Do you Twilight?

I do. I resisted for a long time, I really did. My cousin would bring them up to me, knowing how I love to read.

Cousin: You should read them, Candy! They are so good.

Me: I'm not going to read them.

C: Why not? You read Harry Potter right?

Me: Yes, and I loved Harry Potter. But that's different.

C: How do you know?

Me: I am NOT reading a teenage vampire love story!

That would end the conversation until the next time I saw her, and she'd start back in. I love her to death, or I probably would have strangled her. After a few months, she backed down and we both forgot about it. I would see and hear people talking about "Eclipse" and "Breaking Dawn" but I had no idea that it all meant Twilight and would still ignore it.

Fast forward to last summer. One of my daycare moms and I always talk books. I mentioned one day when she picked up her kids that I was between books. The next morning, there was a large, hard cover book in the diaper bag with a Post-It note on the front.

"Candy, Read this. Honestly, just give it a try and if you don't like it after a few chapters, give it back to me."

I looked under the Post-It and saw it was Twilight. *sigh* Another person trying to convert me. That book sat on my desk for 4 days before I finally gave in and read some of it. I told myself I'd read 2 chapters that day and see how I felt. I read 200+ pages. Yes, in one day. With 6 kids around me. Lets say nap times and movies were my dear friends for 7 days. That's how long it took me to read all 4 books, totalling over 1700 pages. I couldn't get enough of them and I felt so lost when I finished the last book! No more Edward or Bella or Jacob! What?!

I rented the movie and LOVED it. Andy watched it with me and said that it was much better than he thought it would be, considering how I went on about it before I read them, how I acted while reading them (absent, basically) and how I went on after reading them. He admitted that he actually liked it and would probably see the other movies, too.

New Moon came out last November and while I didn't see the midnight show, I did see a special fund-raising screening that our library did only a day after it opened. It was for women only and had prizes, gift bags, etc with the whole theater open just for us. I went with my two girlfriends and we were giddy, I tell you. We couldn't contain ourselves. The screening was at 10:00 and afterwards we went to Subway. While at Subway, we decided to see the 1:00 show as well! (Honestly, it was opening deer season and all our husbands were hunting and the kids were with sitters. What else was there to do?) I even talked Andy into seeing it with me the night before Thanksgiving. So yep, I saw New Moon 3 times in the theater. LOVED it.

Eclipse, the third part, opens tomorrow. I have my ticket for tonight (or tomorrow morning, however you want to look at it) at midnight. I cannot wait. I've been listening to the soundtrack, trying to see if I can pinpoint parts of the book with certain songs for the corresponding movie scenes. I've been watching the trailers on-line and I stop everything when I see one on tv. I am obsessed I tell you. I need an intervention. But it's soooo good!

Now I'm the one that says, "Really, you should just read them. They're excellent." I converted a few people, and my copies of Eclipse and Breaking Dawn are both out on loan right now. If you haven't read them, you should. Really truly. They are amazing.

Only a few hours to go...counting...counting...getting closer...

Dog Lovers, Read Up

I don't know how many of you pay attention to the links list on my side-bar, but I just added a new book that I read while camping over Memorial Weekend. My mom had read it for her book club and immediately told me I had to read it. She knew I'd love it, and I did.

"The Art of Racing in the Rain" is a book that I think everyone should read and will enjoy, but especially animal and dog lovers. It's the typical book review of "I laughed, I cried, I rejoiced..." it's all true.

Seriously, you need to read this book. It's told from a dog's point of view, as he looks over his life while he's in the process of dying. Not only will you never look at your pets the same way, but you will also stop at least once and marvel at the intelligence and depth of some of the dog's statements. Honestly, you forget that it's really a person writing from the dog's point of view. Fab.U.Lous. It's in my top 10 of favorite books ever read, I think. And I've read a LOT of books. So if you're looking for an easy read that will touch your heart and make you think, this is it. For realz.

The Saddle Club

When I was younger, I loved to read just as much as I do now. I would spend hours a day reading book after book. Sometimes it was something I had to read for school, sometimes it was educational books about horses or animals, often times it was a book in the series called The Saddle Club by Bonnie Bryant.

The Saddle Club was my favorite series of books for years and years. The books followed 3 best friends who all rode together at a stable and had all sorts of interesting adventures. The books were interesting, funny, informational and something I totally wanted for my own life. I wanted to do nothing but ride every day and spend hours on end with my horse and my friends. Of course, at the time, I didn't realize that's what I had. I would spend every day (in the summer) riding horse for hours on end with my 2 best friends. We had several interesting adventures and tons of funny stories. But at the time, I didn't realize that. I wanted the books to be true. I wanted them for me.

Now, my daughter is reading the books that I saved my money for (and watching a tv series based on them as well!). She is secluding herself in her bedroom for hours, just like I did. The only difference? I read them when I was 10-15, she's only 8. And she's reading the copies I purchased so long ago, that have now collected dust on the bookshelf at my parents' house. I love that she's taken an interest in the same books that I spent so many hours with long ago.

When we were at the library the other day, Alayna asked if the library had one of the few books early in the series that I don't have (there are 101 of them total, plus some special editions, and I think I have 70 some books) When we went to look, I found the Pine Hollow series, which is a follow-up to The Saddle Club that takes the girls through their High School years. I had no idea this series existed. So while Alayna settled for Black Stallion (which is not settling by any means) I got the first 2 books in the 11-book Pine Hollow series. Do I feel like a dork for reading books intended for adolescents? Nope, I'm just reliving my childhood!

Books and Reading

I love to read. I do not feel like a day is complete if I haven't read at least part of a book, be it a page or two, a chapter, or a whole book. It doesn't matter if it's a novel or a children's book. I just love to read. And you know what, I know a lot of you are the same way.

So...I've added a new list on the right side of the page that will be the last handful of books that I've read. I'll update the list each time I finish a book, putting the new one on top. I love Jodie Picoult and Nicholas Sparks, so you'll see a lot of those on there right now. But, I also read other books and try to mix them in. Anyway, just letting you know that it's there if anyone is looking for new books to read!