Still Hungry....

Does this symbol mean anything to anybody?

Well, you know from my post last week, that I'm officially a junkie for The Hunger Games. After I finished the last one during Thanksgiving break, I marched (read: drove) right down to Barnes and Noble and picked up the last two books in the trilogy. 

I've been working my way through the second book, Catching Fire, this week. It was kind of like the first- it started slow. But unlike the first, which was (to a certain degree) predictable, it's not at all been what I've expected. I'm about half way through it and it's gotten really, really good. Lots of twists and turns and moments that leave me with my jaw hanging or squealing out loud in surprise, frustration, and giddy excitement.


Katniss is at it again, and (without ruining the first book for those who haven't read it) it's filled with drama, intrigue, conspiracy, anarchy, and, of course, a love triangle. Who doesn't love a good love triangle? (I'm rooting for Peeta!)

So I'm going to keep this post short and get back to reading. Now that it's gotten so good, I'll be lucky if I get to bed at a decent hour (which is about right now....) Nite!

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Ode To Books

Ah, my friends. 

When I was facing the task of deciding my major in college, I was terrified of the idea of majoring in English Literature. It seemed so daunting and brainy. But looking back now, I realize it was meant to be. I grew up in a home full of readers- my dad, who reads the encyclopedia for fun, and my mom, who to this day can't enjoy a good tv show unless she's reading a book at the same time. 


My love of books has taken me lots of places. As you know, I have a problem with not wanting to finish books. At this moment, I have 12 books sitting on my nightstand. Most of them are about 3/4 finished and then set aside so that the end never has to come. The possibilities still exist.


When the girls and I moved in together this summer, we christened our back room the Library- it's so fun to have a library in your house. My class library has grown into quite a collection, and I can't help but keep adding to it, even though I have more than enough books. 

I'm also a huge fan of public libraries. My favorite thing about public libraries is borrowing audio books. ( P.S.- Have you seen these yet? They're awesome!) It's such a great way to pass the time while driving. I've passed many a road trip and countless rush hours listening to audio books. 

Children's and young adult literature is without a doubt my passion. Narnia, Peter Pan, The Hobbit, Alice in Wonderland, the classics never go out of style. And they're so much more exciting than boring old grown up books. 

So tell me your favorite book. What do you love? What's your favorite genre? What book changed your life?

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Hungry Yet?

Last week at the beginning of spin class, our instructor mentioned she had just finished reading a series called The Hunger Games. I had vaguely heard of them, but she said they were great.

So when I saw them on sale at our school’s book fair this week, I knew that 8 dollars and 99 cents of my gift cards (thanks you to my students!) was going to go to the first book in the series.

Description from Amazon:In a not-too-distant future, the United States of America has collapsed, weakened by drought, fire, famine, and war, to be replaced by Panem, a country divided into the Capitol and 12 districts. Each year, two young representatives from each district are selected by lottery to participate in The Hunger Games. Part entertainment, part brutal intimidation of the subjugated districts, the televised games are broadcasted throughout Panem as the 24 participants are forced to eliminate their competitors, literally, with all citizens required to watch. When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as the mining district's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart, Peeta, the son of the town baker who seems to have all the fighting skills of a lump of bread dough, will be pitted against bigger, stronger representatives who have trained for this their whole life.

One of my goals over the break is to do lots of reading, and I think reading almost 2/3 of the book in one sitting counts. It started a little slow, but it’s turned into a real page turner.

So after about 4 hours of reading tonight, I forced myself to put it down when I got to Part 3. I usually have a bad habit of reading about 8 books at once, which mostly stems from not wanting good books end. I would be so sad if I had this great book and didn’t get to savor it for a few days. I want to make it last. But at the same time, I have to know what happens next, so I have to keep reading!

In any respect, I think I can at least make it last until tomorrow, as long as I force myself to go to bed right after I finish this post. To be fair, the book won’t be changing the world any time soon, but it is a great page turner and quick read for the holiday break!

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Here Comes Harry

Oh. Yeah.

Get excited.

The beginning of the end is here. Tonight, at 12:03, I will be sitting in a theater and watching J. K. Rowling’s last, amazing book come to life.

I’m pumped. With previous movies and in times when the books were still being written, I would count down the days any time a movie came out. I was a frequenter of mugglenet.com and listened to their weekly blog. (Yes, I’m a nerd.) The number of road trips to San Antonio I passed listening to the audio books can’t even be counted. The first reading of books 1-4 in my dorm room with the first movie soundtrack playing in the background made me fall in love with the series. The times I spent with my first year class playing Harry Potter trivia are some of my favorite memories as a teacher. The midnight release of the fifth book, which was the first book that came out when I got into the series, hanging out with my brother at Border’s brings back some good times.

The third and fifth books were always my favorite, but when the seventh came out, it definitely took the cake. (I’m so glad they’re doing the movies of book 7 in two parts!) It’s so well written and such a great conclusion to the series. Jo couldn’t have done it better.

That being said, I take the movies with a grain of salt. The first two were great (Chris Columbus should have done them all!), but the third, which was at the time my favorite book, was such a disappointment. Since then I think I’ve only seen the fourth, fifth and sixth at midnight the day they came out. I don’t remember seeing them more than once. I always want them to be an exact visual of the books, but the always end up being a director’s interpretation of the books.

But it’s always fun to see the movies and relive the Harry Potter experience. This one sort of snuck up on me, to be honest. I’ve got about an hour til I go to the theater and hang out with all the other fans and wait in line for prime seats. And then it’s just a hop, skip and a jump until next summer and the whole series ends and it’s all over. At least until the next time you pick up a book….

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