True Love by Jude Deveraux - #bookaday 9

True Love (Nantucket Bride, 1)
Jude Deveraux
Genre: Paranormal Romance

Not my usual fare. It's been a billion years since I read any Jude Deveraux. I'd been looking for a romance and I also wanted to read about Nantucket (never been but makes me think of summer) and someone on Goodreads had just finished this one. Luckily, they had it at the public library - on Overdrive.

Alix is an architect student who gets sent to live in the Kingsley House on Nantucket as part of the will of one of her mom's closest friends.  She can live there for a year and work on her culminating project for architecture school.

Kingsley House happens to belong to Jared Kinglsey Montgomery - a famous architect whom Alix admires and would love to have look at her drawings. (snicker). Jared would rather not, especially since he knows a great deal about Alix that he needs to keep secret.

Another resident of the Kingsley house is Jared's grandfather, Caleb. His five-times great, dead grandfather.  Caleb can only be seen by certain family members and he is hoping that somehow, he can connect with Alix and she can help him move on.

Despite the contrived storyline of past and present overlapping, this was fun.  I will actually read the second book.

Holiday Bookaday Update - Fall 2011

I'd listed several books I wanted to read over my 16 days off, 18 to be exact. I'm six days into the challenge and I've only finished 4 books! What's slowing me down? Two re-discovered loves; Twitter and Puzzles.

I picked up a puzzle of my favorite picture - Sunday Afternoon on La Grande Jatte - and have been spending hours on it. I haven't done this in a very long time and it has been so relaxing!! I hope to find slightly smaller puzzles though, this one is 1000 pieces.

I've always been a fan of Twitter but I'd pulled back to read more - putting in a word here, a retweet there, but not really interacting. Since most of my tweeps are educators, we are all on break right now and the conversations have been awesome. So, less reading time but a touch more connection with self and others.

So, what have I finished?
Shelter by Harlan Coben - one of the LA teachers does a mystery unit each year, so I'm always on the lookout for new books for her to add to her repetoire. I haven't read any of Coben's adult books but this young adult one sounded intriguing and maybe it could be a gateway for some students.  Although Shelter started out well, despite having the stereotypical sidekicks - a nerd adn a fat girl - it had promise.  Coben did tend to tell too much, I never had to figure out anything, each question would be answered about 2 sentences later.  And then the ending was so far-fetched as to be impossible. The age of the alleged villian would make the antics impossible. My disbelief came crashing to the forefront and wiped away most of my good feelings about the book.  The good news is there can still be a good discussion about this one. Pair it with Virals by Kathy Reichs and then talk about craft and writing for a variety of audiences.

Until There Was You by Kristan Higgins - I had been looking forward to this one, as I enjoy sappy romance. While there were enjoyable moments, they got sidetracked by the author's frequent exclamation of "bieber" or "elvis presley". I mean efron, lautner, gosling - yeah, I can see that working once or twice, jk. Throw in how often she told us Liam was hot (in a stereotypical bad boy in leather jacket with motorcyle way) and I was just happy to finish.

Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi - I had really been looking forward to this book! I like science fiction and this has girl protag! It started out slow and ended on predictable. But, the middle was fantastic. I just don't understand why she didn't use her undisclosed till later powers more.  Also, she never wore that awesome dress on the cover! Pair this one with Legend by Marie Lu and you are destined for a great conversation.

Darth Paper Strikes Back by Tom Angleberger - This follow-up to Origami Yoda focuses on Dwight and whether Yoda is helpful or hurtful. Dwight's nemesis, Harvey, makes a Darth Paper puppet and uses it to taunt this students, trying to convince them that Yoda is fake. The problems brought to Yoda this year seem much more serious. I like that turn. Obviously, pair this one with Origami Yoda and some actual origami.

Ok, back to reading! How are you doing on your reading goals?

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Amy and Roger's Epic Detour by Morgan Matson - Review

Amy and Roger's Epic Detour
Morgan Matson
Simon and Schuster
344 pgs.

Summary (library)
After the death of her father, Amy, a high school student, and Roger, a college freshman, set out on a carefully planned road trip from California to Connecticut, but wind up taking many detours, forcing Amy to face her worst fears and come to terms with her grief and guilt.

My Thoughts
I loved how Matson interlaced the road trip journal with the state playlists and other ephemera. I was always happy to find a song I knew on the list and to read some little known but fun fact about the state. I watched Amy's growing interest in Roger and wondered when he would figure out how her feelings were changing towards him.

I found it hard to believe that a 17 year old would be left in a house alone for a month so soon after experiencing a tragic accident. I also had a hard time believing a mom would let said 17 year old drive across the country with a boy she hadn't seen since they were children.

But, once I put those thoughts on the backburner, I was able to enjoy the story.  Matson's writing is vivid and you can get a clear picture of the characters.  As Amy and Roger go on their quests for closure; Roger to determine why his girlfriend left him and Amy to understand her role in her father's death, you can see how they mature.