"Gone" by Michael Grant

This was a young adult fiction book given to me by my daughter Daphne as a surprise gift, a just because gift, no real reason Aren't those kind of surprises nice? Anyway, it is the story of a small town in California called Perdido Beach which has great surfing and a nuclear power plant. I mention the plant because it has a role in the story. One day in the blink of an eye all the adults and everyone over age 15 disappear mysteriously. One minute they are there,and the next they are not. I thought it might be a book about the rapture like "Left Behind" by Tim LaHaye and Jenkins. I couldn't have been more wrong. The grown ups are gone, it is true, but as you progress in the book it has nothing to do with religion, the rapture, or salvation. The teens and children are left to run the city by themselves. They are trapped by some barrier that goes around their location letting no one in or out. In addition to the strange disappearing act, things are mutating at a rapid pace. The children develop supernatural talents, like shooting fire from their hands, or moving at the speed of light, etc. Not only are they changing but so are all the life forms there. Even the coyotes have developed a rudimentary ability to speak the English language. They want to learn from humans how to kill for effectively. There is also an evil force lurking below the surface. Some of the children use their powers for good, and others to take over the place. It is a battle between good and evil. The main good guys are Sam, Astrid, Edilio, and Little Pete, an autistic boy with a superpower he is not really aware he has. The bad guys are Diana, Drake, Orc, and a mysterious boy who can move things with his hands. I was not happy with the ending. I may have mentioned this before, but I do like things to be tied up neatly. Loose ends bother me. I guess they couldn't wrap it up tightly or else there would be no second and third books, which there are. I don't intend to buy the next ones unless Daphne reads it and wants the rest of the books. I would call this book the modern day version of "Lord of the Flies" complete with supernatural elements. If any of you have read it, I would love to hear your comments. Have a great week! Happy beginning of summer!

"Have a Little Faith"

Hi, everyone! I am back. I have had a crazy work week and had to bring a lot of work home w/ me so I haven't had a chance to blog til now. i have read "Have a Little Faith" by Mitch Ablom and am getting ready to read it again. Daphne and I are in a women's book club. I am June's moderator and this is the book I chose. I loved it. If you have read it, would you please share your insights, pos and neg, with me? It will help me to prepare for my sharing at book club. If you have any questions that you thought of while reading the book, share those, too. I'd love to pose them to our book group and see how they answer. I'll return and share back with you. Our book night is June 1st. I may not get back to blogging til this coming weekend. Work is promising to be crazyily busy again this week and I have the definite feeling I'll be bringing home a lot of nursing notes to complete. Nursing is great! It's the paperwork and documentation that'll kill you (and take lots of time to complete). Hope you all find time to read and blog this week in your busy schedules. Have a great and safe Memorial Day! vicky

The Help give away winner!

Congrats to

Marjorie

who won the hardcover copy of the Help! I will be contacting you shortly.

I just discovered something new!

Hi, everyone! I guess I am not really observant or something because I just learned that my daughter has 4 book blogs, including this one! How does she keep up with so many? I have a hard time reading my e-mail and keeping up with one blog. By the way, I am finding this blogging thing to be a lot of fun. I may just become addicted. I love hearing from people and looking into your blogs and reading your ideas. I guess you really can teach a middle aged dog new tricks. How many blogs do you all have? sincerely, the senior member of the dynamic duo

Do you like books about cats?

How many of you like to read books about cats? How many of you have a cat? We have one (and a poorly behaved dog, Mr.Pete). I am asking because I stumbled across a cat book that Daphne got in a Bookcrossing swap. It is a true story about a man and the cat he adopted from a New York City alleyway. It is entitled The Cat and the Curmudgeon by Cleveland Amory. It is the 2nd book about his cat, Polar Bear. He has been an author of several books and also claims to be acquainted with a lot of famous people. (I've never heard of him before. Have you?) Anyway, I am curious to know if any of you have read the book and what you think. It is kind of slow, yet sometimes he says something very funny tongue in cheek. His cat has quite a personality. In the book he is trying to determine his cat's astrological sign, teach his cat to walk on a leash, and answer the cat's fan mail. He has done a great thing and that is he started a charity including a ranch for lost and homeless animals. (He's all right in our book for doing that.) I am slowly getting through the book. I much prefer and really like the animal stories by the English vet, James Herriott. How about you? (By the way, we've tried to get our cat to walk on a leash and she just plops down on the ground and we can't budge her 17 pounds no matter what! She's not even bribeable with a cat treat.) Again thank you to everyone who has stopped by our blog. This is just great. Happy reading! And have a great week! Signed, the older half of the mother/daughter dynamic duo

Book Blogger Hop #1

This is the first time The Mother and Daughter Book Nook will participate in the book blogger hop. Basically you get to find other cool blogs and hop around the internet doing so with links you will find at Crazy For Books. Its a really fun thing and we hope everyone will check it out and check out this site as well.

Some of Daphne's other sites of interest are:

Reading My Way Through Sweet Valley
Reading the Rainbow
We Are Reading (a forum)

Also 2 of my friends started book blogs this week. Please check them out and make them feel welcome in the blogging community.

Love To Read
Brandy's Book Review

And finally check out our BOOK GIVEAWAY. It ends this weekend!

Interview with my co-blogger aka "Mom"

I thought it would be fun to do an interview with mom so you all could get to know her better and here's how it went. Keep in mind we are quirky folk lol

Daphne: Hi, Mom!

Vicky (aka Mom): Hi, Daphne. Long time, no see.

Daphne: Let's start out talking about your reading habits.

Vicky: If I had the time, I'd read all the time but since I'm working, I read in the evening before I go to bed. If it's a cold or rainy day, I love to be snuggled under a blanket with a book in my lap.
Daphne: What's your favorite book?

Vicky: I have too many. But the complete works of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Wrinkle in Time, Harry Potter ... Oh and the Mitford series by Jan Karon.

Daphne: You have quite varied reading interests.

Vicky: Oh I love biographies and history. I also love The Book Thief and a couple of Dan Brown's books.

Daphne: What's the last book you finished?

Vicky: Possessions by Nancy Holder.

Daphne: You did a very good review of it, Ma. I will be adding my own very soon. We can have a review duel lol

Vicky: I can't wait and may the best woman win.

Daphne: Hehe. So what got you into blogging?

V: My daughter (you) did. I never really had any intention but you twisted my arm and here I am.

D: Are you having fun doing it though?

V: Absolutely. I guess I had to come into the 21st century sometime.

D: Indeed you do ... What kind of books do you like to read as a child?

V: All kinds but my favorite was Nancy Drew.

D: Did you know she celebrated her 80th birthday this year?

V: That's what you tell me.

D: I did a write-up on Nancy on my own blog.

V: I know. You made me listen to you read it.

D: What do you like about Nancy Drew, the character?

V: She was clever and it was nice to have a girl solve the crime for a change.

D: Didn't you read Hardy Boys too?

V: I did but my next favorite was The Boxcar Children.

D: Ah I loved those.

V: I became acquainted with those in sixth grade when our teacher Mrs. Paulin would read a chapter of the books after lunch. I loved the stories from the first chapter.

D: Now, mom, remember when I was a kid and didn't like to read, you would pay me for each book I finished. What don't you do that anymore? lol

V: Because you order the books and then give me the bill.

D: You're a good mom.

V: I know.

D: Very confidant too... Now what was your least favorite book of all time?

V: There have been a few but one thing I absolutely won't read is romance.

D: Why not?

V: I don't like them and they're so formulaic.

D: What about Jane Austen? You like her.

V: Yeah but there's a lot of history and culture in her stories.

D: What are you reading right now?

V: Cat and the Curmudgeon by Cleveland Amory.

D: Anything else?

V: I am about to start Gone, the book you gave me by Michael Grant.

D: Thanks for the interview, Mom! Can I entice you to read a Sweet Valley book anytime soon?

V: Not on your life!