Hey, Twilight Fans...

Check out these pics of me up in Forks, WA last week :-)

Skeleton Creek - Patrick Carman

OK, I just finished the next OBOB book in my pile, Skeleton Creek, Ryan's Journal, in about one hour. It's a short one - and I'm a little annoyed by it, frankly. Mainly I'm probably annoyed because Patrick Carman's making a bunch of money and I'm not. He did work hard to get there, I guess...But really, this book, with its total cliffhanger ending is so short it really should not have been allowed to end where it did - especially considering there are now two sequels out. It's just a ploy by a bunch of people to make money.

OK, off my rant and on to the book...It was good! Very suspenseful, quick to read, strong plot and good character development. I was feeling as paranoid and panicked as Ryan was during many points in the story. I know kids are going to love this one in the OBOB competition.

I've started on the OBOB books!

First off I finally finished listening to a non-OBOB, grown-up book called The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. It's a fabulous story that's non-fiction but seem quite unbelievable at times. If you're and adult and like science-y and/or biographies, this book is an amazing combo of both.

Now I've started on my OBOB stack. The first book I read was The London Eye Mystery by Siobahn (pronounced show-bon) Dowd. It's a fun little mystery which I had trouble figuring out because I went totally in the wrong direction at first. One of the characters in the story has autism, and I thought it was worked in well and not overdone.

The next one I read was The Ear, The Eye and The Arm by Nancy Farmer. I picked this one sort of to get it out of the way because I didn't really think I'd like it. WRONG! I thought it was great and I kept wanting to get back to it! The story is a bit unbelievable, but so what. It was very suspenseful, and I know it's going to be a big hit. The cover is weak and not at ALL what those guys look like - I'm sure of it.

The last one I read, which I finished at 1:00 AM and was really wishing for some tissues to dry my eyes, was Savvy, my favorite of the three. The main character in this story, Mibs (her real name is Mississippi - I'd go by Mibs, too) is turning 13, and in her fmaily, this is a BIG birthday. Mibs' family members have special powers - they call them their savvy - and they're revealed on their 13th birthdays. Mibs' mother's savvy is doing everything perfectly perfectly. Her two brothers can affect weather and electricity. Mibs can hardly wait until her savvy is revealed But then her father is in a terrible car accident and is in the hospital miles away from home. Mibs knows her savvy can save him, and she'll do anything to get to him...including stow away in a pink Bible sales van with four other kids, a hitchhiker, and a driver who wears a pink tie. It's a wild ride, alrighty, and also pretty suspenseful. I loved the spunk of this character and her thoughtfulness. GREAT story!

Hope you've found some good books to read this summer. Let me know in the comments section!

How's Your Summer Reading going?

Here's a picture of me at the State Library of New South Wales in Sydney Australia! We stopped by there on our trip. It was actually a really cool building! Even with all my traveling I've read quite a few books so far this summer. I read the House at Riverton by an Australian author while I was in Australia. Loved it! Lots of flashback to WWI by the older narrator. I also read the fantastic book by Kathryn Stockett called The Help. Mrs. Volz recommended it to me, and it was amazing. Could hardly put it down! Several of what I call Beach Books - light and easy just for the fun of reading books have been finished: More Blood, More Sweat and Another Cup of Tea was one. It's a non-fictional account of an ambulance driver's experiences in London. NOT a job I'd want! three mysteries: An Agatha Christie that I've forgotten the title of, The Bicycle Shop Murder, and Murder Takes the Cake. My grown up book club book for the month was Spooky Little girl by Laurie Notaro. Quirky and funny, it was just what the book club ordered for summer! Since I got home, jet lag's been kicking my behind, but I've read She's so Dead to Us by Kieran Scott which I liked but didn't think the ending was very good because there was NO closure, none, and The Ex Games by Jennifer Echols which I liked better, if only for the ending. Hope you're getting some summer reading done for our contest! All the forms you might need are on the WOMS library page!

Enjoy the rest of summer - I'm going to try and read the whole OBOB stack!