I am wondering how Mary's family trip up to her dad's camp went this weekend. They were taking Zoey. This pic is of Mary curled up with Zoey at 13 weeks. She now is so long she takes up the whole couch and over 85 pounds. Mary was trying to figure out how to fit her in the front seat with her while Scott drives. The three kids take up the whole backseat. I can't imagine having a dog that big. I'd worry about getting knocked over.



It has been a quiet weekend. Yesterday was our 8th anniversary and we just stayed home and watched old movies. I had not seen Mr. Roberts

http://video.barnesandnoble.com/DVD/Mister-Roberts/Henry-Fonda/e/12569736351/?itm=1&USRI=mr+roberts with Henry Fonda, James Cagney and William Powell. I love William Powell as Nick in The Thin Man series of movies http://video.barnesandnoble.com/DVD/The-Complete-Thin-Man-Collection/William-Powell/e/12569673991/?itm=2 with Myrna Loy. Some folks know this movie more for the canine star, Asta. Anyway, Powell plays the older philosophical doctor on a cargo ship during WWII in Mr. Roberts. Fonda, who plays Mr. Roberts, wants to be in the action but Cagney, the tyrannical captain, won't approve his transfer to another ship. It is a delightful movie and a nice way to end our anniversary.



I've not been doing well after the 2nd episode and most of the weekend before last in the ER - first at St. Joe's and then UK Hospital's ER. Our neighborhood St. Joe's doesn't have a neurologist on call and the main St. Joe's wasn't taking ER patients as their power was out. So I was sent to UK's ER by ambulance. First time in one and I hope my last. I got to UK around 1 a.m. and was put in one of those rooms with the curtains between patients. I got to listen to a drunk UK student whine and throw up - she was found sitting in her car passed out and brought in by UK's police. What a "story" she had for her mother the next morning! Oh fun! The guy on the other side of her was waiting to be admitted and listened to a foul mouthed group of comedians roast Bob Sackett on Comedy Central that lasted all night. I've now heard the f-word more times than I ever want to. The nurses didn't ask him to turn it down and it could be heard well outside of of the room as the door was wide open. I had the bed next to the door so got to see everyone going by in the hallway and they saw me. Sleep wasn't possible. No lights out and even worse, no call button. I had to scream to get one of the nurse's attention to help me get to the bathroom, which was filthy. A male nurse, but I had to go bad enough I wasn't too worried about it. I cannot figure out how that ER area could be so dirty when I saw no less than 4 different cleaning people come through while I lay there. One of them emptied out the holder on the wall for needles and syringes and used his bare hands to pull one apart and shove it down inside. I was cringing as he did that. I lay there all night with few checks from the nurses and a couple of the neurologist docs checking in on me, giving differing opinions as to what was wrong since the CT Scan from St. Joe's didn't show stroke damage but I was experiencing partial paralysis of my legs and arms as well as slurred speech. One of them so kindly said, "Did you know your left eye is drooping?" Duh! The headache was so bad I thought my left eyeball was going to pop out and the nurse sent in one of UK EMT guys with Tylenol as the neurologist had forgotten to write an order for pain meds! They didn't do the MRI until almost noon, much too late to show any stroke damage so it was a waste of my time and money. They finally let me leave when I assured them I had gained enough use of my legs to go home. Four UK neurologists later and no clear answer to the episode that I have yet to recover from.

Thank goodness I had an appointment with a Pain Management doc set up and saw him on Friday. It didn't take him long to make a clinical diagnosis of occipital neuralgia with headache and whiplash damage to my neck from the fall down the steps in Denver. He was pretty surprised I'd been dealing with the pain for a year and 1/2. No treatment is what has resulted in the episodes and the 24/7 headache. I go back in next week for the first treatment to the occipital nerve. I am feeling like there may be light at the end of the tunnel, but it sure has been long in coming. The Worker's Comp. rep was with me at the appointment and apologized for it taking so long for her to get me in to a doc who deals with head trauma. The UK neurologists were clueless. Specialist put blinders on and can't see beyond what they are accustomed to diagnosing. It is going to take awhile but I will get back some quality of life. The WC rep. won't schedule my knee surgery until the trauma doc can give me some relief from the headache and inflamed nerves episodes that resemble strokes. She took one look at how exhausted I am and said there is no way my body could handle both the pain treatments and the surgery. So, in the meantime I'll keep hobbling around and hope for the best. What a horrible last few weeks it has been. I don't wish an ER overnight visit like I had on anyone.

So, I've been trying to take it easy and give my eyes a break from the computer screen but it hasn't been easy. I've been going through some of the picture books again and love Liz Rosenberg and Julie Downing's Nobody. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Nobody/Liz-Rosenberg/e/9781596431201/?itm=1&USRI=nobody+rosenberg I'm sure those of you who are parents had a Nobody living in your house who enticed your kids to do the things they wouldn't do on their own. This is the case with young George whose imaginary friend, Nobody, loves to get into mischief as they do early one morning before the parents are up. Downing's grayish version of Nobody is delightful in a spotted footed sleeper and corkscrew-like curls. What expression she can add with just a few lines. And George - freckle faced, with hair standing on end. George and Nobody decide to make omelets. "It was a lot of work. Nobody called out words of encouragement. Nobody mopped up the first few mistakes. Then George sat and waited because he wasn't allowed to turn on the stove when Nobody was around." Two shocked parents arrive in the kitchen in their bathrobes to find the kitchen in shambles. "George, what were you thinking?" But, it isn't going to end in a scolding as mom sees George's face and gives him a squeeze and says, "I was really in the mood for pancakes. Do you think you could help me make some?" "But, of course," answered George. "Pancakes are my specialty." I wish I had this book when my kids were little as their invisible mischief maker was named "Not Me!"

Much less fun to read, but certainly a book I won't forget reading is David Patneaude's Epitaph Road http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Epitaph-Road/David-Patneaude/e/9781606840559/?itm=1&USRI=epitaph+road It came to mind as it is Memorial Day and I remember how my breath stuck in my chest the first time I saw all the small white crosses in a Veteran's cemetery. My dad was a WWII vet so talking about the military and the men who died during that war was part of my growing up. Dad was in the South Pacific so he didn't see the mass graves in the concentration camps but that is what I thought of when Patneaude described the mass burial memorial for the thousands of people, mostly men who died from a virus that killed 97 percent of the male population on earth. Imagine being a teenage boy, one of the few males, and the son of one of the women who worked closely with the government and monitoring the small splinter groups of men who choose to live in isolated settlements. Kellen is this 15-year-0ld teenage boy and he is furious that his mother is not going to allow him to spend the summer with his father, a fisherman who docks in a small coastal village on Washington state's coastline. When Kellen and the two new girls who have moved into his group home overhear the adults talking they figure out what is going on. The women in control have decided it is time to deal with the rebellious men and they know just how to do it - not much different than the last time. Now it is a race against time and the authorities as the three teenagers ride out on their bikes to save Kellen's dad.

That's it for today. A long post and then some.

Folks - don't throw away the publisher's catalog you receive - they are a wealth of information. I know most of us like to order things online, but the print catalog from the publishers are a delightful way to get to the know the authors and books before you receive them in your library or home. If the cover of Bloomsbury and Walker Books for Young Readers' catalog doesn't get your attention - half of a female face with a golden tear trailing down from a closed eye with a golden lid - I would be very surprised. I recognized the cover and had to flip through the catalog first to find Captivate by Carrie Jones http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Captivate/Carrie-Jones/e/9781599903422/?itm=1&USRI=captivate+jones so I could read the blurb on its sequel Need http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Need/Carrie-Jones/e/9781599903385/?itm=2 in which you find out about the trial of gold dust. Need also has an arresting cover - this time the lips are gold. For those of you who want a paranormal romance, but not focused on vampires or werewolves, Jones has offered up a pixie king who is both sexy and dangerous. Zara's world is turned upside down when he states she is fated to be his queen. Let the girls know about http://www.needpixies.com/ as they can learn about the author, watch book trailers, read reviews, and even enter a contest. Very cool! Use the Internet to pique the teens' interest in reading. Bookmark book trailers on the library computers and display the books that go with them near the computers. You'll be replacing books regularly! :)

The other thing I look for in publishers' catalogs is the debut titles. Jen Nadol's The Mark http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Mark/Jen-Nadol/e/9781599904313/?itm=1&USRI=the+mark+nadol caught my attention as it deals with the ability to see the glow around a person who is about to die. If you know this, should/could you stop the death from happening?

I chuckled aloud when I read the blurb for Jean Reidy and Genevieve Leloup's picture book debut - Too Purpley! http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Too-Purpley/Jean-Reidy/e/9781599903071/?itm=1&USRI=too+purpley as this little fashionista has been my daughter and is my granddaughter! What fun to watch the girly/girly clothing demands, except when you are running late! I sent McKinley a princess costume and she loves it - so does her brother Kegan, which just tickles my fancy!

Some freebies are better than others and one of the best I've seen lately is the Net Cetera: Chatting with Kids About Being Online, a booklet from the government that can be ordered free of charge from http://bulkorder.ftc.gov/. You can order them in bulk and hand them out at PTA meetings and other venues where parents and educators meet. Our teens and tweens know more about the online and cell phone environments than most adults do. I just upgraded to a Blackberry and have yet to figure out how to use its features. Wish I had a teen around to help me set it up!

Advanced Reading Copies (ARCs) are wonder freebies as well and even better when they are signed by the author. Benedict Carey's The Unknowns

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Unknowns/Benedict-Carey/e/9780810979918/?itm=1&USRI=unknowns+carey is one of those books I thought I would dislike as I am so not into math, but I enjoyed it as a futuristic adventure and not as a math teacher might! Honestly, I ignored most of the mathematical computations that a group of young teens use to create a map to the underground tunnels that will take them to the nuclear power plant where a plan is underway to destroy the trash covered island the tweens live on. People have been disappearing from the enormous trailer park next to the underground nuclear power plant, but it isn't until their math tutor disappears that young Lady Di and Tom Jones pay attention. They know how to sneak from one place to another just about anywhere on their island but they need help to find the entrance to the nearby gigantic, ordorous dump, Trashmore. They are assisted by a unique set of characters who also live in Adjacent, the harsh environment that they call home. The best part of this book is rooting for Di and Tom as their self esteem and self confidence rise when they solve each piece of the puzzle their tutor left as clues. Give this one to the middle school tweens who enjoy math and/0r like solving puzzles.

Before I forget again – Beastly http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Beastly/Alex-Flinn/e/9780060874186/?itm=1&USRI=beastly - Alex Flinn’s wonderful retelling of the Beauty and the Beast tale, will be a movie, coming out July 30th. Just came across the page I pulled out of the 4/2/10 Entertainment Weekly with a picture of Neal Patrick Harris, who will play Kyle’s blind tutor. He is wearing greenish, very cool almost Wicked looking glasses. Vanessa Hudgens plays the girl who believes in him. And, of all people - Mary-Kate Olsen plays the witch who curses Kyle. Olsen is nothing like the chubby character I imagined from the book! I watched the trailer here: http://beastly-trailer.blogspot.com/. Kyle also looks nothing like I imagined, but this does look like a movie I will enjoy. Doesn’t follow the storyline as closely as I’d like, even in the trailer, but most movies don’t.

The tattoo-like markings on Kyle's body remind me of the markings I imagined Green inflicts upon herself in Green Angel by Alice Hoffman http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Green-Angel/Alice-Hoffman/e/9780439443852/?itm=5&USRI=ash+hoffman – one of my all time favorite YA novels. I haven’t read Green Witch http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Green-Witch/Alice-Hoffman/e/9780545141956/?pwb=1& the sequel yet, but it is on my “gotta read” list. I am a big Hoffman fan and wish I had time to wallow in her books.

I am sure the green round glasses remind me of the ones worn by the residents of OZ in Wicked http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Wicked/Gregory-Maguire/e/9780061350962/?itm=6&USRI=maguire+wicked as we went to see it in Louisville Saturday afternoon. It was wonderful! Gregory Maguire is a gifted author and I've been dying to see the play. I was spellbound! But, it also brought to mind just how adult in theme and nature Maguire's books actually are. Wicked http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Wicked/Gregory-Maguire/e/9780061350962/?itm=6&USRI=maguire+wicked#TABS brings Elphaba to life as a child and a woman who is much less wicked in nature than most of the good folks of Oz. But the themes of prejudice, adultery, child abandonment, etc. are not child/tween appropriate. I also found myself at the edge of tears many times while reading Son of a Witch http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Son-of-a-Witch/Gregory-Maguire/e/9780061714733/?pwb=1&#TABS - written 10 years after Wicked and as brilliant. Is the teenage boy found beaten in a gully outside the castle Elphaba supposedly died in really her son? Liir sets out on a quest to find out who he is and where he belongs in this chaotic realm of Oz, so very different from the one I imagined while reading Baum's classic tale so many years ago. I am currently reading the 3rd title in the Wicked Years Series - A Lion Among Men http://search.barnesandnoble.com/A-Lion-Among-Men/Gregory-Maguire/e/9781616795481/?pwb=1& and it is heartbreaking so far. Abandoned at birth and used as a lab experiment, the adult lion, named Brr for his cowardly quivering, may have traveled far to find out more about Elphaba from the old seer Yackle, but he really is in search of who he is and how anyone, even a lion, could abandon a child/cub. Maguire clearly isn't writing for children and I am always amazed when I hear of tween reading these books.

Back to finding the top of my desk!

A beautiful Saturday and instead of curled up reading in the yard swing I've spent it hobbling around doing laundry as poor Steve has walking pneumonia. A trip to the Kroger clinic and a bad diagnosis - allergies - so by the time he went in to the regular GP he was very sick. Poor guy is covered with blankets and/0r sweating and sounds like he is coughing his lungs up. I've been washing loads of mattress pads, sheets and towels. The doc said it would get worse before it got better and that sure has been the case. I've been popping my vitamins and praying I don't catch it. That's the last thing I need!

Although the appointment isn't until June 1st, I am delighted that my fibromyalgia doc at Vandy got me in to the Vandy neurologist who also has a background with immunology. If she can figure out what is causing this 24/7 headache I'll be one happy camper. I have honestly forgotten what it is like not to have a headache. Perhaps an accurate diagnosis will also explain the elevated heart rate so I won't be so tired. I still think the headache has something to do with the fall down the stairs in Denver as I've never had a headache like this one before. Once they figure this out I can have the knee surgery and start walking as exercise again. I miss being active.

Talked to Mary today. She is recuperating from surgery and has actually had time to read. Her babysitter brought her the Twilight series and she loved it. She acknowledged it got a bit overdone and Bella's too whiny at times but Mary has always love vampire books. She's been reading Feehan's Carpathian Dark vampire series. I've not gotten into it yet but love Feehan's spicy paranormal romance series, The Drake Sisters, The Leopard Series, and the Ghostwalkers series. Half Price Books had a copy of The Only One, http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Only-One/Christine-Feehan/e/9780843951707/?itm=7&USRI=y+one+feehan , a novella trilogy by Christine Feehan, Susan Grant, and Susan Squires in the $1 rack so, of course, I had to buy it. The Feehan entry Dark Descent is really good. I see why Mary likes these vampire books. I was not impressed with Grant's The Star Queen as I am not a big futuristic/dystopian romance reader. But I was intrigued by Susan Squire's Sacrilege, also a vampire entry. I may just have to look into her books as well. So many books, so little time!! These are my bathtub or vacation books so I buy paperbacks in case I drop them, which I often do, in the water or can leave them behind for someone else to read when I finish them on a plane or by the pool.

I have read all the books but not seen any of the Twilight movies. Even with staying out of the "craze" I realized very quickly that Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Shiver/Maggie-Stiefvater/e/9780545123266/?itm=2&USRI=shiver+maggie is one to offer to the Team Jacob girls. I have an advance reading copy of Linger, http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Linger/Maggie-Stiefvater/e/9780545123280/?itm=1&USRI=linger+by+maggie+stiefvater, the sequel, to review but I have had so many of my YA literature students booktalk Shiver this semester that I knew I had to read it first. And, it is good! Very well written - the imagery and the sensations are so well described that you can almost feel the coarseness of Sam's fur when Grace buries her hand in it. And, feel his fear as the cold sets into his bones and he fears morphing into his wolf form in front of Grace. Is this love or obsession? Or, is there a difference? I am about a third of the way through and I have page markers galore so I can go back and read passages. I love Grace's practicality when it comes to others assuming someone takes after their parents. "It seemed you ought to pick the sort of person you would be, no matter what your parents are like." It's a good thing she feels that way as her parents are self absorbed with their professional lives and she pretty much takes care of herself. Being home alone leaves her plenty of time to watch for her wolf - the one with the yellow eyes who stopped the other wolves from tearing her apart when she was a child. She knows those eyes so well that she recognizes them on the naked boy curled up against the patio doors as the wolf who saved her. He was shot by vigilante hunters after the wolves who killed (or so they thought) the son of the wealthiest family in town. A superb book - so much better written than the Meyer's books. A great companion novel to the best YA werewolf book ever written, Blood and Chocolate by Annette Curtis Klause http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Blood-and-Chocolate/Annette-Curtis-Klause/e/9780613228367/?itm=4&USRI=blood+and+chocolate about a female werewolf. Klause has also written one of the best YA vampire romances, The Silver Kiss http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Blood-and-Chocolate/Annette-Curtis-Klause/e/9780613228367/?itm=4&USRI=blood+and+chocolate. Check out the paperback reprint - black background with two red leaves - to draw the eye of the Twilight series readers. Another great YA vampire title is Vivian Vande Velde's Companions of the Night http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Companions-of-the-Night/Vivian-Vande-Velde/e/9780152166694/?itm=1&USRI=companions+of+the+night I am hoping this vampire craze will introduce teen readers to the well written vampire/werewolf romances.

I've been a Neal Shusterman fan every since I read Downsiders http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Downsiders/Neal-Shusterman/e/9781416997474/?itm=9&USRI=shusterman - a wonderful fantasy about a society of people who have lived for generations underneath New York City in the subterranean tunnels built in the 1860s. They only come Topside at night, when they need something they do not have Downside. Talon ventures Topside to steal antibiotics for his very sick little sister and encounters Lindsay, a lonely teenage girl who is willing to help him. Their friendship blossoms and Talon does the forbidden - taking a Topsider into their world. An superb book that creates a world that is incredibly believable. And, that is what is essential - the suspension of disbelief - so that the author created world becomes real to the reader. Shusterman is a master at creating these worlds. So I entered the world of teenage Brewster without any reservations in Shusterman's newest title, Bruiser. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Bruiser/Neal-Shusterman/e/9780061134081/?itm=1&USRI=bruiser+shusterman It won't be out until late June but put it on your purchase orders now. Imagine what it would be like to fear caring about anyone because if you do, the emotional and physical pain inflicted on those you love occur to you. Their bruises appear on your body and their heartache causes you to sob, while they feel just fine. This is Brewster's world - he is an outcast at school because of his odd behavior. He is emotionally safe other than suffering his uncle's and brother's injuries until teen Bronte takes him on as her latest "rescuing a stray" case. Brewster doesn't stand a chance when he begins to care about Bronte and her unusual family. This is a beautifully written but heartbreaking novel.

Of course, I have to introduce at least one cool children's title. I have my eye out for new authors and flip open review books to check on the credentials of the authors even before I read the book blurb. Tannis Bill, the author of Pika: Life in the Rocks http://www.amazon.com/Pika-Life-Rocks-Tannis-Bill/dp/1590788036/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1271553987&sr=1-1 has taught elementary school for 19 years and has training in early reading intervention. I had hamsters as pets when I was a kid so Jim Jacobson's photograph of an adorable pika (looks like a hamster) on the cover got my attention. Bill's simple yet informative text and Jacobson's close up photographs of this cousin to the rabbit little critter will delight young animal lovers. A glossary of vocabulary words related to the pika as well as additional information about pikas' habitats and other resources make this Boyds Mills Press title a great addition to any primary school collection.

That's it for me tonight. I am watching a very creepy Hitchcock movie - Strangers on a Train http://video.barnesandnoble.com/DVD/Strangers-on-a-Train/Farley-Granger/e/85391532422/?itm=1&USRI=stranger+on+a+train as I type this. It based on Patricia Highsmith's classic novel of obsession. The screen adaption is written in part by Raymond Chandler. That name should sound familiar as he created the private detective Philip Marlowe from books like The Big Sleep http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Big-Sleep/Raymond-Chandler/e/9780394758282/?itm=1&USRI=raymond+chandler. He is right up there with Dashiell Hammett as a "father of noir". I love Sam Spade from The Maltese Falcon http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Maltese-Falcon/Dashiell-Hammett/e/9780679722649/?itm=1&USRI=maltese+falcon but he is much better looking and a much bigger guy than Humphrey Bogart in the classic movie version http://video.barnesandnoble.com/DVD/The-Maltese-Falcon/Humphrey-Bogart/e/12569676015/?itm=1&USRI=maltese+falcon But the movie version of The Thin Man http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Thin-Man/Dashiell-Hammett/e/9780679722632/?itm=1&USRI=thin+man got it just right with William Powell as Nick Charles. I love this series of old b/w movies. There is nothing that tickles my fancy more than Nick shooting a pop-gun between his slippered feet on Christmas morning - pinging glass ornaments from their Christmas tree, as full of tinsel as the trees I helped decorate as a child.

Easter weekend was beautiful here in Lexington. I was feeling a bit blue as I didn't get to see the grandkids dive into their Easter baskets of candy. And, clearly from this picture, I also missed out on sitting on the Easter Bunny's lap! And, as you can see Mary's family has expanded by one - a very large one! Zoey, a St. Bernard puppy, became the newest Quade family member when the elderly fellow who bought him could not take care of an exuberant puppy by himself. So, Zoey found a very active, loving home with two little ones climbing all over her. Mary seems smitten with her and loves to take walks with Zoey and Michael. Michael is still a bit uneasy around Zoey as he scares easily as many Asperger kids do. I read an article about a service dog brought into a family with two autistic children and how they both calmed down due to the dog's presence. I hope that would be the case with Michael and perhaps it still will be, with time. I also read an article in the latest Rolling Stone magazine, "The Surfing Savant" about Clay Marzo, a Aspie who can read a wave better than the top world rated adult surfers, but he lacks the social skills and coping strategies that would allow him to be in the midst of all the surfers at competitions and events. He is happiest surfing his Maui waves and being with his girlfriend. As I read this article I so felt for his family as I do for Mary and Scott as they figure out ways to help Michael. Like Clay, I believe in my heart of hearts that Michael will discover what he excels at and this will help him deal with all of the things in life that he does not handle well. When Michael is interested in something he can focus for extended lengths of time. He has a fascination with anything train related and he spends hours with his trains and tracks. And I was very impressed with how long he can spend on homework. I am not impressed with the amount of homework being sent home with a First grader - it is just crazy. When do these kids get to be kids and how many parents having the time in the evening that Mary takes to sit down with Michael and complete the assignments?

We just got back from a quick lunch. It is a beautiful but breezy day so a ride in Steve's car with the top down was heavenly. I spend so much time inside I sometimes feel like a mole. But, I do have two large windows in my office that look out over a very pretty green space so I can't complain too loudly. However, I can complain very loudly over the lack of doctors who will take worker's compensation patients. I am still dealing with the 24/7 headache since the fall down the stairs in Denver at ALA Midwinter last winter. After the trip to the ER room and the scare over a CT scan showing a possible skull lesion being cancerous I went to yet another neurologist and he is just "fishing" for a medicine fix. Two medications later - one made the headaches worse and other made me swell up like a beach ball - I am resigned to just waiting it out until the June 21st appointment with the UK neurologist. No one seems to know what the cause of the headache or the elevated heart rate is but I suspect the heart rate is high in part because I am dealing with the pain as best I can. To make matters worse the orthopedic surgeon won't schedule the knee surgery until there are some answers to the headache and elevated heart rate so I am dealing with that as well. No darn wonder people get upset about our health care system. We have good insurance and still can't get into specialists as there aren't enough to go around.

When the headache won't let me spend anymore time on the computer I will lay down and listen to books with lights out and just finished up Angel's Rest by Charles Davis http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Angels-Rest/Charles-Davis/e/9780778323044/?itm=8&USRI=angel%27s+rest+davis which is set in Virginia's Allegheny Mountains. A father returns to his childhood home with his children and all of the memories return, even the fact that he cannot use his birth name or acknowledge who he really is - a man who was there when his father was accidentally killed when he was 11 years old. His mother took the blame for what clearly was not a self-inflicted gunshot wound as the dying father begged them to claim when the police arrived. No lawyer, even the big shot one who lived in the biggest house in town, could save her. Charlie repressed the memory of what really happened that day and he believe for a time that his mother did shoot his father and is very angry with her. When she is taken away to jail, the old black man who spent his days sitting in Charlie's father's shop downtown, takes over the care of young Charlie. Lacy has lived through an attempted lynching and is very aware that Charlie's grandfather was involved in this race hate-filled crime. Like Charlie's mother, Lacy did not want this impressionable young boy put in custody of his grandparents. The wild card is Hollis Thrasher, the emotionally and physically wounded Korean War vet, who returns to Angel's Rest to break Charlie's mother out of jail. The three run as far as they can North and take over the care of a lighthouse in a remote area. Here, Charlie's memory of the day his father died returns and he begins to understand the sacrifices his mother, Lacy and Hollis Thrasher made to save him. This debut novel is heartbreaking and even more so when listened to as the raw grief felt by the characters is even more intense when heard. The main character may be an 11-year-old boy but this is not a children's or YA book, though I am sure there are older teens who may enjoy it.

Excuse me if I already wrote about Sarwat Chadda's Devil's Kiss http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Devils-Kiss/Sarwat-Chadda/e/9781423119999/?itm=1&USRI=devil%27s+kiss+sarwat+chadda but I came across this fascinating YA novel again as I was going through my shelves of advanced reading copies I'd read. I wanted to see what the final cover at would look like as the advanced copy is just a black cover with red text - not very appealing. The final cover art shows a young woman with a sword in her hand. Though I cannot imagine 15-year-old Bilqis SanGreal actually wearing a wispy white dress like the one on the cover, the sword does fit. Know as Billi, this teen knows her life will never be spent hanging out with other girls in the mall. She is the daughter of a Templar Knight and she too will become a Templar. Her time is spent in weaponry training and learning the obscure history of the Templars. But, she is still at teenage girl with raging hormones that come to live when she meets the mysterious Michael. Little does she know but she is attracted to none other than the Angel of Death. The battle rages to save the souls of innocents as Michael unleashes the unholiest of creatures to destroy the Templars and the world as they have vowed to protect. This is a superb debut novel and one that will get the attention of the myriad horror and paranormal romance readers as Billi also has discovered her attraction to Kay, a childhood friend who will also have a role in defeating the Angel of Death. This is supposed to be the first book in a series so I am sure I am not alone in impatiently waiting for the 2nd book in the series to see what Billi gets herself into next.

That's it for today - back to email and grading.

Did you know that coconut oil, milk, and even the coconut "water" are big on the health food scene? We found So Delicious Cultured Conconut Milk in the health food area of Kroger and I had to try it as it has all the live cultures of regular yoghurt. It takes like sour coconut milk - no surprise there. Guess I shouldn't have tried the plain - I thought I was getting chocolate flavored but the brown "thing" pictured on the front was a coconut, not a cocoa bean. With a price over $2.50 for 6 ounces it won't be something I try again.

I am having email withdrawal but it has been good. I have stayed off of my work email for the last couple of days. I spent yesterday wallowing in my books! :-) So now I have the debut YA novels I want to read all in alpha order by author and the other "gotta reads" by favorites authors and ones that pique my fancy in order as well. In the process I boxed up three boxes of books to go to Mary and the kids and two more for a friend of Steve's little girl. :-) You can even see some of the floor in my office. If I took the empty boxes out you could even see more!

The debut YA authors are an educated group -most of them with Masters in Fine Arts and veterans of numerous well known writing retreats/workshops. Plan to do more research into this area as I find it quite fascinating. I haven't gone through the picture books to see what the trend is here but I am seeing professionals in areas such as graphic art joining the world of children's illustrator/authors. I am looking forward to going through those books in more detail.

Also have a pile about as high as my desk of picture books and NF that I want to go through as the illustrations/storyline/format piqued my interest. For example, I picked up Stormy Weather by Debi Gliori. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Stormy-Weather/Debi-Gliori/e/9780802794192/?itm=1&USRI=stormy+weather+debi+gliori What a lovely bedtime story. It honestly hadn't dawned on me that Gliori is also a very talented illustrator as well as author of children's books. Just scanning the 100 entries that come up on B&N make me realized I've been a bit dense as I know her books, it just wasn't clicking that this is the same author whose humorous spooky stories have me laughing aloud. But this delightful tale of a mother fox and her kit reading a book in bed under a multicolored quilt begin and end this rhyming story of mothers and little ones snuggling down to watch the storm go by. The kit has the bunny and owlet in his arms that are part of the mother/child pairs that watch the storm. The illustrations are bold yet soothing. A perfect book to read on a night the rain is coming down or even the snow (hopefully not anymore this spring!). Gliori lives in Scotland and writes/illustrates from a studio in her garden. No wonder she can let her imagination run as wild as she does. I'd see dragons too if I had that kind of place to write from. :-) I also have a copy of Trouble With Dragon http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?store=BOOK&WRD=trouble+with+dragons+gliori as it is so delightful. I've always had a thing for dragons. These self centered dragons are not aware of what they are doing to the ecological balance of the earth as they scorch trees and anything else they feel like - even the North Pole. Santa standing in a pool of water holding presents sure is a wake-up call little ones will respond to. Hmmm - maybe Al Gore should show this picture at the UN to get across how critical global warming really is - might work better!

I know Gliori more as an author of the hilarious Pure Dead series http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?store=book&SID=385065 for 4th-7th grade. I think older readers would enjoy this series too as Gliori has created a family, the Strega-Borgias - that is a delight to read about, from the mother who is no where near as gifted in the magical arts as her children are. Add the maternal spider and the dragon who is in love with Loch Ness Monster as the "household pets" and you can't help but at least chuckle aloud at their antics. This series would also be fun to listen to on a family car trip. For those had the least bit of problem with the Harry Potter books stay clear of these as Gliori add demons and other not so nice creatures to get the best of the Strega-Borgias but in their owns bumbling/fumbling way they always come out on top. Gliori uses such humor in her description of the demons, imps and other creatures that you can't help but laugh rather than be scared of them.

That's it for me today. We are watching an old B/W horror movie about zombies. I don't mind these old ones as they aren't the least bit gory. They had to use scare tactics with a bit more "finesse" than bloodbaths and chopped off heads like modern day horror movies. So I am going to sign off and spend some time with Hollywood's leading men. We watch the Turner Classic Movies (TMC) channel more than any other and when I saw Leading Men: The Most Unforgettable 50 Leading Actors of the Studio Era http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Leading-Men/Turner-Classic-Movies/e/9780811854672/?itm=1&USRI=50+most+unforgettable+actors+of+the+studio+era at Half Price Books I couldn't resist it. So now let's see how many of their movies I have seen. Well, first of all, if I have to browse through the book to see if I agree that they are 50 most unforgettable! I noticed there is one for Leading Ladies as well so I'll have to keep my eye out for it at Half Price. I spend too much money in that store! And yes, I know Cary Grant is in it - his picture is right in the center of the cover, book-ended by Bogart and Gable. I wasn't a big Jimmy Stewart fan but the more of his movies I see, the more I do. He's on the cover too. What a classy guy - we watched a documentary with him in it a while back and he was delightful. We also watched one on the Warner Brothers - they were not delightful! What a wicked web they wove for each other . With brothers like that who needs enemies! If Edison hadn't monopolized the early film industry on the East Coast the Warner Brothers may never have gone to California and we wouldn't have the Hollywood lore we do today.

Okay - now to see if I've seen all the Grant and Stewart "essential" films listed. Robert Osborne wrote the introduction - love his voice!

I decided to take some time off from grading - it is Spring break after all - and start going through my books and get them in order. Right now I am focusing on getting the debut titles in alphabetical order as well as the books that are intriguing me and the ones by favorite authors. There are a few I've read everything they ever wrote. :-) Alex Flinn is one and right now I am re-reading Beastly http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Beastly/Alex-Flinn/e/9780060874162/?pwb=2 as it is required reading in my YA literature course. I am still cracking up over the chatroom messages from Froggie - he is not at all happy about having to live in a pond - his stuff keeps floating away! The chatroom is the brain child of a psychologist who wants to help the ones who have been transformed. There is mermaid who decides to become human and lose her voice for the guy she saves from drowning, a frog prince, a bear, and Kyle, who goes by NYCBeast. This is a delightful modern version of Beauty and the Beast and I'm enjoying revisiting his transformation into a young man who actually cares about others.

As I was doing my stretches this morning while watching the Today Show I was delighted to see Mike Lupica as one of the guests. He was promoting his latest sports novel The Batboy http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Batboy/Mike-Lupica/e/9780399250002/?itm=2&USRI=mike+lupica about a 14 year old who gets to hang out with his idols who play for the home town major league team. This is more than just a boy and his favorite sport type of book - it is also about a man redeeming himself with his son for having used steroids in his baseball career. Lupica said he was at a Broadway show and a woman politely tapped him on the shoulder and told him she was a school librarian and said she couldn't keep his books on the shelves. She went on to say boys who were resistant readers were the ones reading his books. I had to smile as I hear him say that. We are the authors' biggest fans and supporters! :-) So, there I was this morning, going through my books and finally found the copy of Lupica's Miracle on 49th Street http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Miracle-on-49th-Street/Mike-Lupica/e/9780399244889/?itm=2&USRI=miracle+on+49th+street about a 12-year-old girl who confronts a Celtics MVP that he is her father. His college sweetheart, her mother, never told him and she has recently died from cancer. Caring for no one but himself, the thought of a daughter doesn't set well with him, but Molly doesn't give up easy. The hardback copy, which is is what is in front of me, has Molly sitting on a bench in what appears to be Central Park, with a basketball by her side. Looks like a book for girls who like sports. Don't know too many middle school boys who would pick it up. No surprise that the paperback edition has the same kind of miracle snowy look background, but it is of a basketball being spun on a finger. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Miracle-on-49th-Street/Mike-Lupica/e/9780142409428/?itm=1&USRI=miracle+on+49th+street I imagine the girl on the cover turned away too many of Lupica's MS male readers. Often the paperback covers are much more "generic" than the hardback one. Sales is the bottom line and tweens/teens are visual. If the cover doesn't get their attention they are not going to pick up the book.

I am also having a great time going through the Nonfiction books I've not had time to enjoy - I had to chuckle as I picked up a title in the Capstone series - Killers Animals. Hippos in the Wild by Jody Sullivan Rake. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Hippos/Jody-Sullivan-Rake/e/9781429640107/?itm=1&USRI=hippos+in+the+wild+rake I had not thought of hippos as deadly but the picture of a huge hippo - mouth open (can be as wide as 4 feet) with one tusk looking deadly sharp I have changed my mind before I've even opened the book! The book is full of hippo facts, including some that will have elementary age boys laughing aloud - male hippo will turn they butts to each other and poop on each other! That's taking it a bit father than the pi-- on you type comments of posturing males! Like most all of Capstone's books - a wealth of bold color photographs and high interest short bits of text on each page.

Never enough community helpers and career books in elementary schools - we start the career units early these days! I am sure there are lots of kids who wonder what the toilet looks like in a jail's holding cell. Well, they can find out in Beyond the Bars: Exploring the Secrets of a Police Station by Tammy Enz. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Beyond-the-Bars/Tammy-Enz/e/9781429633772/?itm=1&USRI=Beyond+the+bars+exploring+police+station. This is one of the Hidden Worlds series. Others covers hospitals, shopping malls, and sports stadiums. As always, Capstone goes for the high interest topics. That's why boys gravitate toward their books and why we hand them to the kid who sits in the library and refuses to look at anything!

Lots and lots of new bios on President Obama but Jennifer L. Marks' Presidente/President Barack Obama http://search.barnesandnoble.com/President-Barack-Obama/Jennifer-L-Marks/e/9781429637329/?itm=1&USRI=barack+obama+jennifer+l+marks is the first early picture book style bio I've seen that is bilingual. Wonderful full page photographs but the best part of this book is the Spanish/English time line that runs along the bottom of the pages that only goes up to the point in his life the information on the double page spread covers. It's one of the Pebble Plus Bilingual series.

Another title in this series is El Ejercito De EE.UU./The U.S. Army by Matt Doeden http://productsearch.barnesandnoble.com/search/results.aspx?store=BOOK&WRD=u%2Es%2E+army+matt+doeden I picked this one up because so many of my students are either married to men in the military or someone in their family is in the military. I wanted to see where the author got his information from. When I am asked about evaluating nonfiction titles I tell students the first thing to look for is the author's credentials and if it doesn't appear he/she has the credentials needed in the subject area, check to see who did he/she consult with. The consultant on this book is John Grady, the Director of Communications with the Association of the United States Army. This reassures me that someone who knows the facts and has the background to catch errors in either text or illustrations has gone over both before the book went to press. Pass up the books where there is no evidence that that author doesn't have a background in the subject area nor are they any acknowledgements to anyone who does.

Okay - now this is just plain cool! I found a craft book with a project in it that I used to do with the left over fabric from when I used to make the kids' clothes when they were little but I had never thought of doing it with old t-shirts, but it makes sense as this fabric is so stretchy! Anyway, you cut the old t-shirts into 2" strips and then braid three strips together, sewing on new pieces as you go until you have enough to roll into what you want - a glass coaster, a place mat, a rug, etc. You sew the braids together and its a durable, throw in the washing machine rug. This and other projects in Cool Crafts with Old T-shirts: Green Projects for Resourceful Kids by Carol Sirrine. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Cool-Crafts-from-Old-T-Shirts/Carol-Sirrine/e/9781429640091/?itm=1&USRI=cool+crafts+with+old+t-shirts. This is a gotta have title for public libraries with craft programming as well as middle and high schools with crafty girls. :-)

Back to my piles of books!

It is supposed to be Spring Break. Gee - and I spent the entire day grading! My students do a field based assignment where they evaluate the YA collection, services, and programming in their local public libraries. It is always a bit depressing to read their evaluations as they start out comparing the floor space to the children's area and it is always a shocker to them when they actually realize just how little space and attention is given to the YA area. And, when I ask them to then focus on materials, services, and programming for high school age teens things get even worse. Many of the YA collections quickly become tween collections and the programming is basically for MS. Collaboration between the YA librarian (if there is one) and the HS librarian - well, that's about non-existent. I keep hoping that with each semester we do this project my students will realize how important collaboration is and take the first step themselves, as school librarians, to develop a close relationship with their counterpart at the public library. They have the same patrons and their goals are the same - so why not work together?

The darn new headache medication is playing havoc with my body and isn't helping with the headaches but I promised I'd give it a chance. I haven't even gotten up to the full dose yet and I'm having weird side effects. The worst is the insomnia but I wasn't too upset about zero hours of sleep Sunday night as I was able to immerse myself in Lauren Oliver's debut delight - Before I Fall http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Before-I-Fall/Lauren-Oliver/e/9780061726804/?itm=1&USRI=before+I+fall I picked it up because of the arresting green eyes in the sideways close up of a girl's face - she appears to be laying in the grass pondering "heady" things. And indeed she is. What would my teenage self do if I had the chance to relive the day I was to die and change some of the not so nice things I had done in my life? Seven chances to get it right, but no chance that I'm not going to die so why would I care? Would I have been as humane and mature as Sam as a teen? I'm glad I never had to find out. This is a stunning, heartbreaking, beautifully written tale of redemption. Sometimes our knight in shining armor is the geek we left behind when we got cool. It is a love story that never had a chance to form and grow, but how it glowed for the short time Sam and Kent had. Sam really is a good girl but she has done some things she isn't very proud of to become popular, including turning her back on Kent for many years. She has been attached at the hip to Lindsay, Elody, and Ally. She even laughs when Lindsay heckles and harasses Juliet, the girl Lindsay had been best friends with until 5th grade but has since gone after with a vengeance. Each time Sam wakes up, still alive, her rose colored lenses become clearer and she changes the outcome of the day just a bit more and in doing so changes the outcomes of other people's lives, including that of Juliet. The sun came up as I read of Sam's last day on earth. I read the last page, tears streaming down my face. Then I read it again, aloud, still crying but with a smile on my face seeing Sam's bliss in my mind as she just let go. Those who know me well, know I am usually a woman of many words - I love to chatter on about books, my kids, my grandkids, about anything and everything. But, when I am profoundly moved I say little. And, all my heart and mind could softly say when I closed this book was, "Oh my." And that coming from me is very high praise indeed. I predict that Oliver is going to be a YA author to keep our eye on and she may indeed be a contender for the Morris award. Before I Fall may be her first novel but it certainly does not read like one written by a novice author. I cannot imagine a reader meeting Sam by opening the pages of Oliver's novel and not experiencing every emotion possible before closing it - yes, with tears, but also with a sign of satisfaction. Yes, Ms. Oliver - Oh my!



I remember the days of students writing letters to authors and sending them off the publishers and waiting months to get an answer and often the answer was a form letter from the publisher. There was not the personal connection with authors that children and teens have today due to email and author websites, Facebook, MySpace, etc. But, we also have print resources with a more informal, personal approach such as Richard C. Owen Publishers Author at Work titles. These are unique little paperbacks in that the authors introduce themselves to young readers through text and photographs. I love the photograph on the cover of Nikki Grimes Out of the Dark http://www.rcowen.com/AuthorAtWork.htm#Out_of_the_Dark And, the other photographs of her in her home and of her family. Ms. Grimes becomes more than a poet to the reader - she becomes a daughter, a sister, and yes, a magic maker. Check out the last picture in the book - you'll under stand the "magic maker" comment. :-)

I also have a copy of Jane Yolen's On the Slant http://www.rcowen.com/AuthorAtWork.htm#On_The_Slant in front of me - another new title in Owen's Authors at Work series. I love the photo of her re-reading her manuscripts. Of course I do - you should see my messy office. It is a maze for poor Sophie to find her way through! So the picture of Yolen's desk is a delight to me. There are post-it notes all around her monitor and piles of papers stacked on her desk. Her reading glasses are perched on her nose. :-) These books bring the young readers into the author's writing space and into their family and lives so the authors become more than names on books, they become real.


That's it for today.

I know I am prejudiced but I think McKinley is the the most gorgeous princess around. :-) It helps that I am the Queen Gramma who bought her the dress and that her Queen Mamma has the ECU pirate sweatshirt on. Hmm - a Princess Bride theme going with the Dread Pirate Roberts as a girl! McKinley turned two on the 24th and her princess outfit was part of her gift from us.


Speaking of birthdays and pirates. Steve's birthday was yesterday and I found a card game for him Princess Bride: Storming the Castle Game
http://www.amazon.com/Princess-Bride-Storming-Castle-Game/dp/B001AZF52W He knows I truly love him as I said I'd even play with him and I do not like The Princess Bride at all. I spent a very, very long ride over to Louisville with Steve and his friend Chet reciting lines from the movie awhile ago - I still haven't gotten over it!


Last weekend was an all Oscars day on the oldies channel so I wallowed in old movies while my poor body adjusted to yet another medication to deal with the knee pain and swelling as the orthopedic surgeon won't do the next surgery until we know what is causing the bone lesions are on my skull and why I keep having these weird episodes that feel like mini-strokes. Rather than feeling sorry for myself I decided laughter was a good antidote as the medication was making me too sick to do much of anything else but lay in bed. I had forgotten how wonderfully funny The Philadelphia Story http://video.barnesandnoble.com/DVD/The-Philadelphia-Story/Cary-Grant/e/12569675322/?itm=1&USRI=philadelphia+story is, especially the scene where Jimmy Stewart wakes Cary Grant while quite tipsy on champagne. We watched a documentary with Jimmy Stewart awhile ago and he mentioned he had added the hiccups without telling Grant and Grant had just gone right along with it so when I watched it last Sunday it was even funnier. I am a big Katherine Hepburn fan too so both she and Cary Grant in the same movie means double the viewing pleasure for me. I guess I was born in the wrong era. I found a first edition of Cary Grant: The Lonely Heart by Charles Higham which was published back in 1989. It had barely been cracked. I devoured every page of it but the rosy hue I had around the movie legend certainly ended up tarnished like copper does when it isn't polished regularly. And clearly back then his image was polished. He may have appeared to be a very genteel man in his movies and when he did his visits to small venues to answer questions from his fans later in life but he had a bit of a split personality from what his several ex wives had to say about him. He was not quite as eccentric as one of his best friends, Howard Hughes, but he wasn't a whole lot far behind. But, learning he was far from perfect did not kill my fascination with him or his movies so I'll keep my eye open in used book stores for there are many of book on him out there. I think it best I do this is small doses though! Learning one of your "idols" was a real cad takes some getting used to!

Those of you who follow this blog know I am huge Mary E. Pearson fan so I treated myself to The Miles Between http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Miles-Between/Mary-E-Pearson/e/9780805088281/?itm=1&USRI=the+miles+between once I finished up a couple of reviews for VOYA. And what a treat it was. What else is a girl named Destiny to do but follow her own destiny? Fate has taken much of the control out of her hands so Des has rebelled in the one way she knows how - by getting herself thrown out of one private school after another. And, as fate often does, it (or in this case perhaps Fate is a he) forces Des to travel the path she's been avoiding. Now is the time for Des to stop resisting - jump into the pink convertible just sitting there beckoning to her. Who cares if she doesn't know how to drive? That cute boy Aidan she keeps pretending she doesn't see does and she knows where he may be hiding. And then there's Mira, who insists on being Des's friend no matter how hard Des tries to push her away. Add geeky Seth to the mix and you have all the right ingredients for a road trip on the anniversary of the day Destiny was left behind, abandoned by her family. But, as all deftly woven stories do, this one has a heart-breaking undercurrent and when the tidal wave finally rises out of the depths of Destiny's repressed grief she needs all three of her friends to hang onto so the undertow doesn't wash her away. I closed the book with a satisfied sigh, with tears in my eyes. Pearson does it again - she has written a tale so unique unto itself I won't try to "pigeon hole it" into a genre or sub-genre. All I can is - it is a Pearson. For YA folks who have read all of her books, you'll know what I mean.

On to my second love- debut titles. I am loyal to my favorite authors, such as Pearson, but I am always looking for debut authors to fall in love with as well and I have found a few one. Betsy Howie has me laughing aloud. I think she helped me raise Mary! I also think she may be watching my Mary try to raise McKinley. And perhaps she told C.B. Decker, the illustrator about the attitude both my daughter and granddaughter can pull, along with those facial expressions. Oh my! Oh yeah - name of the book would be good! That is a delight too - it is called The Block Mess Monster http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Block-Mess-Monster/Betsy-Howie/e/9780805079401/?itm=1&USRI=the+block+mess+monster Calpurnia's room has been taken over by the block mess monster and he isn't about to allow her to pick up her room but Mom doesn't know that and she is getting quite frustrated with her daughter and tells her to use "POOF!" to make the monster go away. Calpurnia tries it - in a wizard costume. No go. Mom says to try a double POOF. So she tries a double in her karate outfit, a triple as a pirate, 4 poofs as a determined baseball batter, and a scary pooooof pooooooooof as a magician. No luck and Calpurnia lets out a wail - "Mommy!" "Goodness gracious, Calpurnia!" (Mom always says that.) "There is no monster...." Mom goes to pick up a piece of the pile of blocks and Calpurnia scream NO as loud as she can - she's had to save her mother more than a few times from the monster but her mother does not appreciate it much at all. Matter of fact - "Oh, great. Now there are two monsters." The look on Mom's face is one every mother can relate to - I am just glad I had set my cup of coffee down before I turned the page or I would have made a mess with my snort laugh. As in all good picture books, little girls and moms win over block monsters, at least for now. I cannot wait to read this one to my granddaughter but I'll have to buy her a copy as this one stays in my debut author collection. It is too cute to part with. Ms. Howie, glad you found your way to children's books. :)

That's it for today.

The below was written last Saturday a.m. before it got cold again and snowy. We have gotten about 3 more inches and should get more this weekend. I am sick of winter!

It is a balmy 45 degrees out today. :-) After the single digits at night and all the snow this seems like spring. The local weather guy said we have had the worst winter stats since the mid 70s. I hope it stays as we have an unheated crawl space so our hardwood and tiles floors are really cold. Sophie has the sneezes and my feet freeze even with my L.L. Bean lined slippers. They are the most wonderful slippers ever and I am on my third pair now - been wearing them since the 1970s when we moved to Alaska. Only thing that really keeps my feet warm. http://www.llbean.com/llb/shop/23777?from=SR&feat=sr

It has been a really weird couple of weeks with what I think was a stomach bug. I think I picked it up at the new orthopedic surgeon's office. Took all day for the appointment. First I met with the Worker's Comp. rep. who has had 21 years of experience with Lexington area docs so I feel I am good hands as far as she and the new knee doc as this guy works with the UK athletes. Then we met with the nurse, then the physician's assistant, and then finally the actual doctor. After moving my knee around and looking at films of my knee before and after the the first surgery he thinks a second surgery may not be necessary. :-) He gave me a shot in the knee that hurt like Hades going in but it was worth it. My knee was numb for days! :-) Then we met with the tech who fitted my knee brace - not much fun to wear as it pushes against my kneecap, pulls on muscles and tendons that are not happy about it as well as makes everything ache as it changes the way I walk. I see him again next Tuesday to determine if there has been any improvement. I have all my digits crossed as the last surgery really made the fibro symptoms go into over drive.

Sadly - the Tuesday appointment indicates one, and possibly two, more surgeries on my knee to fix it so I can start using it again. I hope so - I'm tired of not being able to go for a walk in the neighborhood even. But, he won't schedule it until we get an okay from the neurologist I see later today. A trip to the ER on Monday when we thought I was having a stroke resulted in a CT Scan. No indication of a major stroke but there is some nerve damage to my right side. The CT Scan also showed what appear to be lesions on my skull. I think it is scar tissue from my brothers dropping me on my head as a baby! Easier to joke about it than think of what it could mean.

I finished up David Klass's The Caretaker Trilogy, Book 3, Timelock. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Timelock/David-Klass/e/9780374323097/?itm=1&USRI=timelock+klass which has very cool cover art. Those of you who have been reading my blog for awhile know I do not put cover art up as I haven't requested copyright permission to do so. I know a lot of blogs and other sites so do but I feel I should set an example for my LS students as I don't allow them to add cover shots on their assignments either, unless they have actual publisher permission and that takes times. Anyway - the cover of Timelock shows Jack, the "beacon of hope" for the future of the earth, with his futuristic scimitar that glows blue in front of a huge polar bear. The setting for the final showdown with the Dark Lord is the Arctic. Again, Klass weaves ecological information into this adventure tale. The Caretaker Trilogy addresses what generations of humans have done to the Earth, from the oceans in Book 1, Firestorm http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Firestorm/David-Klass/e/9780374323073/?itm=6 which introduces Jack, a senior in high school whose focus is sports and his girl P.J. That is until he discovers that his parents are not his own and that he was sent back in time from the future to help save the earth. Jack escapes the Dark Lord's soldiers sent to kill him. And now it is time to become a warrior himself. A wisecracking dog, Gismo, who talks to Jack telepathically, along with a "Ninja Babe" from the future, Eko, who is also destined to be his mate, help Jack stop the destruction of the oceans from accelerated global warming. The ecological focus is on the impact of trawler fishing on the ocean's reefs. The second book, Whirlwind http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Whirlwind/David-Klass/e/9780312384296/?itm=4&USRI=david+klass is set in the Amazon. Klass clearly has a message about what we are doing to to the rainforest and the Earth's ability to breathe when the trees are cut down but it is weaved into Jack's race to find P.J. as the Dark Lord has kidnapped her. Of course, Gismo and Eko are there to help him, along with a shaman. Klass uses short sentences and phrases, which may irritate some readers, but it adds to the frantic pace of this time sensitive quest to save Earth from becoming a barren planet. This series is not going to win literary awards, but I still love these books. And, the fact that this is the only set of YA novels Greenpeace has ever sanctioned on its web site supports the accuracy of the ecological information weaves into the story.

That's it for now - need to get some grading done before going to the doc's.

Somehow I forgot to send this one:

I'm sitting here watching the Grammys and Pink was absolutely incredible!! I would have been tossing my cookies rather than belting out a ballad like she did. Lady Gaga and Sir Elton John was pretty cool too. Have a bit of a headache from trying to watch Michael Jackson's 3D video but what a beautiful song. Lots of music I don't care for at all but seeing Taylor Swift's delight and awe to be singing with Stevie Nix was very touching.



Before I forget about it - YA lit is now making its way into our TV series! On Bones last week Booth distracted a "bad guy" on a plane by talking about Twilight and said he is in Team Edward. I'm not a big fan of the vampire series but I am delighted to see references to youth literature in venues that adults watch and the reference may pique their interest in checking out the other cool YA titles.



Read an interesting cover story in The New York Times Magazine last Sunday about James Patterson. He markets himself better than his publisher does! He told Little Brown he wanted to advertise on TV. They balked so he wrote and paid for the ad himself for Along Came A Spider. Of course, he had to add young adult author to his list and immediately Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Maximum-Ride/James-Patterson/e/9780316067959/?itm=1&USRI=maximum+ride+angel, published in 2005. There are at least 4 books in the series. Fun reading that should interest resistant readers - bird kids being chased by other DNA adapted youth and hiding from the scientist who wants to keep experimenting on them. The young teens and children have bird DNA and can fly away from most of the danger. His newest tween series, Witch and Wizard http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Witch-and-Wizard/James-Patterson/e/9780316072205/?itm=1 is Patterson's newest serries that will help the tweens who are having Harry Potter withdrawal



Reading about how he writes the outlines and gives it to other authors to flesh out reminds me of the Stratemeyer Syndicate. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratemeyer_Syndicate Edward Stratemeyer would be considered the first book series packager. I was devastated as a child to realize my beloved Laura Lee Hope - author of the Bobbysey Twins series - did not exist. Don't go to the wikipedia site if you are worried about having childhood delight in Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew series. At least Patterson is giving his co-authors credit, even putting their names on the books. That was/is not the way many packagers do things. There are ghost writers who don't get the credit they should such as the authors who fleshed out Ann Martin's Babysitter Club titles.

The Great White Hunter out front with his leaf blower! There was too much snow for this technique - he had to actually go buy a snow shovel. :-) My Santa Fe did fine in the snow and he's back home, drive shoveled.

I haven't seen but one car go by today - not too many crazies out there like Steve. We were only supposed to get an inch of snow. Clearly that isn't what happened. We got a lot more than that.

And, our fireplace still isn't working! GRRRR!!

Well, I didn’t get the below posted yesterday. Steve came home and hurried me out the door so we could get to the fireplace store before they closed. No such luck! But, we did have a wonderful Italian dinner at Bella Notte – our new favorite restaurant. Great prices and food and the Chianti comes in a tumbler! We were all ready to be seated next to the fireplace by the manager when the waitress said she had just promised the table to another couple. We ended up with a free chocolate soufflé for dessert so no complaints from me. I could see the flickering fireplace so I was happy. It is so nice to get out of the house once in awhile!

We received more snow today so I hope Steve stops at the fireplace store on his way home as ours is not working. The plumber I called didn’t find any leaks in the gas line and said he thinks we need a new set of logs but it was not exactly his specialty.

Written Monday 1/25:

What a day it has been weather wise. While I have sat here at my desk looking out the window I have seen sleet, hail, big fluffy snowflakes, a few minutes of sunshine, and now dusk with snow in the grass but not on the streets. The UPS guy, who stops here almost on a daily basis to drop of review books, etc., said we may get ½ inch of snow tonight. If it freezes the roads are going to be skating rinks in the morning. Most of the school districts in KY were out the week after the Holidays due to the cold and snow so here we go again. The poor kids will be in school until July at this rate with all the make-up days. In days gone by, when I was a kid, we didn’t have to make up the days as they were considered “an act of God” so no required extra days. That has long since changed in Michigan but I remember burrowing down under the heavy quilt Gramma made while listening to the Finnish accented WMPL radio announcer’s voice float up the steps as he listed all the schools that were closed and when he would say Dollar Bay I’d smile and go back to sleep. Just watching the school district closings across the bottom of the TV screen when we watch the evening local news makes me smile. I loved snow days. Mom would have the wood stove cranked up high and the kitchen would be toasty warm and soon the deck of cards for Rummy or the Scrabble board would come out. Or, I’d curl up in the scratchy old maroon chair transplanted from Gramma’s house and read all day. No computers, no email, no online games, no iPods, - just books and family. Not sure much of that happens today as I learn the statistics of tweens and teens spending up to 7 hours a day on some type of device. It does my heart good, however, to know that 46% of teens still consider themselves book readers. That is wonderful, but I wish it were 96%. There is nothing like knowing the plows haven’t come through yet and it is below freezing outside but you are toasty warm and far away in a fantasy realm, where you can feel the soft flutter of wings and the whispers on the wind – imagination in full throttle. Now the thumbs are in overdrive while text messaging, hands clicking on mice (or is that mouses) and the fantasy world is already created for you in the games. I don’t want someone to show me what the fantasy realm looks like – I want to create it myself. I still want to create the book worlds and characters in my mind.

Sure, I use technology – after all, I’m typing this on a computer with two screens so I can have a web site open while responding to a student’s email. However, technology is a tool for me, not an end in itself. The technology doesn’t control what I do (yeah – right!) – I use it to do what I have always done, write about books and communicate with others, but in a different format. Even my office voice messages are sent to my email as wav files so I can listen to them on my computer. Would I like to go back to the days of snail mail and phone calls? In a minute, or at least on most days! I love talking to Mary on the phone, but note I am so multi-task oriented now that I am also clearing off my desk, sorting through review book, unloading the dishwasher, etc. So, I am not truly absorbing the delight of hearing my daughter talk about my wonderful grandchildren and her life. I’m not like my mom who I knew was sitting with a cup of coffee, (and sadly, a cigarette) as we talked on the phone. She gave me her undivided attention. Why can’t we seem to do that anymore? We aren’t even upset by the sound of the keyboard or mouse clicks as we talk to colleagues and friends on the phone. We know they are multitasking just like we are but in reality we don’t seem to be giving any one thing/person our undivided attention any more. It is well past the time of making New Year’s resolutions, and perhaps I am saying this because I can no longer multi-task with the finesse I used to, but to Hades with multi-tasking!! It fries the brain and in many cases it is just downright rude. For Pete’s sake - I don’t want to hear about someone else’s life as she talks on her cell phone while using a public restroom! Yup – I’ve turned into a curmudgeon!!

I am sure many of you watched the movies – The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (loved the scenes in Greece), You’ve Got Mail (loved the kids’ section of the bookstore), and Michael (I see Travolta dancing every time I smell gingerbread – that’s what I smelled when I watched that scene). Anyway, Delia Ephron wrote the screenplays for these movies so I was intrigued when I received the ARC for The Girl with the Mermaid Hair. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/The-Girl-with-the-Mermaid-Hair/Delia-Ephron/e/9780061990588/?itm=1&USRI=girl+with+the+mermaid+hair I picked it up and started reading the back and for some reason my brain changed “Sukie Jamieson takes a ‘selfie’” to Sukie was a Selkie and I thought I’d be reading about a girl who changes from a seal into a girl. I was very wrong – I should have been thinking more in the lines of The Picture of Dorian Gray as Sukie is so obsessed with her looks she takes pictures of herself with her cell phone (selfies) to check out how good she looks. It is no darn wonder as her mother is worse than she is – she has just returned from having a number of plastic surgeries. I felt bad (not really) for laughing that she almost pulled her earlobe off while putting on her sunglasses to hide the surgery induced black eyes, but it is so pathetic you have to laugh. Sukie think the sun rises and falls on her ever-smiling father until he gets punched out at the tennis club and she starts seeing another, sleazier side, to her father. Sukie’s world is falling apart around her while at the same time her Grandmother’s antique full-length mirror (which her mother doesn’t want hung where she can see it) is developing cracks. Cracks so that Sukie doesn’t appear “whole” when she looks in that mirror – perhaps it is accurately reflecting just how fractured Sukie's life really is. Although Sukie’s shallowness can be a bit irritating, as Ephron takes her own sweet time in helping Sukie see past herself, develop friendships, and realize just how dysfunctional her family is, it is fulfilling to see Sukie accepting herself as she is, flaws (cracks) and all. The satisfying conclusion is worth the wait. A to pique a potential reader's interest - her family takes advice from the dog, but rarely each other! A true chic lit book by a screenwriter who knows this genre well.