BAD TIMING!!!!

I went digital back in February. It's a hard thing for a book lover like me to do, but for as much as I love the feel and smell of the pages, I also love trees. So, finally, I thought I would try a Nook - by Barnes and Noble.
Let me just say, I LOVE IT!!!! I don't even notice that I am not reading a "book" anymore. I love the ease and convenience. I love being able to download a book while I'm soaking in my tubby. It's amazing. My Nook is everything I hoped it would be.
For my birthday my amazing husband and some good friends gave me some book certificates, which of course, were used to load my Nook with some new reads. I was so excited about the books that I had chosen: The Distant Hours by Kate Morten, Decision Points by G.W. Bush, Cleopatra by Stacy Schiff, Oryx & Crake by Margaret Atwood, and Still Alice by Lisa Genova.
I had two weeks off of school and a five day weekend coming up, when something terrible happened.... My Nook died. It was the worst.
I called Barnes and Noble to trouble shoot it - no joy.
But then, the most amazing thing happened! Barnes and Noble shipped me a new one and all I have to do is send them the dead one back. No charge - not even on the shipping. Amazing. All my books are still there, just waiting for me to pick them up. I can't wait for my new Nook to get here.
Until them, I am doing it the old fashioned way reading The Master and Margarita by Bulgakov and I Know This Much is True by Wally Lamb.
To anyone, in spite of this little set back, I LOVE my Nook and would recommend it highly. Not the Nook color - the battery life isn't as good. Plus, Barnes and Noble has been truly amazing with their customer service. Big kudos to them!

Did You Love the Diary of Anne Frank?

Me too! It was one of those stories that you read and it changes you. It effects the way you view the world, the way you see yourself and the way you think of other people. I will never forget reading that book and what it still means to me.

I was always curious about the other people that lived in the Annex with Anne. I wanted to know more about her wise and inspiring father, her seemingly perfect sister, the annoying dentist.... but most of all, I wanted to know more about Peter, the boy that Anne loved.

The idea of love in such a time and place seems like the ultimate act of hope. Really that was who Anne was - a girl who loved and was full of hope. In her diary, she says: " I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart." Amazing when you consider the things that she lived through.



I jumped at the chance to get to know Peter and Anne better - even if Annexed by Susan Dogar is historical fiction. I initially thought this would be a great book for two of my fourth grade boys that are history buffs. Wrong. Not appropriate for them.

At first I was surprised by some of the content of the book, but then I remembered that Peter was a 16 year old boy when he entered the Annex. Then the wet dreams and sometimes sexual content of the book made sense. No, there was never anything inappropriate between Anne and Peter, not really, but he does have some rather graphic dreams.

Even so, my heart broke, once again as the group was discovered. They were on the last train out of Holland before the Allies came - the last train to Auschwitz. My heart broke as they were seperated, and Peter's story reminded me, once again, why it is so important to never forget what happened. This was a terrible and yet uplifting story that I would highly recommend to older teens and adults.

High Hopes - Dashed.

I had such high hopes for this book, it all sounded so promising. But alas, I just couldn't get into it. This is the story of a woparking class couple who lose their only son in the war. Never supporters of the Nazis, the loss of their son brings them to the edge. The decide to stand up and revolt. They start writing post cards - one or two a week - against Hitler and the party. They ride the train to different parts of the country and drop the postcards, hoping to stir up anti-Nazi sentiment.
The SS is put on the trail of the "hobgoblin". This story is about life in Berlin during the war. It seems to give an accurate depiction in that respect, and it is interesting.
My problem with it is the vast number of characters moving in and out of the story, most of whom we either have no feelings about whatsoever or you just don't like. It's hard to care about a book when you don't care about the characters.
The most interesting thing about this book is the life of the author Hans Fallada. He was put into an insane asylum during the war for refusing to join the Nazi party. This book was based on the SS files of a real couple that existed during the war.

This is the touching story of a young girl whose life comes to a close much to early; however, this is not a story about her death but about what happens after. Riley has a difficult time moving beyond the Earth plane, but with the help of her loving dog Buttercup she finally arrives in the Here and Now, only to discover that her life is far from over.

Riley and Buttercup have been given a job, as soul catchers. Their first assignment is the "Radiant boy", a ghost that has been haunting an ancient English castle for centuries. Can Riley and Buttercup succeed and help the Radiant boy find his way to the bridge to Here and Now?

I picked this book up because my 5th grade girls seem to have a penchant for the supernatural and other-worldly type stories. This book has many good messages in it like acceptance of yourself for who you are and never, ever judging a book by it's cover.

If you have a young reader who enjoys these kinds of stories, I recommend Radiance.

The Guardians of Ga'Hoole

We have a rule in our house - no seeing the movie before you read the book. The book is always better, and you miss so much by cheating and just watching the movie! This could not be more true of the Guardians of Ga'Hoole - books 1 - 3 The Capture, The Journey, and The Rescue. Recently a movie just came out called the Legend of the Guardians based LOOSELY upon these books.

We saw the movie. It was a good movie, but having read the book, such a disappointment. The story was capable of so much more.

The books tell the story of Soren, a young barn owl. He falls from his nest as a hatchling and is captured by evil owls from St. Aegolius's Academy for Orphaned Owls. The problem? Soren isn't an orphan, he's been stolen from his family.

Even worse, the owls at St. Aggie's try to program, or "moon blink" the young owls into believing what they are told. With the help of a persistent young elf owl named Gylfie and some unexpected friends, Soren and Gylfie plan their escape from St. Aggie's.

These books are about so much more than what they seem. They are about love, friendship and what makes a family. They are about truth, belief, and what makes the essence of ourselves.

My whole family is reading this series, even my husband. We have had many discussions about it around the dinner table. I wish more families would read together. I can't recommend these books highly enough. Also by Kathryn Lasky - the Wolves of Beyond, another wonderful story!

We are now on book 7 of 15 and I just can't wait to hear about what happens to Soren and his friends as their adventures continue!