Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Great ending to a great series. Would recommend to anyone!!



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These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Great read. Not typically my kind of book, however, I am glad I read it. I recommend it to people who really like pioneer stories, love stories, historical fiction, or Christian lit. The love story was great.

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Book Blog Questionnaire!!

1) Do you snack while you read? If so, what is your favorite reading snack?
- I would have to say lightly salted cashew halves. They are great protein and super yummy!!
2) What is your favorite drink while reading?
- Water bottle with Lemonade flavored Crystal Light...
3) Do you tend to mark your books as you read, or does the idea of writing in books horrify you?
- I usually post my books for trade on a website called "PaperbackSwap.com" and so I generally do not write in them.
4) How do you keep your place while reading a book? Bookmark? Dog-ears? Laying the book flat open?
- I bought a $10 bookmark at Barnes & Noble that is a ribbon with a fleur-de-lis on one side and my initial on the other side. I ALWAYS use this bookmark!!
5) Fiction, Non-fiction, or Both?
- I tend to read way more fiction, hence the title of my blog....but I enjoy parenting books, biographies, and self-help as well.
6) Are you a person who tends to read to the end of a chapter, or can you stop anywhere?
- I have three kids under 8!! I can stop anywhere!!!
7) Are you the type of person to throw a book across the room or on the floor if the author irritates you?
-Um...NO! Do people really do that? Get a grip!
8) What are you currently reading?
- "The Postmistress" by Sarah Blake
9) What is the last book you bought?
- Actually, I "bought" seven books today from the library sale. The cool part is that I had "library bucks" to cover the cost. It's a summer reading program they have here. One of those books was, "Something Blue" by Emily Giffen.
10) Are you the type of person that reads one book at a time, or can you read more than one?
- I can't read more than one book at a time...unless one of them is non-fiction.
11) Do you have a favorite place/time to read?
- I LOVE to read at night in my bed.
12) Do you prefer series books or stand alone?
- I actually like both. If I have a lot of books to read, then I don't enjoy reading series books. However, if there is not a lot out there to catch my interest, a series of books is a great way to pass the time!!
13) Is there a specific book or author you find yourself recommending over and over?
- When people ask about my favorite book of all time, it would be "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. If people are in a girly fun mood, I suggest anything by Sarah Strohmeyer. I just love her writing style and her humor!!
14) How do you organize your books? (Genre, title, author's last name, etc.)
- I have one bookcase with four shelves. I organize them by author's last name.

Among the Hidden

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Great series of books that are YA. I would let my 8 yr. old read these. In fact, I might force her to read these so we can have a book to discuss. This is the first in a series called "The Shadow Children." The author did a great job with this book and for some reason it reminds me of "The Hunger Games" series... only for younger readers. I want to get the next in the series and see what develops. The story line is amazing!!!

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Little Bee

Little Bee by Chris Cleave


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
WOW!! That is all I can say about this book. It definitely makes you think, "What would I do in that situation?" This is my type of book- all the way. Great character development and wonderful "relationship" book. The only thing I didn't care for was a few f-bombs.

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The Last Song

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This was a good book. Before I got to around pg 100, I couldn't stand Ronnie, the main character. After a little way in- the character changes and you find out why she has the attitude problem. It makes it a bit more tolerable, however, I still think she is a brat. The ending was appropriate and a bit predictable. I really like the spiritual aspect of this book. I read it a week before Easter and really enjoyed reading it around Easter time. Defintiely read this book before seeing the movie. I haven't seen it yet, but I can imagine it being good. I always find the books better than the movies though. Heads up- this is a tearjerker. I recommend a box of Kleenex towards the end. You'll need it!

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The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Loved this book! Totally unique from anything else I've read. It did remind me of Total Drama Island a bit, but only in really funny ways. Other than that- totally unique. What a great writing style. Easy to read. Easy to pick up where you left off. Hard to put down!!! I highly recommend this book to everyone. If you live in a bubble and haven't read it yet- please do. You'll be glad you did!

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To Kill A Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book is definitely not a quick read. It took me a long time to get through it. However, I am not sure whether it is because I didn't want it to end or if it was poorly written. A classic- definitely. A favorite? Not necessarily. Although I found it interesting, it was just too slow for me to really call it a favorite. Definitely a must read though. How can you not read a classic?

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50 Rules

50 Rules Kids Won't Learn in School: Real World Antidotes to Feel-Good Education by Charles J. Sykes


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this book. I randomly picked it up from the library one day when I was in the mood for a self-help book. I found this one very entertaining and all so true. I plan on reading this book with my children once they are a bit older. I think all children would benefit from this book and it's "rules."

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The Cinderella Pact

The Cinderella Pact by Sarah Strohmeyer


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Cute book. I actually liked her other book, "The Penny-Pincher's Club" better, but this one was fun too. It has to do with weight-loss in a comical sense as well as deceit, love, romance, etc. Definitely recommend this book for anyone wanting a light read and a hearty laugh.

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The Penny-Pincher's Club

The Penny Pinchers Club by Sarah Strohmeyer


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
I really liked this book. It is not typical of me to read "girly chic lit," but I absolutely would recommend this book to others. It has some money-saving ideas wrapped around a fictional story. Awesome ending BTW and not what I expected either.

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Tuesdays with Morrie

Tuesdays with Morrie: An Old Man, a Young Man, and Life's Greatest Lesson by Mitch Albom



I read this book in half a day.It is almost 200 pages, but it was a snow day. What can I say? It had really good parts to it. Lots of ideas on how life should be. My favorite part was on pages 124-125 which read,
"We've got a form of brainwashing goig on in our country," Morrie sighed. "Do you know how they brainwash people? They repeat something over and over. And that's what we do in this country. Owning things is good. More money is good. More property is good. More commercialism is good. More is good. More is good. We repeat it-and have it repeated to us-over and over until nobody bothers to even think otherwise. The average person is so fogged up by all this, he has no perspective on what's really important anymore.
"Wherever I went in my life, I met people wanting to gobble up something new. Gobble up a new car. Gobble up a new piece of property. Gobble up the latest toy. And then they wanted to tell you about it. 'Guess what I got? Guess what I got?'
"You know how I always interpreted that? These were people so hungry for love that they were accepting substitutes. They were embracing material things for love or for gentleness or for tenderness or for a sense of comradeship.
"Money is not a substitute for tenderness, and power is not a substitute for tenderness. I can tell you, as I'm sitting here dying, when you most need it, neither money nor power will give you the feeling you're looking for, no matter how much of them you have."

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Good Harbor

Good Harbor by Anita Diamant


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This book started out slow and I was really unsure if I'd be able to finish it. I knew I loved "The Red Tent" by the same author, so I made myself keep going. The story revolves around two friends that meet at the beach and help each other go through trials in their lives. It was actually a great book. I would have loved to be AT the beach when reading it, but it really makes me look forward to Florida that much more. The main characters captivated my attention as they make choices, albeit not the wisest of choices, and reap the reprecussions. I thoroughly enjoyed the friendship factor in this book and it made me reminisce about the friends I have met in my life. If you were going through your hardest trial, who would be there for you? Just a warning... there is some sexual scenes in this book as well as a few swears. Overall- great book....just not as great as "The Red Tent."

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The Bean Trees

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I absolutely love Barbara Kingsolver. I was first introduced to her through a book suggestion to read, "The Poisonwood Bible," which I LOVED!! After finding "The Bean Trees" existed, I immediately bought it. I just had a feeling that I would like this one as much as the first. Honestly, this story is very different than other works by Kingsolver. The tie that binds all of her works is the way she develops her characters. She gives me the ability to delve into each character's mind. I couldn't imagine a better writer than Kingsolver when it comes to developing characters. The story was believable. I could imagine the movie in my head. Just waiting for someone to discover this diamond in the rough. It definitely is on my list of TOP TEN BOOKS.

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If I Stay

If I Stay by Gayle Forman


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I really liked this book because it was a quick read. I miss those. It seems that I have been attracted to books lately that take weeks to read, so it is a nice break to read a book in a day. With only 199 pages, fast dialogue, and likeable characters, I would recommend this book to adults that don't mind a few swear words. Really happy with the characters decision in the end. Everytime I read about her boyfriend, Adam... I could only picture Adam Lambert from American Idol last season. Kinda disturbing in that way, but it fit the description(except the sexual preference obviously!!)

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The Bell Jar

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was recommended to me by my sister. I can totally see why she likes it. It is a good book, just a bit depressing for me. It is really haunting since the author killed herself and wrote this book loosely based on her life. She was disturbed. I don't even get how she could think of some of the things she did to herself. It was a bit crazy.

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Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley


My rating: 1 of 5 stars
I really did not like this book. It is hard for me to read British literature anyway, but I found myself at page 106 and thinking..."I really wouldn't be too upset if I never finished this book." So then I perused the rest of the book so I could get a gist of what happened. It is not a series that I will embark upon reading.

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Shutter Island

Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
This was a GREAT book. The only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because of the language. Lots of f-bombs. It's a thriller book with a lot of suspense. It is also going to be turned into a movie starring Leo DiCaprio which is believable as the character, Teddy. I love the premise and the ending is superb!!

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The Future Homemakers of America by Laurie Graham


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I loved this book. Any book that tells a saga of friends through time is a winner everytime in my book. The setting is amazing. I felt happy at times, sad at times, and just excited to be reading this amazing book. I'd recommend it to Ladies' Book Club anyday.

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The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold


My rating: 3 of 5 stars
This book was really just okay for me. Great writing made it easy to get through relatively fast, but the overall plot I probably won't remember by tomorrow morning. Not a "haunting" book overall.

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