Tuesday, 12/10/2013
Yaayy, we finally got a tablet!
It's the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 for kids. Tablets are a great investment for book lovers! One of the best things about having one is that you can download virtually any book that your library has to offer (as long as it's available in e-book/PDF format) right onto it and when it's time to return the book, the file just automatically deletes from your device. You know what that means? No more late fees! No more having to remember to physically return books. The only thing you have to do is delete the item from your device once it has been automatically returned (this just keeps things neat and controls your storage space).
This is so exciting for me because most of the books that are on our reading list, is available as an E-book and if a particular library in our county does not have the physical copy at their location, I can just download it from another one.
Many different counties offer this resource so check with you local library system to see if they do and you can start downloading books with your library card. With our library system, you don't even need an E-reader or a tablet, you can download to your computer and also use your smartphone. If you live in Orange county, FL and want to find out more about it click here to read the FAQ's.
Tags:#Dodd2
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Sunday, 12/8/2013
I has been a book that I have wanted my son to start on for a while and I have been looking for a good deal on the entire set. I noticed that the books are being repacked with different covers this year. Now, this may have been around for a while, but I just noticed it. The covers are a textured material similar to how suede would feel, and seem a bit more durable than the original mass produced paperbacks.
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| Old Cover Design |
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| New Cover Design |
At this point, I have been way too busy with finals and make up work in order to read to him daily, so he has been reading this book on his own which is also how is older brother read them. For, now he seems to be enjoying the story and I hope that he continues to do so!
Tags: #Dodd1
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Sunday, 10/6/2013
Well, we finished The Familiars: The Secret of The Crown and it was actually pretty entertaining. The book is the second book in the series about a cat, Aldwin that travel around with his three companions (aka the chosen ones). They are charged with protecting and guiding their human loyals and they have powers. Aldwin has the power of telekinesis and can move things with mind but he hasn't fully mastered it yet. One of their enemies is a hare would kill many people while using her power to shape shift and uses blasts of energy through her palms (aka paws lol). You'll have to read the book yourself to find out how he and his friends manage to did this and how the rest of the story goes.
On another note, I'm thinking of switching things up with this blog. I may start a new one where I do my own book reviews and other reading/book related posts. I have a few lists that I'd like to tackle. And I think I'd like my own space where I can post about things in the adult non-fiction/fiction genres. There is a great reading community out there that I'd want to jump into.
For now, our next book together is Masterpiece by Elise Broach. I found a great review on the book that you can watch if you want to know more about it!
Saturday, 9/21/2013
Soooo, Let's talk about how it's been going so far with the reading aloud to my son thing......
Ok, so we had a few bumps in the road... I haven't done it nearly as much as I had planned to during this last week, but we did get through half a book together this past week (and he ended up finishing it himself before I had gotten a chance to do it with him.
The book was called Waiting for The Magic* by Patricia MacLachlan and it was about a family (a mother and her son and daughter) who brings home a bunch of animals from the shelter who magically can talk to each other.
Soooo, while my son was having a really great time with the concept of talking animals, I kept thinking about how messy the house would be with 3 dogs (one of them some giant Clifford sized dog) and a cat! And just how impractical the whole thing was. I know, I know, it's a children's book, but I could get into it. Maybe if I'd continue reading the rest of it with him, I would have enjoyed it more.
Now that my son is finished with that one, we are reading the second book in the The Familiars series.
****Link to the book Waiting for The Magic on Amazon here: http://www.amazon.com/Waiting-Magic-Patricia-MacLachlan/dp/1416927468
Currently Reading:
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Sunday, 9/8/2013
Welcome to the Blooming Reader Blog featuring myself and my both of my boys as we go on some reading adventures this school year!
Okay so, first off, I have a confession to make...... while I've always talked about how important it is for parents to read aloud to their children, I haven't always done a great job of actually doing it in a consistent way, especially with my younger son. At first, with my older son, I was totally excited about teaching him everything I could and had warm fuzzy fantasies about me reading to him every night as he was all tucked into bed with his favorite trinket all cozy next to me. Then, I started doing it and the books would be too long or too boring (for me), he'd be too distracted, my throat would get super dry, I wasn't able to keep track of all the character voices that I had created and would start to feel intimidated by the entire affair. I know, it sounds ridiculous, but I also know that I'm not alone.
Eventually though, I got better at it (not much, but better nonetheless) and managed to enjoy some really amazing books with him where we enjoyed really sweet moments of connection, sadness and laughter. My son would go on to become an independent and happy reader who always had a book in his hand.
Now with my younger son, this story takes an unpleasant turn. I shamefully admit that I did not spend nearly as much time reading aloud to him as I did with my older son. I made the assumption (even though I knew better in the back of my mind) that he would be just like my first and pick up reading with as much enthusiasm. When he was very young, the same old problems came creeping in that I'd had with my first. The boringness (for me) the dry throat, the feeling of intimidation (which is still weird to me) with the added fact that I had much less time during my day than I had with my first and always felt tired. I know, I know, excuses excuses. Truthfully, I was stressed, tired and just plain didn't feel like putting in the effort most of the time. Don't get me wrong, there were many times that we shared through books that were special and my son still feels attachement to those books/stories, but for someone who has researched and studied the benefits of reading aloud to children, I could had done much better with them both, but especially with my younger one.
That is why I am starting this blog. I am planning on going on a reading adventure with my boys. I will focus most of my time on reading aloud with my younger son (big bro will be included too) and see if I can encourage a better relationship between him and books. I have seen first had what an impact a love of reading can have on a child with my older son and I want the same for my younger. During this school year, we will read though some lists and discuss out thoughts here. I will also provide advice to anyone who wants to start a read aloud adventure with their child(ren)!
Thanks for stopping by
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