by Laura Beth

Writing Prompt #192: The ABC Book Challenge (The Letter U)

The ABC Book Challenge - I

Memorable Books Starting with the Letter “U”:

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Uglies (Uglies, #1)

I had never heard of this book before my Young Adult Literature class in 2011. I ended up really liking it. I have yet to read the rest of the series, but I want to.

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The Underground Railroad

I first heard about this book when the author was interviewed by Terry Gross for Fresh Air. By the end of the interview, I knew I needed my own copy. It was not a disappointment.

Books I Would Like to Read Starting with the Letter “U”:

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Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience and Redemption

I’ve wanted to read this for quite a while. I’m in a fun Facebook group called The Book Drunkard. As part of a fun book and chocolate swap around Valentine’s Day, my swap partner sent me this book and yummy chocolate. I can’t wait to read it soon.

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The Uncoupling

I first head Meg Wolitzer’s name when one of the critics for Fresh Air reviewed her newest book at the end of a podcast episode. It led me to research her other works. I need to pick it up at the library.

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Under the Banner of Heaven

Jon Krakauer has been on my watch list for a while. I’ve heard good things about several of his books. This one is especially intriguing because of its focus on faith. I want to see his take on religious beliefs and its extremes.

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Uninsured in America: Life and Death in the Land of Opportunity

It may be a bit dated now – The book was first published in 2005 – but I still want to read it. As someone who works for a regional health system, I’m always curious about other people’s perspectives on insurance and health care.

What books have you read, or want to read, that start with the letter U? Let me know!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.20.19

by Laura Beth

Awesome Authors #18: Sarah Dessen

Image Credit: Quotefancy

I’m long overdue for an Awesome Authors post.

I inhaled Sarah Dessen’s books when I was in high school and college.

Dessen was born in June 1970 in Evanston, Illinois. Her parents, Alan and Cynthia, taught classicism and Shakespearean literature at the University of North Carolina.

When she was 15, Dessen became involved with a 21-year-old man. She realized it was a bad idea, and cut ties shortly thereafter. In an interview, she said she took the blame for the situation and relationship for years afterward. When she herself turned 21, she made a point to look at teens and ask herself whether or not she wanted to hang out with them, or even date one. The answer, she said, “was always a flat, immediate no. They were kids. I was an adult. End of story.”

She first attended Greensboro College in Greensboro, North Carolina. She dropped out quickly to enroll in the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. She graduated with the highest honors in Creative Writing.

While launching her writing career, Dessen worked as a waitress at a restaurant called Flying Burrito. Her first book, That Summer, was published in 1996.

The 2003 movie How to Deal, starring Mandy Moore and Allison Janney, was based on Dessen’s books That Summer and Someone Like You.

Several of her novels have been named the American Library Association’s (ALA) “Best Fiction for Young Adults” selection. Along for the Ride (2010) made the New York Times Best Sellers List.

In 2017, Dessen received the Margaret A. Edwards Award as a result of seven of her novels, published between 2000 and 2011. Her newest book is Once and for All (2017).

Just Listen (2006)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

I’m pretty sure this is the first book of Dessen’s I remember reading, although I’m not 100 percent sure.

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Lock and Key (2008)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

As someone who has struggled all her life to ask for help, this one cut deep.

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That Summer (1996)

Image Credit: Goodreads

I think I’ve read this? I’m not sure. This is Dessen’s first novel.

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Dreamland (2000)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

I passed by this book so many times at the library, and then once I finished either Just Listen or Lock and Key, I knew I needed to read it.

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This Lullaby (2002)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

I remember this one, since having faith and learning to leap is something I’ve worked on for years. The cover also caught my eye at the library.

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Along for the Ride (2009)

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Image Credit: Goodreads

I don’t remember reading this one, but I know I want to.

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Keeping The Moon (1999)

Image Credit: Wikipedia

If I have read this, it was early on. I distinctly remember the cover, and I know I saw it on the library shelves. Regardless, I do want to pick it up and re-read it.

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Saint Anything (2015)

Image Credit: Goodreads

This is one I definitely haven’t read. I’m pretty sure the last new release I read was Lock and Key.

What about you? Have you read any of Sarah Dessen’s works? Have you seen How to Deal?

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.18.19

by Laura Beth

Writing Prompt #184: The ABC Book Challenge (The Letter T)

The ABC Book Challenge - K

Memorable Books that Start with the Letter “T”:

Maryellen - amazon

Taking Off: A Maryellen Classic 2

I love Maryellen’s books. They remind me of what my mom’s childhood was like in Florida in the 1950s.

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Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing

Judy Blume’s books defined my childhood!

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Things Fall Apart

I was assigned to read this toward the end of high school. I remember struggling with it, but the discussions we had in class were good.

This Is Where It Ends - Goodreads

This Is Where It Ends

This was a tough book. An important subject, but tough to read when The Pulse nightclub shooting happened in Orlando, Florida.

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To Kill A Mockingbird

I was assigned to read this in high school. It quickly became one of my favorite books. I re-read it every year.

Image Credit: www.shapingyouth.org

Tornado Warning: A Memoir of Teen Dating Violence and Its Effect on a Woman’s Life

Another powerful book. It was put into my life at the perfect time. Buying my own copy was perfectly timed and orchestrated, too. The coolest part was when the author, Elin Stebbins Waldal, found my Book Review in July 2015, read it, and took the time to comment on my post!

Books I’d Love to Read Starting with the Letter “T”:

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The Tales of Beedle the Bard

I want to round out my collection of Harry Potter texts with this one.

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That Was Then, This Is Now

The only book I’ve read by S.E. Hinton is The Outsiders (1967). I really want to read this one soon.

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The Tenant of Wildfell Hall

I really do want to read all of the Bronte sisters’ work, someday. This one looks fascinating!

Tex

Another book from S.E. Hinton. I really need to capitalize on my local library.

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The Time-Traveler’s Wife

I’ve heard good things about this book for years!

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Treasure Island

I remember learning about this classic through Wishbone (“Salty Dog”), and then Muppet Treasure Island (1996).

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Tropic of Cancer

This book was on the list during my year-long reading challenge, but I never got to it. Another one I should look for at the library.

What books have you read, or want to read, that start with the letter T? Let me know!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.11.19

by Laura Beth

Writing Prompt #176: The ABC Book Challenge (The Letter S)

ABC Book Challenge - D

Memorable Books that Start with the Letter “S”:

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Samantha Saves The Day: A Summer Story

I read all of Samantha’s books first. I love the lake and forest setting of Piney Point!

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Sarah, Plain and Tall

This is one of the first chapter books I remember reading in elementary school.

Image Credit: www.karynbosnak.com

Save Karyn: One Shopaholic’s Journey to Debt and Back

I found this gem at a thrift store several years ago. It was a very interesting and insightful work on shopping, lifestyle, debt, and gaining your life back.

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The Sky’s The Limit: My Journey with Maryellen

As much flack as American Girl has received for revamping their books, I like the choose-your-own-adventure books for the historical characters. It’s fun! Maryellen and her world remind me a lot of my mom, who grew up in Florida.

smashed

Smashed: Story of a Drunken Girlhood

I’ve had this book for half of my life. I found it at a thrift store on a whim. I’ve re-read it at least three times since then. It’s a sobering (no pun intended) story about alcohol and its effects on one woman, coupled with statistics and stories about underage drinking that will scare anyone straight.

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Summer of My German Soldier

I think this was one of the summer reading books in middle school? I didn’t like it the first time, but I re-read it a few years later. It’s one of the better middle-grade historical novels I’ve read.

A Stand for Independence

A Stand for Independence: A Felicity Classic 2

Al bought me the first two Felicity BeForever books for my birthday. I loved the original Felicity books growing up, especially since her world is set in Colonial Williamsburg.

Stars Stripes and Surprises

Stars, Stripes, and Surprises: A Molly Classic 2

I’ve raved about Samantha and Felicity, but Molly has always been my favorite character from American Girl. Her BeForever books were no different, transporting me back to 1944.

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Stepping on the Cracks

I devoured Mary Downing Hahn’s books when I was younger. This is another WWII-era novel, and a powerful one.

Story of a Girl

I was assigned to read this as part of my Young Adult Literature class in college. I loved it.

Books I’d Love to Read Starting with the Letter “S”:

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The Secret History

I’ve heard about this book several times.

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Sense and Sensibility

One of these days, I will be able to claim I’ve read everything by Jane Austen.

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Specials (Uglies #3)

I read Uglies in my Young Adult Literature class. I’ve wanted to read the rest of the books since then.

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Stargirl

I remember trying, and failing, to read this book many years ago. I think it’s time I pick it up again.

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A Study in Scarlet

How I can turn down Sherlock Holmes?

What books have you read, or want to read, that start with the letter S? Let me know!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.10.19

by Laura Beth

Book Review #69: “All The Missing Girls”

Image Credit: Amazon

It took a long time to get to this place, let me tell you!

This book was originally a Christmas gift from Al in 2017. I first started reading it in the summer of 2018, and then abandoned it about halfway through.

However, abandoning it started to bother me several months later, so I committed to pick it back up. Finally, after about a month of effort, I finished it!

—

Part of the reason I abandoned it at first was due to the story structure. Told in reverse, Miranda presents quite a complex set of characters, all trying to piece together the reasons why certain events occurred ten years prior.

The main character, Nicolette, known as Nic, was hard for me to grasp at first. She appears likeable, but as you get deeper into the story, it gets muddled and messy. Almost all of the characters have darkness in their pasts. Some, in their present, too.

On the surface, it’s a mystery story. Everyone in Cooley Ridge, or mostly everyone, is trying to find out what exactly happened to Corinne Prescott ten years earlier. Is she dead? Is she still missing? What the hell happened to her?

Then, just as mysteriously, Annaleise Carter vanishes off the face of the Earth. Everyone is a suspect. And Nicolette is at the center of it all.

—

This was not my favorite book in the world. It was a good idea, a decent mystery. Once I finished reading it, I started to better understand why I originally abandoned it. Nicolette was a tough main character for me, and it was almost too much trying to keep up with everyone else in her world. There were too many people involved in the story, and it got muddled and confusing from the first chapter. And maybe that was part of the point? To make it confusing to add to the story.

However, I’m glad I stuck with it. Miranda did a good job building the world of Cooley Ridge, and made the past and present blend together well. At the same time, I feel like she tried to accomplish too much in one novel, her debut for adults. I felt exhausted after just 1-2 chapters in a night, and struggled to read more than that in one sitting.

If you’re a fan of suspense and solving mysteries, this is a good read to try when you’re on vacation, or wanting a different book to read. Other than that, it’s a challenge for me to recommend it higher.

3 1/2 out of 5 stars.

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.07.19

by Laura Beth

Commentary #83: “Sunny Days on ‘Sesame Street'”

Image Credit: The Wrap

My dad sent this hot link to me in an email recently, with the exclamation of “Big Bird!”

Sunny days on “Sesame Street” – CBS Sunday Morning

A little background on Big Bird first. Big Bird has been one of my favorite characters for as long as I can remember. I had such love for “Sesame Street” as a child, and I still do as an adult.

Seeing Big Bird in the video with Jane Pauley made my heart soar and brought a huge smile to my face. And, if we’re being completely honest, it made me tear up a bit, too. Big Bird has brought such joy to my life. And he’s been a part of a wonderful show that is celebrating it’s 50th season in 2019!

Big Bird said that Sesame Street “is the kindest place, where everyone’s welcome.”

I had three stuffed versions of Big Bird as a kid – A small one, a medium one, and a big one with a pull string where he talked. There are many photos that feature a version of him from my childhood. He was definitely a “lovey” for me.

I recently shared this throwback photo on Facebook. This is framed in my parents’ house. We went on two cruises as a family with my dad’s parents. This was on “The Big Red Boat” in the mid-1990s, when we went to Cozumel and Cancun. You can see my dad holding my big Big Bird at the bottom.

I also wrote a comparison-contract research paper on the educational effectiveness of Sesame Street versus Barney & Friends in my first college English class in the fall of 2007. One of my friends who was in that class, Adam, mentioned it recently when we reconnected via Facebook. It was so cool! I need to see it I still have it in my files. I know I used the book Sesame Street Unpaved: Scripts, Stories, Secrets and Songs (1998) as a reference source.

Image Credit: Celebrity Access

Started by TV producer Joan Ganz Cooney and Carnegie Corporation executive Lloyd Morrisett, Sesame Street is truly a cultural revolution. It’s now broadcast in 150 countries around the world.

CEO of Sesame Street, Jeff Dunn, said, “Our co-founders had the wonderful idea, ‘Could you use the power of television to help teach less advantaged kids and get them ready for school?’ And what they knew was that kids who arrived to kindergarten knowing their ABCs and their 123s, were ahead of kids that didn’t. So, if we could figure out a way to help kids arrive at school ready to learn, that would be a big contribution.”

Don't Eat the Pictures: Sesame Street at the Metropolitan Museum of Art (1983)

Don’t Eat the Pictures (1983) was one of my favorite Sesame Street videos growing up. Image Credit: IMDb

The cover of The Monster at the End of this Book: Starring Lovable, Furry Old Grover (1971). This is one of my favorite Sesame Street books! Image Credit: Wikipedia

They partnered with Jim Henson and his Muppets. It’s true – Kids are captivated by Muppets. I know I was, and I still am. If you see my Facebook page, I regularly share things related to Kermit The Frog, Miss Piggy, Beaker, Cookie Monster, and Big Bird, of course.

Image Credit: Muppets Wiki

Image Credit: IMDb

To celebrate its 50th anniversary, Sesame Street is producing a new TV special and embarking on a 10-city tour. Also, a Manhattan street will be named after it.

Now four years into its five-year-deal with HBO, Sesame Street has had quite a history. It’s home for decades was PBS, which I watched exclusively during my childhood (See Commentary #44: My Life as a PBS Kid from October 2016). In addition, Sesame Workshop signed a deal with Apple last year – The financial terms were not disclosed, by the way – to have “multiple live-action and animated series as well as a new puppet show for its planned video service.” Also, PBS still airs new episodes, but the deal with HBO stipulates new episodes are aired nine months after their original release on HBO and their HBO Now on-demand library.

There have been more than 4,500 episodes! It’s YouTube channel boasts more than five million subscribers. That’s incredible! Roughly 80 percent of parents watch Sesame Street with their children. I know my parents did.

Resources

Do you have a favorite Sesame Street character?

Do you have a favorite Muppet?

Did you watch Sesame Street growing up?

Let me know in the comments!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.04.19

by Laura Beth

Writing Prompt #168: The ABC Book Challenge (The Letter R)

ABC Book Challenge - G

Memorable Books that Start with the Letter “R”:

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Ramona Quimby, Age 8

I devoured every title that Beverly Cleary wrote! I particularly loved the Ramona series.

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Really True Ruthie

Kit’s story is one of my favorites from American Girl, set in 1930s Ohio. I loved this individual story about Ruthie, Kit’s best friend.

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The Red Badge of Courage

I first learned about this book from Wishbone! It’s a good historical novel about the Civil War.

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The Rescue

I haven’t read this Sparks book in quite a while. Time to re-read it!

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Romeo and Juliet

I’ve read this several times. It’s a true classic from Shakespeare.

The Runaway Maryellen

The Runaway: A Maryellen Mystery

I love Maryellen’s series, set in 1950s Florida. This particular book was well-written, but a hard read for an animal lover like me!

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The Runaway Jury

How can I not list at least one Grisham novel?

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Ryan White: My Own Story

I stumbled upon this book at the local library when I was in middle school. I knew who Ryan White was, thanks to an episode of 3-2-1 Contact. But, reading his autobiography was even more powerful. I think I read this book at least five different times between middle school and college. I’m actively trying to get my own copy!

Books I’d Love to Read Starting with the Letter “R”:

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Ready Player One

My understanding is the book is vastly different from the movie adaptation (2018), but I’m excited to read it. Once Al finishes it, I’m borrowing his copy!

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Rebecca

I’ve heard about this book for years, but haven’t read it myself.

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Revolutionary Road

I think I have a copy of this? I haven’t read it, though. I look forward to reading this account of life for a couple in the 1950s.

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The Road

Again, another book I’ve heard good things about for a long time, but haven’t read it yet.

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Running the Books: The Adventures of an Accidental Prison Librarian

I’m fascinated with true crime, and most anything related to the criminal justice system. This one sounds very interesting!

What books have you read, or want to read, that start with the letter R? Let me know!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.03.19

by Laura Beth

Writing Prompt #166: “30 Day Disney Challenge” (Day 3)

Image Credit: Meerkat Musings

Day 3 – Your favorite heroine

Pocahontas!

Image result for disney heroines pocahontas

Yes, I know, the movie is definitely NOT historically accurate!

But, given that I live about 45 minutes from the Jamestown settlement, when the movie was released in 1995, it was the talk of school! A family friend made me a special Pocahontas dress, and I definitely had the toy jewelry set from Toys R Us!

And I wanted that waterfall in the movie to be REAL!

But, Pocahontas is one of my favorite heroines. I love the movie! She shows courage and strength!

Come back tomorrow for a new post!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.02.19

by Laura Beth

Writing Prompt #165: “30 Day Disney Challenge” (Day 2)

Image Credit: Meerkat Musings

Day 2- Your favorite princess

This one was easier!

Belle, from Beauty and The Beast!

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She loves books! She takes such good care of her father. She’s feisty! And she stands up to Gaston!

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Her yellow ball gown! So pretty!

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I’m swooning over this doll! Wow!!

Sure, she’s a bit naive, but she grows into a wonderful woman!

Come back tomorrow for a new post!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

02.01.19

by Laura Beth

Writing Prompt #164: “30 Day Disney Challenge” (Day 1)

Image Credit: Meerkat Musings

I saw one of my friends post this on Facebook, so I wanted to do this on the blog!

Day 1 – Your favorite character

Ugh. I spent a good amount of time thinking about this!

I think my favorite character is Olaf!

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I admit, I’ve only seen Frozen once. I still remember how excited I was – I felt like a kid! Al was so sweet to take me to see it in the theater!!

However, I fell in love with Olaf from the very beginning. He’s such a happy snowman!! Plus, I think Josh Gad was perfect for the role.

Come back tomorrow for a new post!

Until the next headline, Laura Beth 🙂

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Awesome Authors #18: Sarah Dessen