Night by Elie Wiesel

Night A terrifying account of the Nazi death camp horror that turns a young Jewish boy into an agonized witness to the death of his family...the death of his innocence...and the death of his God. Penetrating and powerful, as personal as The Diary Of Anne Frank, Night awakens the shocking memory of evil at its absolute and carries with it the unforgettable message that this horror must never be allowed to happen again.

We read this story in my tenth grade class with my student teacher, Joe. (he's doing a great job by the way....like so good that my students may not want me back!) Anyway, I love this book so much because of how Wiesel captivates me each time and how I always cry when the little boy is hanged in front of 10,000 men and someone asks, "Where is God?" and Wiesel responds to himself that he was up there on the gallows... SHIVERS. I also love this book because all of my non-readers, even though it is written at a low-level for high school, the content is so high and rich that my students BURN through this book. It's beautiful!

Does anyone have a favorite holocaust book?

Blog hop

"Summer is coming quickly - what 2011 summer release are you are most looking forward to?"

I know it's release date isn't summer but I am have been waiting for Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare since this past Fall. It comes out in September. I am super excited to see Will again! Anyone else?

Blog about your dog Monday!

Blog about your dog comes to you from Lindsay's blog!

It's Fergie's turn! For those of you who don't know, I have a collie name Lady Fergilious aka Fergie!

Fergie's story this week is about her OCD tendencies. She will not go down a set of stairs if someone is standing on ANY of the steps. I came home one day from work and I let out Mia, Fergie dawdled, so I stood on the first step, watching Mia. Well, all of a sudden, I get a nose in my butt so hard, that he knocks me down two steps, all because I was blocking her way and she needed to come out.

I don't have a video of this, so here is Fergie as a puppy, because she was really cute!

I also wanted to take a moment to tell you about Diana's giveaway! She is approaching 300 followers! Congrats girl!! You could win The Awakening!

ROW80 - 4

It's the beginning of the the third week of ROW 80

I did a lot of editing on TOL:R. A story is never really complete and I worked on making sure all the loose ends were tied. I really think I needed a fresh pair of eyes looking at the story. Ever feel that way? That you look and work on the story so much, that it just seems right?

I did work on the sequel to TOL:R a bit. I wrote about 750 words.

My totals right now for my:

sequel are:3,100

New WIP: 3,825

The Giver by Lois Lowry

From Goodreads.com

Jonas's world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back

I read this in school, back oh, ya know 199-. I loved it and am thinking about teaching it to my 8th graders. So I re-read it. It really goes along with dystopias and a lot of my kids have already read The Hunger Games series and a bunch of them dabble in the others.

I love the characters in the book. I love the "wrongness" of the society. I however, forgot how uneventful the story actually is. It's very passive.

OK so back to the positives. I love watching Jonas transition into different way of thinking. I love how he starts off with his trusting ways and then slowly starts to question everything. He doesn't just up and change his thoughts one day, like that (imagine me snapping my finger). One of my favorite parts is when he starts to see the color red.

The Giver - which I wish he had a name. He had to have had a name. He is a perfect example of a nurturer. He's kind, loving, and hates putting Jonas in pain.

Again, back to the plot line of the story. Jonas is like everyone else, Jonas is chosen and the Receiver, Jonas gets memories, Jonas changes his way of thinking. Jonas continues this way of thinking, Jonas decides to leave the community. Jonas takes the baby and runs and then he maybe dies or maybe he doesn't. It's over.

COME ON! What happens to the community!?!?!

Some quick thoughts

I think I may use the Uglies instead of this

Great community for a dystopia

I love the memories that are given to him

How many of you have read this one?

Blog hop and Follow Friday

"If you find a book you love, do you hunt down other books by that author?"

I would say I am more likely to pick up something by that author again. I do have reservations about it because sometimes the "other" novel is not as good as the one I read and it kind of ruins it for me. For example, I went through a huge Nicholas Sparks phase when I was in high school back ... well we don't need to go there. I used to pick up his new books immediately, but his recent ones, really are not as great as Bend in the Road, The Rescue, or Message in a Bottle. If I love the first in a series though, I run out to see how the series finishes.

What's on your playlist?I feature Billy Joel somewhere in my lists at all times, I like Rhianna's S and M, and Pink's F*in Perfect and Raise your Glass.

Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens and contest winner!

I won this book from Jennifer Laurens and she signed it!

I met someone who changed everything. Matthias. My autistic sister's guardian angel. Honest. Inspiring. Funny. Hot. And immortal. That was the problem. What could I do? I did what any other girl would do-I fell in love with him. Zoe's sister darts in front of cars. Her brother's a pothead. Her parents are so overwhelmed; they don't see Zoe lost in her broken life. Zoe escapes the only way she knows how: partying. Matthias, a guardian sent from Heaven, watches over Zoe's autistic sister. After Zoe is convinced he's legit, angel and lost girl come together in a love that changes destiny. But Heaven on Earth can't last forever

I am not sure what I was expecting from this but in the end I am super happy with the book. Let's start with Zoe. She is this teenage girl with a drinking problem, a brother who is a pot-head, her sister, Abria was diagnosed with Autism, and the family wants to be strong but they all struggle. She has a lot on her plate and typically lets her frustration out on Abria, even though Abria doesn't pick up on it.

Abria has a habit of taking off but because of autism she doesn't respond to her name or listen to the warnings about danger. Several times she takes off and Matthias, her guardian angel, saves her. Zoe starts to have a crush on him and so the romance blooms!

Through Matthias, Zoe gets a better understanding of Abria and what Abria hears, thinks, and the reasons why she does things, easing a lot of tension in the house.

Of course, the cookie crumbles near the end and I found myself say "WHAT?!" somewhere in the last ten pages because I was furious at the ending (Pst. it works out in the end tho)

This book isn't an action packed read like the Hunger Games or Vampire Academies, but Laurens does a great job building a relationship between the reader and the characters.

Some Quick Thoughts

I fell in love with Abria.

I felt for the parents.

I understood her brother.

I wanted to smack Zoe every time she picked up a drink.

I could not wait for Matthias and Zoe to kiss

Can't wait for the next

So on to the winner of my Born at Midnight Contest!

Drum Roll please!

Lindsay Writes!

Congrats Lindsay!

And thanks to everyone who signed up!

And I'm back!

Hello my friends! I have been on vacation and my stinkin computer wouldn't connect to the stinkin internet at my hotel... talk about withdrawals!!! But in case you were wondering, Daytona was wonderful! My best friend got married and I was in the wedding! Maybe some pictures later!

I did do a bunch of writing and a bunch of reading.

Today is one of my check in days for ROW80 - While I was away I wrote 3,000 words! Yep! 1,200 of my sequel and 1,800 of my new WIP! I also wanted to state one of my new goals for this challenge. Melissa edited/read my book for me, so this week I am going to add in her edits and thoughts to work on making The Owens Legacy: Revelations, more complete.

I did some reading. I knocked out six books! Three romance novels and three young adults. Oh to be able to read for enjoyment all day long. It's a great feeling. I am not going to write reviews for the romance novels but I did want to post their covers and titles. They were:

All great... safely saved in my NOOK for when I need a romantic, quick read. :)

The other three that I tackled were: The Giver (again), Beautiful Darkness, and Heavenly. I am going to post those reviews starting with Heavenly tomorrow, along with the winner of Born at Midnight! Check back tomorrow to see if you are the lucky winner!

My first giveaway!

I won Born at Midnight from Amber at Awesomesauce BookClub this month and I absolutely loved it! CC Hunter herself sent me a bunch of stuff too! On Tuesday, I got a second copy of the book and to be honest I am not sure who sent it to me (betting on the publishing company). Anyway! I have two and I am going to be giving it away in a week!

What you are going to get a copy of Born at Midnight and a few bookmarks :)

All you have to do is be a follower, fill out the form, and your done! I will post the winner on Thursday and email him/her for his/her address!

Good luck everyone!!

Whats your favorite cover?

Hey everyone! In need of some help...

I have a student of mine who is awesome in photography and digital graphics. She has agreed to do my cover for my manuscript. (I really think I am going to pursue ePublishing) I have the "model" for the cover, and I was like "OK, we we're ready." And then my photographer/digital graphics guru/student said "Well what type of covers do you like? How do you want this too look?" HELLO STUMPER! I thought it was funny timing because of the "Follow Friday" cover but I love covers of all different kinds, for all different reasons. Some of my favorites include:

Born at Midnight by CC Hunter

Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

The Lost Saint by Bree Despain

What are a few of your favorites?

blog hop and teaser tuesday

This non-weekend blog hop's question is: Outside of reading, what is your guilty pleasure?

My answer is: Farmville on facebook. I know, so lame but I am 100% addicted to it. My boyfriend makes fun of me a lot for it. It's just this mindless activity that I don't have to concentrate on and that's nice in a busy "thinking" world.

Today is also Teaser Tuesday.

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB ofShould Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:


* Grab your current read
* Open to a random page
* Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
* BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
* Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

This week's book is : Chronicles of Nick: Infinity by Sherrilyn Kenyon

PG 45 " Kyrian Hunter barely caught the skinny kid dressed in the foully orange Hawaiian shirt before he hit the street. That hideous thing had saved his life."

Enjoy!

Blog about your dog Monday!

It's Miss. Mia's turn!

This little story happened a few weeks ago but is still super funny. I wasn't feeling well and had fallen asleep on my couch. And before I was completely out, I saw Mia trying to be as stealthy as possible climbing up to lay down by me. If I ever can, I will video and post it, but back to the story. I go to sleep and wake up to the floor because Mia has crawled between me and the back of the couch, stretched and knocked me off of it. I said her name, (very annoyed-like) and she doesn't even pick up her head, opens her eyes, and goes back to sleep. BRAT!

And one more thing!

I wanted to give a big thank you to Melissa at My World ... in words and pages. She read my manuscript: The Owens Legacy: Revelations and gave me a ton of feedback! It's not easy finding someone who is going to put in as much time and effort as she did! Thank you Melissa!

ROW80 - 2

Today is Sunday and my second check-in for this writing challenge! My first check-in I did really well. This one...not so hot. The last few days before a break are a bit crazy at school... but I fully intend to make up for it over the next few days and I am going on vacation so I will have plenty of time then!

So - on my sequel - I did 350 words. They are good ones, but that's it for this check...sad. I know.

Born at Midnight by C.C. Hunter

I am really excited about this one because this was the first book I won through blogging and Amber at AwesomeSauce Book Club and C.C. Hunter sent me tons of cool stuff!

Don’t miss this spectacular new series that will steal your heart and haunt your dreams, Welcome to Shadow Falls camp, nestled deep in the woods of a town called Fallen…

One night Kylie Galen finds herself at the wrong party, with the wrong people, and it changes her life forever. Her mother ships her off to Shadow Falls—a camp for troubled teens, and within hours of arriving, it becomes painfully clear that her fellow campers aren’t just “troubled.” Here at Shadow Falls, vampires, werewolves, shapshifters, witches and fairies train side by side—learning to harness their powers, control their magic and live in the normal world.

Kylie’s never felt normal, but surely she doesn’t belong here with a bunch of paranormal freaks either. Or does she? They insist Kylie is one of them, and that she was brought here for a reason. As if life wasn’t complicated enough, enter Derek and Lucas. Derek’s a half-fae who’s determined to be her boyfriend, and Lucas is a smokin’ hot werewolf with whom Kylie shares a secret past. Both Derek and Lucas couldn’t be more different, but they both have a powerful hold on her heart.

Even though Kylie feels deeply uncertain about everything, one thing is becoming painfully clear—Shadow Falls is exactly where she belongs…

On to my review: This book is great for teens because it really focuses on finding a person's identity and Kylie is a teenager with a ton of problems: her Nana died, her mother is a cold woman, her parents are getting a divorce, and her boyfriend, Trey, has dumped her. You feel for the girl immediately. When she goes to this camp it is very clear that the people in this camp are different, and in the way that they drink blood, have anger issue around the full moon, and can control people's emotions. When the supernatural world is dropped on Kylie she really resists it.

She does become good friends with two other supernaturals that show her that being different isn't so bad. She also has two extremely HOT guys chasing after her. Derek - the good guy and Lucas - the bad guy. I am officially on Team Lucas. Anyone else want to join up with me?

One thing I really liked about Hunter's writing style is that she really captivated how a teen would talk. She had some swearing but not overbearing. She had dialogue that fit into current pop culture. The "action" of the story wasn't a constant factor in the story but it was Ok in this book.

Follow Friday

And this week's question is:
Do you judge a book by it's cover?

I sure do! If I have not heard anyone talk about the book, the cover is the first thing my opinion settles on. If the cover doesn't scream: "HEY! PICK ME UP!" I will pass it by. A book is a product and if it is published someone or a bunch of someones spent a lot of time on it; it should be good!

City of Fallen Angels

I committed... and now I have to wait again!

Synopsis is from goodreads.

“City of Fallen Angels takes place two months after the events of City of Glass. In it, a mysterious someone’s killing the Shadowhunters who used to be in Valentine’s Circle and displaying their bodies around New York City in a manner designed to provoke hostility between Downworlders and Shadowhunters, leaving tensions running high in the city and disrupting Clary’s plan to lead as normal a life as she can — training to be a Shadowhunter, and pursuing her relationship with Jace. As Jace and Clary delve into the issue of the murdered Shadowhunters, they discover a mystery that has deeply personal consequences for them — consequences that may strengthen their relationship, or rip it apart forever. Meanwhile, internecine warfare among vampires is tearing the Downworld community apart, and only Simon — the Daylighter who everyone wants on their side — can decide the outcome; too bad he wants nothing to do with Downworld politics. Love, blood, betrayal and revenge: the stakes are higher than ever in City of Fallen Angels.”

HOLY LOVE PLOTS ... Really the first five-ish chapters is just catching up on the drama of the shadowhunters...intense...And speaking of intense - Jace's and Clary's kissing scenes do not disappoint. Several times I was like "Omg" I was almost scandalized. and that's hard to do. Jace, my poor fictional boyfriend, again is tormented and pulls away from the confused Clary and each time he does you want to be like "Dude get the picture, she loves you." But I will say he does have a reason to pull away this time... and I will say no more on the topic.

Simon and Iz and Maia - Simon, the player? Who knew?

Luke was not a big part of this story which is sad for me because I really love the role model he is as a father, a friend, a leader, as a stable character. Isabelle is def. a dominate character in this and so is Simon which is nice. Clare mixes it up.

The rising climax did take a little while to get going for me. Once it did, I figured it out, (well not all of it, but I new what the end result was) but the evil character in this is great. Great references to the bible and lore. I will say her ending few paragraphs left me thinking it could mean two VERY different things. I await for someone to have read the book to email so I can ask his/her opinion.

Some quick thoughts

I still heart Magnus Bane - openly

They mention Will SEVERAL times from Clockwork Angel and now I need to re-read it.

How many cities are there?

Worried she may run it into the ground....anyone else?

I heart Magnus Bane...still.

I feel Max should have brought up more than he was

Great tie into the effects Clary's decision about bringing Jace back from the dead.

ROW80 -1

My Round of Words in 80 days (ROW80) has started off well. It could be because I have a student teacher who is awesome and leaves me with little work to take home... Anyway, my goals were to work on two of my WIP. It is just the beginning but on Monday I worked on my brand spanking new novel and got 2,025 words down to the paper. Yesterday I worked on my sequel and got 800 words down. I was distracted by my copy of The City of Fallen Angels...YES JACE I WILL MARRY YOU.

So far so good though, and I am happy ...and now I am off to do my writing for tonight!

Blog about your dog Monday.

Hey! I love Mondays because of this! I stole the idea from Lindsay over at Lindsay Writes.

Anyway, this week is Fergie's turn. My collie has some

interesting habits and does some really corky things. But this one is her weirdest.

I have this pillow; its meant to help your posture, all kinds of special. Well one day this week, I couldn't find it. Where did it go? I really couldn't find the damn thing. Do you want to know where it was? In my boyfriend's closest where she sleeps. Yeah, that's right, the little snot took it off the bed, took it to the closest and slee

ps on when she curls up in there. (We aren't sure why she sleeps in the closest, but the door is always open in there). I haven't been able to catch her with enough lighting to take a picture, but I will work on it.

So here is just a pic of Fergie... the pillow snatching diva she is :)

A round of words in 80 days!

Lately I have been working a lot on National Board Certification, fundraising to get my class iPads, and reading... so where am I on writing? Well my manuscript The Owens Legacy: Revelations is being read by a few fellow bloggers (thanks ladies) but lately I have a new story popping around in my head and I really need to start putting "pen to paper" or rather "fingers to keys."

Anyway, thanks to my friend Komai over at In Which I Write Nonsensically I found this blog that makes you set a goal for writing and you have to complete it in 80 days... You check in on Sundays and on Wednesdays. I don't want to say this is going to force me to write but it is going to make me step up my game on my writing, just in time for summer where I can really focus on it!!

I am going to make two separate goals. One is to write 15,000 for my sequel of TOL:R. My second goal is to write 10,000 words for my new project. So my goal 25,000 words in the next 80 days!

To focus on my current manuscript, I was wondering if anyone out there has done some investigating on ePublishing or has ePublished. I have several letters out to agents - but as you can guess, no such luck... Quereying is tough! I really want to explore my options. I have already had an editor look at it.

Anyone have some advice? And if you are a writer, sign up with me to take this challenge!

the Heir by Grace Burrowes

It's my guilty pleasure that I love!!!!

Gayle Windham, Earl of Westhaven, is the first legitimate son and heir to the Duke of Moreland. To escape his father's inexorable pressure to marry, he decides to spend the summer at his townhouse in London, where he finds himself intrigued by the secretive ways of his beautiful housekeeper...

A LADY WHO CAN'T BE PROTECTED...

Anna Seaton is a beautiful, talented, educated woman, which is why it is so puzzling to Gayle Windham that she works as his housekeeper.

As the two draw closer and begin to lose their hearts to each other, Anna's secrets threaten to bring the earl's orderly life crashing down - and he doesn't know how he's going to protect her from the fallout - stolen from goodreads.com

I enjoyed this one because it takes me back to the prim and proper times people once believed in, when the guy was still noble and honorable (except when the beautiful woman was around). The females are always in distress but try to fix it themselves. And then the gallant Englishmen with some title (typically) Duke comes charging in and saves her and life is full of love and happiness. The classic love story...HOW I LOVE YOU!

This one is no different. Westhaven has not met a woman he loves until he meets Anna and he can't help but fall for her because she is thoughtful and kind to his household because she is the housekeeper (do you smell scandal). She also is honest with him when everyone else around him burdens him and keeps him at bay.

Anna like every damsel has a secret a jackwagon of a brother who tries to sell her to a grotesque man. Luckily Westhaven is high enough up in the ranks to take care of the situation.