Wonder by J.R. Palacio

Oh, my. I so loved this book. 
What a heartwarming,  sweet, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, often inspiring story. 
Ten year old August Pullman was born with a severe facial deformity.  Due to his many surgeries and constant health concerns,  Auggie has always been home schooled.  So when his mom thinks it's time for him to go to a public school, he is shocked and extremely nervous. How will the kids treat him? Will he make any friends? Will this be a disaster of decision? 
The story is told from different perspectives and I really felt like I went on this emotional journey with Auggie and his friends and family. 
What a gem of a book I will always treasure. "Shall we make a new rule of life...always try to be a little kinder than is necessary? "
The Little White Bird
J.M.  Barrie

Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan

Very much enjoyed this book from my best friend, Jim Gaffigan.  Ok so we just met once and only spoke for about 30 seconds, but why else would he sign that in my book??

We love his comedy specials and a good portion of this book is from his Mr. Universe show (which can be seen on Netflix). 

I love reading about parenting craziness. Especially from a comedian who has five young children living in New York.  I was either laughing out loud or profusely nodding in agreement (that's not awkward while reading a book). 

"Every night before I get my one hour of sleep, I have the same thought: "Well, that's a wrap on another day of acting like I know what I'm doing. "  I wish I were exaggerating,  but I'm not.  Most of the time,  I feel entirely unqualified to be a parent.  I call these times being awake."

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

When an unnamed,  middle-aged man returns home for a funeral, he suddenly finds himself drawn to a mysterious place from his childhood.

He knocks on the door of an old farmhouse unsure who will answer. When an old woman opens the door she seems familiar.  He realizes she's the mother of his friend, Lettie Hempstock.  He then goes to the pond at the end of the lane.  A pond Lettie referred to as the ocean.

And then he remembers.

He remembers everything...

What follows is a haunting, strange, and beautifully written tale of the man as a 7 year old boy, who experiences a terrifying and other-worldly encounter.
As the young boy's situation worsens, only three uncommon women, including his only friend Lettie Hempstock, can save him.
I found myself completely immersed in Gaiman's magical yet believable world.  It's a poetic and slightly frightening story of how childhood memories shape us, even if we do forget them for a time.

Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly

I don't usually read historical novels, but I'm glad I made the exception here. Killing Lincoln is well researched, fast paced, and quite emotional. Despite knowing how it ends, there is still an element of suspense that makes for a great read.  Highly reccomend. (I also read Killing Kennedy which is fascinating for all the same reasons).

The Giver by Lois Lowry

I feel like I'm the only one who didn't read this in middle school. But it's never too late to read a classic, right?  And a brilliant one at that.  I couldn't put it down.  And at only 179 pages it's a quick read.  The movie is coming out this summer.  Meryl Streep and Jeff Bridges, you guys.  This gives me hope it'll be good.

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

Oh, man. I could not put this book down.  So, so interesting.  Historical fiction at its finest.  A fascinating look into the life of Anne Morrow Lindbergh, wife of famous aviator, Charles Lindbergh. Without a doubt one of the most famous, intriguing, and complicated couples in American history.  Highly recommend.
Side note: It pleased my husband to no end that I used P-38 in a sentence while talking about this book.  His love for all things aviation is my favorite.

The Paris Wife by Paula McLain

This is the story of Hadley Richardson, the first wife, The Paris Wife, of Ernest Hemingway.  Hoping to find adventure and inspiration, the young newlyweds set out for Paris.  Hemingway is there to write.  Hadley is there to love and support him. I found Hemingway's daily writing regimen fascinating.  His relationships with mentor's Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, and F. Scott Fitzgerald were quite intriguing.

Paris in the 1920's was truly a unique time for writers and artists.  But it wasn't an easy time for Hadley and she struggled to find her purpose beyond supporting Ernest. She seemed stronger to me as they traveled  through Europe, especially during their time in Spain where they experienced the running of the bulls and bullfighting.

Unfortunately their relationship begins to unravel.  The heartbreak,  humiliation, disappointment,  and betrayal left me unnerved.  In the end, thankfully, there is peace for both Hadley and the reader from an unexpected phone call.  And I cried.

As I read The Paris Wife I couldn't help but think of Anne Morrow Lindbergh and how similar their situations were.  And I'm glad to know both their stories.  I'm also very interested to read A Moveable Feast, Hemingway's memoir of his time in Paris with Hadley as well as The Sun Also Rises, which he wrote while they were married.

Happy 4th of July!

Love your Freedom

Seventy years after landing on Omaha Beach,  a soldier who survived to become a husband and father returned to visit with his family.  He spoke with Tom Brokaw about what he wants his family and future generations to understand.  "Love your freedom. " He said.  " Because that's what we fought for. "

I'm going to unearth my copy of "The Greatest Generation" by Tom Brokaw.  

I'm so inspired by this generation.   They truly understand the meaning of sacrifice.  I can show my appreciation by reading their stories.

And loving my freedom.

Betty Books on Instagram

I hope to return to blogging soon,  but for now this is a quick way for me to share the book love!   Follow along!  And happy reading!!

Nano Nano

 

So excited to participate this year.  I can't believe it's been two years since I did this for the first time.  I went back and read it and daang it is baaad.  I feel like I need to redeem myself a bit.

Since I'm obsessed with the show Once Upon a Time, I thought it would be fun to delve into a fairy tale world. 

What if I did a re-telling of Sleeping Beauty???  The Disney movie shows her as an infant and then skips to when she's 16.  What kind of childhood did she have?  What was it like living in the woods with three women?  Did she teach herself how to hunt with a bow and arrow? Did she garden? AND what if she met Prince Phillip when she was younger and they were secret friends for years?  I have so many questions.  There's a lot to explore here.  So here it goes...A re-telling of Sleeping Beauty meets The Queen of Attolia meets Katniss?

Off to write!!

Hunger Games Trailer

Um....wow.

Check out the trailer!!!

4th "Edition" Coming Next Spring!!

So in case you haven’t spoken to my mother recently (love you mom!) or you thought the sudden and horrifying weight gain was due to extra trips to Krispy Kreme, then I’m here to inform y’all that we are expecting baby number four!!


Here’s the scoop in list form. I’m too tired to write paragraphs.
• I’m 11 weeks.
• Yes, I’ve been throwing up. It’s as fun as I remember it.
• I found out I was pregnant the day before my 34th birthday. I told my family on my birthday. It was kinda cool.
• I’m due March 21st (my mom’s birthday)
• My house is in ruins and I often feed my children chicken noodle soup from a can.
• Yes, this was planned.
• I know, I know. I told you all we were done. Sucka!!!!
• I think I’m having a girl.
• I’ve discovered that orange & spice herbal tea helps with the nausea.
• One night I wanted guacamole so desperately I cried when I didn’t have the ingredients to make it. Casey was in Mexico.
• Hannah found my pregnancy test. She kept asking me about it, but I played dumb. She wasn’t fooled. Who taught her how to read anyway?
• If it’s a girl, Sydney wants to name her Flower Power.
• When we told Jack there was a baby in mommy’s tummy, he said, “What the heck?”
• At my first appt. my doctor asked me for some parenting advice. She’s awesome.
• I don’t like the taste of diet coke right now. Tragic.
• Every night Hannah pats my belly and says, “Good night, peanut.”

New Books

I always intend to use the library more often and check out loads of books with my kids, but I usually end up buying them instead. I have this idea that I'd love to fill my home with hundreds of books I've read and that way my posterity would know what to read. It would be a part of me passing on to them. Do I think too much? Anyway, these two caught my eye recently and I thought I'd share.

The first one is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. This book was mentioned to me during a late night at Girl's Camp. I didn't remember what it was about, but when I passed by it at Target, the book's title rang familiar. I picked it up and read the synopsis.

Who, you might ask, is Henrietta Lacks (1920-1951) and why is she the subject of a book? On the surface, this short-lived African American Virginian seems an unlikely candidate for immortality. The most remarkable thing about her, some might argue, is that she had ten children during her thirty-one years on earth. Actually, we all owe Ms. Lacks a great debt and some of us owe her our lives. As Rebecca Skloot tells us in this riveting human story, Henrietta was the involuntary donor of cells from her cancerous tumors that have been cultured to create an immortal cell line for medical research. These so-called HeLa cells have not only generated billions of dollars for the medical industry; they have helped uncover secrets of cancers, viruses, fertilization, cloning, and gene mapping.

Whoa. I was seriously denied in my biology classes. I would have loved biology if I'd learned about this. I started it a couple nights ago and it's very interesting. I hope to post a review soon.

Now on to the second book. My kids and I made an impromptu trip downtown and found ourselves in the local bookshop. Shocking, I know. Anwyay, my 9 year old was determined to find a new book. We just didn't know what to get. After several minutes and attempts to find the right book I sat down on one of the stools and just started looking at the titles closest to me. It turned out to be a pretty good method of book finding. I picked up Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede and read the cover.

It's about a princess who doesn't want to do the girly princess things. She's tomboyish and wants to seek an adventure of her own. And she finds one...with a dragon. I thought, okay this seems like a good fit for my daughter. She agreed. When we were checking out the cashier said she loved this series and it was a good choice. When I got home and looked it up on Goodreads and was even more delighted to see it averaged 4 1/2 stars. There were more good reviews on other sites as well. Score.

Don't you just love it when that happens? You just pick a book at random and it turns out it might actually be worth reading! Brilliant, I know.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 Premiere

You can't really see it on the ticket, but it says July 14--my birthday! Sweet deal, right?

Our theater showed part 1 before part 2, which was great, and we didn't have to wait in line more than 30 minutes. They allowed us to stay in the theater and have first pick of seats. So...those waiting outside for 6 hours plus were none too thrilled.

My Harry cupcake. It's was pretty gross.

Snape!!!!!

Neville!!!!!

Now about the movie. I loved it. However, I felt like the destruction of Voldemort was a little underplayed. Meaning, there was no reaction from anyone about what Harry had just done. I don't remember feeling that way after reading that part in the book. Also, zero chemistry between Harry and Ginny. I feel like they didn't portray her character as well as they could have. That's all my quibbles. Overall a wonderfully done movie from a series I grew to love. No, wait. Adore.

My oldest is currently reading book 4 and I find myself eager to discuss things with her. I keep asking her what part she just read and she like enough already, mom!

summer reading plans

I told a friend we were reading Magician's Nephew and she said, "You have to listen to it on tape. Kenneth Branagh does the reading and it's excellent!"
So...we did. And it was delightful.

Now we're on to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

I always have big plans for lots of summer reading, but I'm off to a slow start. Still reading Jane Eyre. I'm enjoying it, but for some reason I have a short attention span right now.

I kinda wanna re-read Deathly Hallows before the movie. Can I just say...again...I cannot wait for this movie!!

What are you going to read this summer?

The Magician's Nephew

I haven't read a full novel to my kids yet. We read plenty of books, but never a long chapter book. I wanted to revisit one of my favorites and thought reading it to my girls was a good way to go.

They were captivated from page one.

I love C.S. Lewis and his sense of humor and imagination.

It's very satisfying reading out loud to my kids. I feel like I'm part of an age old tradition.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows part 2

This gave me chills...

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows Trailer

I CANNOT WAIT.

Plus, the midnight show will be on my birthday. I really scored on that one!

A Ferris Wheel in August

Sometimes at the end of a crap day you just need to read something that makes you feel like you're somewhere else. Reading is therapy. I don't know how I haven't read the entire planet by now...

I was just staring at my pile of books on the nightstand beforing picking up "Tuck Everlasting" by Natalie Babbitt. I bought it for my oldest daughter for Christmas. For some reason it hasn't made it to her shelf. Anyway, I love the first paragraph of the prologue.

"The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the hightest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning. The weeks that come before are only a climb from the balmy spring, and those that follow a drop to the chill of autumn, but the first week of August is motionless, and hot. It is curiously silent, too, with blank white danws and glaring noons, and sunsets smeared with too much color. Often at night there is lightning, but it quivers all alone. There is no thunder, no relieving rain. These are strange and breathless days, the dog days, when people are led to do things they are sure to be sorry for after."

Don't you just love that? So beautifully written.

How I long for it to be the first week of August, sitting on the highest seat of the Ferris wheel at the Beach Boardwalk. To have my back to the ocean, looking down at all the people with their friends or families, and sitting next to one of my kids who's just eaten pink cotton candy.

I'm going to read...

Jane Eyre has been on my "must read this before I die" list for quite awhile now. I'd successfully avoided all movie adaptations because I wanted to read the book first.

Well.

My friend Amy asked me to see the lastest version a couple of weeks ago. I caved and said yes. This is also the girl who told me she wouldn't be my friend anymore if I didn't read Harry Potter. She's very persuasive. I also needed a night out :)

I really enjoyed the movie. Seeing it has finally motivated to me read the book and I'm quite taken with it.

Have you seen the movie yet? What did you think? Do you have a version you like better?

And more importantly--Have you read the book?