Craft Idea: Chinese Lanterns

Here's a fun craft idea to celebrate Chinese New Year with (which will be on Monday, Jan. 23, and it will be the year of the dragon).

Fun, cheap, and pretty easy to do!  Here's the link to the instructions.  I used one inch red construction paper for the streamers and glue sticks in place of double sided tape.  It seemed to work fine, and the kids had fun making them!  We didn't have anything decorative for the top or bottom of the lanterns, but the lanterns turned out very pretty regardless.

Book Review: "Daughter of Smoke and Bone"

 

Daughter of Smoke and Bone

by Laini Taylor

"Once upon a time, 

an angel and a devil fell in love.

It did not end well."

Goodreads Summary: Around the world, black handprints are appearing on doorways, scorched there by winged strangers who have crept through a slit in the sky.  In a dark and dusty shop, a devil's supply of human teeth grown dangerously low.  And in the tangled lanes of Prague, a young art student is about to be caught up in a brutal otherwordly war.

Meet Karou. She fills her sketchbooks with monsters that may or may not be real; she's prone to disappearing on mysterious "errands"; she speaks many languages--not all of them human; and her bright blue hair actually grows out of her head that color. Who is she? That is the question that haunts her, and she's about to find out. 

Review: You read the opening words of the novel, the quote I wrote above, and think "Angels and devils?  Pfft, yet another recycled theme in yet another YA novel."  However, don't be fooled!  Taylor has reinvented the genre of angels, demons, and star-crossed lovers in this darkly beautiful and hauntingly entrancing story.  I quickly found myself so immersed that I was on page 300 with no idea of how I got there.  Thinking I had accidentally skipped a large portion of the book, I flipped back to realize nope, I really was that close to the end.  This is a testament to Taylor's talent.  She is able to so smoothly and seamlessly tell a story that you will end up tearing through the book while yearning for more.  I am highly anticipating the sequel.

Rating: 5/5 (my first five stars of the new year!) 

Storytime Book: "Purple Little Bird"

Purple Little Bird

by Greg Foley

Goodreads Summary: Purple Little Bird lives in a very purple world: He has a purple little house and a purple little garden. But somehow, it's just not quite perfect. So Purple Little Bird sets off to find the perfect place for him—and discovers it in a most unexpected way. 

Thoughts: This is a perfect book for family or toddler storytimes!  The pictures are great, and it's full of vocabulary about colors, habitats, and animals.  It's also a fun book to let your child tell the story or just to have them talk about what's happening in the story.

Book Review: "Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)"

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)

by Mindy Kaling

Goodreads Summary: Mindy Kaling has lived many lives: the obedient child of immigrant professionals, a timid chubster afraid of her own bike, a Ben Affleck–impersonating Off-Broadway performer and playwright, and, finally, a comedy writer and actress prone to starting fights with her friends and coworkers with the sentence “Can I just say one last thing about this, and then I swear I’ll shut up about it?” 

In Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, Mindy invites readers on a tour of her life and her unscientific observations on romance, friendship, and Hollywood, with several conveniently placed stopping points for you to run errands and make phone calls. Mindy Kaling really is just a Girl Next Door—not so much literally anywhere in the continental United States, but definitely if you live in India or Sri Lanka.

Review: If you thought that Mindy Kaling is just an extension of her character, Kelly Kapoor, from The Office, think again.  In her hilarious, honest, and oftentimes self-deprecating biography, Kaling will tell you about her early life as a chubby kid to her current success as a celebrity.  In between, she'll give you her take on life issues, such as karaoke etiquette, why roasts are terrible, and why one night stands are absolutely terrifying to her.  I, very literally, laughed out loud several times while reading. You don't have to like The Office to enjoy her book!

Rating: 3.5/5

50 Book Challenge

 

Last year, I challenged myself to read 50 books during 2011 (the picture posted above is a snippet of what I read).  According to my Goodreads page, 58 books was my grand total.  It is both a correct and incorrect count.  It's correct because I did read all 58 books, but I'm willing to bet that I read way more picture books than I actually recorded.  However, my original challenge was to only include novels or chapter books, not picture books.  So even though I did meet the requisite number of books, I only read a total of 37 novels.  Therefore, my resolution for 2012 will be to read at least 50 books, excluding picture books.  

If you're curious about what I read during 2011, check out my Goodreads profile and click on my 2011 tag. 

Happy New Year, Everyone!