Bluebird Books

So, I love reading.  I have tons of books I want to read.  I could literally spend every single minute reading and still never read all the books.   this picture is my heaven But, life gets in the way.   Sometimes I get frustrated at the things that take me away from my reading and sometimes I lean into them, realizing that those are the actual parts of my life.  Seems obvious but it's not for me. What's taking me away from reading?  Here they are, the good, the bad, and the ugly.   The Good Family.  I have to put down my book and hang out with the kids, listen to their stories, and help them with their homework.  I get to have date night with my husband and look into his eyes instead of reading more pages.  This reason for putting my books aside is the most obvious and best. doing homework with the kids led me to find this little gem Dog.  We have a big dog and she needs attention and walks.  Often, I sit on the couch and read while she sit

Yesterday I finished Young Jane Young .   the fall colors of the cover made it feel seasonally appropriate I highly recommend it. Gabrielle Zevin did something magical with this book.  It's an issues book.  It definitely looks at how society views scandal and women and politics.  But it never feels like an issues book.  It feels real and honest.  You are not told what to think, you get to decide.  It was fun to read and inventive. The story centers on a Monica Lewinsky-like scandal but it's told out of order and from different perspectives.  Aviva is an intern for an up-and-coming congressman and they have an affair.  It comes out and the congressman and Aviva cope in very different ways.  We live in a world where everything is always up for discussion.  The mistakes people make no longer linger until the end of the news cycle, but are permanently searchable on the internet.  This is a new phenomenon.  Young Jane Young explores the repercussions of such a world. 

I have two teens in my house right now.  Teens are all that you've heard and more.  The drama is more.  The funny is more.  The heartache is more.  The joie de vivre is more.   There are some things about mothering teens that terrify me and keep me up at night.  But, when it comes to books, having teens is so much fun.  They teach me about myself and my own hang ups and we have real conversations about something that's not a major situation.  It's one of the fun parts of being a mom.   reading a book one of my teens recommended this summer We live in an age of Harry Potter.  And I love Harry Potter.  I read them each when they were first released and have two complete sets.  I've started collecting the illustrated versions.  Everyone has read them and it's very trendy for your elementary school kid to be toting around a book or two.  One of my teens did not want to read them.  I kept offering them and asking.  She kept refusing.  I finally stopped askin

Here are some things that are true for me right now...feel free to share your truths in the comments! 1.  I'm reading a book that I can't stand.  I have to read it but I dread it so much.  I put it off and then I have to read three chapters instead of one.  This afternoon, when I read those chapters, I will be grinding my teeth and clapping back at the author in my head the whole time.  👎😠 2.  It's COLD today!  I broke out my fuzzy vest--to wear in my house.  We don't like to turn the heat on until it's ab.so.lute.ly necessary.  It may be necessary tonight. 3.  I'm working on humility and grace in my personal life.  I heard grace described as assuming the best about a person/situation.  That is not something that comes naturally to me. 4.  My family is in a busy time and I kind of love it.  I have less anxiety when I am busy.  I fall asleep easier and sleep better when I work hard all day.  Sometimes, though, I could do without all the extra emoti

I am a bit of an organization freak.   I love cleaning out and organizing spaces so much and fortunately my family provides many opportunities for this hobby. Having four people rummaging through all parts of my house at any given moment has afforded me countless chances to organize and reorganize.   I've done the pantry about a million times.  I love getting in there and making it worse before I make it better.  And then, seeing their faces after I'm done, they vow to keep it neat, but we all know that will only last for a week, if I'm lucky.   The best is cleaning out a kid's room when they're not there.  You get to go through all their treasures and see what's important to them and also all the things they've been hoarding.  You throw out the junk and tidy and straighten and maybe move some furniture and when they get home they are astonished and grateful.** **Many people I talk to say this might be an invasion of privacy.  They ask if my kids hat

At lunches and coffees and walks in the park, this is the question that all my mom friends and I ask each other.  We are looking for insight into what we're reading as moms but, it's also a springboard to discuss what our kids are reading.   So, let's pretend that we're sitting in a coffee shop, at a small table, in chairs with no arms.  There are people bustling about and exposed brick, of course.  The rich smell of overpriced coffee is filling the air and Christmas music is playing softly in the background (this is real.  it happened to me this week).   It's afternoon here and I've already had my fill of coffee so I'm drinking peppermint tea.  I need an afternoon treat, so I don't skimp and go right for the rustic apple torte.  Yum.  You get what you always get in the afternoon. "So, what are you reading," you ask.  Your eyebrows raised, wondering if I will say a title you're familiar with or something completely new.   &q

This fall has been pretty good for my reading life so far...and, it's not over yet! Here are the books I've read (also check me out on goodreads ): The Magician's Lie 🌟🌟 I listened to this on audible.  Maybe that was a mistake.  I didn't love the narration and I'm getting really tired of recent releases having a lot of sexy scenes.  This is not my cup of tea, especially when I'm listening to it, without headphones, while making dinner, and my kids wander in.  No me gusta. Also, it was kind of historical fiction and kind of magical realism, but I don't think it did either of those genres well.   All that to say, it wasn't for me.  Have you read it?  Leave your thoughts in the comments please! Turtles All The Way Down 🌟🌟🌟🌟 I LOVED this one and didn't expect to.  I haven't been a big fan of Green's work, but he hit his stride with this novel.  In YA, sometimes the teens are just a little too whiney and slightly annoy