Number 53. I have surpassed my goal. Did anyone out there really think that I was going to stop reading once I closed the 52nd book? Seriously--does that sound like me at all?
A few months ago, Rob and I watched "The Lincoln Lawyer." It was the perfect movie compromise: a lawyer movie for Rob and Mathew Mcconaughey for me! Seriously, have you ever watched a movie with him as the star (or co-star for that matter) that you didn't love? Anyway, the point of this story is that I loved the movie, and not just because of Mr. Mcconaughey. The movie was great. Little did I know, because lawyer movies and books aren't typically my genre of choice, that The Lincoln Lawyer was actually a book before it became a movie and that there are other books in the series (right now there are 3). Rob suggested that I actually read The Lincoln Laywer before reading more in the series, but I have a hard time re-reading when I already know the ending (Harry Potter is the ONLY exception to this rule!). So, I moved on and read The Brass Verdict.
Of course, with every page and every word spoke, Mickey Haller was Matthew Mcconaughey. And, not a single page disappointed me. I've said it before, this is not my typical genre of choice, but it's nice to break from the mold at times and try something new. It has been a long read for me, but I chalk that up to the beginning of school, football, and field hockey. I am just beginning to be able to juggle life more efficiently again. It's only taken me a month! Anyway, the book was great. Solid, believable story. Good dialogue. Cool characters that I have grown to love. And, I even had the case all figured out! Well...until I realized that I was dead wrong and glad that I never took up a legal career because I am way too trusting and will believe whatever someone says. I don't want to give it all away...you'll have to read the book to get the entire story.
There's one more Lincoln Lawyer book on my shelf. Rob has already read it but I am going to need to wait a few months before I pick up another lawyer book. They make me think way too much and I need a break from thinking. Luckily for me, two of my favorite girly series have new releases tomorrow. They have already been preordered and if I remember to turn my Nook on tonight before I go to bed, they will magically appear at 12:01 am. Never fear, I will return to Mickey Haller and I will find out what happens next in his life as I imagine MM saying every word I read and looking gorgeous as ever as he's driven around in one of his 3 black Lincolns (hence...the Lincoln Lawyer). And when I do, I'll let you know how it all turns out!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Saturday, September 10, 2011
#52: 1105 Yakima Street by Debbie Macomber
Ever since I discovered Debbie Macomber's books, I have looked forward to the last week of August when her annual Cedar Cove (set in Seattle) novel is released. 1105 Yakima Street is her 11th book in the series. The 12th book (1225 Christmas Tree Lane) is released in three weeks and it is the last one in the series. Sigh...
I have read all 11 books (and have preordered the 12th) and have loved them all. 1105 Yakima Street was not my favorite (but it was still VERY good), but I think I have figured out why that might be. Each of the 10 previous books focus on one family and is named for the street address of the main family. 1105 Yakima Street is no different in this manner but the side plots of this book are more numerous to the point that the main family focus has been shifted. I felt like I was really only reading the story of Rachel, Jolene, and Bruce every 4th chapter. It was a little frustrating. However, I completely understand that Macomber is trying to wrap up lose ends and end her series. I fully believe that this accounts for the shift in focus, but the constant changing is what made this book less enthralling than her others. I am just glad that I read the letter from Macomber before reading the book. It made me sad to learn that the series was ending, but made the character shifts more understandable.
I am not sure what I am going to do next year when the last Tuesday of August rolls around and there's not a Cedar Cover book waiting for me to read. I discovered the series after Macomber had written the first 4, so I was able to read them all at once and then had to wait for the annual release like everyone else. So, for the last 6 years, I have looked forward to the last Tuesday in August (which is always my second day back at school so it gave me a silver lining in the cloud of summer being over) to read the next installment of the Cedar Cove story. These characters are now so real in my mind it's a bit like a family member moving, or your favorite TV show ending. I felt like this when Friends and Seinfeld were done. Now I am mourning a town in Washington, Cedar Cove.
If you haven't had a chance to read any of this series, you should give it a try. The first book is 16 Lighthouse Road and it will not disappoint you, I promise. I guess the good news for anyone picking up the series now is that you don't have to wait for an annual release--they are all out and ready to be devoured! I feel compelled to add, too, that this series of books and the characters from them are so wildly popular that there's actually an annual festival in Washington State each year called Cedar Cove Days. I guess it's like the Star Trek convention for the Romance sect! Anyway, I do hope that you'll give this series a try. I can only imagine that one day soon I'll start re-reading these books. I am just having a hard time imagining that the series is done. Too bad Nick at Night won't do a Cedar Cove marathon like they recently just did with Friends. I guess re-reading will be my version of re-runs!
Happy reading everyone. My 52 books have now been read! Woo-hoo!
I have read all 11 books (and have preordered the 12th) and have loved them all. 1105 Yakima Street was not my favorite (but it was still VERY good), but I think I have figured out why that might be. Each of the 10 previous books focus on one family and is named for the street address of the main family. 1105 Yakima Street is no different in this manner but the side plots of this book are more numerous to the point that the main family focus has been shifted. I felt like I was really only reading the story of Rachel, Jolene, and Bruce every 4th chapter. It was a little frustrating. However, I completely understand that Macomber is trying to wrap up lose ends and end her series. I fully believe that this accounts for the shift in focus, but the constant changing is what made this book less enthralling than her others. I am just glad that I read the letter from Macomber before reading the book. It made me sad to learn that the series was ending, but made the character shifts more understandable.
I am not sure what I am going to do next year when the last Tuesday of August rolls around and there's not a Cedar Cover book waiting for me to read. I discovered the series after Macomber had written the first 4, so I was able to read them all at once and then had to wait for the annual release like everyone else. So, for the last 6 years, I have looked forward to the last Tuesday in August (which is always my second day back at school so it gave me a silver lining in the cloud of summer being over) to read the next installment of the Cedar Cove story. These characters are now so real in my mind it's a bit like a family member moving, or your favorite TV show ending. I felt like this when Friends and Seinfeld were done. Now I am mourning a town in Washington, Cedar Cove.
If you haven't had a chance to read any of this series, you should give it a try. The first book is 16 Lighthouse Road and it will not disappoint you, I promise. I guess the good news for anyone picking up the series now is that you don't have to wait for an annual release--they are all out and ready to be devoured! I feel compelled to add, too, that this series of books and the characters from them are so wildly popular that there's actually an annual festival in Washington State each year called Cedar Cove Days. I guess it's like the Star Trek convention for the Romance sect! Anyway, I do hope that you'll give this series a try. I can only imagine that one day soon I'll start re-reading these books. I am just having a hard time imagining that the series is done. Too bad Nick at Night won't do a Cedar Cove marathon like they recently just did with Friends. I guess re-reading will be my version of re-runs!
Happy reading everyone. My 52 books have now been read! Woo-hoo!
Monday, September 5, 2011
#50 and #51: Only Mine and Only Yours by Susan Mallery
I have said it before and I will say it again, Susan Mallery's books are just so good! I have yet to read one that disappointed me.
Last year (I think it was last year as I couldn't find record of it in this year's 52 in 52) I read Susan Mallery's Finding Perfect and loved it! As it turns out, it was the beginning of a series of books about The Hendrix Family. Only Mine, Only Yours, and Only His were recently released and are a trilogy of books about The Hendrix Identical Triplets, all women. Finding Perfect centered around their friend, Pia, and it gave us a brief introduction to each sister. Now, with this new trilogy we get to know each sister in detail. Only Mine is Dakota's book, Only Yours is Montana's, and Only His (which has not yet been released, but I have already downloaded it to my Nook and will just be sure it's on on September 27th so the actual book can land on my Nook!) is all about the last triplet, Nevada. Don't you love their names? They were named by their three older brothers and as you can read in the books what they got was way better than the alternatives!
Dakota and Montana (and even Nevada, although I haven't yet learned much about her character) are women whose stories are true page turners. I read Only Yours in one sitting yesterday. It was a story I could see in my head, like a movie, and I just wanted to know how it all turned out. At 11:00 pm last night, I closed the book after seeing how her story ended (and being mad that I couldn't read the final installment today!).
September 27th can get here fast enough! Happy reading!
Last year (I think it was last year as I couldn't find record of it in this year's 52 in 52) I read Susan Mallery's Finding Perfect and loved it! As it turns out, it was the beginning of a series of books about The Hendrix Family. Only Mine, Only Yours, and Only His were recently released and are a trilogy of books about The Hendrix Identical Triplets, all women. Finding Perfect centered around their friend, Pia, and it gave us a brief introduction to each sister. Now, with this new trilogy we get to know each sister in detail. Only Mine is Dakota's book, Only Yours is Montana's, and Only His (which has not yet been released, but I have already downloaded it to my Nook and will just be sure it's on on September 27th so the actual book can land on my Nook!) is all about the last triplet, Nevada. Don't you love their names? They were named by their three older brothers and as you can read in the books what they got was way better than the alternatives!
Dakota and Montana (and even Nevada, although I haven't yet learned much about her character) are women whose stories are true page turners. I read Only Yours in one sitting yesterday. It was a story I could see in my head, like a movie, and I just wanted to know how it all turned out. At 11:00 pm last night, I closed the book after seeing how her story ended (and being mad that I couldn't read the final installment today!).
Now I have to be honest and admit that the setting of these books is a little far-fetched, but it makes for a great story. These stories take place in a fictional town called Fool's Gold, in California. It's a town dominated by women and sorrily lacking in men. Needless to say, when one appears, women jump (and the great stories begin!). Despite this, the actual stories (and yes there is a story line in each book that is about more than just love and sex) about the women are believable. In fact, these women are the sort of women I think many of us would like to be: resilient, strong, capable of taking care of themselves without men. Yet, as in any good romance story, they succumb every time! Both Dakota's and Montana's stories brought me to tears. Dakota's hit too close to home, and Montana's love story was just so touching I think you'd have to be dead not to be moved by it.
I also can't help but admit that these are the sort of books that I wish I had at the beach with me. They can be read in one sitting and that's usually what happens when I am in my beach chair with the water at my feet--I don't get up and can devour a book in a day, easily. But, I was not in control of when these books were released. But, if you haven't yet bought them and want to file away a couple of titles for good beach reads, I have just given you three!
September 27th can get here fast enough! Happy reading!
Saturday, September 3, 2011
#49: Faster Isn't Smarter by Cathy L. Seeley
The complete title of this book is Faster Isn't Smarter: Messages About Math, Teaching, and Learning in the 21st Century. I was asked to read this book as part of my new job within HCPS (Elementary Math Teacher in Residence) and reading this book has validated so many of my personal educational beliefs and philosohies. I wish that every parent with a child in the public school system throughout the US would read this book. It just might change how parents "teach" their pre-schooler and change their expectations for their school-age children. Sadly, though, it might make you want to move out of the US to one of those other countires who seem to have a better grasp on public education.
To give you some background, Cathy Seeley was the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics president (NCTM) and while she was president she wrote a series of President's Messages. This book contains many (maybe all, I am not certain) of those messages that were printed for NCTM's members. It is so nice to have them all in one book and organized by theme/topic. Better than that is the fact that each message is roughly 2-4 pages long. So, you can read one and feel as though you've learned something or you can read and entire section and feel overwhelmed! Seriously, I liked that each message was short and to the point and I could read one quickly and move on with my day.
For those of you who happen to be interested, here are the titles of some of my favorite messages. This will give you an idea of what Seeley's messages are about:
#1: Math for a Flattening World (the idea of a "flat" world is eye opening)
#6: "Teach Harder!" Isn't the Answer
#10: It's Not Just About Math and Reading
#15: Less Can Be More (that one was my fave!)
#32: Yes, but...(or...Believing in every student)
I just can't say enough good things about this book, one that clearly I was reading for work and not for "pleasure" but I did enjoy it. It wasn't like the typical books we have to read for work/school that are dull and boring. Cathy Seeley is entertaining and has valid points that anyone in the education field, or anyone with school-aged children, should consider.
To me, the title says it all. Faster isn't smarter. Anyone who has ever worked with a child in any capacity knows that. But, I wonder what the creators of Kumon would say to Cathy Seeley about that? I'd like to be a fly on the wall during that conversation!
To give you some background, Cathy Seeley was the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics president (NCTM) and while she was president she wrote a series of President's Messages. This book contains many (maybe all, I am not certain) of those messages that were printed for NCTM's members. It is so nice to have them all in one book and organized by theme/topic. Better than that is the fact that each message is roughly 2-4 pages long. So, you can read one and feel as though you've learned something or you can read and entire section and feel overwhelmed! Seriously, I liked that each message was short and to the point and I could read one quickly and move on with my day.
For those of you who happen to be interested, here are the titles of some of my favorite messages. This will give you an idea of what Seeley's messages are about:
#1: Math for a Flattening World (the idea of a "flat" world is eye opening)
#6: "Teach Harder!" Isn't the Answer
#10: It's Not Just About Math and Reading
#15: Less Can Be More (that one was my fave!)
#32: Yes, but...(or...Believing in every student)
I just can't say enough good things about this book, one that clearly I was reading for work and not for "pleasure" but I did enjoy it. It wasn't like the typical books we have to read for work/school that are dull and boring. Cathy Seeley is entertaining and has valid points that anyone in the education field, or anyone with school-aged children, should consider.
To me, the title says it all. Faster isn't smarter. Anyone who has ever worked with a child in any capacity knows that. But, I wonder what the creators of Kumon would say to Cathy Seeley about that? I'd like to be a fly on the wall during that conversation!
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