Tuesday, November 28, 2017

#55

Dinosaurs

Author: Dr. Angela Milner

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

#54

Dinosaur Discovery - Everything You Need To Be a Paleontologist

Author: Chris McGowan

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9

-Jessi

Monday, November 27, 2017

#53

Dinosaur Discoveries

Author: Gail Gibbons

Summary: Various facts about dinosaurs, where their fossils were found, what they ate, and what time period they lived in.

Personal thoughts about the book: I was obsessed with dinosaurs when I was a little girl. I was able to remember all the names, what they ate, and so on. So reading this book, along with a few others I recently checked out, brought back a lot of childhood memories. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9

-Jessi

#52

Paddington Bear Goes to the Hospital

Author: Michael Bond

Summary: Paddington gets his in the head with a boomerang and when he falls, he lands the wrong way and dislocates his shoulder, leading him to have a small surgery and stay a day in the hospital. 

Personal thoughts: While I never had to stay a whole day or longer in a hospital, I did have to spend hours in an emergency room bed for epileptic seizures. That was just as scary! So in a way, I was able to relate to how Paddington felt having to stay in a hospital. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

#51

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Author: Shel Silverstein

Summary: Another collection of his witty poetry and drawings

Personal thoughts about the book: I also read this book as a kid and in high school. Like A Light in the Attic, Where the Sidewalk Ends also is enjoyable for people of all ages

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

Sunday, November 26, 2017

#50

A Light in the Attic

Author: Shel Silverstein

Summary: A collection of funny poems and drawings done by the author. 

Personal thoughts about the book: I remember reading this book and also Where the Sidewalk Ends when I was a kid and even in high school. This book is perfect humor for all age groups!

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

Friday, November 24, 2017

Reading Bucket List

I thought it would be interesting to make a bucket list of all the books I want to try reading. So here goes....

  • Prom (L.H. Anderson)
  • One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest (K. Kesey)
  • The Phantom of the Opera (G. Leroux)
  • Clara Bow: Runnin' Wild
  • Of Mice and Men (J. Steinbeck)
  • This Side of Paradise (F.S. Fitzgerald)
  • Stories I Only Tell My Friends (R. Lowe)
  • I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (M. Angelou)
  • Gone Girl 
  • The Horse Whisperer (N. Evans)
  • Lucky Man (M.J. Fox)
  • Little Women (L.M. Alcott)
  • Joy Luck Club (A. Tan)
  • Night (E. Wiesel)
  • Taming the Star Runner (S.E. Hinton)
  • Hearts in Atlantis (S. King)
  • Still Me (C. Reeve)
  • Children With the Vampire (J. Kalogridis)
  • Lord of the Vampire (J. Kalogridis)
  • Boris Karloff: More Than a Monster (S. Jacobs)
  • The Life of Lee (L. Evans)
  • The Complete Memoirs (P. Cushing)
  • Tuesdays With Morrie (M. Albom)
  • Pet Sematary (S. King)
  • The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (S. Poitier)
  • The Secret Garden (F.H. Burnett)
  • This Boy's Life (T. Wolff)
  • A Time to Kill (J. Grisham)
  • The Firm (J. Grisham)
I will edit this whenever I complete reading something on this list. 

#49

How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Author: Dr. Seuss

Summary: A cranky creature called the Grinch hated Christmas and all the merriness that goes along with it. So he comes up with an idea to dress up as Santa and steal all the presents and trees from the residents of Who-Ville to keep Christmas from coming. Eventually he figures out that Christmas always comes and it's more than just the obvious things he sees.

Personal thoughts: I read this book when I was a kid and watched the TV show where Boris Karloff narrated the story and did the voice of the Grinch. Loved it!

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10 of course! 

-Jessi

#48

Alexander Who's Not (Do you hear me? I mean it!) Going to Move

Author: Judith Viorst

Summary: Alexander is angry when he finds out that his father got a work promotion and his family has to move a thousand miles away. So he describes what he loves about the current place he lives and why he doesn't want to move. 

Personal thoughts: It's always scary having to move to another town when a person is so used to where they currently are living. They have to start all over, make new friends, discover new places, and so on. But it shows in the book that moving isn't ALWAYS so scary. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9

-Jessi

#47

Koalas

Author: Sandra Lee

Summary: Facts about an Australian marsupial called a koala

Personal thoughts: I love Koalas! They are so adorable and it was interesting to learn some facts about them that I had never known before. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

#46

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

Author: Judith Viorst

Summary: A little boy named Alexander describes how everything goes wrong for him throughout the whole day.

Personal thoughts: Anybody who's anybody has a bad day occasionally. I think the way Alexander describes it is poignant and full of the natural wit of a child. 

Rating on a scale from 1 to 10: 10

-Jessi

Sunday, November 12, 2017

#45

Chicken Soup For the Teen Soul

Authors: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Stephanie H. Meyer, and John Meyer

Summary: A book of short stories submitted by various people about experiences during their teen years.

Personal Thoughts: Each story was very poignant about loss of loved ones, being made fun of, falling in love, trying to fit in, and accomplishing goals. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10

-jessi

Sunday, November 5, 2017

#44

Farmer Boy

Author: Laura Ingalls Wilder

Summary: The story of a boy living on a farm in New York named Almanzo Wilder

Personal thoughts: It was quite clear that life during Almanzo's time was very difficult. There was little time for play and the parents didn't interact with Almanzo and his siblings a whole lot. Being the youngest, Almanzo was taken advantage of by his siblings. His sisters were a bit bossy and his brother had a tendency to bully him. The story has some good moments he spends with his family such as the County Fair and going to a 4th of July celebration. 

Rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 9 

-Jessi