I've started reading the book from Oprah's book club, "A Million Little Pieces". It's a hard book to read. Growing up in a sheltered home as I did, it's really a rough book. But it's one of those books that I will be glad I have read, even though I may not enjoy the book very much. I'm sure that anyone who has suffered from a drug/alcohol addiction can probably really relate to this book. There's all this controversy now because The Smoking Gun says parts of the book are fabricated or embellished and it is supposed to be a memoir. Who cares? It's still the personal story of a drug addict going through rehab. Anyway, I've had to put the book down for awhile. I have to take it a little at a time. I'm also reading a couple more books. A book by one of my favorite Christian authors, Karen Kingsbury. If you read Christian books and you haven't read the Redemption series by Karen Kingsbury and Gary Smalley, you must read this series. Then, of course, her Firstborn series takes up where the Redemption series ends. The one I'm reading now is "Waiting For Morning". It's a heart-wrenching story of a woman whose husband and one of her teenage daughters is killed in a car accident by a drunk driver. I just read "A Thousand Tomorrows" by Karen Kingsbury. It reminded me of Nicholas Sparks' books. I was determined not to cry at the end, but of course I did. I'm also reading another V. I. Warshawski book-Firesale I think is the name of it. Please let me know if you can recommend any good books. I'm always open to read new authors.

Happy Reading!

I just finished "First Counsel" by Brad Meltzer. It was pretty good. Another political thriller--not my favorite subject, but a good book once you get into it. I also finished a little book called "365 Things To Do With Your Kids" or some title close to that. It was a neat little book with all kinds of activities to do with your kids while you're waiting in a restaurant, traveling, at the doctor's office, etc. I gave it to my sister. She has a three year old that has a whole lot of energy and needs to be entertained at all times. I'm also reading a couple of other books right now. "Burn Marks" by Sara Paretsky and "A Chicken's Guide To Talking Turkey With Your Kids About Sex" by Dr. Kevin Leman and Kathy Flores Bell. Isn't that an interesting title? I'm trying to discover the right time to talk to my 7 year old, and which issues to talk about when. Of course, I have a 17 year old, so I've been through it with her. Thank God we have a very good and open relationship, so we have always been able to talk about really personal things like that. I think it will be the same way with my little one, but in my opinion, you can never be too prepared.

I read at stop lights! Is that crazy, or what? But why sit there and waste your time and get impatient when you could be reading?
My daughter's school had their fall carnival Friday night, with a silent auction. I bid on, and got, what else? Books! They had several stacks, but I had read most of the others. I hope I haven't read the ones I bought. I've done that before--bought things I had already read. And I very, very seldom read something twice. I used to when I was younger, but now there are so many good books out there, I don't want to miss out on anything good. It's an obsession.

I'm the library director at my church, basically started it from the ground up. There were some old, musty books that had been there for years and no one had checked out anything in like 10 years. I felt like I had landed in heaven. I've read a lot about starting a library and we had a book drive. We have a great used bookstore in the area, so the ones people donated that we couldn't use, I took and traded in for newer stuff. Right now we're still a work in progress. Anyway, we're having a promotion to see how fast we(kids up to 12 years old) can read 100 books. I have a little treasure box the kids get to dig into for each book they read. It's so much fun!
Alas, my oldest daughter doesn't like to read. I question whether she is really mine, but I have the scar to prove it. My youngest one, however, is just starting to read and loves it. The words are coming easily to her. And my 3 year old neice is a real book lover. During the summer some of our family went to see some family out of town and on the trip there, I read a Junie B. Jones book to the kids. I read another one to them on the way back. My neice now is in love with Junie B. and has made her mom buy her several new Junie B. books that they have to read over and over. A kid after my own heart.

My daughter brought home a ferret yesterday AAAAAGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!

I am so excited that someone responded! How neat is that? Finished reading "The Nanny Diaries"-a little disturbing that there can be parents like that in the world, assuming the book is based on fact. Also read "Metro Girl" by Janet Evanovich. (I'm laying off her books for a while-three in a row is enough, but they are good.) Now I am reading "Monster" by Frank Peretti. It's different from his others, "Piercing the Darkness", "This Present Darkness" and "Prophet". Those were about the spirit world-this one is almost Stephen King-ish. But I think I like it. Just can't tell where he's going with it at this point. I don't know how I could have failed to mention our obsession at the moment-"Junie B. Jones". My daughter is all about Junie B. right now, as are the rest of the kids in her class and the kids who visit the church library. We do love Junie B. Jones. I think one of my favorite books of all time is "Walking Across Egypt" by Clyde Edgerton. I like Southern writers a lot, since I am southern myself. Yes, I have read some C.S. Lewis. I've read the first 3 or 4 Narnia books, and I have read "The Screwtape Letters". He can get deep, so I have to take his stuff a little at a time and dwell on it. I have read "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver, but that's all I've read of hers. I'll have to try some of her others. If anyone else has any book recommendations lay it on me. We bookworms need to stick together. :)

Nothing very exciting or even interesting to report. However, I did finish reading "Ten Big Ones" and "Eleven On Top", which is by the same author, Janet Evanovich. Loved them both. I'm now reading a book called "The Nanny Diaries". I don't have the book close by, and I don't remember who wrote it. Pretty good so far. I think it's like a memoir by a woman who was a Nanny in NYC. And reading my monthly slew of magazines. I'm such an addict. Soap Opera Digest, People, a couple of special Halloween issues, and Woman's Day. I haven't seen the new Real Simple yet. That's my favorite.

Going back to the number books, I love reading books in a series. I've read some of the alphabet books by Sue Grafton. The problem is, I can't remember what I've read. I guess I need to go to the library, make a list of all the books in the series, and sit down and scan each book to see if I've read it. I'd hate to miss out on something good.

That's all for today, class. You're dismissed.

The other day I prayed for a bug. I have to say, I've prayed for a lot of things in my life, but this was a first. I was sitting at my daughter's school waiting to pick her up when I saw a butterfly with a broken wing flopping around on the ground next to my car. It was trying its best to fly away but getting nowhere. I could just see the kids trampling on it or the cars running over it. So I prayed for it. Evidently, God chose not to answer my prayer right away, so I had no choice but to get out of my car and pick the poor thing up and move it to the grass. Hey, it was a pretty butterfly.

Once again, you can see how exciting my life is these days.

I'm reading a book by one of my favorite authors, Janet Evanovich. "Ten Big Ones". She is so funny! I'm talking laugh out loud funny. But if you are squeamish about bad language, these are not the books for you. If you can overlook that, I highly recommend all her books that have a number in the title. ("Visions of Sugarplums" is weird, though. I don't recommend that one.) I took a trip to the local used bookstore Friday. That's one of my all-time favorite things to do. Especially when I have books to trade. (I don't keep very many of my books. Unless it's something I'm going to want to loan out for people to read.) This bookstore is so big, you can find some really great books in the bargain books section, since they usually get so many copies of certain books. I got a book for .75 that has really made me laugh a lot. ("Even More Letters From A Nut") I've recently realized I don't laugh enough, so I'm trying to do something to change that.

I guess that's all I have for today. Time for bed.