The Best Reader [Search results for 10 facts] 

From Amazon.com...

"Claire Prescott is a sensible woman who believes in facts and figures, not fairy tales. But when she agrees to present a paper to a summer symposium at Oxford on her ailing sister's behalf, Claire finds herself thrown into an adventure with a gaggle of Jane Austen-loving women all on the lookout for their Mr. Darcy. Claire isn't looking for Mr. Anyone. She's been dating Neil — a nice if a bit negligent — sports fanatic. But when a tall, dark and dashing stranger crosses her path, will the staid Claire suddenly discover her inner romantic heroine? Her chance meeting with a mysterious woman who claims to have an early version of Austen's Pride and Prejudice — in which Lizzie ends up with someone other than Fitzwilliam Darcy — leads to an astounding discovery about the venerated author's own struggle to find the right hero for Lizzie Bennett. Neil's unexpected arrival in Oxford complicates Claire's journey to finding her own romantic lead."

Ironically, almost a year ago I read Beth Pattillo's "Jane Austen Ruined My Life " as part of the Everything Austen Challenge (Part I).

This will be a weird review (I'm just warning you). Throughout reading this novel and after finishing it, I didn't really like it. I wasn't captivated like I was for "Jane Austen Ruined My Life." But now that I've had a thirty minutes to think about it, I'm second guessing that first impression (again, ironically).

The more I think about it the more I appreciate the ending (which at first I hated). I found myself just as torn between the two "hero" figures as Claire. But in the end, I was happy with how it turned out and couldn't help but "smile out loud." I liked the turn of events against Mr. Darcy because they addressed concepts of the "Pride and Prejudice" plot that I often question.

I really appreciated that this novel gave readers a more realistic ending. Don't get me wrong, I love my Mr. Darcy. But I think that because he's so iconic, young women get in a rut of "waiting" for that perfect brooding man. In fiction, the tall, dark, handsome, and brooding character is fantastic, in reality (I think) it sets women up for heartbreak. Sometimes I think in fiction the nice guy just needs to come in first to prove to bibliophiles like myself that you don't have to wait for the man who treats you poorly (at first). Many times the man who is loves you from the beginning is just as much a hero as the man whose pride and prejudices get in the way.

Just my two cents anyway.

I really enjoyed reading the fictional pages of "First Impressions" that Pattillo created. At first I was a bit taken aback by the extreme differences between "First Impressions" and the present day "Pride and Prejudice." But again, in the end I came to really love the presumed ending of "First Impressions." (Sorry for all the secrecy, I don't want to give anything away.)

I wasn't as enveloped into the plot of this novel as the "Jane Austen Ruined My Life." I didn't have as easy of time connecting with Claire as I did with the protagonist of the prior novel. A quick, fast paced read, I would recommend "Mr. Darcy Broke My Heart" as well as "Jane Austen Ruined My Life" to any Austen/Mr. Darcy fan.

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 7/10
Plot: 10/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 7/10
Theme: 10/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 10/10
Overall: 94/100 A

To the FTC, with love: Library Loan

"I've never read a book like Losing Faith or a plot even nearly similar. Very suspenseful and full of mystery, I found I couldn't put this book down. " — Miss Remmers

From Amazon.com...

"A terrible secret. A terrible fate.

When Brie's sister, Faith, dies suddenly, Brie's world falls apart. As she goes through the bizarre and devastating process of mourning the sister she never understood and barely even liked, everything in her life seems to spiral farther and farther off course. Her parents are a mess, her friends don’t know how to treat her, and her perfect boyfriend suddenly seems anything but.

As Brie settles into her new normal, she encounters more questions than closure: Certain facts about the way Faith died just don't line up. Brie soon uncovers a dark and twisted secret about Faith’s final night... a secret that puts her own life in danger."

Why I read this: I met Denise at BEA in May and found out about "Losing Faith." Not only was Denise extremely friendly and supportive of bloggers (and educators), the premise of "Losing Faith" really captivated my interests.

Plot: I've never read a book like "Losing Faith" or a plot even nearly similar. Very suspenseful and full of mystery, I found I couldn't put this book down. I took it with me to the first Varsity/JV football scrimmage to read before it got started; an hour later I realized that the scrimmage was almost over.

Characters: Brie and her parents were so real in their mourning and grief, it was almost scary. I really felt for Brie having to deal with grief, two parents who were pushing her away, a poor best friend, an even poorer boyfriend, and the mystery of the events surrounding her sister's death. That's a lot for one teenage girl to handle. I struggled with the character of Tessa; I had a hard time keeping up with her mood swings. Alis — what a sweetheart!!!

Cover: Beautiful and intriguing cover.

Random Thoughts: This is a great book with a "normal" story that I will buy for my classroom. So many YA novels currently deal with vampires, werewolves, pixies, witches, wizards, etc, it's refreshing to read something more realistic.

Final Thoughts: A fantastic read, it's worth the hype! I'll definitely be purchasing this book for my classroom.

Originality: 10/10
Ending: 10/10
Characters: 8/10
Plot: 9/10
My reaction/enjoyment: 8/10
Theme: 9/10
Imagery: 10/10
Setting: 5/5
Voice: 5/5
Style: 5/5
Tone: 5/5
Cover: 9/10
Overall: 93/100 A

This book will be released on September 7th, 2010

To the FTC, with love: Received from the author

I'm thrilled to have Ivy Devlin on my blog today. Ivy is the author of Low Red Moon which was released September 14h (Yesterday!). I've heard it is a beautiful book in person and I can't wait to see it for myself!
Ten Random Things About Me- Ivy
1. I love Ruffles potato chips
2. I hate to exercise but do it because of--well, see 1.
3. I love the smell of the forest
4. I can't write in cursive
5. I'm the world's slowest texter. My parents are better at it than I am!
6. But yet I can type over 100 words a minute. Go figure!
7. I remember life before the Internet, but don't know how I got through it!
8. I can't wait to see Low Red Moon in stores--I think it will finally be"real" to me then!
9. I failed my driver's license test three times.
10. I never thought I'd get published!

Thanks for stopping by my blog today Ivy!
Check out my review of LOW RED MOON. Don't forget to sign up to win an ARC of LOW RED MOON too.
Contest ends September 29th.

Low Red Moon by Ivy Devlin Publisher: Bloomsbury (September 14th, 2010) Reading Level: Young Adult Hardcover: 256 pages
Avery Hood is reeling from the loss of her parents--and the fact that she can't remember what happened to them even though she was there.

She's struggling to adjust to life without them, and to living with her grandmother, when she meets Ben, who isn't like any guy she's ever met before.

It turns out there's a reason why, and Ben's secret may hold the key to Avery finding out what happened to her parents…

But what if that secret changes everything she knows about--and feels for--Ben?

Find Ivy Devlin Ivy Devlin / Goodreads / Twitter

Purchase Low Red Moon Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

Book Trailer

I'm pleased to have the lovely Judith Graves on my blog again today. This time she is going to share something very important with us. And that is how to tell if you are a werewolf because ya never know! It could happen! So in case you worry you may be a werewolf, or that you may turn into one in the future, take this list and keep it with you!
Ten ways to know you're a werewolf

1. You can’t help giving love bites. There’s no denying the urge to make your mark.
2. You heat up a room just by being in it. That’s right, you’re hot, in so many ways.
3. You try to go vegetarian, but in a few days it’s back to meat lover’s pizza.
4. Fur coats greatly offend you.
5. You are often restless.
6. Chuck Norris has nothing on your competitiveness.
7. You have a loyal pack of friends but there are times you prefer to be alone.
8. When you feel the most vulnerable, you attack.
9. You aren’t always comfortable in your skin.
10. You’re style is simple: jeans and no shirt. (If you’re a guy… lol… )

Do you have a reason to worry? How many of these characteristics do you already have?: )

Under My Skin by Judith Graves Publisher: Leap Books (March 27th, 2010) Reading Level: Young Adult Paperback: 328 pages Series: Skinned, book #1 All her parents wanted was for Eryn to live a normal life…

Redgrave had its share of monsters before Eryn moved to town. Mauled pets, missing children. The Delacroix family is taking the blame, but Eryn knows the truth. Something stalks the night. Wade, the police chief's son and Redgrave High's resident hottie, warns her the Delacroix are dangerous. But then so is Eryn--in fact, she's lethal.

But she can't help falling for one of the Delacroix boys, dark, brooding--human Alec. And then her world falls apart.

A normal life? Now that's the real fairytale.

Second Skin
- book 2 in the Skinned series -
will be out sometime in 2011.

Find Judith Graves Judith Graves / Goodreads / Twitter
Purchase Under My Skin Amazon / Barnes & Noble / The Book Depository

Book Trailer

Continuing today's unofficial theme, here is another holiday article from the author of "I Used to Know That," which I will be reading/reviewing in the very near future. Thanks to Caitlin from FSB Associates for providing me with this article.

12 Days and 12 Facts for This Holiday Season — Caroline Taggart Author of I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School

Ever catch yourself saying I Used to Know That?

Each holiday season brings another round of cocktail parties, family get-togethers, and corporate gatherings — and invariably, lots of small talk. It's easy to feel overwhelmed when discussing politics, literature, and other intellectual "stuff," especially when what is thought to be general knowledge is often long-forgotten. Enter I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School. From English and Literature to Math and Science, from History and Geography to Religion and Other-Worldly Topics, this book leaves you equipped to handle any topic of conversation.

Here we've cherry-picked twelve fun facts for the holiday season — one for every day of Christmas (or whatever holiday you prefer!) Quiz yourself to see how much "stuff" you need to brush up on before hobnobbing with the boss or office crush.

1. On building sentences: Just what is a "clause"? (Not to be confused with Santa Claus.)

Answer: A clause contains a subject and a verb and may stand alone as a sentence or as part of a sentence (when it is often called a subordinate clause): Santa Claus loves cookies but can't eat them without milk.

2. How many bones is the spine made up of?

Answer: 26 small bones called vertebrae (Be careful lifting all those heavy holiday boxes.)

3. Acclaimed author Charles Dickens (1812-70) wrote which Christmas classic?

Answer: A Christmas Carol. The miserly Ebenezer Scrooge tries to ignore Christmas and is haunted by the ghost of his former partner, Marley, and by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come, who show him the error of his ways.

4. The fist chapter of this famous book opens with "Call me Ishmael." Name the book and author. (Hint: it makes a whale of a gift!)

Answer: Moby Dick by Herman Melville. Melville is also the author of Pierre and the unfinished Billy Budd.

5. There's a name for the process of watering your Christmas tree? Who knew?

Answer: Grab the kids and give them this science factoid as they nurture the family tree: Osmosis is a form of diffusion that is specific to the movement of water. Water moves through a selectively permeable membrane (that is, one that lets some types of molecules through but not others) from a place where there is a higher concentration of water to one where it is lower.

6. Can you name all 6 wives of Henry VIII, father of the Church of England?

Answer: (Listed in order) Catherine, Anne, Jane, Anne, Catherine, Catherine. They are often remembered as divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Sure makes you think twice when complaining about bad relatives.

7. Who was the 7th President of the United States?

Answer: Abraham Lincoln (R, 1861-65) and yes — he really was born in a log cabin on a winter's day. Notably famous for many reasons including his Gettysburg Address: "Four Score and Seven Years ago our fathers brought fourth upon this continent a new nation conceived in Liberty... "

8. 'Tis the season to be jolly giving! Don’t forget to tip well this season — etiquette coaches will tell you that means no less than 18%. So just how much should you tip on a bill of $50?

Answer: Percent means by a hundred, so anything expressed as a percentage is a fraction (or part, if you prefer) of 100. So 18% is 18 parts of 100, or 18/100 or. 18. If your bill is $50, multiply 50 by. 18 to get your tip total of $9. If you're feeling generous, a 20% tip would require you to multiply 50 by. 20, for a total of $10.00

50.00 x. 18 = 9.00

50.00 x. 20 = 10.00

Percentages can also be holiday-relevant when it comes to figuring out in-store sales. In this case, you want to multiply by the inverse of the percentage listed. So if you have a $50 sweater that's on sale for 25% off, multiply 50 by. 75 for your total of $37.50. That same $50 sweater on sale for 40% off would equate to $30, or $50 multiplied by. 60.

50.00 x. 75 = 37.50

50.00 x. 60 = 30.00

9. Brr, it's cold outside. But just how cold does it have to be to get some snow around here?

Answer: Did you know that the freezing point of water is 32 degrees Fahrenheit? Keep an eye on the temperature and watch your footing for ice on the ground. (See previous fact about those treasured vertebrae!)

10. Everyone knows Santa and his elves live in the North Pole. But what about the South Pole (aka Antarctica)?

Answer: The South Pole was discovered by Roald Amundsen (1872-1928, Norwegian), who was also the first to sail though the Northwest passage, the sea route from Pacific to Atlantic along the north coast of North America. Antarctica is the only continent that contains no countries — instead, it is a stateless territory protected from exploitation by an international treaty. A good place for the elves to protest low wages?

11. Which Ocean is bigger: the Pacific or the Atlantic?

Answer: The Pacific Ocean is larger at 69,374 square miles — that's almost double the Atlantic, which comes in at 35,665 square miles. Making it evenmore astonishing that St. Nick can cross the globe in just one night.

12. Remember the reason for the Season! Can you name a few things that both Judaism and Christianity have in common?

Answer: Both are monotheistic religions that share the first five books of the Christian Old Testament. Both religions view Jerusalem as a sacred site, the former for the Wailing Wall (contains the remains of the temple that was thought to be the place where God resides on earth) and the latter for Christ's burial and resurrection site.

Happy Holidays to all!

©2009 Caroline Taggart, author of I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School

Author Bio Caroline Taggart, author of I Used to Know That: Stuff You Forgot From School, has been an editor of non-fiction books for nearly 30 years and has covered nearly every subject from natural history and business to gardening and astronomy. She has written several books and was the editor of Writer's Market UK 2009.

At the beginning of the month I received a very sweet email from Laura, from Reading and Rooibos (it was so sweet, I thought I'd share it): "I'd like to pass on the Fabulous Sugar Doll Blogger award to you! Check out my latest post for more details: http://readingandrooibos.wordpress.com/2010/02/02/blogger-awards-kreativ-fabulous-sugar-doll/ You were one of the first people I interacted with as a result of Bloggiesta and your kindness was very much appreciated. I've really enjoyed reading your posts and look forward to future reviews! Rampant has been calling to me ever since I read your post." The Fabulous Sugar Doll Award calls for the recipients to, along with passing the award on, provide ten fun facts. So... here you go.
1. This month I purchased my own domain name and I'm so excited about it (www.googlereview.com) 2. I also purchased my first every BUSINESS cards... 3. mostly to be used at Book Expo America (May 2010)! 4. But also for future job interviews (which will begin very soon). 5. I am currently in a wheel chair. I am doing an investigative report on how inaccessible campus is to students with disabilities. I have been in a wheel chair for an entire week (it's a lot harder than I thought it would be) 6. I begin student teaching on March 1st, only a couple weeks away 7. I want to adopt (not right now, but in a few years) 8. I'm a severely Type A personality — I color code and plan everything. But I like to be flexible too. 9. I spent Valentines Day with a great guy skiing in the Black Hills. 10. Hmmm... I feel like I've let people down as my fun facts are less fun and more fact. So I'll make this one interesting. I have a problem. I love movies. As a youth when I was making at least a $100 a week working as a waitress, I would buy a movie every Tuesday. I have eleven boxes of DVDs.
I'd like to pass this award onto:

• Esme
• Meg
• Beth
• Fiona

A few weeks ago I was asked by Danielle at There's a Book to participate in Share a Story, Shape a Future about technology in my classroom. Despite being addicted to technology at home, I am not able to use loads of technology in my classroom.

Unlike all the pictures in newspapers and magazines would have you believe, not every student at school has a computer. I teach at a AA school (in South Dakota AA is as big as it gets) that is growing at a fast rate. But our school only has ONE computer lab that all of the High School teachers compete for. In my six prep period day five of those preps (or classes I teach) are English 9. And while it would be possible to have each class do something different, it would be a lot more work on my part to remember what I told each class the day before and where each class was. The point of that brief explanation is that it is near impossible for me to find a day that all five of my English 9 classes could get into the computer lab.

An example of how hard it is to get into the lab: A colleague of mine who was trying to plan for her maternity leave substitute last October was unable schedule a lab day for March. And with the supposed 10% Education Cut that the South Dakota Legislature is considering (and voting on this week) there is no way to even ask about getting more computers. This is a fantastic school district with supportive parents and the over all community; you wouldn't know that we are lacking in technology by looking at us.

So do we do a lot of writing? Sadly, no. Do we do a lot of research? Sadly, no. Oh yes, I could have my students write out three pages of content but the fact of the matter is I would never be able to read it. So what do we do in my classroom? We spend a lot of time reading. Reading doesn't require computers and we have an abundance of books in our School/Public library (which I love! It's open until 8 every day except Sunday!). To bring in technology I did have students write reviews of both of their required reads for each quarter on Shelfari. Unfortunately, the students hated it! Surprisingly, the students hate when I try to bring technology into my classroom. I pushed back until Shelfari and Amazon teamed up and I had several parents calling me about their concerns; so I gave in and said they didn't have to do it.

I created a Facebook page for my class and told them that I'd update it every day with reminders of homework and tests and even offer extra credit for answering a question (content related) on FB. I thought it would be a great resource (that's what all the books and sites say) for students to "like" the page and then have the updates posted to their News Feed. I know they all have Facebook on their phones and check it a million times a day. Did it work? No! I have 5 "likes"!

Granted, I have freshmen. A colleague of mine who has an iPad uses it on a daily basis with his juniors and now he has three juniors who went out and bought one. He has since put all of his text into PDF format and are available for download. I am so jealous! If I did that my students would look at me like, "Really, Miss Remmers. You're a nerd." I have no problem being a nerd, but I don't have the time to integrate all this technology into my lessons if the students refuse to utilize it.

I do have a Smart Board and I love it. But I've never been trained properly on how to use it. Right now, it's basically a glorified projection screen. What a waste of resources. Now granted, I'm trying to learn something new everyday — but I feel like there is so much that this board is capable of and I'm not even tipping the surface!

Basically, technology is lacking my classroom for two reasons: time and money. With our standardized tests scores lower than normal teachers are expected to accomplish much more. I have attended three different workshops (all taking me out of the classroom and thus having to prepare for a sub which is extremely tedious), our school has dropped DEAR and have implemented TEAM (Together Everyone Achieves More) where everyone in the whole school reads the same book before lunch in different classes. The English Department is in charge of finding the book, reading the book before hand, creating power points for teachers to use in the classroom relating to the content. I am in full support of this change, but the fact of the matter is that it's become a whole other class that I have to prepare for. And, the lessons I create for the book that the whole school is reading need to be applicable for 9-12th graders. It's a lot of work on top of looking at our study guide and test questions to "Bloom" them up to challenge the students more and add rigor into the classroom. Plus, you know, teachers have lives too.

Then the money part. I don't even know where to start. Basically the short story: our governor wants to cut Education funds by 10%. With a cut like that people will lose jobs, schools will lose technology (rather than gain it), teachers will be stretched even more thin, and the list goes on. The real long term result of a cut like that will be the degradation of the education for tomorrow's leaders. It's that simple. Teachers aren't super human. We can't do it all. We can't teach to the test so the below basic and basic students can be proficient while adding rigor and challenging the students who "get it" if we don't have the time and the money. And if we can't do that we certainly can't be concerned about technology in the classroom. Yes, I'd like to believe that I can do it all. But when you look at the time of a day, just surviving is hard — much less all these added expectations without the foundation of time and money.

Who knows, maybe this summer I'll be able to conquer it all.

All of these thoughts are my own and not that of my school's administration or the district. I'm simply stating the facts — no matter how grim.