What I Read Wednesday: Mystery Meh

It seems reading has slowed way down for me.  Thankfully, I had my book club to save me.  This one has been on my to-read list for quite awhile and I wish I could have enjoyed it more....especially since it's the only book I've finished in the last 2 weeks or so.

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson | Ever watched 50 First Dates with Drew Barrymore?  Or have you ever watched Groundhog Day with Bill Murray?  Perhaps you have seen The Vow with Rachel McAdams?  Answered yes to any or all of those? Well, then, you have pretty much seen a movie that is this book.

From Goodreads:  'As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I'm still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me ...' Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love—all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. Welcome to Christine's life.

If only this book would have just moved on already. Part III really saved this one as I couldn't put it down! Christine wakes up every morning not knowing anything about where she is and who the man sleeping next to her is. So, each day her husband, Ben, has to give her a rundown before he runs off to work. But by Part II, we are introduced to the journal she is keeping and recording memories in. Slowly, we begin to learn more about what may have actually happened to her and why she feels so uncomfortable in her life as an amnesiac.

I won't say much more than that, because even though this is an extremely slow-moving book, Part III is most definitely a good payoff.  I thought I had figured out the ending about halfway through, but I was completely wrong!  

My rating:  3 out of 5 stars || Goodreads Average:  3.82 stars

What I Read Wednesday: The Uber Late and Long Overdue Edition

Whoops!  I sort of read these books about 3 weeks ago.  I mowed through them during my week-long fall break.  I'm not sure why, but I've had trouble settling in to a book since then.  So, I am already counting down the days till winter break as if my life depended on it.

Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie by Jordan Sonnenblick | Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie did more for me than The Fault in Our Stars did...a book on a similar topic! It was less cerebral, in a very good way and it did not cut corners on emotional roller coasters. Granted, I didn't physically start tearing up until Steven and Jeffrey's dad gave his speech near the end. But I didn't cry while reading Stars either (I know, I'm weird vs. so many other people who have read it). I laughed and enjoyed those moments when Steven just told it like it was in his every day life as a boy navigating junior high. 

My husband made fun of me for reading a book with this title and I didn't get it either when I first put it on my to-read list a couple years ago. So...drums. Steven's huge talent (reminded me so much of my lil' bro) and his saving grace. And girls. Well...Renee and Annette. Gotta love 8th grade boys. Then there is Dangerous Pie. The beginning of the story and the start of the emotional roller coaster made by Jeffrey using Steven's favorite and most valued pair of drumsticks. This is when the family discovers what is wrong with Jeffrey...see? Emotional roller coaster.

Fans of Out of My Mind and more so, Wonder, will really attach themselves to this one. Or if you didn't quite find yourself enjoying The Fault in Our Stars the way others did, you will most definitely find yourself lost in this one! I don't know how to explain it exactly, but I can easily say the characters were more attainable in an every day sense!

I don't want to say much more than that because it will completely take away from your experience reading this one.  I couldn't stop thinking about it long after finishing it.  Come to find out, a sequel was written recently and at first I was excited.  But once I read the reviews and synopsis, I am determined not to read it.  It seems like one of those that will take away those feelings I had towards the characters by the end.

My rating:  5 out of 5 stars | |  Goodreads Average:  4.26

The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith | I would rather NOT talk about this one.  But I should really make sure no one else has to waste their time with Marbury Lens.  It is THE first horror genre novel I have ever picked up.  

Why did I keep reading this book? I kept willing it and wanting it to get better and become what I hoped it would be when I read the synopsis. 

It started out so well...just as the synopsis did. A kid is in the wrong place, is kidnapped, and something bad almost happens to him. He tries to pick up the pieces but then he is given these strange glasses that take him to a strange land where horrific things happen. That is where it stopped being interesting.

There was so much repetition and roundabout events. The main character was hard to like as he didn't seem to love anyone except for his best friend. But even his best friend and Jack had the weirdest relationship...which brings me to my next dislike. What was with all the insanely ridiculous homophobia? From his kidnapper, to his best friend, to Marbury where everyone seems to be naked. I just didn't get it. 

I have never read a book from the horror genre, so I have nothing to compare it to. But, I can say that the only horror in this book was the way the author never seemed to get to the point...in Marbury and the real world. Ugh. I would hope he does so in the sequel...but do I want to read it? No! The only reason I didn't give this 1 star is because I actually did want to find out why Jack began talking to himself (in his head) in the 3rd person. I had my guesses...but did we find out in this book?! No! And do I care enough to find out in the 2nd book?! No! I wasn't invested at all in the characters because Jack was not the kind of character you get attached to.

My rating:  2 out of 5 stars | |  Goodreads Average:  3.59

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins | Looooooooved this one!!  Sure the cover is super cheesy, but look past it, because this was such a sweet little story and way too much fun to read.  I am annoyed there isn't a second book.  Sure, it is really for young girls in high school, but I swear, I am not the grown adult obsessed with Anna and her friends.  This is a must read!  Let me explain by pasting in my Goodreads review I wrote right after I read it:  

I did not want this book to end!!! But yet, I HAD to get to the end to find out if Anna gets her French kiss. Ugh. I'm so sad this is over! 

While I can't quite put my finger on why I loved reading about Etienne and Anna so very much, I can tell you it was extremely fun to peek in on their developing friendship and what actually ends up happening. Not to mention...this all happened right in Paris. A place Anna didn't want to be in. A place she began to fall in love with. A place I began to fall in love with right along with her...all while she was learning how to deal with friendship, heartache, love, independence, and even patience. Well, the patience part was annoying, but that is what made me push and push to find out more. 

And that whole French kiss part? It felt like I was there watching it all develop and it gave me the butterflies and the chills right along with Anna. How Stephanie Perkins did this I am not quite sure? Her writing style flowed and was so entirely natural, I really did feel like I was there watching everything from beginning to end. Man that book was good! I want to go back and read it again...right now.

My rating:  5 out of 5 stars | |  Goodreads Average:  4.20

The Mockingbirds  by Daisy Whitney | This book, the first by Daisy Whitney, was definitely interesting.  At times, I felt it was a bit farfetched, but it was still intriguing enough to read on and find out exactly how this underground system at a private school worked.  

At a school where the faculty doesn't seem to believe students only good decisions, the students take it in their own hands and create an underground justice system based on its founder's favorite book, To Kill a Mockingbird. Even more interesting? This fictional story is based on the author's experience in college similar to the major character's.

From Goodreads:  "Some schools have honor codes.

Others have handbooks.
Themis Academy has the Mockingbirds.

Themis Academy is a quiet boarding school with an exceptional student body that the administration trusts to always behave the honorable way--the Themis Way. So when Alex is date raped during her junior year, she has two options: stay silent and hope someone helps her, or enlist the Mockingbirds--a secret society of students dedicated to righting the wrongs of their fellow peers.

In this honest, page-turning account of a teen girl's struggle to stand up for herself, debut author Daisy Whitney reminds readers that if you love something or someone--especially yourself--you fight for it."

My rating:  4 out of 5 stars | | Goodreads Average:  3.83

Please feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow my reviews there.  I absolutely love discovering new and interesting books that I may not have found otherwise.  

I'd love to know what you have been reading or have read lately!  Care to share?

Link up with Amy (last week's) to share your latest reads or what you are reading right now.  

I Highly Recommend Math Misconceptions!

With the roll-out of Common Core in math, teaching and modeling how to recognize the way mistakes made in math can actually strengthen students' (and teachers') learning is very key.  But many of us only know the types of mistakes we see year after year...not necessarily why students make them.  A lot of times, those mistakes are engrained in them before they reach us in the intermediate grades.  So what can we do to tap into those students' mistakes and begin to figure out why they continuously run into walls in their learning?  How can we anticipate those misconceptions as we lesson plan?  Let me tell you!!!...because I am seriously carrying this book around back and forth from school like my own little teaching Bible.

For the first time in my 9 years of teaching, I started to realize why my students have trouble understanding why the denominators do not change when adding or subtracting fractions!  I attest this amazingness to the book I discovered and read this past summer...

This past summer, I was a part of a Math Lab School in which a small group of teachers from all over my district were able to learn about theory and put it directly into practice the following day for 2 weeks.  While reading a text we were assigned to use...I found a recommendation for Math Misconceptions and became extremely curious...as I was also studying for my National Boards Assessment Center portion. It is available on Amazon for $40, although I could have sworn I got mine for under $20 this summer. 

That's besides the point.  With a highlighter and plenty of post-it tabs on hand, I dove head first in to Math Misconceptions!  And as you can see, I found quite a bit that I LOVED throughout the entire book.

Math Misconceptions is for PreK-5th grade and it was insanely interesting to read up on things like number sense and beginning addition in the primary grades.  I instantly understood why so many of my students do not have a firm grasp on number sense and place value.  Why can't college math courses in the teaching major make this a required text and class?!

So, not only does this book help educators understand common misconceptions (as identified by NCTM)...but it does it in a way that makes it enlightening and simple to understand.  Why oh why wasn't I told about this book when I first started teaching?!!!

Here's how it is put together:

First...

Each chapter has multiple sections.  For example:  Number and Operations has sections on counting with number words, renaming and regrouping when adding and subtracting, and understanding fractions, etc. The different chapters also cover algebra, geometry, measurement, data analysis and probability, and assessing children's mathematical progress.

Second...

At the beginning of each subsection, you can read a classroom vignette in which a teacher is bombarded with student misconception(s) (mostly through the use of story problems).  Aside from the instructional ideas, this is probably my 2nd favorite part since it allows me to peek in on how to use these ideas in my classroom.  AND an "Identifying the Error Pattern" follows each of these vignettes.

Third...

One would think the research portion would be super boring!  But because you get reeled in so much by the all too familiar misconception you see year after year, it actually helps the entire "mess" make sense and helps you realize that you weren't imagining things!  Not to mention, it is explained in a user-friendly fashion....none of that scientific mumbo jumbo.  

Fourth...

The best part of this book?...the Ideas for Instruction portion chalked full of ideas for activities.  All of the activities are very well connected to the philosophy of Common Core.  They allow students to represent, construct, visualize, draw, connect, explain, and describe.  We are able to identify the misconceptions and address them while implementing these activities because it allows for so much exploration and explanation opportunities.  Love this!!

Fifth...

Last but certainly not least...questions that force you to think about what you have possibly seen in your own classroom and how you can work on changing how misconceptions help not hinder your students (and you!).  

Not only will this book create awe and lightbulb moments, but you can also buy an accompanying text that gives black and white reproducibles (also on an included CD) for each section...most of which they mention in the ideas sections.  There are 2 versions for primary and intermediate grades.  While I only own the grades 3-5 book, I'd like to grab the PreK-2 since some of my intervention students could use the primary activities

Here is one of the first activities and documents I implemented in my classroom when I was getting ready to teach adding and subtracting fractions and everything that comes along with it.  I wanted to make sure my students had a solid base understanding of part to whole relationships and equivalent fractions.  

I already have been recommending this to everyone I know, especially my 5th grade team.  But I am now singing from the hilltops like Julie Andrews in Sound of Music because I just finished grading my common assessments.  We were running extremely behind in our fractions unit due to still working with students on their behaviors and expectations.  So, I was not able to get to everything on our assessment.  But for the first time in my 9 years of teaching...I have students who demonstrated mastery of the skills I did not even get to!  This is not because they are my higher math students.

The models and work they provided immediately showed me they have a solid understanding of the basics of fractions!!!!  Can I even begin telling you how ecstatic I was as I sat on my couch correcting test after test?  I had to pick my chin up off the floor.  

These students (not all of them yet) got those unknown skills correct because they applied their knowledge from the meaning of part to whole in improper fractions and unlike denominators or equivalent fractions to adding and subtracting mixed numbers with unlike denominators AND they simplified their answers!!  

From Math Misconceptions:

Fraction... "lessons are too often focused on procedures and memorizing rules rather than on developing conceptual foundations prior to skill building." (pg. 41) "Before students study how to add and subtract fractions, they need to understand the meaning of fractions through various models, as well as how to use the language of fractions."  (pg. 42)

Using the Ideas for Instruction section, I planned accordingly:

1. We tackled fractions by starting with pattern blocks, something so many students are already familiar with!  When we used those to show part to whole relationships, my students had lightbulbs going off like crazy.  
2. Then, we used our fraction kits and the whole bar to create number lines.  My students immediately saw how equivalent fractions match up with each other.  But as we added 2 more twelfths pieces to one twelfth, they were already adding fractions without even needing the algorithm.  The buzz in my classroom between partners was insane and their enthusiasm as they continued discovering different equivalent fractions was inspiring.
3. We then used the triangle activity you see in the picture above in order to figure out why our denominators stay the same when we add or subtract...those of you who have taught intermediate grades know this misconception that haunts us every single year.  Kids keep adding and subtracting those denominators because they were always taught to do so when they are given two numbers and they see + or -.  Not any more!!

I really wish I had some photos to show you of all these activities in my classroom, but I was so deep into watching my students make all these connections I had never seen my kids make before, so I didn't have a chance.

But I do have some photos of the day we were working with greatest common factor to simplify fractions.  This of course went a lot smoother this year due to a stronger base in number sense and factors from the beginning of the year (we spiral it over and over in our calendar math and standard-based homework).

I can honestly say, the results I'm seeing in my classroom are completely connected to the use and my implementation of Math Misconceptions!  The writing is on the wall after receiving my district benchmark testing results and, of course, my own common assessment results.

Run, don't walk over to Amazon to buy your copies!

Have you read this book and/or tried it in your classroom?  What has worked?  Or, how would you like to implement this in your classroom?  

What I Read Wednesday: Murder, Necromancy, and Mean Girls

Sounds like quite the mix doesn't it?  I feel like someone would find this list and think I have attention deficit issues with my reading interests.  But stick with me here.  I have quite a variety on my Goodreads to-read bookshelf and I'm pulling random books off that list over my fall break...enjoying my extra downtime.

A Dark Mind by T.R. Ragan | You may have seen my other WIRW posts in which I reviewed the first two books in the Lizzy Gardner series.  If not, check them out.  Although, you could get away with reading A Dark Mind and not get too lost in the details.

Like thriller or crime movies I love, Dark Mind started out with a scary and heart-thumping scene in a limo driving out to the middle of nowhere. From there it took off with a look into the night when a couple walking back to their car from a date out in Sacramento, in which things take a turn for the worse. This of course was actually the start of the rash of serial killer moments.

Lizzy has a HUGE sense of bravery in this one as she seems to be finally coming to grips with her life with Jared, her crazy people magnet, and killing off her abductor. Hayley returns with an ankle monitor and seemingly has her stuff together (although it's pretty obvious she doesn't and she is putting up a front). Jessica also tries to keep a straight face when she clearly can't seem to handle the build-up of scary events. Jared is tied up with trying to solve the Lovebird Killer case. 

I can't decide if the Spiderman (from 1st book) or the Lovebird Killer grosses me out more. Both gave me the chills and creeps. Frankly, the LK seems way more screwed up and his back-story that you learn about slowly throughout the book is insanely irksome. I did not figure out who the killer was till Lizzy did and while I thought I had figured it out, I was completely wrong! I appreciate Ragan's writing more for that. 

Ragan continues to write books that remind me of all those fantastically scary and thrilling movies I watch over and over. Thank goodness this one didn't have the cheesy Scooby Doo type detective work that Dead Weight did. I look forward to possibly reading a 4th in the series!  And thank goodness T.R. Ragan redeemed herself after the 2nd book.  Thank goodness!

My rating:  4 out of 5 stars || Goodreads Average:  4.05 stars

Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride | While this book is completely out of my usual realm of reads...I quite liked it! I only picked this one up after so many of my Goodreads friends raved about it a couple years ago on their shelves and Twitter. Not really knowing what a Necromancer is (like I said, it's not my forte), I added it to my list. Just so everyone else knows, "Necromancy: conjuring the dead for purposes of magically revealing the future or influencing the course of events."

I can't decide whether this book was a good read because it was funny or because it was scary. I'm going to say funny, since McBride originally wrote this as a short story with a fast food worker being attacked by all sorts of paranormal fiends. 

How could one not like that all the chapters are song titles or lyrics that go perfectly with the events in each?!

Sam makes the mistake of breaking the taillight of a fancy man's silver car. From there, he deals with lots of blood, threats, and confusion as he tries to figure out who he is and why Douglas is after him with a vengeance. For those paranormal lovers, you will get to enjoy weres, witches, dragons, and all sorts of other creatures. Oh and you get to laugh quite a bit throughout as well with a talking head, sculptures that attack, and a waffle-loving harbinger.

I know several of my friends who will love this book, so I hope they try it out too!  

My rating:  4 out of 5 stars || Goodreads Average:  4.02 stars

Some Girls Are by Courtney Summers | I was still processing this one hours after I finished reading it.  I had initially given it 3 stars, but quickly changed that to 4...because I know a book that messes with my head hours afterwards deserves more than 3.  

What I wrote up after I first finished:  Trying to wrap my mind around this. 3 stars because I liked it and read it in one day, but that ending, boy that ending. I want to say Summers just proved that girls like those in this book just never quit. They keep bullying, torturing, and hating on others because of their low self-worth and low self-esteem. I'm going to tell myself this is why she wrote the ending this way. Ugh.

It's hard to decide how to feel for Regina. No one deserves the treatment she was given, but then again, she was that girl...to so many other people, because she was told to do it. I am of course being very vague, since I don't want to ruin it for anyone who hasn't read Some Girls Are.

Reading this was like watching Mean Girls and reading Speak, or any other Lifetime movie about the evilness of teenage girls and the navigation of high school hallways where no one ever seems to see what is going on.

What I'm thinking hours and hours later:  I'm still annoyed at the ending.  I know Summers ended the book as a way to show that things like this just happen and happen.  But the Goodreads synopsis threw me off making me think something totally different would happen.  Meh.  Read it (the Goodreads synopsis and the book) to see for yourself.  

From Goodreads:  Climbing to the top of the social ladder is hard—falling from it is even harder.  Regina Afton used to be a member of the Fearsome Fivesome, an all-girl clique both feared and revered by the students at Hallowell High... until vicious rumors about her and her best friend's boyfriend start going around.  Now Regina's been "frozen out" and her ex-best friends are out for revenge.  If Regina was guilty, it would be one thing, but the rumors are far from the terrifying truth and the bullying is getting more intense by the day.  She takes solace in the company of Michael Hayden, a misfit with a tragic past who she herself used to bully.  Friendship doesn't come easily for these onetime enemies, and as Regina works hard to make amends for her past, she realizes Michael could be more than just a friend... if threats from the Fearsome Foursome don't break them both first.

Tensions grow and the abuse worsens as the final days of senior year march toward an explosive conclusion in this dark new tale from the author ofCracked Up To Be.

Please feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow my reviews there.  I absolutely love discovering new and interesting books that I may not have found otherwise.  

I'd love to know what you have been reading or have read lately!  Care to share?

Link up with Amy to share your latest reads or what you are reading right now.  

What I Read Wednesday: Trying to Get Back

Back to school is always a rough and crazy time and now that I am not working on Boards anymore, I was hoping the insanity would die down.

Thankfully, I was able to finish two books in the last couple days...but only because one of them was for my book club with the girls this past weekend AND the other I raced through so I could get back to blogging this little post here and join up with Juice Boxes and Crayolas linky finally!

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult | This was my first Jodi Picoult read, believe it or not.  Not sure why I was refusing to read any books by her.  But let's just pretend I wasn't.  My book club girls and I read this for the month of August and had an awesome and insightful conversation about it around a table full of homemade baked goodies (a la the treats in the book itself).  I've read many a Holocaust inspired and nonfiction books, including The Reader (which I didn't like), a couple years back.  The Storyteller is similar to it in that a war criminal is living amongst everyday people and hiding his secret background.  But this story is done in a way that involves several different points of view from those who survived the Holocaust, were a part of it, or knew someone who survived.  I truly appreciated the storytelling nature of it on behalf of the main character's grandmother...so much so that I got lost in her story that I mixed up what was real and what wasn't.  Jodi takes you on an up and down journey as well as one that makes you question yourself over and over.  As you read, you meet the war criminal before anyone knows he is such (well, sort of...except for the synopsis tells you so) and you come to like him and enjoy him.  But just like the main character, Sage, you are taken aback and for the rest of the story can't decide what you would do in Sage's situation.  I look down upon war criminals for many obvious reasons, but I kept finding myself trying to decide if this man should be looked past.  Darn you Jodi for making me feel that way more than once!!!  Definitely pick this one up and give it a good read...especially if you are interested in the Holocaust and/or Jodi Picoult literature.

From Goodreads:  What do you do when evil lives next door? Can someone who's committed a truly heinous act ever atone for it with subsequent good behavior? Should you offer forgiveness to someone if you aren't the party who was wronged? And most of all - if Sage even considers his request - is it murder, or justice?

My rating:  5 out of 5 stars ||  Goodreads average:  4.24 stars

Infamous by Lauren Conrad | Let me preface this by saying I'm a huuuuuge fan of Lauren Conrad and have quite the girl crush on her.  If you must know more, take a look at this little blog post.  Sure, these books are for teenaged girls, but that's fine...because a good mindless book is good for the soul sometimes.  While this was my least favorite in The Fame Game series (her 2nd), I still had some fun reading it and trying to guess all about who she was ragging on from The Hills within these pages.  Jay was definitely supposed to be Justin Bobby...."crude lewd jokes, combat boots, cutoff shorts, Harley?"  Hmmmmmm...I think yes!  I can't help but wonder if Gaby and her obsession with Hollywood and becoming a Botox queen with too much plastic surgery represents Heidi as well. I'm fairly certain that only The Hills fans will ever really enjoy these books...that and 14-16 year old girls.  But if it suits your fancy to pick one of these up, then go for it!  Aside from my girl crush fandom, I do like reading about the little quirky spots in Hollywood and around L.A.  To me, Hollywood life always sounds like it could be fun for a little while, until you read all about the crazy things they do to keep up with the Joneses when they clearly aren't even remotely close to being the Joneses.  Heidi and Spencer much?!

From Goodreads:  Kate and Carmen are about to become big stars, but they’re going to have to survive some backstage drama first. Madison is learning hard lessons about fame as she deals with backstabbing “friends” and family, out-of-control paparazzi, and a scandal reported in every tabloid.

My rating:  3 out of 5 stars || Goodread's average:  3.54 stars

Please feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow my reviews there.  I absolutely love discovering new and interesting books that I may not have found otherwise.  

What have you read lately?  Do you have any book recommendations?  Or better yet...link up to Juice Boxes and Crayolas with your own What I Read (Am Reading) Wednesday post!

What I Read Wednesday: Summer Edition

I'm finally getting trying to get back in to my reading groove after finishing up a 2-year long journey through National Boards!  It's a slow going process, almost as if I have forgotten how to read or sit and read for a long period of time.  My brain and body may have misplaced its ability to sit and relax without thinking I have something else I need to be writing or typing (FYI, I finished my Boards work officially on June 21)...so maybe I'll be back to normal in another month?  

Despite having a rough time getting back to reading for enjoyment, I have read several good books in the last month and a half.  So, this is a perfect time to share them in case someone else is looking for a nice book to settle into.

Doll Bones by Holly Black | Many of my Twitter friends were talking this one up quite a bit.  Since I'm always looking for a book my 5th graders will find freaky, I wanted to find out for myself if this one was just as scary as people were saying.  Hmmmmm...it definitely had its moments, especially if you get frightened by haunted dolls.  This would have been perfect for my group of kids last year who taught me all about a haunted doll island in Mexico for one of their Unsolved Mysteries projects!  I digress...as an adult, Doll Bones didn't have me shaking in my boots, but I want to read it to my kids to see if it scares any of them.  I'm thinking this will be my next October read-aloud.  Normally, I switch between The House on Hackman's Hill or Wait Till Helen Comes. Let's get to it...

I have never read any other books by Holly Black, but she is a great writer of her creepy craft. This one comes with a ghost story from East Liverpool, Ohio in which a father supposedly creates a porcelain doll out of his deceased daughter's bones and somehow this doll ends up in a display cabinet in Poppy's house. Zach, Poppy, and Alice have wild imaginations (the kind I wish so many more kids still had these days) and are very good at creating and weaving a story in which the doll is The Queen and creepily rules over their story. But one night The Queen apparently voices her "story" to Poppy and the kids set out to help put her to rest so she won't haunt them anymore. The kids go on a quest and encounter many roadblocks along the way until they eventually learn the truth about the ghost story.

My rating:  4 out of 5 stars  ||  Goodreads average:  3.82 stars

Drinking & Tweeting by Brandi Glanville | I'm not ashamed to say that I am a fan of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Mindless TV makes me happy after working all day!  Feel free to hate on me for reading such a fluff book...but it's my summer break and I looooove me some Beverly HIlls Housewives literature. Out of the 3 who have written books, Brandi's was the best. She may not be my favorite housewife, but I can definitely appreciate where she has come from way more. All in all, this was a great fluffy summer read that I enjoyed reading! While I sometimes hate her candor on the show, it was very very fun to read in this book. Thanks for the entertainment Brandi!  Beware for those who aren't into people with potty mouths or dirty minds though, because Brandi goes there over and over in this one.  

Here's the synopsis from Goodreads to give you a little more on this fine memoir:  Brandi Glanville tells all in this hilarious, no-holds-barred memoir. Fans have been waiting for Brandi’s scoop on one of the biggest divorces of the decade, since her husband of eight years abandoned her and their two sons to marry country singer LeAnn Rimes. Not only does Brandi spill the beans about her side of the split, the lovable housewife shares the incredible wild ride that took her from a life in the ghetto to Hollywood’s most elite circles. For the first time, Brandi talks about how she escaped a rough neighborhood on the outskirts of Sacramento and stumbled into a successful modeling career that swept her into a world of Paris Fashion Weeks, private jets, and uncircumcised penises. Before she knew it, Brandi was the perfect Hollywood trophy wife—at least until her marriage exploded.

My rating:  4 out of 5 stars || Goodreads average:  3.56 stars

I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb | You may have 
read one of Wally's more well-known books called She's Come Undone.  I have read one of his other books, and I can definitely say that he is very talented at getting his readers to be invested in the characters.  He really knows how to develop the plot through crazy minute details, but not in a way that will bore the living daylights out of you.  This one has been on my to-read list for 2+ years and I have put off reading it because, well...it's 800+ pages. But I decided...I'm on summer break and I finished an insanely grueling process!  I thankfully got the e-book version of this because come on...who wants to break their wrists holding up what seems like a paper weight?  

Lamb does such a nice job of detailing out his characters' lives, that this lengthy style works for him. Poor Domenico, the main character, went through so many ups and downs in this one, starting with his twin brother of course (I won't go into details, because it is part of what reels you in). But because of the catalyst, what happens in the library, he is able to grow so much and learn way more than he ever would have thought possible. I did find myself skimming through all the pages of his grandfather's "legacy," which were extremely detailed and extremely boring and anger-inducing. What a bonified jerk! He has a real knack for writing endings to his books though and like his other two that I have read, just when I was starting to get sick of the length of this one, he reeled me right back in with the wrap-up of all the loose ends.

My rating:  4 out of 5 stars || Goodreads average:  4.12 stars

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore:  A Novel by Robin Sloan | I read this little treasure for my book club's July pick.  Not sure if I would have picked this one up if it had not been for my book club, but I am definitely happy I did.  Fans of books, bookstores, and even Google will really enjoy this one!  And don't even THINK of getting it as an e-book!  Just kidding, even this book endorses e-readers in its own little way.  But really, if you do get the e-book version, you won't be able to take it into your bathroom, turn off the lights, and check out the glow-in-the-dark cover...really!!

It is in fact an intriguing read that reminds me of Angels and Demons or a trek to find the holy grail with Monty Python (or maybe even Nicholas Cage in National Treasure). This was a book about books and a bit of a "treasure hunt" with a lot of Google weaved in, which I loved! It takes place in San Francisco and eventually travels to New York into the bowels of an ooooooold library.  Um hello!  Book nerds unite!  I haven't met someone yet who did not enjoy this tome.  You'll have to read this one yourself if you want to go on the journey with Clay and Mr. Penumbra...because I don't want to take away from your treasure hunt of sorts.  

In case you don't believe me, or want to know a little more than I'm willing to give up, here is the synopsis from Goodreads:  The Great Recession has shuffled Clay Jannon out of his life as a San Francisco Web-design drone—and serendipity, sheer curiosity, and the ability to climb a ladder like a monkey has landed him a new gig working the night shift at Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. But after just a few days on the job, Clay begins to realize that this store is even more curious than the name suggests. There are only a few customers, but they come in repeatedly and never seem to actually buy anything, instead “checking out” impossibly obscure volumes from strange corners of the store, all according to some elaborate, long-standing arrangement with the gnomic Mr. Penumbra. The store must be a front for something larger, Clay concludes, and soon he’s embarked on a complex analysis of the customers’ behavior and roped his friends into helping to figure out just what’s going on. But once they bring their findings to Mr. Penumbra, it turns out the secrets extend far outside the walls of the bookstore.

My rating:  4 out of 5 stars || Goodreads average:  3.79 stars

The Elite (The Selection #2) by Kiera Cass | Have you ever finished a book and not wanted to pick up another one because you don't want to spoil the feelings or thoughts you have roiling around in your head?  That's what The Elite did for me.  I know a lot of dystopian fiction people aren't keen on this series because it doesn't necessarily follow the "rules" of the genre, but I was looking past that when I read these.  The 2nd book does, however, hint more at the dystopian side, in case someone who hated the first book is reading this.  For those who have not read the first book, this series is a mix of The Bachelor and The Hunger Games (without the killing).

It's been awhile since a series had me wanting to read the next RIGHT NOW! I did not want to put this one down even though I had all kinds of other tasks I had to get to. The last 2/3 of the book were devoured by moi in one day and when I got to the end I slammed the book down on my lap in a hissy fit...because I probably have to wait another year to read the final book! Nooooooooooooo!!!  Without giving away too much, I have a pretty good idea of who is responsible for all the rebel battles in this one.  Ah yes, this book involves a castle, secret rooms, and rebel attacks.  The ups and downs of the characters in this one had me wanting to read and read and read. Gah! Why can't the next one be out already?! The killer cliff hanger of this 2nd book is way more harsh versus the first one.

My rating:  5 out of 5 stars || Goodreads average:  3.96 stars

I have so many books I still want to devour before heading back to work in a week.  Yes, a week!  Waaaaaaaah!!!  I haven't run into any horrible books this summer, so it seems here like I rate all the books I read 4 or 5 stars, but I purposefully picked books I knew I'd like this summer, since I anticipated not having much time to relax and read.  

Please feel free to add me on Goodreads or follow my reviews there.  I absolutely love discovering new and interesting books that I may not have found otherwise.  

What have you been reading lately?  Any standouts or duds?  Tell me about them!