Rita’s Comments (group member since Jul 23, 2010)

Rita’s comments from the Unlocking Books group.

I was like that as a kid. I'd read everything I could get my hands on. I never got in trouble with my parents (until I was a teenager) because I was busy reading, but there were times my dad would come into my room and take all my books.

"You can't read for a week. Go outside and play," he'd say.

And then there were some summers where the rule was that I could only read one fiction novel if I read one biography first. I hated reading biographies so much that I didn't read much those summers.

Now, I wouldn't have so many problems reading a biography. I enjoy learning things.

You certainly read a lot, Stephanie! How many books do you read in a month?

I just finished reading Outside In by Maria V. Snyder. Have any of you read that one yet? I really enjoyed the fast paced story and thought the author did an excellent job with the character's struggle with responsibility.

Now I'm reading Daughters of Rome by Kate Quinn.

All right, I'm totally weirded out now.

(Sorry, I just had to turn it into a verb. Wendy's fault. She made it into a noun.)

You can be weirder than me, but I'm the weirdest of them all.

It was weird and yet funny at the same time. It was weirder the first time and funnier the second time through the book.

"Weirder" isn't a word, is it? Well, saying "more weird" sounds weird.

Giving them writing assignments based on books they've read is my way of keeping track of what we've read for the sake of reporting back to the schoolboard at the end of the year.

Are they lucky? I've written the assignment on the board, but I haven't heard what they think of it yet. Usually I get grumped at for assignments like this. This time though they get to do it anytime during the week rather than on the day I assign it. That way it's on their schedule rather than mine.

Oh yes, definitely! And I gave my kids homework assignments on Fablehaven. They have to write stories on meeting fairies just like when Kendra and Seth met fairies for the first time. My youngest Kaylee is only 5, so she gets to draw pictures and then tell me her story rather than write it.

I did enjoy it very much. I did this one as an audiobook for my car drive to work, and since we just drove 6 hours this weekend to vist my in-laws, I shared the audiobook with my kids. We pulled into Memaw and Papa's drive as the Kendra and Seth were milking the cow, and my kids laughed so hard at that scene!

It's so much more fun to share a book with my family. TJ and I always share a smile and a laugh at the good lines, and I love talking about the events and the characters with the kids.

And I learned a very important parenting lesson from Seth. Kids like Seth need more "Do this" than "Don't do this" kind of lectures or rules. His strengths became a weakness because he had no outlet for his imagination and energy and curiosity.

My middle daughter is more like Kendra--quiet, analytical, and conscientious of the rules. My oldest daughter is more like Seth and needs a constructive outlet.

Until you recommended her, I hadn't even heard of her before, but I did see that she has quite a few books out.

No, it hasn't! So frustrating.

I almost bought it. I was at a book signing (6 YA authors came to Dayton on the same day), and TJ said I could spend $20.

However, Pegasus was only in hard back, and my choice was one book for $20 and I couldn't get it signed. Or I could buy 2 books for $10 each from the visiting authors and get them signed. I decided to wait until Pegasus came in at the library book rather than buy it. I just didn't think it would take this long.

golden cage, the frogs croaked their favorite song about...

Being a homeschool mom, I face criticism by people who insist my children must be socialized. Yes, we need to learn how to interact with others, and so the girls take dance classes and go to the park where they have to make new friends and play with their neighbors where they have to develop relationships over time and fight with their siblings so that they have to learn how to manage conflict.

But that's not what people mean when they say "socialize". They mean my kids need to learn how to submit to social norms and be just like everybody else.

And I really don't understand why. Throughout history, it's the free thinkers and the creators and the innovators who change the world.

That's what this book means to me, and that's why I chose it as a YA read, even though it is an adult book. Teenagers graduating from high school have a decision to make, just like Lou did.

Do you want to fit in and get a job like everybody else? Or do you want to take the path less traveled?

There's nothing wrong with getting a job. When following your dreams, you still have to pay the bills. But is the job the goal or is it the means to an end?

grabbed and ate the flower. Angry, the evil librarian...

Wendy wrote: "I don't know. A part of me mourns Lou-before, while the other part rejoices for Lou-after."

I think I more mourned for Lou-before than celebrated Lou-after. I mourn because he didn't treasure what he had.

One of the things that fascinated me about this book was how the descriptions came from the POV rather than from the author. He could find fascination in the most mundane things. Like how he saw the colors in the hair of the girl he loved. If you hold a few strands of your hair out to the sun, you'll see more than blond, brown, black, or red.

Welcome, Xari! And I have plenty of Monster Cookies to go around. In fact, you can have five.

Last December, several people mentioned Matilda by Roald Dahl. I got it from the library and am reading it with the kids.

Trunchbull makes me want to go crazy. How could someone be so awful and be in charge of a school?

I've ordered my book from the library a few weeks ago, and it still hasn't come in yet. Has anybody else gotten a copy yet?

I like Mercy better than Sookie. Mercy has the right amount of grit and wit that I don't feel Sookie has. Mercy seems to truly care about the men interested in her rather than just wanting to bed them.

And IMO, Adam outranks any of Sookie's men in hotness. He never turns into a mush that can be rolled over, and he wants more than to seduce the protagonist. He has motivation of his own.

Kate wrote: "Everybody wants something. THEY don't know they're not the center of the (book's) world!"

Great advice, Kate.

Kate wrote: "Though I think Eric has gone a bit downhill. He used to be intensely scary as well as a hunk, and now he's just this big gentle cookie."

I can't stand it when men are written in such a way that the heroine has to save the man. I don't mind a strong female, but I can't stand weak men. I just read the 3rd book in the Sookie series, and I was disappointed by how the author turned Eric into a puppy dog.

Kate, have you read the Mercedes Thompson series? I lik her portrayal of men much better. But I also like werewolves more than vampires.