MamaManagement

My dear, sweet bibliophiles, I bring you good news of fun adventures in outer space! A few months back, a bookseller in the small, independent bookstore, The Country Bookshop, in Southern Pines, NC, recommended a YA book called Illuminae . And, as I am want to do when other book lovers recommend books to me, I bought it, without reading the blurb or first page or anything else. Fast-forward to a couple of weeks ago...I picked it up. When I finished it just a few days later, I put book two in the series on hold at the library. (Moving quickly on to book two, or moving on to it at all, is not a given with me when it comes to trilogies/series. I have read A LOT of book ones and never moved on to book two--even when book one was enjoyable.) I devoured book two, Gemina , in a few days. This time, I put book three, Obsidio , on hold before I even finished book two. I will be picking that one up at the library today! So, this begs the question, why are these books so compelling? ...

There is only one thing that keeps me up past bedtime these days, and it rarely has anything to do with wine anymore…it's a good book. I am forever late getting into bed (you know, by the time you get the kids to bed, clean things up, veg for a few minutes on the couch with the hubs, shut down the house, and get yourself ready for bed...), but I just CANNOT go right to sleep. I must read. So I tell myself I'm only going to read a few pages…and then I look at the clock, my husband long having succumbed to the sandman, and have a mini heart attack, "Oh crap! Is it that late?!"….and then I read a few more pages before I find a decent break-off point, slide my bookmark in and turn out the light. So what's been in my hands this week? Well, I'm back in the land of YA fiction. As an aside, I have a two-part post coming up on Tween fiction, which I have been swimming in for the last three months. There are just so many lovely Tween books out there; and they ...

So, about three months ago I actually finished reading my (now 16 year old) niece's Top Ten Favorite Books (so far)...I know, it's pretty sad that I'm just now posting about it. But really, does it matter much when I share the book reviews, as long as I share them? Well, that's what I'm telling myself. So, just to refresh your memory, here's Katie's Top Ten List, as I shared it last year: 1. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale 2. The Host by Stephanie Meyer 3. The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins 3.5 The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling 4. Divergent by Veronica Roth 5. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (awesome!!!) 6. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi 7. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne 8. The Maze Runner by James Dashner 9. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale 10. Matched and Crossed both by Allie Condie If you want to read what I thought of the first batch of the books I read, you can read my last post on it here:  http://mamamanagement.blogspot.ca/2012...

I'm pretty sure that I'm running out of summer. I have, what, two weeks left before Labor Day? And I am only halfway through my summer goal of reading my niece's top ten book list. But, since I am at the halfway point, I thought I'd give you all a quick update. First, as a refresher, here is Katie's top ten book list, which I shared a while back: 1. The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale 2. The Host by Stephanie Meyer 3. The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins 3.5 The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling 4. Divergent by Veronica Roth 5. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (awesome!!!) 6. Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi 7. The Secret by Rhonda Byrne 8. The Maze Runner by James Dashner 9. Princess Academy by Shannon Hale 10. Matched and Crossed both by Allie Condie I had already read The Hunger Games series, The Harry Potter series and The Book Thief prior to beginning my summer quest-- all of which I would highly recommend, by the way, if you haven't already...

I'm pretty sure that I've mentioned that I love books. One of my favorite pinboards on my Pinterest page is my book board. I love it. It's filled with pictures of books and book shelves and book stores and reading nooks and reading lists. I have reading lists everywhere. On sticky notes in my purse. On sticky notes on my desk and in various notebooks. On my ipad. On my phone. On my library page. On this blog. In emails from friends and facebook posts. Everywhere. I will never read all of the books on these lists. I know. But I will try. And I will keep making lists. I will keep wandering book stores, eventhough I have no business buying any books since I already have a jam-packed "to read" shelf. And I will keep reading book reviews. And I will keep asking for reading recommendations. Because I love it. Because I just can't help myself. Because it is a cheaper addiction than designer shoes. What have I read recently? Well, I just finished The Ghost of Greenw...