Bluebird Books

Summer reading is a big topic at schools and libraries across the US.  Educators warn parents about " the summer slide ," not a fun water slide but the phenomenon in which kids' forget all the things they learned at school in the previous year because they don't crack a book open in the summer.  Book lists get sent home, reading plans are suggested, and our library even gives away junky little toys in exchange for proof of reading.   the other kind of terrifying summer slide Over the years I've done a number of things to encourage summer reading.  I've been crafty and created posters for tracking books, we've set goals and rewards for reading a certain number of books, and I've followed those library reading games religiously so my children could collect the maximum number of trinkets.   "awesome" is relative This year, my kids range in age from 14-7.  All of them can read independently.   This is the year I've been waitin

Do you ever find yourself reading a book that you're just certain you won't like? If you are part of a book club or reading group you might have this experience.  It usually happens because you feel required to read a book.  Why else would someone specifically choose to read a book they don't actually want to read?  (masochism, societal pressure, Oprah...) Anyway, I recently found myself in this predicament.  Here's the situation: My beloved book club that I've referenced like 1,000 times on this blog was meeting in July.  I knew I would need to attend this meeting because it would be a great reason to leave my kids for a couple of hours this summer where we seem to spend every minute together.  I felt compelled to read the book.   In the history of my book club attendance (over a year), I have loved some of the books and liked many of the books.  There was one book that shall remain nameless that was just so terrible I couldn't finish it, but I did g

When I was a child I looked forward to summer every single year.  A respite from school, hours of reading, beach days, and sleeping in.  As a mom, I have a love-hate relationship with summer.  I love it.  We have lazy days with nowhere to be and that is a glorious change from the breakneck pace of the school year.  The pressure of homework/projects/studying is lifted.  I see my kids play together and we have fun exploring the world together, whether it's a hike in the woods or a big vacation.  Going to the pool and beach are my favorite and there's nothing like getting ice cream on the boardwalk after a day in the sand and sea with your family surrounding you.  But, I also hate it.  We are schedule people and without an enforced schedule, we all get grumpy.  Six grumpy people in one house can make it feel too close for comfort.  The kids don't always play nicely and I find myself refereeing fights and having to do the hard work of parenting.  4 kids talk a lot and

There is something truly wonderful about reading a seasonal book in the correct season.  It just feels right.  It's even better when that seasonal book could only happen in the season you are currently experiencing, say, a book about trick or treating or New Year's day, or summer camp. but it's still better when the weather outside the window matches the weather in your book Well, if that appeals to you too, grab a copy of The Last Time I Lied and read it now.  Like literally right now, in the month of July.   I read it at the end of June and my part of the US was experiencing a bit of a heat wave.  All day I would commiserate with people from my town about the humidity and the sun, but then, I would go home and curl up with my book.  The heat made me feel even more a part of the story.  I sat on the patio reading with a large glass of iced tea, turning the pages faster and faster and enjoying every minute.  Suspense is my jam.  I've read tons of novel

It's that time again... Time to break out your fine china and make some tea and scones.  Classics Club #2 is here: This time around I read Persuasion by Jane Austen. It's no secret that I'm a major Jane Austen fan.  I've read all of her primary works and many of the spin-offs and retellings (spoiler alert: they're never as good as the originals).  This is my second go-round with Persuasion and I liked it better this time.  I think it's probably best appreciated as the reader gains a little maturity.  It was one of Austen's last novels and the protagonist, Anne, is more mature.  Having read her other novels I felt like I kept noticing similarities between characters and tropes.  Miss Smith is Emma Woodhouse's helpless friend from Emma and in Persuasion , Anne has a close friend with few prospects who is also named Smith.  Anne's father and sisters are horrible, representing the self-obsessed and delusional.  Throughout many other A

I know I whined a lot about May, but June was packed tight.  We had a lot going on and there were so many concerts.  Sidenote: I thought by encouraging some of my kids to make music their main hobby we would avoid having to go to a million games and practices.  Instead, we spend hours driving to auditions and sitting in concerts.  Moral of the story: kids = time and a lot of it.  I actually enjoyed all of the concerts we went to and we did some super fun and important stuff.  Overall, June was good and I got to do some good reading.  I enjoyed all of the books I read (big win) and read a wide variety of genres.  Persuasion 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟 "I have loved none but you." One of the downsides of June being so full of activities is that I didn't get to blog as much as I wanted...so, I will be doing Classics Club #2 for Persuasion shortly, so stay tuned.  This was a reread for me and I loved it.  I definitely think it would lend itself better to a crisp fall evening or