---Got a dog
---Watched the town Homecoming Parade (I love small-town traditions!)
---Had a haircut (a drastic cut for A & M; not so drastic for me)
---Attended a costume-themed birthday party and a Harvest Festival at church...all on the same day!
---Took a field trip to the pumpkin patch with the MDO class
---Celebrated Halloween
Books read: 6
I am back on track and reading some great stuff lately!
Between You and Me---Okay, technically this was a DNF, but I wasted enough time on it that I'm counting it for the month. This is by the same authors of The Nanny Diaries, which I liked when I read it years ago. This one just bored me to death.
The Stranger You Know---Reviewed here.
An Abundance of Katherines---Another John Green book that was a winner for me. This was probably my favorite of the month. Colin, Hassan, and Lindsey are some of my current favorite YA characters. If you like YA and consider yourself maybe a little nerdy, or like your characters that way, read this one.
Dead Ever After---This was the much-anticipated conclusion to the Sookie Stackhouse series. A lot of readers positively hated the ending, but I found myself on the satisfied side. Yes, there was a major missing element in that some of the core characters barely made appearances in the book. I get that that was a huge disappointment to many readers. But after all the drama of the previous twelve books, I could understand Sookie's weariness in this book. I liked the focus on her thought process and what she might want for her future. Although it felt rushed or thrown together oddly at times, I thought this was a solid conclusion.
Dead Girls Don't Lie---I was completely distracted by some formatting problems with the electronic version of this book (it was an advance copy, so hopefully they will fix the issues for the actual publication). Still, I skimmed through to figure out what happened, and it wasn't a total letdown. I'd consider this one alright, but forgettable, as YA mysteries go.
The Winter People---Jennifer McMahon can tell a creepy story, and this was no exception. There was a heavy ghost/supernatural element, and it was a fitting read for the week leading up to Halloween.
Soundtrack
I don't always write about what I'm listening to, mostly because I'm not cutting-edge in my music tastes at all. Thanks to a work pal, I have some new stuff I've been enjoying lately. The girls and I have rocking a mixture of The Civil Wars, Katy Perry, Kacey Musgraves, and Miley Cyrus (yeah, I know...but it's pretty good stuff). It's nice to have a variety going on, and I love to hear A & M singing along with Katy Perry's "Roar". We sound pretty awesome in the car. : )
Notables
I was able to go with the girls on their pumpkin patch field trip, which was so interesting. We all drove our children and met there, so no big "school bus adventure" yet. But watching them interact with their friends during all the different activities...it was such an insight into their days. I'm happy to report that Addison's very best friend (a rough and tough little boy) is every bit as crazy about her (and Mackenzie) as she is about him. They immediately ran for each other on the playground, and he even asked a little girl to switch seats with him on the hayride so that he could sit between A & M. (She didn't move and the girls didn't mind, but that was one of the funniest moments of the day for me!)
That picture in the top right corner of the collage up there is Mackenzie asleep in the buggy at the grocery store. Believe it or not, that was an absolute first for us, her falling over asleep like that! I have been fortunate to be able to do most of my major grocery shopping trips child-free, but last weekend they had to go with me. Poor little M just couldn't take it anymore and was lulled to sleep in the front of the cart. At least my fluffy jacket made a good pillow.
How was your October?
I am back on track and reading some great stuff lately!
Between You and Me---Okay, technically this was a DNF, but I wasted enough time on it that I'm counting it for the month. This is by the same authors of The Nanny Diaries, which I liked when I read it years ago. This one just bored me to death.
The Stranger You Know---Reviewed here.
An Abundance of Katherines---Another John Green book that was a winner for me. This was probably my favorite of the month. Colin, Hassan, and Lindsey are some of my current favorite YA characters. If you like YA and consider yourself maybe a little nerdy, or like your characters that way, read this one.
Dead Ever After---This was the much-anticipated conclusion to the Sookie Stackhouse series. A lot of readers positively hated the ending, but I found myself on the satisfied side. Yes, there was a major missing element in that some of the core characters barely made appearances in the book. I get that that was a huge disappointment to many readers. But after all the drama of the previous twelve books, I could understand Sookie's weariness in this book. I liked the focus on her thought process and what she might want for her future. Although it felt rushed or thrown together oddly at times, I thought this was a solid conclusion.
Dead Girls Don't Lie---I was completely distracted by some formatting problems with the electronic version of this book (it was an advance copy, so hopefully they will fix the issues for the actual publication). Still, I skimmed through to figure out what happened, and it wasn't a total letdown. I'd consider this one alright, but forgettable, as YA mysteries go.
The Winter People---Jennifer McMahon can tell a creepy story, and this was no exception. There was a heavy ghost/supernatural element, and it was a fitting read for the week leading up to Halloween.
Soundtrack
I don't always write about what I'm listening to, mostly because I'm not cutting-edge in my music tastes at all. Thanks to a work pal, I have some new stuff I've been enjoying lately. The girls and I have rocking a mixture of The Civil Wars, Katy Perry, Kacey Musgraves, and Miley Cyrus (yeah, I know...but it's pretty good stuff). It's nice to have a variety going on, and I love to hear A & M singing along with Katy Perry's "Roar". We sound pretty awesome in the car. : )
Notables
I was able to go with the girls on their pumpkin patch field trip, which was so interesting. We all drove our children and met there, so no big "school bus adventure" yet. But watching them interact with their friends during all the different activities...it was such an insight into their days. I'm happy to report that Addison's very best friend (a rough and tough little boy) is every bit as crazy about her (and Mackenzie) as she is about him. They immediately ran for each other on the playground, and he even asked a little girl to switch seats with him on the hayride so that he could sit between A & M. (She didn't move and the girls didn't mind, but that was one of the funniest moments of the day for me!)
That picture in the top right corner of the collage up there is Mackenzie asleep in the buggy at the grocery store. Believe it or not, that was an absolute first for us, her falling over asleep like that! I have been fortunate to be able to do most of my major grocery shopping trips child-free, but last weekend they had to go with me. Poor little M just couldn't take it anymore and was lulled to sleep in the front of the cart. At least my fluffy jacket made a good pillow.
How was your October?
When are you going to update this thing already?!?
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