Allie in the South of Spain

Recently I asked my Facebook friends for suggestions for books to order for my girls and I got a lot of good ideas. Of course I remembered some of my favorites from my own childhood but was also looking for any new books that people have enjoyed reading with their kids. I have placed a few orders for books from Amazon and am discovering my preferences as a mom who will be reading and re-reading the same books over and over. Because of this, I have decided to create some posts here on my blog to review the books that I like and those that I don't (I have found that a lot of books that are considered classics really aren't that great). Maybe it will someday be a resource for other new moms looking to create a library for their baby. I love this book!!!! You need it in your life. The first book that I have chosen to write about is one that I had never heard of, I think because it might be British and might not be popular in the U.S.? But I LOVE it. Why did no one recommend ...

So this is the last time I will update about our Christmas movie marathon (since our vacation ends today, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa). As you can see, we didn't quite meet our goal but allow me to explain why. First, we started re-watching all the seasons of The Office (and have made it to number 7). Second, Jose has really been bugging me about going to see the second Hobbit movie. Since I had never even seen The Lord of the Rings trilogy, I decided to finally sit down and watch it. As you might know, those films last like an eternity. So in the end we have some Christmas films still on the list for next year. The list: 1.  Love Actually   2.  Dr. Suess's The Grinch Who Stole Christmas   3.  A Christmas Story   4.  National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation   5.   Elf   6.  Miracle on 34th Street   7.  Bad Santa   8.  Nightmare Before Christmas 9.  Charlie Brown Christmas   10.  It's a Wonderful Life ...

Here is a list of the books I have read during the months of October AND November. I figured since I was reading the rest of the novels in the Game of Thrones series (at least those published up until this point) that I might as well wait and post about them all at once. A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin This is the second in the Game of Thrones series. I enjoyed it as much as the first and it has inspired me to continue with the television show through its third, bloody season. In these books each chapter is told from a different characters' point of view and there are a ton of twists and turns. You have to take your time to keep things straight. A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin As you probably have guessed, this is the third installment of the series. The first half of this novel served as the basis of the third season of the T.V. show. I am still enjoying this series though it is beginning to become complicated to keep all the different story lines ...

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker This was a book I randomly picked off my mom´s book shelf before heading back to Spain. It was sort of meh for me. It was neither very good nor very bad, probably one that in another month I will only remember vaguely. Basically it told the story of a girl who suffered from a disease which caused her to become disproportionately large and how this helped shape her life in a small town. A Game of Thrones by George RR Martin After having watched the first season of the TV series and hearing about the books this summer from my mom and sister, I decided to give the first one a try. I was pleasantly surprised. Although this isn´t my favorite genre, it kept my attention and stuck pretty close to the show (which rarely happens in my experience). I would recommend this book and will continue with the next in the series soon. A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving I pretty much hated the last novel I read by Irving ( The ...

Confessions of a bookworm I tend to read quite a bit in general but during the summer even more so. I am the kind of person who will stay up late reading even when I know I have to get up early the next day. I will have more than one book going at once and a stack in my night table next to my bed. If a book doesn't interest me I will stop reading it (which drives my husband crazy). I also will read the ending of a story before I am about half way through (which also makes him mad). I am always impressed by people who not only have a good story in their heads, but that also have the power to write it down well. It really is a talent!  Anyway, chalk it up to long flights, laziness out in the sun (or the rain) and lots of free time but this summer I read quite a bit. For the most part when I read for pleasure I choose novels in English since my mind needs a break from living life in Spanish. I also am still burned out a bit from graduate work in another language. Here...