Bookish Goals Status Update: December 2015

In an effort to help keep myself on track, I am going to post monthly status updates showing where I stand for each of my 2015 Goals.

• Read and review at least 40 books - 
1. Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater
2. The Retribution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin
3. Splintered by A.G. Howard
4. The Signature of All Things by Elizabeth Gilbert
5. Slammed by Colleen Hoover\
6. The Iron Trial by Holly Black & Cassandra Clare
7. The Inventor's Secret by Andrea Cremer
8. Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
9. Inking Him by Cora Carmack
10. The 5th Horseman by James Patterson
11. Alienated by Melissa Landers
12. Spirit Bound By Richelle Mead
13. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist - Rachel Cohn
14. Miss. Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Ransom Riggs
15. Sweet by Tammara Webber
16. All Fall Down by Ally Carter
17. Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover
18. The Heir by Kiera Cass
19. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead
20. The Fine Art of Pretending by Rachel Harris
21. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
22. Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter
23. Jesse's Girl by Miranda Kenneally
24. The Trials by Stacey Kade
25. Finding It by Cora Carmack
26. The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan
27. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling
28. Cinder by Marissa Meyer
29. Because of Anya by Margaret Peterson Haddix
30. The Copper Gauntlet by Holly Black and Cassandra Clare
31. The Distance Between Us by Kasie West
32. Invisibility by Andrea Cremer and David Levithan
33. Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens
34. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins
35. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan
36. Rooms by Lauren Oliver
37. The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
38. Until Midnight by Melissa Landers
39. Die Once More by Amy Plum
40. The Queen's Army by Marissa Meyer

• Reach Level 2 (12-23 pts) in the New to You reading challenge at Herding Cats & Burning Soup.
1. Splintered by A.G. Howard - New Author & New Series
2. The Signature of All Things - New Author
3. Slammed by Colleen Hoover - New Author & New Series
4. The Iron Trial - New Series
5. The Inventor's Secret - New Series and New Genre (Steampunk)
6. Alienated - New Author and New Series
7. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - New Author & New Series
8. All Fall Down - New Series
9. The Fine Art of Pretending - New Author
10. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - New Author and New Series
11. Jesse's Girl by Miranda Kennealy - New Author
12. Cinder by Marissa Meyer - New Author and New Series
13. Because of Anya by Margaret Peterson Haddix - New Author
14. The Distance Between Us by Kasie West - New Author
15. Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens - New Author
16. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins - New Author

• Read at least 10 New Adult books
1. Slammed by Colleen Hoover
2. Sweet by Tammara Webber
3. Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover
4. Finding It by Cora Carmack

• Read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 
•  I FINALLY Finished reading the Harry Potter series.  

• Finish reading at least 5 series I have already started.  (I have several trilogies with final books I still need to read.
1. The Retribution of Mara Dyer - 3rd and final book in the Mara Dyer series
2. Last Sacrifice - 6th and final book in the Vampire Academy series
3. The Trials by Stacey Kade - 3rd and final book in the Project Paper Doll series
4. Finding It by Cora Carmack - 3rd and final book in the Losing It series
5. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - 7th book in the Harry Potter series

• Attend a book convention
• I don't make it to a convention this year, but I'm registered for BEA in Chicago next May!!

• Read at least 20 books from my TBR list that are not 2015 new releases for the TBR Pile Reading Challenge.
1. The Retribution of Mara Dyer - Released 11/4/2014
2. Splintered by A.G. Howard - Released 1/1/2013
3. The Signature of All Things - Released 5/1/2012
4. Slammed by Colleen Hoover- Released 1/4/2012
5. The Iron Trial by Black & Clare - Released 9/9/2014
6. The Inventor's Secret - Released 4/22/2014
7. Eleanor & Park - Released 2/26/2013
8. The 5th Horseman - Released 1/1/2006
9. Alienated - Released 2/4/2014
10. Spirit Bound - Released 5/18/2010
11. Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist - Released 5/23/2006
12. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children - Released 6/7/2011
13. Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover - Released May 2013
14. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead - Released 12/7/2010
15. The Fine Art of Pretending by Rachel Harris - Released 9/30/2014
16. The Naturals by Jennifer Lynn Barnes - Released 11/5/2013
17. Only the Good Spy Young - Released 6/29/2010
18. Finding It by Cora Carmack - Released 10/15/2013
19. The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan - Released 5/5/2007
20. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - Released 1/1/2007
21. Cinder by Marissa Meyer - Released 1/3/2012
22. Because of Anya by Margaret Peterson Haddix - Released 5/1/2004
23. The Distance Between Us by Kasie West - Released 7/2/2013
24. Invisibility by Andrea Cremer & David Levithan - Released 5/7/2013
25. Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens - Released 2/25/2014
26. Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins - Released 5/1/2012
27. Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan - Released 9/9/2003
28. Rooms by Lauren Oliver - Released 9/23/2014
29. Until Midnight by Melissa Landers - Released 12/23/2014
30. The Queen's Army by Marissa Meyer - Released 11/23/2012

• Achieve an Advanced level in the Novel Heartbeat 2015 Prequel and Sequel challenge with 51-75 points. 
1. The Retribution of Mara Dyer - 12 points for a sequel + finishing a series
2. The 5th Horseman - 2 points for a sequel
3. Spirit Bound - 2 points for a sequel
4. Sweet by Tammara Webber - 2 points for a sequel
5. Point of Retreat by Colleen Hoover - 2 points for a sequel
6. The Heir by Kiera Cass - 2 points for a sequel
7. Last Sacrifice by Richelle Mead - 2 points for sequel, 10 points for finishing a series
8. Only the Good Spy Young by Ally Carter - 2 points for sequel
9. The Trials by Stacey Kade - 2 points for sequel, 10 points for finishing a series
10. Losing It by Cora Carmack - 2 points for a sequel, 10 points for finishing a series
11. The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan - 2 points for a sequel
12. Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows - 2 points for a sequel, 10 pts for finishing a series
13. The Copper Gauntlet by Black and Clare - 2 points for a sequel
14. Until Midnight by Melissa Landers - 2 points for a sequel
15. Die Once More by Amy Plum - 2 points for a sequel
16. The Queen's Army by Marissa Meyer - 2 points for a prequel

                                                    Total Points = 82

• Complete 2 half marathons during 2015
1. I ran the Capital City Half Marathon on May 2, 2015
2. I started training for the Glass City Half Marathon, which is scheduled for April 2016

Review: The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black

Hazel and Ben are a brother and sister who have grown up in the unusual town of Fairfold.  The locals know all of the "rules" to keep yourself safe from the monsters that live in the forest, but it is never safe for a tourist.  The faeries prey upon the unsuspecting visitors who come to visit the prince, who has been sleeping in the forest for generations.  The local high school students routinely gather around his glass casket to party, but the prince has had an even greater impact on the lives of Hazel and Ben.  While their parents were busy working, the siblings spent hours talking to the prince and pretending to kill the monsters in the forest.

One day, it is discovered that the prince is no longer in his casket.  Where did he go?  How did he escape? Is his disappearance related to the increase in violence in Fairfold?  

Holly weaves a wonderful tale that connects the human world with that of the faeries.  There is a boy named Jack, who is considered to be a "changeling".  He is an immortal fairy who has grown up with a human family in Fairfold.  Through him we are able to see how life on the other side really is.  While the faeries are known for their trickery, they aren't all bad.  There is more to the mystery of the "monster" than one can imagine and his or her true identity is not as obvious as it first appears.

The book started out a little slow for me, but it really took off about 100 pages in.  Once Hazel and Carter began working together to solve Farifold's mysteries, I simply could not put it down.  There are a couple of love stories that add an additional element of interest as well.

I haven't read Holly's Modern Faerie Tale series, but I am definitely intrigued by it now that I have completed this book.  I have added the first book in the series to my TBR list and hope to get to it soon.  Well...that is a relative term when your TBR list contains over 300 books, but I do look forward to reading it some day.

Creativity Corner: Graham Cracker Gingerbread House & Coloring

My 10 year-old son, Preston, is very crafty and enjoys all forms of art.  I decided to start this Creativity Corner feature as a way for us to look back on our projects while sharing ideas with others.

Preston made a gingerbread house at school out of graham crackers.  We have made traditional gingerbread houses in the past, but this was a fun activity for the kids that didn't require nearly as much preparation.

I spent some time coloring the day after Christmas and finished the first page in Secret Garden.

Stacking the Shelves: Christmas Edition

Stacking the Shelves is a weekly meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews.  It is all about sharing the books you are adding to your shelves, be it physical or virtual.  This means you can include books you buy in a physical store or online, books you borrow from friends or the library, review books, gifts and of course ebooks!

Tynga publishes her post each Saturday, so be sure to link up your posts and check out what books others have added to their shelves that week.

Gifts

The Heir and the Spare by Emily Albright 

Flo sent me this for Christmas, which I was super excited about.  It has been on my TBR list for a while and I can't wait to read it.  

Hush Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

My brother gave me a copy of Hush Hush for Christmas.  Now that I finally finished Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, this is one of the older books on my TBR list.  It looks like I can finally tackle this one in 2016.

Review: Rooms by Lauren Oliver

I've read Lauren Oliver's Delirium series and Panic, so I am well aware of her YA books.  I knew this was an adult book when I tried to pick up a copy at BEA a couple of years ago, but I obviously forgot in the meantime.  I downloaded the audio book and started listening to it on a road trip with my ten-year-old son and quickly discovered that it is NOT appropriate for younger readers.  After a couple of "bad words" and some content he hopefully didn't understand, I had to pull the plug for the rest of that trip.  

Rooms is told from multiple character's points of view, which I found to be very entertaining.  Alice and Sandra are both ghosts who were former residents of the home they "haunt", for lack of a better word.  Richard Walker was the most recent owner of the home, but he recently passed away and his ex-wife, Caroline, teenage son Trenton and adult daughter Minna are there to settle his affairs.

Trenton and Minna haven't been to their childhood home in years, so their return stirs up a number of old memories.  In addition, Trenton was involved in a car accident prior to the start of the book that nearly killed him.  He believes it was this near death experience that is causing him to hear ghosts in the house.  Caroline, Trenton, and Minna are all battling their own demons, but hearing ghosts is even a stretch for them.

The majority of the book is an unraveling of the lives of the ghosts as well as the living.  There are a number of finely woven details that link the past with the present and several surprising revelations.  I don't think I was quite as close to the edge of my seat as I was reading Panic, but this was still an excellent ghost store and a solid debut into the world of adult fiction for Lauren.

The only negative that I perceived was the somewhat crude language that was dispersed throughout the book.  I read a lot of YA and NA, so I'm definitely not used to it.  Some adult content and language is fine, but I thought it was excessive in places and could have been toned down.  

Waiting on Wednesday: The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

The Year We Fell Apart by Emily Martin

Release Date: January 26, 2016

I found this book when I was looking for books to read for next year's new release challenge. They pretty much had me with the mention of Sarah Dessen, but the description sounds like it has a lot of potential.

Goodreads Overview: 

In the tradition of Sarah Dessen, this powerful debut novel is a compelling portrait of a young girl coping with her mother’s cancer as she figures out how to learn from—and fix—her past.

Few things come as naturally to Harper as epic mistakes. In the past year she was kicked off the swim team, earned a reputation as Carson High’s easiest hook-up, and officially became the black sheep of her family. But her worst mistake was destroying her relationship with her best friend, Declan.

Now, after two semesters of silence, Declan is home from boarding school for the summer. Everything about him is different—he’s taller, stronger…more handsome. Harper has changed, too, especially in the wake of her mom’s cancer diagnosis.

While Declan wants nothing to do with Harper, he’s still Declan, her Declan, and the only person she wants to talk to about what’s really going on. But he’s also the one person she’s lost the right to seek comfort from.

As their mutual friends and shared histories draw them together again, Harper and Declan must decide which parts of their past are still salvageable, and which parts they’ll have to let go of once and for all.

In this honest and affecting tale of friendship and first love, Emily Martin brings to vivid life the trials and struggles of high school and the ability to learn from past mistakes over the course of one steamy North Carolina summer.

Review: Boy Meets Boy by David Levithan

I have read several of Levithan's collaborations (Dash & Lily's Book of Dares, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, and Invisibility) and really enjoyed them, so I decided it was time to read one of his solo books.

Boy Meets Boy tells the story of a high school boy named Paul who has known and embraced the fact that he is gay since kindergarten.  While I have lived in a very accepting area near Columbus, Ohio for sixteen years, which received a brief mention in this book, I don't think I have ever experienced a town or school like Paul's.  For example...the starting quarterback is a drag queen as well as the homecoming queen.  It seemed like most of the town was openly LGBT, or perhaps that is just the side of things that is presented from Paul's point-of-view.  Everyone seemed so supportive and accepting until we meet Tony's parents.  Tony is Paul's long time friend, but he is a sharp contrast to Paul.  His parents are very religious and believe Paul is the devil's influence on their son.  It was great to see how Tony slowly asserted his independence and stood up to his parents.

The remainder of the story is a love story.  Paul first meets Noah at a book store and quickly discovers he is a new student at his school.  It takes a few days for Paul to reconnect with Noah, but their relationship soon escalates until Paul manages to botch everything up.  Now he has to figure out how he can earn back Noah's trust.  

I honestly didn't realize this book was written in 2003.  I added it to my TBR list in March 2014, so I guess I was assuming it was written shortly before then.  If that were the case, I don't think this story would have been such a far reaching piece of fiction.  With the legalization of gay marriage and other recent events, I don't think Boy Meets Boy is that far from today's reality.

Overall, this was a short and very entertaining story that kept me engaged from start to finish.  It was a very eye opening read that I will not soon forget.

Movie Review: Paper Towns

It has been a REALLY long time since I have watched a movie before reading the book, but I was on the waiting list to get this movie from the library for quite some time.  I only had a 7 day window of opportunity to watch the movie, since renewing it was definitely not an option.  I was in the middle of two books already, so I had to make an executive decision.  

I was expecting this movie to be the next The Fault in Our Stars....with fewer tears.  It didn't quite live up to my expectations.  

While I could appreciate the fact that map makers created "paper towns" when making their maps, I couldn't quite correlate that to a person's feelings or a character's view of a vibrant city.  

The story is told from Quentin's point of view.  He is a high school senior who has always been on the straight and narrow path.  He doesn't go to parties, gets good grades, wants to go to med school, etc.  I enjoyed his interactions with his good friends, Radar and Ben.  I could appreciate him wanting to revive his childhood friendship with Margo, but she wasn't exactly a likable character.  She is the exact opposite of Quentin.  She sneaks out of her house, goes to parties, and came across as very self centered and vindictive.  I really didn't think she was worth all of the trouble Quentin and his friends went through to decode Margo's clues behind her disappearance.  

The most enjoyable part of this movie was watching Quentin experience life to the fullest for the fist time.  Perhaps that was the real message to this story, but I'm not exactly sure.  He had a night of mischief with Margo, went to his first party, took a road trip with friends, and even went to the prom...all within the last few weeks of his high school experience.  

I am glad I waited to get this movie from the library instead of spending the money to see it in the theater.  It was entertaining enough to keep me engage for a couple of hours, but I would have been disappointed if I had shelled out theater prices for this one.  I'm actually a little leery about reading the book now.  I know...the book is always better than the movie, so I'm sure I will read it eventually, but it isn't going to miraculously reach the top of my TBR list based upon this performance.

Waiting on Wednesday: Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

Lady Midnight by Cassandra Clare

Release Date: March 8, 2016

I'm currently working my way through the Mortal Instruments series (I'm on book 3), but I'm still excited about the release of her latest series.  Hopefully I can finish up the MI series before this book is released.  

Goodreads Overview:

Los Angeles. It’s been five years since the events of the Mortal Instruments when Nephilim stood poised on the brink of oblivion and Shadowhunter Emma Carstairs lost her parents. After the blood and violence she witnessed as a child, Emma has dedicated her life to to discovering exactly what it was that killed her parents and getting her revenge.

Raised in the Los Angeles Institute with the Blackthorn family, Emma is paired as a parabatai with her best friend, Julian Blackthorn. A series of murders in the city catch her attention — they seem to have the same characteristics as the deaths of her parents. Could the murderer be the same person? And her attention isn’t the only one caught: someone has been murdering Downworlders as well. The Fair Folk make a deal with the Institute: if the Blackthorns and Emma will investigate the killings, they’ll return Mark Blackthorn to his home. The catch: they have only two weeks to find the killers. Otherwise it’s open war between faeries and Nephilim.

The Shadowhunters of the Institute must race against time to catch the killers, even as they begin to suspect the involvement of those closest to them. At the same time, Emma is falling in love with the one person in the world she’s absolutely forbidden by Shadowhunter Law to love. Set against the glittering backdrop of present-day Los Angeles, Emma must learn to trust her head and her heart as she investigates a demonic plot that stretches from the warlock-run nightclubs of the Sunset Strip to the enchanted sea that pounds the beaches of Santa Monica.

Creativity Corner: Go Bucks!!

My 10 year-old son, Preston, is very crafty and enjoys all forms of art.  I decided to start this Creativity Corner feature as a way for us to look back on our projects while sharing ideas with others.

Last weekend my husband and I hosted an Ohio State vs. Michigan party.  I decided to share the Brutus the Buckeye cake and Finger Jello Preston and I made.  Both were a huge hit with the kids and adults in attendance.

I purchased the silicone cake and muffin pans from a local store a few years ago, but they can be found on Amazon by clicking on the attached links.  If you use a little cooking spray your cakes, muffins, brownies, or jello will come out of these pans beautifully.

I lightly rinse the jello before serving to make sure there isn't any residual cooking spray left on the final product.  

Review: Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins

My goal for this year was to complete five series I had already started.  Now that I have finished the Vampire Academy, Harry Potter, Losing It, Project Paper Dolls and Mara Dyer series, I decided to start a few new series.  The Sweet Trilogy is one that has been on my TBR list for a while.  On the plus side, there is no waiting between books.  All three books are currently available and there is even a fourth book, which is more of a companion novel, told from Kaidan's point of view.  I honestly can't wait to read Kaidan's book, Sweet Temptation, but Wendy Higgins suggests reading it after the trilogy if you want to fully appreciate it.  

Sweet Evil is about a sixteen-year-old girl named Anna who has always known she was different.  For example...What child can remember their own birth?  She also has heightened senses, which have developed over the years.  She has been living a rather normal life with her adoptive mother, Patti, until the day she meets Kaidan, the gorgeous drummer from a local band named Lascivious.  She discovers he has similar abilities to hers and there are others like them around the world.  He begins teaching her about life as a Nephilim.  They are the children of fallen angels and their lives are not really their own.  They are expected to work for their fathers and spread evil amongst the human population.  

To complicate thing further, Anna's mother was an angel.  She is pulled not only  towards her father's vice, which is drugs and alcohol, but she is filled with good from her mother.  The majority of the book is a road trip across the country to meet Anna's father.  He is nothing like she thought he would be.  He is actually very protective of Anna compared to how the other Dukes treat their children.  

There is a strong attraction that develops between Anna and Kaidan, but they have to distance themselves from each other because of the Dukes' views of Nephilim.  They are considered to be nothing more than their father's property and could be killed if they do not live up to their expectations. 

I absolutely loved this book and can hardly wait to pick up a copy of the next book in the series.  I enjoyed how the Nephilim stuck together and tried to protect one another as best they could.  I really hope they are able to overcome their circumstances and can achieve happiness by the end of the series.  

Waiting on Wednesday: The Glittering Court

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine, which spotlights upcoming releases we are eagerly anticipating.

The Glittering Court by Richelle Mead

Release Date: April 5, 2016

I have yet to go wrong with one of Richelle Mead's books.  I loved her Vampire Academy series and I just picked up a copy of Bloodlines.  I will have to stay current with her Glittering Court series while I work my way through the Bloodlines series.

Goodreads Overview: 

Big and sweeping, spanning the refined palaces of Osfrid to the gold dust and untamed forests of Adoria, The Glittering Court tells the story of Adelaide, an Osfridian countess who poses as her servant to escape an arranged marriage and start a new life in Adoria, the New World. But to do that, she must join the Glittering Court. 

Both a school and a business venture, the Glittering Court is designed to transform impoverished girls into upper-class ladies capable of arranging powerful and wealthy marriages in the New World. Adelaide naturally excels in her training and even makes a few friends: the fiery former laundress Tamsin and the beautiful Sirminican refugee Mira. She manages to keep her true identity hidden from all but one: the intriguing Cedric Thorn, son of the wealthy proprietor of the Glittering Court.

When Adelaide discovers that Cedric is hiding a dangerous secret of his own, together, they hatch a scheme to make the best of Adelaide’s deception. Complications soon arise—first, as they cross the treacherous seas from Osfrid to Adoria, and later, when Adelaide catches the attention of a powerful governor.

But no complication will prove quite as daunting as the potent attraction simmering between Adelaide and Cedric. An attraction that, if acted on, would scandalize the Glittering Court and make them both outcasts in wild, vastly uncharted lands. . . .

Fitch Path by Todd Corley

FITCH PATH

A Cautionary Tale About A Moose, Millennials, 

Leadership & Transparency

by Todd Corley

About the Book

As the Millennial (Generation Y) workforce swells and iGens (Generation Z) increasingly enter the workforce, the demand for trusted, transparent and authentic leadership is reaching 'fever pitch'. Driven by social media and unfazed by privacy concerns, younger generations are forging cultural shifts that are upending traditional leadership values and practices. Resisting the call for hyper-ethical workplaces, [Baby Boomer] leaders in favor of "business as usual" find themselves and their organizations at grave risk.

Fitch Path is a cautionary tale about how to navigate generationally-driven shifts in beliefs and values. It goes inside the iconic brand, Abercrombie & Fitch, and explores how Millennials and iGens reshaped the self-conscious symbol of American youth and coolness and forged cultural transformation.

Author Todd Corley, former Abercrombie & Fitch (A&F) Senior Vice President & Global Chief Diversity Officer and liaison to the A&F Board of Directors’ Corporate Social Responsibility Committee, witnessed first-hand the impact of Millennials and rising iGens during his ten years at Abercrombie & Fitch from his office at the World Headquarters located on Fitch Path in New Albany, Ohio (2004 – 2014). His tenure at Abercrombie & Fitch overlapped several high profile discrimination cases including Gonzalez v. Abercrombie, which was at the epicenter of a $50M class-action settlement mandating his position be created and EEOC v. Abercrombie, which was argued
in front of- and decided by-the U.S. Supreme Court fifteen months after he decided to leave the company. In that case, the U.S. Supreme Court rendered an 8 – 1 decision on June 1st, 2015 in favor of a Muslim woman who wore a hijab to her job interview.

In Fitch Path, he examines the needs, wants and expectations of the emerging workforce majority recognizing that by 2020, Millennials and iGens will represent nearly 60% of the US workforce and offers solutions to help prepare today's leaders and organizations for the inevitable reality: transparency is the new normal.

Fitch Path serves as a generational marker, recognizing current challenges, signaling approaching opportunities and helping us all understand the coming shifts. It outlines four guiding principles – transparency, authenticity, persistence & optimism – and offers battle tested strategies for managing today’s workplace. The lessons learned are transferable and applicable across industry and sector (public vs. private).

Links to Purchase

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Coyer Challenge Signup - Challenge runs Dec 19th - March 4th

hosted by Berls, Michelle and Stormi!

I participated in my first ever COYER challenge last summer and LOVED it, so I couldn't wait for the winter sign up.  

My goal is going to be to read 1 book per week for the challenge, which will clear out 11 books from my eReader.  I have a ton on physical books to read as well as read alongs that I have to complete for Book Nerds Across America, so 11 will actually be a pretty big challenge.

After a quick glance at the files currently on my nook and kindle apps, I anticipate reading the following books as part of the winter challenge.  Of course, this is subject to change.  I will mark the books as read throughout the challenge and revise the list as necessary.

1. Until Midnight by Melissa Landers - Completed 12/29/2015
2. Die Once More by Amy Plum - Completed 12/30/2015
3. The Queen's Army by Marissa Meyer - Completed 12/30/2015
4. The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black - Completed 12/25/2015
5. Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
6. First Family by David Baldacci
7. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
8. Never Never by Colleen Hoover
9. Bitter Pill by Stacey Kade
10. Love Show by Audrey Bell
11. The Academy - First Days by C.L. Stone
12. All Lined Up by Cora Carmack

Challenge Description:

Have you been a little over eager with your mouse when browsing Kindle Freebies? Or maybe those books on Netgalley were just too hard to resist? Are your free reads sitting in your E-reader, neglected, just waiting for when you have time to get to them? Well now is the time with the “Clean Out Your E-reads Challenge”

That’s right we are Going Back to Basics this winter! For 3 months we are going old school. If you have been with us since the beginning you already know the rules – the only thing we added is Audiobooks. If you are new to COYER then welcome!  You can find a complete list of the rules in Because of Reading's signup post.

The challenge will take place December 19th to March 4th and will be hosted by Fantasy is More Fun, Because Reading & Books, Movies, Reviews! Oh My! 

Review: Faking Normal by Courtney C. Stevens

Faking Normal is a YA contemporary about a high school junior named Alexi.  She is struggling emotionally after an assault that took place a couple of months prior to the start of the book.  She has been hiding her pain from her family and friends, but she can’t fool Bodee. 

Bodee and Alexi have known each other since childhood, but they were nothing more than acquaintances until the death of Bodee’s mother.  They are both concealing their secrets as best they can, but they can see through each other's pain.  As their friendship builds, they begin to confide in one another.  They help each other cope in healthier ways than they resorted to on their own.  Together, they regain their strength and confidence.  

I don’t want to give away too much of the story, so I will simply say this was an exceptional book.  I have to thank Amy Plum, author of the Revenants series, for sharing it with me.  Amy tweeted about it a while back, but that is probably the only time I have heard of this book.  I added it to my to-be-read list and I am thankful that I did.

The story was very well written and presented a difficult subject matter in a way that readers can learn and benefit from.  The only thing I can compare it to is Bitter End by Jennifer Brown, which I also loved.  I never would have picked up either of these books based solely on the descriptions due to the heavy topics, but they left a lasting impression that I will not soon forget. 

I would highly recommend Faking Normal to every YA reader.  This is the type of book I would have loved to have read as part of an English class growing up.  The story is gripping and the characters are engaging.  Students would enjoy reading this book while learning in the process.  

Creativity Corner: Adult Coloring Books

My 10 year-old son is very crafty and enjoys all forms of art.  I decided to start this Creativity Corner feature as a way for us to look back on our projects while sharing ideas with others.

Preston and I decided to jump on the adult coloring book craze.

I completed the following this week from Enchanted Forest by Johanna Basford.
I used my Prismacolor set of 132 pencils.

Preston completed the following page from Birds - A Mindful Coloring Book by Georgie Woolridge

He used his set of 64 Crayola colored pencils.

The fun thing about this bird book is that it contains a variety of unusual birds that we don't usually see living in Ohio...unless they are at the zoo.  The opposite page tells you about the bird, so it is educational.  He googled this picture of a mandarin duck, so he would know how to color it.

I think he did an excellent job!!  

Creativity Corner: Christmas to Color by Mary Tanana

My 10 year-old son is very crafty and enjoys all forms of art.  I decided to start this Creativity Corner feature as a way for us to look back on our projects while sharing ideas with others.

Preston and I decided to jump on the adult coloring book craze and purchased a few different books at Barnes and Noble last week.

Here are the pages I completed this week from Christmas to Color by Mary Tanana.

I used my son's Crayola colored pencils to complete this page.  He has a box of 50 pencils and another box of 64 yet I only managed to use 3 colors.

I'm not nearly as creative as my son, but I ventured out and tried a variety of colors on this page.  I used my son's Crayola colored pencils for the page on the right.  I used my new set of 132 Prismacolor pencils, which arrived in the mail last Sunday, for the page on the left.