Lark Ascending by Silas House

 Lark Ascending by Silas House, 272 pages

Every once in a while I go out of my comfort zone and read something totally different.  Phewee, this is a story of survival of the rawest kind.  America is on fire, few people survive, they head to Ireland because it is supposedly the last place of refuge.  A family that started out together is now just down to one.  Quite the dystopian ride.  It was ok.

New Picture Books

 The Little Things by Emma Dodd - 32 pages

This book describes how to live your lives with kindness and thoughtfulness for others.  It is a simple book that gently gives its message to little ones.


I'm Sorry by Michael Ian Black - 32 pages

This is the latest book in the author's series about Potato, Flamingo, and the Little Girl.  This book deals with how difficult it is to say you're sorry.  I thought the book was pretty well done.  It gets the point across in a humorous way.


A House by Kevin Henkes - 32 pages

This latest picture book by Kevin Henkes seems almost to be a primer in how to interact with a child while reading a book.  It gives examples of simple questions to draw the child's attention to the illustrations.  I think this would be a great book for one-on-one or with smaller groups of children.


We Give Thanks by Cynthia Rylant - 32 pages

This book is a simple listing of things we are thankful for -- from clothes to family to food.  Although it is not a Thanksgiving book, it would be a great addition to "thankful" story times in that season.

A Will and a Way by Nora Roberts

A Will and a Way by Nora Roberts - 251 pages

Pandora McVie has just inherited $150 million dollars.  There is just one catch . . . she has to spend the next six months in her uncle's house with the co-beneficiary Michael Donohue.  They can't stand one another.  However, to honor her uncle they make the effort and find that maybe their hatred isn't as deep as they thought.

This is one Nora Roberts' earlier romances.  It was a cute, quick read.  It was pretty obvious they were going to end up together from the first page.  Still it was interesting to read the twists as they came together.

Dreamin' Sun, v. 1 by Ichigo Takano

Dreamin' Sun, v. 1 by Ichigo Takano - 180 pages

When Shimura Kameko runs away, she stumbles upon a strange man in the park.  He offers her a place to live on three conditions.

1.  Tell him the reason she ran away.
2.  Find his house key.
3.  Have a dream and fall in love.

Kameko quickly agrees to these terms and moves into a house that immediately feels like home.


I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would.  From the description, I thought it was basically a retelling of Kamisama Kiss.  However, there are a lot of differences between the two -- the biggest being that there is no supernatural element to the story.  I will definitely read the next entry in the series.

The Whole Thing Together by Ann Brashares

The Whole Thing Together by Ann Brashares - 293 pages

Sasha and Ray have shared most things for their whole life -- a family, a bedroom, and now a job.  However, they have never actually met.  Ray's mother was married to Sasha's father before they both remarried their current spouses.  The divorce was so bitter that they are never in the same place at the same time -- not even for their daughters' birthdays.  They even share a vacation house with each family taking it every other week.  Then one summer, everything changes.

I really enjoyed this book.  It really reminded my why Ann Brashares' series the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants was so popular.  The writing style is very readable and the story was engrossing.  You really get caught up in the various characters' lives.  I would definitely recommend this book.

MSCHMITT--- The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton, 44

MSCHMITT--- The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton, 44

The classic tale of the little house who goes from the country to the city and back again.

MSCHMITT-- If I Built a House, by Chris Van Dusen, 32

MSCHMITT-- If I Built a House, by Chris Van Dusen, 32

A little boy named Jack explains that if he built a house, it would have things like a racetrack in it.  This is a really creative, imaginative book for little ones.

Araminta Spookie AUdio Collection: Book 1 & 2 by Angie Sage

Araminta Spookie Audio Collection: Books 1 & 2 by Angie Sage - 278 pages
My Haunted House / The Sword in the Grotto

My Haunted House
Araminta Spookie lives in a big spooky house that she absolutely loves.  She has a different bedroom for every day of the week.  There are hidden passages.  And she hopes one day to find ghosts.  Then her Aunt Tabby announces they are moving and Araminta must find a way to keep them in her beloved house. 
The Sword in the Grotto
Araminta and Wanda decide to find the perfect present for ghost Sir Horace's 500th birthday.  When they find an old sword in a cave grotto they know that it will make the perfect gift.  Unfortunately, they find themselves trapped in the grotto with high tide coming in while trying to get the sword.
These are great slightly spooky stories for younger elementary school kids by the author of the Magyk series.  The audio narration was well done - especially the French accent of the ghost page Edmund.  I definitely want to go on and read the other books in the series.