Armchair BEA: Children's Books and YA

Having been a PreKindergarten teacher for nine years and now a mother of a two year old, I have a very large children's picture book library. I started off the year very diligently sharing some of the little girl's favorites here on the blog but haven't in quite awhile. (I really should start those posts up again. Her reading choices have definitely changed since the last.) I have also gone through many YA books in recent years.
I love children's books. The stories that range from simple to complex, the way one book can be used in so many different ways to teach, the beautifully illustrated pages. How a book meant for children can enthrall and resonate with adults is just amazing to me and it happens so often. The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling, and The Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyers are just a few examples.
Here are some of mine and the little girl's favorite books:
Board Books

Picture Books

Middle Grade

YA

Children's Classics

Happy Reading! _________________________________________
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Armchair BEA: Non-Fiction

I was so sure that I wasn't going to write anything today because I have such a block when it comes to most non-fiction books. It isn't something I usually want to read. However, I was just reading Trish's post and realized that there have been books I have enjoyed that were not Fiction. 
What made them books that I actually enjoyed was the narrative used. When the book isn't just a collection of facts, when there is a story, and people to follow and relate to or sympathize with I do enjoy it. Who knew?
So, if you are like me, and have a difficult time finding non-fiction books to read here are some that I truly enjoyed:
 

True Crime is Non-Fiction, right?

Happy Reading! _________________________________________
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Review: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Wow.

I just finished and, wow. That was one crazy, $@*! -up story.

I loved it.

I really disliked both Amy and Nick, neither of them really endeared themselves to me but it is the situations that Flynn puts them in, the way the story is told from their different perspectives and the pure craziness of it all that really grabbed me. I didn't see the twist coming, I didn't predict the ending. Like Nick feels sorry for Amy, I feel sorry for both of them. Talk about not being able to leave a bad marriage. This one takes the cake.

Have you read it? What did you think? I can see why some people love it and others hate it. This one is definitely not for everyone. We are going to have so much fun talking about this one in book group. I cannot wait!

Source: purchased


Happy Reading! _________________________________________   
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Armchair BEA: Giveaway time!

Time for a Giveaway!!!  Lucinda Riley is the author of The Orchid House and The Girl on the Cliff. Her third book, The Lavender Garden, will be released June 11th in paperback.  I have absolutely enjoyed all her books since recently getting introduced to them. I am currently reading The Lavender Garden to review and so far it is just as good as the previous two. 

 I would like to offer you a chance to win your very own brand new copy of The Lavender Garden. Just leave me a comment and your email address and you are entered. You have until midnight (PST) on Monday, June 10th to enter. I will announce the winner on June 11th. Giveaway is open internationally. 

Good Luck and Happy Reading! _________________________________________
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Armchair BEA: Instagram Challenge

Today's pic: My armchair.

#armchairBEA

DomeAlong!

I am in! A little late, but I really want to read this before the show starts. 
I am a long time fan of King's. My first book of his was Christine, which I read back in high school. I chose The Shining for book group last October and have enjoyed being freaked out by every book of his that I read.
Off to buy myself a copy!
Happy Reading! _________________________________________
 FTC Disclosure: Clicking on book title and/or image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

Armchair BEA: Fiction Love

 I love the sweeping epic stories of historical fiction, especially if set in Tudor England. I can't get enough of the supernatural creatures- werewolves, vampires, zombies, etc.  I really enjoy a great crime novel, a mystery to keep me guessing all night about who did it. I like the easy to read, fast to finish, and so addictive popular fiction but also the slow, beautiful prose of literary fiction. 
This is what I read. This is what sits on my shelves (both real and electronic), on my bedside table, my floor and window sills. Perhaps a few non-fiction books make there way in but it is those books of fiction that fuel my reading habit. 
They make me dream of being the Inspector that solves the unsolvable case, of flying on broomsticks after Snitches and eating chocolate frogs on the Hogwart's Express, of meeting my own Gilbert Blythe (well, that one did come true), and of surviving the zombie apocalypse.
How could you even want to read anything else? ;)
(So, I realize I included non- Genre Fiction here. Oops. Just shows you I really don't know all the new genres- NA, Genre Fiction? What happened to just Fiction? Anyway, I guess my point is- I like it all. But, yeah, Genre Fiction does seem to be my go to reads. )

Happy Reading! _________________________________________
 FTC Disclosure: Clicking on book title and/or image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

Armchair BEA: Introduction

Hello Armchair BEA-ers! Welcome to MariReads.
I am Mari and I have been blogging for quite awhile now. I started with my knitting blog, MariKnits back in 2007. I used to share and review books I was reading once a week on there, but soon I was posting more about books than knitting so I decided to start MariReads. Most books reviewed back then were for challenges- Classics, New-Classics, 100 books in a year. I loved the community amongst Book Bloggers and was soon exclusively blogging about Books. 
The last couple years have been a little slow for me around here. Lots of life changes- including having a child, moving from Austin, TX back to CA and adjusting to life at home after nine years of teaching. I am very happy to be back near our families, and being able to spend these first years at home with my little girl (who is almost 3) but it did limit how much reading, reviewing and posting I have been able to do. I am starting to get my groove back a bit. I am even hosting my very own reading challenge. Never done that before. :)
So, before I go, here is what I am currently reading:
I am so close to finishing Patient Zero by Jonathan Maberry.  Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn for book group. and The Lavender Garden by Lucinda Riley for review.
I am really looking forward to this event and meeting some new bloggers. Thanks for visiting!

Happy Reading! _________________________________________  
FTC Disclosure: Clicking on book title and/or image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

Sherlock Holmes Reading Challenge

For those of you going through Sherlock withdrawal like me, I have a reading challenge for you. I thought it would be fun, while we wait for Season 3, to go back to the originals and read Arthur Conan Doyle's Sherlock. Here is the list of all the Holmes books, minus a few short stories that I thought might be hard to get a hold of. You can find most of these as free eBooks.

A Study in Scarlet (1887) The Sign of Four (1890) The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1892) The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1894) The Hound of the Baskervilles (1902) The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1905) The Valley of Fear (1915) His Last Bow (1917) The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1927)

To make this easy and give lots of options for participation you can choose your level of expertise in deduction from the 5 options below. 

Inspector
Read all 9 listed above. 
Lieutenant
Read 6 of your choosing. 
Detective
Read 3 of your choosing.
Officer
Read 1 of your choosing. 

The Challenge will run from June 1-Dec 31st. 

All who participate will be entered for a giveaway, one entry for each book read and reviewed. The more you read, the more chances you get to win a copy of Sherlock, Season 1 or 2 on DVD. 

Ready to join? 

Post what books you plan to read and sign up with the Mister Linky below. The post to link your reviews will be up June 1st. I hope you are all as excited to read these as I am.

You can post your reviews here.

Happy Reading! 

_________________________________________  

FTC Disclosure: Clicking on title and image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

Bumped by Megan McCafferty

Bumped by Megan McCafferty
I bought this book awhile ago when it was at a special price for iBook. I wasn't too sure about it, the premise sounded odd- teenagers are paid to have sex and get pregnant by adults for the babies. You see, in this world that McCafferty has created, a virus causes people to become sterile once they hit adulthood. The only way to have children is to have a teen "bump". Crazy, right? 
I thought so, too. But is it really all so improbable? Right now, money is being made by showing young teens dealing with pregnancy and motherhood on television. 
Anyway, the real story here is about Melody and Harmony. Twins separated at birth and raised in completely lifestyles. One raised to be a paid teen surrogate, and the other raised with God and the plan to be a teen bride and mom. Both are not happy with their lots in life and with the help of each other and some friends they realize that maybe they don't have to do what their families have planned for them.
Interesting story, interesting new teen language (which I thought was a lot of fun) and an unresolved ending that left me wanting more. So different from the Jessica Darling series, but just as fun to read.
Source: ebook purchase

4/12

Happy Reading! _________________________________________  
FTC Disclosure: Clicking on book title and/or image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

I'm planning a Challenge!

Look for more details soon!

April Book Group: Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl

It has been a year since I last posted about our Book group meetings! We are still going strong, thankfully. Yay! Here is the list of the books we have read so far:
2011 August- Austenland by Shannon Hale September- The Happiness Project by Gretchin rubin October- The Shining by Stephen King November/December- The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein 2012 January- The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Sloot February- The Last Letter to Your Lover by JoJo Moyles March/April- Are You Somebody? by Nuala O'Faolain May- A Million Nightengales by Susan Straight June- The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern July/August- Friday Mornings at Nine by Marilyn Brant September/October- Steve Jobs: A Biography by Walter Isaacson November/December- The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett 2013 January- The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh February/March- Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner April- Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl ______________________________  It was my turn to host again and choose our book. This months book was chosen because I really wanted something lighter than the previous month's book (Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner). I also really wanted to read a YA book with our group. I came to our March meeting with two choices: Beautiful Creatures and The Perks of Being a Wallflower. Two very different style of YA books.  We went with Beautiful Creatures. Thoughts about the book:
Everyone seemed a bit torn about this one. They didn't think it was all that great, but they were all still going to get the next book in the series. Guess that is the good thing about not finishing your story in one book. Even those who aren't totally invested will get the next book so as not to be left with questions unanswered.
We all thought it was okay. It was a fast, light read-exactly what we wanted. There were just a bunch of little nit-picky things that kept everyone from truly enjoying it. The use of "casters" instead of witches, the ending or non-ending, Lena wanting to go to a party thrown by her evil cousin and the guests are all the kids that have been mean to her. 
Popular Question: The character of Ethan is a bit feminine. How would the book and the relationship between him and Lena be different had he behaved more like a teenage boy?
This was one of the nit-picky things. Ethan didn't act like a teenage boy. Perhaps due to a female writer, but I have read believable teenage boys written by female authors before. We all got confused when we started reading, thinking the narrator was female. Perhaps it is on purpose; Another reason why he is different than the other boys in town. I don't know. 
Next Months book: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

Happy Reading! _________________________________________
 FTC Disclosure: Clicking on book title and/or image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

Google+ Comments

Hi All,
I activated the Google+ Comment feature to see how it works. Please let me know if you have issues with it. I don't want to make leaving comments any harder than it needs to be. 
Have any of you started using it? How did it work for you?
Thanks!
Happy Reading! _________________________________________
 FTC Disclosure: Clicking on book title and/or image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.

Review: Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

When this book comes out in June you need to go and get yourself a copy.

 I stayed up until 4am reading this book despite the fact that a two year old would be up at 7 ready to start her day. It was so worth it. The ending itself was just perfect. Last two words of the book got the tears flowing. 

From the very first pages, I was intrigued by Nastya, the new girl in school that doesn't talk and Josh, the one everyone avoids. Millay gives nothing away at the beginning and slowly divulges more and more information about the two of them as they get to know each other. Both are going through some really tough things that no kids should have to deal with. They are lucky to find some solace and saving from each other while woodworking in Josh's garage.

This was such a beautiful story about second chances. I will be getting myself a copy in June as well and sharing with everyone I know who loves a good book.

Source: Net Galley

Emotion: tranquility

Happy Reading! _________________________________________  
FTC Disclosure: Clicking on book title and/or image links will lead you to my Amazon Affiliate page.