Review: Breathe, Annie, Breathe

Miranda Kenneally - Sourcebooks Fire
 

The details:  302 pages, paperback ARC, 2 days to read along munching on jelly beans!

Summary: (From Goodreads) Annie hates running. No matter how far she jogs, she can’t escape the guilt that if she hadn’t broken up with Kyle, he might still be alive. So to honor his memory, she starts preparing for the marathon he intended to race.

But the training is even more grueling than Annie could have imagined. Despite her coaching, she’s at war with her body, her mind—and her heart. With every mile that athletic Jeremiah cheers her on, she grows more conflicted. She wants to run into his arms…and sprint in the opposite direction. For Annie, opening up to love again may be even more of a challenge than crossing the finish line.


Review: Before I start in on my review of this book, let me just say that Sourcebooks is amazing. I have visited their booth twice now, once at ALA and once at BEA, and they have the sweetest people working for them. Thank you, Sourcebooks! They also handed out super cute tins with jelly beans inside, to go along with the ARC. How adorable!

Now, I first read a Miranda Kenneally book last winter, when I was accepted for Racing Savannah from Netgalley. I was hooked. So when I saw on my scheduler that Miranda would be signing at BEA 2014, I HAD TO GO. This was probably my number 1 must have (along with Rainbow Rowell's Landline...) I wound up towards the back of the line, but I was perfectly ok with that. Her team handed us our copies while we waited, and I was literally already on page 40 by the time we made it to the actual signing. 

This book talks a lot about running. The main character is currently training, although she never 'was' a runner. I do not know if I liked the book as much as I did because that's EXACTLY where I am, or not. It sure didn't hurt, that's for sure. ;-) I can tell you that this book if anything, pushed me to run more and train harder for my upcoming 10k. (It's hard to become a runner. It seems everyone IS a runner, and no one besides you are a 'newbie' runner. That's something I really enjoyed about B,A,B is that she is NOT a perfect practiced runner. She understands what I'm going through, and vice-versa.)  She understands where I am coming from.

Like all of Miranda's books, this is a YA romance. There is no excplict sex, but there is quite detailed foreplay. This isn't a book I would probably allow in my school library (middle school) but I would keep it behind my desk for those students that I personally know can handle the book/have permission from their parents. (I read my first romance in 7th grade! My mom gave me the book! I was hooked!) 


If you like running, YA, Romance, or fluff sweet books, this is the book for you! Trust me, this book hits the sweet spot. Plus, I wouldn't be surprised if you went for a run after! ;-)


Rating: 4 stars
Jenni

Monday Musings #4,

Musing Mondays is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading, in which book bloggers muse about about something related to books. (Usually.) Rants, raves, random thoughts are all welcome here. I personally will be using Musing Mondays to talk about my other job: being a middle school librarian.


Musing Mondays / School Library Updates

Today I want to talk about Summer Reading. Does anyone remember their teachers or librarians pushing for summer reading, outside of the public library reading program?

I sure don't. Sadly, I didn't push it to my students this past year either. The truth is, the summer gets busy. We all say summer is a vacation, but for me I feel summer is my busiest season! With house cleaning finally underway, cheerleading practices 3 times a week, fundraisers, camps,  craft fairs, and preparing for the next school year, I don't get much reading done. I don't want my students to feel like they need to go without sleep just to read. I know this sounds backwards, but I don't want to ruin reading for those students who are on the verge of NOT being readers. If a student loves to read, they will. If a student is pushed too hard, they won't.
I can tell you most books I have 'hated' were books I was forced to read in school. I know what I like to read, when I like to read and where. I can't focus sitting in a hard chair, elbows held up at an awkward angle.. It sucks.

This summer I have started and abandoned more books than I have read, because I was forcing myself to read. I was burning myself out. Most avid readers have that feeling once in awhile. That burn-out. Not feeling joy from reading, nothing seems to 'hit the spot' and you feel like you are just wasting time. This is NORMAL and I feel many of my students don't know that. They don't think it's ok to read a burn-out, which I feel is a disservice to our future readers and book bloggers. This year I am going to REALLY hit hard that idea that taking a break from reading, or going back to a 'fluff' read to get back into things is 'bad.'

This post is getting wordy, but let me reiterate: I will not force my students to read. I will continue to give them options, and hope they make a connection. However I will not and can not force them into something.

Jenni

Monday Musings #3

Musing Mondays is a meme hosted by Should Be Reading, in which book bloggers muse about about something related to books. (Usually.) Rants, raves, random thoughts are all welcome here. I personally will be using Musing Mondays to talk about my other job: being a middle school librarian.


Musing Mondays / School Library Updates

Welcome back!
It's been awhile since I've updated, and that is because I've been busy! See, I'm also a crafter. So I was working on things for a craft show that I just finished. I make painted wood signs, and with a toddler running around it's been time consuming! 

 Now the clock is on, for school to start back up, and I feel like I have NOTHING finished. I never did find a checkers or chess set, and my decorations consist of 2 plastic paper plates and ball lights to hang up. Oh, and I bought some cheap butterfly wings to hang up around too. (The kind that kids wear, not real wings! ;-))

I also plan on using a QR reader for my "What is Mrs. B reading?" station, since all students will be getting an ipad this year.  I was also hoping on working on my binder this summer of our book recommendations, but that hasn't happened. There is still a month left, I need to get things done!

 

Jenni

Family Friday!

After a long hiatus, Family Friday is back! 

Family Friday is something that I do here on Book and Babes that features picture books. Since this blog was created by 3 moms we had our own families at heart when we started this. Since then I have to come to realize that a LOT of book bloggers I was coming across have kiddos themselves. They must obviously also be invested in quality books for their kids, too.

Not to mention the BIGGEST factor in all of this: THE MOMMY BLOGGERS! Seriously, you probably know what I'm talking about? The biggest blogging faction at the moment is the DIY-SAHM mommy bloggers. Why are we not blogging for them? We are we not bridging those gaps?

I know, such big questions, right? ;-) In the end, I decided to bring back Family Fridays. Children's and Picture Books might not be the big draw in the book blogging world, but it is STILL an important aspect I won't ignore.

Caterina and the Lemonade Stand

by Erin Eitter Kono

Dial Books for Young Readers (Penguin Group imprint)

May 2014

Synopsis: Caterina loves making lists and planning big, creative projects, and this time she’s planning a lemonade stand – the perfect summer pastime. She’s hoping to earn enough money for a new scooter, but finds that she’s not the only one in town with the lemonade idea. Everybody seems to be selling the refreshing treat, so how can Caterina’s stand truly stand out?

Mom's thoughts: When I first saw this sitting on the shelf, I picked it up because the cover is gorgeous. It looks reminiscent of a well-loved handmade scrapbook. Lots of color hues, patterns, and rickrack. I LOVE the design of this book. Beyond the physical look of the book, let's take a quick look at the story. This book begins with the perfect intro:
"Caterina is a little brown bird with great big colorful thoughts."

I love it, don't you?

Also, Caterina is a list maker. My heart is singing. I love this small fact. I know many people, myself included LOVE lists. There is some weird satisfaction in crossing things off my list. When I get crazy, I even color-code my lists. ;-)

The BEST thing about this book?

The surprise ending. 

Spoiler Alert! (Trust me, you need this book.)

Really, I am going to spoil this book.

Are you ready?

The scooter she wants to buy? Is for HER BROTHER.

I know this is a common thing in picture books. Showing how to share and care for siblings....

but this book really hits the message home. You see, the pictures show her brother helping her out every step of the way. They look like loving siblings. The Author however never mentions him throughout the entire book. You think this book is all about Caterina. Her lemonade stand, HER money, etc. Not at any given point in the book is she told by a parent to remember her sibling. This truly comes from a selfless place, and I absolutely love this book.

Tater-tot's thoughts: Well, since Taters only has a handful of words right now, I'm going to do my best to interpret her thoughts for her. Tater-tot enjoyed this short book. She loved turning the paged and pointing out colors. (There are a lot!) She loved the owls, and since owls are 'the thing' right now, she loves being able to point them out and hoot to them. She is still a little small to understand the words of this book, but that doesn't mean much. When I tell her to to grab a book, this is one she commonly brings back to me. HOOT! HOOT!

Author Behavior

I recently read the first two books of a series, (which you can probably figure it out by following me on Twitter!) and while importing my short review into Goodreads I stumbled across something that instantly made me feel like I stepped into the twilight zone.

I met this author at BEA. I replied to this author on twitter several times. I thought this author was a nice person.

 I suddenly found myself forced into this rabbit hole, with no help of escape. I read about despicable things this author said to reviewers, things the authors team said and did, and of course everyone's reactions.

HOLY COW.

This all transpired a couple of years ago, but still this hit me like a freight truck. I have no idea if this author's apology was sincere or if they have changed their ways. Yet I am stuck. I feel I can not honorably review her book now, without a bias. I feel this behavior has soiled my opinion of the book and it is not fair to future readers for me to have a negative review based upon the author's actions alone.

Which is sad. I enjoyed the book. It wasn't wonderful, but it was a read I enjoyed in a day. I had a general pleasurable read. Now I can't help but feel shame, which is also absurd.

This author acted like a spoiled kid who did not win the talent show. Not everyone is going to love everything you do. It is important for those to remember their audience. Spurning your blog followers, your readers, your staff, etc. can bite anyone in the butt. Why I think some feel the need to go above and verbally call out others on an OPINION that was in no way inflammatory, is just because they haven't been around negative criticism.

I hope to one day teach my daughter how to gracefully win and lose. That means learning how to accept duplicate birthday gifts with grace, how to be disappointed but now show it, if she gets something she doesn't want. How to thank someone for the time they spent coming to visit her, getting her anything, even if the outcome wasn't what she expected. How to gracefully thank people for the blessings they bestow on her, and to be a gracious host. I can only hope she understands the meaning of good manners. How blessed she is, and how negative attention is just a way of life. Hard, absolutely. But still a part of life.

Dear Authors:
Your behavior affects us all. While I may not have been the target of your attentions, it may still affect my view of you, and what I recommend to my friends. It affects how I view similar authors, and how I will look for new authors to peruse. I will be keeping my ears open for more drama, because honestly? I don't wish to be anywhere near this kind of drama. I do not want to purchase the material of an author who is going to lash out at her readers. I do not want to follow an author like this on social media. Be a positive role model, please?

Stacking the Shelves

Stacking the Shelves is a meme hosted by Tynga's Reviews and gives us a chance to share with you what books we have recently bought, won, been given, or stole. ;-)

Since we are both still up to our necks in books from B.E.A, this week's stacking the shelves is actually quite short. 

Coming this week: Teaser Tuesday of Pointe!

Reviews of both.

If you have any reviews linking to these, please share the link in comments! 

-Jenni