The Host

Read it. Loved it. Now it's your turn (unless you already have!)

Meet the Cullen Family

I think they have done a really good job with the casting. With a few changes, some make-up and new hairstyles, they have created the characters we know and love. But, can the actors pull it off? I guess we will find out in December. Did you know they are doing a midnight showing of the movie?

The last of the series, Breaking Dawn, will be released in August and her new book "The Host" will be released in May. Click here for more info and to see more characters in the movie.

We Love the Library (or, at least we love the books and movies that we bring home)

One of my favorite things in the whole world is the public library. In Irvine we had the GREATEST public library ever so I was a bit concerned when we moved because I knew we wouldn't find another library like it. And it's true that our library here is straight of out the 60's and a touch on the small side, but they have TONS of books. I can't figure out if it's just because they ordered like 10 of each book or if it's because people here don't go to the public library, but there are always lots of great books in good condition. I love it. And as long as we have a public library in the town we live, I will never have to rent or buy DVDs for my children. I can deal with the skips and pauses on the checked-out DVDs so long as I don't have to waste money on a DVD that they will watch 15 times in a row and deposit in the back of the case never to be seen again.

With Search and Destroy, trips to the library have to be speedy. They love to read at home but not at the library. Instead they like to yell, run, search and destroy (in other words: just being boys). My trips down the book aisles go something like this. With my largest bag in hand I randomly grab a book. If the book title includes any of the following words: dinosaur, truck, train, animal, or school, then the book has passed the preliminary qualification. The second requirement is that the pictures have to be exciting and catchy. The third requirement is that there can't be too much writing. I almost hate to admit this one, but let's face it. Who wants to read extra-long books to their kids at bedtime when everyone is so tired?

Here are a few books from our last trip that the boys can't get enough of.

I love Who'd Hiding because it's very interactive. Obviously, you can make any book interactive if you want to, but this one demands it. It's very cute.

Like I said, if the word "dinosaur" is in the title, it goes in the bag. The boys love to dance with the T-Rex in "Dinosaurumpus" ("Dinosaw-wumpus" if you are Search) and they love it when the triceratops kicks the T-Rex out of the Dinosaur Cafe for threatening to add the other dinosaurs in his "meat soup". Search loves these books when I read them to him but won't allow them in his crib with him when I'm not in his room with him. He must be too scared that the T-Rex will jump off the page and threaten to make him share his binky or blankie. Heaven forbid.

Why do all my posts turn into novels? I really just wanted to post a couple of cute books.

Obsession

So, I have this obsession with Orson Scott Card. Not so much with him as a person (considering that I don't even know what he looks like), but with his writing. It speaks to me (well, yes, most writing does). I think I have read most of his stuff, and I plan on reading all of it some day. He is an amazing sci-fi writer (he's the author of Ender's Game), but he is also great at turning real historical events into exciting, dramatic (mostly fictional) stories. He's written quite a bit of church history, and books about some prominent women in biblical history. Rachel and Leah, Rebekah, and Sarah. Saints is about the practice of polygamy around the time of the restoration and was quite a page turner. Although, I have to say that when I got to the end of the book I was very upset to find out that the characters were merely fictional. Pastwatch, a story about Christopher Columbus, was also very inventive but I didn't like it as much.

Treason is the most recent book I've read by him. I had my doubts that I would like it because it was one of his very first books written a couple of decades ago, but I thought it was so creative. I just kept telling Aaron all about it and insisting he should read it (if he had the time) but he pointed out that he didn't need to read because I had already told him the whole story. I thought it was awesome and I was amazed at some of the ideas he comes up with. That a human mind could think of such crazy things without being on drugs (maybe he was?) is beyond me.

The Glass Castle

You know how every once in a while you read a book that you absolutely love? Well, I read "The Glass Castle" two weeks ago and 4 books ago (that tells you what an exciting life I have right there) and I still think about it. It's a memoir about a family and the parents are just unbelievable. You would not believe some of the crazy things that happens to this family. I won't say any more but I definitely recommend it!

Eclipse

The third book in the "Twilight" series came out this last week while we were visiting family in Utah. Luckily my sisters-in-law, Deanna and Kristina read the first two books recently and were as excited as I was for the third to come out. So Kristina reserved the books for us and we made our way down to Barnes and Noble at 11 at night, 1 am my time mind you. We waited in line for over two hours to get the book and by that time we had decided that it was a really bad idea. But we couldn't turn back now! So we put on cool tattoos (hence the picture) and tried to stay awake. My tattoo was sweet because it said "Edward". I wanted to leave it on but I feared that Aaron would feel inferior and we also had family pictures the next day so I scrubbed it off. We didn't get home until 2 am, 4 in Indiana.

Anyways, the book was really good but totally leaves you hanging for the next. I won't say more until those you Stephenie Meyer fans have all read it.

A New View of Vampires

Okay, along with a few other women that I know, I'm a little obsessed with the vampire in these books. Traditionally, vampires are supposed to scare people and not the opposite. I read the first two books (400-500 pages each) in about 4 days. The extremely romantic, gorgeous and myterious vampire makes husbands (and humans for that matter) look really bad. I guess I wish I had a vampire of my own so I think I'll have to dress Aaron up as a vampire for Halloween. Maybe that will appease me. I am counting down the days until "Eclipse" comes out!