisher:              Little Brown for Young Readers (Dec 1, 2009)

Bookmarks:          4

There were no surprises in Gatlin County. We were pretty much the epicenter of the middle of nowhere.
At least, that's what I thought.
Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong.
There was a curse.
There was a girl.
And in the end, there was a grave.

Lena Duchannes is unlike anyone the small Southern town of Gatlin has ever seen, and she's struggling to conceal her power and a curse that has haunted her family for generations. But even within the overgrown gardens, murky swamps and crumbling graveyards of the forgotten South, a secret cannot stay hidden forever.

Ethan Wate, who has been counting the months until he can escape from Gatlin, is haunted by dreams of a beautiful girl he has never met. When Lena moves into the town's oldest and most infamous plantation, Ethan is inexplicably drawn to her and determined to uncover the connection between them.

In a town with no surprises, one secret could change everything.


_______________________________________________________________________
Ethan Wate has been having weird dreams and hearing bizarre songs on his iPod.  His mother is dead, his father is a recluse and the only one who pays any attention to Ethan is the strange housekeeper/grandmother figure, Amma.


When a new student pulls up driving a black hearse, something sings to Ethan.  He finds himself compelled to the new, albeit, strange girl.  However, she doesn't want anything to do with anyone.   As Ethan finds himself drawn to her, he also finds out that there is more to her than meets the eye.


I really enjoyed this story, but what made it so refreshing, was that it was narrated by Ethan and not Lena.  There are so many books that are told in first-person narrative that is all female.  I enjoyed peaking into his feelings and why he is so drawn to Lena and her crazy cast of family.


There are so many secrets and so much going on that even with a big book, you cannot get bored with it.  This book moves fast and furiously.  I found myself clutching the book towards the end wondering how this was going to end.  I found it to be most satisfying and a great read for those of you who are tired of vampires, zombies, werewolves and whatever monster of the week is out there.  However, there is definitely one thing that resonates in most of these books-- and that is heart.   How important love is even when you don't expect it to find you.


I'm very interested to see where Kami and Margi take this story in the next installment.  But alas, we must wait.

Picture Book Thursday (15)

Twas the Night Before Christmas, Clement Clark Moore; Illustrated: Jan Brett  


Of course I had to pick this book for Christmas Eve. But I had to pick the one that is illustrated by the famous Jan Brett.  This book is just beautiful to read and beautiful to just to look at the pictures.

A classic time-old story that will have children reading along with you.  So gather the kids, turn on the tree and snuggle together.

I hope everyone has a very Merry Christmas!!

<3

Christmastime is nutsos in my house...

Which is why I haven't posted anything! I finally got my shopping done yesterday. Nothing like waiting at the last moment, but with being sick and hubby traveling, we did what we had to do!

I still have to write my review of BEAUTIFUL CREATURES, I seem to be suffering from how can I possibly do it any justice! I hate when I like a book so much, but I find myself struggling to write a review that is honest, non-spoilery, and just about kick-ass, because I know that so many other people have read and written a review that most likely will be
a lot better than what I could possibly come up with.

I'm currently reading ASH by Malinda Lo.  Struggling through it early on.  Lots of exposition, not much action. Hopefully it picks up soon.  Plus, I'm seeing a lot of telling and not much showing.  Which if you're a writer is something that we all fall into, but need to change.

Picture Book Thursday (14)

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, Lewis Carroll.  Illustrations. Sir John Tenniel.

I know that this book isn't exactly a picture book, but these illustrations are so amazing and so famous that I just had to include it.  Tenniel's drawing of the White Rabbit, Cheshire Cat, even Alice herself is firmly ingrained in our memories.  It also adds depth to the characters as you can visually see them as you read the Gold and Silver volumes of each book. (ed. note: I'm not including Through the Looking Glass, but I'm bundling them together.)

The fanciful art is breathtaking and seeing it either colored in (which was done in 1911) or in its original black and white form, still brings fresh memories to the surface.  I'm not a big fan of the Disney version of this--either in book form or movie.  But I know I can always go back to Lewis Carroll's bizarre ways, Tenniel's brilliant woodcuts and remember exactly why I love Alice's Adventures in Wonderland so much.

Winner! and stuff...

Brookereviews was the winner of the Twenty Boy Summer contest.  She has been notified.

Thank you for everyone who entered!  I really appreciate all your kindness!

Thanks for all the well-wishes when I was sick.  I did have the H1N1 and the doctor started treating me for pneumonia.  I missed my little girl's birthday party on Sunday (Lily turned 6 on the 12th).  That was the hardest part.  Not being able to celebrate her special day.  There were lots of tears on my end, but I was just so sick.  Lily was a real trooper as was my husband who had to shepherd a bunch of 5/6 year olds at Chuck E Cheese!

I still have a few reviews to write.  I hope to get to them soon!

Thank you all once again!

Twenty Boy Summer Contest is closed

I will pick a winner when I'm feeling better.  Still dealing with the flu.

Virus!

As in me, not computer.  I am suffering from the flu.  Will find out tomorrow if it's seasonal or swine flu.  But I'm feverish, achy, headachy and I have such a sore throat!

I'm going to stay off the computer until I feel better.

Talk to you soon! <3

Finished!

I finally finished Beautiful Creatures.  I need to digest it and go over certain scenes again.  Like the ending!  I will be posting my review within the next couple of days.  But I will say that I really, really enjoyed it.

Like Yan said, "...(A) satisfying read."

What I'm Reading and Books I've Received

I'm still reading Beautiful Creatures.  It's such a big book, that I'm trying to savor each detail and don't want to get to the end.  Ever feel that way with books?  Thankfully most of my TV shows are going on LONG hiatuses, so I'm hoping I can get some decent reading in.  I know there are quite a few bloggers out there reading Beautiful Creatures.  How long does it take you to read such a long book?


Books Received this week:

Slow week, which was good.

Never After, Daniel Elconin.  He contacted me directly and he made such a impassioned plea for me to consider this book for review.  I'm such a huge fan of Peter Pan, that I jumped on it and thanked him immensely for giving me the chance to review this book.  The thing that really drew me to Dan is that he's a teenager!  I just read his acknowledgement and it is really kick-ass.

Books I Couldn't or Didn't Finish

I'm going to be brave and announce some books here that for one reason or another, I just couldn't finish.  We've all these times, where we start a book, like the book, but for some reason, just can't seem to get through it.  It's possible because it's the wrong story at the wrong time of our lives.  Sometimes if I go back to a book later, I'm pleasantly surprised and glad that I gave it another chance.  So here goes.

1. Sprout, Dale Peck. Yep, never finished it.  Strange is that I absolutely loved the beginning, but I think the timing of when I started reading it, just wasn't right.  I'm definitely going to get back to this.

2. Wings, Aprilynne Pike.  I started it, but it seemed a bit too young for me.  I like MG books, but there was something about it, that I just couldn't stay focused on it.  I'm not sure if this is one I will go back to.

3. Models don't eat Chocolate Cookies, Erin Dionne.  I started it.  Forgot about it, and need to get back to it.  I really enjoyed the beginning, but I misplaced the book during a cleaning session in my bedroom and recently found it again!  I'm also giving this book (signed) as a Christmas gift to neighbor of mine who I think will really love it.  I'm hoping to meet up with Erin next week for coffee!

4. Radiant Darkness. Emily Whitman.  I started it, couldn't get into it.  But will try again.  Again, was at the wrong time in my reading life to get into it.

So what about you?  Ever start a book, realize that perhaps you're not in the mood for that type or style of book and decide if you'll ever go back to it?

Picture Book Thursday (13)

Max's Chocolate Chicken, Rosemary Wells

From Goodreads:

How we love Max--the mischievous toddler rabbit who is often battling wits and wills with his bossy-boots older sister Ruby. Now it's time for the siblings' Easter egg hunt! Just as the festivities are about to begin, a secretive Easter Bunny places a huge chocolate chicken in the birdbath. "I love you," Max innocently declares to the edible chicken he covets. "Wait Max," warns Ruby. "First we must go on an egg hunt. If you find the most eggs then you get the chocolate chicken." But Max, who is still young enough to be distracted by mud puddles and marching ants, can't possibly focus on finding a single egg. When it becomes obvious that Ruby has collected the most (if not all) of the Easter eggs, Max takes drastic measures--as the youngest sibling often will--and steals the chicken. Rosemary Wells's expressive, giggle-funny illustrations (along with the board-book format) make this a perfect Easter story for toddlers as well as preschoolers, who will delight in Max's blatant misbehavior and relish the inevitable happy ending.


I found Max and Ruby via Nick Jr.   I loved how Max only said one word, but it was the one the word that Ruby needed to solve a problem.  I always found Max to be quite intelligent and Ruby to be very bossy and perhaps a bit dimwitted.  But these are young bunnies, so I give them a pass.


Lily absolutely adores this series, and specifically has this book in her library (aka, a messy closet with a ton of books strewn about!).  Max wants Ruby's chocolate chicken.  But the idea is whoever finds the most eggs (Easter egg hunt) will win the chocolate chicken.  But Max is too smart for that.  He just goes for the chocolate!  Luckily for us, the Easter bunny is forgiving and another chocolate chicken is left for Ruby.  A chocolate smeared Max is a sight to behold!