Why I have this book: I bought it for my oldest daughter because she tends to read romance books. Not the sleazy kind... the fairy-tale kind. The main character of this book is obsessed with romance books, so I thought it was a good fit for my daughter.
I loved this book. At first I thought it was weirdly written... kind of random and nonsensical. But it didn't take long to get me H.O.O.K.E.D. I ended up reading for about three hours straight because it sucked me right in. SO good, so fun, so romantic (SO romantic), and just lots of good stuff all the way around.
Definite keeper... which is good, since it's not mine anyway. :) But if my daughter ever wants to get rid of it, I'm keeping it for myself. (For the record, both my daughters loved it, too.)
Absolutely clean.
Saturday, November 6, 2010
Thursday, October 28, 2010
5 books I'm getting out of the house...
I am past the stage of being pregnant and having new babies. Yep. It's true.
Sooooo... these books are either going in the trash or to new owners:
The Very Best Baby Name Book in the Whole Wide World (Bruce Lansky) It's falling apart and will go in the trash. Good memories from this book: all the markings through each name I didn't like during my 5th pregnancy... and then finding his name was actually one of those I had marked through. And finding my 6th baby's name solely because of the meaning when we discovered he had survived a medical situation that should have ended his life. I also have lists of names in the back that were possibilities during various pregnancies... and now I wonder WHY I liked those names
The Nursing Mother's Companion (Kathleen Huggins, R.N.M.S.) Helpful book to get one through the challenges of nursing.
What to Expect When You're Expecting (Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi E. Murkoff, and Sandee E. Hathaway B.S.N.) I loved this book while I was pregnant. I laughed at the part that is highlighted by my husband. He did that to give a Family Home Evening with the kids in my last pregnancy about why mom is sick and to tell them to be nice to me. (I think it was mostly to remind himself that I wasn't faking it and that he needed to be nice and patient, too.)
What to Expect the First Year (Same authors as above) So helpful when I had a preemie to keeps tabs on his development. My two youngest are older than a year, so I can pass this one on.
Jane Fonda's Workout Book for Pregnancy, Birth, and Recovery (Femmy DeLyser) At my request, this was a gift from my parents during my first pregnancy. I didn't do the exercises in it - until I got the videotape during my second pregnancy - but this book was a wealth of information for me! Seriously. Femmy DeLyser was a natural childbirth instructor and I learned a lot about pregnancy, birth, recovery, AND taking care of a newborn from this book. I have lots of good feelings when I see this book. Thanks, Mom and Dad!
Sooooo... these books are either going in the trash or to new owners:
The Very Best Baby Name Book in the Whole Wide World (Bruce Lansky) It's falling apart and will go in the trash. Good memories from this book: all the markings through each name I didn't like during my 5th pregnancy... and then finding his name was actually one of those I had marked through. And finding my 6th baby's name solely because of the meaning when we discovered he had survived a medical situation that should have ended his life. I also have lists of names in the back that were possibilities during various pregnancies... and now I wonder WHY I liked those names
The Nursing Mother's Companion (Kathleen Huggins, R.N.M.S.) Helpful book to get one through the challenges of nursing.
What to Expect When You're Expecting (Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi E. Murkoff, and Sandee E. Hathaway B.S.N.) I loved this book while I was pregnant. I laughed at the part that is highlighted by my husband. He did that to give a Family Home Evening with the kids in my last pregnancy about why mom is sick and to tell them to be nice to me. (I think it was mostly to remind himself that I wasn't faking it and that he needed to be nice and patient, too.)
What to Expect the First Year (Same authors as above) So helpful when I had a preemie to keeps tabs on his development. My two youngest are older than a year, so I can pass this one on.
Jane Fonda's Workout Book for Pregnancy, Birth, and Recovery (Femmy DeLyser) At my request, this was a gift from my parents during my first pregnancy. I didn't do the exercises in it - until I got the videotape during my second pregnancy - but this book was a wealth of information for me! Seriously. Femmy DeLyser was a natural childbirth instructor and I learned a lot about pregnancy, birth, recovery, AND taking care of a newborn from this book. I have lots of good feelings when I see this book. Thanks, Mom and Dad!
Monday, October 18, 2010
3 books by Ann Rinaldi
In My Father's House
Time Enough for Drums
The Fifth of March
Why I have these books: I bought them in an Ann Rinaldi reading frenzy moment.
I liked them all. One was about the Civil War era, and the other two are Revolutionary War era. Ann Rinaldi's books are always interesting, and I like how she has an "author's note" at the end that explains more about the time period and which parts of her stories are fact or fiction.
Keepers
There is some occasional/rare swearing, including using the Lord's name as an exclamation of emotion. One book does mention a woman being pregnant outside of marriage, and the choice a character makes to not let her beau pressure her into doing more than holding hands.
Time Enough for Drums
The Fifth of March
Why I have these books: I bought them in an Ann Rinaldi reading frenzy moment.
I liked them all. One was about the Civil War era, and the other two are Revolutionary War era. Ann Rinaldi's books are always interesting, and I like how she has an "author's note" at the end that explains more about the time period and which parts of her stories are fact or fiction.
Keepers
There is some occasional/rare swearing, including using the Lord's name as an exclamation of emotion. One book does mention a woman being pregnant outside of marriage, and the choice a character makes to not let her beau pressure her into doing more than holding hands.
The Missing: Books 1, 2, and 3 (Margaret Peterson Haddix)
Found
Sent
Sabotaged
Why I have these books: I read a preview chapter of Found at the end of another book by the same author, and it looked really, really intriguing
Well, they didn't turn out to be as intriguing as I thought they would be... but they are still good. They actually ended up to be about time travel, so there are some interesting historical storylines that turn up once you get past the first book. The first book is the most interesting as far as the "intrigue" goes, because you keep wondering what's going on. Once you get your answer, they are sort-of like the Magic Tree House series... only for older readers.
They are keepers.
I have read more books since finishing these, so I can't recall if there is any bad language. If there is, it's minor... but if I had to call it, I'd say they are clean.
Sent
Sabotaged
Why I have these books: I read a preview chapter of Found at the end of another book by the same author, and it looked really, really intriguing
Well, they didn't turn out to be as intriguing as I thought they would be... but they are still good. They actually ended up to be about time travel, so there are some interesting historical storylines that turn up once you get past the first book. The first book is the most interesting as far as the "intrigue" goes, because you keep wondering what's going on. Once you get your answer, they are sort-of like the Magic Tree House series... only for older readers.
They are keepers.
I have read more books since finishing these, so I can't recall if there is any bad language. If there is, it's minor... but if I had to call it, I'd say they are clean.
Thursday, September 16, 2010
The Aloha Quilt (Jennifer Chiaverini)
Why I have this book: It's a Jennifer Chiaverini book. Of course.
It's another keeper. What else can I say?
Oh, I guess I can say that it was fun to learn about Hawaiian history and culture a bit. It was also fun to learn about Hawaiian style quilting.
I also enjoyed reading about places in Hawaii that we visited when we were there eight years ago.
I liked it, just like all of her books!
Clean... with one or two instances of using the Lord's name as an exclamation of emotion.
It's another keeper. What else can I say?
Oh, I guess I can say that it was fun to learn about Hawaiian history and culture a bit. It was also fun to learn about Hawaiian style quilting.
I also enjoyed reading about places in Hawaii that we visited when we were there eight years ago.
I liked it, just like all of her books!
Clean... with one or two instances of using the Lord's name as an exclamation of emotion.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
The Hunger Games Series (Suzanne Collins)
The Hunger Games
Catching Fire
Mockingjay
Why I have these books: My friend (that same one!) recommended the first one... and I liked it so much that I had to get the rest of the series.
I liked all three of the books. I had heard that the first was the best, then the second was not quite as good, and then the third was not great. I completely disagree. The third was a little harder for me to get into, but that could have been because it was a stressful couple of days and I couldn't stay focused. Once I got into it, though, I couldn't put it down.
The end of the last book of the series left me speechless. I can't imagine it ending any other way... and even though I don't know if I would call it a happy ending, it felt complete to me.
Definite keepers. These books are page turners, but there is so much more to them: Government control, good vs evil, human nature, the resilience of the human spirit, etc. I wonder if the readers who got caught up only in the love story were some of the ones who were disappointed in the third book. It was so much more than that.
The subject matter is heavy - a lot of war violence, plus a disturbing game that involves killing for entertainment. I don't recall any swearing, but the third book had some mention on punishment by prostitution and another character who used women for his gain. This series is for mature readers.
Catching Fire
Mockingjay
Why I have these books: My friend (that same one!) recommended the first one... and I liked it so much that I had to get the rest of the series.
I liked all three of the books. I had heard that the first was the best, then the second was not quite as good, and then the third was not great. I completely disagree. The third was a little harder for me to get into, but that could have been because it was a stressful couple of days and I couldn't stay focused. Once I got into it, though, I couldn't put it down.
The end of the last book of the series left me speechless. I can't imagine it ending any other way... and even though I don't know if I would call it a happy ending, it felt complete to me.
Definite keepers. These books are page turners, but there is so much more to them: Government control, good vs evil, human nature, the resilience of the human spirit, etc. I wonder if the readers who got caught up only in the love story were some of the ones who were disappointed in the third book. It was so much more than that.
The subject matter is heavy - a lot of war violence, plus a disturbing game that involves killing for entertainment. I don't recall any swearing, but the third book had some mention on punishment by prostitution and another character who used women for his gain. This series is for mature readers.
Thursday, September 9, 2010
The Elements of Style (William Strunk Jr. and E.B. White) 4th Edition
Why I have this book: I remembered flipping through my friend's copy several years ago, and decided to get my own copy.
This is a little book about grammar rules and other helps for writers. I made my way slowly through it... just a page or two at a time. It was good to see what I'm doing right. There were a couple of rules I needed to learn. However, I don't think I'll ever understand the whole "lie, lay, lain, lying" vs. "lay, laid, laid, laying". And, yes, they had "laid" in there twice, too. I just don't get it and I generally change my sentences if I have to use one of those words, just to avoid having to figure it out.
I'm keeping it.
Clean.
This is a little book about grammar rules and other helps for writers. I made my way slowly through it... just a page or two at a time. It was good to see what I'm doing right. There were a couple of rules I needed to learn. However, I don't think I'll ever understand the whole "lie, lay, lain, lying" vs. "lay, laid, laid, laying". And, yes, they had "laid" in there twice, too. I just don't get it and I generally change my sentences if I have to use one of those words, just to avoid having to figure it out.
I'm keeping it.
Clean.
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