Review: Disney on a Dime: Money-Saving Secrets for Your Walt Disney World Vacation

Disney on a Dime: Money-Saving Secrets for Your Walt Disney World Vacation by Chris Carlson

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



The timing of me finding this book was a little off, as the trip we were planning was rather close and most of the tips and tricks for this book involve longer planning/saving times - at least 6 months if not a year.

That being said, the book was a great source of ideas to make a Disney vacation affordable on any budget, and several of the tips can be applied to other amusement park destinations, not just Disney.

I will probably get this book from the library again in about 6-8 months, because I am planning a Disney trip sometime during 2013.



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Review: Shoeless Joe

Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Having loved the movie "Field of Dreams" for years, I was sure I'd enjoy the book.

This went so far beyond enjoyment. This was a journey. What I enjoyed was seeing the sections I remembered from the movie, but there was so much more to love in the book. More characters, more details, more everything.

I absolutely loved this book, and highly recommend it to anyone who enjoyed the movie.



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Review: The Summer I Turned Pretty

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

My rating: 2 of 5 stars



I read this because it was recommended to me, and the book flap made it sound interesting. Sad to say, I was disappointed with this book. Belly seems to be a stereotype of a teenaged girl whose parents have money (though it is mentioned that Susannah's family has more money - Belly's family obviously has plenty of their own money). She is shallow and never satisfied (her father buys her a piano, but she doesn't like it because it's out of tune; anything her mother asks of her is cause for high drama). She can't be happy with Cam because she can't believe that he thought she was pretty when she felt that she was ugly - she thinks he's lying to her so she never fully trusts him. When she doesn't get her way she pouts. Flashbacks show this to be a pattern that has been present throughout her lifetime. Is it any wonder the boys never wanted her around? She was a whiny tattletale as a child, and now she is a whiny self-centered teen.

The ending was confusing - it seemed to just drop off in the middle of a thought. It wasn't until I came online to record having read this book that I discovered that this was the first of a trilogy. I'm not currently planning to read the other two books.



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I read this book as part of the Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge.

Review: Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far

Not Afraid of Life: My Journey So Far by Bristol Palin

My rating: 3 of 5 stars



Bristol Palin has obviously led quite a sheltered life. She still has a lot of maturing to do, and this book is aptly subtitled: My Journey So Far (emphasis mine). Rather than market the book to adults, it would be better as a Young Adult selection - it definitely reads as such.

That said, I did enjoy the book. Bristol may come to regret how harsh she was when describing Levi, simply because Tripp will someday read this book. No matter what relationship (if any) Tripp has with his biological father, the fact remains that Levi donated half of his DNA to create Tripp. And if you detest the person who helped you to create this child, it's not a large leap (as the child) to wonder if you are detested as well.

I have felt sympathy for all of the Palin children since the 2008 campaign. Bristol had the unfortunate experience of her private mistake having very public consequences, and everyone in the country feeling as though it made Bristol and her siblings fair game - from accusations that her younger brother was truly her child to those that her sister Willow was pregnant as well - it seems as though making jokes at the expense of a Palin is accepted policy. Maybe it would have been better for them had Sarah been a Democrat; it seems as though the "children of the candidates are off-limits" policy only applies to Democratic candidates.

Her supposed money woes are definitely not real. No matter what she may claim, at no time was she ever in danger of not putting food on her table or diapers on her child. Her parents may have forced her to work to contribute to her own expenses, but there is no way anyone in her family would have allowed her or her child to go without. Bristol would never have needed WIC, food stamps, or a state-supported Medicaid health insurance. People who need these programs truly understand the worries she claims to have regarding money. And who knows, maybe she did worry about it. But when she talks about how much her family is always so supportive of each other, it's hard to believe she ever questioned where the next box of diapers would come from.

Something she mentions her aunt saying to her really resonated with me as well - if Bristol only wants to be left alone and allowed to live her life in peace, why is she constantly putting herself out there into the public eye?



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Review: The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I truly enjoyed this book - I read it in just over a day and I DID sleep, eat, watch television, and worked for over 12 hours during that time. I can't wait to see what the next two books have in store, and I'm glad I don't have to wait long!



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I read this book as part of the Book Blogger Recommendation Challenge.

2012 Support Your Local Library Challenge

Yet another challenge I found through my wonderful friend Heather at Proud Book Nerd.  This one is hosted by The Eclectic Bookshelf and involves reading books from your local library - which for me is a snap because that is where I get 95% of the books I read.

The rules are simple: the book must come from the library (ebooks are allowed, as long as they are from the library) and it must be a book you have not read prior to this challenge.  The challenge goes from January 1 to December 31, 2012.  I am aiming for the highest level in this challenge: Level 4 - 37+ library books.

Review: Kirsten's Surprise: A Christmas Story

Kirsten's Surprise: A Christmas Story by Janet Beeler Shaw

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



I read this years ago when it was a much newer book and there were only three American Girls. Kirsten was my favorite because she looked the most like me, and because I have always had a soft spot for stories about frontier life, though I have to admit I always loved Samantha's clothes.

In this book, Kirsten is about to experience her first Christmas season in America. She wants things to be the same as they were in Sweden, and that includes having all of the same items they had in Sweden, some of which are in storage in a town ten miles away. Ten miles seems like nothing these days - I drove more than 10 miles today alone. But in 1854, during winter in Minnesota, ten miles was a long way, and it is questionable whether they will be able to make it to town to get the trunks before being snowed in until Spring.



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