Breadcrumbs

Hazel and Jack have been best friends since they were six. But they are eleven now, and Jack just isn't the same. He's ignoring Hazel and hanging out with other kids--something Hazel's best friend would never do.
Then Jack gets hurt and soon after disappears. And although they seem to be growing out of their friendship and she knows they'll never have what they once did, Hazel goes after him, and has an adventure of her own along the way.

This book was another wonderful read. I absolutely love Anne Ursu's sense of sarcasm, especially in the first couple chapters. I also enjoyed the book references (Narnia, Harry Potter, A Wrinkle in Time, Lord of the Rings) that are woven in to this magnificent story.

Picture the Dead

 Jennie Lovell lost her parents when she was young, putting her and her brother Toby into the hands of their stingy aunt and uncle. By the time Jennie is sixteen, her brother and her fiance have both died in the Civil War.
  But there is a presence that has been haunting Jennie since Will's death. Is it Will himself? What is her late fiance trying to tell her? The more Jennie tries to find out how he really died, the more she wonders if she actually knew Will at all.


  Intelligently written and hauntingly told with plenty of twists, Picture the Dead is a highly enjoyable read.

Thirteen Reasons Why

     Two weeks after Hannah Baker commits suicide, her classmate, Clay Jensen, finds a box of cassette tapes on his porch. The tapes--seven in all--are recorded by Hannah herself. Hannah's voice tells Clay that there are thirteen reasons she ended her life and that each side of each tape tells one of those reasons. Hannah also says that Clay is one of those reasons--but on what tape does Clay's name appear? To find out, Clay must listen to all the tapes, which means he has to follow Hannah down the path that led to her final decision.

  

  Thirteen Reasons Why is one of those books that you start reading and then can't put down. It has a very strong message about how things that may seem funny and lighthearted at the time can have a huge effect farther down the road. Some things seemed to me pointless to include in the story, but overall this was a really good book that I enjoyed reading.

Because I was tagged....

Maria, at Four Blessings Academy, tagged me for the following meme.

Here's what to do:
1. Post these rules.
2. Post a photo of yourself and then write 11 things about your life.
3. Answer the questions for you set in the original post.
4. Create 11 new questions and tag people to answer them.
5. Go to their blog/twitter and tell them you have tagged them.

Me and my brothers~St. Patrick's Day

11 Things About My Life

1. One of my favorite things to do is read. My favorite book would have to be Shiloh, followed closely by The Naming.

2. Another one of my favorite things to do is write. Most of my stories are inspired by my brothers and my cousins.

3. I love to crochet, and my mom and I have spent many evenings crocheting and chatting.

4. I don't have cable, but thanks to the library, Netflix, and Roku, I am still able to watch TV shows. My favorites are Gilmore Girls, Friends, Downton Abbey, and Parenthood.

5. I have great parents and three awesome brothers.

6. My favorite colors are blue and yellow.

7. I enjoy listening to music, and my favorite band is The Decemberists.

8. I'm homeschooled and I absolutely love it!

9. My dad and I have spent many late nights watching movies.

10. I am a volunteer at my library, which is really fun.

11. I am very lucky to belong to two great homeschool groups!

Maria's Questions for Me

1) If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you like to go? I would go to Ireland. I've always wanted to visit there, probably because I'm Irish.
2) Who do you admire most & why? I admire my mom and dad for many, many reasons. 
3) Do you like to dance? Not really, though I do enjoy the Just Dance Wii games.
4) If you could go back in time & change something in your life, what would it be? I don't know. I'm pretty happy with how my life is now.
5) What is your favorite genre of books? My favorite book genre would have to be fantasy.
6) From that genre in the previous question, what one book would you recommend to others? When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.
7) Texting...Yay or Nay? I'd say both. Like Facebook, texting can be bad if used in the wrong way, but as long as you're careful and responsible, it can be a great way to keep in touch.
8) What is your favorite spot to visit on the internet? Probably my email. I love emailing with my friends and family!
9) What is your favorite scent? My favorite scent is that of books, probably why I love the library so much.
10) Who is your favorite saint & why? Saint Francis is my favorite saint because we share the same love for animals. Saint Patrick is my second favorite because he's Irish.
11) Tell me about a favorite memory from your childhood.....when I was younger, I was extremely allergic to red dye. Once I ate an entire jar of maraschino cherries and afterwards told my parents I hated them (which was not something I'd normally say).

My Questions for Those I'm Tagging


1. If you were to write a book about your life, what would the title be?
2. If you were to change your name, what name would you choose?
3. What is your favorite school subject and why?
4. What is your favorite hairstyle?
5. In your dream world, your pet would be a....
6. Is there a character in a book, movie, or TV show that you think is like you? What about this character makes her similar to you?
7. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would that be?
8. What is your favorite thing about yourself?
9. What is your favorite hobby?
10. What is the riskiest thing you've ever done?
11. If you could have any superpower, which one would you choose?


I'm going to tag Green, Horses, and Candy, Tacos, Dolphins, and Friends, and The Magic Violinist! I hope you guys enjoy doing this as much as I did!