There is more treasure in books than in all the pirate's loot on Treasure Island. ~ Walt Disney ~

First a quick follow up to my last post. Operation body clock reset has been at least partially successful. I got up around 10:30 am on Monday and stayed up all through Monday night. I was planning to meet a friend to do some crafts on Tuesday so I knew that I would be busy and it would be easier to stay awake all day if someone else was there. Thanks Vicki for keeping me occupied and awake. I made it until 9:00pm and then went to bed and fell asleep immediately. I did wake up for a couple of hours at around 2:00am but then went back to sleep until around 9:00. I felt better than I had in months and had a pretty productive day on Wednesday. I was in bed before midnight and only read for a little while. On Thursday morning I woke up around 8:30 and reached over to my nightstand  and grabbed my book for a few minutes of reading before I got out of bed. 

I had just started The Hunger Games the night before and only read a few pages before falling asleep. Upon picking it up again in the morning I was sucked in. I spent the day reading then forcing myself to put it down and get something else done only to come back to it again and again. I finally finished the book at around 5:00am (so much for that reset) but it was worth it.

  

"Outside a dog, a book is man's best friend.

Inside a dog, it's too dark to read.~Groucho Marx

 This is my nightstand.

Can you tell that I love books and reading?  Since I have been unemployed it has been my books and my crafts that have kept me sane. I love to escape to another world where I can be magical, supernatural, or explore another time and place. Books let me live out dreams that I could never have imagined on my own. They teach valuable lessons on life, relationships, history, and what is possible if only you have the determination and courage to follow your dreams.

I recently subbed in a third, fourth and firth grade classroom where I took in a creative project. We made book marks using famous quotes about books and reading. I am including a few of my favorites in this post.

"I often feel sorry for people who don't read good books; they are missing a chance to lead an extra life." ~ Scott Corbett ~

A closer look at the books currently on my nightstand. 

 

Here is a list of some of my recent favorites and what I thought about them just in case you're a bookaholic too.


1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins - I loved this book but I will be the first to say it is probably not for everyone. It is about a future world where a controlling Capitol requires teens from 12 districts to fight to the death in a yearly televised game. It is captivating and I could not put it down. There are some great lessons to be learned here but you have to be in the right state of mind for it and I would not recommend it for anyone under 13. 
2. Water For Elephants by Sarah Gruen -This was a great story that I have had on my bookshelf for over a year and never gotten to. It is a about a traveling circus in the 1930s. The characters are memorable and the story is a little taste of history with some adventure mixed in. 

There is no friend as loyal as a book. ~Ernest Hemingway

3. The Time Traveler's Wife - by Audrey Niffenegger - I had read this one when it first came out a few years ago and enjoyed it. Then I saw the movie and couldn't remember how it differed from the book but I knew it did. I picked this up again and liked it even better the second time around. After seeing the movie some of the time lines were easier to follow and the story made more sense.
4. The Help by Kathryn Stockett - This is a wonderful story about a time not so long ago. It gave great insight into the lives of the black maids and "help" in the 1950's. I have a much better understanding of what was going on in the south during that time and an even greater appreciation for all the progress we have made since then. I am so happy I live in a time when I do not have to choose my friends based on the color of their skin.

So please, oh PLEASE, we beg, we pray, Go throw your TV set away, And in its place you can install, a lovely bookshelf on the wall. ~Roald Dahl

5. The Alchemyst, The Magician, The Sorcerer and The Necromancer by Michael Scott- If you like Harry Potter then you should pick up this series. It is about the immortal Nicholas Flamel who is mentioned in the first harry Potter book as the creator of the sorcerer's stone. Nicholas Flamel was a real person and he and his wife Pernelle lived in England. Their home still stands as one of the oldest in London and now houses a restaurant. What I love about this series is the extensive research Michael Scott has done to create this series. Only the main characters Sophie and Josh Newman are fictional. All the other characters are real historical or mythological figures. The stories are fast paced and exciting and left me wanting to find out more about history and mythology.
6. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K Rowling - What can I say about this one. Anyone who knows me knows that I am a Harry Potter freak. This one is my favorite of the series by far. I have read it at least five times so far and will probably read it again before the movie comes out in November.


 "Any book that helps a child to form a habit of reading, to make reading one of his deep and continuing needs, is good for him."   ~ Maya Angelou~
 
7. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert- I read this one because of all of the hype. Everyone said it was great. I liked it but can't say it was one of my favorites. I loved the eat part in Italy, struggled with India's pray portion and ended up enjoying Bali and the love sound there.
8. Three Cups of Tea and Stones Into Schools by Greg Mortensen - These books were real eye openers, great examples of how one person can make a difference.
9. Sookie Stackhouse Series by Charlaine Harris - This series is the one that HBO show True Blood is based on. While I have only watched a couple of episodes I found it much to risque for my tastes. The books are much more PG-13. Vampires, werewolves and fairies..oh my!  

Life happened because I turned the pages. ~ Alberto Manguel 

~

10. The Percy and The Olympians Series by Rick Riordan - Another great young adult series. Lots of Greek mythology, suspense and action. The books are WAY better than the movie.
11. Twilight Series by Stephenie Meyer- Since I am a Mormon and Stephenie Meyer is a Mormon author I was reading these books long before they weer so popular. I have read the entire series multiple times. Team Edward...nuff said!
12. The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks - I enjoy Nicholas Sparks books but I know I need to be ready to cry when I pick one up. This one was no exception. I finished this one literally within minutes of meeting a friend to see the movie. What was interesting was that at the end of the book the author explains how the story came about. It was actually written for Myley Cyrus who wanted a story similar to A Walk to Remember. He actually wrote the screenplay first and went back and wrote the book later. I found this very interesting when comparing the two. I almost always like the book better but in this case there were parts of both the book and the movie that I loved.  


I could keep going but this is enough for one post. Leave me a comment and tell me what you've been reading.

The more you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.~Dr. Seuss