Poison Dark and Drowning

Jessica Cluess' fantasy novel Poison Dark and Downing is the perfect reading choice for all the Harry Potter fans looking for another series. I combines magic and mystery with great detailed writing. She presents us with another strong female character with such a refreshing spirit as she conquers the challenges of being in a traditionally male role. A definite page turner and perfect light reading for travel. 

Look to the sky

What We See in the Stars by Kelsey Oseid is a beautifully illustrated introduction to the night sky for all ages. From cover to cover the book brings to life the planets, stars and constellations. The images are engaging and the text is simple enough for children and full of knowledge for everyone.

The Four Tendencies

Gretchen Rubin's book The Four Tendencies really opened my eyes to how to handle many of my students. As a middle school teacher, children are just beginning to discover themselves and it helped them to see some of the habits that they were forming. It also kind of opened my eyes to some of my own personality traits and realize why i live a somewhat conflicted life as both an enabler and a rebel. It is a very interesting read and has applications for nearly everyone who just wants to learn more about themselves or those they teach.
I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

For those kids who love Hunger Games

Ninth City Burning by J. Patrick Black is a great book. As a 6th grade teacher, I chose to read it to potentially add to my classroom library. I couldn't put it down. I've read all of the Harry Potter series, and hunger games last year with my class. This book has everything and it's about learning to embrace who you are (a valuable lesson for this age group).

Set in a futuristic society, the reader is led through by the main character, a young 6th class (or 6th grade) boy who has been named a champion of his district. The author takes us inside his head as he embraces the position that life has given him. I highly recommend this book for anyone who enjoys science fiction/fantasy, not just young adults. I received this book to review through blogging for books.

The Midnight Queen.

I absolutely adore fantasy, magick based worlds. I grew up reading about the land of OZ and of course Harry Potter. So I assumed that Sylvia Izzo Hunter's book The Midnight Queen would offer me an escape into something somewhat similar. I was sadly disappointed as I trudged through the first few chapters, hoping that it would become more interesting. It started out exciting, a mysterious delivery and an attack but then bam, it was as mundane as everyday life. Honestly, I found it hard to force myself to finish it. The characters were as described, plain. But the author after all works in scholarly journals maybe fiction is not really the best use of her talents.

Positive Discipline

Positive Discipline: Tools for Teachers, is an excellent resource for both new and experienced teachers to rethink their classroom management plan. Nelson and Gfroerer provide a well organized, research based plan that includes experiences from real classroom teachers. As someone who recently finished their Masters in Education and looking forward to having my own classroom, I found some of the tips similar to those touched upon in my coursework. Many of these, I scoffed at because of their unrealistic nature. I guess education has changed a ton since I was the student in the desk. Parenting has also changed so as educators we are becoming more responsible for teaching children good behaviors as well as reading and math. I love many aspects of the Positive Discipline approach that places the choice and solution in the hands of the students to help them to become better people not just less annoying in the classroom. The tool with the most impact was the final chapter. The one we as teachers and even parents can forget. Self Care. We talked about this frequently through grad school as we juggled families, jobs and school. As a mother, I learned this the hard way but have found that hour or so I give to myself when everyone has gone to bed goes a long way to my sanity.

Austen in Austin

I've been told that I'm a hopeless romantic for being such a fan of 19th century British Literature, specifically Jane Austen. I was excited to see a modern adaptation of one of my favorites, Sense and Sensibility. Hillary Manton Lodge's Jane of Austen has everything an Austenphile could want and is presented in a way that anyone could enjoy.

One cannot help but fall in love with the main characters and their struggle to find a way to survive in a world where their last name leaves them at a disadvantage. Dropping everything and moving to Austin sets the girls off on an adventure of loss and love that kept me wanting to read more and more. I practically devoured the book to get to the happy ending I knew was coming. A fantastic tale of the importance of family and looking beyond appearances to find true love. This is definitely one that will be passed along for others to enjoy. I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

This too shall pass... like a kidney stone

While well written, I struggled to get through Milena Busquets' This Too Shall Pass.

Perhaps something got lost in translation somewhere, but I found it hard to relate to Blanca and her carpe diem lifestyle with two children. I can empathize with her situation, as I too have lost my mother to a terminal illness. It was just at a much younger age and I maintained a level of maturity instead of whining about my mother leaving me. The level of detail was nice, it was the story that lost me. I mean who goes on vacation with both of their exes and current married lover. I guess that's what they do in Cadaques, but in America that is not the norm and certainly not approved of by many. Instead of breezing through the novel, I found myself being forced through the pages. I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

Every Family has a secret

But for the Roanoke Girls, it often goes to the grave with them.

Amy Engel's tale of the Roanoke family strikes at the heart of anyone who has had a bad relationship with family, lived through their parents messed up view of the world, or just in general wanted to feel special. Preying on the knowledge that all girls wanted to be "special" Yates Roanoke created a kingdom in the middle of Kansas that it seemed no one came out of in one piece. Despite the twisted reality that lay inside the house, Allegra couldn't leave. Lane thought it would be a chance to finally feel loved, but what she found lived up to her mother's warnings and not her dreams. Her mother had left Roanoke but it never left her. Lane found her own way out, but it found a way to get her back. Engel captures the story in such a way that I wanted to keep reading in disbelief of the truth. You wanted the best for the girls, but knew that they shared the same fate. Dead, gone, Dead, Gone. just as Allegra told Lane in her first days in the house. Lane was never added to the frame, perhaps that is why she could escape but not without being damaged. I practically devoured the book, each story repeating the mistakes of the generation before. I even sympathized with Gran, wanting to end it all. It was best after all. I received this book for review from blogging for books.

If you love Jane Austen...

You will love Blood Rose Rebellion.

In the first installment of the new series, ROSALYN EVES captures everything I love about 19th century English Literature and creates this world that revolves around magic. Anna Arden is headstrong, brave, and yet vulnerable to everything that a teenage girl would be. She wants to love and be loved. But in her world, her lack of magic puts a mark of shame on her and she sets out to change the world. It was captivating, emotional, and if time had allowed I very well might have finished it all in one sitting. I was entranced by the journey of Anna and the forbidden romance that formed. I cannot wait to see what Eves has in store for the heroine. I received this book for review from blogging for books

Shakespeare updated

Being an avid lover of the bard of Avon, it was easy to see the similarities to The Merchant of Venice. Having read it certainly helped to understand. However, it was not quite the compelling read I was going for.

Junie B Musical

As a mother of a young child, Junie B. Jones has definitely had her moment in my house. My daughter has been reading the books for the last two years. She even went to Book Character day dressed as Junie. She loved the musical version. She sang along and danced to the catchy tunes about one of her favorite book characters. I can't wait to use this in my classroom and perhaps inspire some more Junie B. Jones and music lovers.

Best Friends For Life

We all have the one friend. The one that you just can't shake and you wouldn't want to. That BBFL. This is the perfect Birthday, Christmas, Friendiversary gift for your bestie. (Particularly those you've had since that awkward phase in middle school and have seen you through all the rough times). The brightly colored illustrations of Leah Reena Goren are pure art. The words are simple and yet powerful. It's the story of every true friendship. The ups the downs and the secrets (handshake and all). It's a little too pink for my taste but the sentiment is still great.

What would Hamilton Do?

Like so many, I have become a bit obsessed with Hamilton thanks to Lin Manuel Miranda's amazing musical. My minor in history what seemed ages ago barely skimmed over this founding father. So in Hamiltonian fashion I have tried to find every book I can. It was a no-brainer for me to pick up Jeff Wilser's book Alexander Hamilton's Guide to Life.

This book is history with a splash of pop culture. Wilser likens Hamilton to Chuck Norris and makes Star Wars references in regards to the founding of America. It's a history book for non-history lovers.
>br> The divisions of the book make it easy to explore Hamilton's life, in bits and pieces, but also flows through his life story as well from start to finish. Wilser also points to historical inaccuracies of the musical (in an informative way to point out the dramatic value of the changes). He provides additional reading sources, I'm hunting for the Fleming book now.

The best part of Wiser's book is the concept itself, inspired by the eulogy given by Gouvernor Morris, What Would Hamilton Do? And in reality, we could take so many notes from the "maxims" of Alexander Hamilton. From his tenacity to his indefatigable honesty, so much of the life of Hamilton can be applied to our daily life. He fought to form America, saw the future of the country even when no one else could, and in the end gave his life to preserve the nation that he had worked hard to build. America as we know it was Hamilton's dream and much of his legacy has become the cornerstone of the governing and economic policies of many nations.

Wilser creates his book to three men. Hamilton, Ron Chernow, and Lin Manuel Miranda. And truly the phenomenon that has become Hamilton can definitely be credited with a newfound desire to learn more about this underrated and misunderstood founding father. I think Wilser, himself, will help to bring more clarity to the subject.



"I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

So much Pun

Family game night just got more Pun with Punderdome. From the creator's of Brooklyn's Favorite Pun tournament, father daughter duo Fred and Jo Firestone, this game will have everyone competing to see who can be the most creative or corny as the case is usually. My colleagues come up with puns for work and have greatly enjoyed the new fodder that playing this game has provided me with. I can't wait to get a big group of us together to play. "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

We all might be Approval Junkies

Approval Junkie By Faith Salie is definitely a book for women of all ages to put on their "noga" pants (Yoga pants that have never been to yoga) and enjoy. Faith Salie describes her life thus far in adorable snippets so reading it can be done all at once or a chapter at a time without worry of losing your place. These bite size looks into her life include hilarious made up words such as "wasband" her term for her ex-husband and emotionally charged situations that keep you wanting to read more.
From the first page, I found myself laughing out loud at both the what and hows of her life enhanced by her amazing storytelling ability. The events, she writes in glorious detail and humor, are so relate-able to me and for many women of any age. I was the girl she described in high school, good (almost perfect) grades and a bit conscious of my short comings who completely out of character attempted to win a pageant. I can also unfortunately put myself in her shoes in terms of losing my mother at around the same age to cancer and encountering so many life events that I longed to be able to share with her.
To me the book gives us, as women, the ability to take a step back and realize that we need to consider ourselves as important. We live as wives, mothers, and daughters so often overlooking the fact that we are people as well. The desire to make everyone else happy seems to be ingrained in our DNA but we can have it all with a little bit of help and a lot of self-reflection.
I spent my lunch breaks reading and the number of people who have claimed dibs on the book keeps getting longer.

More about the Author "I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review."

Totcho normal shacks

So I've seen images in Facebook and commercials about totchos. Influenster sent me a coupon to try OreIda tots and create my own totchos. I might be in love.

Cheddar bacon ranch totchos are amazing

Cooked tots per package directions in the oven and finished them on broil for 2 minutes to get them super crisp.
top with 1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar, a 1/4 cup sour cream, handful of bacon bits, and drizzle with ranch dressing.

New year, new great things

So, we have a ton of snow and i had a ton of free time. I spent the afternoon exploring my voxbox I received back around Christmas but lack of time has left it unopened. Lots of goodies to be found. Delicious biscoff Cookies i plan on enjoying with a little hot cocoa later. New eyeliner, which happens to be my only make up addiction. I have great eyes, why not accentuate them. An adorable spiderman itty bitty from hallmark. A great new nail color from pure ice called home run. While i can't paint my finger nails, a winter pedicure might be in order. The one thing I'm unsure about are the false eyelashes. I don't really need them, kind of phobic about gluing something that close to my eyes.

Oh and did i mention the coupon for free Oreida tots? So I've been seeing lots of cool things about totchos and well they are totally amazing. I bake my tots and they got super crispy and were delicious covered in cheese, bacon, and sour cream. They are great with just ketchup as well.

mayo or miracle whip that is the question

I received another amazing freebie from influenster, this very cool designed hellman's mayo bottle. Ok so I'll admit I don't really eat mayo at all, but my husband is a Miracle Whip guy. I personally love the design of the bottle, snuck a little into my tuna fish for lunch and I couldn't taste a huge difference, but it doesn't measure well for recipes. Guess this guy is just for sandwiches, but the tip is so nice you could probably write on your bread with it.

Adding more to my plate.

So, yeah i did it. As if working, coaching soccer, being a gym mom, and a scout mom (times two) wasn't enough. I'm applying for grad school. Thanks to BzzAgent I've found the perfect snack to help get me through the day. Muller's new dessert inspired yogurt. Only 220 calories and as much as 8g of protein, it's a sweet (not artificially sweetened) treat that will help keep me full as the world goes crazy. Thinking that maybe giving up on sleep might be the best option :)