How To Trick Kids Into Reading

I was watching my sisters two beautiful (and very wiggly) kids for a few day while she was out of town. They are not very big readers. To encourage reading, I went to the library and checked out a dozen beautifully illustrated children books. Now here was the catch, one of the 12 books contained a swear word. (Come on, I remember the first time I read a swear word in a book, I damn near wore out the page rereading it at the tender age of 8, the book was James and the Giant Peach!) Now I told these bright children that inside these beautiful and magical books that not only would you travel to faraway places and become kings and queens, and even a toad, but there was also a SWEAR WORD!!!! I would not tell them which book-after all, begging means nothing to a seasoned veteran like myself! Read on!!! Let the games begin. They read all the books even after they found the swear word!!!!

Planting the seeds of reading one swear word at a time!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Books and Birds...

It is a beautiful drizzly day. The snow has finally melted off the ground and I am starting to believe that spring may actually be around the corner. This month I have had my head buried in books and my hands stained by paint. I have started flats upon flats of flower seeds and they are laying next to my husbands vegetables nice and warm under the lights.  Our little chickens now have combs and the poor momma has to sit on top of her water to get away from the chicks trying to fly onto her back.

The days seem long with work, childrens sports, tending and art....I find myself grasping for daylight at the end of the day to accomplish things. I am teaching 2 art classes starting next month at our community center and am getting really excited. Our newspaper came over to interview me and take some photos for a write up on the classes. I can't wait and I hope all the seats fill up quickly.

Some of the books I have been reading this month.....
Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce
Intertwined by Gena Showalter
Black Hills by Nora Roberts
You Suck: A Love Story & Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story by Christopher Moore
I am just starting Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
xoxoxoxoxoxo

My Summer Affair...

So this summer I am having an affair with Pete Hautman! Well not literally, but "literary"!!! 

So far I have read:

Godless

Snatched

Sweet Blood

Stone Cold

Mrs. Millions

Hole In The Sky

Dohickey

Rash

Mr. Was

The Prop

 I think there may be a few more but I can't remember right off the top of my head. Feel free to browse my Goodreads account. Pete Hautman's web site is a great place to visit but his blog cracks me up (be sure to click on everything and anything). I don't know what it is about his books that keep my nose in the pages. Maybe because his characters seem so real or maybe because there is no preaching or talking down, just pure good story telling. It doesn't even have to go anywhere, because the telling and the journey is the important part. I would love to hear him read one of his books out loud. I have read his adult books and his young adult books and both are great.

 

 So Pete, I will raise my glass, (well really my Cappuccino Blast from Baskin Robbin's Ice Cream Store) here's to you, may your fingers stay limber and arthritis free on the keyboard and your mind fresh and ears open to new ideas!!!

xoxoxoxoxoxoxo

Bookmarks...

I have been under the weather this week and I hate sitting still. So I kept my hands busy and now have a dozen or so bookmarks. I devour books. I swap books through the mail (paperbackswap.com) and am always reading. In every book I mail I send a handmade bookmark so I like to keep a supply handy. Lately I have also been doing a lot of origami so I thought I would mix origami style and bookmarks... I love the results!

Peony In Love

I just finished reading Peony In Love. What a great book. I was swept away by romance, secrets and ghosts. The details in this novel are breathtaking. I could see the feet being bound and smell the money being burned. Wow!

Eclipse

It took me two days- seriously anyone who can entertain soooo many housewives really deserves to have someone else do her laundry! May she never load a washing machine again!

I ate two big books this week!!!! I am still hungry!

Now now folks this type of book is not normally my cup of tea- but Bella took me in and I swallowed over a 1000 pages in about 6 days! The next adventure is to be released fall of this year- so I guess for now Bella and Edward will just whisper secrets silently inside my head!