Calling all the LADIES!

It's no big secret that I love to read. It's truly one of my favorite things to do and is the main reason I decided to become an English teacher.  I wanted to (and still want to) inspire others to read.    You also know how much I love blogging. Even though I'm still a newbie, this has been an awesome journey so far, and I have so much more to say, to write, to share.   A few weeks ago I wrote a post called I Poop Glitter. (The title is an homage to the title of one of my favorite posts on Kelle's blog.) In it I spoke of one of my favorite bloggers: Kelle Hampton. Kelle and I share the same philosophies about life and motherhood. Reading her blog makes my heart happy. 
So where am I going with all this? Well, about a year ago Kelle became a bona fide author when her first book, Bloom was published. I wasn't a reader of Kelle's blog at that point so I missed out on pre-ordering her book and having the opportunity to Skype with her about the book.    In April Bloom comes out in paperback & Kelle's doing it again. For anyone who pre-orders 8 copies of the paperback, Kelle will set up a time to Skype with you and your fellow readers. 

   To say I'm really excited about this would be an understatement. I was ready to order 8 books all for myself and just spend a half hour Skyping with Kelle alone. But then I thought about it. Why not tell all my friends about this? I'm sure so many of you will love her blog as much as I do--especially if you are a mom, or a mom-to-be. And maybe you'll also want to read the book with me, and then come over to my house for a girl's night and Skype session with Kelle. And if not, I'll just go back to my original plan and just order 8 copies for myself!     So, take a look at Kelle's website and check our her book and let me know if you're interested in coming to the book club. (I have no idea when this will happen--but I'm guessing sometime in April or May.) You can email me or leave me a note on the Facebook page (make sure to "like" it while you're there!). Or, if you aren't close but still want a copy of the book, that works too! I'll be placing the order for 8 books (hopefully more!) on March 31st.    UPDATE-- I clearly didn't read Kelle's website closely enough. The Skype session is only open to the first 40 people who order 8 or more copies. So I just placed an order for 8 copies of the book (on March 15). It looks like we are among the first 40, and Kelle will be Skyping with us!  If you'd like to join us and would like one of the books, please let me know. They were $13.59 each. No shipping charges.   (Yes I just spent $117 on 8 of the same book. I'm really hoping some of y'all come through here and want to join me!)

My favorite books *** 2012 Edition

A few days ago I confessed my love for books and reading. Today I thought I'd share some of the best books I read this year.   First of all, let me start by saying that, when I'm reading a good book, I carry it with me everywhere and I sneak in pages whenever I can. I'll cook dinner with a book in my hands. I'll read in the car while waiting to drive thru at Starbucks. And, I'll stay up way later than I should just to finish a chapter. I had a Nook and got an iPad for Christmas (yippee!) but I do still read actual books. Sometimes I'm cheap and don't want to pay for a book, so I'll take it out of the town library. (We're super lucky to have an awesome library in my town.) I like Gia to see me reading, too. Actions speak louder than words, right?   I read a variety of genres. I love chick lit, literary fiction, suspense, memoirs... I'm not huge into supernatural and fantasy, but I like fluffy supernatural stuff like Twilight. As you know I did the impossible and read 52 books this year! (I"m still so excited about this milestone!!) So, here are the highlights of my book reading year.  

1. Best Chick Lit Where We Belong by Emily Giffin
Emily Giffin has been one of my favorite authors since 2006 when I discovered Something Borrowed and Something Blue. I met her not long after Something Blue was released and now we're friends on FB :) Her books are what I call chick lit with a brain. They're fun to read but they also have well-drawn characters in difficult, real-life situations. This was one of her best.

2. Best Memoir The End of Normal by Stephanie Madoff Mack

I knew only the basics of Bernie Madoff's story and I didn't know what to expect from this book when I picked it up at the library. I was pleasantly surprised.  It is beautifully written -- Madoff-Mack really digs deep and tells a poignant tale. She is honest and forthright with the vast majority of the details surrounding Bernie Madoff's downfall and her husband Mark's eventual suicide. Regardless of their wealth, or Stephanie's own well-to-do upbringing, these people suffered at the hands of one of the nation's most notorious criminals and he ended up destroying their lives. It's heartbreaking at times and but definitely worth the read.

3. Best Literary Fiction  The Good Daughters by Joyce Maynard
I'd never read anything by Joyce Maynard before this book. The story is captivating from the beginning and I really found myself caring about the characters and thinking about them when I wasn't reading the book. This is a beautifully written story about love, family and redemption.

4. Best Young Adult  Paper Covers Rock by Jenny Hubbard
This is absolutely young adult fiction at its best. The story follows friends dealing with the aftermath of a tragedy at their boarding school. Hubbard nails the boarding school setting and the feelings you feel when you're an insecure high-schooler dealing with grown up issues. 

5. Best Trilogy Peaches Trilogy by Jodi Lynn Anderson
Also meant for young adults, the Peaches books are heartwarming tales of three young girls struggling to grow up. I read the first book in this trilogy (Peaches) because it was a Free Friday Nook selection and I was hooked.  I couldn't wait to find out what happened to the three girls, and I happily paid for the other 2 books in the series. 

6. Other Notables  The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Wiener, Lucia, Lucia by Adriana Trigiani, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, The Hunger Games Trilogy, The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani

7. Duds (aka don't waste your time)  London is the Best City in America by Laura Dave, Skinnydipping by Bethenny Frankel, Citizen Girl by Emma McLaughlin

  And my favorite book(s) of the year Very Valentine and Brava Valentine  by Adriana Trigiani. The 3rd installment, Ciao Valentine, is coming in 2013 and I can't wait! Trigiani's characters are so well-drawn they seem like friends, and the settings come alive thanks to her perfect descriptions.    So tell me, what did you read in 2012 that you LOVED? I'm looking for some good ones to read in 2013!

What I'm Reading

Saying I love to read would be the understatement of the year. I'm an avid reader and have been since I was a little girl. I'm an only child and while I had no problem playing school and Barbie and coloring by myself, I always preferred reading.

  I became an English teacher, in large part, because I wanted to inspire others to love reading as much as I do. Kinda corny, I know.  But really, with the right book, everyone would love to read.    When I was in high school I was reading so much that I'd often read the same books twice and not realize it until the very end. So I started making a list of all the books I read. It was nice to have a record and it was also a really cool way to keep track of exactly how much I was reading. One year I read 51 books (my all time high) and I was so disappointed that I didn't hit my goal of 52 books--that would have been one book a week.  I vowed to reach that goal at some point in my life.   I didn't really think 2012 was going to be the year I broke my record. I started off strong--I read The Hunger Games Trilogy in less than a week in January. But then I stalled. I read a great book called Child 44. Turns out it was part of a triology and I had a hard time getting through the other 2 books. (It took me nearly a month--and they weren't that long.) They were all excellent books, but none of them were light and airy and quick reads. Never one to give up, or move on without finishing a book, I slogged on and came out the other side.   Sometime this summer I realized that if I continued at the rate I was going at, I'd be able to hit the goal of 52 books. I even made myself a little weekly chart, to remind myself when to start a new book, all in hopes of reaching my goal. And...I did it! Last night I officially finished my 52nd book for 2012!   To some that may sound like a ton of books and to others maybe that's not a lot. For me, it's a lot. I have a life outside of reading: I'm a mom and a wife, I teach college English (which requires plenty of it's own reading) and I do love me some tv and internet time. I'm also a really slow reader (surprising for an English teacher, right?) All of these things definitely take away from my reading time. But, in the end, I accomplished my goal and I'm really proud of myself.