TGIF: Love Stories

Getting in the mood for Valentine's Day, Ginger's question of the week:

Love Stories: What are some of your favorite fictional love stories?


I'm a sucker for Jane Austen. In high school my friends and I were totally in love with Edmund from Mansfield Park. 


Michael and Angel from Redeeming Love -  The ultimate love story. 


Dylan aka Faith and Asher from Faking Faith - There was just something about him. . . . 


Elizabeth Holland and Will Keller; Teddy Cutting's love for Elizabeth Holland from the Luxe series. I was totally caught up in that one. 


Ah. .  . Peeta. Who doesn't want to find a guy like Peeta? And yet I feel so guilty because I liked Gale so much. I'm really interested to see how this plays off in the movie.  - The Hunger Games




And quite possibly my favorite fictional love story . . . Cory and Topanga. I know, I know, they were a tv show. But I just loved them. 


I'm probably forgetting someone. I'm a sucker for a good love story. My husband will laugh at me when he catches me giggling as I read. I totally get nervous for my characters when they start to tell someone how they feel. Ah, young love. So glad I'm not in high school anymore. Way more fun to read about others going through those things than reliving it myself!

It's all in the details . . .

I am working my way through On the Bright Side by S. R. Johannes. While I am enjoying the story, there is one little detail that is driving me insane.

Gabby's size.

I know. It's silly.

See, I'm 5'9", have been since the 8th grade. Depending on the day I wear a size 10 or 12. Not bad, I'm fine with that. No one makes fat jokes about me. No one picks on my size. Would I like to drop a few pounds and fit in a size 6 again someday. Of course I would. Who doesn't want to look like a senior in high school again?

What does this have to do with Gabby?

At one point it is noted that she is 5'9", weighs 140 pounds, and wears a size 10. Several times she makes comments about her size and people poke fun at her weight.

Um, no.

My dream weight is 140. At 5'9" weighing that I would easily be a size 6 or smaller. Not a size 10. Not someone who gets picked on or called fat.

Like I said, I am enjoying the book. I am really interested to see how it all wraps up (hopefully tonight if I find the time). I am just having a really hard time getting past this detail. I wonder, if it stands out to me, will it stand out to young girls who read it and are worried about their weight?  I hope that they don't fixate on this detail like I have.

15 years from now . . . .

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail,his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future. 

By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present. (Taken from Goodreads)

Fifteen years ago I was in the 8th grade and there is no way you could have convinced me that fifteen years in the future I would be a junior high librarian. Facebook came out during my first senior year of college (that's right I took a victory lap) and it is amazing to me how much it has changed things. If you have read my whole blog you know that I recently quit the site. This book was so interesting to me because I think it really tapped into the fact that Facebook doesn't give you the whole story. That we shouldn't judge our lives, or the lives of others, off of the few sentences or pictures shared on any social media site.

I'm curious how this will resonate with my students. I totally connected with it being 1996 and found myself laughing out loud at some of the 90's references. When I left home for college my parents finally let me get a cell phone. I remember when Facebook was only at a few schools. Will students get that? Or to them has it always been there?

This was a one day read. I took a weekend ski trip reading trip with some friends. The boys skied all day and I  read. When the girls decided it was time to go shopping and I had 10% left I synced my Kindle app on my phone and finished the rest sitting in a dressing room. Yup, I needed to know how it ended that badly.

Sometimes I need a reminder

A friend sent me this saying a while back. I have no clue who originally said it but I like it. She had no clue at the time what was going on and that I needed a reminder such as this one. Funny how that happens. I thought the saying needed a visual, and think the bright red birdhouse against the snow is a great one.

2012 - Here we go!

The whole resolution thing never works I've decided on some challenges for 2012. Now that grad school is over I will hopefully have more time to focus on myself and read what I want to read.

Annette at Annette's Book Spot is challenging followers to read a book a day. She has created a list of books that can be read in a short period. I'm trying for level 1 or 2 if I feel really ambitious. 

Abducted by Books 15,000 page challenge is a fun one. I challenge my students to read 5,000 during the school year so this is a step up for me. Can I hit the 15,000 by June 30th? I'll never know until I try!

This is a great idea! Basically an acrostic of book titles spelling out your name.  A clever way to  help pick your next read. Because Lucy, Gatsby, and Walter are my best reading partners  I think I will be reading their names this year. 

Oh, and I'm challenging myself to do a better job updating my progress. 

So, here's to 2012 and all the challenges this year may bring. 

SO I didn't exactly finish. . . .

NaNoWriMo was a complete failure. Like I barely hit 3,000 words. I might give it another try next year and prepare a little bit better. I went in a little completely unprepared and had grad school as well as work school to deal with at the same time.

Congrats to those who finished.

I quit

I took a break from Facebook about this time last year and I really enjoyed that time away. I came back mainly for school purposes. A group had been created with all the people in my classes and it was the easiest way for us to share updates and coordinate studying. That time I went with the "I'll be back, this is temporary." This time I deleted all history on my account. It felt a little like a break up, like deleting someone's number from my phone never to be remembered again. But seriously, do I really ever go back and reread my status updates from 2004? No.

My friend Lindsey just quit as well and I think she does a great job explaining why in her blog. I really like the blog she referenced and I think it does  put things in perspective.

Sure I won't get to see as many pictures of my friends and family, but you know what? I might just feel motivated to call them more often and let them update me on their life, instead of sitting by myself looking at the computer.