Book 14/52 Spiritually Centered Motherhood by Sherrie Mills Johnson

April — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:21:51 +0000

Yeah, whatever. That’s what I have to say about this one. OK, not really, but sometime I read these things and wonder how it is even possible to gently and meekly guide and persuade your children instead of firmly disciplining them. Life at home is crazy and I’m not sure I’ll ever get the the meek and lovely stage. BUT…I will keep trying.

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Book 13/52 – Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner

April — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:17:41 +0000

Two time periods, two Janes. There were two story lines in this book that loosely connected with each other. One, an embellishment on 16th century Lady Jane Grey and the other a modern tale of middle aged Jane in Manhattan. Modern Jane finds an antique ring and as the story unfolds, it is assumed it belonged to 16th century Jane. Both stories were interesting. I did favor the historical fiction side. This is a first read of this author for me. I appreciated that she delicately addressed sensitive topics and kept it clean. I’ll probably look for more of her books to read.

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Book 12/52 The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke

April — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 17:09:02 +0000

I promise I have been reading…I just haven’t posted in a timely manner.

I listened to this one in the car. I’ve realized it’s best to listen to kid-friendly audio books since half the time I’m driving with children. The kids have watched this movie but I haven’t seen it.
This book is a fun adventure story with a bit of mystery. It had some fun twists and just a hint of fantasy/supernatural. I loved the visual descriptions of the canals and bridges of Venice and the Isola Secreta. I think I’ll have to watch the movie this weekend.

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Inspired by Joshua

April — Thu, 29 Mar 2012 19:27:00 +0000

Joshua’s latest gem had to be shared. I put my apron on to grind some wheat and his friend asked “What is that??” Joshua replied, “It’s like a superhero cape, but for girls!” A friend, Lacey, suggested I turn it intosomething cute to pin, so here it is. Not nearly as cute as hearing him say it, though. I’ll keep him forever.

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Kindle Fire Envy…Then Again, Maybe Not

April — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 01:52:18 +0000

I’m having a bit of Android tablet envy, then not. I had a rooted android tablet when Android wasn’t cool. Then I got my BIG sweet awesome Galaxy S2 phone and didn’t touch my tablet for weeks so I sold it. Now, everyone has Kindle Fire tablets and I drool a little and then remember how my rooted color nook sat all alone on the counter while I played with my GS2. Really, I think that until I’m ready to velcro it to the fridge door as a home organizer (my life is all things google, recipe/menu planning, chores, kids school schedules, etc.) I don’t need a tablet and I should stop envying the 2 inches of screen real estate. My GS2 does more than Fire and Nook (rooted versions excluded) and it fits in a Coach wristlet, so I am all set. ( …Until I buy 3 or 4 ’home organizers’ for the fridge, the bathroom, the upstairs hallway, the…)

(Fire vs. GS2 - Image from http://uptill1.com)

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Book 11/52 Ready Player One by Ernest Cline

April — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 19:06:22 +0000

I actually liked this book even with my aversion to computer games. Well, to be fair, it’s more an aversion to computer games as an escape from real life. And this book showed some potential negative outcomes of a life lived online. I LOVED all the 80′s references even if they were sometimes just to mention the song/game/show and not to move the plot along in any way. I didn’t particularly enjoy the juvenile way the characters talked to each other. YES, they were juveniles, but do they REALLY have to swear so much? One of my favorite parts or issues in the whole book was how each character’s online persona/avatar was eventually revealed as similar or vastly different from their real life self. It showed the benefits and detriments of an anonymous second world with few consequences for lying or misleading until you have to own up to it in real life. I enjoyed the different facets of this book and would like to see a similar ‘grown-up’ story that explores more of a typical working and family life in the OASIS. This is the author’s first novel, so we’ll see!

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Book 10/52 The Overton Window by Glenn Beck (et al)

April — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 18:40:06 +0000

Glenn Beck is a hard pill to swallow even if your opinions mostly line up with his. It took a while for me to get used to his radio personality and take it as entertainment. The past few years, though, the entertainment has given way to wet-blanket style expository monologues that can freak you out if you let them. This book was one big expository monologue disguised as fiction. The plot was almost non-existent. The characters were mostly Glenn Beck split into 4 different people and then one bad guy to expose the other side THROUGH MORE WET-BLANKET DIALOGUE. There were only a few moments of actual storyline or plot. One thing the writers forgot about an actual Overton Window is that it’s SUBTLE. This book is anything but.

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Book 9/52 Daniel Deronda by George Eliott

April — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 02:21:03 +0000

This is a re-read because I wanted to watch the film. Took me WAY less time than when I read it in my late teens. I laughed a lot more this time through, too. LOVE this book for some reason. It just has so many elements of almost silly Victorian literature combined with unexpected Jewish themes. You get to see pieces of Zionist history woven into a romantic, if not tragic, story. The characters are all pretty flawed and I liked seeing their weaknesses along with what they put out front for all to see. I enjoyed the twists, the scheming and seeing a self-centered girl get herself in a bind because of her scheming ways. I watched the movie after finishing the book and, while a lot of parts were left out, it was a decent portrayal. This will be one I read over again…again. VERY unusual for me.

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