Saturday, January 23, 2016

Blizzard Books - Reprise

As you snuggle up with your loved ones during winter storms, here is another look at Blizzard Books.  I realized that in the original posts,  I forgot to include the movie Cloud 9 as a winter pick for your 'tweens and teens.  Sorry.  Stay warm.

Monday, January 26, 2015

Blizzard Books

Here are pictures of the pre-blizzard snow this weekend, in Connecticut.




While we prepare for the real snow coming tonight and tomorrow, I thought I would revisit some of my previous blizzard posts:

Thursday, January 2, 2014

Blizzard Books and Movies

As the East Coast braces for a blizzard, I was thinking about some of my favorite wintry tales for young people.  Of course, Snow Day comes to mind, as well as Little House in the Big Woods.  The Twistrose Key is a 2013 release about a frozen realm.  I just picked it up, so I don't know yet if it belongs in the same category as the first two.
Last February, as we braced for a blizzard, I wrote about my favorite winter movies.  I've reposted it below if you're looking to curl up with a dvd tonight.

February 8, 2013
 
A group of childhood friends and I get together every year for a  grown-ups only, no-kids Christmas dinner.  Two years ago, a heated debate broke out over the best movie of all time.  Today, as we brace for the impending blizzard, I was wondering, what are the best winter movies of all time?  Excluding Christmas movies, (it is February, after all) here are some of my top contenders:
 
Groundhog Day
Miracle
The Shining
Dumb and Dumber  (just for the fun of it)
While You Were Sleeping
Beautiful Girls
Mystery, Alaska
and one you can watch  with the kiddies:
Big Miracle
 

YouTube Video


 
 
Happy blizzard reading and stay safe,
Christine

Monday, January 18, 2016

Martin Luther King, Jr.

I hope you had a chance to read Doreen Rappaport's beautiful book, Martin's Big Words this holiday.

Happy reading,
Christine

Thursday, January 14, 2016

The Boys in the Boat

I finally finished reading The Boys in the Boat.  It took me so long that I felt like I was in the boat with them!
Honestly, I wasn't crazy about this book to begin with, but who wants to quit on a book about perseverance?  So, I stuck with it and in the end, I'm glad.  It is truly amazing that these boys with the odds stacked so far against them could achieve greatness, or to paraphrase the book, touch the divine.  It also gave me a whole new appreciation for the sport of rowing.  Even though I have a niece and a nephew who row crew, and even though a regatta is truly a thing of beauty, I just never knew all of the pain that went into making something so difficult  look so graceful and effortless.  I also loved the references to other sports figures of the time, like Joe Louis and Seabiscuit.
If you are interested in sports history, or just a classic tale of humility, teamwork and determination you might give this book a try.

Happy reading,
Christine