78. A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Future: Twists and Turns and Lessons Learned by Michael J. Fox

I picked up this book because it looked interesting. Turns out it is written as a gift book for graduates. I liked it ok. Fox tells about how he dropped out of high school and never went to college, but felt that a lot of his experiences taught him what he would have learned in these more conventional ways. Fox tells a little about his struggle as a young actor, his battle with alcoholism, and his more public battle with Parkinson's Disease. He really has a remarkably positive outlook on life. The only thing I don't like is the occasional bad language. It's a short little book that is fun to read. I wouldn't buy it but it might be worth checking out from the library.

77. Gabriella the Snow Kingdom Fairy by Daisy Meadows

This is another Ruthie pick. Kirstie and Rachel try to help the snow fairy find all the things necessary for a perfect snow holiday. These books are silly but obviously good enough that I can read them constantly without getting bored. They're cute and I can't say enough good things about the pictures. There are just enough words to the pictures to make it perfect to read-aloud to Ruthie's age. She loves them.

76. A Year Down Yonder by Richard Peck

This is another book I read for my book club. A 16 year old girl is forced to leave her home in Chicago and go live with her grandma in Hicksville, Illinois during the depression. I think Richard Peck is really good at depicting small town America. I think this book is hilarious. The grandma is quite the character and the girl learns, over time, to appreciate her grandma's eccentricities. The older ladies in my book club really related to the stories, and remembered similar stories from their own childhood. It was fun to hear those too. I would recommend this book to anyone. It is short and sweet and worth the hour it will take to read.

75. The Host by Stephenie Meyer

This is the second time I've read this book. I read it when it first came out a year or so ago and this time I read it for my book club. I like the dilemmas this book brings up: What is the difference between a body and a consciousness? Is it right to take control if you make things better? Is love felt just by our consciousness or spirit, or does it extend to the very cells of our bodies? There are a lot of older ladies in my book club and I wasn't sure they would love this book. But I was surprised by how many enjoyed the story. The lady that reviewed it said she didn't think it read like science fiction. It was just a good story. I think that describes the best science fiction. It reads like a story that seems very familiar but with a few twists. The story, told from an alien's point of view, is of a alien that comes and takes over a human that doesn't want to be taken over. It really is interesting. My biggest complaint is that it is really heavy to carry around. Other than that I would recommend it to anyone.

74. Forbidden Sea by Sheila A. Nielson

This was the last book that Kate and I read for the mother-daughter book club. They picked it because the author has been a librarian at our library for about the last 10 years. She came and talked at the club meeting and she was very interesting. She said she got the idea of writing the book because she had so many pre-teen girls asking for mermaid books and she couldn't think of any. She was able to sell the book to Scholastic without an agent which is pretty amazing, so she obviously found a good niche. I really liked the book. It takes place on an island in the Victorian era. A girl is haunted by a mermaid and eventually leaves to visit her world. It kind of reminded me of The Perilous Gard, another book that I really liked. The heroine is very strong, yet compassionate. I would recommend it to anyone. Kate really liked it too.

73. Sun and Moon, Ice and Snow by Jessica Day George

This is one of those books that Mary chose for her bedtime story, but that I've been meaning to read for at least a year. The author, Jessica Day George, comes to a lot of the library's book fests and she's always fun to listen to talk. I really had never heard of her before I saw her the first time at the library. And I must say, I think this book is amazing. It is based on a Nordic fairy tale, East of the Sun, West of the Moon and a little bit of Beauty and the Beast. It made a great read-aloud because it is so interesting that you just want to keep reading, but the chapters are short enough that you can read one a night in not too long and make yourself stop that way. My favorite part, though, is the names. The little girl, who is the main character, is just called, "Lass". And the polar bear is an "isbjorn". I just really liked her names for things; it made it very fun to read out loud. I would highly recommend it. All my girls loved it, even the younger two. It is a beautiful story.

72. Freddy and the French Fries: Fries Alive! by David Baldacci

This is not a book I would have picked up in a million years. But Emma chose it for her free book at the last children's book fest at the library. We tried to read it a while back, but I convinced her to switch to a different book. But finally the time had come, and we read it. It reminds me a lot of Captain Underpants or Johnny Neutron. A really smart kid creates a bunch of life-sized french fries and brings them to life to help him fight the boy that constantly bullies him. Very Frankenstein-ish. It really is funny. As I read it, the girls would laugh and laugh at the antics of Freddy and his friends. I could see this being very popular with little boys. My girls thought it was hilarious. Emma picks some fun ones.

71. Disney Nursery Rhymes & Fairy Tales

I know some people hate that Disney takes stories and makes them their own. I don't really see it as any different than fractured fairy tales. And my girls love the pictures and stories. Daisylocks and the Three Bears seems to be their favorite. This is Lily's bedtime choice. She likes books that have groups of stories; they're easier not to lose I think. I like them too because the stories are a good length for Lily. I think it is a good collection with a lot of classic stories and nursery rhymes. I liked it.

70. Jade the Disco Fairy by Daisy Meadows

Jade the disco fairy epitomizes all the good parts of disco: great dancing, crazy bright clothes, just the littlest bit of attitude. I think this book is really funny, especially since I don't think Ruth has any idea what disco is. Kirstie and Rachel have to help the fairy find her disco ribbon that helps every one in the world dance disco well. They have to wrest it from a disco dancing goblin dressed in a polyester leisure suit. Funny!! And I had YMCA going through my head the whole time I was reading it to her. It made a good bedtime story.

69. Misty to the Rescue by Gillian Shields

This is actually the first of the mermaid series (we haven't been reading them in order). In this one, Misty and her friends get the crystals from the crystal cave, but then are attacked by Mantora (the bad mermaid) and sent to the kelp forest, far from their home. They must figure out where they are, start back toward home, and find Misty's crystal which she lost in Mantora's storm. They also must try to save the kelp forest which is being cut down by the evil humans. It's all right. Ruth seems to love these books and I think they are ok. Here's to another bedtime story.

68. Flora the Dress-up Fairy by Daisy Meadows

Jack Frost is up to his old tricks again. He and his goblins are trying to sabotage a castle costume party and steal the castle for their own party. Kirsty, Rachel, and Flora the dress-up fairy are on the case. This is another of Ruthie's bedtime story choices, (sometimes we read two at once, one for her nap and one for bedtime). The cover caught her attention because it had a fairy dressed up as a mermaid, does it get any better than that?!! The pictures are great, the story is pretty good and it's all about dress-up--the perfect book for little girls. So, I would recommend it for any little girl and their mom.

The Flash TV series

I know this isn't a book but I just got done watching the series on Netflix and decided to put my review up here. I really like it. The costumes and the stories are a little cheesy but I like that. I miss the days when you could watch a light crime mystery without all the gore and true to life situations. I wish they had more TV like this and Remington Steele and Scarecrow and Mrs. King. The drama on TV now is too heavy for me. I can't watch much of it. The only thing I watch consistently is Smallville. So if you're in the mood for some good, light, superhero drama, this is the show for you.

67. If Life Were Easy, It Wouldn't Be Hard: And Other Reassuring Truths by Sheri Dew

I listened to this book on CD. I vaguely remember reading it a while back. I really like it. Sheri Dew is honest and to the point, and she doesn't try to sugarcoat things. She also has great stories. I just like her way of discussing the gospel. This book definitely made me want to be a better person and rely on the Lord more. I would recommend it to anyone. I even thought of having Kate listen to it as a good example of a righteous woman.

66. Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix

I've been toying with reading this series for a long time. My niece and my sister read several of them a couple of years ago and really liked them. But the cover art looked a little spooky to me and I'm not really into scary books anymore. Then Kate read this one (the first in the series) for her book club at school so I decided to read it too. It reminded me a lot of the Hunger Games series. And as a bonus, the book was pretty short too. The premise of the story is that on a future earth ravaged by war and famine, the government has made a law that you can only have two children. However, some people still have a third child, either by accident or on purpose. But they are forced to hide these children so the Population Police don't find them and kill them and possibly the whole family. The story is told from the viewpoint of Luke, one of the hidden children. It's a great premise and pretty interesting story--probably not as gripping as Hunger Games, but still intriguing. Most likely I will continue on with the next book, Among the Impostors (there are about 7 or 8 in the series). I love science fiction because it makes you think about lots of issues.

My favorite part in the book is when Luke is discussing the population law with someone and he asks Luke what he knows. Luke says that he has read the government's books and some underground rebuttals. The man says, "So you got the propaganda from both sides. No truth." And when Luke asks what the truth is, he responds, "The truth, nobody really knows. There have been too many lies for too long." I thought about how true a picture this is about the facts surrounding most volatile issues. Good thing we have a prophet to tell us the truth.