Everyday I Read the Books

Yay! We went to the circus yesterday! I had never actually seen the circus before.  I had been to the circus once before but we did not get to watch it.. long story.  Hubby and I went before Doodle was born.(nickname of course, you wont be getting any real names out of me... stalkers!)  Our friends brought their daughter who was about 3 at the time.  The poor thing was so sick.  They wanted to take her anyway because the tickets were so expensive... big mistake.  Lets see what the total puke count was, shall we? 1.) before we left the house  2.) in the car, while sitting between hubby and I  3.) In McDonalds parking lot - they were hoping that maybe food would help?? 4.) when we actually sat down in our seats at the circus.   We left soon after that and enjoyed alot of fresh air from the open car windows on the way home.

So, needless to say, this trip to the circus was less eventful, but much more enjoyable.  Doodle was just plain amazed.  She was in awe the entire time. It was so fun to see here face when the acrobats were flying through the air, laughing at the clowns and jumping out of her seat when the elephants arrived on stage.  When it was over and I asked her what her favorite part was, she said ,"All of it!! All of it was amazing!!!"  

I think it was a great age to take her to the circus because she is smart enough to understand just how hard the tricks are that they do and how dangerous the animals are.  She saved up her money and bought a big elephant dressed in circus garb. She was so proud. Of course, it was the most expensive souvenir they had, but it was her own money, so more power to her!

We went with some friends and their kids and it was just such fun. Afterwords we went to a nice family friendly restaurant and the kids got to chat some more about just how magical it all was.  There is nothing better than listening to five years old talk amongst themselves. So hilarious. 

Anyway... the circus was awesome and I can't wait to go again next year!!!

So, I have decided to take the challenge of 50 books in a year.  I am relatively sure that I read more than that on average but i dont usually keep track of the books I read.  (which is of course why I started the blog and I haven't keep up with it!) I've read about ten books since I posted the review of Sloppy Firsts and you can see how many I've posted on here!  So, here's to a new challenge... wish me luck!

Have you ever been skinny dipping?

No, I have never been skinny dipping. I'm incredibly boring.

Sloppy Firsts: A Novel

Megan McCafferty

So, I thought this would be an appropriate place to start.   I just finished this book a few days ago. To be honest, I've actually read it twice. It first came to my attention a few years ago through a book club friend.  I read it then, loved it and quickly forgot about it.  Thanks to a teen girl in Barnes and Noble, I rediscovered it again. (I was a few shelves over when I heard a girl raving about it to her friend.)  I am so glad I picked it up again.

I'm a little unsure of how to categorize this book.  The main character is a teenager. The story is set in high school.  But its not in the YA section of bookstores. I found it in the fiction area. I think the magic of this book is that it can cross those barriers.  If you are a teen, you can immediatley relate to Jessica Darling. She is you. She is experiencing your life as you are.  But adult women can identify too.  Megan Mccafferty can bring you right back into that exciting, mortifying and oh-so-dramatic, world of high school.  Jessica Darling is every girl, every woman at some time in their life. 

Jessica is the picture of teen turmoil.  Her best friend in the world has moved away. No one else understands her. Her mom wants her to be like her older sister.  Her father wants her to the boy he missed out on raising. Her friends want her to be just like them.  The class stoner has begun a strange preoccupation with her, whispering cryptic comments that hit a little too close to home.  Who is Marcus Flutie? And why is Jessica so curious?

When I got to the end of the book I was actually angry. What happens next? That's it? There's got to be more!  And there is.. thank goodness. Mccafferty goes on to write Second Helpings, Charmed Thirds and Fourth Comings.  The novels follow Jessica (and hopefully Marcus! Love him!) through the remainder of high school and college and beyond.  I have yet to read this sequels but I hope they live up to the "Sloppy First". 

Just a little test to make sure this thing is working.  I am hoping to move my book journal into the world of cyberspace. I read alot of different genres so I am sure this thing will be very scatterbrained and very unorganized but hey... so am I.