books....

 Alright, so I caved in and read the books. I've read Suzanne Collins' first series Gregor the Overlander. It's a series for upper Elementary kids and I loved that so I thought I'd give The Hunger Games a chance. They are very addictive. She's really good with suspense and cliff hangers throughout each book. There's never really a point in the story to just put the book down. I read these when we were on the Gili Islands  for a week. You'll need several days to devote to these books because they are really difficult to put down.

 This is so interesting. If you are even slightly interested in US History or better yet, teaching US history, this is for you. It's pretty shocking how incorrect and egocentric the textbooks really are. Having a US education and then living overseas, I definitely agree with everything the author writes. The US hasn't always had such a "nice" history and it does sound a lot better if the founders of the US are portrayed as the heroes in all circumstances. We've got to be proud to be Americans, right? There's so much I had no idea about, like Helen Keller. It's really amazing how the textbooks are written to glorify certain people but not share important details about their lives.  It's written almost like a textbook so it's a slow read, but worth it.

I've read some of her other books which are pretty funny. I like this one because she takes the piss out of being a Southern Belle. There's a fine line between being a Southern belle and being totally white trash. It reminds me a lot of this lady, Karen Ross, who I used to work with. I can totally picture her narrating this book. I love the Southern sayings and traditions. It's a good, light read.

If you haven't seen this show, you are missing out. It's so freaking hilarious. We've seen Season 1 and 2 and I read that they are working on Season 3. This is Karl's journal as he filmed the show. It's pretty much just like the show with a few more details of behind the scenes. There's something so hilarious about putting someone who hates to travel in amazing locations and he just complains about it the entire time. Really great British humor. Love it.