The Residence

I was elated to see that TLC was hosting a blog tour for The Residence: Inside the Private World of the White House by Kate Andersen Brower.  I am intrigued by the day to day goings-on in the White House and will quickly devour any book on a president or First Lady.

Years ago I read JB West's Upstairs at the White House and loved it. This title has been one I started with my oldest daughter a few weeks ago, still wanting for us to read together.  (Sadly, with track practices, meets, soccer games, and other teen scheduling our reading has been sporadic at best).

Upstairs at the White House is exactly the story I wanted.  Brower has interviewed a variety of White House staff members and former First Families to create well rounded picture of how 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue functions and includes a variety of stories about the various Presidents and their families.

Part of me feels that not every intimate detail needs to be revealed. Some things should be left private.  And yet, this small group of people is providing a birds eye view of some very interesting chapters in history.

The Residence provides a positive portrayal of the workers and the residents of the White House.  There are snippets about a variety of people that may not seem complimentary, such as Nancy Reagan's demanding-ness, yet the press' accounts of her were far less positive.

This book is getting a lot of buzz, and Early Word reports that the rights to this book have been sold with the intent to create a Downton Abbey-like television show.

The Residence should be on everyone's TBR list.  This is a great read and one I will be recommending to friends over the summer months.

Thanks to TLC for a copy of The Residence. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's selection:  As Night Falls by Jenny Milchman
Due out: June 30, 2015

Product Information taken from Ballantine Books:

From the acclaimed author of Ruin Falls and Cover of Snow comes a breathless new novel of psychological suspense about a dark, twisted turn of events that could shatter a family—a read perfect for fans of Gillian Flynn, Chris Bohjalian, and Nancy Pickard.

Gazing out at the shadowy woods, Sandy has no idea that tonight her life will be forever changed. As a late autumn sky darkens over the Adirondack mountains, and the threat of a heavy snowfall looms, the mood in the Tremont house is already charged with tension. Upstairs in her bedroom, teenage Ivy listens to music and broods, while below in the kitchen, Sandy sips coffee and tries not to take her daughter’s latest snit personally. But when her husband Ben, a wilderness guide, arrives home, the troubled atmosphere immediately lightens—and Sandy can push all the discord to the back of her mind.
 
Nearby, two desperate men on the run make their way through the fading light, bloodstained and determined to leave no loose ends or witnesses. After nearly two decades as prison cellmates, they have become a deadly team: Harlan the muscle, Nick the mind and will. As they approach a secluded house, its spacious windows revealing a cozy scene within, Nick instinctually knows that here he will find what he’s looking for—before disappearing north.
 
When he opens the door to the Tremont home, Nick brings with him a long legacy of terror. Armed with only the truth, Sandy must fight to protect the family she loves, even as a terrible secret threatens to drag her into the darkness.

Two on Tuesday: Tween Realistic Fiction

After seventeen years of teaching I still get excited to look at the new Scholastic book club fliers each month.  As a child taking these home and circling the item or two my mom might buy for me was wonderful.  I now feel sorry for my poor teachers who I am sure were sick of my constant barrage of, "when is our book order going to get here?" that I subjected them to.

I still order a lot from Scholastic, which continues to provide quality literature for children.

Two new and notable books that every elementary library should plan on purchasing and every teacher grades 3-5 should plan on reading recently came my way.

The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart is an interesting story about a boy who wants some choices in his life.  Although the blurb only alludes to the fact that Mark has a health problem, it was obvious to me that Mark has cancer.  And that after several relapses he may not get better. With another relapse just having been diagnosed, Mark takes off to climb a mountain (along with his dog, Beau), wanting to get away from what he now must face.  His best friend Jessie thinks she knows where Mark has gone, but also wants to be his friend and give him a chance to do what he wants, as hard as that is for her to accept.

This novel is heavy with a lot of big issues and ideas for kids to explore and discuss.  However, even though as an adult I found Mark's choices and prognosis difficult, my fifth grade book club LOVED this book.  They still see things through their eleven year old eyes (thank goodness) and although they could grasp the severity of Mark's situation, they didn't see it as hopeless. I would expect that we'll be hearing a lot more about this novel. 

 Although The Honest Truth is Geimenhart 's middle grade debut, I am hopeful we will be enjoying much more from him in the future.  

Check out Geimenhart's website.


My second title of this Two on Tuesday post is A Handful of Stars by Cynthia Lord.

I have read everything Lord has written for tween readers and have yet to be disappointed.  A Handful of Stars, Lord's latest,  is a great book for third - fifth grade readers (and maybe even a year or two beyond that).

Lily's dog Lucky is going blind. Lucky was Lily's mother's dog, and since Lily's mother isn't around anymore, Lucky is her one link to her mother.  When he runs off Lily is grateful to Salma Santiago for catching him for her.  Salma's family are migrant workers and as Lily goes to the camp where the Santiagos live to thank her, Lily notices some ways their lives are different.

The two girls strike up a friendship and begin to find ways to raise money for Lucky to have the operation he needs to correct his eyesight.  

And as their friendship develops, Lily becomes a bit more aware of the way in which migrant workers are thought of and treated.

Lord does a great job of getting tween readers to realize that all people are more alike than different but that some of the differences are ones people learn to live with and respect.  

I've handed this book off to my fifth grade daughter. Although she will fly right through it, I am hoping it makes her stop and think a bit, too.  I can't wait to hand this off to my students to enjoy.     

Second Life

If there is ever a story that reaffirms how important online safety is, SJ Watson's newest novel, Second Life, (to be published in June) is it.

As the story begins,  Julia is trying to cope with the death of her younger sister who was murdered one night when she was walking alone in Paris.  Her husband would like her to see a counselor to help her, but instead when Julia discovers her sister's online activities include cybersex she begins an attempt to locate the person who may have killed her sister or know something about the murder.  

Although Julia thinks she is being safe, the online relationship she begins with Lukas is more than just virtual and the two quickly meet in real life and begin an affair. And there is a whole lot more to Lukas than what Julia initially believes.

As soon as Julia began cheating on her husband, I had a hard time liking her much.  And for me, I like having a protagonist I can relate to on some level.  However, I kept reading, and as I moved further into this story, I was totally blown away by the twists and turns that Watson managed to weave.  This isn't just a book about a woman who finds out that a person she met online isn't the person she thought he was. There is way more to Second Life than that.

As I raced to finish this book, I was totally involved in this story, curious as to how it would be resolved.

And the ending does not disappoint.  Second Life is a fantastic psychological thriller that had me eagerly turning pages up until the end.

Sunday Salon

It is a beautiful day outside today (unlike the past two days which were windy, rainy and cold), but I seem to have caught the head cold that everyone else had a few weeks ago.  I'll admit to being a bit unsympathetic to their suffering.  This cold is a doozy!  So I'm sitting around inside going from reading to resting to surfing the net. I did manage to make lunch and help Big Sister with a batch of cookies.  

The most disappointing thing about not feeling well is the fact that I was all set to try out my new pair of running shoes.  I have been wanting a new pair for a while, and for me even though I want them to fit well, I also want to like how they look.  (This is much less important to my husband).  So, his constant checking of Sierra Trading Post's website totally paid off.  I got this pair of Brooks for just over $50 - regularly over $100.  The drawback to them is they are last year's color.  I can totally live with that.

Little Sister and my oldest niece are at a painting party for the afternoon. This is the first time either of them has done something like this, and they both get a little nervous about new things. But they seemed fine when I dropped them off and should have a great time.

Here's what the picture they are working on looks like:

Earlier this week we had the K-12 Art Show at the girls' school.  It was a nice representation of a lot of great art work.

And on Wednesday this week I was honored with the Global Thinking award for our school district for the month of April.  I was very surprised and despite the fact that I don't really like having attention focused on me, was honored.


This coming week we have more track meets and soccer practice.  I am loving the forecast for the next seven days - mostly sunny in the upper 60s and lower 70s.  

And, even though my calendar is full, I'm hopeful I'll get a few more books read.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Picture Book Palooza Take Two: A Lot of Cuteness

There are a bunch of picture books I've been happily reading at bedtime to my youngest daughter. There's no denying that the books she generally enjoys are a little girly and cute.  She loves animals, too.  These eight have been the ones she's most enjoyed.

The Secret Life of Squirrels by Nancy Rose was an instant hit with my eight year old who loved the fact that the illustrations were real photographs of a squirrel doing very human things: mailing letters, making his bed, doing laundry, and  vacuuming.  The story is cute, but truly the illustrations gave us a lot to marvel over and discuss.  This is a definite must purchase for my school library.

Winnie and Waldorf by Kati Hites- Winnie's best friend just happens to be her very cute dog, Waldorf.  Although Winnie loves him, her sister Sara is less in love with him -especially after Waldorf broke her violin.  

Naptime with Theo and Beau by Jessica Shyba- kids (and adults) can't resist a cute picture of a young child with his dog, so it's no wonder that this book, filled with pictures of a young boy and his dog sleeping together, is a hit.  I don't always take the time to appreciate the illustrations in books, but Little Sister made sure we spent out time looking at each page and marveling at small details in the photographs. I am predicting this book will be checked out often.

Me, Too! by Annika Dunklee and Lori Joy Smith - Annie and Lillemor have a lot in common despite hailing from different countries. When Lilianne, a new girl, arrives from France, Annie feels left out since Lillemor and Lilianne have so much in common.  This picture book deals with the problems of friendship triangles which happen often.  Cute illustrations to go with this story, this was another bedtime favorite at my house this week.  I also love Dunklee's previous picture book, My Name is Elizabeth.

Snow White and the 77 Dwarfs by Davide Cali- Cali's rendition of Snow White made me giggle.  Instead of seven dwarves, this Snow White has seventy seven of the little guys running around- and she has to remember all their names.  (One of the highlights of reading this aloud is having a chance to read the names of all seventy seven dwarves).  Is it any surprise that Snow White is in no hurry to wake up after she is forced to take care of all these little guys? 

Hoot Owl Master of Disguise by Jean Taylor- Hoot Owl has it all figured out.  As a master of disguise he will camouflage himself so he can catch his prey. Except he isn't really very good at this.  Despite his creative costumes every animal he attempts to catch manages to get away.  Except pizza.  Cute little story with a bit of humor in it that adults will appreciate, too.  

Florabelle by Sasha Quinton - Florabelle has a great imagination despite the fact that her family is more serious and doesn't always appreciate this.  Florabelle enjoys imagining herself as a mermaid, or a rodeo queen  and her family is frequently asking her to come back to earth.  The illustrations by Brigitte Barrager are accompanied by photography by Michel Tcherevkoff and are absolutely fun.  I loved the illustrations to this story!  This is a great book for Fancy Nancy fans and any reader who is looking for a girly book.

Gwendolyn Grace by Katherine Hannigan - I love Gwendolyn Grace and I loved reading it aloud to an audience since they were able to participate in telling the story with me.  Gwendolyn Grace needs to be quiet so she doesn't wake the baby. As she receives directions, every noise Gwendolyn Grace needs to stop making is made. What child doesn't like making noises?!  


Thanks to Harper Collins for supplying copies of Gwendolyn Grace by Katherine Hannigan, Florabelle by Sasha Quinton, and Winnie and Waldorf by Kati Hites. The opinions expressed are my own.  

Friday Five

A few years ago our new dress code at work went into effect. I could handle nearly everything about it, except the "no open toe shoes" rule.  Honestly, some sandals are really quite dressy.  As a bit of my own private rebellion I've put my Keen water sandals on plenty of times to wear. They do cover my toes, after all.  This has meant that I've pretty much given up buying sandals.  Now several years later, I am thinking I need a nice pair for the summer and not just the flip flops I live in at home.  This pair of Franco Sarto Gia Women's Sandals at Zappos is high on my list.  Love the shiny-ness of them!

One of my very favorite t-shirts is my state T.  Maybe I like maps and geographical things on clothing.  When I saw this on Milk and Honey Ts, I knew this was a t-shirt I'd love to wear.

Last Friday Little Sister went to my mom's to hang out. While she was spending quality time with Grandma, the two stopped by a fundraiser for the private school my nieces and nephew attend (where my mom taught for nearly thirty years, and where I taught my first year of teaching) and checked out the local vendors.  I had never heard of Origami Owl until then. But a mere seven days later I have heard talk of little else. The jewelry is cute- for kids or adults.  Little Sister has been plotting out which necklace she wants. I admit to wanting one just a tiny bit.  However, she is going to need to do a lot of work to pay for this.  The jewelry isn't exactly cheap.  So far she has spent two hours at my mom's doing yard work.  And luckily this stuff will be around to purchase whenever her fortune is finally amassed.

Full House is coming back!  I can't wait to watch this show in 2016 on Netflix, which reports that there will be a 13 episode first season of the show aptly named Fuller House.  I watched a few episodes of Full House when they first aired, but my kids are total Full House junkies. We have the entire series on DVD.  I can't help my adult addiction to this show considering all the hours I have been forced to watch it.

I've been reading a lot about capsule wardrobes this past week.  Every time I hear about someone who has gone through their closet and eliminated the clutter I am a bit jealous. When I read this blog post, I totally got what the author was saying.  Part of me really wants to do this. And part of me still can't imagine having so few choices - or getting rid of things I've spent good money on.  I think at some point in my life I would like to try this. I'm just not quite there yet.

So how about you? What's caught your eye this week?

Getting Schooled

As a teacher I can't help but find other teacher memoirs fascinating.  There is a shared language, experience and passion that I love reading about.

Garret Keizer has returned to the classroom after spending many years doing freelance writing.  He has been hired to fill in for just a year for a teacher who has taken a leave of absence.  Keizer is familiar with this school already - this is where he first taught after graduating from college.  Now he is teaching sons and daughters of former students.

Broken up by month Keizer shares the highs and lows of the academic year.  Although he may feel disenchanted and frustrated with teaching, there is no denying that Keizer takes his students seriously and cares about their success.  

As an educator myself, I felt that Keizor accurately describes the job he has taken on, providing a look at the reflections a teacher has each and every day - about their instruction but also about all the interactions with students - something it is impossible to plan for.

While Keizer doesn't paint a rosy picture of education, Getting Schooled wouldn't chase me away from this profession, either.  Instead, it does a great job of providing an inside look at what dedicated teachers do each and every day.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This Week's Pick:  Beach Town by Mary Kay Andrews

Due out:  May 19, 2015

Greer Hennessy is a struggling movie location scout. Her last location shoot ended in disaster when a film crew destroyed property on an avocado grove. And Greer ended up with the blame.

Now Greer has been given one more chance--a shot at finding the perfect undiscovered beach town for a big budget movie. She zeroes in on a sleepy Florida panhandle town. There's one motel, a marina, a long stretch of pristine beach and an old fishing pier with a community casino--which will be perfect for the film's climax--when the bad guys blow it up in an all-out assault on the townspeople.

Greer slips into town and is ecstatic to find the last unspoilt patch of the Florida gulf coast. She takes a room at the only motel in town, and starts working her charm. However, she finds a formidable obstacle in the town mayor, Eben Thinadeaux. Eben is a born-again environmentalist who's seen huge damage done to the town by a huge paper company. The bay has only recently been re-born, a fishing industry has sprung up, and Eben has no intention of letting anybody screw with his town again. The only problem is that he finds Greer way too attractive for his own good, and knows that her motivation is in direct conflict with his.

Will true love find a foothold in this small beach town before it's too late and disaster strikes? Told with Mary Kay Andrews inimitable wit and charm, Beach Town is this year's summer beach read!

Reading Local: Me

One of my co-workers has been telling me for quite a while now that his grandmother was going to write a book about her childhood.  This past week Mr. Z was able to bring his grandmother in to speak to his students, after they had the chance to read about growing up in the very town where my students are growing up.

Getting to see what life was like for this girl in the 1950s and 1960s, growing up in the same town my students call home fascinated them. When Blanford visited their class, the students had already written questions to ask and they were able to have a good conversation.

Me is a story that my students could relate to; they could appreciate friend problems that Blanford had, her asthma that caused her to miss school frequently, her father's illness, and her need to fit in with a much wealthier crowd.

Meeting and talking to an author is an exciting event for children and in Mr. Z's classroom they were able to have that experience. It was fun to be a part of it with them and see their enthusiasm for this book.

The One That Got Away

I consider myself more of a women's fiction type of reader than a romance reader.  However, I like a good love story from time to time.  

The One That Got Away by Bethany Chase has been compared to Emily Giffin and Jennifer Weiner's books which was enough for me to know I wanted to read it.

Sarina is feeling good about the life she is building for herself in Austin, Texas.  She has an architecture business that is growing and is looking forward to getting engaged to and marrying her long time boyfriend, Noah.  

And then Eamon Roy shows up.  The last time Sarina saw Eamon she slept with him - the only one night stand she has ever had.  After that night she never heard from him again, but has spent a lot of time thinking about him.

When the two meet up the physical attraction is still there, and the fact that her boyfriend is away working in South America for months at a time doesn't help.  When she and Noah do see each other it seems they want different things from life, making Sarina question their relationship further.

Although this story was a little predictable, it didn't matter at all to me.  I loved the romance, the attraction between Eamon and Sarina, and the misunderstandings that added a bit of suspense about whether the two would find happiness with each other.

I will admit to a rough start with this novel, which begins with a discussion over p*n*s pops or p*n*s shot glasses.  Although it was an attention getter, I feel that there are some readers that would be instantly turned off, not giving the story a chance.  

Even with this dicey beginning, I was hooked by chapter 2, and will be anxiously waiting the next book by Chase.

Sunday Salon

This has been a weekend filled with soccer games for Middle Sister and Little Sister. The weather was beautiful yesterday and cold, windy and rainy today. I have to keep reminding myself that it is only April and doesn't need to feel summer-like every day.

I should be very ready to get back to school since on Friday I was able to attend a conference with a teaching colleague and had a little bit of a break from the regular routine.  However, this warm weather is making me feel like I need a break, too.

There's nothing like grilling out on a Friday night with friends, not needing to rush back home for anything.

I am almost thankful that the weather forecast for this coming week is cold and rainy. It is much easier to be in school when the weather isn't great.

I've had some visitors in my library for a few weeks now. They were very quiet the first three weeks, but now that my friends have hatched they are definitely not quiet. 

After beginning with nearly forty eggs, we now have nine baby chicks cheeping away.  They went home on Friday, which will make my students sad. I, however, am ready for a break.

And as another sign of spring this week, Big Sister had her first ever track meet.

She wasn't horribly excited to compete in meets, although she enjoys practice. We are just glad she is trying it and being a part of a team.

We've got track meets, soccer practices, piano lessons, some late nights of work and the elementary art show coming up this week.  

Since there are just a few hours until bed, I'm off to get things organized for tomorrow and hopefully find a few minutes to sneak in some reading.

A Chance to Meet Steve Jenkins

I've always been impressed by Steve Jenkins' non-fiction books. The illustrations are amazing and there is a wealth of information on each and every page.

Yesterday I was given the chance to hear him speak at the UNI Early Literacy Conference.  A colleague and I enjoyed our day away from the students and came away with some great ideas to try in the classroom.

Jenkins has been in the book making business for a while.  His art school background has allowed him the knowledge and skill that he has utilized in making his illustrations.

I limited myself to one book that I had signed by Steve, who was interesting to listen to as he explained his path to writing for children and his interest in creating illustrations that showed things drawn to scale.

His wife, Robin Page, is a frequent partner in producing great non-fiction books for kids.  I own many of Jenkins' books already, but getting to hear him and learn about the work that goes in to making his books makes me even more impressed by the quality product he turns out.

We were treated to this amazing video during his presentation.  And, last night I spent some time looking at Steve Jenkins' website.

I can't wait to share what I learned about Steve Jenkins with my students next week!

Last Night at the Blue Angel

Sophia's mother has spent ten years performing, on the verge of becoming famous.  As Sophia sits and watches her mother perform night after night, she is used to the nightclubs and the constant stream of people that seem to come in and out of their lives.

Naomi is a mystery, both to her daughter and the reader.  Sophia knows little about her mom's past, which is slowly revealed as Naomi narrates a portion of this story.

Last Night at the Blue Angel is an interesting story about a mother and daughter, about a woman and her choices, and a way of life not accepted in 1965.  

It did take me a while to get accustomed to Rotert's style of writing, which italicizes dialogue instead of using quotation marks.  In other books that has bothered me more than it did in this one, but for some readers that may be a turn-off.

I did enjoy the time period of this novel - 1965 (with parts set in the 1950s), and the Chicago jazz scene during this time period.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for sending me a copy of Last Night at the Blue Angel to enjoy.

Friday Five

Another week of interesting things to look at on the internet - some to eat, some to wear, some for the home.  There is never a shortage of great stuff out there.  So, enjoy. Let me know what's kept you busy this week.

You know, just about the time I can kick one food addiction, another one pops up.  Now M&Ms come in the Crispy variety.  They still aren't as good as the peanut butter M&Ms. but they are quite tasty.

We have need a new rug for YEARS.  We bought a cheap area rug at Wal-Mart which served its purpose, but after remodeling and dog hair gathered on it last year (and dog hair continued to gather this year), we really needed a new rug.  However, my husband is on his no spending soapbox, which I have joined him on, and therefore we haven't purchased a rug. However, Target has rugs on sale this week AND I had $30 in gift cards saved up. So this rug was less than $50.  Yesterday Big Sister and I went to look at rugs and came home with this one.  

I think it looks rather nice in our living room.

I remember tasting my first Larabar a few years ago. I had bought a giant economy size box from Sam's, tried one, and gave the entire thing to my sister because they were disgusting. I wasn't holding out much hope when I met with a dietitian who really wanted me (and everyone she planned diets for) to find a bar with a certain number of grams of sugar and very few ingredients.  Basically, the Larabar was the only thing on her list.  I think they're an acquired taste, but I totally love the Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Larabar now.  

Can the quality get any worse?  These anti-running shorts from Title Nine are something I feel would be a great item to wear to my exercise classes. We have our bodies in all sorts of contortions, and I really don't need anyone having to look up my shorts- not that they'd want to.  However, I also don't always want to wear a pair of tight spandex bottoms.  I think these are ones I could wear to run errands, exercise, and pretty much almost anywhere I need to go in the summer.

I have a very old pair of Birkies that were a tie dyed pattern. I wore these absolutely everywhere. I haven't had a pair for forever, although I am wondering now if this old pair is somewhere in a box that I could dig up.  I am liking this new floral version a lot.

What things have caught your eye this week?

Life From Scratch

I had this review posted on Tuesday for a bit (at least when I looked online) but when I got home and looked at my blog it was gone.  So, I'm reposting this since Life From Scratch is too good not to know about.


I've read quite a few food memoirs, and generally enjoy books centered around food.  I mean, who doesn't?  I also enjoy eating.

Life From Scratch: A Memoir of Food, Family and Forgiveness by Sasha Martin sets out to be a memoir about food, but the result is a memoir about much more.

Martin's childhood was rough. She and her brother never doubted their mother's love, yet after many hardships, their mother was forced to terminate her parental rights and allow her children to be raised by friends.

In her new home, Martin travels extensively and is well provided for, yet she continues to remember bits and pieces of her childhood- especially the cooking her mother did.  

As an adult Martin has made peace with her mother, and as she begins her own journey into motherhood, decides to begin a project of her own, cooking her way around the world while chronicling this on her blog, Global Table Adventure.

I picked up this book simply because I love reading memoirs, not because I had ever heard of Martin's project or her online presence. However, I have already enjoyed looking around a bit on her site, and have earmarked a few recipes to try out at home.

Seeing photographs of Martin and her family helped make her story seem more real and allowed me to connect with her beyond just the pages of her book.