Book Share-The Warrior Heir

About a week ago, Gerry recommended a book to me:  The Warrior Heir.  "You'll love it," he said, "You've got to read it!"

We have a common love for fantasy stories.  About a year ago, Gerry and Santino and I all swapped fantasy favorites as we pored through book after book.

Reading The Warrior Heir was challenging because I couldn't share it with Santino.  Not wanting to spoil it, I had to bite the bullet as the book wound its way through intrigue, suspense, and thrills.

Now it was my time to say to Santino, hurry up and read the book!

As I speak, he's interrupting himself.  "Ellen's an enchantress, isn't she!"  and "That vest is armor, isn't it?"  And minutes later--"I knew it!"

Santino read that book in less than a day and then immediately downloaded the next two onto his Kindle.  So, Santino---Hurry up and finish!

Fool's Gold

Last Friday we had the day off from school, so I was sleeping in.  My phone rang at 7:15 am.

"Hey, did you look out your window?"  Old friend.  Only old friends call that early in the morning.
"I was sleeping, so I'd have to say no."
"Well, I drove by your house and there's a big statue in your yard.  Did you see the statue?"

I live on a busy street and the whole universe goes by my house every day.  So, the idea that someone left a statue in my yard was in the realm of possibilities.  I stayed on the phone with my friend as I walked around my miniscule front yard in my jammies.

"I don't see it.  Where is it?"
"How could you miss it?  It's HUGE!"
"Can't see it."
"It's a big statue of Jesus.  How are you missing this?"

No Jesus in front, none in back.  Wait....Oh, right.  It's April 1.  I resigned.

"Got it, I got it!  You got me.  Have a great day--can I go back to bed now?"

I have always been harangued by April Fool's Day.  I'm not the one making the jokes, but I'm usually the one on the receiving end.

Santino woke up shortly after that and found a cuddly spot on the couch.  Yawn.  "Oh mom, I hate to tell you this but the window in my bedroom is broken."

Sigh.  I walked into his room and checked his window.  "Honey I don't see it.  Is it a break or a crack?"

My lovely son came into the room snickering.  "April Fool's, Mom!"

So early in the morning on my day off and already I was fooled twice.  But that wasn't the end of it.

Over the course of the day, Santino gleefully told me all of the following:
1. He smelled smoke in the house.
2. My bed was on fire.
3. Baskin Robbins went out of business.  (Not true but the local BR is closed.)
4. He had a huge science project due on Monday that he hadn't started. (That one was totally believable.)
5. We didn't have the day off school after all--cruel joke by the school district.

Probably my most memorable April 1st was when my principal (a great prankster) announced her retirement at a faculty meeting.  Everybody laughed.  "No, really," she said, "I'm retiring."  Some of us called out, "April Fools!"  "Really, I'm retiring.  And I hate to leave you all."  Then we knew it was true. It was no joke.  Sadly she was gone three months later.

But I digress.  Being the target of Santino's April Fool's jokes gives me endless joy.  He's a sweet kid, his pranks are benign, and they are mixed enough with reality that they are usually believable.  He unearths every verbal prank like a nugget of fool's gold, hoping I'll fall for the trick.  He fights hard to surpress his giggles. I admit, he got me a few times, but after the first three or four pranks I was on my guard.

All in all, though--even if it's fool's gold, every prank feels like the real thing.  And I love it.

Goodreads Challenge 23-30/85: Books for kids, books for me

I am really behind in my Goodreads Challenge posting.  That's a sign of the school calendar, I suppose.  As time gets closer to testing in May, schoolwork becomes more intense, I spend more hours working, and I'm a little more exhausted at the end of the day.

But this will not stop me from reading!!!  Here are updates from the last few books I've read for my Goodreads Challange.

                 

Goodreads Challenge 30/85: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

     Wow, that was fun to read. Michael Crichton expertly puts together a suspenseful thriller. Please don't complain that it's impossible to clone dinosaurs from blood extracted from mosquitos suspended in amber. Take an intellectual leap so you can go for a wild ride. Lighten up. Have fun with it.  Let yourself enjoy this book. To do this, you need to suspend any doubts you might have about the science of the book--after all, this is science fiction. And it's well-written science fiction. Some of the characters are flat and have absolutely no arc. Who cares?! With the threat of getting eaten by a velociraptor, you find yourself crossing your fingers that those two dimensional heroes escape the bite, and those two dimensional villains get what's coming to them. 

Goodreads Challenge 29/85: Bare Bones by Kathy Reichs

         I. Am. So. Tired. Of writers. Who. Think. That. One. Word. Makes. A sentence.  Suffice it to say I am unimpressed by Kathy Reich's writing style. The story was a little confusing because there were too many victims and suspects for my scorecard. And what really bugged me is that the villain responsible for everything didn't show up in the book until the last 20 pages. Aarrghh!    Some complain that her books are hard to read because the language is overly technical, but I actually enjoyed that aspect of the book. 

      I wanted to read a Kathy Reichs book since she is the originator of the Bones tv series, of which I am a huge fan.  Maybe it's time to go back and watch a regular Bones episode instead.  

Goodreads Challenge 28/85: Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume

   Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by veteran children's author Judy Blume is just an adorable book.  My fourth graders will definitely be reading this one.

     

Goodreads Challenge 27/85: Nurture Shock by Po Bronson and Ashley Merryman

    I read this for a book club.  It annoyed me so much I'm not going to waste any more key strokes writing about it.

Goodreads Challenge 25/85: Witch and Wizard by James Patterson

          Dystopia, kids in peril--add magic to the mix for a fun read.  James Patterson doesn't have the best prose style, but he puts together an action-filled plot.  HOWEVER, I am so frustrated because this book does not end on the last page; you really have to read the next book to complete the story.  I hope.  I'm looking forward to The Gift since this one ends on a cliff-hanger, or end of a rope.  Take your pick.

Goodreads Challenge 26/85: The Gift by James Patterson

     Okay, James Patterson, you have made me NOT a happy camper.  The Gift is just the second act of the Witch and Wizard series--and the third act won't be released until May.

      

Goodreads Challenge 24/85: Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
      Another dystopic future in which there are strict government controls on the number of children each family can have.  Among the Hidden is followed by popular sequels, but the story and the writing weren't enough to make me care to move on.

Goodreads Challenge 23/85: Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

     The third installment of the Gallagher Girls spy stories is like the two previous books.  In Don't Judge a Girl by Her Cover, Cammie ventures outside the walls of the Gallagher Academy to spend time with her roommate, Macey.  Macey is the daughter of a senator and needs Secret Service protection during a presidential campaign.  A good spy book for girls, especially if they are reluctant readers.