Fannie Flagg

So I have been in a bit of a reading slump lately. I'm not sure if it has been moving or what, but no book has been grabbing me and saying "READ ME" like they usually do. I have become the queen of starting a book and getting tired of it and not having that need to find out what happens.  So last week I was super excited to start reading Fannie Flagg's new book. Like all of her books this was a great read. I couldn't put it down and was amazed that all of this happened during WWII and have never heard a word about it. Her books just make me so happy and I love her characters because they always stay with me.

The Day the Crayons Quit

I know this book has been getting a lot of buzz this summer so I have to admit I bought it without actually reading the whole thing. I seriously trust my fellow teachers on Twitter and with good reason, they talk about amazing books, this being NO exception.

This will be one of those books my class and I refer to the rest of the year. I loved getting to read each page using a different voice. This is such a cute, amazing story that every teacher and student can relate to.  This is not only a must read for all teachers but it is a must own!!!!

The Husband's Secret

I just finished read The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty. At first I was so so with the book and about half way through the book I was thinking about putting it down. I just couldn't see how the story was going to hold my interest much longer. I am SOOOOOO happy I kept with this book. Just when I was about to give up questions started to be answered and more questions were forming. Soon I couldn't put this book down. This book was great though the last sentence.

This would be a great book club book because of all of the what would I do in that situation questions. Even now these questions are going through my mind and I have no idea what I would do in Cecilia, Rachel or Tess' positions. This is a great book to have a conversation about!!!

I loved this book and highly recommend it!!

Fin & Lady

Last night I finished Fin & Lady by Cathleen Schine. At first I found this book heartbreaking with all of the loss that Fin was suffering through. When reading about Lady all I could think about was Penny Lane (Almost Famous). As the book went on I loved the relationship between Fin and Lady and how Fin grew. I really liked how this book took place in the sixties and Cathleen brought in so many pop culture references. The end of the book was amazing. I love when authors take their books one step farther and tell us where the characters are now! This is a great beach read, it's super fast and I found it hard to put down because I wanted to know what was happening!!

The Silver Star

So we just got back from our amazing vacation to Colorado and although we were crazy busy riding horses, catching fish, eating and basically just enjoying the amazing views I still still had my kindle with me everywhere we went, even to the top of the mountain! I was reading The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls and I could NOT put it down. Her love her beautiful writing and the story was so awesome. I LOve to sleep on an airplane but last night I couldn't close my eyes because I had to know what was going to happen. I loved the characters and the changes they made throughout the story. This is a great summer read!!!

If you have never read Jeannette Walls you should read her memoir, The Glass Castle. Her life story is amazing!

Blubber

I just finished reading Blubber by my favorite Judy Blume. I have never even heard of this book until today when I saw Judy Blume on Windy City Live (thanks for the text Krissy). I CANNOT believe I don't hear about this book all of the time as a teacher. This is an amazing book about bullies and about mean girls. All girls in grades 5-7 (because of the language) should read this book!!!! The message is amazing and the storyline is something everyone should be talking about. Once again Judy Blume will be changing lives. Please pass on this book and start this conversation...I think the book might start better conversations than the new celebrity campaign (I'm just saying).

Swim The Fly

OMG if you are looking for a super funny book to read this summer you should join the trend of reading young adult books and read Swim The Fly by Don Calame. This book was so funny there were several times while I was reading this book that I had to stop because I couldn't see the words through my tears of laughter.

Summary taken from goodreads:

Fifteen-year-old Matt Gratton and his two best friends, Coop and Sean, always set themselves a summertime goal. This year's? To see a real-live naked girl for the first time — quite a challenge, given that none of the guys has the nerve to even ask a girl out on a date. But catching a girl in the buff starts to look easy compared to Matt's other summertime aspiration: to swim the 100-yard butterfly (the hardest stroke known to God or man) as a way to impress Kelly West, the sizzling new star of the swim team. In the spirit of Hollywood’s blockbuster comedies, screenwriter-turned-YA-novelist Don Calame unleashes a true ode to the adolescent male: characters who are side-splittingly funny, sometimes crude, yet always full of heart.