Saturday, July 28, 2007

Reading King Dork


I just started King Dork by Frank Portman. I really don't like the title because it sounds like a hokey young adult lit book BUT it is really fresh and very intelligent writing, I think. I find the main character very witty, funny and sarcastic.

It's about a sophomore boy who is a total geek. He has one friend at his high school and they are constantly trying to form a band...they change their band name almost daily. One problem though, they need instruments and more members. Anyway, the real theme to this book is growing up and high school experiences. Now that is the main theme as of page 100. But reading the inside flap, things are going to really start moving. When Tom Henderson, aka King Dork, discovers his father's copy of the Catcher in the Rye by Salinger, apparently there's a mystery to be solved.

So far a refreshing, funny book.

8/1/07
I finished the book and there are parts that literally had me laughing so hard that I had tears in my eyes!! (The French class part...read it!!!)

Friday, July 27, 2007

I Finished HP!

I just finised Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. It was really good. I don't want to say anything that may spoil the book for those of you who haven't read it yet but I'll just say it was really good. I was satisfied with the ending.

I am awed by how an author can weave stories and details into 7 books and keep the reader interested and not confused.

I recommend this book to you all.

Now, Accio Diet Coke!!

Thursday, July 26, 2007

Oh My Gosh, it's getting good!!!

HP and the Deathly Hallows is so action-packed, it's hard to put it down!
I cried last night...but I don't want to tell you why in case you want to read the book, which you should!!

I'm with Playswithsquirrels, she told me that she doesn't want to finish the book because she doesn't want it to be over! I agree!

I think I'll finish it this weekend. I'll report to you all when I finish.

Gotta go, my butterbeer is waiting!

Butterbeer

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup (8 oz) club soda or cream soda
  • ½ cup (4 oz) butterscotch syrup (ice cream topping)
  • ½ tablespoon butter


Directions:
Step 1: Measure butterscotch and butter into a 2 cup (16 oz) glass. Microwave on high for 1 to 1½ minutes, or until syrup is bubbly and butter is completely incorporated.
Step 2: Stir and cool for 30 seconds, then slowly mix in club soda. Mixture will fizz quite a bit.
Step 3: Serve in two coffee mugs or small glasses; a perfectly warm Hogwarts treat for two!

Monday, July 23, 2007

HP and the Deathly Hallows


I am reading Deathly Hallows too! I am so afraid that someone will spoil the ending for me! My daughter, Playswithsquirrels, had the ending for the last one ruined a day after the book was out!!! She is still mad at that person!!!

Playswithsquirrels went to a midnight Harry Potter party on Friday night. She had her book reserved at Barnes and Nobles...had a butter beer and came home to read a chapter of the new book.

I am enjoying the book so far. J.K. Rowling writes so fluidly that the pages just fly by!

The Green Lantern, AKA Chirstopher S., thinks we should read this book for the first Cafe Library of the school year. I think it might be too hard to get through inter library loan and I don't want to buy 8+ copies.

What do you all think?

One more question...would you rather have Cafe Library during Resource or during lunch like we have in the past. (If during Resource, I would still bring a healthy snack.)

Sunday, July 22, 2007

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

i finished hp7 in 12 hours. i cried, i laughed, i cried again. overall it was good. i want her to write a sequel though...it was WAY too open ended.

Thursday, July 19, 2007

The Higher Power of Lucky


I just finished The Higher Power of Lucky last night. It's the newest Newbery award winner by Susan Patron. I would say it's geared more for 4-6th graders but it would still be fun for anyone to read. It received a lot of attention from libraries and parents all over the country because of an anatomical word the author uses on the first page. It has been banned from several libraries around the country.

Read the book or this article from the New York Times and make your own decision. Share your thoughts here too!

Briefly, the book is about a 10-year-old girl named Lucky who is trying to find her, "Higher Power," after overhearing recovering alcoholics use the phrase at an AA meeting. It's also about how Lucky struggles with her family identity...her mother is dead, she never met her father, and her legal guardian is her father's second French wife who Lucky thinks might leave her. (How's that for a long complicated sentence?)
I enjoyed the book. I liked the way the author described things and I really liked how right on her character's ( Lucky's) voice was. It was charming and believable.

Sunday, July 15, 2007

Finished New Moon


I finished New Moon by Stephenie Meyer. It wasn't as good as Twilight but it did get better. One thing that bothered me in Meyer's writing is that she overused a character trait with a number of her characters...she described them "rolling their eyes" over 20 times in the book. Really, I counted! I will read the third in the trilogy, Eclipse due out yet this summer.

I'm reading Peder Victorious: A Tale of the Pioneers Twenty Years Later by Ole Edvart Rolvaag.
This is for my adult book club. It's rather BORING!! I want to abandon it so I have time to read my high school summer reading list...I just may.

Monday, July 9, 2007

Pillars of the Earth


Slowly but surely I'm reading Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett (Its almost 1,000 pages long). The time period is medieval England when the great churches were being built. So far a builder has been going from town to town looking for work. Along the way his pregnant wife died during childbirth and the child was left to a monastery to be raised. Tom the Builder still has not found work, but he continues to search. There's also some drama with the monks in the various monasteries - that story is just developing. A friend recommended this book, but I'm not sure what I think of it yet.

Friday, July 6, 2007

Finished two books!


I finished My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult. Very good book! It would be a great one for Cafe Library during the school year. The ending blew me away!!!!!!!!

I also finished Twilight by Stephenie Meyer. It was good too. I'm starting the sequel, New Moon. I've heard from different sources that it's not as good as the first one and so far I tend to agree. Too many words and phrases overused...for example, the characters have, "rolled their eyes," 4 times already in the book and I'm only on page 60.

I'll let you know if it gets better!

Someone else post please!!!!!!!