My Western Sky

Room by Emma Donoghue Started: January 13, 2011 Finished: January 23, 2011 Format: Bought it on my Kindle Read for my school Book Club Goal: 3 of 25 I don't think Room is for everyone. This was a selection for our book club at my school, and I know some of my fellow readers found it disturbing and depressing. I found it haunting, heartbreaking, yet hopeful, and I have not been able to stop thinking about it since I finished Room, a brilliant book by Emma Donoghue. Told through the voice of five-year-old Jack, Room is his world--literally. I hesitate to write more because I don't want to give anything away for those who have not read it. So if you are intrigued about Room and haven't read it yet, stop reading this blog and start reading the book. Then come back to the blog and let me know what you think. Spoiler Alert for the rest of the blog: You've been warned! Part of the brilliance behind Room is the element of mystery. Questions kept piling up as I first began: ...

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand Started: December 4, 2010 Finished: January 11, 2011 Format: Bought it on my Kindle Goal: 2 of 25 I was in a reading funk when I came across this treasure of a book. In the fall, I vowed to read more "kid lit" books so that I could be a better librarian to my students. Even though I read some decent books that I enjoyed, I felt unsatisfied, and I yearned for something haunting, meatier, more adult. I need to be careful what I wish for. The life of Louie Zamperini reads like a modern day version of Homer's Odyssey , and it proves that truth is better than fiction. However, it is this fact that made me put the book down and take a breather many a time; I read this book in short spurts over December and the beginning of January because saying it was painful to read is an understatement. It took me almost six weeks to finish it. This is not the mindless, easy read that I wanted to...

Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater Started: December 27, 2010 Finished: January 4, 2011 Format: Audio book checked out from the MISD Digital Library Goal: 1 of 25 I stumbled upon Shiver completely by chance, and I am so glad that I did. I checked it out from our digital library to make my drive to Houston to visit Em and Trace a little less mind-numbing. The thought of four hours ALONE in the car made me giddy, but there's only so much of the GLEE CDs this girl can tolerate. Shiver made my drive to Houston and back flash by in a blink. I'm a Twilight fan like most 30-something women, but I'm reluctant to read all of the other vampire series out there because I don't want to be THAT 30-something woman. Plus, I'm just not into paranormal romance. Really--I'm not. But Shiver grabbed hold of me from the first sentence and did not let go. It's the story of Grace, who falls in love with Sam, who just happens to be a werewolf. Sound familiar? Because...

A snowy Sunday afternoon seems like the perfect time to get serious. This is the year that I want to write more and read more. I've never been good at keeping a journal. I have 14 unfinished journals--yes, I counted. They offer a spotty chronology of my life, and I'm sure they will keep my daughters both entertained and mortified one day after I'm long gone. The problem is that I have no accountability with a journal; nothing to keep me honest about how often I write. I have the best of intentions to consistently write, but life always seems to get in the way. It is my life-long dream to write a book. How am I ever going to write a book if I can't even fill up a lousy journal? Writing a book takes stamina, dedication, perseverance, and the habit of daily writing--qualities that are severely lacking in my writing life. So here I am jumping into the blogosphere. I hope this blog holds me accountable for writing more.It's a start. Last summer I read The Book Whisperer ...