Co-Written Story // Part 1

Go to the Co-Written Page to see more about this story! Here is the first 175 words.  

September 26, 2008    
   "RUN!"

       Liam ran down the hill, dragging Avery by the hand.  Liam felt a jerk on his hand as Avery tripped over a tree root, having fallen in the mud, unable to see in the dead of night. 

       "Go on," urged Avery.  "I'm just slowing you down.  I´ll hide here and meet up with you later."

       Liam paused.  How could he leave her? She was sure to be found without him; she didn't know the land like he did.  But, maybe she wouldn’t be seen, curled up in the roots of the big oak tree. 

       "Go," she said again.  "We don't have much time." 

       Liam bent down, kissed her forehead, and ran into the black night that stretched out before him. 

       He ran, down the hill and through the maze of trees that he knew so well.  Only, his perfect memory could not save him.  A moment too late, he realized that something was not right; the sight before him not only beheld the giant trees, but also the very person he was running from.  

Feature // OverDrive

This is meant to be my Friday post, but....  Here it is anyway. 

OverDrive is a free app that links with different public libraries.  Once you get the app and choose your library (you can sign in with you library card or make an account), you can barrow ebooks and audiobooks for 21 days.  If a book is unavailable, you can place a hold just like in a regular library. OverDrive connects with libraries in over 60 countries and about 30,000 libraries. I love this app and the fact that I pay nothing to read some great books.  

"Borrow eBooks, audiobooks, and more from your local public library - anywhere, anytime. All you need is a library card."

Book Review // Delirium

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

I love dystopian novels.  I have grown up with my mom telling me to always finish what I start, including books.  So I regret to say that I did not finish this book.  
The society in the book believed love was an awful disease.  The citizens awaited the day they turned 18 and could be "cured" from this disease running through their veins. The characters were believable, and interesting, but for me, this idea of love being a disease was too awful for me to get past and look at the people and characters.  So, for those who love a good dystopian book, try this.  Just for me, it didn't work.  

TV Thursday // When Calls the Heart

Every Thursday, we will try to bring you a post on a book and its TV show or a movie.   

Today I bring you, When Calls the Heart by Janette Oke and the TV show "When Calls the Heart".

The Book 

This Canadian book tells the story of Elizabeth Thatcher, a young school teacher who goes west to teach in a small, developing town.  Her half brother, who lives out west asks her to come out to teach, and she, wanting to try something new, leaves her home of servants and fancy dresses to live in a home where she must pump her own water, cook her own food, and deal problems like mice. 

The book is similar to the Little House on the Prairie books by Laura Ingles Wilder - it tells the story of a life rather than of one big obstacle the protagonist must face.  I found this book interesting, but not very captivating.  This is the first book in the series of six.  

The Show

I watched the first two seasons of the show before I read the book, and I fell in love with it. 

While Elizabeth Thatcher is the young school teacher in both the book and show, there were more differences than similarities.  

Elizabeth heads west to teach in a town called Coal Valley, arriving just after a disastrous mine accident that killed most of the men in the town.  There she learns to fend for herself, meets a handsome Mountie (Canadian Mounted Police), and tries to fit in among the widows.  

I found the show much more captivating and attention holding than the book and I cannot wait for season 3 to be on Netflix. 

Reading // Reading Challenges

Ever since I was little, during the summers, my family and I would make our own summer reading challenge.

As a little kid, one summer we made a farm on a wall- every book my siblings and I read would get an animal with the title and author.  

The summer as I entered high school, as we read, we looked for quotes that captured the theme, purpose, plot, etc. and typed them out.  

While reading, if you look for a quote like that or look for a meaningful quote you can appreciate or understand the book better.  So, I encourage you to try it next time you read a book.