What self-respecting Disney fanatic could NOT read a book by Marty Sklaar, which details his 54 (yes 54) years as a Disney Imagineer? I was so excited to read this book, but so very sad that I wasn't able to be at WDW in September 12 and 13 when he was there signing copies. Now, that would've been way cool!
For my readers out there, if you have any interest in Disney at all, you should read Marty's book. It details some of the coolest stories in Disney history and made me love the company even more. It also made me sad that Walt is gone. If you are not a Disney fan, but you have an interest in developing leadership skills or want to read about an organization that is skilled in creating an amazing work ethic amongst its employees, you could read this book and learn a lot.
I will be honest and admit that I skipped the chapters on Euro-Disney and Disneyland Tokyo. I was just not interested in reading about the parks I had not been to. I also skipped a lot of Marty's lists of people who did this and that and were written about as though they were interviewing for a new job. But, the stories were super cool, as were his pictures.
I am a huge Disney fan. That's no big secret. But, after reading this book, I am a Disney supporter. They've got a good thing going inside their industry. Now...how do I become a part of it?
Happy reading, everyone!
:)Dodie
Monday, September 30, 2013
Sunday, September 22, 2013
#40: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty
What would you do if you went to the gym one morning, fell off of a bike, hit your head, woke up in a hospital, and had forgotten the last ten years of your life? You did not remember the birth and life of your three kids, and wouldn't know them if they walked right up to you, you did not remember separating from your husband or the name of your new boyfriend, nor did you remember the death of your best friend. It was all wiped away. What would you do? Well...this is exactly what happened to Alice Love in What Alice Forgot, a book that has touched my heart and my mind and has really caused me to think long and hard about life. Again.
I don't want to summarize the book for you, because I think it would spoil the plot and I don't like to do that. But I do feel compelled to comment on how horrible I felt as I read about Alice waking up at the hospital. She was scared to death that she has lost her baby, as the last memory she had was of being pregnant. She desperately wanted to speak to her husband because she knew he, the love of her life, could make it all better. Imagine, then, when he was mean to her, using short, curt, bitter words because they did not love each other anymore. She just didn't remember. She didn't remember being distanced from her sister, either. Her life, in 10 short years, had changed dramatically. With a bump on the head, she was actually given an amazing gift. She could re-write her life...provided that her memories did not return. She could turn things around, just by being who she used to be. Because she did not know how to be anything else.
My heart ached for her as she tried to remember what made her husband hate her, and she him. My heart ached as she realized that her sister was hurting and she couldn't remember why. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as I longed to learn why her life had turned out the way it had and I prayed that her memory would stay gone forever. Alice Love was a kind and gentle person without her memories. From what I can tell, I don't think I would've like the Alice who remembered.
As I read this book, I felt so very grateful. I felt grateful for my family and my husband and for my life. And yet, I found myself disliking parts of Alice's life that I find myself, at 41, now wanting desperately--to be thin with the help of a personal trainer, to quit working so I can focus more on me, to buy a bigger house. And it made me stop and think. Why do I want these things? What about taking time to enjoy life and your family and your friends? Maybe those are the priorities I should focus on.
The sad thing is, I had decided to do just that. After my trips to London and Bermuda this summer, I had change my mind about life. There's more to life than Short Pump and I wanted my children to discover just that. I realized after these trips that a great big house would be lovely, but I really didn't want to be tied down by a large mortgage. And, I just hoped and prayed that I'd develop an aversion to all food and miraculously lose a ton of weight. :) But, then we all went back to school and those external forces that tend to bring me down (people) came flooding right back--the stay at home moms, the friends building new houses, the neighbors that run and are so toned and fit--and have muddled my thinking again, because I have let them. UGH.
So, I think that instead of loaning out What Alice Forgot as I typically do when I am done with a book, I will place this book in a spot where I can see it daily. Where it can remind me that my family is number one and the rest of it is just fluff. I need to focus on them and our lives together. Just as Alice did as she tried to remember why everything was so mixed up.
So, if you want to read this book, which I would highly recommend, you are going to need to get your own copy.
Hope you find one!
:) Dodie
I don't want to summarize the book for you, because I think it would spoil the plot and I don't like to do that. But I do feel compelled to comment on how horrible I felt as I read about Alice waking up at the hospital. She was scared to death that she has lost her baby, as the last memory she had was of being pregnant. She desperately wanted to speak to her husband because she knew he, the love of her life, could make it all better. Imagine, then, when he was mean to her, using short, curt, bitter words because they did not love each other anymore. She just didn't remember. She didn't remember being distanced from her sister, either. Her life, in 10 short years, had changed dramatically. With a bump on the head, she was actually given an amazing gift. She could re-write her life...provided that her memories did not return. She could turn things around, just by being who she used to be. Because she did not know how to be anything else.
My heart ached for her as she tried to remember what made her husband hate her, and she him. My heart ached as she realized that her sister was hurting and she couldn't remember why. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough as I longed to learn why her life had turned out the way it had and I prayed that her memory would stay gone forever. Alice Love was a kind and gentle person without her memories. From what I can tell, I don't think I would've like the Alice who remembered.
As I read this book, I felt so very grateful. I felt grateful for my family and my husband and for my life. And yet, I found myself disliking parts of Alice's life that I find myself, at 41, now wanting desperately--to be thin with the help of a personal trainer, to quit working so I can focus more on me, to buy a bigger house. And it made me stop and think. Why do I want these things? What about taking time to enjoy life and your family and your friends? Maybe those are the priorities I should focus on.
The sad thing is, I had decided to do just that. After my trips to London and Bermuda this summer, I had change my mind about life. There's more to life than Short Pump and I wanted my children to discover just that. I realized after these trips that a great big house would be lovely, but I really didn't want to be tied down by a large mortgage. And, I just hoped and prayed that I'd develop an aversion to all food and miraculously lose a ton of weight. :) But, then we all went back to school and those external forces that tend to bring me down (people) came flooding right back--the stay at home moms, the friends building new houses, the neighbors that run and are so toned and fit--and have muddled my thinking again, because I have let them. UGH.
So, I think that instead of loaning out What Alice Forgot as I typically do when I am done with a book, I will place this book in a spot where I can see it daily. Where it can remind me that my family is number one and the rest of it is just fluff. I need to focus on them and our lives together. Just as Alice did as she tried to remember why everything was so mixed up.
So, if you want to read this book, which I would highly recommend, you are going to need to get your own copy.
Hope you find one!
:) Dodie
Thursday, September 12, 2013
#39: War Brides by Lois Battle
I am not a history buff and I am not typically a fan of historical fiction. I have, however, read some very cool historical fiction recently and War Brides is one of those amazing books that makes me wish I knew more about WW2. It also makes me want to run out and buy more books by Lois Battle (which I plan to do shortly).
War Brides is set at the end of WW2 and it tells the stories of three Australian ladies who fall in love with Americans they met during the war and move to the States at the conclusion of the war. While fiction, their stories are compelling, heart-warming, and often heart-breaking, as you read their attempts to assimilate into American society and post-war culture. This was a true page turner and there was never, in 437 pages, a dull moment. I felt a bit like I was reading a WW2 soap-opera as I read alternating chapters, each told by one of the three main characters: Sheila, Gaynor, and Dawn. Each of these ladies is as different from the other as could possibly be. Their lifestyles, their love interests, their values, their desires...and this, in my opinion, largely contributes to the fresh story line and the page-turning quality of the novel as a whole.
For those of you who are book club members, I would strongly encourage you to read this with your book club. These ladies and their actions could spark some lively discussions--especially Gaynor.
I can't recommend this one highly enough. Read it. You will love it. I promise!
Happy reading,
:)Dodie
War Brides is set at the end of WW2 and it tells the stories of three Australian ladies who fall in love with Americans they met during the war and move to the States at the conclusion of the war. While fiction, their stories are compelling, heart-warming, and often heart-breaking, as you read their attempts to assimilate into American society and post-war culture. This was a true page turner and there was never, in 437 pages, a dull moment. I felt a bit like I was reading a WW2 soap-opera as I read alternating chapters, each told by one of the three main characters: Sheila, Gaynor, and Dawn. Each of these ladies is as different from the other as could possibly be. Their lifestyles, their love interests, their values, their desires...and this, in my opinion, largely contributes to the fresh story line and the page-turning quality of the novel as a whole.
For those of you who are book club members, I would strongly encourage you to read this with your book club. These ladies and their actions could spark some lively discussions--especially Gaynor.
I can't recommend this one highly enough. Read it. You will love it. I promise!
Happy reading,
:)Dodie
Tuesday, August 27, 2013
#38 My Husband's Sweethearts by Bridget Asher
What would you do if you found out that your husband had secretly been seeing other women...three, in fact, over the course of your marriage? You'd probably leave him, or make him leave you.
So, then, what would you do if you found out he was dying? Would you forgive and forget? Would you go back?
That's what Lucy has to decide after she finds out that her husband, Artie, is dying. She does end up going home (sorry...that really doesn't spoil too much) and makes the craziest decision I think any woman could make. She calls Artie's other "sweethearts" and invites them to take a turn on Artie's deathbed--to share in taking care of him while he dies since they had the pleasure of enjoying him while he was alive.
Brilliant.
But, personally, I think the plan backfires a bit. Because while Lucy assumes she will dislike these women, she ends up creating a new family with them, and allowing them to comfort her when she needs a family most.
I adored this book. Its a quick read but a touching one. I can't even begin to tell you which character I liked the most. They are all quirky and lovable and unforgettable.
Read this one. It's worth your time.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
So, then, what would you do if you found out he was dying? Would you forgive and forget? Would you go back?
That's what Lucy has to decide after she finds out that her husband, Artie, is dying. She does end up going home (sorry...that really doesn't spoil too much) and makes the craziest decision I think any woman could make. She calls Artie's other "sweethearts" and invites them to take a turn on Artie's deathbed--to share in taking care of him while he dies since they had the pleasure of enjoying him while he was alive.
Brilliant.
But, personally, I think the plan backfires a bit. Because while Lucy assumes she will dislike these women, she ends up creating a new family with them, and allowing them to comfort her when she needs a family most.
I adored this book. Its a quick read but a touching one. I can't even begin to tell you which character I liked the most. They are all quirky and lovable and unforgettable.
Read this one. It's worth your time.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Sunday, August 25, 2013
#37: The Land of Stories--The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer
I am always searching for new chapter books to read to my Kindergartners. It's hard to read Junie B. Jones and The Magic Tree House books year after year. So, when I caught Chris Colfer on Live with Kelly and Michael (my summer guilty pleasure) and heard that he had a sequel to his first book coming out and that it was a book about a fairy tale land, I immediately ordered the first book, knowing that it would be perfect to read to my kiddos at school.
Oh, how wrong I was.
I could NEVER read this book to my students. Well...I could...the year I wanted to get fired! And, it's not that I couldn't read this to 5 /6 year olds. I wouldn't read this to 5th/6th graders and the book's main characters are 11 years old. Good grief! The theme of the book and overall plot is a good one. It's been, perhaps, done before, but it's clever and creative and even though I thought I knew what was going to happen in the end, I was surprised. So, it is a sad, sad thing that because the language is inappropriate it will stay on my shelf at home and not be read to my students. I'm sure that the wording was done so to keep 5-8th grade students interested in the book, but with a few revisions, the novel could be way more far reaching to a wider audience. It's sad. Truly. But I could never read the following sentence to my children: "If I were Cinderella, none of this crap would be happening." (that's a line from Red Riding Hood--who knew she had a potty mouth) nor could I read the line when Goldilocks calls Red Riding Hood a "basket carrying bimbo" or when Red retaliates by calling Goldie a "fugitive floozy" or when Goldilocks is angered to the point of screaming "Son of a witch!" REALLY? Is that necessary in a children's book? And this is only a sampling.
Bottom line, you could easily read this to your own children and either read it as is and discuss the language or read around the inappropriate language. But, as a classroom teacher, I could never bring this book into my classroom. Parents would complain and I wouldn't blame them a bit. I complained while I was reading. The language just isn't necessary and it takes a book that could've been truly extraordinary and turns it into something that I can't recommend.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
Oh, how wrong I was.
I could NEVER read this book to my students. Well...I could...the year I wanted to get fired! And, it's not that I couldn't read this to 5 /6 year olds. I wouldn't read this to 5th/6th graders and the book's main characters are 11 years old. Good grief! The theme of the book and overall plot is a good one. It's been, perhaps, done before, but it's clever and creative and even though I thought I knew what was going to happen in the end, I was surprised. So, it is a sad, sad thing that because the language is inappropriate it will stay on my shelf at home and not be read to my students. I'm sure that the wording was done so to keep 5-8th grade students interested in the book, but with a few revisions, the novel could be way more far reaching to a wider audience. It's sad. Truly. But I could never read the following sentence to my children: "If I were Cinderella, none of this crap would be happening." (that's a line from Red Riding Hood--who knew she had a potty mouth) nor could I read the line when Goldilocks calls Red Riding Hood a "basket carrying bimbo" or when Red retaliates by calling Goldie a "fugitive floozy" or when Goldilocks is angered to the point of screaming "Son of a witch!" REALLY? Is that necessary in a children's book? And this is only a sampling.
Bottom line, you could easily read this to your own children and either read it as is and discuss the language or read around the inappropriate language. But, as a classroom teacher, I could never bring this book into my classroom. Parents would complain and I wouldn't blame them a bit. I complained while I was reading. The language just isn't necessary and it takes a book that could've been truly extraordinary and turns it into something that I can't recommend.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
#36: The End of the Alphabet by CS Richardson
What Kindergarten teacher isn't drawn to a book with "alphabet" in the title? I'll admit it. That's why I bought the book this past weekend at the Green Valley Bookfair (a wonderful place to spend an afternoon, btw.). It's a tiny little book, but it is packed with a thought provoking idea: what would you do if you only had less than a month to live. Well, if you are Ambrose Zephyr, a man obsessed with making A-Z lists, you'd try to pack in one more and revisit your favorite A-Z places (like a top ten list) in 26 days. Seriously, that's what he does and his amazing wife, Zipper, goes along.
Richardson's style of writing is loose and free form, almost like a poem in many places. I loved both characters and my heart broke for them as they realized that they only had a month left together.
Books like this one really force you to think about what YOU would do if you only had a month to live. I'm not sure what I would do. If my girls were in school, I guess I'd spend those days driving them places and helping with homework and making lunches. Ambrose and Zipper did not have kids, though. They did walk away from their jobs, which I would do, but even that would be hard. To leave a group of 5-6 year olds who wouldn't quite understand. But I would, because Rob and the girls are my life. And I'd want to spend as much of my last days with them as possible. I guess that's really what Ambrose was doing, in his own way. He was revisiting the places that meant the most to him and Zipper. We learned a lot about them and their love story along the way, too. It really was a touching story.
I'll leave Zipper's reaction at the end as a mystery for now. Suffice to day, she's a much stronger woman than I will ever be, that's for sure.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
Richardson's style of writing is loose and free form, almost like a poem in many places. I loved both characters and my heart broke for them as they realized that they only had a month left together.
Books like this one really force you to think about what YOU would do if you only had a month to live. I'm not sure what I would do. If my girls were in school, I guess I'd spend those days driving them places and helping with homework and making lunches. Ambrose and Zipper did not have kids, though. They did walk away from their jobs, which I would do, but even that would be hard. To leave a group of 5-6 year olds who wouldn't quite understand. But I would, because Rob and the girls are my life. And I'd want to spend as much of my last days with them as possible. I guess that's really what Ambrose was doing, in his own way. He was revisiting the places that meant the most to him and Zipper. We learned a lot about them and their love story along the way, too. It really was a touching story.
I'll leave Zipper's reaction at the end as a mystery for now. Suffice to day, she's a much stronger woman than I will ever be, that's for sure.
Happy reading, everyone!
:) Dodie
#35: The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith, or JK Rowling
I was in Bermuda when I heard that JK Rowling had written a new book, a mystery, under a pseudonym. I immediately picked up my iPad and ordered it from Amazon before there was a rush on the book, as I knew there would be. The article I read about the book from Bermuda indicated that the style of writing was obviously not indicative of an amateur and that the journalist who uncovered JK Rowling to be the author had been suspicious that it was really her all along. Clearly, I am not a journalist, nor a detective, because if I had not known The Cuckoo's Calling was Rowlings' book, I'd have never figured it out.
OK. So, there's a lot of London mentioned in the book and the author is very clearly familiar with London. But I have read several fabulous books this summer set in London. Lots of people live there and work there and vacation there. Not just Rowling. However, there was one aspect of the book that kept reminding me of Rowling. It's a dense book. All of hers are, in my opinion. Even Harry Potter, which I adored, was full of details and characters that I couldn't keep straight in my head until I saw them in the movies. The Casual Vacancy was the same. So, from that standpoint, yes, The Cuckoo's Calling was very Rowling.
Rob has not yet read Cuckoo, so I am going to keep my comments brief as to not be a spoiler. It was a slow go for me at first, but once I met Rochelle, everything changed. The book was fabulous, another indicator that Rowling is in fact the author. Brilliant. Bloody brilliant. You will not be disappointed. Unless you dislike murder mysteries. Then you should stay away.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
OK. So, there's a lot of London mentioned in the book and the author is very clearly familiar with London. But I have read several fabulous books this summer set in London. Lots of people live there and work there and vacation there. Not just Rowling. However, there was one aspect of the book that kept reminding me of Rowling. It's a dense book. All of hers are, in my opinion. Even Harry Potter, which I adored, was full of details and characters that I couldn't keep straight in my head until I saw them in the movies. The Casual Vacancy was the same. So, from that standpoint, yes, The Cuckoo's Calling was very Rowling.
Rob has not yet read Cuckoo, so I am going to keep my comments brief as to not be a spoiler. It was a slow go for me at first, but once I met Rochelle, everything changed. The book was fabulous, another indicator that Rowling is in fact the author. Brilliant. Bloody brilliant. You will not be disappointed. Unless you dislike murder mysteries. Then you should stay away.
Happy reading everyone!
:) Dodie
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