Twilight

Okay, I'll admit it, I'm hooked. I just finished reading Stephanie Meyer's Twilight and can't wait to read the next in the series. It's been on my list of things to read for a while now but I just hadn't gotten around to it. Though it received great reviews, is wildly popular, and is soon to be a major motion picture, I don't typically get excited about vampire books. This one, however, is very different. Bella Swann decides to go and live with her dad in the tiny town of Forks, Washington, where everyone knows everyone and it's always raining. She becomes interested in a Edward Cullen, her exceptionally handsom but rather distant lab partner. The attraction is mutual and she eventaully learns that he and his family are vampires, though not at all like the vampires of legend. Though Edward and his family have vowed not to hunt humans, most others of their kind have not and Bella's relationship with Edward puts her in mortal danger. My brief description can't do the story justice so check it out for yourself! If you have read it (and the others) what did you think?

An Update on What Sean's Reading

A few posts ago I appealled to you for reading suggestions for my 11 year old son Sean who was having severe Harry Potter withdrawal. You responded with some great suggestions so I took a few things from the shelves here and brought them home. Around the same time his 5th grade teacher gave him The Lightening Thief by Rick Riorden and he was instantly hooked. Percy Jackson, whom the reader meets at a boarding school for troubled youth, discovers that he is the son of Greek god Poseidon and a mortal mother. He soon becomes involved in the escapades of the Greek gods and meets other half-mortals like himself. As part of a new and original story the reader also learns a great deal about Greek mythology and its cast of many characters. The Lightening Thief is the first in the series and the fourth book, The Battle of the Labyrinth, has just arrived in bookstores (and at my house). Mr. Duff just informed me that The Lightening Thief will be one of the middle school summer reading selections for social studies this year. It definitely gets a thumbs up from Sean. I hope to read the series myself soon, if not now then definitely over the summer. If you're looking for something fun to read over the summer you might want to check them out, too.

For those who made recommendations, I'm sure he will get there. He did read Eragon and Eldest (recommended by Michelle Le and her brother) while waiting for The Battle of the Labyrinth to be released and loved those, too. I also plan to get him the Artemis Fowl series (recommended by C.J. and others), and soon, as he is burning through his current book. I also plan to pick up Son of the Mob as he is a Gordon Korman fan. Thanks again for your suggestions.

Izzy and Lola

Meet the newest editions to the Young family. Isabelle (Izzy) and Lola, English bulldog puppies, joined us at the beginning of April. We lost Emily, our 14 year old bulldog, just before Christmas, which was very hard on all of us. Our kids came after Emily so they never knew life without her. We just couldn't get used to coming home to an empty house so we decided to get another dog. Well, one dog turned into two, as we are all gone during the day and thought that two would keep eachother company. At her age, Emily was content to sleep during the day but puppies have quite a bit more energy than geriatric dogs. The two dog plan has proven to be a great one as they really do entertain each other. We had Izzy for a week before Lola came home and I didn't get much sleep that week. The day Lola joined us, everyone, including the puppies, slept through the night and have been doing so ever since. Puppies are quite a bit more lively and demanding than Emily had been in a long time so it's been a bit of an adjustment but it's all been worth it. They are a lot of fun. Izzy is definitely the boss and a bit of a primadonna while Lola is sweet and a bit less independent. Every kid in the neighborhood (and many adults) regularly stop by to play with the girls so they are a bit spoiled, but that's okay. It's great to come home to the enthusiastic welcome of a dog(s) again.

Dog lovers should check out Marley and Me, by John Grogan (soon to be a movie starring Jennifer Aniston and Owen Wilson) which chronicles the life and adventures of Marley the yellow lab and his family. Anyone who's had a dog can relate. Unfortunately, we don't have a copy here in the library but it's well worth seeking elsewhere. Any dog lovers out there??