Summer 2014

I cannot believe that the summer of 2014 has come and gone. Kids will be starting school next week and there is a touch of fall in the air.  Yes, I do realize that I had a post back in May that was titled "I'm Back" and then I never quite made it. I have read 115 books this year but not a lot this summer. The reading comes easy for me, but the blogging just does not. Life gets in the way. I find myself struggling with what to write and then after writing something, deleting it because I feel that I didn't put enough time and thought into it. So, I think I need to approach this in a different manner. I really like sharing what I read, but I can't write a book. So I am going to give a description, a brief and I mean brief review (maybe a few sentences) and leave it at that. I want to update my "Books Read" page so it is not such hassle at the end of the year.

I usually read a lot during the summer, but not during this summer. A three week trip will do that to you.

Three weeks of our summer were taken up by a once in a lifetime trip.  We started in July in The Happiest Place on Earth -California Style. The boys were especially excited about this part of the trip (the part of the trip we actually were not lying about!)

They had Dole Whip Floats!

Jolly Holiday Bakery

We rode the teacups, which I have actually never done.  Hated it!

However, the real excitement was to come....

Surprise. Hawaiian vacation. Two nights Waikiki, seven nights on the Pride of America cruising the islands and four additional nights at Disney's Aulani Resort and Spa. Amazing. Stunning. Many memories. Can't wait to go back.

Now it is time to get down to the business of books and fall races.

I am currently reading a book that reminds me of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Review to come.

I'm Back!

Decided to spend a little more time reviewing books for the blog. It's been over a year, and I need  a little project and something to focus on. I can tell you that I have read 85 books this year, have run 3 half marathons with the 4th coming this Sunday and just got accepted to review books through Netgalley. First review will be forthcoming!

Book Review: Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

 

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be. (Description from http://www.amazon.com)

My thoughts:

This book was an award winner!

• YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) as a Best Fiction Book for Young Adults in 2013
• Printz Honor 2013
• Rainbow List 2013 (featuring significant GLBTQ content)
• Pura Belpre 2013 Author Award Winner 
• School Library Journal Starred Review
• Publisher's Weekly Starred Review

I can totally see why Aristotle and Dante made all these lists and won awards. I really don't know where to start in writing a review. My words would not give it justice. It was a beautiful book. A special book. Poetic, lyrical, lovely. It is a book about friendship, family and love. A coming of age story. A story about denial and acceptance and finding your own truth.  Love between two boys. Love between parents and children (seriously the best written parents in a Young Adult novel that I have ever read!) Just take my word for it and buy it or get it from your library. But read it now.

Race Review: Stratton-Faxon Danbury Half Marathon

 

So, this is what I did yesterday. A half marathon.  I had it planned for a couple of months. It was more of a "let me try and do this because I had an injury and I need to prove it to myself that I can come back" race.  I set no expectations for myself. I did not have a time goal. My goal was to cross the finish line standing up and uninjured.  I did so much better than I thought I would. I ran a 1:57:37 half marathon, which happens to be a PR for me. Go figure!

The race started at 10:20, so we left at about 8:00 for a 1 1/4 hour ride.  We made it at about 9:15 to pick up our packets and tech shirt.  Got in a short line for the bathroom and then decided to head back to the car for a change. The weatherman had forecast 62 degrees and sunny but it was anything but. It was cold and windy, with gusts 20-30 mph. I had originally planned to wear a running skirt and a sleeveless shirt, but was so glad I packed longer pants, hat and gloves. I did not touch my outfit during the race. That wind was pretty persistent.

The race started promptly at 10:20 with the 5K following at 10:30. Miles 1-5 were pretty flat with a few rolling hills. Miles 5-13 were HILLY. This was the most hilly run I have done. Usually what goes up must come down, but not this time. Just more hills. I felt myself slow down a bit and figured it was a combo of the hills and the wind and just concentrated on the miles passing. I knew if I could do 10 miles, all I had to conquer was a 5k which is do-able.

Starting around mile 9, I felt something going on with my toe.  I was wearing fairly new sneakers, which I had not worn for a run this long, and I was concerned that my toe was bleeding. I stopped and wiggled my toe and started running again. The pain did not let up until the run was over :(

The course was a loop and after I passed the Mile 11 marker, things started looking familiar so I knew I was heading toward this finish.  I thought maybe I would finish just over the 2 hour mark, so when I crossed the finish line and saw the 1:57, I was quite surprised and happy.

I would probably do this race again. It was small and I was able to run at my pace from the very beginning. At some races where there are a lot of people, you spend the first few miles dodging people and wasting a lot of energy to get to your pace.  The course support was good, with water/Gatorade stops about every 2 miles.

The one negative about the course was that it was out on the road with traffic. Most of the time you were on the shoulder where it was single file running and difficult to pass people with the traffic going by. And people drive way to fast. Scary.

One thing I need to learn to do is take pictures while running. All of my pictures came out blurry. I need some tips from other running bloggers!

But here is a good one of a very happy girl!

 

Book Review: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell

 

Bono met his wife in high school, Park says.
So did Jerry Lee Lewis, Eleanor answers.
I’m not kidding, he says.
You should be, she says, we’re 16.
What about Romeo and Juliet?
Shallow, confused, then dead.
I love you, Park says.
Wherefore art thou, Eleanor answers.
I’m not kidding, he says.
You should be.
Set over the course of one school year in 1986, this is the story of two star-crossed misfits—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try. When Eleanor meets Park, you’ll remember your own first love—and just how hard it pulled you under. (Description from http://www.amazon.com)

My thoughts:

I heard a lot of buzz about a YA book that takes place in the 80's and I knew I had to read it. I found it in our library system and got it on Saturday morning. I finished it on Saturday night.    My kids like to say I am stuck in the 80's.  I probably am. This book just cemented it. You don't have to have been in high school in the 80's in order to enjoy this book, but it was sure fun reading about some things that defined that decade, such as: U2, a Walkman, and mix tapes. Brought back a lot of memories.

Rainbow Rowell is a great writer. The book is told through alternating points of view. I really enjoy when an author does this and does it well. Because Eleanor and Park come from different places, both literately and figuratively (Eleanor in a dysfunctional family- Park has a loving family), it made a lot of sense.  She was able to capture all of their feelings, hopes and dreams.  She had me hooked from the very first chapter where Eleanor gets on the school bus and no one will give her a seat. Ugh. It was so real and my heart broke for her.

The story takes place in 1986. I was 16 and in high school in 1986. Although I did not date in high school, if I did happen to have fallen in love in high school, I would have wanted it to go something like this. Slow in the beginning and bittersweet in the end. If you are a fan of a coming of age story, you need to read this.

 Eleanor and Park is a sweet romance book for teens and for adults who can remember what it was like to be a teen and fall in love.
 
Perfection. 

Highly recommended!

Looking forward to reading Attachments, also by the same author.

And maybe a sequel?

Book Reviews!

I just finished two great Young Adult novels. One was the final book in a trilogy. The other was the second book of a trilogy. I was so happy with both of them!

The first one was Shades of Earth by Beth Revis



 Amy and Elder have finally left the oppressive walls of the spaceship Godspeed behind. They're ready to start life afresh--to build a home--on Centauri-Earth, the planet that Amy has traveled 25 trillion miles across the universe to experience.

But this new Earth isn't the paradise Amy had been hoping for. There are giant pterodactyl-like birds, purple flowers with mind-numbing toxins, and mysterious, unexplained ruins that hold more secrets than their stone walls first let on. The biggest secret of all? Godspeed's former passengers aren't alone on this planet. And if they're going to stay, they'll have to fight.

Amy and Elder must race to discover who--or what--else is out there if they are to have any hope of saving their struggling colony and building a future together. They will have to look inward to the very core of what makes them human on this, their most harrowing journey yet. Because if the colony collapses? Then everything they have sacrificed--friends, family, life on Earth--will have been for nothing.

FUELED BY LIES.
RULED BY CHAOS.
ALMOST HOME.
(Description from http://www.amazon.com)

My thoughts:

Finally! A Young Adult trilogy that holds it's own from the first book to the last. I have read quite a few trilogies where the first book starts out so promising and the series just seems to lose it's steam during the second and third book. So congratulations to Beth Revis for a great finale. I don't want to say much about the plot, because it would be filled with spoilers and I don't want to do that.  Let's just say that this Centauri-Earth is filled with a lot of things that are not quite what they seem. This is the type of book that has a lot of twists and turns and will keep you guessing until the end. It also happens to be a great series for someone who is not a huge science fiction fan.  The plot elements are not too complicated that you can't follow.  Now, my friend Rebecca and I have had a lot of conversations about what we thought was going to happen in Shades of Earth, and we were both completely wrong!  Thanks to her for allowing me to borrow her book. If you don't have a great friend, find a library. Don't miss this one!

The second book was Through the Ever Night by Veronica Rossi



It's been months since Aria learned of her mother's death.

Months since Perry became Blood Lord of the Tides, and months since Aria last saw him.
Now Aria and Perry are about to be reunited. It's a moment they've been longing for with countless expectations. And it's a moment that lives up to all of them. At least, at fi rst. Then it slips away. The Tides don't take kindly to former Dwellers like Aria. And the tribe is swirling out of Perry's control. With the Aether storms worsening every day, the only remaining hope for peace and safety is the Still Blue. But does this haven truly exist?
Threatened by false friends and powerful temptations, Aria and Perry wonder, Can their love survive through the ever night? In this second book in her spellbinding Under the Never Sky trilogy, Veronica Rossi combines fantasy and sci-fi elements to create a captivating adventure—and a love story as perilous as it is unforgettable. (Description from http://www.amazon.com)

My thoughts:

Under the Never Sky was one of my favorite books of 2012. I was looking forward to the sequel and hoped that it lived up the to the first. It was brilliant. As discussed before, second books in series often suffer from that second book slump and are just a filler between the first and last book. Not this one!  Although the world building is unique in it's own way, the book is very character driven and that is probably why I loved it.  There are a lot of interesting relationships; brother/sister (Perry/Liv) lover/lover (Perry/Aria), best friend of lover/lover (Roar/Aria) which are very well-developed and interesting to read. I especially loved the friendship between Roar and Aria. There was a point where I thought maybe there might be something more between them, but was happy to find out I was wrong. If you read Under the Never Sky, you need to read Through the Ever Night now. If you have not read either, you need to do so soon. Looking forward to Into the Still Blue, which is expected to be published in January 2014. Highly recommended!

Book Review: Kepler's Dream by Juliet Bell

A young girl makes her fractured family whole again with the help of a very special book

When eleven-year-old Ella's mother has to be hospitalized to undergo a dangerous cancer treatment, Ella spends the summer at "Broken Family Camp" with her eccentric grandmother, whom she's never met. The situation is hardly ideal for either of them. Ella is scared her mother may die, but her grandmother seems to care more about her library full of books than she does about her very own granddaughter.

But when a rare and beloved book, Kepler's Dream of the Moon, is stolen from her grandmother's amazing library, Ella and her new friend Rosie make up their minds to find it. Finding the beautiful book her grandmother loves so much could even be the key to healing Ella's broken family.

An affecting and beautifully written story of family, forgiveness and the wonder of the stars, Kepler's Dream is a sparkling and memorable debut. (Description from http://www.amazon.com)

My thoughts:

I have really tried to search out and read some excellent Children's Literature lately. Why? Well, last year I read far too few.  Lots of Young Adult, lots of Adult Fiction, too little Juvenile Fiction.  Second, I want our library book bag to be filled with some good stuff. Lately my boys have been reading a lot of graphic novels/Wimpy Kid/Big Nate which is fine once in a while, but I want them reading novels. If I have read it, it always seems easier to talk it up. Kepler's Dream has been on my radar for a while and I finally found it on the shelf. The big hurdle in recommending the book to my own children is the fact that the main character is a girl. Not an easy task.

I really enjoyed it. More than I anticipated. The book is marketed as a mystery. I am not a huge mystery reader, but it had a great balance between a mystery and a family story, and that is probably why I liked it.  The missing book was almost secondary. The story was so well-written and it is always nice to read a book that has some smartly written girls. Ella has a good kind heart, she is charming and has a great sense of humor. She is placed in a difficult situation and navigates through it bravely.  I really enjoyed seeing how the relationship with her Grandmother (The GM) evolved from the beginning of the story until the end.  Her Grandmother is a bit of a pip in the beginning but redeems herself in the end. 

I would recommend this book for ages 10 and up. Without a whole lot of action, it would be appropriate for a child who likes a book that has a lot of feelings. Since I can't see my boys reading it, I will book-talk it to my nieces... I know they will enjoy it.