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New Release Spotlight: July 24, 2018
Welcome to Dallas, Texas, where the high for the past three days has been a record-breaking 109 or 110 degrees! And it feels like it--I can feel my skin cooking every time I step outside. Ugh! We'll...
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Review: I Am Nujood, Age 10 and Divorced (Ali, Minoui)
Just before school got out in late-June, I discovered this little book in our storage room of class set books. Curious, I checked out a copy of Nujood to read over summer break. AUTHOR: Nujood Ali,...
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New Release Spotlight: July 31, 2018
We have about a week and a half left in Texas, and we have finally gotten a short break from the summer sizzle. The high today is 94, but in Texas in late-July, we're happy to get anything below 100!...
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A Year of Less? My Self-Imposed Shopping Ban
This week, I've been reading Cait Flanders' audiobook The Year of Less, and wow, has it given me some food for thought. As I prepare to head back to China next week, I am dreading having to cram all...
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New Release Spotlight: August 7, 2018
This time next week, I'll be back in Shanghai! I can't wait to snuggle with our 9-month old puppy Cisco, who has been at puppy training for the past few weeks. He's a bundle of energy and thirty pounds...
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My Year of Less, Week 1: All the No-Nos
The picture above just cracks me up. Will that be me after one year of no new stuff? All yoga-at-sunrise on a mountaintop? I sure hope so!A few days ago, I posted about my "Year of Less," a vow to...
View ArticleReview: Twelve Steps to Normal (Penn)
People really do love this book, but it was just average for me. I appreciate the author's purpose for writing it (as a teen, she also struggled with an alcoholic parent), and I think there is an...
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New Release Spotlight: August 14, 2018
Welcome back to Shanghai! I am so glad to be back and to enjoy this last week off before teachers (including me) start back to school on Monday. I'm spending my week snuggling with my 9-month old pup...
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My Year of Less, Week 2: Is There ANYTHING I Can Buy?
This is the third post in my "Year of Less" series, where I've vowed not to purchase a whole slew of things for the next eleven months. Last time, I posted a list of things I'm not allowed to buy:...
View ArticleReview: Losing the Field (Glines)
Ugh, this series gets worse with every book. I've mentioned in many reviews that I am a former fat girl, so I should really be able to identify with Tallulah, who loses a large amount of weight after...
View ArticleNew Release Spotlight: August 21, 2018
Back to school for me! It's actually nice being back to my routine and to see all my teacher-friends and meet new ones. I'll get to see my students (and how much they grew over the summer) at Meet-the...
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My Year of Less, Week 3: Restaurants and Grocery Stores
Can I tell you how nice it is to be back in Shanghai? It's always nice coming home after a long trip, but being in Shanghai also makes my Year of Less so much easier. Today, we're talking restaurants...
View ArticleLaughing All the Way to the Cafeteria: 26 Movie & TV Clips to Help You Get...
I LOVE Back-To-School! Sure, I have anxiety about it, and I know I'll miss the lazy days of summer in just a few days. But for a few brief, shining hours on the First Day of School, I love just soaking...
View ArticleNew Release Spotlight: August 28, 2018
Wow, Jacqueline Woodson has been busy--she is releasing two books today, and both received multiple starred reviews! This week's list is the best one I've seen in awhile and includes lots of...
View ArticleReview: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas (Boyne)
Can you believe, after all my years in the library, I had never actually read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas? I've booktalked it and promoted it, but even my husband was surprised when I said I hadn't...
View ArticleNew Book Releases for Kids and Teens: September 4, 2018
I've been writing New Release Spotlights for about 2 1/2 years now, and in my experience, September, January, and May are huge months for new releases. In previewing this week's releases, I can tell...
View ArticleNew Book Releases for Kids and Teens: September 11, 2018
We've finally had a break in the Shanghai heat and suffocating humidity! I just love September in Shanghai--blue skies, white puffy clouds...It's gorgeous! We start our third week of school this week,...
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Year of Less, Week 4: Minimizing the Library!
I am so excited for today's post because it truly applies to all of us, even if you aren't into the minimalism stuff. For the past two weeks, I've been minimizing my library. I still have a long way to...
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New Book Releases for Kids & Teens: September 18, 2018
September's month of book awesomeness continues this week with 22 can't-miss new releases. As a lifelong horror reader, I cannot wait to get my hands on The Good Demon! As with the past two weeks, I...
View ArticleReview: Rapture Practice: A True Story About Growing Up Gay in an Evangelical...
Memoir is my new favorite genre. Memoirs give us stories with characters, plot, and dialogue, but the twist is that the characters are real people. We could go to a book signing or author event and...
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