~The Land of the Painted Caves~

Yeah, my book came today! The sixth and last book in Earth's Children Series by Jean Auel. I won it on Goodreads! Thanks so much! I am excited to read it. The trouble I am having is deciding if I should go back and read the series again. It has been so long since that last one came out and this is an advanced copy. So cool! Maybe I will just jump into it like I did with each of the Harry Potter books. Hmmm ...... jumping!

~The Story of Stuff by Annie Leonard~

The Story Of Stuff was not at all what I expected. I was hoping for a book that the everyday reader would understand.This book had some interesting concepts but reminded me too much of a textbook. As I do with most textbooks, I skim and not deep read. Being a teacher I had taken several courses on ecology and the environmental impact of man. I found nothing new in this book but updated statistics.

I would recommend it for use as a college or high school text. Annie Leornard's approach isn't as dry as the typical textbook.
What I found interesting about Ms. Leonard was her thoughts on books vs. electronic reading devices. I don't agree with her on this point.Sure the readers are another electronic device, but think of all the trees being saved. Most people, including me, keep the same ereader device for years. When a new version is released, the old one is passed on to other family members. Each device holds thousands of books. Yeah, there are book swaps and such, but isn't her book adding to the pile of "stuff?" I am guessing her book will not be available electronically! This book was given to me by Free Press Blog Tours.

~Back to Blogging~

It is great to be back to blogging. I missed it. Report cards and parent/teacher conferences slowed my writing down. During all this Hubby's cancer reared its nasty head again. Another blog block. After radiation and a change in treatment plan, hubby is doing so much better. Since he is up to playing Wii golf, it is a great time to continue writing. I pray that this new treatment keeps the cancer at bay! Send lots of prayers please!

~The Memory Palace by Mira Bartok~

This second book I have read for Free Press Blog Press Tours is an emotional and eye opening read. It is Martok's memoir of her life growing up with a schizophrenic mother. Mira and her sister literally run away and change their names to hide from their mother. After a debilitating car accident, Mira's life changes. She struggles through a traumatic brain injury. The need to recontextualize her life, leads Mira and her sister to reconcile with their mother.  
Mira's story sheds light on mental illness. Its effect on others and the connection of mental illness and homelessness. Mira's artwork adds to the text of the book, along with her literary quotes. My favorite being her quote from Nicolaus Steno. "Beautiful is what we see. More beautiful is what we understand. Most beautiful is what we do not comprehend." This book is a must read!

~The Radleys by Matt Haig~

This book was given to me read as part of the Free Press Blog Tours. The book is about "Peter, Helen and their teenage children, Clara and Rowan, live in an English town. They are an everyday family, averagely dysfunctional, averagely content. But as their children have yet to find out, the Radleys have a devastating secret."

Even though I am not a vampire fan, I expected more from this book. The author Matt Haig was described as being "one of Britain's finest young novelists." Reviews of his other books were positive.
I can't say many positive things about this book. At first I thought this book was written for the young adult audience, because it started out with the teen-age characters Clara and Rowan and their problems with peers and school. It read like a typical young adult novel, until the author added profanity and sexual innuendos. Did he add these as shock factor? This addition turned me off to the book! I am really concerned that it will be added to a teen's reading list unknowingly!

The Radleys had too much going on with too many character narratives. Too many loose ends! I struggled to finish it. If there was a sequel would I read it? No! There is talk of a movie...would I see it? Again, No! I believe lovers of the Vampire Genre would agree with me...leave this off the reading list!