Les Miserables by Victor Hugo

I probably should have read Les Miserables sooner in my life, but now I can say that I've read this 1,463 page behemoth, although, actually, I listened to the audio version that was narrated by Frederick Davidson who is an absolutely wonderful narrator. He speaks French perfectly and has a wonderful accent. He was also very good at making the voices sound different from each other without making them grating. 

His voice also got me through the parts of the books where Hugo describes in detail the French sewer system; gives all the back story of every single character in the novel, even the bit players; describes at length the French justice system; gives 500 and eleventy-billion ways a man loves a woman, and every other place he spews words on the page like the flood of Noah's time. 

That being said, I loved this book. Yes, it is wordy; yes, Hugo needed an editor, badly. If you are a history buff, you will love every word of it, but I just wanted him to get back to Jean Valjean - back to the action of the story. Hugo paints complex characters. I wanted to reach in a smack M. Thenardier and rescue Fantine. I loved Javert's honesty and integrity. I loved seeing Jean ValJean grow and how M. Myriel, the bishop buys Jean ValJean's soul. 

I would read this book again. There is so much in this book. Hugo was ahead of his time. He shows the dangers of a society that is so caught up in appearances, social structure, wealth, and the letter of the law above the spirit of the law. He shows what happens to women when they don't have a support system. There were many bit players in the novel that were well written that I loved them as well. I like the moral message of this book that we all must help and lift one another because that is the most important thing of all. 

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Another way to help our project is to purchase books from this Usborne link as we are currently using the hostess benefits to help buy books for the babies. You buy books that are delivered to your house for your children or grandchildren - or as baby shower gifts, and the hostess rewards help us get books for our NICU babies - a win win for all. 

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

Because I enjoyed the novel, Still Alice, I purchased Lisa Genova's Left Neglected, and I found it interesting. Published in 2011, Left Neglected is the fictional story of Sarah Nickerson, an incredibly busy mother of three who also has a demanding career. She multitasks herself into a brain injury that steals her ability to recognize the left side of her body.

This real condition is called Left Neglect.  I have two children who have suffered brain injuries, so I find this incredibly interesting. My children do not have left neglect, but reading about brain injuries helps me understand my own children a little better. A person with left neglect may not see anything on the left side, including their own body parts or food on a plate.

 So the food on the left side of the plate won't be eaten because it isn't seen.

A person with left neglect may not see their left side - it ceases to exist.

In Genova's book, Sarah must figure out how to function after her injury. This is hard because she is perfectionist, and that is no longer possible, but she must find a way to continue her life. I struggled to like Sarah, but by the end of the book, I understood more why she was the way she was. She struggled to love herself because of childhood losses and dysfunction in her home, which in turn made her unlikeable in many ways.

Genova's writing is always well researched. I appreciate the time and effort she makes to get it right.

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Another way to help our project is to purchase books from this Usborne link as we are currently using the hostess benefits to help buy books for the babies. You buy books that are delivered to your house for your children or grandchildren - or as baby shower gifts, and the hostess rewards help us get books for our NICU babies - a win win for all. 

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

What's Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges

Published in 1991, What's Eating Gilbert Grape by Peter Hedges is the book that one of my favorite movies is based on.

In some ways, I liked the movie better, but in other ways I liked the book better. Although there are differences, the movie kept the same feeling as the book.

The movie ignored the problem with sexual abuse that takes place in the book. It is not okay to have sex with a 15 or 16 year-old girl. Gilbert Grape was definitely  groomed to be a sexual partner of an adult woman before he was an adult. I liked that the movie didn't constantly use the R word like the book does.

In the small town of Endora, Gilbert sees no future for himself or his family. He is stuck as a caretaker for his little brother who has severe cognitive differences, his sisters who live in the house, and his mother who was once the town sweetheart but is now obese and needs constant care.

He is a clerk in a grocery store, and the hopelessness he feels permeated the entire story. This story will make you laugh and cry. I wanted Gilbert to win, to make right choices, and for the family to find happiness again. If you liked the movie you will like the book and if you liked the book, you will probably like the movie. The movie was well cast and well acted.

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Another way to help our project is to purchase books from this Usborne link as we are currently using the hostess benefits to help buy books for the babies. You buy books that are delivered to your house for your children or grandchildren - or as baby shower gifts, and the hostess rewards help us get books for our NICU babies - a win win for all. 

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

Defending Jacob by William Landay

I listened to the audio version of Defending Jacob by William Landay and couldn't stop listening. Published in 2012, this thriller will have you listening or turning pages until the story is over. I wanted more at the end. I wanted to know what would happen to the players long into the future, but it was still a good stopping place. 

Goodreads blurb: Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student. Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He's his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own - between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he's tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive.

This book had me questioning: How much do I really know about my own child? At what lengths would I go to protect my child if I believed they were innocent of a crime? What is my responsibility if I think they are guilty?

I found myself putting myself in the role as Jacob's parents. Wondering about his innocence or guilt, feeling the guilt they must have felt, wondering if they were doing the right thing, wondering what they had done or not done to make Jacob's life better. This is definitely a well written page turner. 

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Another way to help our project is to purchase books from this Usborne link as we are currently using the hostess benefits to help buy books for the babies. You buy books that are delivered to your house for your children or grandchildren - or as baby shower gifts, and the hostess rewards help us get books for our NICU babies - a win win for all. 

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

Beneath by Roland Smith

I've talked about Roland Smith before. He is an excellent author for middle grade and young adult students. I just finished Beneath, book one of the Beneath Series. Published in 2015, Beneath tells the story of Pat O'Toole, a boy who has idolized his older brother Coop. Coop digs a tunnel that collapses, and after a fight with his parents, he leaves home. A year later, Pat gets a package from Coop with a recorder and a message that is cryptic. 

Pat find a way to go to NYC on his own to find his big brother. This story will force Pat to confront his fears in order to save his brother from beneath the streets of NYC. Apparently there is a whole city down there.

Smith is a writer I trust for kids. The chapters in the book are short, the text is well spaced, and there is plenty of white space on the page. This fast paced story is a good Hi/Lo book with the Lexile HL610. 

I liked the character development in this story. I found the characters believable and capable of change.

Book two is titled Above , but I have not yet read it. 

We've had two donations to our NICU book project this week.

Some nice person dropped these cute little board books off at my mom's work recently. They are just the right size for small hands. Thank you, whomever you are. We appreciate your generosity. 

My sweet mother donated 100 two gallon zip bags for us to make packets. These bags keep the books safe during transport and while parents are at baby's bedside during their often lengthy hospital stays. Thank you, Momma.

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Another way to help our project is to purchase books from this Usborne link as we are currently using the hostess benefits to help buy books for the babies. You buy books that are delivered to your house for your children or grandchildren - or as baby shower gifts, and the hostess rewards help us get books for our NICU babies - a win win for all. 

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

A Good Week for the NICU Book Project

This week we've had three different donations to our NICU book project.

Michelle donated these three books:

The McKay Dee foundation donated six books, and for some reason, the picture of those books got eaten by cyberspace, and I've already packaged up the books. Sorry.

Meredith sent us two boxes of new and used books. These three stacks will go to two different school classrooms and the NICU waiting room.

The next two pictures of books also came from Meredith Malan. They have already been made into packets of books for the NICU babies. Thank you, Meredith for your generous donation to the NICU.

We are thankful for the donations we receive as it allows us to give books to even more families. Thank you to our generous contributors this well. 

We are currently in need of paperbacks, board books, and hard back books for the babies. We also need two-gallon sized zip lock bags. We prefer the no name bags as they don't have writing on them. Pastel letter size cardstock is also needed to make inserts for the packets. 

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

Boy: Tale of Childhood by Roald Dahl

Boy Tales of Childhood is the first installment of Roald Dahl's life as told by himself. I read the second book, Going Solo first.

Roald tells of his childhood in such a way that makes the stories come right off the page. I enjoyed the humor, but I found the abuses that happened at boarding school incredibly sad, and no one should ever cane a child.

Throughout the story, the reader can sense the love Roald has for his mother. She was a strong woman, one you would want on your side. His description of the horrible candy store lady reminded me of the Trunchbull and some of his experiences at boarding school remind me of Crunchem Hall. I can see where he got the inspiration for parts of Matilda.

This book has photographs, but in my Scholastic copy, they are poorly reproduced and hard to see any detail. I think any child who reads this book will be thankful that corporal punishment is no longer used in the public school system, at least in my state.

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

Girl at War by Sara Novic

Girl at War by Sara Novic is a historical novel published in 2015. The author did extensive research on her topic by interviewing her friends and family who lived through the Croatian war. Their stories were the inspiration for her characters. This historical fiction is well told and it will make you cry. 

The main character is a young girl named Ana who tries to understand all the nuances of who is part of the right population and who is in the wrong. She has a very sick baby sister who will die if she doesn't get help from the USA. Ana's parents work desperately to keep their family together and alive. 

There is a scene in this book, where her father tells her how to stay alive, and it gutted me as a reader. I can't even imagine what the people of this area went through during this war. Ana becomes a child soldier and her journey and loss of innocence will make you want to strike out against war and all the damage it causes. Although Ana says, "there's no such thing as child soldier in Croatia . . .There is only a child with a gun."

The story is fast paced, and I can imagine it as a movie. I listened to the audio version and found it well done. The author will never listen the audio version as she is deaf. I look forward to reading more of her work as she is a an excellent writer. 

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

The Skinjacker Series by Neal Shusterman

Generally when I read a series, I can wait to read each book as I come across it because I have a huge to-be-read bookcase that contains almost 600 books, but I loved the Skinjacker series so much that I read them one after the other all in a week.

I had book one, Everlost and book two, Everwild, but I borrowed book three, Everfound from my neighbor, Michelle.

This series has a premise that I have not seen before. The series begins with Nick and Allie in two separate cars that collide. They do not survive the accident, but their souls while headed to the tunnel of light crash into each other and they get lost between life and death.

They must learn to navigate a world that wants to suck them down into its center. They must battle other souls that are stuck in Everlost. They meet Mary Hightower, a ghostly writer and self proclaimed queen of the lost kids. They also must face the deadly monster McGill.

After a good start, book two continues the story and Shusterman writes an excellent second book. His third book doesn't disappoint and is as good as the other two books. All the threads come together in the third book. All the players must find a way to stop the complete destruction of every living thing on earth. It is a fight to the finish with those alive on earth facing an enemy they cannot see. It is hard to tell who is good and who is bad, and as is common in all people, both good and bad reside inside all.

The characters are well rounded and despite being ghosts are well fleshed out. :) The ghosts are all children and teenagers, so their emotional development is often stuck at one age or another. They are trying to make sense of a world that no longer makes sense while trying to hang on to their memories in a world that makes it easy to forget. This is the best series I've read in a while and it will keep the reader turning pages late into the night.

Angie, I think Isaac would like this series.

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

Moo Bird by David Milgrim

Moo Bird by David Milgrim published in 2016 is a darling book about a little bird that moos instead of tweeting. He is kicked out of his nest because he is different. He tries to find his place in the world, but even the cow doesn't want him. This book has a surprise ending.

I like this book because early readers will be able to read it. There are only a few words on each page and they are set up like a comic book in word bubbles. This book also has humor, so it appeals to young readers. The illustrations are cute and simple, so there is not visual clutter. The colors are bright and everything is outlined in black, so it is easy on the eyes.

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

Black? White! Day? Night! A Book of Opposites by Laura Vaccaro Seeger

If you haven't already, add Laura Vaccaro Seeger to your list of authors that you must own their entire collection. I have been adding her books to my collection and my grandchildren and myself adore all of her books.

I recently purchased Black? White! Day? Night! A Book of Opposites, and three-year old Aria wanted it read over and over again. Each page has a cut out where you can see into the page below, and the smaller drawing becomes part of a larger drawing that turns into the opposite.

The pages on this book are pretty sturdy but they are not indestructible, so this book will last a good long time as little hands move the pages back and forth. This is a fold out book with fun pictures lined with heavy black outlines to appeal to even the littlest reader.

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

The Other Side Thrift Boutique

Caitie and I stopped by a new thrift store in our area to see if they had any books for the NICU babies, and the manager donated 42 books to our NICU. 

This is the thrift store called The Other Side Thrift Boutique:

They are located at 4290 South State Street in Murray, Utah. If you are local or in the area, please stop by.

 These are the books they donated:

What is even more important is the purpose of The Other Side Thrift Boutique. This store is part of The Other Side Academy. You can learn more about the amazing work they do here: The Other Side Academy Web Site.   I checked out their website and cried over the life saving stories that are shared there. I encourage you to check out their website and if you are local to stop by their store and check it out because they are making the world a better place. They also have a link on their website to their moving company that is highly rated. 

To summarize, this organization helps people who struggled in life. They help people who want to change their lives, maybe they have struggled with drug use, or homelessness, or spent time in the criminal justice system. The Other Side Academy is a two year program that saves lives and makes those saved lives worth living. They are a vocational training school and this store is used as part of their academy. Students learn to work hard, to work with others, to deal with frustrations, to be polite and respectful, and to live free from toxic behaviors that have kept them from success.

Students learn how to work in the retail and warehouse sectors and learn all aspects of the retail trade. This thrift store doesn't look like a normal thrift store. The store is clean and bright, things are well organized and set up more like a store at the mall than a thrift shop, and the furniture section looks like a furniture store. The staff is helpful and kind. We were greeted as soon as we stepped into the store.

Here are some pictures that I took the day I was there.

The store has many windows that let in a lot of natural light, and they even have outside displays that you can check out before you walk in the door.

 They have nice dressing rooms, so you can try on your finds. This is one of many shoe displays.

 There are tasteful displays throughout the store and prices are reasonable.

They have framed their goals and also have frames throughout they store showing each goal expanded. I love these goals.

 They have many beautiful pieces of furniture.

This is my happy place the book nook. It is well organized and the children's books are only a dollar. I believe the other books are $1 for paperbacks and $2 for hardbacks with some higher end books custom priced, so the prices are very good. We met the lady who organized the book nook, and she knew what she was doing as the books are sorted well. They even have chairs for you to sit and read. You can see more of the goal posters in this picture. 

I feel good about shopping and donating to this thrift shop because I know they are doing good things in our world. Thanks go to the Other Side Thrift Boutique for the books for the NICU and thank you for making our world a better place to live in. I love places like this that see the good in people and strive to help others. 

Link to our NICU book registry if you'd like to donate books to babies in the newborn intensive care unit so their parents can read to them while they grow. You can also donate gently used books to our project by sending them to me or to Angie. Email me for a mailing address. We can use both English and Spanish books. If you have a graduate of the NICU, or if you have a baby whose life you would like to honor by donating books to this project, let me know, and I can make a book plate with their name for the books you donate.

Michelle also sent over some books. Thank you, Michelle. With all the support we've been getting lately, we may be able to reach every single baby that spends time in our NICU. Each baby gets five books to take home. 

Read to a child today even if that child is you.