Playing Dressup

Today I had a great time playing dress up! I was able to pretend like I was a Librarian today!! LOL
The Librarian at my school is so awesome. She is the one who motivated me into going back to school to get my Masters in Library Science.

Well, I am surprised that she hasn't kicked me out of the library yet. I ask her like 50 million questions bout everything. Today she let me process some new books today into the online catalog! I was in HEAVEN.

First, I had to look up the book in the system to see if it was either in our library or in our district. If it was, I just had to hit add copy and scan the barcode I taped to the back of the book. If not, I had to look up the book in the Library of Congress. I had to import that info into our catalog system and then change up a few things. It was awesome!! I even used the typewriter to make labels to put on the binding!! It was sooo cool!!

Anyways, I told her I wanted to open up the new fiction boxes she got in yesterday and get to work! She was more than happy to hand it over!!

Question: What do you do when you are a few chapters into a book and realize that you don't like it? Do you abandon ship or keep going? I am in that situation right now!

Giveaway!!!

Jessica at shutupimreading is having a giveaway!!! Click here to enter and become one of her followers!! Her reviews are great!!

Favorite Movie

One of my favorite movies is on television right now. "You've Got Mail" starring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks has to be one of my favorite movies ever. What could be better than a movie about a bookstore?

While watching the movie, a big idea has popped into my head! Are you ready?

I want to open a bookstore! Not a major Barnes and Noble....a cute little bookstore where there is storytime and big comfy couches to lay on and read.

Where? Well, my hubby and I own a farmhouse in a small town in East Texas. They do not have a bookstore except for the local grocery store. I want to do this! LOL. We will see!!

Just like Christmas!!!

So, if you are new to my blog, I am in training to become a Librarian. I am attending school to get my Masters in Library Science.

Well, to show you what a big nerd I am...today the Librarian at the school that I teach at got a new shipment of books and I went crazy!! LOL. I could smell the "new book" smell all the way down the hall. I was really excited about a series of non-fiction books on fish because my ESL classes are going to do a research project next year with a Powerpoint and everything and she got them just for me!!

I attacked that box of books like it was Christmas morning. It was great!!

Does anyone else get that high when they get a new book?

Book#4- Zombies

Never Slow Dance With a Zombie
By: E. Van Lowe

Synopsis (from Barnesandnoble.com): Romy and Michelle's Hight School Reunion meets Night of the Living Dead in this laugh-out-loud debut YA novel by Emmy Award-nominated TV writer E. Van Lowe

Principal Taft's 3 Simple Rules for Surviving a Zombie Uprising:
Rule #1: While in the halls, walk slowly and wear a vacant expression on your face. Zombies won't attack other zombies.
Rule #2: Never travel alone. Move in packs. Follow the crowd. Zombies detest blatant displays of individuality.
Rule #3: If a zombie should attack, do not run. Instead, throw raw steak at to him. Zombies love raw meat. This display of kindness will go a long way.
On the night of her middle school graduation, Margot Jean Johnson wrote a high school manifesto detailing her goals for what she was sure would be a most excellent high school career. She and her best friend, Sybil, would be popular and, most important, have boyfriends. Three years later, they haven't accomplished a thing!
Then Margot and Sybil arrive at school one day to find that most of the student body has been turned into flesh-eating zombies. When kooky Principal Taft asks the girls to coexist with the zombies until the end of the semester, they realize that this is the perfect opportunity to live out their high school dreams. All they have to do is stay alive....

So, What do I think?

Overall: At first, I almost put it down....but I'm glad I didn't. I must admit that I was not too excited about the book throughout the first part of it, but the last 4 or 5 chapters made up for it. I couldn't put it down in the end. I think what I didn't like about the book was that it stretched a little longer than needed. I felt like the same scene was being played over and over.

Characters: I can see a lot of Margot in me when I was in Jr. High. She, however, is in high school and is acting this way. Margot wants to be popular, and when she gets her wish, she turns into an ultra snob. Typical storyline. Also, her best friend Sybil is a little too nice. But it works for the book. The book makes teachers look dumb, and any story that does that, makes me not like those characters (I am a teacher!). The Zombies were my favorite charcters. I would have had Zombies just like them in my books!

Idea: I must give him credit for the originality of the book idea. Zombies are really popular right now and some of the things he did with the Zombies were quite funny and original. I think the plot line could have come straight from an 80's chick flick though. Girl is obsessed with Jock who doesn't know she exists, Mean Girl is dating Jock, Nerd in love with Main Character, Loyal friend, and the Main Character is just trying to belong.

Googie's Grade: 3.5 stars out of 5!

Book #3- Tearjerker

Out of my Mind

BY: Sharon M. Draper

Synopsis (from Barnesandnoble.com):

Eleven-year-old Melody has a photographic memory. Her head is like a video camera that is always recording. Always. And there's no delete button. She's the smartest kid in her whole school—but no one knows it. Most people—her teachers and doctors included—don't think she's capable of learning, and up until recently her school days consisted of listening to the same preschool-level alphabet lessons again and again and again. If only she could speak up, if only she could tell people what she thinks and knows . . . but she can't, because Melody can't talk. She can't walk. She can't write.

Being stuck inside her head is making Melody go out of her mind—that is, until she discovers something that will allow her to speak for the first time ever. At last Melody has a voice . . . but not everyone around her is ready to hear it.
From multiple Coretta Scott King Award winner Sharon M. Draper comes a story full of heartache and hope. Get ready to meet a girl whose voice you'll never, ever forget.

So, What do I think?

Overall: I cried like a little baby throughout this entire book. I sat behind my desk at school and tears were streaming down my cheeks. My students kept handing me tissues and laughing at me when I blew my nose. I LOVED this book. This book changed my life. I work at a school with Life Skills students and I never thought twice about sitting and having a conversation with them. I had just assumed that they couldn't interact back. After reading this book I will never feel that way again. This book changed my life.

Characters: I wish that all children who had special needs had a family like Melody. A mother and father who would do anything for their child and strive for the best education for them. Sadly, that is not always the case. Melody is such a strong character and I think that if Draper had made her a sad, non-opinionated character, the book would not have been what it was. The children in the story that go to her school are just like the kids at mine. They stare and make comments because they don't know anything different.

Flow: I think the flow of the story really made a difference in the way I read it. It took awhile for you to get to the meat of the story, but it was the journey to get to that point that made the book special. I would not have liked it as much if everything had happened really fast in the beginning. It really let you get to know Melody as a person before certain things happened in the story.

Googie's Grade: 5 out of 5 stars!

If you like this book, you might also like:

Giveaway!!

Check out The Library Lurker for her 75 follower giveaway!!

Oh yah, and check out her reviews too!! They are awesome!!

Book#2- Fantasy

Bones of Faerie
By: Janni Lee Simner

Synopsis (from Barnesandnoble.com): The war between humanity and Faerie devastated both sides. Or so 15-year-old Liza has been told. Nothing has been seen or heard from Faerie since, and Liza’s world bears the scars of its encounter with magic. Trees move with sinister intention, and the town Liza calls home is surrounded by a forest that threatens to harm all those who wander into it. Then Liza discovers she has the Faerie ability to see—into the past, into the future—and she has no choice but to flee her town. Liza’s quest will take her into Faerie and back again, and what she finds along the way may be the key to healing both worlds. Janni Lee Simner’s first novel for young adults is a dark fairy-tale twist on apocalyptic fiction—as familiar as a nightmare, yet altogether unique.

So, What do I think?

Overall: It took me about the first 60 pages to get into the story. It was a little confusing and for someone who is relly into Faeries of all kinds, I am a little dissapointed that there were not that many of them. I wish this book had a prequel so you could see what happened Before. After the first 60 pages though, I couldn't put it down. It took me two full days of picking it up here and there and it was because the last little bit was exciting. I really felt like I was alongside the characters. I would recommend this to fantasy lovers, but if you are really into faeries like me, you might want to find a different story.

Characters: The main characters, Liza and Matthew, were very believable and strong. I think Simner did a great job in choosing them as the lad. The little girl Allie was wonderful too. I could see a lot of me in her, so I related to her the most. The one character that I think I could have done without is the father. I almost stopped reading the book because he was not a very likable character. I understand setting up the story with him, but it did get a little too graphic for me.

Story Idea: Some of the settings and characters were so complex that I wish I had thought of it. The idea behind certain objects and the attention to detail was really great. The idea of half human and half faeries dur to the War was a great idea. I like the overall theme of the story and I think that this idea could be expanded on into a longer and more detailed story.

Googie's Grade: 4 out of 5 stars!!

Book Fair Mania

How many of your schools have a Book Fair? Well, mine does. It is my favorite week out of the whole school. Well, except for Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, and Spring Break. LOL
This past week my school held its annual Book Fair and I think I almost bought the entire store! The best part about it is that teachers get half off all of the books. So ofcourse I went crazy! There were so many cool new books! That new book smell can be compared to the shark frenzy they go into with the smell of blood.

So, here is another question for yah. How many students actually buy books at the BOOK Fair and how many just buy the posters and cool erasers? I think my Librarian was goinbg to throw all of the pencils and erasers across the room if one more kid came in and didn't even look at the books. There were a few who bought some really awesome books. They were also the same kids who came to our Book Club every morning too, so we knew they would actually read the books they purchased.

At the end of the week I kinda felt bad for her, so I went and spent another $30 on books. I even bought a couple bookmarks too. I thought that since I was going to be a Librarian one day, I might as well start my bookmark collection now!

What do you guys think about your Book Fairs?

Book #1- Greek Mythology

The Shadow Thieves

by: Anne Ursu

Synopsis (from Barnesandnoble.com):

See that girl, the one with the bright red hair, overstuffed backpack, and aura of grumpiness? That's Charlotte Mielswetzski. And something extra-ordinary is about to happen to her. Oh, it's not the very cute kitten that appears out of nowhere and demands to go home with her. It's not the sudden arrival of her cousin Zee, who believes he's the cause of a mysterious sickness that has struck his friends back in England. It's not her creepy English teacher Mr. Metos, who takes his mythology lessons just a little too seriously. And it's not the white-faced, yellow-eyed men in tuxedoes, who follow Charlotte everywhere. What's so extraordinary is not any one of these things....It's all of them. And when Charlotte's friends start to get sick one by one, Charlotte and Zee set out to find a cure. Their quest leads them to a not-so-mythical Underworld, where they face rhyme-loving Harpies, gods with personnel problems, and ghosts with a thirst for blood. Charlotte and Zee learn that in a world overrun by Nightmares, Pain, and Death, the really dangerous character is a guy named Phil. And then they discover that the fate of every person -- living and dead -- is in their young hands. In her dazzling debut for young readers, Anne Ursu weaves a tale of myth and adventure, danger and magic that will keep readers engrossed until the very last secret is revealed.

So, what do I think?

Overall: The book started off a little slow, but after a few chapters of them walking around and talking, it started to get really good. This is Ursu's first YA novel and I think she is used to writing for adults who have a longer attention span. I think that a few chapters in the beginning could have been taken out to keep the reader engaged. I really liked the idea behind the book and I would recommend this book to anyone who likes greek mythology.

Characters: I really like Charlotte and her cousin Zee. I'm not sure if I like them being cousins and not love interests, but you will see why it's importat they are blood related. Charlotte is a typical teenager who really doesn't fit in. I saw a lot of me in her. She is a great liar too. Zee is just the opposite. He is athletic and popular. I think that the characters fit well with the story.

Setting: In the beginning of the story it takes place in the US and London. It is set up that way so you can see the differences in the upbringing of the two characters. In the last half of the book they are in the Underworld, and I think Ursu did an awesome job of describing it. I always knew where I was in the story and what my surroundings looked like.

Rating: I give it 4 out of 5 stars!!

If you like this book, you would also like:

Hey all you Book Lovers!

This is my first post on this new blog. I have a livejournal account, but I also have another blog using blogspot.com, so I thought I would just continue my blog on here and drop the livejournal.

So, I know what you are thinking...who am I and what is this blog about?

Well, I am a student at Sam Houston State University going after my Masters in Library Science.

My mom was not surprised when I told her I was going to pursue my Masters in Library Science. She told me a story of when I was little and I would have my brother and sister check books out from me and how I would draw barcodes on all of my books and even make the beeping sound when they checked them out. I would spend hours in the local library looking at each book before making my selection. My mother told me that I would have them read before we even got home.

My mom would have to ground me to the living room when I was in trouble because sending me to my room was no big deal because then I could sit on my bed and read my books!

I am also a teacher of English as a Second Language Learners, a mother of two wonderful boys (10 months and 4 years), and a wife to my awesome husband of five years. The best thing about my family is that they are so supportive of me going back to school. It is hard sometimes to ahve to make dinner, change diapers, and go to work, but somehow we have survived a whole semester of school work.

So...what is this blog about?

BOOKS!! Duh!!

I will be discussing books that I am reading. They will mostly be Young Adult and a few children's books. I will give you a review and hopefully you will think it's interesting and go check it out! I will also have from time to time author friends of mine answer some questions too.

I hope you enjoy this blog and become a follower. Leave me a comment if you have read the book or if you want to share what you are reading!

I love books and my goal of becoming a school Librarian is to get kids who usually wouldn't pick up a book, eventually becoming lifelong lovers of books.

Currently Reading: Bones of Faerie by: Janni Lee Simner