calliasbooks 75 for 2012

Hi! My name is Callia. I am Anne's daughter (AMQS) This is my first thread and first challenge. I love visitors, and I am excited and hopeful to read and discuss books. I read mostly YA literature and I can almost never stop myself from picking up a book. Thank you!

Welcome, Callia! Pretty name! Lots of us here love to read YA; we're all in good company together.

Welcome!

#2 Thank you very much!

#3 Thank you as well!

Callia! So glad you're here :) XOXO

Welcome Callia!

I hear you liked The Good Earth. It's one of my favorites. In fact, Pearl Buck is one of my all-time favorite authors. I hope you'll read more of her books when you have time.
I like to read a lot of YA fiction too. I can't wait to see what you're reading.

Hi Callia, and welcome to the 75-ers. I'm trying to read some more YA fiction this year, so I'll have to check back for some suggestions!

Welcome to our little corner of the literary world, Callia! I look forward to following your reading journey.

Hi Callia, and a big welcome to LT. I feel as if I know you. You will definitely have to come along with your mother on our next Colorado meetup. We met Jenn's son Jonah last August.

I too count The Good Earth as one of my all-time favorite books. I look forward to seeing what you plan to read over the summer.

Welcome to the 75ers, Callia. I'm a big fan of your mother and have enjoyed her posts about how much she loves to share reading with you. I've also enjoyed her posts about your adventures with the Colorado Children's Chorale.

I'm looking forward to following your reading this year!

Hi Callia and welcome! I read almost as much YA as adult books, so I'm looking forward to seeing your thoughts on your reading.

Welcome to LT Callia! Hope you have a good year of reading :)

Hi Callia! Welcome to LT. I'm looking forward to hearing your thoughts on the books you'll be reading.

Do you have a summer reading list from school or do you get to read what you like over the break?

Hope we get to meet you at the next Colorado LT Meetup!

Hi Callia - Welcome!

#5- Me too! XOXOXO

#6- Thank you Jenn! I did enjoy The Good Earth, and I definitely would love to read Sons.

#7- Thank you very much Susan! I am really excited and hope to get more out of what I read though discussion.

#8- Thank you Julia! I am very happy to be a part of LT.

#9- I would love to come to the next Colorado meetup, and I hope to meet you soon!

#10- Thank you Pat! I love listening to my mom reading aloud and I live for singing. I appreciate your support!

#11- Thank you Mary! I really enjoy discussing books with my friends at school so I am very excited.

#12- I am very excited for this opportunity, thank you for your support Chelle!

#13- Thank you Joanne! I do get a reading list but I also manage to find time to read books of my choice. Last summer, the required readings were Tom Sawyer and Treasure Island, both of which I've read before and love. I look forward to meeting you!

#14- Thank you! I am very happy to be here.

I have been reading the Pretty Little Liars series. They were recommended to me by a friend. I've read the first four books. I don't like the books that much, but they are extremely addicting.

I also just reread a favorite book of mine, The House of a Million Pets. It's a very fun biography about a woman who adopts all these pets into her home, while also married and raising 2 kids! Probably for younger readers, and very fun. I love this book!

My family and I went to see Wicked last night (amazing!) and so I was inspired to read the book. I plan to start it this weekend.

Welcome Callia. It's so nice to see a young reader. I teach English at a community college, and we were talking about books today. Most of the students said they don't like books. Heartbreaking to me!

I have a couple of YA books on my Nook. One is Ashes by Kathryn Lasky and the other is one by Susan Beth Pfeffer. Have you read those, and if so, would you recommend?

#16- Thank you! A lot of people I know are not into reading....they obviously don't know what they are missing!

I have not read either of those books, but Kathryn Lasky is one of my absolute favorite authors. Her writing is light and funny and leaves you thinking. I would definitely recommend any book by her.

Callia - lovely to see you on here - big fan of your mum's thread and I'm sure that yours will be (at least!) as good. Will star you and I'm sure that you will soon be figuring prominently in my posting league.

Hi there Callia! I agree - such a lovely name! Welcome here! Your mom's is a lovely presence here and I'm sure you will be too.

#18- Thank you very much, Paul! I am very excited for this opportunity. I enjoy seeing your beautiful pictures too, by the way!

#19- Thank you Deborah! I enjoy reading my mom's posts and she is definitely my role model.

Callia - will put a couple more New Zealand shots on my thread just for you tomorrow (well probably later today for you!)
Any chance of you making a list of your reading this year?

Paul- Thank you! I am very excited to travel with my choir to New Zealand next year.

I will definitely try to make a list. I don't think I can remember all the books I've read since January, but I will start as far back this year as I can remember!

January 2012
1. Abel's Island by William Steig.

February 2012
2. Dial-A-Ghost by Eva Ibbotson.

March 2012
3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.
4. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins.
5. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins.
6. Pretty Little Liars (first book) by Sara Shepard.
7. Diary of Anne Frank by Frances Goodrich.
8. What I Saw and How I Lied by Judy Blundell.
9. The House on Hound Hill by Maggie Price.
10. Island of the Aunts by Eva Ibbotson.

April 2012
11. Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons, by Lorna Landvik
12. Pretty Little Liars (2nd book) by Sara Shepard.
13. Absolutely Normal Chaos, by Sharon Creech
14. The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck.
15. Journey to the River Sea, by Eva Ibbotson.
16. The Winged Watchman, by Hilda Van Stockum
17. Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, by Ransom Riggs.
18. Vampire Academy, by Richelle Mead.

May 2012
19. Pretty Little Liars (3rd and 4th books) by Sara Shepard.

Hello, Callia! It's great to see you on here! Looking forward to seeing what books you're reading this year!

Rachel- thank you very much!!!

Hi Callia,
Great looking reading list so far. Im impressed!
Great to see a young reader on here, I have been reading a lot more YA literature since being on LT and am finding it a pleasure.

Hi Megan!
Thank you! My mom sometimes jokes that I eat the books instead of read them;)

Hello! Welcome! Thank you soooooo much for recommending this site to me :P)

You are most welcome:) hope you enjoy it!

20. The Westing Game, by Ellen Raskin.

This book is a great thriller with a surprising twist. A group of 16 'heirs' gather to hear the reading of multi-billionaire businessman, Sam Westings. Sam had a great fondness for playing games, and the heirs discover that Sam is going to play one last game!

I started this book about 2 years ago and just couldn't get into it. I received it a few months ago and this week I decided to give it another shot. The first few chapters are kind of slow and a little hard to understand, but it gets better and it definitely grew on me.
I would recommend this book for those who enjoy mystery and humor. 4 stars

Just started Wicked this afternoon! A little hard to get into, but otherwise I am liking it! (Or the first 40 pages of it!)



21. We are finishing up our The Good Earth unit with a biiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiig unit essay. I chose to analyze all the women in Wang's life and how they influenced him in different ways. I think my favorite character is probably O-lan. She is so persevering and gave me as I was reading the book a sense of security. A five star book!

Callia - I agree with you that The Good Earth is a five star read - so deceptively simple, so easy to read and so perceptive.

Paul- I agree! I am going to see if my local library has Sons as well.

Hello Callia and welcome to LT. I have really enjoyed your mother's posts about what you all are reading as a family.

I have three children myself (ages 17, 15 and 9) and we all love to read. I heard about the Gregor the Overlander series from her thread and we are now in the middle of Book 2. I will be interested to see what you end up reading this year.

(By the way I am sometimes "the other Anne")

Hi Anne! Thank you! I am very happy to be a part of this wonderful group.

I have not read any of the Gregor the Overlander series but I would like to.

I am SO late, but welcome to LT and the 75ers, Callia! You couldn't do better!!! And you fit right in - look at your list of good books!

>31 calliasbooks:/32 I have that book waiting for me to read, and Im looking forward to it. Good luck on the essay Callia. Or have you already written it?

Peggy- Thank you! I am really enjoying LT.

Megan- Thank you! I would definitely recommend The Good Earth. It is really thought-provoking. I wrote the essay and actually turned it in yesterday. I will let you know how I did on it!

Callia hope you will have a great weekend with not too much homework so that you can catch up a fair bit of reading.

Thank you Paul! I definitely am planning to catch up on some books as my schedule for this weekend is pretty much free!

I was wrong! I expected a nice, relaxing, weekend to read. I had a performance this morning with the chorale and I have been writing a speech due tomorrow. I was going to read the Phantom of The Opera, but I received a children's edition from my request at the library. I must say that I felt rather cheated! I saw a film of the musical several years ago but never read the book. I am hoping to get it this week and read it by the beginning of next week. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

What a week! A long weekend at last, and then next week is finals week! I am not anticipating a lot of reading because of the studying, so I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Good luck with your finals.

Thanks, Beth!

#22. The Night Journey by Kathryn Lasky.



Oh, what a wonderful book! Rache, a modern-day girl is upset about having to go and talk to her great-grandmother Nana Sashie every day. But then Nana Sashie begins to tell her the story of her family in Russia, during WWII, and how the then-9-year-old Sashie came up with a plan to help her family get out of Russia to safety.

I loved this book. I love World War II books and stories, and this book is great. It's a good one for younger children because it is fun, but it also implies at the seriousness of this time period. I would recommend. 5 stars!

Callia - looks a good read. I also like reading books about the war and especially how it impacted ordinary people.

Paul- it's wonderful. The book I am reading right now is another book like that (also WWII) about a girl with communist parents who is raised in an anti-Nazi, Jew-hiding foster home. This is my favorite book, called The Book Thief a YA book, I would definitely recommend.

#23. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.



My favorite book of all time. This book inspires a wide range of emotions in me, from laughter to tears. I never fail to cry at the end of this book. My favorite part of this book is the narration. This book is actually narrated by Death, and Death complains about his job..."Forget the scythe, I needed a broom or a mop. And a vacation." Hilarious. It's a totally different and unexpected take on not just WWII, but also war in general. "They say that war and death go hand in hand. War is more like a boss, standing over your shoulder saying 'Get it done, get it done, get it done.'" This perspective showed that Death does have a heart and he tells us, "I like the idea of you humans thinking of me as carrying a scythe. It amuses me....I don't carry a sickle. I only wear a hooded black robe when it's cold" It's a beautiful and inspiring story about a girl named Liesel, who is given up by her mother to a foster home and from there she learns to read, becomes best friends with the infamous Rudy Steiner, and becomes a light in the darkness to a Jew they hide in their basement. I would not recommend this for young children. Definitely a YA book. It's a very powerful and emotional story. I definitely recommend! I would give this book 10 stars!!!!!!!

I adored The Book Thief as well, Callia. I'm so glad you read it.

Good luck with your finals! Summer break is right around the corner!

Thanks Joanne! I am really looking forward to the summer.

I have kept putting off The Book Thief even though everyone seems to love it. I guess I'm afraid that I won't share the feelings. One of my categories for my 2nd 12 in 12 challenge of the year is a "random drawing" category, and I know that I put it in the box so maybe I'll draw it and finally get it read.

Lori- it can be a little hard to get into and understand, but I think you would enjoy it:)

Callia - very nice review of The Book Thief. Not my favourite book to be honest but the idea was certainly a great one with death as a narrator. Think that decades later when you are approaching my age I think that it will no longer be your favourite but the books we read when the reading bug bites us early are the ones that stick with us lastingly.

#24. Homer's Odessy by Gwen Cooper.

This book was truly incredible. The story of a young, single woman living with two cats and decides to adopt a third cat, this cat being eyeless due to a horrible infection. She is anxious, but Gwen soon discovers that this cat, whom she names Homer, goes above and beyond expectations. He finds his way around. He cuddles. He plays. He survived being trapped in an apartment in NY after September 11, 2001. He saves Gwen's life by chasing off an intruder in their apartment home. This was an incredibly heartwarming story and was absolutely wonderful. 5 stars

Love your review of The Book Thief, Callia. I didnt realise when I read it that it was YA. It didnt feel YA to me. Like Paul, i didint love it, but liked the idea of Death as the narrator was unique.

I got two YA books from the library yesterday, Goodnight Mister Tom (which a good friend read when she was quite young, and loved) and The Electric Telepath...no idea why I picked this one up, I see there are very few people here on LT who have logged it. (edited to fix touchstone)

So glad you loved The Book Thief, Callia! Megan, I think The Book Thief is marketed as YA in the States, but not in Australia and other places. Not sure why that is.

I read Goodnight, Mister Tom a couple of years ago and really enjoyed it. Then I got the movie from the library and didn't like that so much...

Hi, Callia! Stopping by to star your thread. I'm Mamie and I have seen you about on Paul and Megan's threads and thought I would stop in. I, too, loved The Good Earth and The Book Thief. I have read a lot of the books that you are reading as I have three daughters that love to read - ages 13, 16, and 20. I also have a 17 year old son. My daughters have LT accounts but have not started threads yet - it's great to see the next generation sharing their insights and thoughts about what they are reading. I look forward to seeing what you will read next.

Goodnight Mister Tom was a delightful book. We read that one when I took a YA class years ago. I think it was universally one of the class favorites.

Hi, Callia. I loved The Book Thief too and it is particularly special for me because I read it on the recommendation of my daughter--in fact she gave it to me as a Christmas present a few years ago and it was probably the moment where our sharing of books started to go in two directions. What a nice review, and I love that you gave it 10 stars!

Hi Megan! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Like my mom said, it is considered YA in the US, but not anywhere else:D

Hi Mommy!

Hello, Mamie! Welcome. That's wonderful that you have read a lot of these great books. As soon as I finish here, I'll pop on over to your thread:)

Hi Lori! Nice to see you:) I will look up Goodnight, Mister Tom at my library!

Hi, Anne! Thank you! I'm so glad you enjoyed The Book Thief

Hi Callia, I'm another fan of The Book Thief. I think it's a book that appeals to a wide age range and one that stays in the mind for a long time.

I hope your finals went well. I know you'll have a great summer beginning with a dream trip to Italy and Austria. Enjoy! I'll be looking for pictures here and/or on your mother's thread.

Hi Donna! I agree and I'm so glad you liked The Book Thief! Thank you! The finals were good, and I am so excited for Italy. Should be fun! I hope you have a wonderful summer as well!

Callia - I promised SWMBO a honeymoon in Vienna and we finished up ensonced in Singapore's Raffles Hotel. Sounds great to you and I but since she was born in Singapore she was less than impressed. Every time I mention Vienna I get gorgon-like looks from my lovely wife! Enjoy and take lots of photos.

Hi Callia,
I hear you have your dates for the big trip next year....maybe I will see you perform when you are in Christchurch, or are all the performances within schools?
Hope you are still managing to get some reading in with your busy schedule.

Hi Megan!
That would be wonderful if you could see me! I don't think all our performances are in schools, so I hope you will be able to come see a show!

I have been super busy with no time for posting, but I'll try to update this week :)

25. Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson
26. Forge by Laurie Halse Anderson
27. The Ranger's Apprentice: Ruins of Gorlan by John Flanagan
28. The Ranger's Apprentice: The Burning Bridge by John Flanagan
29. The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
30. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
31. The Wheel on the School by Meindert Dejong
32. Shine by Lauren Myracle
33. Pregnant Pause by Han Nolan
34. Tyger Tyger: A Goblin Wars Book by Kersten Hamilton
35. In The Forests Of The Night by Kersten Hamilton
36. Horns and Wrinkles by Joseph Helgerson
37. The Garden of Eve by K. L. Going
38. Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat by Lynne Jonell
39. The Ogre of Oglefort by Eva Ibbotson
40. The Phantom Of The Opera by Gaston Leurox
41. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Some pretty good reading there Callia. Make sure you take plenty of books to NZ. Firstly the flight takes forever and secondly books are so expensive there. If you have time to find a second hand store though you may unearth some treasures.

Thanks Paul! Half of those books I read in Italy (on the plane as well.) I am so excited for NZ...the flight not so much...

Hi Callia! Thanks so much for visiting my thread! You've done some great reading! I must admit that I am great fan of theAlan Bradley series and read them all in one go! I suggest you take another along on your trip to New Zealand! Sounds like you do quite a bit of traveling! I'm quite excited for my mom and my niece as they have just arrived in Iceland for a 7 day trip. I am afraid to fly -but that is my family's background, so I am eager to hear from my niece, Sarah, about Iceland. She is 20 years old.

Great review of The Book Thief! That's one I'd like to get to reading! Thanks for the encouragement!

35 left to go! I bet u could read that in one month! tee hee

~Corsiva P.

Hi Callia - Oh I LOVED Homer's Odyssey! I'm glad you did, too. I got it as an ER book. I thought it was much more interesting than Dewey which was very popular around the same time.

Hi Deb! Nice to see you. I really liked The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie...It was kind of hard to get in to but I couldn't put it down. I am so excited for NZ! It should be fun. Wow Iceland! I want to go there someday it sounds really fun! Thank you! And you're welcome! LOL I loved it :)

Hi Cynthia. LOL I don't know but I should be able to get at least 10 in there ;)

Hi Joanne! I loved it too!!! It was so inspirational and heartwarming. I can't remember if I've ever read Dewey but I absolutely loved Homer's Odyssey :)

Hi Callia, where did summer go? You were much busier than me, but I still can't believe it's almost time for school to start again. That is an impressive list in Msg. 66. Any standouts in the bunch?

Hi Donna! I've been asking myself the same question! Thank you... hmm I really liked Emmy and the Incredible Shrinking Rat, and I also really enjoyed Chains.

Callia - wishing you a lovely and curfew free weekend.

A very belated 'Welcome to the 75ers' from me, Callia!

Paul- Thanks, and you as well!! :)

Hi Stasia! It's good to see you here. Thank you very much!

Hey, you know my name! I am honored to make your acquaintance.

Haha! I've seen you a lot on Paul's and Joanne's threads. I am honored as well!

I have to hang out here on LT while I can. School, you know?

Yup I do! I am spending almost all day on LT! I go back to school on the 20th (aaa!) there won't be much time for LT then...

>75 PaulCranswick: LOL, Paul. It's not so much a curfew as an attempt to minimize the pain when school starts this week and we'll be leaving the house by 7:00 am every day :( We're all night owls here, so school days are painful, especially at the beginning of the year.

#81: I can think of worse ways to spend your day than on LT! I start school again September 12th, so I am spending a lot of time here trying to catch up!

I can too! I'm excited for school to start...just not the early mornings start :)

Whoops got busted by the mum, should have known better!! Joking aside I am the worst in the world for chasing the kids to bed during term time.

Haha Paul! My mom is the one cracking the whip, but Dad is generally the relaxed one :)

Hi Callia! I'm way behind on the threads and just popping in to say hello!

Hi Chelle! It's nice to see you here!

Hi Callia! Thanks for visiting my thread so often! So - you have to back to school on the 20th of August! Is that a good thing or a bad thing? I know many young people love to get back to school, but some are not so keen.

Here in Canada, our school year always starts on the day after the Labour Day weekend in Canada, a long weekend in September. So the kids around here will not be in school til September the 4th. But I'm pretty sure we have shorter breaks and also go to school longer in June- so it all equals out. My goodness, August is still summer here! :) No school!!! :)

Back when I was a kid (this was about 3 years after the lava dried) we didn't start until September. It seems to be creeping earlier and earlier every year, and I don't like it. As you say, Deb, it's still summer!

I know there has been some debate here in Iowa in the state legislature about passing a law prohibiting schools from starting before Labor Day (the first Monday in September). Actually, there is such a law now but school districts can apply for waivers. The districts in rural areas say they need to start earlier because kids will miss school later in the fall when harvest season commences.

Hi Deb! Good to see you here! I did go back today. It was a good day! I like my teachers and my schedule is great! Ooh I am jealous! I would love to go back in September LOL.

Hi Julia! It's nice to see you! It is creeping earlier and earlier! It's just silly.

Callia my kids go back during the second week of September. They are agitating for a holiday at the moment so I need to keep a low pofile for a few days more!

Hi Callia, what sis you think of The Outsiders?
I loved it, gave a copy to my dad who didnt really like it much. Oh well, cant win em all I suppose.

Hi Paul! I've been so busy with classes and homework and such...not much time for LT!

Hi Megan! The Outsiders was a summer reading book for school. I really loved it!!!!!!

HI Callia. Hope you are enjoying being back in school!

Callia - not seen you in these parts for a while - schooling and singing obviously taking up your time. Don't forget to keep reading!

Callia - Happy Thanksgiving.

Paul- Thank you! Happy Thanksgiving to you as well. I have been very busy but I'm hoping to catch up this week!

42. Divergent by Veronica Roth
43. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
44. The Comet's Curse by Dom Testa
45. The Web of Titan by Dom Testa
46. The Cassini Code by Dom Testa
47. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
48. Hana's Suitcase by Karen Levine
49. Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes

I am also writing a story! I got the idea from the title of Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes. I'm really excited and hope to post sections of it on here as I go along. :) Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

This is the very first part of my story. I would love to hear comments! Thanks :)

"The St. Florence Hospital was perched on the side of our mountain, about 10 miles up from our town in the valley. It was a quiet town, with quiet people who wanted to live away from the world. Our town was cut off from the world, and our only tie was the truck that came once a week bringing newspapers, mail, supplies for the hospital, clothes, and other goods. And of course, the patients. The St. Florence Hospital was well known, although few people knew about the little town in the valley.
St. Florence was a place that sick and dying people who wanted to spend what was left of their lives in the peace and beauty of our valley came to. Our town didn’t really have a name; most people called it St. Florence, after the hospital. The hospital itself was named after Florence Nightingale, who helped raise the money to build it. The hospital was 12 stories high, white, and with a big red cross painted on the front. The hospital had always intrigued me...there was something about it that sent chills down my spine whenever I looked at it. If I was alone in the square next to the statue of Florence Nightingale, I felt as if I could smell the acrid stench of smoke, and out of the corner of my eye I could see what looked like flames leaping up from on and around St. Florence, and I could hear screams and a maniacal laugh echoing faintly off the mountains and ringing in my ears. But if I looked towards St. Florence, the flames I thought I had seen were gone, and I was left with the lingering smell of smoke and a last disturbed laugh ringing in my ears that seemed to wrap my heart in a cold sheet of terror. I wondered if I was ill, but it happened so irregularly that I didn’t think it was sickness causing these visions. Whenever I saw this and heard the laugh, I didn’t sleep for a few days, and I would always spill it out to Baba Yaga, who would comfort me with her arms and prayers.
By far the oldest member of our town was Baba Yaga. Baba Yaga had raised me, an orphaned child, who, as a baby, was left in a basket on the edge of our statue in the square. Baba Yaga was old, but young in her mind. She danced around our house chattering and singing in English and Russian. But whenever anybody mentioned St. Florence Hospital, Baba Yaga crossed herself and rocked back and forth, praying fervently in Russian. Her eyes became dark and her face would grow pale. She never referred to St. Florence Hospital by its name; she called it , or House of Evil Spirits. Baba Yaga forbid me to go to the hospital under any circumstances. When I asked why, Baba Yaga crossed herself and said “The evil girl...the evil girl is there. She is evil. You must stay away.” When I asked what she meant, she refused to talk any longer, except to tell me to not go to the hospital. I obeyed her without question, for Baba Yaga was the most respected member of our town. However, the keeper of St. Florence Hospital asked Baba Yaga to come answer some questions about the hospital. I was 16, and that was the first time I had ever been to St. Florence."

Hi Callia, I saw on Paul's thread that you were writing a story and came over to check it out. I must say I'm very impressed and hope you will continue. You drew me in right away, described the town and the main characters very well and left me wanting to know more.

You seem like a very talented young woman with the ability to write and to sing so well. It sounds like you have a great future ahead of you and I'm glad you decided to join the 75ers.

Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend.

Pat

Hi Pat! It's good to see you here. I love writing and I'm so glad you like what I have so far! I hope to continue as soon as I can!

Thank you and have a good rest of your weekend as well!!

Another day! Tuesday is my least favorite day of the week. Monday you're starting, Wednesday is the middle, Thursday you're almost done, and Friday is Friday! But Tuesday's just kinda there. We finished off the day with my Dad and I (and Whistler) taking a walk around a beautiful lake as the sun went down. I'll see if I can post a picture!

Callia - Keep up the good work with your short story; look forward to the next installment.
Your analysis of the week made me smile. In some of the more islamic leaning states here Friday is the day of rest and that would put Tuesday where Sunday is?!

Hi Callia,
Good on you for writing a story! Sounds like could be taking a turn into dark territory soon? (you're keeping us guessing).
My sister wrote a story in a school exercise book when she was 9 (and I was 7), we still talk about "her first novel" and laugh about it. It was a direct rip off of an Enid Blyton novel that we had read to us at the time!

Ah ha! I did it! I posted a picture! Yay! There is no editing, this was how the light really was. It was really cool!

Hi Paul! Thank you! It's been fun working on it. I hope to write and post some more this weekend!

Hi Megan! Thanks! I don't know yet actually! Haha and if I did, I wouldn't tell you! You shall have to keep guessing for now! That sounds fun! At my elementary school (where Mina is going now) they have a program called Young Writers. Every year, each student has to write something. It can be a story, a biography, a poem collection, or anything else! It's then sent to a publishing company who sends back the book. I am SO thankful I don't have to do it anymore! The writing was fun but we had to draw a cover (my artistic skills are smiley faces and flowers. That's about it) and print it on special paper that was irrationally hard to work with. But I still enjoy writing, and that's the good thing!!! I think my first story was about a fictional pet giraffe I wanted at the time....:)

>105 calliasbooks: great picture, and you are right, that is suspiciously amazing light! We had a partial eclipse here last week and it was like that. Low light is beautiful.

You must be glad now to have printed versions of your writing to keep, maybe youll have better memories of it when you are old and grey? :)

I agree, Megan! It was beautiful, however very cold!!! I do enjoy looking back and seeing what I wrote. It was the process that was painful! :)

Great picture, Callia, and neat lighting. Whistler looks like a bigger dog than I expected him to be.

Thanks Pat! It was very cool. He is big!!! It's like living with a deer or perhaps a small cow. He does nothing but sleep on his bed (and ours, and the couch when we're not home) But he's very sweet and quite silly! It's fun having a dog again :)

I had to dig through the wiki thread book to find you, Callia, but I'm so glad that I did! I love your writing! Beautifully done and it captured me right away. Let me know when you have your first book published - I'll be buying !

Great picture!What breed/ mix of dog is Whistler? He is big - or at least he looks very tall in the picture!

Hi Deb!!! I'm glad you found me too! Thank you! I really enjoy writing and I'm glad you liked it. Hopefully more installments soon! Whistler is a greyhound. He is a retired racer who we adopted in July. He is really tall!!! He's very sweet and loves snuggling :)

Hi Callia, just stopping by to see what you thought of the Lincoln movie. I ended up seeing it yesterday and loving it. It has reinspired me to finish Team of Rivals!

I wasn't sure if you'd seen this article (posted on the Team of Rivals group read thread)--http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/11/22/what-s-true-and-false-in-lincoln-movie.html. It tells you what's true and false in the movie. Luckily most of the false stuff seemed minor to me.

Hope you have a good week.

Hi Pat! I loved the movie Lincoln. It was very well done. I loved Tommy Lee Jones in it, he was hilarious!!!!! I will check out that link. Thank you! I hope you have a good week as well!

What a great picture, Callia! Do you have a saddle for Whistler? :)

I liked your story - you are a talented kid!

We are going to see Lincoln tomorrow night. I'm really looking forward to it and now I'm going to check out the link above.

Thanks Joanne!!! We don't have a saddle (yet!) but maybe sometime we can get one! :)

Thank you! I've been so busy I haven't had time yet to write more but hopefully after things cool down a bit I will.

I loved Lincoln. I hope you enjoy it!

Hi Callia! Nice picture, your dog is very cute :)

Happy New Year Callia, maybe we'll meet in 2013?
Have fun.

Happy New Year Callia - hope 2013 brings you everything you want it to.

Hi Callia, I'm stopping by to wish you a Happy New Year. I hope you start a new thread in the 2013 group. You have much to contribute to this group. Thanks for sharing your story with us. Maybe you will be a famous writer - or singer - someday. The whole world is open to you!

Happy New Year, Callia!

phebj: I love Moomintroll! Have you read all the books and the comic books? I would recommend them all!

#124 Corsiva, I just discovered the Moomins in 2010 from someone on LT so I've only read 2 of the books so far--The Moomins and the Great Flood and Finn Family Moomintroll. I love the characters and am looking forward to reading the rest of the books and the comics too. Glad to know they're all good. :)