Happy Halloween!

It is here! Tonight is the night! Wahoo!

I hope everyone has a funtastic Halloween!

I wanted to share some of our Halloween traditions.

Hubby takes Gnome out trick or treating, and this will be the 2 yo's first year going with them! I stay home and hand out candy. I enjoy seeing the costumes and all the neighbor kids/parents.

After they collect a bucket full of candy, we eat pizza and watch a movie. We like to the jack-o-lantern pizza from Papa Murphy's. We usually get one of these and another with more toppings.

We have friends, and my brother over for a movie. We try to pick Halloween type movies. Last year we watched Hocus Pocus. This year we are thinking Willow or Neverending Story. We are trying to find something Gnome hasn't seen and will watch. Halloween and all the spooky stuff is her biggest fear, so she refused to watch Hocus Pocus with us last year. *sigh* It is getting incrementally better. She is going trick-or-treating, which is pretty big.

Anyway, we try to have a fun, but also relaxing, Halloween evening.

What are your traditions?

This or That Halloween Tag

I found another cute tag! I liked how easy and simple this one was.

This tag came from Megan & Wendy.

Chocolate! duh!

Witches

Treat

Scary Movie

ZOMBIES!

Hand out candy

Corn Maze

What about just a fun costume?

Pumpkin Pie

Walk Alone in a Dark Forest

Black Cats

Hot Chocolate

Neighborhood

I won't tag anyone, but let me know if you do it!

Polly and the Pirates, Volume 2: Mystery of the Dragonfish

From Goodreads:    Polly Pringle reunites with her pirate crew at long last Honor-bound to rescue Emperor Norton from his unfair imprisonment, Polly escapes her cozy boarding school and returns to the high seas But Polly and the Emperor have stumbled onto the fiendish plot of a foreign power, which endangers not only their own lives, but everyone in the Americas!












My Thoughts:

-    This wasn't as fun as the first volume. I was really disappointed.

-    The story wasn't as good. It was kinda all over the place.

-    I didn't care about the characters or their goal, so it was hard to keep reading.

Previous Book

Koda

Goodreads Synopsis:    Independence, Missouri, 1846

Koda is a bay quarter horse with a white blaze. He loves to explore the countryside and run free with his human friend Jasmine nearby. But after Koda sets out with Jasmine’s family on a long and dusty wagon train journey on the Oregon Trail, he finds out what is truly important to him. Here is Koda’s story . . . in his own words.

With moving and knowledgeable text and lovely black-and-white art throughout—both by real horse people—this is the perfect fit for all lovers of horses and history!

My Thoughts:

-    I'm trying to catch up to Gnome on this series. She is way ahead of me. It is fun see how excited she gets when I start reading one of these books though. I understand the feeling!

-    This was super cute just like the previous two books. 

-    The relationship between Jasmine and Koda is SO heartwarming. I just love their mutual love and care for one another.

-    I love that the story is told from the horse's perspective. Some books cannot pull that off, but these books do a wonderful job.

-    I also love that these books give kids a little piece of history in a fun way. The story doesn't go into depth about anything, but you get a feel for the time period, what was happening, and the customs.

Previous Horse Diaries Book:

 

Polly and the Pirates, Volume 1

From Goodreads:    Polly is caught between the prim-and-proper boarding school set she's grown-up with and the legendary legacy of the Pirate Queen that she never knew she was a part of! But which is the cruel, cold world and which is the care-free paradise? And does it even matter when there's a dashing pirate prince involved? Hoist the sails and batten the hatches on this brand new adventure!

My Thoughts:

-    This was a fun little graphic novel! I've been wanting more pirate stories, so I was excited to pick this up. It definitely filled the pirate void.

-    The illustrations are really fun. Polly's character design is really cute. I loved her anime buns and tiny feet.

-    I had a hard time reading Naff's dialogue. It is written phonetically, and it was hard to understand. I had to be okay with not understanding what he was saying sometimes.

-    There were a few things that were a bit of a stretch. Polly starts off as a proper and shy do-gooder girl, and then all of sudden she knows how to sword fight, plan escapades, and do fancy acrobats. There was nothing in the middle. She just magically knew how to do stuff. 

-    Overall, it was a fun and adventurous story. I liked it, and I was excited to read the second book. 

Fall Book Tag

I'm tired of my blog only have reviews on it. I'm going to try to spice things up between book reviews. I do Top Ten Tuesday sometimes, and I have my Fan Art Friday posts, but I don't always do those, so I'm going to look for new things to try.

Today I felt like doing a Fall Book Tag, and I found a fun one from Bionic Book Worm!

Rules:

Link back to the creator

Feel free to use the graphics

Have fun!

Rot & Ruin is a new take on zombies that I really loved. It makes you think about how zombies used to be people, even someone you loved. The rest of the series brings about new questions and theories about zombies that aren't usually thought about. 

An oldie but a goodie, Ender's Game has an ending that blew my mind! I couldn't get over it, and I still might not be over it. It is something I didn't see coming, and I'm always excited for someone who hasn't read the book because they get to have that surprise for the first time! Now that there is a movie, the ending is probably spoiled for a lot of people.

Am I allowed to have two books for one answer? It doesn't say anything about it in the rules, so I'm going for it! The ending to Life of Pi is mind boggling. I'm still not sure about what is the truth. I still haven't seen the movie because I don't see how they could pull off the ending. This is a story that must be told, not showed.

My friends could have guessed this would show up here. I have fallen in love with Amy's books, and The Coincidence of Coconut Cake was the first one I read, and it also happens to be my favorite book of hers. It is complete fluff, and I love it! It is You've Got Mail with amazing food. What could be better?

There are SO many books I could put in this category!!! I love comfy books!

This book and cover have always felt like fall to me.

Once Katniss gets into the arena, she can never stop fighting!

My friends and I have been waiting for this book for YEARS!!

I'm not going to tag anyone, but if you do this tag, please let me know!

Scorpion Mountain

Goodreads Synopsis:    Hal, his Brotherband crew, and the Ranger Gilan have freed the twelve Araluens sold into slavery. Returning to Araluen, Gilan is given a new mission by King Duncan: protect his daughter’s life. Princess Cassandra has survived one attempt on her life already, and now whispers of a second attempt have reached the kingdom. A deadly sect known as the Scorpion Cult is thought to be behind the assassination threat.

Not waiting to see if the knife will strike true, the Brotherband again team up with Gilan to track down the would-be killers.

In this fifth book in the Brotherband Chronicles, old friends reemerge to take on new enemies as the worlds of Ranger’s Apprentice and Brotherband join forces in battle! 

My Thoughts:

-    This was a really fun adventure!

-    I loved that Gilan got to travel with the brotherband again. I loved seeing Evanlyn and King Duncan again. I hope the Heron's visit Araluen again.

-    Hal and Stig are very similar to Will and Horace. I still love the characters, but it would have been nice to have more variety.

-    It was fun to see the Heron's in an environment they weren't accustomed to. It brought new challenges and obstacles.

-    Some of Hal's inventions are a bit of a stretch, so it is a good thing this is fiction.

Previous books in the Brotherband Chronicles:

  

Thimble Summer

From Goodreads:    When Garnet finds a silver thimble in the sand by the river, she is sure it's magical. But is it magical enough to help her pig, Timmy, win a blue ribbon on Fair Day?
















My Thoughts:

-    I read this a while ago, and I don't remember much, which isn't a good thing.

-    I remember being extremely bored, and I thought there would be more about the pig. 

-    The writing was very very dry.

Robinhound Crusoe

Goodreads Synopsis:    Oakdale is shut down during a blackout, and Joe's big chance to get noticed by the eighth-grade basketball coach will be left in the dark--unless he and Wishbone can somehow hightail it across town to the game in time! Their adventure reminds Wishbone of Daniel Defoe's great tale "Robinson Crusoe." Wishbone imagines himself as Crusoe, the lone survivor of a shipwreck, tossed into a deset isle without food, shelter, or friends. He soon finds himself battling nature, wild cats, and hungry cannibals. It will take every ounce of brains and courage this canine castaway has to beat the odds and save the day!







My Thoughts:

-    I haven't read Robinson Crusoe, but Wishbone is SO good at getting readers excited about a story, and now I want to read the original. It probably isn't as fun as Wishbone makes it sound, but I still want to read it.

-    I didn't know that Robinson Crusoe was on that island for SO long! Whoa! I would go crazy and pray for a quick death. Gnome really liked how Robinson survived for so many years on the island. It is pretty impressive on how he finds food and makes things. 

-    I liked Joe's part of the story. Even though he was scared and worried, and he was trying to get to an important basketball game, he stopped to help a little girl, and he was concerned for his mom. He also didn't want to let his teammates down. Joe is a good guy!

-    I don't think they made this story into a Wishbone episode. I haven't been able to find one. 

Hello!

Did you miss me?

Lots of things happened over my 10 day social media break. That hardest app/website to stay away from was Instagram. I kept having moments that I wanted to post! I didn't miss Twitter, so I don't know if I'll use it much anymore. I'll still keep my account, since my friends and I communicate via Twitter, but I'm okay not scrolling around and checking it for updates.

I missed blogging! I'm already behind on book reviews, but now I'm EXTRA behind. It is okay though.

Did I get to read and cross stitch more? Yes and no, I read a little more, but I did not touch my cross stitch. Sad huh? I do have a cleaner house though, so that is a plus!

The biggest thing I took away from the last 10 days is time management. Without social media to distract me, I was able to use my time better, and I got more done in the day. The other thing I realized is how much Instagram helps me stay connected to people. I say Instagram in particular because I learn about what my friends and family are doing on a daily/weekly bases, and it is nice to kinda stay in touch that way. It is like socializing without actually socializing.

So yes, there are good and bad things to social media, and I'm grateful for what I've learned. I'm hoping to keep the good and not spend time on the bad.

Break from Social Media

I'm taking a 10 day break from social media!

General Conference was this weekend, and President Nelson asked that we take a 10 day fast from social media. I am excited to participate, and I hope this gives me more opportunities to read, cross stitch, and spend time with my family.

I'm starting tomorrow, so wish me luck!

Bell's Star

Goodreads Synopsis:    Vermont, 1850s

Bell’s Star is a brown Morgan colt with a white star and two white stockings. He was bred for hard work, yet he longs to run free with his human friend, Katie, on his back. But when Star helps rescue a runaway slave girl, his ideas about freedom may change forever. Here is Star’s story . . . in his own words. 

With exciting and knowledgeable text and lovely black-and-white art throughout—both by real horse owners—Horse Diaries are the perfect fit for all lovers of horses and history!

My Thoughts:

-    I thought Elska was super cute, but this book was just as cute with an element of danger. I loved it!

-    These are some very well written intermediate books. I'm so glad Gnome and I found these.

-    Katie and Star are so brave, and they just want to do what is right, no matter the cost. 

-    The message of this book is something we all need.

-    Gnome loved that the girl and horse were trying to help another person. I'm really proud of her for understanding and sympathizing with this story. 

Previous Horse Diaries Book:

Little Women

My Thoughts:

-    I didn't hate it, but I didn't love it. It was alright. 

-    Finally! This gave me a Professor Bhaer I can get behind. I've never been okay with Jo and Laurie not being together, especially since Bhaer never lives up to how awesome Laurie is, but I was okay with Bhaer, and I was actually rooting for him and Jo.

-    I liked the cast. I thought everyone was perfect for their role.

-    I liked the modern day setting. It was fun.

-    I wanted to smack Jo at times, but she learns. . .mostly.

-    Why does Amy have to be so annoying in every adaptation?

-    Yes, I shed tears for Beth. I don't know how anyone couldn't. Her character just tugs at the heart.

-    The timeline was kinda weird. It flashed forward and back. I don't know if I liked it or not. I kinda did, but I also didn't. 

Top Ten Tuesday: Authors I'd Love to Meet

Created by The Broke and The Bookish in June 2010 and moved to The Artsy Reader Girl in Jan 2018

Authors I'd Love to Meet
I've met a lot of authors, but there are lots I'd still love to meet!

John Flanagan


Raymond E. Feist

Kristin Cashore

Rick Riordan

Liane Moriarty

Lisa Mantchev

Amy E. Reichert

Patricia C. Wrede

Gene Luen Yang

Raina Telgemeier

Neil Gaiman

September Stats

Books Read:  11

  

  

  

 

Pages Read:  2,324

Shortest Book:  137

Longest Book:  480

1 Star:  2

2 Stars:  1

3 Stars:  2

4 Stars:  4

5 Stars:  2

Since I reached my Goodreads goal, my reading has slowed down a lot. I also feel like most of my reading is for Gnome. I've been really busy with my music lately, and I would love to read more in October. I haven't picked up a Newbery book for a while. I'm getting tired of them, and I think I just needed a break.