Pull up a chair...

Whoa. I realized that I haven't posted in a month. I even have entries from quick writes in my journal at school, but I think this shows how crazy the first part of March gets with the end of the quarter, conferences and spring break. My goal for the rest of the school year is to post more regularly. And, because I've gone so long in posting - I've got a lot of finished books to talk about on here.

School

I just finished The Age of Miracles today, so I'll need to pick a new one. I'll let you know in the "next up" section.

Home

Hemingway's Girl by Erika Robuck - I grabbed this one at Barnes and Noble from the staff recommends section (I've gotten some good books from that area - they have a notecard with a short description of why they liked the book; check it out!) mostly because it had "Hemingway" in the title. Hemingway is probably my favorite author (although, it may be a four-way tie with him, Anne Rice, Rainbow Rowell and John Green). I will pick up almost anything that includes him in the storyline. I'm about halfway through this book, and it is a little more romancey than I normally like. Not that crazy about it.

Finished

Pull up a chair, because this section is a little long.

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin - I did a book talk on this one when I finished it. It is about the girl who wakes up and knows her friends have died but she survived the building's collapse. She has no memories of it though. This was really good and kept me wanting to read more of it.

The Line by JD Horn - I needed a replacement for the Sookie Stackhouse series, and this one popped up in my Goodreads recommendations. It is a series that is mostly coming out this year (the books are going to be less than $5 on Kindle!!!) about witches in Savannah. I'm not fully sold on it yet, but it was entertaining and worth it for $5/book.

Boy 21 by Matthew Quick - I also book talked this one. This is about the boy who moves into a school district but barely talks to anyone. His coach pairs him up with a current student/player and he slowly comes out of his shell and no longer refers to himself as an alien named "Boy21."

The Last Enchantments by Charles Finch - This is about a group of people who go to school for a year at Oxford in England. I didn't like most of the characters and thought they thought too much of themselves, so I can't say I really enjoyed the book.

Paris by Edward Rutherford - This is a history of Paris written as a novel. It isn't in chronological order, but each time period has families that intertwine throughout the centuries of The City of Lights. Most of the book focuses on the time period from the construction of the Eiffel Tower on, which made me a little sad. I knew that history; I was reading it to get more of Paris' ancient history. However, it was still enjoyable to read and still talked about a lot of historical events (and included Hemingway, so I was happy). I have Rutherford's historical novelizations of London and New York, and I'll definitely be reading those soon.

The Engagements by J. Courtney Sullivan - This follows multiple married couples during different time periods. Slowly, you see the connection between the couples, however, it also doesn't paint a pretty picture of marriage. Most of the couples are dysfunctional for one reason or another.

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout - I wasn't crazy about this book. The characters weren't likeable and it was too much like real life. A lot of times, I want to read something that isn't real life - I use it as an escape. This book just kinda plugged along. It was good writing, but not necessarily my cup of tea.

Tropical Warning by Tim Dorsey - This is a Kindle single, which is basically a short story. This is just an extra story about Dorsey's character, Storm Serge. I think it was too short and didn't really develop the plot well.

Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg - This is a non-fiction book about why women aren't leaders in the workplace (like CEOs, CFOs, COOs, etc.). I've heard a lot of buzz about this, but I wasn't too crazy about it when I read it. You all know that I'm not afraid to stand up for myself, and that's basically what the book was telling women to do. It was a lot about what I already do.

Honeymoon in Paris by JoJo Moyes - This was another Kindle single and is a companion to her The Girl You Left Behind. It follows each of the two couples - the one during WWI and the present couple - on their honeymoons to Paris.

The Edible Exile by Carl Hiasssen - same as Tropical Warning

The Sherlockian by Graham Moore - This was a literary mystery involving Sherlock Holmes. It follows a group who "studies" all of the works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and fights to prove items about Holmes. There is a murder and the group is then plunged into a hunt for Doyle's missing diary. Chapters switch back and forth between the present and Doyle's time period. This was a great mystery.

The Witch of Belladonna Bay by Suzanne Palmieri - I won this book as a giveaway for an advanced copy on Goodreads.

This was a quick read, and I honestly couldn't put it down when I started reading it. I was sucked in to the tale of Brownwyn, who has escaped her Southern roots and magic for a calm farm in New York. She returns to her family home in Southern Alabama to try to help her brother, who is sitting in jail accused of murder. Wyn slowly embraces her roots and finds answers to secrets that have been eating away at her for years. There's a lot of mystery to the book, and it is very reminiscent of Southern Gothic. If you like Anne Rice, this would be a great book for you.

Alabama Moon by Watt Key - This was another book talk. Ten-year-old Moon has only lived off the grid in the forest with his father. Things take a drastic turn when his father dies and Moon gets sent to a home for boys. He doesn't adapt well to living there and escapes with two other boys. The trio tries to make it to Alaska from Alabama, but of course, things don't go as planned.

Lincoln's Letter by William Martin - Martin does a neat trick with his novels. There are always two story lines - one in the past and one in the present. It follows Peter Fallon who deals in historical documents/artifacts. Usually there is a mystery surrounding one, so you get its "history" in bits as that timeline slowly inches toward the present. These are great books if you like American history; he's done ones on New York City, the US Constitution, Boston and now this one on Lincoln. This was probably my least favorite, but if you liked the National Treasure movies, you may like these.

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker - I'll be doing a book talk on this tomorrow. It basically follows the year in a life of humans after the Earth slows. Days last up to three "normal" days and there are lots of odd side effects. It shows how we are good at adapting even in the face of adversity.

Up Next
I am thinking about Billy Linn's Long Halftime Walk for work, and at home, I know I've got three new releases being delivered tomorrow, so one of those may be up. Or I could randomly pick another one - you never know.

What I'm Reading Monday - A Slow Down

I knew the slow down of finished books would come - and it did. This is even two weeks worth because with the screwy week at school last week, I forgot to do a post. But, this time, there won't be a ton because I forgot.

At school

The Unbecoming of Mara Dwyer by Michelle Hodkin: I am going to be starting this is during SSR today, so I don't know much about it yet. Lindsey L. told me I had to read it, so I decided I might as well. I will be doing a book talk on this one when I finish it. This is a trilogy, and I do have the second book, but the third has yet to come out.

At home

The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker: This has been on my to-read list for quite a while. I'm only a little bit into it, but it is another apocalyptic novel. Unlike Life as We Knew it (talked about below), the weather and moon isn't causing the issues, instead the Earth has slowed down. Days are now 25 hours and 30-some minutes long. This creates all sorts of issues - weird daylight hours, lowered gravity, animals acting weird, etc.

Winter's Tale by Mark Halprin - In all honestly, I haven't touched this since I first talked about it.

Finished

Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer - I really liked this one. So much so that I got the next two in the series soon after (but haven't read them). It did creep me out a little because an asteroid could hit the moon or other things could greatly change our weather patterns. It made me a little more uncomfortable than some other dystopian/apocalyptic books.

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith - This was the book that I was REALLY excited about when I pre-ordered it. It sounded like it would be a great, high-interest book. There was just too much going on with it. If it had stuck with either the sci-fi storyline or the coming-of-age storyline or the apocalyptic storyline - I could have handle it. But all three was just too much.

Hostage Three by Nick Lake - Cassidy H. brought me her copy to read, and I REALLY liked it. This book follows Amy, a spoiled rich girl, on an extended yacht trip (that she wasn't excited about going on). Things go horribly wrong when they get to Somalia, though. Their yacht is taken over by Somali pirates, and her name becomes Hostage Three. The book centers around how she deals with it, and it also gives an update on her life three months after the ordeal.

Asylum by Madeleine Roux - I picked this book up because it looked a lot like Miss Peregrine, and because so many of you liked that one and are always asking me for something like it, I thought I should grab it. Besides having weird, old photos (and there really aren't that many) in it, it really isn't much like Miss Peregrine. This book is more of a thriller/murder mystery that takes place while gifted kids are at a summer camp in an abandoned asylum, which was the site of some grisly experiments.

Next up

This is a little harder this week since I've just started the two I'm reading now. But, Origin by Jessica Khoury and Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk by Ben Fountain are the front runners.

What I'm Reading Monday - Reading Frenzy

Wow. I have read a lot since the beginning of the year. I'm guessing the weather has had a lot to do with that because there's not much I want to do when it is 1 degree out. I'm guessing this pace won't keep up once it gets nicer, but we'll see.

At School

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer - This book was recommended to me by a worker at Barnes & Noble (the night of the freak blizzard when Mrs. Whisner and I were a little crazy and still went). It's the first in a series and is about a type of an apocalypse. This one takes place when a meteor hits the moon and causes everything - weather, power, TV/radio/phone signals, etc - to go haywire. I'm not far into it, but it's interesting. Right, now, it also reminds me of the time right after a hurricane. You have to pay for everything in cash, and a lot of people act like they've lost their danged minds.

At home

Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin - This is the book that the movie is based off of. I've just started it, but so far, it's focused on a thief who is trying to escape a gang he's gone against. They have a plot to make a room of gold by stealing a ship that's transporting the gold to Manhattan. Peter Lake, the thief, is determined that this won't come true.

Finished

Tiger Shrimp Tango by Tim Dorsey: Dorsey is one of my go-to "brain break" authors. None of his books take too long to read. They're funny and ridiculous. I started reading his books because they all take place in Florida. If you haven't lived in Flordia, you'd think all of what's been written in Dorsey's books is improbable; if you've lived there, you'd realize it totally is probable.

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen - This was a magical book - not in the sense of pulling a rabbit out of the hat or casting a spell - but in the sense of returning to that one spot or memory where everything was perfect. It covers the mystical side of the South that you can only fully understand if you've seen it yourself. It's a book about finding yourself and love - romantic, friendly and personal. The only fault I had was that there were a few places where there were holes. Still a good read. This follows a woman a year after she's lost her husband; she and her daughter return to Lost Lake, which she remembers fondly from a trip when she was a teenager. However, her aunt now has plans to sell it, but Kate is fighting for anything to hold onto at this point.

The Archived by Victoria Schwab - I did a book talk on this one. This is the one where the Archive is a library of histories - or dead people. Mackenzie is tasked with being a keeper and making sure the "bad" histories don't get out into the real world. However, she also realizes that someone is trying to erase the Archive and the histories... from the inside.

Her Dark Curiosity by Megan Shepherd - I did a book talk on the first book in this series, The Madman's Daughter, a few weeks ago. This one continues the story of Juliet who returns to London but is still dealing with the fallout from her father's experiments on animals. Her inner turmoil isn't the only thing that is haunting her ... something more monstrous may have followed her home from the island of horrors.

The Red Book by Deborah Copaken Kogen - This was another brain break book. It's about Harvard's "red book," which is a newsletter of sorts that goes out to each graduating class every five years. Each member writes up a quick bio of what they're doing now. It's been 20 years since four friends (Addison, Mia, Jane and Clover) graduate from the illustrious university, and they're back for their reunion. Things haven't turned out like they originally hoped, and this follows how they all cope with that while leaning on each other.

Coming Up

Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith - I have had this one pre-ordered and have been looking forward to its release for a while. It takes place in Iowa and is about the aftermath of two teen boys releasing a swarm of genetically modified praying mantises. Expect a book talk about this one soon.

The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling - This I got for Christmas, and I am trying to get through the pile of books that is on my coffee table. This one is on tip, so it seems to be the logical choice.

Arranged Marriage

When I was 18, my dad tried to set me up with someone who was doing an engineering co-op between ISU and John Deere. The guy was almost 10 years older than me, but my dad was really excited about it.

He went on and on one night at dinner about what a great guy he was; he didn’t smoke, didn’t drink, and didn’t swear. My mom snorted at the last one and muttered something about me having a mouth worse than a sailor and I might be able to teach him some new vocabulary (Odd thing: I never swore around my parents in high school; I have no idea how she knew I could swear a blue streak). I never agreed to anything because the guy sounded insanely dorky. And if my dad liked him, there was probably no way I was going to even be the least bit interested in him.

He did stop by one day because he and my dad were planning on going hunting. I went out to investigate, and I tried to keep a straight face. He was a replica of my dad. There was NO way I was going to even consider this (not to mention it was a little creepy that he was 25, and I was barely an adult. When I came back inside, my mom asked me what I thought – and then immediately burst into laughter. I started muttering about him looking really dorky, and there was no chance of anything.

I don’t remember much about him, but he looked scared. I really think that he would have been slightly overwhelmed by me (my filter on what I said was even worse when I was younger - believe it or not, it worked less than it does now). It obviously was not a good fit. 

Was my dad trying to torture me? No. He was trying to make sure that I would be taken care of - this guy was guaranteed a good job and was a good person. He just wasn't right for me (at all). He made so little of an impression on me, I don't even remember his name (it may have been Shane or Shawn - for some reason, those names stick out). So, while I don't agree with the idea of arranged marriages/relationships, I understand where my dad was coming from. And really, that's where all parents during that time period were coming from - they wanted their daughters to spend the rest of their lives with someone who would be able to provide and take care of them. They didn't want them to end up starving and without a house (which was an easy possibility during that time period). By making sure they were marrying someone with a title and wealthy, they knew they'd be taken care of after they left their parent's house.

What I'm Reading Monday - A big catch up...

Mrs. Knipper has been slacking on posting this month. I'm going to blame it on the plague I had plus weather. And there's plenty to post about because I read like crazy (and I'm not sure when because I didn't read when I was sick).

At school

The Archived by Victoria Schwab - This book is an interesting concept. The archive is a library of anyone who has died - and Mackenzie is in charge of making sure the bad histories don't get out.

At home

Her Darkest Curiosity by Megan Shepherd - This is the sequel to The Madman's Daughter; I haven't actually started it yet. Based off Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Finished

Legend by Marie Wu - I did a book talk over this a few weeks ago, and since there's so many books to go over, I'm skipping this one. But, as a reminder - this is a dystopian series on two kids: one who is a military genius and one who is a killer.

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline - This is a dual narrative. The teenager is an orphan dealing with a horrible foster family situation, and for her community service, she's assigned to an older woman to clean out her attic. As she tells her story, the teen realizes her story isn't all that different from hers.

Deadly Heat by Richard Castle - This is part of the series based off the TV series Castle. The

Hollow City by Ransom Riggs - Sequel to Miss Peregrine - already did a book talk on it.

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen - I'm going to do a book talk on this one. It's about a guy who takes three servants and tries to make them into a prince. However, there's a big twist at the end.

Butter by Erin Lange - did a book talk; about the kid who wants to eat himself to death and broadcast it on the Internet

The Madman’s Daughter by Megan Shepherd - Book based off Island of Dr. Moreau; Juliet is trying to figure out who she is and how much she is like her crazy father.

Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler - Isabelle takes her hairdresser, Dorrie, on a trip to a funeral. Dorrie learns a lot about herself and race relations in the 1940s and in modern times. This is a cross between The Help and To Kill a Mockingbird

Oops! Forgot something!

I forgot in yesterday's post to add in what I'm planning to read next. It's a little tricky this week because the sequel to Miss Peregrine comes out today. I have had it pre-ordered from Amazon for more than a year now, which usually means it gets delivered on the day it comes out. However, this time - that's not's what's happening. Now, I'm not supposed to get it until Thursday. This throws a bit of kink in my plans because since I finished Enders, I figured I could wait until Tuesday when I got Hollow City to start reading it. But, I don't want to go that many days without reading something. I started a book Monday night, but I'm not too far into it. I may break my normal rule, and just bring home Legend to read. I'm being even weirder for what I'll read next at school. I'm just going to randomly pull one out of the box from the Scholastic Warehouse sale. There's enough in there, that I may take too long to think about it if I actually purposely pick one out.

There's going to be a lot of new books coming in to the classroom later this week. I've got to spend my yearly budget soon, and Barnes and Noble is having their educator week. That means 25% off, which means more books with my budget! Most of them I haven't read, so it may take a bit for them to make it to a book talk...

What I'm Reading Monday - Home Sick, but didn't read much

You would think I'd have massive list of books I'd finished with a "too cold" day and three days home sick. But I don't read when I'm sick - it makes my brain hurt. So, I didn't read much during the week but with my internet not working at home on Sunday - I didn't have much else to do. I ended up getting more read than I thought.

At school

Legend by Marie Lu - I think I may have hit my limit for a while with dystopian "teens against the world" books for a while. Everyone that I know who has read this loves the series, but I'm not that excited about it. I suppose it doesn't help that I didn't read it for more than a week because of being gone.

At home

I honestly finished my book (last one one the finished list) right before I went to bed last night, so I'm not reading anything at home at the moment.

Finished

The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes - The book starts off during WWI until the main character is sent to a German prisoner camp. The last 2/3 of the book though, deal with a painting of her that is the center of a court battle. There has been precedence that items stolen by the Nazis during WWII are given back to the families of the original owners; however, in this book, it hasn't been set for items from WWI. It flashes forward to the present and our new main character has a painting of the woman from WWI in her possession, and now she's being forced to possibly give it up by law. The remainder of the book shows how she deals with it because it was a wedding gift to her from her husband who is now deceased. I didn't like this as much as Me Without You but it was still a really good read.

Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton - This is a "classic" that I should have read but never did. Mrs. Longman started it last week and was talking about how much she liked it. It's very short and doesn't take long to read. The story centers around Ethan who is married but develops strong feelings toward his wife's cousin - who is living with the couple. The story culminates in Ethan and Mattie (the cousin) making a decision that deeply affects the trio for the rest of their lives. It shows a battle of doing what's right vs. following your heart. 

Starters by Lissa Price - I got this book last week because it was $2.99 for Kindle. I started reading it yesterday when our internet wasn't fully functional. It's another dystopian book, but teens (starters) are very, very limited in what they can do - and most have been orphaned during the spore war, which attacked mostly middle aged people. So, the world has been left to young people and senior citizens (enders), who have created very strict rules for the starters. And now, they can rent teens' bodies to relive their youth. But as Callie - a starter - finds out, there's something a little more evil to the entire plot.

Enders by Lissa Price - The internet was still down when I finished Starters, so I went ahead and got Enders so I could find out what happened (because of course, it ended with a cliffhanger). I was not as impressed with this one as the first. I thought there were a lot of holes in the story, and it jumped around a lot without explaining things very well. 

What I'm Reading Monday During A Too Cold Day

I didn't get as much reading done as I would have liked over the break, but I finally got a few books finished that I've started and just stared at for ages. And, I as I wrote this up, I realized most of the books I didn't like. That probably played into why I didn't read as much - and a week at Disney usually means I don't read much because I'm at the parks.

At school

Legend by Marie Lu: I have just started this, so I don't have much to say about this yet. It is the first in a trilogy, and for once, I was smart enough to start the trilogy after all three were out, so I can read them closer together than the rest of the series when I usually have to wait years to get the next book. It's dystopian and is a dual narrator. I'm a little sad I left this at work; I could have read it today since we didn't have school.

At home

The Girl You Left Behind by JoJo Moyes: This takes place during WWI in France. It follows a woman whose husband has gone off to war, but her town is also being taken over by German troops. She and her sister run a hotel, and it hasn't had much business since the war started, but that doesn't stop the Germans from deciding they'll live there and force her and her family to provide meals for them. I really enjoyed Me Before You by this author, so I'm hoping this book is just as good!

Finished

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins: I was hoping I didn't hate this book as much as I did the first time. No luck. I still got mad and kept saying it was stupid while I read it. I just didn't like it, and I don't think it holds up to the other two.

The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon: It took forever to get into this book, but once I got into it, I really liked it. Granted it took most of the book, but I am looking forward to the rest of the series. Once I finally got used to the terms and figured out what was going on, I really did enjoy it.

The Position by Meg Wolitzer: I really liked her other book The Interestings but this one just didn't hold my interest. It was set up a lot like the Interestings, but it seemed like more of a "test" project for the other book - like it was a rough draft. I didn't like any of the characters, and when that happens, I usually don't like the book. 

The Map of Time by Felix Palma: I have looked at this book several times at the store, and then finally picked it up this summer. It's broken up into three parts, and each part is really its own story. The thing that made me mad is that it takes forever to figure out the connection between the three parts (and I mean you don't get it until the end of a 600-page book). I also got frustrated because I didn't think the book matched up with the description on the back. There were several times while I was reading it that I would say "This book needs to get over itself." It has an outside narrator who interjects too much and is somewhat pompous. There's a sequel that I got when I picked this one up, but I'm not convinced I'll actually read it.

The Heavens Rise by Christopher Rice - This was his first foray into the supernatural, and it seemed like he was trying to write like his mom (Anne Rice), and not like himself. It was a little wackadoo, and I'm not convinced I liked the premise at all. While her books still deal with werewolves, witches and vampires - they're somewhat based in reality and still have themes everyone can connect to. I'm not convinced this one did that. I did like his first two books, and I think he should go back to writing his genre - not his mom's.

Up next

I think I'll start The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight at school. It's one of the books I got at the warehouse sale last month, and I've got to get through that stack! I'm really not sure what I'll start at home yet since I'm not too far into the Moyes book. I think it will be something quick because the sequel to Miss Peregrine comes out on the 14th, and I want to be able to start reading that right away!

What I'm Reading Monday -

Having the financial literacy lessons (well, and end of the term stuff) threw a wrench in my reading this week, but I'll get over it. At least I finished two books this week!

School

Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - Having the financial literacy stuff last week didn't give me much reading time. I'm guessing this week I won't get much further. So I'll actually bring this one home over break so I can get it finished.

Home

The Bone Season - Goal for this week is to get it done because I am getting tired of typing its title.

Finished

The Fallout by SA Bodeen - This is the sequel to The Compound, and I don't want to give too much away about the book - which is why it was a different book talk in class. I liked it just as much as The Compound, and I thought it dealt with "the fallout" from that situation very well. The questions you were left with at the end of the first book do get answered - with a few twists thrown in there. I did realize I do have some issues with her writing style; I think there's some excessive details that I don't really need and slow down my reading flow. But, it still has a good overall story line.

Bossypants by Tina Fey - Tina Fey is hilarious. And smart. And geeky. And kinda my hero. I would say that this is more a collection of essays on her life than a true memoir. It was good, and it didn't take me long to read at all.

What's Next

I have big plans for break - not counting the trip to see family. But, I do plan on reading quite a bit. My Kindle is already loaded so when I go on vacation on Saturday, I am ready. 

What I Know Right Now

I know I'm stressed.

The end of the quarter/semester always does this to me. It puts me on edge. Makes me panic. I don't have enough time - and I worry that I won't get everything done on time.

Those essays are weighing on my mind. They need to get done - and done soon so revisions can be done on them. But when do I find the time?

And that semester test still needs to be written. I've got to get that done so there are actual copies of it for next Wednesday - and so I can make a review sheet.

I know I'm not at panic mode yet, but I also know it can be close. It can happen at any minute.

And, right now, that scares me.


I know I need to keep finding time to workout. But that stresses me out. It's the first thing that goes to the wayside when I get stressed. And, I know that's silly because that's the one easy thing to help reduce stress I also know this would be easier if I didn't have to go to the Y and I could just run outside.

I know that I haven't done much today, but I've done a good job of continously writing in my journal. Now I just need to make sure to condense it and put it on the blog. I know I need to do that more often, but, I'm not good at it is. IT is hard to find time to carve out 10 minutes for that because there are so many other things I could be doing.

I know I'm tired. I know this is my fault because I know I need to go to bed sooner. But when it's time to got to sleep, I'm wide awake. And, I know this adds to my stress.