So should I...?

So my daughter can't put the new Jaycee Dugard: A Stolen Life book down. She describes it as unbearably heartbreaking and scary at the same time. Hope this isn't a spoiler but Jaycee is tasered and then kidnapped and the rest is like a nightmare from hell. I was actually questioning my parental skills. Does a responsible parent let a 13 year-old read such a frightening book? I think the answer is, "Yes." Today's books and YA lit are so deep and realistic, the Judy Blume days are far behind us and kids want to know what's going on out there? How can they protect themselves and are there really people out there who feel like I do? I'm one of those annoying people who say, "As long as they're reading I'm okay with it.." Now I'm trying to decide if I have the nerve to even pick the book up myself. My daughter was crying, she was so moved by Jaycee's story, but as a mom....I'm flashing back to my experience reading Angela's Ashes.

13 Reasons Why I Loved This Book

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher actually rocked! I'm an adult, so what gives? This book is about a subject that touches people all of the time. The subject is suicide. Now you may say, "I don't want to read a book about suicide, it's depressing, it's about teens, this doesn't concern me, not in my house...." However, with the state of technology you can believe that it's a subject which should be addressed and Jay Asher does it in a way we can all relate to. Without spoiling the story, I will just say the protagonist Clay receives a mysterious package of tapes. Naturally, he is curious and is devastated to hear the voice of his classmate, Hannah, who has taken her own life. Through a series of maps and stories Clay is forced to piece together his role in her death. Here are my 13 reasons why I loved this book:
1. I couldn't put it down, it functioned like a mystery that needed to unfold.
2. Clay was such a gentle character, I actually felt his pain.
3. The eloquence of Hannah to admit the truth.
4. How brave and yet cowardly Hannah actually was.
5. I could understand how easy it is for a person to sink to that level in this day and age.
6. Bullying is a strong overtone and it's important it today's society.
7. Happiness is not about looks or money in a teens life.
8. It will make an amazing movie (if cast correctly...unlike the Hunger Games)
9. Teens and adults alike cannot put this book down, it's a great read for moms and daughters.
10.The book is not overpoweringly long, so a non-reader will be successful.
11.A great first novel.
12.My daughter actually seemed interested.

13. A novel which moves away from the vampire genre. LOL

Latest read-Birthmarked by Caragh M. O'Brien

I'm probably way behind the times compared to some of the other ladies who blog, but they are just so darn inspirational I had to start my own blog and teach others how to do so. As usual, I take my desires and turn them into things I expect other teachers to teach...well, like blogging. Just wait til I get my hands on that journalism class! Anyway, I'm only about 40 pages into Birthmarked and honestly it's tough to put down. Imagine...you're born at a time when the first three babies born within a month must be "advanced" to the Enclave. Holy Handsmaid's Tail, this is serious and when Gaia (think Gia), a midwife apprentice to her mother is forced take her mother's place after her mother is arrested for "reasons unknown," we are thrown into a mystery. What is the Enclave? Is it really the place where dreams come true, or a mere facade? Since I've just started I can't answer too many questions but I highly suggest you get it from the library, download it to your Nook or just treat yourself to a good old fashioned soft cover.

What the heck is this blog about?

This is an experiment in Blogdom. Think the Twilight Zone meets YA obsessed reader/teacher/wife/mom of 5 and you get a blog, which discusses everything from the latest book I'm obsessed with to the most relevant movies and shows I can't stop watching.