My new favorite book!

"[The Hunger Games] is a violent, jarring speed-rap of a novel that generates nearly constant suspense . . . I couldn't stop reading." --Stephen King, Entertainment Weekly.

That pretty well sums up what I thought about a great book that I just finished reading by Suzanne Collins; The Hunger Games. The story is set in Panem, a nation that lies in what is left of North America. To help control its citizens and keep the districts in line, the Capitol holds the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death for the boys and girls selected from each of the twelve districts. The main characters, Katniss and Peeta, the two chosen from the twelvth district, fight for their survival with the other twenty-two contenders.

The Hunger Games is my latest favorite book. It's the first of a trilogy and I am so impressed, it's a fun and non-stop, can't-put-it-down read. The second book, Catching Fire, is just as good and I can hardly wait to see what happens to Katniss and Peeta. Scholastic's website promoting the books includes video interviews of the author and fun interactive simulation games - be sure to check it out.

Summer's over soon

Well, I for one have mixed emotions about school starting because this summer has been so much fun. I went to Alaska on a cruise, enjoyed Whidbey Island, traveled to Idaho and biked the Hiawatha Trail, spent precious time with my three beautiful daughters and husband, visited a ton of friends at an awesome reunion, and read a lot! However, I am so excited about school starting! It's my favorite time of year and a fun time of new faces, books and ideas. Hopefully we're all rested up and ready to begin the 2009-2010 school year. See you on August 26th!

Summer Reading

I recently learned about a new website called DailyLit. After a quick sign-up, you can receive complete books in installments via email or RRS. The have over 1440 books, most are free. I looked in the Women's Fiction division and they include many popular titles including Emma, Jane Eyre, and Little Women. In the Science Fiction section are many titles we have in our CHS library including Little Brother (a new book this year), Frankenstein, Flatland, and The Time Machine. DailyLit would be a great way to continue your reading over the summer. You can check it out at: http://www.dailylit.com/.

Junior Library Guild Books

Wow, it's been a long time since my last post - sorry. But, I'm excited about sharing about a new book I read this past weekend, The Forest of Hands and Teeth, by Carrie Ryan. It is a recent Junior Library Guild selection and they are always a good choice when you need great book ideas. If you like dark, romantic page turners, you'll like this book. I couldn't put it down.

Junior Library Guild reviews thousands of books each year before they are published to come up with their selections. Often these books later become award winners. So, if you are looking for a great read this spring, choose a Junior Library Guild selection. Look for their little gold sticker or ask me to show you the list of the Junior Library Guild selections found in the CHS Library.

Enjoy springtime reading in the warm sunshine!

Wordle images

Have you ever used Wordle? This word picture is an Wordle image of a wonderful book I recently read, The Invention of Hugo Cabret. You can make your own Wordle image at http://www.wordle.net/. I hightly recommend this book and you can check it out at the CHS library.

Cashmere High School Wins 1A Football State Champions

Let it Snow!

OK, OK, I know it's been a long time since the last post. I apologize. Life has been keeping me busy. However, I just logged onto a fun site I thought all you CHS folks out there might like.

http://snowflakes.barkleyus.com/

So, if you get a little sad there's no snow yet, just make a snowflake!