Her Fearful Symmetry

Most Recently Read Book:

Her Fearful Symmetry

By Audrey Niffenegger

I am so happy to be posting about another book written by Niffenegger. She wrote my beloved Time Traveler's Wife and I have been anxiously awaiting another book by her. This book is definitely a completely different book though...I enjoyed it but not the way I adored TTW. I know lots of people who agree and disagree with me about TTW so there's a chance that if you liked or didn't like it you may or may not like Her Fearful Symmetry!

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book. When it comes down to it, this book is a great ghost story. I guess I wasn't expecting it to be as much of a ghost story as it was. I really liked the characters and I liked the idea of the book but I wasn't a huge fan of the ending...I so wish I could share more but I don't want to ruin it for anyone. If you have read it, or once you do, e-mail me though so we can discuss!!!!!!

On a side note, the younger girls in the book grew up in Lake Forest which is also where I grew up! It was cool to hear them talk about Lake Forest and going to the beach. There really isn't that much reference to it, but it was still cool!

Fire

Most Recently Read Book:

Fire

By Kristin Cashore

Ugh, I have to admit that I am so behind on my posting as far as books go. I finished this one before Christmas. It was a great book. This book is the sequel/prequel to Graceling. I loooooooved Graceling. It is a very cool fantasy book about a land where some people are born with two different colored eyes. These people have special skills that are called graces. It's a very cool love story/adventure/fantasy. This book actually takes place before Graceling even though it was written after it. There is only one character in common between the two books. Fire is about a different land where there are monster creatures that are regular animals except they are extraordinary colors and are considered monsters. One happens to be a girl who has magnificent red/orange/pink hair. It's another story of love/adventure/fantasy and it is another great book by Kristin Cashore.

It's All How You Look At It

I haven't uploaded any pictures this week, so when I sat down to finally get pictures off of my camera tonight it was kind of like a fun surprise! Over break I dug out my old digital camera because I wanted to take pictures of Chad and Jordan playing outside in the snow. Later, I was goofing around with Jordan and taking a picture of him with his fuzz. Here's a picture he took of me, frizzy hair and all:

Now, here's a picture I took of him being goofy and showing me his foot. I love the shadows in this picture.

Here is the really cool part though...I didn't realize it, but Chad had our little digital point and shoot and was taking a picture of me taking a picture of Jordan. This was such a cool surprise because I had no idea he was taking the picture and it's kind of cool to see what Chad sees. It is so completely candid...hell, you can't even see our faces, but it's a cool picture if you ask me!

This is me showing Jordan the picture I took because the kid has to see very single picture you take right after you take it. I'm so thankful that Chad took these pictures because I don't have any pictures like them at all.

Last one, this is another one Chad took earlier in the week. I do remember him taking this picture...I'm making chocolate-covered pretzel rods in the background...I asked jokingly if he had just taken a picture of his cherry Coke and he explained that just like I take pictures of stuff he wanted to take a picture of his cherry Coke. I think it's cute that this is the picture he took. It's fun to see his perspective on things, it's so not the way I would have taken the picture but I love the bag of chips and salsa cover on the counter, I love the magnets all over the fridge, I love me in the background and our messy stove. It's our life!

This might possibly be my favorite post ever because it's such a genuine look at our family.

Reading is Rad

I was thinking about how much I read today and realized it's a ton. I keep a list of every book I read every month for each year and when I printed it out it was crazy this year. It's wild to think I was able to read that many books, but I did it. How do you ask? Here's a few of my tricks.

1. My biggest trick to reading so many books: I listen to books on CD in my car. It's amazing how much time I spend in my car. I have a 45-minute drive to work and then another 45-minute drive back. Besides that I drive from school to school all day so I have 10 minute spurts here and there. I remember when I was listening to the Twilight CD, I used to jump at Chad's suggestion to go to Target because I was dying to get back in my car, even if it was only 5 minutes to Target. Every little minute adds up.

2. Before I lost my iPod, I was importing books on CD into my laptop and then putting them on my iPod. That meant I could listen while I was doing housework or working out. When I saw Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips on my list I instantly remembered running around my neighborhood and listening to that earlier this summer. Anything mindless, like working out or doing housework totally warrants audiobooks to me.

3. I always have a book with me. Whether I'm waiting for a doctor's appointment, waiting for a meeting to start, waiting to meet friends for dinner: I have my book. In November, at book club, one of the girls called the restaurant to tell us she couldn't make it. She told the hostess there would be someone with a book...I cracked up when the hostess came over and told me that because there I was reading a book! I've always been the kind of person who can read anywhere at any time. I can block out background noise and just focus on my book so it works for me.

4. I read at lunch. I've never been a staff lounge kind of person. I have so many schools and my schedule changes from day to day so I usually eat on my own. What do I do? I bring my lunch, either eat while I read or eat (it so doesn't take 30 full minutes to eat) and then read for the rest of the time. I learned early that those 30 minutes are my 30 minutes so I make sure to chill for a little bit and read instead of getting work done because it's just healthy.

5. I read before bed. I've found that the best way for me to transition from being awake to getting to sleep is to read before bed...or do a word search or Sudoku. Some nights Chad will be watching TV and I'll burst into tears or yell out and he gets all confused. I love my books. Other nights, he'll be watching TV and I'll turn the page and he'll think I'm closing my book to go to sleep but I'm really just turning the page to read more. If I'm tired I don't last long, but some nights I can read forever because I'm so into a book. I love to read in bed.

In my mind, it's all about your mindset. As a teacher I need to be reading what my students are reading so I can talk to them about book and make recommendations to them. Since I love to read, I made it a goal to read as much as I possibly can, to benefit my students and myself. Where and when do you find time to read??? Please share!!!

2010 Support Your Local Library Reading Challenge

I just found this cool reading challenge! I'm all about it! If you want to check it out you can go to J.Kaye's Book Blog to read more about it and sign up on her blog!

Here's the challenge:

1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.

--Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post. To learn how to sign up without having a blog, click here.

2. There are four levels:

--The Mini – Check out and read 25 library books.

--Just My Size – Check out and read 50 library books.

--Stepping It Up – Check out and read 75 library books.

--Super Size Me – Check out and read 100 library books.

(Aim high. As long as you read 25 by the end of 2010, you are a winner.)

3. Audio, Re-reads, eBooks, YA, Young Reader – any book as long as it is checked out from the library count. Checked out like with a library card, not purchased at a library sale.

4. No need to list your books in advance. You may select books as you go. Even if you list them now, you can change the list if needed.

5. Crossovers from other reading challenges count.

6. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010.

I know you all want to participate in this! I love the library and I think it's a great resource!!! It's FREE people! I'm going to go for the Super Size Me level. In 2008, I read 87 books. In 2009, I read 129 books! I read books, I listen to books, I read adult books, I read young adult books. I hope you do, too! Just try and read books and see if you can read at least as many books as you did last year or more!!!d