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Tuesday, September 30, 2014

What I Read: September



This was truly the month of Young Adult literature for me, but that's ok! I can embrace my love of YA. "Wonder" has been on my list since I joined a book club in Colorado - probably about 2 years ago! It's the story of August, a child with a severe facial deformity who is entering his first year of public school after years of being homeschooled. So heartbreaking and warming all at once. A bit predictable, sure, but still really enjoyable. As far as YA's go, this was REALLY YA, I would say a 6th grader could easily read it and enjoy it just as much as I did, so there's that. Don't expect anything terribly deep or a challenging read and you'll probably enjoy it! 



Another YA technically, BUT I recently heard a discussion about this book that was asking the question of whether just because a book has young adults as the main character does that make it a YA? Or rather can an adult fiction book be based on the lives of teenagers? I would thing this falls into the later category. I would never allow my teen to read this, let's put it that way.  There are a lot of really mature themes running through this book, but mostly it is a love story. I've joked recently that I only love books that are depressing but I think that I love books that are REAL. This story was really real. It's a teenage love story. Those rarely end well, as most of us know. But, you love them both and Eleanor is a true heroine. I really loved this book. 



Another Rainbow Rowell book! This was cute and funny and easy to read. Nothing earth shattering, but super enjoyable. 



What a haunting book. At first, I wasn't sure I could read it. The narrator is a 5 year old boy who was born to a woman who's been held captive for 7 years by her kidnapper. The only life he's known is within the walls of the room they're locked in. It's an amazingly well written book. The voice of the child is so well done. But, it's disturbing. I have a hard time with kidnapping/rape themes in general so that might be a personal issue for me, but just a warning that the content is intense and can be extremely difficult to read. I also didn't sleep the night I finished because I couldn't stop thinking about it. So, I don't know if I liked this book or not! I blew through it because I HAD to know how it ended for my sanity and it's incredibly well done, BUT it's not enjoyable? I don't know. Yes, I liked it but I also kind of hated it for its content. Helpful? No? 



Such a thought provoking and gripping novel about a woman who is diagnosed with early onset dementia. It's so real and makes you feel all the feelings. Also, because I'm a huge freak, I've been convinced I have this also. Well, okay - maybe I'm just not sleeping and I have 3 young children. Either way, you should read this. 

My goal for October? Keep it LIGHT!! Too many depressing books this month. 



Monday, September 15, 2014

Bennett Turns 3!

Little Mr. Ben. A whole 3 years ago I was snuggling my chubby second baby. He has grown so quickly. Too quickly. He still requires too little sleep for his mama's liking. He's up with sun with lots of energy everyday. He has an intense love of television and snacks and things that go. Right before he turned 3 he decided he wanted a Hulk birthday cake (it was his only request) and so we ran with it and did a Hulk themed celebration for our special 3 year old.

We started out with a family celebration at Chuck-E-Cheese. The kids had SO much fun there, it was sort of unbelievable. They've been asking to go back EVERY day since.

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We stopped for cupcakes on the way there (we knew we'd have a cake at his party on the weekend, so we wanted something easier for our small celebration) and the choice was froggies or cookie monster. Ben told me he wanted cookie monster so I got 4 of them. THE WHOLE WAY to Chuck-E-Cheese he cried and cried because I did not get the frogs. Ahh, 3 year olds. It was a true grand entrance into this territory of being 3. Tumultous? Yes. Adorable and loving? Absolutely!

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He loved his hulk costume and hulk smash fists.

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Even Crosby enjoyed Chuck-E-Cheese!

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Over the weekend of B's birthday, my mom was in town and we, along with the Gillette's, went bowling. Bennett was sort of iffy about bowling (but he was sort of iffy about anything) so he was in a bit of a bad mood. It was a bummer, but I think overall he had a good time. If you ask him about it, he'll say he loved it!

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The kids scored just as well if not better than the adults thanks to this handy little ball guide gadget.

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We're thrilled to be able to celebrate with our great friends this year!! It's a first of many :)

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My new favorite family shot! It's SO hard to get 5 people to look semi happy and decent. Score!

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These kids... I love them all. But, this photo is PROOF that Crosby looks like Ben (haha!!)

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His Hulk cake! Thank goodness 3 year olds don't care what their cakes look like! Box cake for the win!

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Oh, Bennett. Your whole family loves you SO much. You're fun and loving and a great mix of sweet and spunk. Watching you grow is one of my greatest joys. I love you!

Monday, September 1, 2014

What I Read: August



I can't tell you much about this book without completely ruining it. Everyone I've ever heard talk about it says, "READ IT!!" and I guess I'm saying that, too. It's a book I want to talk about with people. A book that will make me think about it after I've finished it. But, that said, did I LOVE it? No... I don't think so. Was I able to put it down? No. I wanted to keep going. It had me turning pages, eager for the answers, that's for sure. But, I feel so torn about it! Anyway, READ IT. But only because I need to talk about it with someone!! 




I started reading this book months ago and finally finished it this month. I wasn't enthralled in the same way as I was with "Divergent" but towards the end, I was definitely more interested. A good action read, if that's your thing. 



This is definitely one of the better books I've read. I couldn't put it down and just knew it would break my heart in all kinds of good ways. It delivered for sure. I started a local book club this month and chose this book for our first meeting in September and I'm SO glad! It's an awesome book for discussion because there's a large moral issue that's central to the story line. I loved this book. READ IT! And not just because I want to discuss it with you. 







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