7 Things I Learned from Reading Marooned in the Arctic by Peggy Caravantes

Marooned in the Arctic is the true story of Ada Blackjack, the "Female Robinson Crusoe" who went on an expedition in 1921 to Wrangel Island with four men.  Ada and a cat were the lone survivors of her expedition party for two years.  I came across the following things I didn't know before reading it and thought I'd share them here:

(1)  I had never heard of Wrangel Island and had no idea where it was.  Now I know--north of Alaska and Russia.

(2) It gets as cold as -50 degrees F.  Burr, I would never want to live there! 

(3) The wildlife included polar bears, foxes, walruses, seals, ducks and snow geese.

(4) The thick fur of the Arctic fox changes color--white in the winter to blend in with the snow and brown or gray in the summer.  (page 111)

(5) Cats are companions to lonely sailors on ships.  Some sailors believe black cats have magical powers that can protect their ships at sea.  Another superstition is that if a cat walks toward a sailor on the deck, it is a sign of good luck.  But if the cat turns back, something dire will happen.  Another popular believe if that cats have magical tails with  which they can start storms if they are dissatisfied.  Sailors strive to keep their cats happy.  Even today, felines are valuable members of crews on many ships.  (page 13)

(6)   Scurvy is a nutritional deficiency caused by insufficient amounts of vitamin C.  Symptoms include fatigue, irritability, pain in the legs, small red-blue spots on the skin, swollen gums that bleed or soften to the point that teeth loosen or fall out.  Joints may bleed, causing severe pain.  Shortness of breath is common after physical exertion.  (page 81)

(7)  Today, about 100 Eskimos live in a small village which serves as a base camp for an additional 30 seasonal reserve staff who work from field stations during all but the winter months.  Wrangel island is one of Russia's most treasured wildlife sanctuaries. (page 174)

I'd like to see a Survivor show from a place like this for a change.  I also wonder how the polar bears even survive in our zoos since even our winters are no where near 50 below zero. 

Check out our review of Marooned in the Arctic at Grab a Book from Our Stack.

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Can't Get This One Out of My Head

Ever read a book that really grips you and makes you think?  I just finished a historical fiction book, Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys that did that for me.  It takes place in the 1940s during Stalin's reign in Russia.  I knew about the atrocities done against the Jews in Germany with Hitler, but didn't realize how cruel Stalin was until I read this book and Ruta Sepetys' other book, Salt to the Sea. 

When it is cold outside, I always bundle up because I'm a freeze baby, but imagine what it would be like to have to camp outside in below zero weather without boots, without gloves, without a warm blanket or comfortable mattress, and with just a light spring coat!  That is what the poor people in this book did.  Not only that, but they were so hungry that they would eat from the garbage the soldiers threw away and only got water when the soldiers brought it to them in a bucket that they had to drink from like a dog.  They were crowded into cattle train cars that were filthy and expected to relieve themselves through a hole in the floor with no privacy. 

I loved how the mother, daughter and son kept their spirits up in such horrible conditions.  The mothers were willing to do just about anything to protect their children, but Lena's mom refused to be a spy when the Russians wanted her to.  She had a way of showing kindness to others in the midst of terrible circumstances. 

Here is my video review of it:


I hope you will check out my written review of it along with a video of the author talking about the background of the book on my Grab a Book From Our Stack blog.  The author's video is very interesting, showing snippets of interviews with actual survivors!

Reading this and Salt to the Sea just makes me feel all the more sympathy for the refugees today who are fleeing from their homelands which are at war.  We have so much to be thankful for here that we take for granted:  freedom, shelter, food, clean water, indoor plumbing, family and friends that we can visit whenever we want.  If you are going through a hard time, I recommend reading either of these books and you will find that you have much to be thankful for!

Have you read either of these books?  What did you think of them?

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January Favorite Reads

My favorite read for January was Somebody Else's Daughter by Linsey Lanier (Click the link for my review).  This is contemporary fiction about an abused wife who goes in search of her baby daughter that her abusive husband gave away without her knowledge.

Gerard's favorite was Girl on a Train by Paula Hawkins (Click the link for his review).

The one we both liked very much that came in second was Hidden Agenda by Lisa Harris, a thriller with lots of action and suspense from start to finish.


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Friday Fragments (reading, sleeping, pets, sports)

Friday Fragments is hosted by Half Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post to give Mrs. 4444 a break for the summer. Here we go:

Goodreads

Here is an email we got from Goodreads:

On behalf of the Goodreads team, I want to say thank you. You’re in the top 1% of reviewers on Goodreads! Your many thoughtful book reviews help make us a vibrant place for book lovers.

Books

Last week I forgot to share our favorite reads for July. I'm sure you all are wondering, right? Anyway, Gerard's was a YA science fiction, Proxy and mine, a collection of mail-order bride novellas by four different authors: A Bride For All Seasons. You can click the links to see our reviews.

Yum Yum

Good news, Yum Yum seems to be feeling better. This cat needs surgery and Tim is asking bloggers to help by chipping in. He is about half way to what he needs. Here is an update: Yum Yum Update 8/5. Can you help?

Street Cat

Not at all surprised this guy got more donations when Bob, the street cat, was with him! We have his book on order from our library!

Book Crossing

Released HER at this bus stop.

Over at It's Just LIfe I read a post: "Releasing Books Into the Wild" where you can read all about it. It introduced me to www.bookcrossing.com, a website which seeks to turn the world into a big library by having people register a book, then release it by just leaving it somewhere for someone to find. Some may even enter the book number on the site to let you know who got it. It's a fun way to share books. My user name on the site is "BookDumper" so if you sign up, you can list me as your referral. Both books I left were picked up quick.

Toothbrushes

I read this week that people should replace their toothbrush every three to four months. I know we don't come anywhere close to this. Do you?

Sleeping Couples

Just heard on a morning news show that to get a restful nights sleep with a partner who snores or tosses and turns, 40% of couples sleep in separate beds! I was surprised it was such a high percentage. I tend to snore if I sleep on my back and Gerard tosses and turns, bouncing the bed but usually it's just when he first comes to bed. Sometimes I feel like I'm on a boat but so far we have both managed to weather through and stay together.

Fruit for Dogs

Aww, c'mon, give me some more treats--the vet said it was OK..

Our vet confirmed that a few blueberries, cranberries and watermelon is okay to give to dogs. Does your dog like any of these We haven't given our dog, Abby, any yet thought because I think it's better she doesn't eat any people food because she wouldn't understand why some is okay and not others. Raisins and cranberries look an awful lot alike and raisins are harmful. Maybe I'll share some watermelon with her on a hot day though.

Baseball

This is an exciting season with so many hot teams, unfortunately, the Indians are now on a 4-game losing streak thanks to Detroit, putting the tribe 7 games behind. I am disappointed, but the Indians played tough the first three games, the third going 14 innings! Boston is on a roll too which is my husband's favorite team so that is good. I hope the Indians will bounce back! Francona (Indians Manager) Reflects on Tough Series. Here is a silly video Gerard made with two of our stuffed animals, Leo and Benny in honor of the Tigers win:

Cleveland Browns

The bright side of Cleveland sports is the Browns pre-season game win this year--they looked very good and I have high hopes for this season. It was fun watching them and they scored way more than I thought they would! I usually wear my Indians polo shirt on casual Fridays to work, but today I am wearing my Browns polo shirt. I like the coaching staff too!

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Whose Favorite Read for March Is It?

Can you guess which of these is whose favorite read during March? I bet you can because I think these will be easy to tell.

Touch and Go by Lisa Gardner

The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen

Purry Logic by Jane Seabrook

 Here's the Answers (Click the link to read our reviews).  Share your favorite read during March in a comment and let us know if you guessed right on these.

Touch and Go by Lisa Gardner - Gerard's favorite

The Tutor's Daughter by Julie Klassen - Karen's favorite

Purry Logic - Spunky Doodle and Manny Boy

(Check out our giveaway for Her by Christa Paravani, a memoir about twins.)



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Our Favorite Reads For January--One Non-Fiction; One YA Fiction

I am so excited to tell you about my favorite book for January, but it's really one of my all-time favorite non-fiction books:

The Power of a Positive Woman by Karol Ladd!

A MUST read for all women!

The Power of a Positive Woman by Karol Ladd is the best inspirational non-fiction book I ever read and plan to read it again! I absolutely LOVE this book and can't say enough good about it! It is Biblical, has scriptures included throughout it right in the text, interesting facts about people used as examples of putting the principles into action and is uplifting, encouraging and challenging! Topics include: faith, wisdom, prayer, joy, love, courage, hope and the main theme is making a difference.

I used it as a devotional book the first time I read it and highlighted lots of things. It is divided into chapters with subdivisions so provides short thought-provoking passages easily used as devotionals. At the end of each chapter is a a short application section called “Power Point” which includes further scripture with some questions to think about, a prayer, a main point to remember and some activity to do. If you are looking for a practical book that will encourage spiritual growth, this is it!

The Power of a Positive Woman is a wonderful book to use for a women's Bible study group which is how I came to read it. I highly recommend this book to all women, but I think men could certainly benefit from it as well.
(Karen's review, rating 10 stars!)

Gerard's January Favorite: The Tragedy Paper by Elizabeth Laban

Every year at a boarding school, the outgoing seniors leave a "treasure" behind in their rooms for the next senior occupying that room to find. Duncan finds a stack of CDs left for him that he doesn't think much of until he listens to the first one. Then he can't stop until he hears them all! What's on the CDs? You will have to read the book.

Like the CDs, this book is hard to put down. I finished it in two days! I got to really care about the characters, the writing is superb and the ending is shocking! Do I have your interest yet? All that being said, I give this book 5++ stars!

QUIET--The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking was my favorite of the month until I read this one. You can click the link to read my review of that one.

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Our September Favorite Reads

My favorite read for September is Animals Welcome by Peg Kehret with Lead for God's Sake by Todd G. Congwer a close second, both non-fiction.

Love the Cover too--What a sweet, caring lady!

Animals Welcome--A Life of Reading, Writing, and Rescue by Peg Kehret is a delightful, heartwarming read that I recommend to any animal lover. This is a quick read about the different animals Peg rescued after building a cabin with her husband when they retired. I especially enjoyed reading about her cats, the wildlife and her interesting facts about some of the animals.

She has written lots of children’s books and is a warm and caring person that I would love to have for a friend. The author reminded me of my dad who also fed stray cats in the neighborhood and gave some a home to those willing to come inside. The difference is he didn’t give them the vet care she did. The quote that shows her love for the animals best is “’My hobby is rescuing cats, I said. ‘It’s no more expensive than playing golf or shopping.’”

Animals Welcome is definitely one of my favorite books I read this year! I look forward to reading her books that she co-authored with her cat, Pete in his memory: Trapped, The Stranger Next Door, and Spy Cat.

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Gerard's favorite read for September is a very unusual book different from any he has ever read:  Memoirs of an imaginary friend by Matthew Dicks, an elementary school teacher.  We both read this so I will share my review of it her as well.

Different, a Fun Read!

Memoirs of an imaginary friend by Matthew Dicks is told by Budo, the imaginary friend of a special needs boy named Max. I thought this book was fantastic! I got into it from page 1 and had a hard time putting it down. Budo tells the story very well and you're going to love Max! The ending is super good--you have to read this! I've read a lot of very good books this month, but this one is my favorite!
(Gerard's review, rating 5++ stars)

Karen's thoughts:
I started Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks and thought it was just too goofy with the "imaginary friend" telling the story. I read up to chapter 9 and thought, "Why am I wasting my time on this?" and decided to give it up and read something else--The Raven Boys. I liked that even less because it was about the supernatural, fortune telling and some crazy hunt for some old king from the past--it made no sense to me. So when my husband said how good this one was, I decided to go ahead and finish reading it. I'm glad I did because it did get better and I liked Max and Budo so was curious to see what would happen with them. Once I got past the absurdity of it and didn't take it so seriously, I enjoyed it. It reminded me of ROOM by Emma Donoghue a little bit. 

 

To see all our book reviews, subscribe to our book blog:  Grab a Book From Our Stack.

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Early Dementia For Retired NFL Players (Guest Post by Hubby)

I just read a very good article in the September 10, 2012 issue of Sports Illustrated: “The Other Half of the Story” by Melissa Segura. The article states that according to a 2009 University of Michigan study, retired professional football players may be five times more likely than other men their age to suffer from Dementia. Three wives of former NFL players who watched the men they loved slip away from them due to early on-set Dementia share their stories in the article. The players used to be very good, but the pounding they took affected them—one even killed himself!

I thought this article was very sad for the players and the wives and made me think. From now on, when I want to yell and get mad at the stupid plays and mistakes players make (and I do this very often, ask my wife), I will stop and think about how these men are paying a high price for my entertainment. Do you still really care about these guys after they stop playing for your team? I do, but I should care more!

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Our August Favorite Reads: Fiction and Non-Fiction

We both agree that two books we read last month stand out that we both liked which are One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf and January First by Michael Schofield (nonfiction).

One Breath Away

Karen's review, rating 5 stars:
One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf is really, really good! It is fast-paced and realistic contemporary fiction with characters that are very believable. It grabbed my attention right from the start and never let me go! The hostage situation at the small school in a fictional small town in Iowa is described so well, I could feel what the characters were feeling. It kept me guessing who the gunman was right until he was revealed. I’m sure because this story is told from five different people, there is at least one that you will identify with. For me, I identified with the teacher—determined to protect her students from the gunman while thinking about her husband. The teen girl’s unwavering desire to protect her brother was both touching and heartwarming. It shows how a crisis can bring families closer. I highly recommend One Breath Away—it even has a dog in it!

Gerard's review, rating 5 stars:
In One Breath Away by Heather Gudenkauf, a lone gunman takes over a small classroom holding the teacher and pupils hostage. What made this book so good in my opinion is that it is told by five people as the novel is ongoing. I got to know their thought and background to understand what led up to this point. The writing is superb. If you want riveting, this is it! I could hardly put it down and kept saying how good it was while reading it. Oh, and good luck trying to figure out who the gunman is—I was completely surprised! To sum it up, it doesn’t get any better than this—don’t let this one get past you!

January First

Gerard's review, rating 5++ stars:
January First by Michael Schofield tells the true and ongoing story of Janni Schofield who has Schizophrenia. It is told by her dad, Michael. This is a fantastic read! You talk about a page turner—I really had a hard time putting this down. You will not read many books like this! Good luck, Janni, I'm praying for you and your family. This is a must read!

Karen's review, 5 stars:
January First by Michael Schofield is the true story of his daughter’s descent into madness and his struggle to save her. At just three years old, his daughter, Janni had hallucinations and symptoms of Schizophrenia, although it took several years for the official diagnosis. He shares his heart-wrenching story of how he and his wife were actually afraid of their sweet little girl because of her violent outbursts. She would hit her parents, her dog and often tried to hit her younger brother. Reading this, I felt sorry for Janni, her parents, her teachers and her brother. It is a very sad story of a family who fought so hard to be a normal family, but couldn’t. The husband and wife both love Janni very much but often found themselves disagreeing as to how best to help her. Fortunately, it seems they found some hope at the end of the tunnel. If you want to read an inspiring story of parents who don’t give up through difficult times, I recommend this book to you. Wow!


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Our Favorite Read for July: "Starters" and "Unlocked"

For July, we have a Science Fiction Young adult book and a Christian Fiction book.  Gerard's favorite read was "Starters" by Lissa Price which Karen liked very much too so we'll give you both our reviews of it here:

Starters by Lissa Price:  WOW!  You will meet Callie, a young girl whose parents are dead, and her 7-yr.-old brother, Tyler, is very sick.  Her only hope to get money is to rent her body out to old people to use.  She really doesn't want to do it but gives in to help her brother.  Everything goes fine at first, but then takes a turn for the worse!  I devoured this book in just two days; kept those pages turning to see what would happen next.  Can't wait for the second book to come out in December!
(Gerard's review)

Starters by Lissa Price takes place in the future but isn't too far out that it is unbelievable. After a war, people lived longer, 150 to 200 years old was common and Prime Destinations developed a way for old people to rent the body of a young person, usually a teen. I loved the idea of the old people getting a new body but keeping all their experience and knowledge. Callie decides to rent out her body for a big sum of money that would be enough to provide a home for her and her little brother who is also sickly. After three rentals, she'd get paid; however, the third rental didn't work quite right and she found herself in a terrible situation and is not sure who she can trust.

I enjoyed this book very much because of all the unexpected things that happen to Callie and the interesting concept. I thought it was a fun read and definitely recommend it! (Karen's review)

Since Gerard picked Starters as his favorite, I'll choose Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury as my favorite for July.  Here is my review of it:

 Unlocked by Karen Kingsbury is an inspirational and heartwarming read that I truly enjoyed!  It's a love story about an Autistic high school boy, Holden, with a kind heart and a high school girl who is kind to him and notices his interest in music.  I especially liked Holden's prayers and the faith He has.  He became Autistic (quirky and uncommunicative) when he was three years old and his parents feel as though they lost the real Holden and want him back!

This book deals with bullying, suicide, friendship and family struggles.  This is Christian fiction at its best, showing how Christians can make a difference! I highly recommend this one to teens and parents.

See all our reviews at Grab A Book From Our Stack--you can sign up to have them delivered right to your email!

Don't forget to visit today's Olympic events:

Freestyle Zoomies ~ http://susieandsidebite.blogspot.com/

Roaching and Rolling ~ http://agenuineruby.blogspot.com/

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Our Favorite Reads For June by Haynes, Flynn and Rivers

Since Gerard's reviews are short, I let him have a tie for his June favorites.  The second one of his I read as well and didn't care for it at all.  Although I had several good books in June, my favorite was a contemporary Christian fiction combined with historical fiction by Francine Rivers.  It had the flavor of a Belva Plain book but without all the detailed description.

Gerard had a tie between two:

You just have to make time to read Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes —it's awesome!! It tells the story of young pretty Catherine Bailey. She was in a very abusive relationship with Lee. The thing that makes this book so good is that it follows her and Lee's relationship but also three years later as she is trying to recover and get back to being normal again. You get two stories at once! The writing is superb and the ending shocking! This is a page turner that is hard to beat. It doesn't get any better than this! Must read!

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn tells the story of Nick and Amy. On their fifth wedding anniversary, Amy turns up missing. Did Nick have something to do with it? WOW oh WOW! It doesn't get much better than this story that is told by Nick and Amy. I had a love-hate relationship with them both! I never knew what was going to happen next and had a hard time putting it down. I hated to see it end! The writing is superb! I think this would make a fantastic movie and loved this book! Don't let GONE GIRL pass you by, believe the hype!

Gerard and I differ on our opinions of this book. I didn't care for it at all and only read about 1/3 of the way. I really didn't like either Nick or Amy all that much and the bad language turned me off too. It seemed I was plowing through it but wanted to keep going since Gerard thought it was so good. Then I saw another blogger's review of it and they didn't like it either. They said the first 100 pages were very boring. The reviewer compared it to Still Missing by Chevy Stevens and Before I Go To Sleep by S. J. Watson because of the ending leaving the reader feeling tricked. I wish I could remember where I saw it so I could share the link here with you, but I can't remember. Anyhow, I was bored with this one so gave up on it and went on to read something else--"Impeccable Petunia" which I had a request to review.

Karen's Favorite for June

The Scarlet Thread by Francine Rivers is contemporary fiction about God’s sovereignty and faithfulness. After 13 years of marriage, Alex decides on his own to leave his steady job for an opportunity in California as a video game designer. His wife, Sierra, does not want to move and becomes angry and bitter. I particularly liked reading the part about the issues in the contemporary marriage. The couple has four times as much money but becomes very unhappy and Alex asks for a divorce. Sierra’s Godly mother gives her an old journal and a quilt of one of their pioneer ancestors, Mary Kathryn, who also had to move against her will back in 1847.

The author beautifully combines this contemporary fiction novel with historical fiction by showing the parallels between Sierra’s and Mary Kathryn’s journeys, women from two different time periods. They both are bitter and resentful towards God at the beginning but as he works in their lives, they come to see his love, faithfulness and goodness. Great writing with a wonderful message and a great ending! I think this would be an excellent book club read because of the marriage issues and the spiritual journey. It even has discussion questions in the back! This is my favorite read for June and balances out Gerard's dark books of late!

Visit Grab A Book From Our Stack to see all our book reviews (and more pictures of our pets).


(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Look What I Won At The Library

Lunch Bag I Colored

Gerard and I entered the Mission Possible Summer Reading Program at the library near us. This lunch bag was what I chose from the prize box for reading three books. We also got entries for a drawing for larger prizes at the end of the contest, but I thought the owl was cute and this is at least something I can use.  I liked being able to color it myself too! There is supposed to be some Browns stuff in the prize box, but it hadn't come in yet. Gerard didn't choose anything from the prize box but just got all entry forms for the bigger prize drawing.  The contest goes through August 11.

We were on vacation last week so I didn't get much reading done. So far, I've only read five books this month and Gerard has read six. How much reading do you do in the summer?

(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Our Favorite Reads in May--One Historical Fiction, One Christian Fiction

As usual we read so many good books in May that it was difficult to choose only one that we liked best but choose we must so this is what we chose:

Historical Fiction

Gerard's is The White Cascade--The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America's Deadliest Avalanche by Gary Krist This is the second captivating book I've read by this author and both are fantastic reads! This non-fiction book is about two trains that were stuck in a huge snowstorm and were eventually hit by an avalanche! The writing is what makes this book so good. You hear from the people on the trains, the people trying to help, and the one person in charge of the railroad at the time. I got the sense I was right there! I hope Gary Krist writes another book; I'll be sure to read it too!

See my review of the other book I read by Gary Krist: City of Scoundrels about Chicago.

Karen's Favorite:

Christian Fiction

Since I already shared the link to our review of Outlaw Platoon which we both liked very much, I will choose Words by Ginny L. Yttrup.  This is an inspirational quick read that is about choices, redemption, hope, healing.  Kaylee, a little girl is abandoned by her mother and left with her boyfriend to be neglected, abused and raped.  They live in a little cabin in the woods and the girl stops talking.  She finds words comforting and reads the dictionary over and over to help her focus on something else while hoping that maybe her "mother will come back today."  When Sierra, a woman whose child died just a few days after birth due to Sierra's drug addiction, visits the cemetery on the 12th anniversary of her child's death, spots Kaylee in the hollowed giant redwood tree and thinks she saw a ghost.  Sierra is lonely so takes in a stray dog she names Van Gogh.  The dog helps comfort Kaylee when they meet and is a wonderful addition to the story.

Sierra finally is able to accept God's forgiveness and move on with her life as she starts thinking about Kaylee and becomes her friend.  Kaylee looks forward to seeing the nice lady in the woods again at her special spot inside the tree.  Kaylee doesn't talk, but can communicate by writing and has an unusually big vocabulary for a girl her age.  Through Sierra, Kaylee discovers Jesus is the most important word and learns the truth that He really does love her and is able to set her free from the screams in her head and help her to speak again.

I liked this Christian fiction book very much in spite of the "fairy tale" ending.  I couldn't help but pull for Kaylee and Sierra to get together and thought the Children's Services worker did a good job.  Sierra was searching for God's purpose for her life and it was very realistic how because of her past with drugs, she was able to sympathize with Kaylee's mom and was torn between helping her get better or not because she was afraid of losing Kaylee.  The abuse Kaylee endured is done in good taste, leaving details to the reader's imagination.  There is so much humor and love in this book that prevents it from becoming depressing.  The dog, Van, was a great addition to this book, showing how pets can by wonderful companions and give unconditional love.  The information about the giant redwood trees was interesting too and provided symbolism throughout the book.  This book even inspired me to read my little dictionary, a page a day!  This is a great read that I highly recommend and am so glad I read!
(Karen's review)

Gerard's review of Words:
This book is told by two people:  Kaylee, a 10-yr.-old girl who is abused physically, sexually, emotionally and neglected at her cabin in the woods, then abandoned by her mother who is a meth addict and Sierra, a young woman who mourns the death of her baby and finds Kaylee who she wants to help. I liked this book very much.  It's a good story and I got into it right from the start.  I highly recommend you read it too!  It's a feel good book and you will feel happy at the end.

Close Runners up for both of us were:  Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick.  If you like to read, check out our book blog at Grab a Book from Our Stack.  Click on our May Archives to see all 26 books we read in May.

(We are donating 50 cents for each legitimate comment we receive on all our blogs during June and July to The Wounded Warrior Project which helps wounded warriors and their families returning from current conflicts.)

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Our Favorite Reads For April

As usual, it was difficult to choose favorite reads for April. We read quite a few really good books this month and encourage you, if you are a reader, to check out our book blog for our other reviews at Grab a Book From Our Stack.

Gerard's review:
The one we both agreed on as definitely a favorite of the month is One and Only Ivan by Katerine Applegate:
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate tells the story of Ivan, a Silverback gorilla, and his friends: Stella, an old elephant and Bob, a stray dog. They perform three shows every day at Exit 8 Big Top Mall. When business slows, Ruby, a baby elephant, is brought on board and things change. This is a lovely story, funny for sure, and it will get and keep your interest. I think this is a book for all ages. It will touch your heart and put a smile on your face! I enjoyed it very much and the ending is so, so good!

Karen's review:
I really enjoyed The One And Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate even though it is children’s fiction. It is based on a true story about Ivan, a Silverback gorilla who was captured and put in a cage for 27 years without any contact with any other gorillas. In this book, Ivan is the narrator and his owner sells Ivan’s drawings and paintings. Ivan is quite an artist. Ivan has a stray dog named Bob who comes into his “domain” and sleeps on Ivan’s stomach. In the next cage is Stella, an elephant, who is a good storyteller but who had a hard life at a circus. When a baby elephant, Ruby, joins her, she is very protective of her and when she knows she is dying, gets Ivan to promise to protect Ruby for her. He comes up with a great plan to get Ruby moved to a zoo. This is such a cute book that has a happy ending. It is a quick read but very enjoyable! If you like animals and are looking for a heartwarming story, I recommend this one! I loved it!

Here's links to our other favorites for April:

Gerard's:
Kill Switch by Neal Baer and Jonathan Greene
Nothing to Envy--Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

Karen's:
Catch Me by Lisa Gardner (Gerard liked this one too!)
Into the Free by Julie Cantrell


(50 cents per legitimate comment during April goes to Paralyzed Veterans of America.)

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Our Favorite Reads For March (Writer's Workshop)

Both Gerard and I loved these two books:  Defending Jacob by William Landy and Home Front by Kristin Hannah. Click on the links to see our reviews.

Defending Jacob by William Landy is about a kid accused of murder and his father who is one of the investigators on the case who wants to believe in his son's innocence but has doubts when the evidence starts showing up.  In the back of his mind he can't help thinking about the other murderers in his family and wonders if it is in his genes and his son's genes.  The wife begins to wonder if her son needs psychiatric help and feels guilty, wondering if they weren't good parents.  It's a great read!

Home Front by Kristin Hannah is an enlightening book about a military family.  When Jolene's and Michael's marriage is going south, Jolene gets deployed to Iraq as a helicopter pilot.  She leaves thinking her husband doesn't love her anymore and so only writes to her two young daughters via email.  She doesn't tell them how bad things really are though because she doesn't want them worrying.  When she finally comes home, it is because she got shot down and was seriously injured.  Her husband learns to appreciate her more when she is gone and realizes he does still love her but doesn't know how to convince her.  It gives good insight into the adjustments soldiers and the families have to make, even after they get home from war.

We linked up with Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop to respond to this prompt:  Book review time! Some people STILL read books…share one of your more recent reads and tell us what you thought!

(50 cents per legitimate comment during April goes to Paralyzed Veterans of America.  Thanks to receiving 216 comments in March, we donated $108 to the American Cancer Society, giving half to Mrs. 4444 at Half-Past Kissin' Time to sponsor her difference makers and half to Lucky Lady at Country Pictures to sponsor her in the Relay For Life.)

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4 Things We Learned This Week 10 of 2012 (pets, corn, reading)

 

Friday Fragments is hosted my Half-Past Kissin' Time for bloggers to post a list of short things on their minds that aren't really enough for a whole post. We like to share what we've learned each week.

Yea, I get to eat more!

1. Vet Visit

   Had to take Manny, our cat, to the vet last Saturday and got some bad news. He's missing about half his teeth and has to go again in two weeks for x-rays to make sure roots are still not in his gums or teeth that broke off are in there, plus I have to clean his ears and feed him more because now he's underweight at 9.9 pounds. He should be around 11 or 12 pounds. Sigh.

2. Corn

   Over at Jodi's Journey I saw this video demonstrating how to get the green leaves off corn on the cob without leaving any of those strings. Looks easy enough:

3. Spunky Doodle

   This week I learned my little cat, Spunky Doodle is VERY strong AND determined. I tried setting up a barrier to keep her separated from Manny's food upstairs and she just knocked it over! I'll be doing a post about this early next week. She never ceases to amaze me!

4. Reading Speed

   At Living, Learning and Loving Life if found this cool test to tell me how fast I read. I knew I was a slow reader, but didn't think I was this slow: 192 wpm (23% slower than the national avg., about a 5th gr. level!) Gerard beat me with 195 wpm which surprised me--I thought he'd beat by more than that.
   
   Source: Staples eReader Department
(To find out things I learned from my Beth Moore Bible Study on James, check out this post: Wow, I Didn't Know That!

(50 cents per legitimate comment during March goes to The American Cancer Society by sponsoring Mrs 4444 and Lucky Lady in The Race For Life.) Share this:

Our Favorite Reads For February

Karen's:  Front and Center by Catherin Gilbert Murdock

I chose Front and Center by Catherin Gilbert Murdock as my most enjoyable read in February.  It's the last book of a series though so you might want to read the first two books, Dairy Queen and The Off Season before reading this one.  It could stand alone though, but you would miss the background.  Here's my review of it:   

Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock is a refreshing coming of age story about D.J., a high school girl who lives on a Dairy farm. This is the third book of the series and deals with D.J. starting her junior year of high school on the girls basketball team. She discovers that she is no longer in the background but rather has become popular and isn’t quite sure she likes all the attention because of all the pressure she feels to be what everyone else wants her to be. She has a new boyfriend but still longs to be with her ex-boyfriend and must decide who she really wants most. Then there’s the pressure of looking into colleges to get a college scholarship for basketball. She feels like she’d rather just play for a Division I school with less pressure but knows everyone would feel let down if she did. It has a good ending too!

I liked this whole series and especially this last book because there was quite a bit about basketball and what goes through the players’ minds as they play. D.J. is a normal, somewhat Tom boyish teen girl who tries to do what’s right. It gives good insight into the pressures that teens face but without being vulgar or depressing. I recommend this series to anyone who likes books about teens coming of age.

Gerard's:   Show Dog by Josh Dean

Show Dog by Josh Dean tells the true story of Jack, an Australian Shepard dog, that Josh follows for a year from show to show.  This is a double WOW book for me because now I know the ins and outs of a dog show.  It's an awesome read!  The writing is very good and Jack's handlers and the other dogs in the book are good too! 

If you love dogs, declaring this a "must read" is a no-brainer.  I hated to see it end, LOVED IT!

Visit Grab a Book From Our Stack to see what else we have read and recommend.

(50 cents per legitimate comment goes to Caroline's Kids Pet Rescue for February in honor of cat appreciation month!)

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Our Favorite Reads For December

Gerard's Favorite was These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

and Karen liked it too!

The first book I read on my Kindle!

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf tells the story of Allison Glen. She's a young teen girl who was her parents' pride and joy--good grades, great athlete, had it all until an unwanted pregnancy and a chain of events changed all that. She gets a chance to get back into society but her parents shun her although she keeps trying to reach out to her sister.

WOW! This book is Good! This is a page turner that I did not want to put down. I got into it from page one! I love this author's first book (The Weight of Silence) and this one is just as good, if not better! The ending is shocking!

Karen said:
This is a sad book about two sisters, adoption, guilt, infanticide and relationships. It certainly kept my interest but had a surprise ending that I didn’t expect. This shows how far teenagers will go if they feel isolated and desperate. I think “These Things Hidden” would be a good Book Club book.

Karen's Favorite was True Colors by Kristin Hannah:

What a neat novel True Colors by Kristin Hannah is! It starts off following the lives of three sisters from when their mother died while they were teens.

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9 Things We Learned This Week (blogging, movies, reading,news, gifts, sports, health)

Funniest Christmas Present

Over at Mr. Puddy Merry Christmas and Happy New Year post, he demonstrated playing with his new toy: video games for cats on his iPuddy! It's hilarious! Now even our pets will have to work at staying active and not becoming addicted to video games!

Number Pad Does More Than Just Numbers

By holding down the ALT key and typing in numbers on the number pad at the right of the computer keyboard, you can get a whole lot of different special characters, symbols and even letters! See a whole list of ASCII Code List for Numpad Characters at CHEXED. Here are a few I might use: ♥ (alt-3), § (alt-21, Section sign), ► (alt-16), ♫ (alt-14).

Kindness In the News

Last Saturday in the PLAIN DEALER I read some 'Layaway angels" people who actually paid off individual layaway accounts that were full of toys to help out families they didn't even know. I thought that was so wonderful!

One guy at the Walmart in Cleveland Heights paid off $1,000 layaway account and bought $1,000 worth of $50 gift cards, gave them to his school age children to hand them out randomly to customers throughout the store! I love it! What a generous and wonderful thing to do and to allow the children to experience the joy of giving as well! As if that wasn't enough, the guy came back and paid off $1,700 of the store's layaway accounts.

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Our Favorite Reads for November: Mudbound and Roam

Karen's favorite book she read this month was Mudbound by Hillary Jordan (Gerard liked it too!):

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan is a book that drew me into the characters.  It is historical fiction during 1946 about a black and a white man coming home from war to Mississippi to help their families on the farm.  I had no idea what this book was about from the title, but “Mudbound” is the name of the farm Henry bought out of the blue without even consulting his wife, Laura.  She is the one who named the farm because she felt trapped there.  Through great story telling by all the characters, the reader discovers the tragic story behind Pappy’s death.

Although I did not like the offensive language, it was a part of history and was used appropriately in conveying the unfairness the Blacks faced every day.  Mudbound is very well written and had lots of good passages in it.  I had a hard time choosing a teaser!  I enjoyed this book very much and highly recommend it if you like books with some depth that cause you to really take an interest in the characters.  I agree with Gerard that it would make a good movie.

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