March Reads

Another month gone, another month of reads.

Me Before you (Jojo Moyes)- Lou Clark is a twenty-something who has settled for her small, ordinary life in a her small town. Her world gets shaken up when the tea shop she works at closes and she has to scramble for a new job placement. Enter Will Traynor, a man who used to live life large but after an accident has to live life from a wheelchair as a quadriplegic. Clark takes a job as his day caregiver. When Clark finds out that Will has shocking plans for his future, she sets out to show him that life can still be accessible and wonderful from his chair. Okay. I can't go into much without giving away a lot but this is one of my top 5 favorite books of the past year. Loved it. I didn't really expect to! I thought I'd be tough but it broke through my icy heart and I need to own this book asap. I've heard a lot of people critique this book as perpetuating this idea that a disabled life is not a life worth living but I feel like it's the exact opposite of that. I think it is about living life to the fullest, being inspired, being loved and loving and making hard choices and how relationships can affect us. I can understand the ableism critique of this for sure but I don't think it's as prevalent as some people have seemed to make it.

Allegiant (Veronica Roth)- The faction based society that Tris has lived in her entire life has been shattered. Hoping for a new life of peace, Tris, Four and a handful of friends venture outside the wall to find out what waits on the other side. What they discover is more lies and twists as they navigate human nature once more and try to save their loved ones. Mehhhhh. The first like half of this book was really bleh. I hated the dual perspective. Once again Four and Tris' relationship got on my NERVES. The end was full of action but wasn't really surprising. I felt like you saw it all coming. Or at least I did. It was very bland to me. I wanted to think Tris was brave and daring and whatever but mostly I just felt like they were all asses.

Who Will Run the Frog Hospital? (Lorrie Moore)- A grown woman looks back with nostalgia at the summer she was 15. Berie and her best friend Sils worked together, stole liquor from their parents together, went out dancing together and seeping the fun out of their small town lives. Everything is carefree until Berie realizes Sils really does need her help and that's when everything changes. I loved this book. An easy read but full of complicated characters and situations. The bittersweet retelling of Berie's youth from the perspective of middle age Berie is beautiful and touching. It was kind of heartbreaking but the story telling was so beautiful that it was worth it.

Dept. of Speculation (Jenny Offill)- The character simply referred to as 'the wife' ruminates on the consuming love of motherhood, the day to day droll of marriage, the highs and lows of a long lived relationship and the seduction of art. Another love. I couldn't put this down. It is written in short, staggered paragraphs and the feelings jump off of the page and right into your lap. I could feel the fierce love, I could feel the rage and confusion, I could feel the longing and the pain and the need and it was very reflective and engaging. It is perfectly done. A beautiful piece of literature. The piercing emotional insights will last long after you are done reading. I've been thinking about this book for days.

The BFG (Roald Dahl)- Had Sophie been carried off by any other giant in the middle of the night she would have been swallowed up immediately. As it is, she is taken by the Big Friendly Giant, a dream blower who travels around England bringing happy dreams to little children. When Sophie learns that the other 9 giants are galloping off to eat their fill of human beans, she knows they must do something about it! Ahhhh, this book is magical and wonderful and perfection. I loved it so much. My son loved it and laughed out loud constantly. It is whimsical and fun and scary in parts and full of adventure. I'm very excited to see how the movie interpretation is later this year!

Song of the Wanderer (Bruce Coville)- Cara must travel through the wilderness of Luster, the land of the unicorns, to find her way back to Earth and save her Grandmother, the Wanderer. A surly dragon, vicious delver attacks and dangerous terrain make for a hard road and all while Beloved, the enemy of the unicorns, is watching and waiting for the opportunity to attack and steal the amulet that will let her enter Luster and finish the slaughtering of the unicorns that she began so many hundreds of years before. This book started out as a chapter book with my little girl but she wasn't super into it (the beginning was very LoTR, just walking around and talking to people about what needed to be done, so I don't blame her for getting bored) so I finished it on my own and I'm glad I did. I read the first book of The Unicorn Chronicles as a little girl and loved it but never knew there were more books until very recently. Holy plot twist that I did not see coming.The beginning is a little slow but the pace picks up quickly and the adventures are many.

 Dark Whispers (Bruce Coville)- Cara must travel to the Valley of the Centaurs in pursuit of a mysterious story that could hold the key to the survival of the unicorns. The 3rd book in The Unicorn Chronicles and it wastes no time diving into the adventure in this one. In this novel the point of view changes practically every chapter and that usually bothers me but I felt that in this book it made sense and it kept you guessing and antsy for what happens next. I appreciate these middle grade fantasy novels.

Over Sea, Under Stone (Susand Cooper)- The Drew children discover an ancient map in the attic of the home they are holidaying at by the sea. Quickly it is discovered that this map is special and the key to finding a powerful source to fight the evil Dark. The children, with their mysterious Great Uncle Merry, begin a perilous journey of seeking out the grail. This is a fantasy series built around Arthurian legend so naturally it is wonderful. I was captivated by Great Uncle Merry and this ancient struggle between Good and Evil and the legends behind it all. It's a lovely little read.

The Fairy Rebel (Lynne Reid Banks)- Jan is sitting in her garden when she gets the biggest surprise of her life- a fairy is earthed on her toe. Tiki the fairy puts herself in terrible danger by helping Jan, who is desperate for a child, have a baby. After the Queen of the fairies discovers that there is a fairy child they must rise up against her darkness and evil. This is one of my favorite books of all time. I adore this book. It leaves me so happy and I can ride that happy book high for days. It's a great story, cool illustrations and the perfect little something when you need a fairy tale.

The Silver Chair (C.S. Lewis)- Eustace and Jill escape their school bullies through a door in a wall and come out the other side into Aslan's land. Aslan himself has a task for the children. Through dangerous adventures with serpents, giants and dark tunnels they must find the lost Prince and restore him to Narnia. I've yet to read a Narnia book that doesn't make me all goose bumpy. The end made me cry. Like a lot.

Living Dead Girl (Elizabeth Scott)- Strong sexual assault trigger here. I have a lot of feelings about this. This was an unfinished book for me because I got about a third through it and just could not. It read like torture porn for me. I understand that there is a place for things like this and as a sexual assault survivor myself I think talking about this is important but I just did not like the interpretation of assault that I saw or how frequently (like every few pages in the part that I read) it happened. Not to mention that I also didn't enjoy the writing at all. Even if the subject matter hadn't been hard for me and the subject not broached the way I would have liked it, the writing just wasn't great and I didn't enjoy the format.

The Siren (Kiera Cass)- Here is the goodreads page for this book if you'd like a summary. Another started but didn't finish for me. Womp. It just didn't grab my interest. I thought the idea of a siren story sounded super neat and in the first 50 something pages I hadn't gotten into the story yet so I decided to give it up.

 

The Lost Hero (Rick Riordan)- The first book in the Heroes of Olympus series follows 3 new heroes- Jason, Piper and Leo - as they discover their godly parentage and set off on a quest to (what else?) save the world. I really enjoyed this! The ending definitely made sure I'll come back to read the rest. The first born and I started this wayyyyy back in January and we finally finished it. It's not that we weren't into it, it is just super dense and a lot of pages to get through. I loved the story told from the perspective of all 3 heroes. I felt the character development was beautiful and intentional and really noticeable. The story being woven is exciting and mysterious and I'm anxiously waiting on the next one to arrive at our library. 

That's a wrap for March! Happy reading. 

100 Things I Love

books. cupcakes. sugar skulls. natural light. opera. tulips. yarn. white noise. clue. senior dogs. dr. pepper. spring. baking. gilmore girls. brick houses. wrap around porches. the ocean. flowers in vases. children's lit. gold. lemonade. granny squares. netflix. linen smell. the color aqua. rainbow book shelves. earrings. white cupboards. wood floors. picnics. slides. crocheting. fantasy novels. harry potter. coffee aisles. children. marriage. butter. thunderstorms. beards. seaweed salad. cozy blankets. cotton dresses. ice. decorating cakes. growing flowers. day trips. museums. hammerhead sharks. board books. zoos. celtic accents. trashy novels. aquariums. bunting. bookcases. ice cream sandwiches. chocolate. stacks of books. old photographs. josh groban. husband. coconut rum. names. windows. sunflowers. sex. teapots. beauty and the beast. toy stores. fire. going out to eat. memory boxes. school photos. holding hands. squishy chairs. fireworks. youtube. book vloggers. pajamas. being a mama. reading out loud. naps. christmas. birthdays. doors. walks. short hair. new years. knit hats. stickers. spanish moss. islands. laughing. peaches. peanut butter. star gazing. book stores. azalea bushes. pets.

List 10- Beginning Chapter Books

Reading is a passion of mine, if you didn't know, and passing down the love of reading to my children is one of my top goals as a mother. Over the past few months my 4 year old and I have started diving into the brand new world (for her) of chapter books! Here is my list of 10 GREAT beginning chapter books for you and your preschooler with one sentence on why it's great-

1. Amelia Bedelia (Peggy Parish)- Amelia Bedelia will follow all of your instructions exactly which leads to some pretty hilarious mix ups and shenanigans that will have your kid LOLing.

2. Dinosaurs Before Dark- Magic Tree House #1 (Mary Pope Osborne)- A magic treehouse transports 2 kids anywhere in history that they want to visit so your kid is sure to find a book with a topic they are interested in and learn some cool facts.

3. Junie B. Jones and the Stupid Smelly Bus (Barbara Park)- Junie B. Jones is a sassy little lady with a penchant for getting into trouble and making preschoolers giggle themselves silly.

4. The Mercy Watson series (Kate DiCamillo)- Full of piggy adventures, buttery toast, funny supporting characters and bright illustrations it is sure to be engaging and fun for any beginning chapter book enjoyer. (It is my daughter's personal favorite.)

5. Tales From Deckawoo Drive (Kate DiCamillo)- Following some supporting characters from the Mercy Watson series, these books are just as fun and and colorful as the piggy tales. 

 6. Beezua and Ramona (Beverly Cleary)- A witty, imaginative, joyfully engaging read that anyone with a sibling can relate to. 

7. Fantastic Mr. Fox (Roald Dahl)- Follow Mr. Fox on his clever adventure to outwit the farmers in this brief 96 pages and use your voice acting chops to play it up and make it extra fun.

8. The Princess in Black (Shannon and Dean Hale)- One of my personal favorites because it tosses aside the boring idea of what a princess should be and introduces a fun, kick ass princess that is gorgeously displayed in vivid colorful illustrations.

9. Emma and the Blue Genie (Cornelia Funke)- Another book full of colorful illustrations that depict an adventure between a girl and her dog and the genie she finds washed up on the beach.

 The BFG (Roald Dahl)- A hilariously ridonculous fantastical tale of a girl and the Big Friendly Giant that kids laugh out loud to and can't get enough of. (Bonus- read it now and watch the movie when it comes out!)

 

20ish Bookish Facts About Me

1. I prefer paperbacks to hard cover. I just love the pliability and feel of a paperback and the lighter weight really helps when carrying it around in my bag.
2. The first book I ever bought with 'my own money' was Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets when I was 12 or 13. I found 5 dollars in a parking lot and ran back inside the store we'd just left to buy it.
3. My homeschool teacher found out that I was reading the 2nd HP book and had never read the first so she bought it for me and had me start all over.
4. That teacher, who is also my mentor and friend to this day, is 1000% responsible for me picking up a very good reading habit as a teen.
5. My favorite book for a very long time was The Hobbit.
6. It isn't anymore. In fact, I can't choose a favorite book. Depending on my mood and the time of year and what I've read recently, different books always come to mind first.
7. When I'm reading during my free time with no one around I always turn on some sort of classical or jazz playlist and turn the volume on low. I enjoy that background noise.
8. I dog ear books. :/ Womp womp. I know this is severely frowned upon. I really plan on stopping. I just lose bookmarks so easilyyyy.
9. I am very cheap about buying books. I almost always buy 2nd hand. This has become harder for me recently because I LOVE LOVE LOVE that feel of a brand spanking new book. That buttery, never held before feeling. But books are expensive, yo.
10. My book shelves are currently organized by color.
11. All of my children's books are on different bookcases and they aren't super organized except by, like, type. Like, board books on one shelf, Little Golden books, tall books, chapter books, etc.
12. The book I've read the most is probably.... any of the first 4 Harry Potter books. I've read a few other books twice but never more than that.
13. I read to my siblings out loud a lot. That's how I've managed to read HP so many times, actually. I read each of them to my siblings individually as well as reading them on my own a couple of times. And now I get to read them all over again with MY kids.
14. My parents are not 'bookish' people. My dad has read a bit but my mom hates reading, books, libraries and anything to do with literature. For real. I don't know where my love of reading really came from. I have just always loved books.
15. The first (and only) signed book I've ever received was As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes. My husband bought it for me for my birthday last year and I flipped the flip out.
16. I've only been to one midnight book release and it was for the last Harry Potter book. It was fun as hizell. I took my siblings, who were 12 and 14 at the time, and we were sorted into houses and got to play games and all that jazz.
17. I only read my first audio book last year. It's still a new thing for me. I don't have a lot of opportunity for audio books, what with having very loud children running around me at all times.
18. I used to read several books at once. I had a car book that was in the car, my bag book that I took everywhere, my book beside the bed that I read at night or when I first woke up in the morning. Now I have to chill out with all of that and I try to not be reading one book (on my own, not counting chapter books read aloud to my kids) at a time.
19. I have only read maybe 3 e-books. I should definitely invest in an e-reader of some sort because it would be great to not have SO MANY BOOKS but the honest truth is... I love physical copies of books. They are my drug of choice. I love having them on my shelves and feeling them and smelling them and generally being a creepy asshole with them.
20. I love book covers and I will 100% buy a book based on its cover. No shame.
21. I am still really sad that I didn't go to Hogwarts and I'm not a witch.
22. My top 5 favorite books read in the past year are- The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey, Wonder by R.J.Palacio, The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton, The BFG by Roald Dahl, and Me Before You by JoJo Moyes.
23. I spoiled the entire ending of The Hunger Games trilogy for my sister. I thought she had read the last book and let slip that whole big thing that happens (YOU KNOW) and... yeah. Whoops. I still feel awful, 4 years later.
24. I generally don't read the premise of a book other than like the basics. I don't like to read too much about what something is about because I like going into it with mystery. Plus I am SUPER weird about spoilers but after that thing with my sister can you blame me.
25. Dumbledore dying in HP was spoiled for me by an acquaintance. Had it been in person and not over the internet, heads would have been rolling.
26. I never watch the movie before reading the book. I think plenty of movies based on books are amazing. It's not that I am a prude about it. I just prefer reading and immersing myself in a story through books before watching it on the screen.
27. I almost always read a book before making a purchase. I'll usually borrow it from a friend or from the library and then add it to my 'to buy' list if I love it.
28. Exceptions to the above mostly involve series. If I know I enjoy a series I will usually buy the next book in it without reading it first.


And that's 20(ish) bookish facts you might not have known about me but now do.

Little Confessions

Welcome to another Confessional Thursday.

I confess....


I pretty much never get dressed. If there is a place to go I will put on pants,... but otherwise? Pajama day is every day. Sorry not sorry.

If it isn't pajama pants, it will always be leggings. ALWAYS. Do I even own a pair of jeans anymore?

 

I confess that I have neglected pretty much everything except my children for 2 days while I've finished Me Before You, which I became way more invested in than I thought I would. Despite it being what I found predictable, I really enjoyed it and there are few things as good as getting lost in a book.

This week I have drank nothing but lemonade. I blame the Spring like weather. It is warm and sunny and feels like the right kind of time for a tall glass of sour sweetness.

There is a giant stack of library books that just came in for us and I am overjoyed at the mere sight of it. I often find myself thinking 'I would much rather be reading' when I'm having to socialize. Good thing my kids and husband are also book nerds.

I confess that yesterday I started vacuuming under the couch cushions with our big shop vac and somehow this led to me vacuuming the cracks between the wooden floor slats... and it was the most satisfying thing I have done in a long time. Vacuuming is such an instant gratification sort of thing. Somehow that led to me washing walls so I think it's safe to say Spring cleaning is happening.

And that'll do for this round. Happy confession making!

2016 MMD Reading Challenge

I love a good reading list. Challenges are easily the best of the reading lists for me. No actual books to read but a list of categories to fill. Yes please. Modern Mrs. Darcy is one of my most favorite blogs and this is my first year partaking in the reading challenge but I am very excited about!

So far I have managed to check off-

A Book You Can Finish In A Day- 

I've actually managed to get through a few books in a day over the past 2 months but Tuck Everlasting was the OG. I thoroughly enjoyed it. It is youthful, sweet, and will give you a big case of the feels. 

A Book You've Been Meaning To Read-

When I started using Goodreads back... 2ish years ago? This was one of the first books I put on my 'to read' list. I've always been intrigued by Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children and indeed it proved to be a very intriguing read. It's one of those books with such a perfect cover, you know it has to be good. There are a few more books that I've crossed off my list this year. Divergent, The Selection, Tuck Everlasting. But this is the most memorable one, I think.


A Book Published Before You Were Born- 

Published in 1983, Heartburn by Nora Ephron fits the bill. It was kind of a flop for me. I enjoyed many aspects of it individually (the recipes shared, some plot elements) but together it didn't do much for me.

And that's 3 of 12. Something I have a hard time with is remembering to factor in challenge reads to my book buying/borrowing. I think a good step for me will be to actually make a list of the books I want to use to fill the categories so that I don't end up in December with 10 MMD books to read. I'll get cracking at that but it's not a bad start so far.

Happy reading!

February Reads

Another month of good reading. The cold months are very good for that. Here's what I read in February...

I Feel Bad About My Neck And Other Thoughts On Being A Woman (Nora Ephron)- A collection of short chronicles on being a woman and the anxiety and maintenance of getting older. I'd heard a lot of her books mentioned recently and randomly saw this book at our local library while I was waiting on an audio book of hers to arrive. So I grabbed and thought it would be a fast, easy read, which it was. It was not entertaining for me however. Maybe I'm not at the right age. Maybe I'll appreciate it more when I'm older. I think it could be one of those things, you know? This time around it wasn't great. I did love the final chapter, where she talks a bit about death and knowing your own mortality and such, but the rest was a bit of a dud for me.

Heartburn (Nora Ephron)- Ephron relives the demise of her own marriage in a tale told from the perspective of Rachel, who at 7 months pregnant discovers that her husband is having an affair and is in love with another woman. This book was not bad. I have to preface with that. It was fine. It was funny in parts. Maybe Ephron is just not my jam because it wasn't side splitting to me the way it seemed to be to other people. We all have our things, right? I listened to the audio book of this, read by Meryl Streep, and I think that was a lot of the problem. Meryl Streep was phenomenal. Truly. She did a great job! It was just that it was a 179 page book and it was FIVE AND A HALF HOURS of audio. I could have finished it in under 2 hours and that's all I could think while listening to it. I think it would have more enjoyable for me if I'd read it rather than listened to it.

The Distant Hours (Kate Morton)- A mysterious story following 3 elderly sisters and the secrets they have kept for over 50 years. A young woman stumbles upon them while trying to unravel her own mother's past. Kate Morton, I think I love you. I read The Forgotten Garden a while back and loved it. This book has taken me months to plow through, not because of any fault of it's own but because I've been entranced with library orders and since I OWN this book it didn't have the same shiny appeal of library books with a very loud return date. HOWEVER, it was fantastic. It was a toss back and forth between the 1940's and the 90's, which I am always intrigued by, and had the makings of a delicious historical mystery thriller. A spooky old castle, secrets long hidden, an English country side, a dark and stormy night... I'm glad I own this one.

The Elite (Kiera Cass)- I blogged about reading The Selection in January and now I'll tell you all about how I felt reading the rest of the series, so spoiler warning in case you are reading these! The Selection has been narrowed down from 35 girls to 6. Amid growing threat from outside rebel forces, America has to decide where her heart lies. With Prince Maxon or with her first love? This was another fun, fluffy read. It's great for a quick reading escape if you like some marshmallow romance. Admittedly, the lack of character development for like 2 and a half books was throwing me off but I DID enjoy it. Because I know there are a lot of people reading it I don't want to give anything away!

The One (Kiera Cass)- The Selection is nearly over. One must be crowned. Again, I don't want to give anything away! This was my favorite of the series so far. I thought the plot thickened nicely. The emotions were a little over simplified and it had me cussing at imaginary people a few times but sometimes that happens with books, am I right? #booknerdlife

The Heir (Kiera Cass)- SPOILERS, TURN AWAY NOW Princess Eadlyn has grown up hearing about her parents' epic story of finding true love and happily ever after through The Selection but she isn't interested in finding a Prince Charming of her own. Fate intervenes and this princess is going to have to put on a brave face and make her way through her very own selection. But she has no plans to fall in love or end her Selection with a ring on her finger. It was a little meh to go from America's story to Eadlyn's because I liked America. I also wanted to hear all about how America and Maxon fixed the country and got rid of those pesky rebels but that is largely skipped over in this book. I know there are short stories and such so maybe I will search for those. I also found Eadlyn slightly insufferable through a lot of it but I think you're meant to? She had her endearing moments and I loved her brothers and their whole family dynamic.The end of this caught me completely by surprise!  

I do have to say that I love love love Kiera Cass as a person and want to be buddies with her and her acknowledgement sections were often my favorite parts of the entire book because she is SO CUTE. Those book covers are also SUPER swoon worthy. Love them. 

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Ransom Riggs)- A horrible tragedy sends 16 year old Jacob on a journey to the island his grandfather escaped to during WWII. There he plans to search for answers to all of the mystery surrounding his grandfather's early life but what he finds is more than shocking. Uncovering secrets older than he could imagine, he immerses himself in a world of peculiar children and dangerous enemies. I loooooved this book. It has been on my to read list for over a year and I randomly purchased it last weekend for funsies and I'm glad I did because I would have wanted to own it anyway. It's beautifully told and the old photographs that go along with the book are fantastic. My copy had an interview with the author and I think that made it even more fun and interesting. The story is haunting and equal parts sad and liberating. It is such a diverse and intricate world you step into. 
  

Insurgent (Veronica Roth)- Possible Spoilers The 2nd book in the Divergence series, Insurgent follows Tris in her escape after the attack on her old faction. War is blooming. Haunted by her grief and decisions, Tris must learn what being Divergent truly is and embrace it no matter the cost. I loved this book. It definitely has middle book syndrome. The story drags a little for a while. I see a lot of people complaining about the characters changing so much between the last book and this one but like... they kind of went through a lot, right? To me it made sense that they were different people and they didn't have the same characteristics we'd grown used to. You have to get used to the new dynamic but that's how life actually is, right? People change, especially under stress. Anyway. I really enjoyed it. Very excited to read the next one and FINALLY watch the movies. 

The Sense of an Ending (Julian Barnes)- Thinking he'd left his childhood friends behind, Tony is surprised when his closest friends return, one of them from the grave, after he is well past middle age. He is forced to reconsider his relationships and things he thought he'd understood all along as a mysterious new legacy is put before him. This was very compelling. So much of it was really rather scary. The big ideas and grand gestures and plans of youth replaced by essentially just letting life happen to you in later years. The philosophy aspect, which I'm sure is very interesting for some people, was pretty meh for me because I don't really care but the human parts were very raw and I felt like I was watching a wound closing and being opened again. I did not see the end coming at all.  

I'm about to head off on a walk to the library for more books. A heaping pile of books are waiting on hold for me there and I am a delighted lady. Happy reading!