Books

I am often asked how I find/choose books to read. Since books are one of my favorite topics, I thought I'd do a post about it. One of the main ways I find out about books is through hearing about them from other people. A lot of my friends love to read, my mom and mother-in-law love to read, and it's a great way to hear about a good book. But, there are many other ways I find great books too.

I love reading book reviews in magazines like People, O, and others. Many magazines have a running book review column. I mainly read these to get a plot synopsis since I hardly ever go by what a critic says alone. I almost never agree with critics about anything. I like to decide for myself if something is good or not.

I also love the site What Should I Read Next? This site enables you to create a list of books you have read and enjoyed, and based on that list, it then gives you a list of recommendations taken from what other people on the site have entered that enjoyed the same books you did.

Another site that I have been checking lately is the blog Deliciously Clean Reads. I heard about this from a friend, and it has some good recommendations. The blog was started for people to be able to share fun books that also have clean content. The last book I added to my "bookclub" list on the sidebar, Flipped, is from that blog and I loved it.

I love children's literature, so I also check this blog. She just listed the latest ALA winners and I'm looking forward to checking them out.

There's always this list to tackle!

Go here to see Newberry winners and honorable mentions both past and present. Caldecott's are on there as well. I've never regretted reading any of those!

I also like lists the local library distributes, and browsing their "new books" section. Sometimes bookstores will also have displays of employee recommendations and I like to look at those too.

So, there are my favorite resources. Does anyone have any other great resources? I would love to hear about them! :)

Big Girl...sort of

Yesterday, we tried out big girl pants with Katie. We made some small progress - at least she notices when she goes now! That's a step in the right direction. By the end of the day, she had managed to get a few drops in the actual potty, so I let her call my mom and dad to brag and make a big deal out of it so, hopefully, she'll keep doing it. She grabbed the phone and would not let me get anywhere near it as she wandered through the house talking their ears off saying who knows what. We did catch a few words like "Grandma....Papa....books....potty....Sissy". My baby's growing up. *sniff*

Yummy Little Cakes

I got this recipe from my mother-in-law and we made some last night. They are divine, and not hard to make.

Molten Chocolate Cakes

5 oz bitersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped (not unsweetened)
10 Tbsp butter
3 eggs
3 egg yolks
1 1/2 c powdered sugar
1/2 c flour

Butter 6-8 ramekins and dust with flour or a combination of flour and cocoa. Stir chocolate and butter in a small saucepan over low heat until melted. Cool slightly. Whisk eggs and yolks in a medium bowl. Whisk in sugar, then chocolate, then flour. Pour batter into prepared dishes dividing equally. (Can be made one day ahead. Cover and chill.)

Bake cakes in a 450 oven until sides are set but center remains soft and runny, about 11 minutes or up to 14 minutes for batter that was refrigerated. Run a small knife around edges to loosen. Immediately turn cakes out onto plates. Serve with ice-cream.

How to Talk to Girls

I just read this and it made me laugh. Most of it is right on too. It was written by an eight-year-old boy and he tells it to you straight. For example, "If you like a girl, comb your hair and don't wear sweats. You don't have to try too hard, but just try to look kind of clean." This would make a fun little Valentine's gift.

A Few Signature Photos

Here's a few of my favorite pics from Christmas. Thank you everyone for all of your sweet comments! It's nice to know I was missed. :)

I wonder where she gets it from?

Oh, that's where!

(sometimes the adults have more fun with the kid's Christmas presents than the kids do!)

The whole family

New Year, New Post

I love calendars. It may be something that comes with being a "list person". I love to make lists, cross things off those lists, plan ahead...hence, the calendar love. It makes it so much better when a calendar is pretty. If you have one, guaranteed you'll be glancing at it every day. So, make it something you enjoy looking at is what I say. I like to have a calendar on my desk, and a calendar out in the kitchen. Even though we're already almost half-way through January, I just found and ordered my kitchen calendar. I love the page for July. Isn't that fan just fun to look at? The rest of the months are gorgeous too. It caught my attention on Black Eiffel's paper calendar post, and I ordered it here.