BITTER IS THE NEW BLACK...

Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass,Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office by Jen Lancaster, just finished it today, this is actually her first book...so it was interesting reading the middle book first...however...this one didn't make me laugh as hard as the second did, but it did make me make loud shreeks that made my husband jump and ask me WHY? Several things that I enjoyed...knowing there is another person out there that isn't as smart with money...also, knowing that she is difficult, see her ten commandments of jen...apparently I fit about half of them. Anyway, enjoyed it and am looking forward to her latest book, which I am starting TONIGHT!

Bright Lights...

Big Ass (there is a much longer title) by Jen Lancaster. I read it this weekend and in parts laughed so hard I cried...couldn't communicate and couldn't share the humor with my husband even a day later...because it was so funny. I especially enjoyed the chapter TUESDAY AFTERNOON DRINKING CLUB! I had to re-read it because I couldn't see through my tears of laughter. This author was recommended to me by a friend of mine who had recommended her newest book SUCH A PRETTY FAT. While I wait to get it from the library...I decided to read her first two. I started with her second...and am now reading her BITTER IS THE NEW BLACK. For my girlfriends out there...need a good laugh? Check one of these books out! There are other things in the book that aren't so funny, but oh so true!

Al Capone Does My Shirts

This book by Gennifer Choldenko was very entertaining...I guess it helps that I went to Alcatraz this summer...so many of the places in the book and some of the prison's history was fresh in my mind. Moose's father gets a job on Alcatraz as both an electrician and a guard. He moves the family to the island...which includes Moose's sister Natalie, who has turned 10 years old for several years. Moose feels a little funny living on an island with Al Capone and with good reason. I really enjoyed getting to know the characters and looking at life on Alcatraz through the eyes of some of the kids who live there (and there really were families that lived there). I recommend it..and I promise I will read some adult books this weekend!

The Lightning Thief

I just finished this book this morning! I actually started it on Monday during some downtime at a school visit...I liked it right away, sailed through the first 8 chapters in a half hour! This is definitely for those who like adventure, danger, mystery...and mythology! This takes place in modern times but Percy finds out that he is the child of a god...which one? And why are creatures trying to kill him? I thoroughly enjoyed this book and can't wait to read the other books in the series! I have actually heard the author, Rick Riordan speak and he was great! It has just taken me a year before I tried the book!

The 39 Clues: Book One: Maze of Bones

So, this is supposed to be the next Harry Potter...there will be a series of 39 books all by different authors coming out over the next few years. Book 2 will be by Gordan Korman and due out in December and then book 3 comes out in April 2009...I loved it! I loved the plot, the adventure and the sneaky way that facts and places are snuck into the story so that kids can learn while they read and not really know it. This first book was written by Rick Riordan (The Lightening Thief/Percy Jackson series) kept me up late into the night to finish it! I just got back from France, so the fact that our characters end up in Paris was even more of a pull. Think Amazing Race meets Lemony Snickett meets DaVinci Code...but maybe even better! There is a brother sister team as the main characters and they dislike each other enough to make it real! The series is trying to combine reading with an online game and a possible prize winning...and I think so far, it is successful! Try it out!

Skinny Bitch

Sorry for those of you who don't like the word BITCH...this really is the title of this book by Rory Freedman and Kim Barnouin. Thankfully I am secure enough in my desire to consume meat to not be offended by their harsh words for us meat eaters...but they do have several great rules and guidelines for eating healthy and losing weight! I say to those who are easily offended, this may not be the book for you, but for those of you with tough skins, read away. For my vegan and vegetarian friends this is DEFINITELY the book for you...great ideas on foods, recipes, brands to check out and websites for the vegan! It may just be the KICK IN THE ASS you need to start living a happy, healthier life!

The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

Okay, I read this book in about an hour last night...it is by John Boyne and was incredible! I have read several Holocaust books and this one was very different, chilling, and of course sad. I was most amazed by the terminology used in the book to describe what the boy's father did, where they lived and this 9 year old's limited understanding of what was going on. I was definitely moved...and would add this to a top recommendation for anyone who wanted to read about the Holocaust. I am trying not to give anything away by what I am saying...but it is difficult to not know what happens. I wasn't prepared for the ending...although I felt it was a good ending to the book (If you could call it good). Read it!!

Sex and the City

So, I have ALWAYS been a huge fan of Sex and the City...I watched every episode at least once and now own the complete series...I also have seen the movie, which I LOVED...and look forward to owning it too! So...I had never read the book, and her newest book ONE FIFTH AVENUE had just come out...so I thought, why not? Well, I don't normally say this, but the TV series and the movie were MUCH better than the book. The book was choppy and didn't flow. It was a bunch of snippets of conversation that don't quite mesh...I am still going to attempt her new one...I will let you know what I think, and I want to try LIPSTICK JUNGLE (which I am loving on TV as well). What did you think? Have you read the book? Let me know!

Weekend Reads

Went out of town on a weekend getaway with my husband. We met his parents in Ashland, OR for the Shakespeare Festival. We had a great time. While I was gone, I was able to finish two books...BEACH HOUSE by Jane Green and MISS ZUKAS AND THE LIBRARY MURDERS by Jo Dereske. I thoroughly enjoyed both of them! You will find that it is hard to find a book I don't like...I can only think of a few...or I just never finish them. I was sucked into a MYSTERY series...even though you KNOW how I feel about them. I went to a Library Conference in Olympia, WA at the beginning of October and met the author of these mysteries...she was funny and interesting, so I decided to try the first one. It was a light read...I didn't figure out who it was until nearly the end, and I really loved the characters. It takes place in a library, what is not to like?

BEACH HOUSE reminded me of Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin...loosely...a little more light, great characters and the kind of book that you don't want to put down because you want to know what happens. There is a little twist in the book to keep you interested. I was recommended this book by a fellow Librarian and I loved it! It takes place in Nantucket and makes you want to make summer last forever!

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

This book by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows was recommended to me by a co-worker as a pretty light read with an interesting story. I finished the book yesterday evening. I loved it. Set in WW II, this book is a series of letters going back and forth from an author to an island in the English Channel. During the war this island is occupied by German soldiers and the people on the island form a group late one night past curfew and the group continues even after the war is over. They get together and read books, make potato peel pie and think of ways to survive the German occupation. A light read, although there are a few heavy parts...I definitely recommend this book to anyone...and once you get over the letter reading...you barely notice!

A list of books I have finished recently...

So, I am trying to keep up with my reading of Juvenile and Young Adult fiction (or nonfiction) so I can help kids find some good reads...here are a few of my recent reads...
THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF FAN BOY AND GOTH GIRL by Barry Lyga - a boy who is neither popular or strong is noticed by a goth girl...not afraid to be who she is and get into some trouble along the way...she is doing horribly in school, he is still maintaining his grades, fighting to keep away from his horrible (all in his mind) stepfather and weirded out by his pregnant mother...he is writing his graphic novel...there is an important convention coming to town...what will his new friendship, his family relations and school do to help or hinder him in pursuing his dreams? I LOVED this book and recommend it to anyone who ever wasn't popular!

SEVEN SPINNING SPIDERS by Gregory Maguire - yes, by the author of WICKED, this book starts with Siberian snow spiders who are born and immediately frozen...several thousand years later they are discovered and transported to America where the fun begins....the spiders thaw and attach themselves to the seven girls of the group Tattletales...in complete competition with the boys of the Copycats. The spiders start to die...the siblings decide vengeance and all the while the Tattletales and the Copycats are about to enter a war of their own. It is an incredible book, lots of humor and suspense!

THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX by Kate DiCamillo - a mouse with HUGE ears falls in love with a human princess...and the tale continues from there. This author has written several books that I have fallen in love with, and this is yet another.

The 19th Wife

I just finished THE 19TH WIFE by David Ebershoff, a story about the 19th wife of Brigham Young. Written as a historical fiction novel with a 21st century murder mystery, this book jumps back and forth from history to present day. It was interesting to read especially with all of the news coverage of the Texas Ranch earlier this year. I think most people are both interested and disgusted by polygamy. Of course there is the TV show BIG LOVE, which I am also a fan of...I have also read UNDER THE BANNER OF HEAVEN by Jon Krakauer which addresses Mormanism in a slightly different light...regardless I think most are fascinated and either of these two books are great reads!