The Wedding Dress

The Wedding Dress by Carrie Young

A compilation of short stories detailing life in the early 1900's on the plains of North Dakota.  The fictional stories feel real.  Some of them give the sense of ghost stories where you are just waiting for the creepy ending which never comes.  The stories are sweet, engaging, and poignant.  The characters are good, solid, moral people.  Endings were not always happy but the morality always shined through.

Rating a good solid 3  Easy to pick up and read bit by bit or as a whole.
Rating G 

Courting Miss Lancaster

Courting Miss Lancaster by Sarah M. Eden

'Courting Miss Lancaster' is the sequel to 'Seeking Persephone'.  I was given this book and read it without knowing there was a volume preceding it.  I did not find that I needed the previous volume to understand this one.

Harry Windover has fallen for Athena Lancaster.  Poor Harry can never be thought of as an eligible match for her though because he is nearly penniless.  To make Harry's suffering even worse, Harry's best friend is Athena's guardian, and he asks Harry's assistance in finding Athena a suitable gentleman.  Harry decides to show Athena what she doesn't want in a suitor.  Gentlemen with alarming characteristics are introduced and quickly turned away.  With every debacle, Athena needs Harry's comfort more.  What she doesn't understand is that love isn't always like a lightening bolt, sometimes it grows quietly.

Clean, sweet romance!  Even though there must be some...misunderstanding.....to wrench your heart and make you cringe in agony, it's not so bad that you start to hate the story.  Fun, super fast read.  I think I am convinced to find its predecessor and read it too.

Rating 3.5  Sweet, cute, fun, cuddly if necessary......just like you think it would be.
Rating G Pretty darn clean.

The Sugar Queen

   The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen

Josey Cirrini exists in a small town that holds it memories and judgements like iron fetters.  Everyone remembers what a beast of a child she was.  Everyone knows now that she lives with her harsh elderly mother and does nothing but care for her.  Everyone knows she is plump and alone.  Josey knows she loves sweets and Adam the mailman, and no one else can know.  In a totally bizarre and magical twist, Josey opens her closet one day to find Della Lee......a local waitress.  Della Lee refuses to leave the confines of the closet, saying only that she won't be there for long before she moves on.  In her rough and caring way, Della Lee helps Josey open up to life.  Soon she isn't going to her closet for sweets but to see Della Lee.  Josey finds friendship and possibly LOVE?

This book didn't seem that interesting when I heard about it.  It came with good recommendations and I did like the author's other book 'Garden Spells'.  What do you know?  I loved it.  I read it lickedy split.  The book was magical and a little mysterious.  Josey was able to make a friend after years of being alone.  Many times I don't like books that lend to a 'sisterly' theme because they tend to cut everyone else out of the picture.  This book wasn't like that.  The girls met and became a great support to each other right away.  There were also some really great quotes in this book.  Allen has a beautiful way with words.

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"It feels like he's taken your heart, doesn't it?....Like he's reached in and pulled it out from you. And I bet he smiles like he doesn't know, like he doesn't know he's holding your heart in his hand and you're dying from him."


"You'd be surprised how easy some things can be, things you never thought you'd do, when you take self-restpect out of the equation."


"Sometimes you weren't supposed to share pain. Sometimes it was best just to deal with it alone."



"She'd always known he didn't love her. But it was easier to bear when he didn't know she loved him. That way they were even. Now he knew he had all the power."


Rating PG  domestic abuse, an affair, murder, ghosts
Rating 4.5  Only because I probably won't read it again soon, but I loved the magical qualities and Allen's descriptiveness.

The Silence of Snow

The Silence of Snow (Jayson Wolfe series #5) by Anita Stansfield

Jayson is just ready to release a new album. Times should be wonderful but he is about to learn the lesson of opposition. Tabloid rumors, rumors in his own ward, and illness bring him to another breaking point.

As always Stansfield has great core subjects. I was pleased that she chose to broach opposition. Jayson and his family come through clearly and without so much emotional turmoil that you can't understand what is happening anymore. This book also delved into dealing with chronic illness. Jayson began suffering debilitating migraines and a family member was diagnosed with Celiac Disease.

The Celiac Disease part was great. I was happy that she showed what a rigid, life/world changing disease this is and how little it is acknowledged by food companies.

The book was sweet, clean, fun and fast. She dropped most of her 'words' that I always look for. She picked up a few others....'glorious', and 'joyous'. Kind of funny.

I want to hear the music created by this character........I may also want to marry him. Mostly because he works from home.........

Rating 4
Rating PG The family talks to their teen about chastity. The ex-wife is abusing drugs.

Standing For Something

Standing for Something by Gordon B. Hinckley

This is not a first time read for me. If this book were ever timely when first published, is now extremely timely. President Hinckley lays out the road less traveled. A road that he professes can save humanity if we will all begin the journey in our own lives and homes. Only can we change the world if we start with ourselves.
Although written by the former President of the LDS church, the book is one that should hold great value for all Judeo/Christian sects. Hinckley simply lays out ten virtues that he believes should be our ground work. These virtues may seem to many of us, now lay by the way side in modern society. The ten virtues are love, honesty, morality, civility, learning, forgiveness and mercy, thrift and industry, gratitude, optimism, and finally faith. He goes on to talk of the guardians of these virtues which are marriage and the family. Hinckley has it right when he says that 'we can save our nation by saving our homes'.
Standing for Something is uplifting although it speaks of serious topics and brings to mind our duty to make life better in a time where virtue and morality seem to be quickly fading from our forethought's.
I would recommend this book to anyone whether LDS or not. I didn't feel like any religious sect was at the forefront, only basic Christian principles.
Rating 5 I spent a lot of time underlining thoughts since this was not my first reading.
Rating G

I Capture The Castle

I Capture The Castle by Dodie Smith

Cassandra is seventeen and living in a run down castle. Her once famous father leased the castle with the money from his one and only published book. Her lovely sister Rose is moody and depressed with no positive outlook for marriage. Her witty and bright little brother Thomas is still in school. Stephen is the maid's son, left with the family after her death. Stephen deeply loves Cassandra.....she does not return the love. Cassandra's stepmother Topaz is eccentric and breathtaking. And her father, suffering from writer's block is holed up in a bitterly cold room doing crosswords.

The new owners of the castle turn up. Simon and Neil Cotton and their mother. All American, they soon fall in love with the English countryside and Cassandra's famous father. Rose hopes this is her chance to change the family's financial situation. She immediately tries to capture the heart of Simon. The Cotton family is wealthy and friendly. They seem a perfect match for the monetarily and socially challenged Mortmain family.

Cassandra desires herself to be a writer. The book is her journal. From first glance of the Cotton boys until the bitter and surprising end of the Mortmain's relationship with them....Cassandra details it all in sweet with sweet and witty writing.

Rating 4 I loved the writing style and how Cassandra would build up to what she felt was an exciting turn of events. She was also very introspective and truthful about herself.
Rating G Clean.....although I thing the English use of 'making love' really meant something much less drastic.

The Girl Who Could Fly

The Girl Who Could Fly by Victoria Forester

This sweet little book was recommended by my neighbor and Stephenie Meyer. It brought to mind The Mysterious Benedict Society/X-men/with a dash of Little House.

Piper is born to a straight laced up tight farm family. She is their only child, born late in life. Not long after Piper is born, the McClouds discover that she is not as 'normal' as they are. First Piper can float and hover. By the time she is nine she learns she can fly. Once this discovery is made by the whole farming community, Piper is whisked away to a school for 'special children with special talents' where she can be kept safe.

Once in the new safe place, things don't go how you think they would. Instead of fostering their special abilities, they do the mundane. Why? It takes time but Piper finally makes friends and they help her shee what kind of 'special' place she is really in.

Sweet story that I think my nine year old would love. Also entertaining enough with foreshadowing and acceptance dilemmas that it also held me captive. I love to pick up a good clean book and this surely fit the bill.

Rating 4 Good story, good characters, not super fast paced.

Rating G Clean

The Shack

The Shack by William Paul Young

The Shack is a book about more than one story I would say. First there is the story......and then there is the theology. The story intrigued me. I was drawn in by the cover of the book and then I read the back. A child kidnapped and then the father's healing by spending a weekend with God in the 'shack' where the child was held.

I should have known that I wasn't going to love this book like the zillions of other people that read it because......a) zillions of others liked it.........b) I had to put it down when I realized what was happening to the child..........c) zillions of others liked it.

I hate to say that I don't like this book because I feel like it was a truly faithful and heartfelt endeavor by the author. However I do not like this book and would caution against reading it. If you already have a religion.......you are going to be upset by the messed up theology. If you don't, I would hate for you to read this book and think that it held truth.

On the flip side I am happy that this book has touched so many because that means that there are people out there searching for a personal relationship with God. And that relationship can only bring good to their lives.

The story did make some good points. That God, Jesus and The Holy Ghost are three separate people. The are only one in the sense that they basically have the same mind set about everything. Also I did feel like it did a great job of explaining free agency and its vital importance to everything. God explained that He cannot stop people from making choices because if He stopped one choice He would have to stop all choice..........that making everything pointless. He also explained how he does not create 'bad' things but He will use them to His advantage in bringing to pass 'good'. These were great explanations and I hope that any one that reads this book concentrates on these things.

Also I did like the magical quality and the beauty that was described. The 'story' was a good story.

The things that were clearly horrible were the way that Adam was made to seem like he messed up the whole 'plan' by the choice he and Eve made. This is not so. Without choosing to become mortal the 'plan' had no where to go.

Also the Commandments or basically any rule was made to seem foolish. I believe God actually told Mack (the main character) that he did not have to follow any rules. There was a confusing explanation why this was so.

It also seemed like Jesus was the good guy and God was the bad guy. But then the book really never gave Jesus credit for everything he did. Which if you are a Christian means EVERYTHING.

A huge thing for me also was the way that God was portrayed. I did not like the 'character' he was given to play. If that is what God really was I would not have a problem. But it isn't.

There were surely touching and poignant scenes and some great bits of truth but they were so mixed with untruth that I cannot recommend this book.

Rating 2 I wasn't gagging but I also didn't have a very good feeling when I read this. Many of you may now laugh because I admit to reading unsavory things now and then. However they are put out as unsavory.......not as gospel. I cannot give this book a 1 because there were some points made that were really really good. I am mostly certain that I will throw this book away instead of passing it on.
Rating G

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town

When Zachary Beaver Came to Town by Kimberly Willis Holt

I grabbed this quick little read at a book sale. I thought it seemed intriguing because it had won a National Book Award. It was a quick read but I wouldn't rate it with any awards.

Toby's summer in Antler Texas has just begun. Zachary Beaver, billed 'the fattest boy in the world' has just rolled into town in a tiny trailer. Zachary is abandoned by his legal guardian and handler in small town Antler while he looks for other acts to add to the side show. Toby's life also revolves around sadness. His mother just left under the guise of winning a singing contest in Nashville. Toby soon finds that she has gone searching for adventure without him. Dad is quiet and likes the quiet life. Cal, Toby's best friend loses an older brother to the war in Vietnam. Toby's crush Scarlet gives her heart to another boy. Zachary, Cal and Toby become friends before the sideshow pulls out later in the summer.

I am sure this book was supposed to be about not judging by appearances. I didn't think it delved into that far enough. Also it was just strange the way things went with Scarlet. Yes it was plausible, just sort of pointless for me. The whole mother abandonment was glossed over and made to seem okay because she just needed something different. Toby spent a lot of his time wishing to be Cal. He wanted Cal's brother to be his and I think he wanted to be part of Cal's loving intact family. Basically he just had to suck it up that he was nothing but Cal's friend. The book was fine. I wouldn't mind if my kids wanted to read it. I question it as an award winner though. It didn't feel deep enough, nor did it feel resolved in anyway.

Rating 2.5 I struggle with this rating. I don't want to go higher because I felt like the book bordered on pointless but it was still an okay book and I felt for the main character. I would recommend it, I would just say be prepared for good but not great.

Rating PG Nothing too bad, just his desire for Scarlet was not really meant to be understood by the younger crowd.

The Hourglass Door

The Hourglass Door by Lisa Mangum

Wowie! I am so glad I found this book! I had so much fun with it.

Up until recently Abby has had a very predictable life. She is dating her next door neighbor Jason. She is planning to go to the state college and room with her friend. Then Abby begins to feel like she needs something different. She applies to a college in the East that cares more about 'living without limits' that her grades. She also meets Dante while she is helping direct her schools production of 'Much Ado About Nothing'. Dante is hot, mysterious and Italian.

Before long Abby finds that Dante may also be dangerous. Dante came from no where and is somehow connected to a hot new band Zero Hour. The band seems to be hiding a secret and bewitching everyone that hears them.

Abby falls for Dante and has a rather smoothe breakup with Jason. Dante and Abby fall head over heals for each other. Dante feels that Abby is able to accept truth. He tells Abby that he has really come from the 1400's and that he was an apprentice to DaVinci. DaVinci made a time machine and Dante was one of the test subjects, chosen because he was fingered for a crime he did not commit. Zero Hour's band mates have also arrived from the same time period and they happen to be the reason Dante was put through the time machine.

I was a little thrown off by 'keeping the balance' thing that Dante has to do in order to stay in the present without going insane. It grew on me the longer I read. Very imaginative.

I love the romance parts......I am such a sucker. All I want is for Dante and Abby to be together! My biggest complaint is that I found this series while only the first book has been published. I wish I wouldn't have stumbled upon it until there were more.

Rating 4.5

Rating G

Spies, Lies and a Pair of Ties

Spies, Lies and a Pair of Ties by Sheralyn Pratt

Rhea (Ray) Jensen is a 24 year old P.I. (Not my favorite subject already). Rhea is cute, smart, athletic and crushing on an old boyfriend that she professes to be 'emotionally married' to. Rhea is working on an important embezzlement case that could endanger her life the closer she comes to the truth. While on a stake out, Rhea runs into a pair of missionaries.

Rhea reminds me a lot of Kinsey Malone of the Sue Grafton novels (minus the sex). She is spunky and brilliant and I loved her. She also has her own moral code in which her dead mother played a large role. I really like finding characters that live a moral life because it is healthy and makes sense even though they may not have a religious reason. Religion did not play a large part in this book. When Rhea had to deal with it, she did it like she does her job. I like the way she looked at issues and brought them up in a manner that didn't seem like this was just an LDS author popping in some religion just for her publisher.

This book was an accidental find. I wasn't sure it was up my alley but I couldn't pass it up for the awesome sale it was on. (Woo Hoo I love library book sales!). I am so glad that I picked it up. I can't wait to read the follow ups 'Welcome to Stalk Lake City' and 'Idle Playgrounds'. I am desperate to know about what happens with Rhea's old crush.

Rating 4 Loved it and loved the character.

Rating PG There was a moment of intense desire that Rhea didn't give in to even though she wanted to (and frankly I did too there for a minute).

Shelter From The Storm

Shelter From The Storm by Anita Stansfield

This is the fourth novel in the Jayson Wolfe series. Previously things seemed happily wrapped up. This time Jayson and Elizabeth are happy and progressing nicely when Jayson has some mental drama over a nosy ward member. She believes that Jayson is Hell bound because he plays rock and roll. She refuses to let her son have any contact with him. Jayson is released from his Young Men's calling because of this. Jayson spirals downward emotionally. He used to think that his musical talent was a gift from God. Now he is not so sure.

I always profess to be a Stansfield fan. I still am. Does it sound like I am about to say but? I am. I do adore her and will read her books over and over. However (but) there are some that are better than others. I loved the first three books in this series. This one seemed like a stretch and somewhat pointless. Also as Stansfield tends to do at times.........very mentally harrowing. One person wants to keep their feelings bottled up and the other one won't stop nagging them to just dump their emotion all over the floor like Kool-Aid. This gets tedious. By the end though, Jayson sees his former counselor and she actually wraps up the trauma with a great and concise explanation.

The reason I love Stansfield is because her characters have great character and grit. They abide on a spiritual plain that will take me eons of eternity to reach. So they give me things to think about. Her message.....however long it takes her to reach it......is always worth considering. I like that she is willing to broach timely subjects unique to the culture. I do love that many characters are independently wealthy.......truly helpful, but I would love to have a good juicy story about a daddy cop that has to work 7 jobs to keep the family fed, therefore not truly able to hold most callings where dependability is needed.....nor can he make it to every FHE or scripture reading. I wonder how he would ever make it on such a lofty spiritual plain. Please consider writing this and giving me some ideas. Just a thought.

Rating 4 ish.........love you Anita.
Rating G

The Tale of Despereaux

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo

Despereaux is so named by his mouse mother. Despereaux is very unmouse like. He has large ears, likes reading books instead of eating books, and he falls in love with a human. Despereaux quickly falls in love with the young Princess Pea after reading a fairy tale that inspires him to save a princess like a true knight. For revealing himself to humans, Despereaux is sentenced to the dungeon and sure death, by his father and the mouse council.

Despereaux saves himself by telling the jailer one of the stories he has read. What is has saved himself from is death by rat. Rats are disgusting creatures of darkness. One rat has contrived to ruin the life of Pea because she has made him feel a worthless creature of darkness, though he loves the light. The rat acquires the help of a young servant girl that wants desperately to become a princess herself and is deluded enough to think she can take Pea's place.

Despereaux learns of the treachery and finds his chance to become a fairytale knight. The love of Despereaux saves the kingdom from darkness.

Great story that my children also really loved. DiCamillo has a sweet wit that is fun to read even for adults.

Rating 4.5 Loved it but not enough for a 5. I'm not sure what was missing for me.
Rating G Clean. Great family read.

As Long As I Have You

As Long As I Have You Hearts of the Children Vol. 5 by Dean Hughes

The end of the war finally comes for the Thomas family. Everyone except poor sweet Gene returns home to Utah. Even the Stoltz family is brought to America. At first the book seemed to be wrapping up nicely. Then we come to find that the boys (Alex, Wally and Richard) have varying degrees of PTS (post traumatic stress).

Wally makes it home first. He is shipped around to different hospitals. He is fattened up, checked for diseases, and vaccinated. When he returns home he quickly learns to enjoy life again. He seems even better than the old Wally. Much deeper. Lorainne by some miracle is only engaged, not yet married. Once she sees Wally, she knows that she still loves him. Wally and Lorrainne are engaged and married quickly. Wally begins working for President Thomas as the family parts plant. His life seems set and happy.

Bobbi is the next to return. There are moments that are incredibly tense and weird feeling between Richard and Bobbi. She wants him to want her. (Who doesn't?) He is still suffering with feelings and flashbacks from being blown to high heaven by a Kamikaze pilot. They finally marry and they still have a stiff, strange relationship. At one point Bobbi has a miscarriage. Richard has been working for President Thomas so that he can give Bobbi the lifestyle he thinks is important. Finally Bobbi can't take anymore weirdness and confronts Richard about his pent up feelings and the fact that she thinks he does not enjoy his job. Richard tells Bobbi about some things during the war that he never wanted to share with her. He also agrees to go back to college and do something with his life that he will truly enjoy.

Peter shows up in the same German LDS branch that Alex has just been given a calling in. He finds that Alex is now his brother-in- law and that his family is still alive. It may have been a little contrived and tightly wrapped up at this point, but I am glad that Peter was able to reconnect with his family. Peter is reunited with the Stoltz family and moves to America with them. They live in Salt Lake where President Thomas has made jobs for Heinrich and for Peter. He has also provided a house and a car for them. Peter does not like America as much as the rest of his family. He does not learn the language as quickly either. He wants to return to Germany and help rebuild it. He also has fallen in love with the young daughter of the family that took him in and saved his life.

LaRue is growing up and becoming more serious. She doesn't date and she doesn't seem to care for clothing as much as she did in the past. High school is ending for her and she is able to receive a scholarship to a college out East. President Thomas is concerned for LaRue. He is afraid that once she leaves the valley, her faith with subside and she will be brainwashed by the liberal thinkers she meets. LaRue wants to leave for this reason. The more she ponders, the more she wonders if her faith is really strong enough. She has many doubts which become strikingly more evident when she talks with her friend Cecil and her younger sister Beverly. LaRue hopes that leaving the family will make her rely on her own faith more.

Alex is the last to return home. He has a very hard time adjusting to being a father of a one year old that he has never met. He realizes that he has hardly spent any time with Anna. President Thomas wants to put Alex right back at the head of the family business but Alex has other ideas. Alex suffers with anxiety and anger from the horrors he saw and feels like he committed while in the Army. He refuses to say anything about what occurred while he was away. He is angered that anyone would think he is a hero. Finally Wally and Richard help Alex begin talking about some of the things that are plaguing his mind after Alex freaks out at the plant where he works. Alex realizes that they do understand him and that he can speak to them frankly about his fears and regrets. He gets closer to Anna and his baby Gene. He and Anna are soon expecting another baby. Alex decides that he may stay with his father's business and later enter politics.

If felt like the story wrapped up fairly neatly. I am sure some people find that not really true to life, but there is another series to follow this one. I like feeling like most things have been resolved. I really loved this series and felt like I learned a good deal of history while coming to love the characters.

Rating 5
Rating PG war stories of the violence that occurred to the soldiers.

To A Child Love Is Spelled T-I-M-E

To a Child LOVE is Spelled T-I-M-E by Mac Anderson & Lance Wubbles

Super short read, which I will probably pick up now and again just to keep me focused on being the right kind of mom. Anderson and Wubbles have compiled great thoughts on parenting along with some fabulous quotes. As I was reading it, I immediately had it pointed out to me that no matter how tired or hurried I am I need to give time to my children. So I let the baby fall asleep on my bare stomach as he is prone to desire, and I read the whole book. Then I promptly got up this morning to read to one of the other little ones.

A favorite quote: "Our greatest danger in life is in permitting the urgent things to crowd out the important. -Charels E. Hummel

I was reminded over and over where to keep my focus. I think I will keep this next to my bed to read frequently. Topics range from responsibility, time, love, listening, marriage relationship, traditions, and discipline.

Quote: "At every step the child should be allowed to meet the real experiences of life; the thorns should never be plucked from his rose." -Ellen Key

Rating 5

Rating G

Love Comes Softly

Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke


I am learning that this author and these books are quite popular and from the picture I assume they are also movies. This series was recommended to me and so I thought I would give it a whirl.

Marty (Martha) is a young bride, in love with her husband Clem and pregnant with his child. They have moved west to settle and make their way. They have no land or home, just a wagon. Clem is killed in an accident with his horse, leaving Marty alone on the frontier. As the neighboring homesteaders come to help bury her husband, Marty sits in shock.

Clark, one of her new neighbors, bashfully and with great price, asks Marty if she will marry him. He knows she is all alone and he cannot offer her shelter if they are not married. Clark as a one year old daughter that he needs a mother for. If Marty agrees they will be married by the visiting preacher before he leaves the settlement. She will be the mother to Missy. Clark will move from the house into a lean-to. He will let Marty leave in the spring and take Missy when the time comes, if she decides not to stay.

Marty of course struggles with the loss of Clem and becoming an instant mother and wife to a stranger. Clark is a good and kind man that is supportive and positive. He is soft spoken and gentle with Marty as she learns about running a home and farm. He teaches her about God, whom she comes to love.

Marty meets the neighbors and learns to love and rely on them. Clark finally realizes that Marty is pregnant with Clem's baby and makes arrangements for her to be cared for when her time comes. Clark takes the baby as his own just as Marty did for Missy. Clark and Marty become increasingly comfortable with each other as they struggle on the western front. They make it through the destruction of their barn and much of their grain. They see through the death of a dear neighbor. Clark and Marty plant a garden and care for their children, adding more rooms onto their home. Finally when their new son nearly dies by accident, the two realize that love has finally come to them.

Sweet story. I can see why they are popular. I sometimes felt like Marty didn't give Clark a chance and thought poorly of him when he was trying to be supportive of their predicament. My biggest complaint is the speech. I'm not saying Oke made a mistake in the way she chose to have her characters talk, but it was very distracting for me to read.

Would be very interested to see the movie version.

Rating 3.5 Sweet
Rating G Great clean read

The Introvert Advantage How to Thrive in an Extrovert World

The Intorvert Advantage By Marti Olsen Laney Psy.D.

Well I'm here to establish myself as an innie in a world of outies. Yes my belly button is inverted but that's not so much what I mean. I have an introverted personality. This is not news to me but it may be t0 you. I have never felt weird or different or like there is something wrong with me although I have been called stuck up, distant, quiet, shy, rude, conceited, indifferent, the list goes on.

I just picked up this book that has been recommended to me various times. It's about introverted personalities and their difference from extroversion. Extroversion is the most common personality 3 to 1. Most of the world is geared towards extroversion.Jason always says that I hate people. In fact I have probably said the same thing. What is really hate is groups of people. I can tolerate a few very close friends (like 2) and still feel comfortable. After the group spills over about three people I get anxious and quiet and stop talking. Apparently this doesn't sit well with the extroverts.

Introversion versus extroversion has more to do with how each of us regains our energy. Extroverts like to socialize and do exciting things, go out with lots of friends, be with people most of their down time. They expend energy. Introverts need to recharge with alone time, quiet time or time spent with a select few. They conserve energy.

I laughed my way through the book because even though I feel normal and I like my personality trait, I didn't realize that there were many others that felt the same way. I took the quiz, along with Bob, Superman and Princess Mimsy. I am an extreme introvert. The only extrovert tendencies that I scored were testing well, and I don't blank out too often when speaking. Bob is an extreme introvert. Superman is an extreme extrovert (he gets all of his people time teaching, traveling the state, playing ball, and at work). Princess Mimsy is also an extreme extrovert. She would love to have groups of people at our house all of the time. She is unfazed by social conversation and chit chat.

Besides introversion I am also left brained, shy, and sensitive. I know many people think shy and introvert mean the same thing but they don't. There are shy extroverts (too bad for them!). Shyness has more to do with you thinking about other people thinking negatively about you. Sensitivity runs a large gamut.....sound, light, noise, movement, smell, intuition, emotion, weather, temperature.Also sometimes my short term memory is blitzed if I am nervous when hearing something but I have great long term memory and can remember being as young as 1 year old. My testing is not too bad such as multiple choice or essay (many introverts have short term memory issues because of being overwhelmed and have problems with multiple choice testing) because I can usually recall things that I see.....somewhat photographic memory.

I am protective of my quality and quantity time with loved ones. I prefer to be with just one or two friends having meaningful time or conversation. I am Nazi about my alone time with Superman. I do not like it interrupted or sacrificed to other things. I love time spent with just my family. By the end of the day or when I feel incredibly taxed by external events I need to be alone or with just one person. I usually find myself taking a lot of baths and ripping through books when I am highly anxious. It is the way I zone out.

I think many people could probably recognize that I may have introverted tendencies. Lots of people don't believe me when I say that I am shy. And I don't think that I am seen as sensitive. I have learned fairly well in the last 13 years to live in an extrovert world. I can act like an extrovert if I have to, I just don't FEEL like one. I can teach a group, run a convention, be the boss, talk on the phone, go to large gathering. I may get grouchy after a prolonged time though because feeling anxious will eventually lead to that. I keep my sensitivity to myself because as an introvert I do not like being emotional or sharing intuition with many.

So if you find me curled up with a book, not making idle chit chat, or curled up with a book.....I still like you, but you might have to approach first.

My Innie tendencies!.........................
*When I need rest I like time alone or with one or two people. No groups!
* People think I am quiet, aloof, stuck up .......etc .
* I like to share special occasions with one person or a few close friends. No big parties!
* I notice detail.
* I can feel tension between others easily.
* If I say I will do something I will do it. (I thought more people were like this! I was surprised to find out that they aren't.)
* I feel anxious about deadlines or upcoming events. I lose sleep easily.
* I want to go away and zone out when I am overwhelmed.
* I like to watch activities before I join. I have to scope everything out and will generally stand back unless invited. I will almost NEVER invite myself or join without recognition from the group.
* I form lasting relationships.......but with only a few people. I have an easy time letting go of friends or acquaintances that don't take time to understand or like my personality. Because I am sensitive I take it pretty hard but I don 't chase down interaction......probably appears that I am aloof and don't care. In fact I've had that mentioned to me, but I just read a book and it gets all better :)
* I don't like interrupting. This has a lot to do with why I will not make idle social calls (drop by) and why I hate calling people on the telephone.
* I do not like overstimulating environments. I don't like going out on holidays where many others are out. I do not like crowded theaters where you have to sit next to others you don't know. I do not like large parties or dances. Do I go to these things? Yes. I don't like anticipating them but once I am there I'm okay for awhile....especially if I have someone to hang on to.*I have strong reactions to smell, taste, weather, light, movement.......
* I feel drained after social situations even when I really enjoyed them.
* I prefer to be introduced instead of introducing (one of my rude behaviors.....I will almost never introduce.)
* I am grouchy in anticipation of a social event, even ones I want to attend. It drives my family......Superman, crazy.
* I like people in my home but am overwhelmed by numbers and extensive time.
* I HATE making telephone calls.......still do it, getting better, still HATE it.
* I will not show my work or ideas until fully formulated much of the time. Uber perfectionism is a huge downfall of mine.......and I expect the same thing from others.......bad, bad, bad.

I have really enjoyed the book though. I wasn't surprised about what I learned.......I was surprised other people felt the same way. So do yourself if you are introvert, or someone else who is, a favor.....read it! If I were an extrovert parent with an introvert child I would definitely read this before another day passed........you'll be doing them a great service if you understand they can't be like you and they are not unhappy because of their introversion.

Awesome innies.......Einstein, Lincoln, Julia Roberts, Hitchcock, Edison, Piglet.

Are you an innie or an outie?

Rating 5 Super enlightening! Fun to find out the truth.
Rating G

In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms

In Praise of Stay-at-Home Moms by Dr. Laura Schlessinger

Dr. Laura's newest book is here just in time to give a boost to all full time mommies. This book is not full of statistics and science, just enough emotion to bring realization that there is nothing and no one that can top mommy love.

Obviously I enjoyed the book because it is upon the foundation of the mother relationship that I have built much of my recent life. Dr. Laura's anecdotal ways illustrates the important role mommy plays in the life of her WHOLE family. I felt like I was getting a big old pat on the back. I know the choice I have made is the right one for my family. Do I need validation from anyone else......even if I like you? NO. I don't care what anyone else thinks. I did however like to commiserate with other people by way of reading this book, that feel the same way. My reasons for staying at home are pure unadulterated selfishness. I will not allow the sweet moments of my family to be grasped by the hands of anyone else. I will receive all of the kisses, the hugs, the laughs and tears. I will receive all of the cuddles and diapers and EVERY piece of laundry. I was born to be a mommy and wife first. I have forever to do something else that doesn't matter to me as much. So thanks Dr. Laura.

Rating 4

Rating G

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline

First off, fabulous illustrations!
Edward is a china rabbit that stands nearly three feet tall. He belongs to a child named Abilene Tulane. He has a wonderful wardrobe of expensive clothing. Abilene loves Edward. Edward however loves himself. His favorite time of year is winter, when the dark comes early. Edward likes to look at the window and instead of seeing outside, when it becomes dark he can see his own reflection. He thinks he is quite a sensational rabbit.
Abilene's grandmother Pellagrina sees through Edward. She knows he doesn't pay attention to anything except himself and his clothing. She knows he does not love Abilene back. One night just before Abilene is to set off on a ship with her parents, Pelligrina tells Edward and Abilene a warning fairytale.
Aboard ship Edward is accidentally thrown overboard. He sinks to the bottom of the sea. Nearly a year later he is washed to the surface and caught in a fishing net. Thus begins Edward's journey through the hands of many that will love him. As Edward is stripped of his fine clothing and comfort he comes to find that love is all he has left, and it is all that matters.
He lives with the fisherman and his old wife. He becomes a hobo and travels the country for years. Edward does brief time as a scarecrow. He is owned and loved by a sweet and dying four year old. Edward travels to a city with a small boy and becomes his puppet, helping him earn money for food. Edward is beaten and broken. He is given new life by a doll restorer and sits in a doll shop for many years. Finally the circle of life curves to meet itself and Edward is reunited with Abilene.
Edward witnesses love, loss, child abuse, death, evil hearts, heartless people, lost souls and comes to find he can feel love.
Rating 5 Heart wrenching! I cried just like I did the first time I read the Velveteen Rabbit when I was 8.
Rating G I say this is a clean read although there is an instance of child abuse (hitting). I still read this to my own children because I wanted them to understand the important message of the book.

So B. It

So B. It by Sarah Weeks

Heidi is found as a newborn by her neighbor Bernadette. Heidi and her mother are in the hall outside of Bernie's apartment. Heidi's mom is mentally handicapped. She has only 23 words in her vocabulary. She says her own name is So B. It. Heidi and Bernie have no idea where the mother and daughter came from. Bernie becomes the mother figure for both Heidi and her mother.
When Heidi is thirteen she decides she has to know more about where she came from. Her mother has a word that she uses all of the time, 'soof'. Neither Heidi nor Bernie know what it means. Heidi finds an old camera in a draw in her apartment. She develops the film and finds pictures of her younger mother, possibly pregnant in what looks like a home for the disabled. She finds out that the pictures were taken clear across the country (Heidi is in Reno.) in Liberty New York. Bernie calls the home and after months of phoning, can get no answers.
Bernie has agoraphobia and is unable to leave her apartment. Luckily there is a door between Heidi's and Bernie's apartments so that Bernie never has to enter the hallway in order to help care for Precious (what Bernie calls So B. It.). Because of her disability, Bernie is not able to travel with Heidi. Heidi has been doing the shopping and running errands for Bernie since she was small. Before that Bernie had anything she could, be delivered. Bernie home schools Heidi.
Heidi is a lucky girl. She is able to guess numbers and win slots. She makes enough money to purchase a bus ticket to New York. She sets off, breaking Bernie's heart and leaving her ailing mother to find out the answer to questions that haunt her. Heidi makes friends with people on the bus so that she appears to be traveling with someone. She reaches New York.
When she is delivered to Hilltop Home, she finds that Thurman Hill, the proprietor, unwilling to give her any information. He thinks that she has come to blackmail money out of him. Heidi meets Elliot. As soon as he sees her he utters, 'soof'. Heidi knows now that her mother has been here. Ruby works at Hilltop Home and her husband Roy is the sheriff. They take her home until they can figure out how to get the information that Heidi has come for.
Heidi calls home to tell Bernie that she knows that her mother has been at Hilltop Home and that she met Elliot. Bernie seems uninterested and tells Heidi to come home.
Finally Thurman Hill meets with Heidi and tells her the story she has come looking for. Her mother's name is Sophia DeMuth. She calls herself So B. It because that is all she was able to say. She was born to a single woman. The woman asked Thurman to take Sophia in. He agreed and Sophia lived there for a year. During the year, she and Elliot fell in love. Despite both parents believing that their love wasn't deep enough, and their bodies not willing, Sophia becomes pregnant with Elliot's baby. Thurman feels this could ruin his establishment and everything he has worked towards for Elliot (Thurman is Elliot's father.). He sends Sophia and her mother away and pays for them NOT to give him any information about the baby or their lives. Just as Heidi is born, her grandmother is killed by a bus. This is when Bernie finds Sophia and Heidi standing outside of her apartment.
Heidi calls home to tell Bernie everything she has found out. Bernie greets her call with devastating news, Sophia has died in her sleep from headaches that have been ravaging her for some time. Heidi is crushed. She has been spending so much time trying to find out secrets that she missed out on her mother.
Heidi buries her mother in New York. She returns to Reno and begins school for the first time in her life. She still visits Liberty and sees Roy and Ruby. She hopes to get to know her father and grandfather.
Rating 4 Loved the mystery and Heidi's courage in finding out the truth!
Rating G Clean read