Tuesday's Top Ten [Favorite Places to Read]

Yesterday snowballs fell from the sky. Literally. Giant snowflakes straight from the sky and all I wanted was to enjoy it from my window seat, coffee and book in hand. Rainy or snowy days are best spent in a place where I can see the outdoors and enjoy it without being in it. Unfortunately it was a busy, busy morning that didn't allow for that luxury, but it was a wonderful idea. This is one of my favorite places to enjoy a book on crummy weather days...

When the weather is sunny and warm my favorite place to read a book is lounging on a hammock or blanket letting the sun warm my bones. If I wasn't allergic to every type of grass in existence I'd enjoy laying on the grass directly, but because hives and itchy, swollen eyes are zero fun I opt for blankets and hammocks instead.

Where the sun is. During the winter the sun streams through the giant living room window, hitting the end of the couch directly - and that is where I like to sit and read while the girls finish breakfast. I'm usually freezing so any place where the sun is streaming in, is my favorite place to be.

In bed, under the covers, cuddled next to my hubby (who is also reading a book). There's not a better way to ready my head for the pillow.

Next to my husband. It doesn't really matter where, but if I'm reading a book next to him and then stopping to chat about it every once in a while - it's a wonderful place to be. One of our favorite places to read together began in the car as we drove the long trek to my sister's home for a visit. I opened page one of J.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings and began reading out loud as my hubby drove. It took a while to finish it, but (some of the time) it kept me awake and kept him entertained as he drove down the boring interstate. 

Soaking in the bathtub. Especially if it's a jacuzzi, next to a view and a fireplace (This has never actually happened, but a library with a jacuzzi, view and a fireplace is on my bucket list. I may never come out - which is probably a good reason to never have this dream come to fruition, lol.) A book in the bathtub, however, has happened and is quite delightful - so I can only imagine how much more enjoyable a place it would be if all those things were included!

Quiet places. One year I heard one of my favorite book lovers express her one Mother's Day wish: an hour or two in a quiet coffee shop, enjoying every last sip and reading without interruption. As I listened to her reveal her Mother's Day hankering, it became my own. Just give me a quiet place to read without interruption. Despite the love and delight little people bring into the life of a mommy - we still need quiet places every once in a while to refresh and refuel the soul.

With my children. Sometimes a break is needed, but most of the time, one of my favorite places is wherever my girls are enjoying a story. Having them in my arms, listening to a favorite children's book, makes my heart content and happy.

One of the things on my bucket list is to read a book - from beginning to end - on a beach. That sounds like an absolutely refreshing, delightful, amazing, best of the best vacations ever. Since I have two crazy kids who enjoy water more than land, this relaxing endeavor will have to wait.

This may sound crazy, but more times than not I opt for our dining room table. I can spread out! Bible - check. Pens - check. Highlighters - check. Prayer journal - check. Study materials - check. Coffee - check. It's my favorite place to study, meditate and respond in writing with plenty of space to accomplish this wonderfully delightful activity. 

Honestly, no matter where I go, I bring a book along and if there is a time and a place to actually enjoy the art of reading it - then it's a good place!

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As a reading and writing teacher, one of my favorite things to discuss was favorite places to read. This helped me determine my readers from my non-readers, while helping those non-readers dream up a place they might actually enjoy a book. This was one of the first steps I took to cultivate the love of reading. Find a drink... grab a snack... pick a book all about your favorite thing to do (for example, most boys picked hunting)... go to your spot... and enjoy. It always amazed me how quickly they got lost in the idea itself the more we talked about it. As the year progressed and the love of reading grew - they were finally able to talk about their favorite place to read! 

If you have a struggling reader be creative in the places you go to read. I read of a mom who made it her goal to go on adventures with snacks, drinks, and a book. They went to ghost towns, picked a hiking trail with marvelous views, the zoo, historical landmarks, &etc. This was a monthly activity that the kids grew to love and became some of their sweetest memories - I want to be that mom! Go on an adventure, learn and see something new, and then take time to read a book! How awesome does that sound?!

Tuesday's Top Ten [Weird Things You May Not Know About Me]

I really, really had to think about this. It was hard to come up with 10 things. I mean, I know I'm weird, but I think I'm guilty of over-thinking it...

1. I hate my widows peak. I grew up begging my mom to let me shave it off, I am ever so grateful for her laying down the law on that one. I hate it so much that I subconsciously try to conceal it - supposedly. My sister Mandy said that she put my hair in a ponytail the day of Eleanna's delivery to get it out of my face, and then I "fixed" it so it was concealed. I do not remember this, but she laughs about it to this day.

2. I have crooked pinkies. This isn't something I hate necessarily, until the pinkies overlap my ring fingers and then I have a real annoying problem.

3. I have played the clarinet since 5th grade, which is 20 years of clarinet playing. That includes 3 years of pep and concert band playing in college, which was nearly 9 years ago already. I don't get it out nearly as much as I should, but I do dust it off occasionally. And when I do, Marley howls. What's weird about this you ask (besides the Marley thing)? Well, when I was learning how to play my crooked pinkies suddenly became useful. Also, admitting that you play the clarinet subsequently lands ya as the butt of all jokes, therefore, I learned how to play the saxophone (including the baritone sax, which was as big as me), tried my hand at the piano, trumpet, but always went back to the clarinet.

4. I love to dress up. I'm not just talking about looking nice in a dress, high heels and make up (although I like to do that too) I'm talking about costumes. Costume party? I'm in and I go all out.

5. My favorite meal to eat out is breakfast. Coffee. Chocolate chips and whip cream on crepes or gooey, hot cinnamon rolls. Seriously, there isn't another meal that "allows" dessert for the main course. Did I mention the coffee?

6. My dream car is a Volkswagen bug. They are the cutest little things. I owned one for a few years. When I had a baby I realized it isn't a family friendly vehicle, so I sold it (sad face).

7. I'm a Valentine baby. My birthday is November 14. Think about it.

8. I love, love, love black licorice. Most people think that's weird.

9. I hysterically giggle at corny jokes, puns, and movies. Like The Three Amigos or What did the buffalo say to his son as he left for college? Bi-Son! (hehehehe). I could go on forever but I think I made my point.

10. I am allergic to cough medicine. As a result, I grew up taking jager shots whenever I was plagued with a cough. That explains a lot, doesn't it?

"Beauty and the Beast" by Jenni James [Book Review]

Beauty and the Beast by Jenni James
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Since watching the ABC series "Once Upon a Time" I've become intrigued with any one of these fairy tales. This book was a free read using my kindle app on the iPad or phone, which is the only reason I decided to read it. I'd give it an "okay" rating. It read quickly and easily enough and is a love story free of sex scenes (or any mention of it at all), which means I'd feel good enough to put it in my junior high classroom library.

Jenni James offers a few of her own twists to this classic tale making this classic story her own. I liked it, but wouldn't call it a literary masterpiece. She definitely could've added a lot more between the conflicts and resolution of those conflicts. Just when events began to unravel for the main characters they were fixed within the next chapter or two. There was not a lot of dramatic, prolonged desperation. Although the ending was easily predictable (I mean it's a "... and they lived happily ever after" fairy tale) the struggles faced by the beauty and the beast were just too quickly and easily settled.

View all my reviews

Interested in reading it for yourself? It's $0 through Amazon! Click on the image below...

Check out one of my top tens where I list 9 other free e-books worth downloading and giving a try.

Tuesday's Top Ten Plus Ten [Funniest Books]

I wonder, as I review this list, about my taste in comedy. Seriously, I love to giggle over Laffy Taffy jokes! As a result of that truth I wouldn't put too much emphasis on "funniest" books; in fact, I might actually call the list wacky. Still, I'd check these books out for their outlandish silliness, 'cause everyone needs some silly in their lives.

For more laughs, giggles, or eye rolling be sure to check out Melany's list! 

1. Ghastlies, Goops, and Pincushions by X.J. Kennedy is a book full of wacky nonsense verse. I giggled through each poem - all in one setting.

2. Janet Evanovich's Stephanie Plum series is hilarity at its finest. The book is a little rough around the edges at times, but I love the strange characters Evanovich creates stories around; plus the bizarre situations Stephanie Plum gets herself involved in are mysteriously comical. Stephanie Plum is an awful bounty hunter who's constantly down on her luck and with Grandma Mazur or Lulu to babysit half the time, things are always interesting. Not to mention the fact that she has two men she's in love with and I often wonder if Evanovich isn't just going to leave us hanging on which one she picks. I'm rooting for Ranger, but we may never know, which is killing me! 

3. The children's book titled Rooster Can't Cock-a-Doodle-Doo by Karen Rostoker-Gruber is hilarious only because of the illustrations by Paul Ratz de Tagyos. It's the pictures that make this book come alive! Each time I read it I giggled as the animals "help" Farmer Ted with his chores. Seriously, read this book for the illustrations.

4. If my two year old daughter would add anything to this list it'd be The Monkey Goes Bananas by C.P. Bloom. I found it hilarious because of my daughters adorable belly laughs. She especially likes the page where the illustrator ingeniously depicts the monkey being flung across the watery chasm between the islands separating himself (once again) from the bananas. I add a few monkey "oooo's" and "aaaaa's" and "eeee's" to make it that much more "comical." I still can't get over how much she LOVES this book. It's a book of few words, but it's a great story.

5. If my former students could add anything to this list it'd be The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. It's funny, yet it isn't. It's full of heartache, while also being side-splitting. The main character, Junior, loves to cartoon and as an Indian growing up on the Spokane reservation he has quite the subject list: like drunkenness running rampant, unemployment, hunger, education woes, tragedies galore, not to mention his own medical problems. This book is emotionally loaded - with tears and hysterical laughs throughout. The reason it makes this list is because Junior makes lemonade, adding a bit of wit and humor, with the truck load of lemons life hands him.

Side Note: I taught this book to my high school reading class, which consisted fully of struggling readers (it was a 100% special needs class). Unfortunately, each of my students could relate to Junior's medical issues and the exclusion experienced because of it. Fortunately, we all fell in love with Junior's ability to take life head on (well sorta, because Junior's list of medical issues begin at being born with too much cerebral fluid on the brain and all kinds of issues as a result of that one issue, but that's beside the point). Junior is relatable and I loved his take on life, which is exactly what many of these kids desperately needed. It was always, always, always a riveting success. Warning: masturbation is a short, but embarrassing, topic of discussion at one point and time. If it hadn't been for that one piece I would've read it to my junior highers. 

6. Moo! by David LaRochelle is a picture book with one word: Moo! It's funny only because of the ending. 

7. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney does make the list. Don't judge! If you can't read this book from a junior high teacher or parent perspective, don't read it. Half the stuff I read about in this book (like the cheese touch) actually happens. If it wasn't for stupid books like this, I'd have gone hysterical with all the crazy stuff I dealt with day in and day out. Trust me. It's funny. (I might also think it's funnier than it is because one of my high school speachers created a humorous prose speech out of it. Call me biased, but he did really, really well with it.)

8. I thought the children's book Plaidypus Lost by Janet Stevens and Susan Stevens Crummel was worth a giggle or two. If you have a little one, this book will be relatable, which is why I found it worthy enough to make this list.

9. Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher's First Year by Esme Raji Codell is filled with hilarity, sincerity, brilliance, and ingenious. Esme documents her first year of teaching in a Chicago Public School. What she faces and how she deals with it inspired me as a teacher on so many levels. There are hilarious moments, but there are also tear jerking and frustrating ones as well. It's an all around great read.

10. Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan is most definitely worthy of this list. You see, I have a naughty Marley (not nearly as naughty as this Marley) but after reading this I was convinced it had something to do with the name. And no, I did not name my Marley after this book. If you have a dog, you'll be able to relate and empathize with the hilarious situations Marley gets John and his family involved in; but I warn you, you'll cry just as hard as you laugh.

This is my Marley, who we refer to as "Naughty Marley" or " Marley Man"...

... he's also been the topic of conversation many times here...

My Little Marley Man

Marley Man's Weird Quirks #22-25

Poor Marley Tried to Bite a Fan

Poor Marley and the Dreaded Red Ant Attack

All in all, I think you're guaranteed a giggle here and there by checking out the books on this list. Still, if you don't appreciate jokes (like the one I found on the Laffy Taffy I ate last night, What Makes Music on your Head? A Head Band) then you won't appreciate a few of the books on this list. ;) 

Before you sign off, don't forget Melany's list!