February Reads

Moi
4 total
HP- Half Blood Prince
Hp- Deathly Hallows
Kissing Christmas Goodbye
Goodbye, Mr. Chips

C (12 y.o.)
10 total
Jack Sparrow- Age of Bronze (#5)
Jack Sparrow- Silver (#6)
Jack Sparrow- City of Gold (#7)
Jack Sparrow- The Timekeeper (#8)
Diary of a Wimpy Kid 2 - Roderick Rules
Childhood of Famous Americans: Davy Crockett
Childhood of Famous Americans: Albert Einstein
The Bad Beginning- Lemony Snicket
The Reptile Room- Lemony Snicket
The Wide Window- Lemony Snicket

M (10 y.o.)
3 total
Secret Agent Jack Stalwart- Escape of the Deadly Dinosaur (#1)
Secret Agent Jack Stalwart- Search for the Sunken Treasure (#2)
Jack Sparrow: Siren Song (#2)

L (8 y.o.)
9 total
Haley the Rain Fairy- Daisy Meadows
Dingos at Dinnertime (Magic Treehouse)
Civil War on Sunday (Magic Treehouse)
Revolutionary War on Wednesday (Magic Treehouse)
Nancy Drew Girl Detective- Monkey Wrench Blues
Nancy Drew & the Clue Crew- Scream for Ice Cream (#2)
Nancy Drew & the Clue Crew- Pony Problems (#3)
Scooby Doo and the Sinister Sorcerer
Scooby Doo and the Ghostly Gorilla

Goodbye, Mr. Chips- James Hilton

115 pages

I was reading Saint by Ted Dekker.
I was having a really hard time getting into it.

I read the amazon reviews, and I found out that Saint is actually the second book in a series.
The book jacket said nothing of a series, if I had known I wouldn't have checked it out.

The reviews were mixed- most people said the beginning is good but it falls apart in the end. I had already read the good part? Really?

It wasn't worth the effort to continue so, 150 pages into it, I decided to give up on it.


I wasn't in the mood for a long book, so I grabbed the first short book in my TBR pile.
It was "Goodbye, Mr. Chips."
I cannot believe I have gone this long without reading it.
It is, after all, a classic.
I liked it.
I really liked it.
I laughed, I cried, it moved me, Bob. (sorry, couldn't resist ;-))
It was quite a story.


2008 total: 7
pages read: 3665

The Loose Change Book Fund

We've started a new thing at our house.
The Loose Change Book Fund.
lol
We've decided to use all our our loose change to buy books.
What better way to put all of that change to use?
From now on, all loose change goes directly into the book fund box.

Yesterday the kids rolled up a TON of loose change.
We ended up with $104!

We spent the evening shopping on Amazon.
Amazon rocks, btw!
Most of their books qualify for free shipping, and a lot of the kids' books qualify for their "4-for-3" discounts.
Our total before the discounts was $106.
After the 4-for-3 discounts, the total was $91.
And that's not including the free shipping.
I *heart* Amazon.

Here are the books we ordered:

For Read-Aloud:
The Spiderwick Chronicles (all 5 hardbacks in a box set for $30)

For L (8 years old):
Nancy Drew & the Clue Crew (a Nancy Drew series for younger girls)
#5: Case of the Sneaky Snowman
#6: The Fashion Disaster
#8: Lights, Camera.....Cats!
#10: Ticket Trouble
Lucy the Diamond Fairy- Daisy Meadows

For M (10 years old):
Secret Agent Jack Stalwart:
#3: The Caper of the Crown Jewels
#4: The Mystery of the Mona Lisa
Shredderman (a mystery / spy series):
#2: Attack of the Tagger
#3: Meet the Gecko
#4 Enemy Spy

For C (12 years old)
Dance of the Hours (Pirates of the Caribbean Young Jack Sparrow series #9)
Warriors, book 2: Fire and Ice
Guardians of Ga'Hoole boxed set #1-4 (sort of like Warriors, but with Owls instead of cats)

I know it seems like odd numbers, but they already have the previous books in the series they've ordered.

As you might note, I didn't order any books for myself.
I have decided that I will use paperback swap for my books.
In the past I felt guilty using the points for myself when I could be using them to get books for the kids or even school books.
No more of that.
I'm tired of reading whatever the library happens to have on hand (and our library sucks, I think I may have mentioned that once or twice before ;-))

So from now on it will be good books for everyone!

Until Next Time.......

Kissing Christmas Goodbye- M.C. Beaton

313 pages

I know it's not Christmas. ;-)

I didn't find anything very appealing on our last trip to the library, so I picked up this book.
It's the only Agatha Raisin book I haven't read (out of the ones they have at the library).

I didn't like this one very much.

It wasn't a Christmas mystery at all.

Agatha is now running a detective agency, she's no longer pining away for James, and she just doesn't seem like the same old Agatha. In more than one place she missed out on obvious clues.

I had to make myself keep reading. I had read over 100 pages into the book (and it's only 300) so I hated to stop. I sort of wish I had stopped now. lol

Yesterday's trip to the library was a better one.
I got a Ted Dekker book, "Jacob Have I Loved," and the first in a new mystery series.

I also bought "House" by Ted Dekker and Frank Peretti and
I have 3 books coming from Paperback Swap: Village Diary by Miss Read, Thr3e by Ted Dekker, and The Yada Yada Prayer Group.
I can't wait to dig in!


2008 total: 6
total pages read: 3550

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

759 pages

Wow!
What an amazing book.
What an amazing series.
Now I understand what all the hype was/is about. lol

I cried more than once- for Dobby, for Harry, for Dumbledore, and even for Snape.

I was ecstatic to finally find out the real deal with Snape.


I loved the part where Molly Weasley goes after Bellatrix. It was perfect!


I absolutely loved these books and I'm sad that the ride is over.
Sigh.

What, oh what, will I read now?

2008 total: 5
total pages read: 3,237

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

SPOILER ALERT!

652 pages

Oh my! I am shocked. SHOCKED.

I thought surely Snape would turn out to be a good guy.
I can't believe he did it.
I loathe him now.

I never really liked him, but he was one of my favorite characters because, well.... he's a really good character - we are kept guessing whose side he is on, and there was a bit of interesting developments in the last book.

This was one of my favorite books in the series.

I am starting the final book tonight.


2008 total: 4
Total Pages Read: 2,478

January Reads
Gruel and Unusual Punishment
Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix