Books Are Cool, Reading Is Cool

Monday, June 8, was Name Your Poison Day.

At one point, Lucky looked at the calendar and called out, "Name your poison, Nichole!"

Without missing a beat, Nichole called back, "Ricin!" 

 

I told her the Daisy Dalrymple books I've been reading have had poison used several times. Mystery books are cool. I like that we've got generational mystery readers. My mom introduced me to Agatha Christie books when I was younger and I got into them. I introduced Nichole to Agatha Christie books when she was younger and she got into them.

 

For the Orem Library Adult Reading Challenge this year, I needed a book recommendation from a friend. Nichole recommended a mystery book for me. She's my friend.

It is fun to have book discussions with my children. I love that books and reading are one thing we all have in common in our family. We may have differences in tastes. I wouldn't recommend my "kissing books" to everybody in the family. I did make everyone watch the movie, Seeking Persephone, but only a couple of us have or will read the book. It doesn't stop me from sharing with Jeremy when I'm really enjoying parts of those books, though. 

We do all enjoy similar books from time to time, though. I've taken book recommendations from Lucky before who reads more junior fiction books than I do generally. We all like Terry Pratchett books on some level. Audiobooks on car trips can be fun. We went through the whole (original) Fablehaven series on audiobooks a while back when we were traveling more. 

 

Isn't this funny? I just wanted to mention the funny interaction that happened on Name Your Poison Day then I kept going about mystery books then books in general and... blah blah blah blah blah.

Books are cool. Mystery books are cool.

Here is a picture I made three of my children pose for so I could put it on this blog post.

Oh, look. Jr. Jr. is reading a Fablehaven book. Lucky is reading a Terry Pratchett book. Nichole is reading a mystery. I did not tell them what books to grab. I just told them to grab a book. Ha Ha.

Silent Book Club

Shhhh. 

Nichole and I went to a Silent Book Club at the new library courtyard with the new greenhouse at the Orem Library.

It was so nice. We had a dedicated time to quietly read our books outside. If we wanted to talk (you know me- love to chat with those Orem librarians), there was an indoor space dedicated to talking about books and whatever else. They also had snacks in there. 

It was part of the Adult Reading Challenge so we got another sticker to put in our junk journals. My junk journal is getting a lot of use this year. I love it! 

It was a relaxing evening. 

I Love Reading Challenge Events

On Chocolate Mint Day, February 19, besides eating chocolate mints,

Nichole and I had a lovely mother-daughter date at The Hobbit Book Club Discussion at the Orem Library.

We had great conversation at our table discussing the book and so many other things.

We also got to make pocket-sized Shires. I always love to see how people can have totally different styles when creating things. I also love that, even though we were all book lovers at the event, we could have different interests in books or different favorite and least favorite characters in the same book. 

I loved that event.

Read-a-thon

I'm not the only one who loves reading challenges. The elementary school recently had their annual read-a-thon. This year, a Book Bandit escaped from the book and it took reading so many minutes to get him back in his book.

Jet got very excited about it when they had their opening assembly. He came home and told us about the Book Bandit. He even decided he had a certain color shirt that was his "case solver" shirt to solve clues about the Book Bandit so he alternated between two shirts during the whole read-a-thon. Oh my. He is so cute. 

But let me let him share about it:

 

yeftefytrreggdytdyrtderfyg;lgblkghjghjbnhjbioiuio jioojuojujojiiiiiiiiiiiiikuiiooiuoyiiigtjjirtjrithgiirgthghtiththitgthhfthtrhfrjtgjrgihhrugrftbrth hjrknfrg fjrmfrnfm

 

Translation (as fast as I could keep up):

Mystery solver. mystery solver solved the clues. Boom, solved the clues.

something about the book thief.

Find the clues, mystery solver. 

 

Told you he was cute.

Daddy read a bedtime story (or two or three) to him every night then told me how many minutes they read so I could record it the next morning.

Lucky, of course, did his own reading, and read he did.

On the last day of the read-a-thon, he came home with a medal for being one of the top readers (reading the most minutes). Not really a surprise. This kid also loves reading challenges.

Lucky told me that Jet's team got the most minutes overall, though, so that's also fun.

Family Time

Sometimes you have to MAKE time for the whole family or make the whole family take time. With a not so tiny family and everyone going in different directions, sometimes it's hard to do something with everyone (in the home). We do make sure to do Family Home Evening and family prayer and scripture study (those last two are quick, however, and sometimes with the phone on speaker). Oh, and sit down family dinner time is fun. 

But... to have everyone doing one thing together as a family (besides the normal necessary things) is not always easy. So I made everybody sit down together on Sunday, February 1, and I told them that one fond memory I had with my family as a child is when my oldest sister took the time to read to us younger siblings The Hobbit. As you know, I'm reading The Hobbit this year for the library reading challenge and I told everyone else they could read it, too. The book is for the whole family but I'm reading it on my own.

I wanted to read out loud to my family another book from my childhood so I made them all sit down (besides the bouncing around littlest- but he was still in the room and was listening to the book) on World Read Aloud Day and started reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to them. Besides being World Read Aloud Day, February 1 is also when Willy Wonka opened his factory up to the 5 golden ticket holders. We didn't get that far in the book but we did get started. I'll MAKE them all listen to me again another day.

 

Bonding Time

Bonding Time! You know I love it.

Sometimes it's important to stop and give someone the time they need. So one day when my son wanted to play board games, that's what we did.

Another day when my daughter needed to go to the library, that's what we did (we ended up going to both Provo and Orem Libraries). We had great conversations on the drive. We had great conversations in the libraries. She even gave me a book recommendation which would fit one of a number of categories for this year's Adult Reading Challenge.

Why Did I Take This Picture?

You know how sometimes you're looking through pictures and you're like, "Why did I take this picture?" Sometimes you remember. Sometimes you don't.

While preparing to blog, I was transferring pictures from my phone and I got a glimpse of one of me with Christmas lights in the background. 

I looked at the date. It was January 22. That was a Thursday. I know the kids had school that day. How would I have gotten a morning walk picture that day at City Center Park? 

Then I remembered. That night, as part of the Orem Library Adult Reading Challenge, I went to an event- Favorites of 2025 Book Club Night. A big group of us sat around sharing our favorite reads from 2025. It was nice. I got some ideas of books that I wouldn't think to pick myself. I got a sticker for my junk journal. I got some refreshments. 

On the way out, I took a picture of me with lights near the entrance to the library. Ah ha. Because not only are the lights on at the park in the morning and at night, they are outside the library as well.

Mystery solved.

By the way, January 22 was also Polka Dot Day and National Hot Sauce Day so I went around wishing people Happy Polka Dot Day and I made pasta and encouraged family members to eat pasta with rotisserie chicken and hot sauce.

I Love Birding Challenges

Besides the annual reading challenge I'm doing, it is another year for a birding challenge through Utah County Birders. Books and birds. Aren't they great? And yes, I will sometimes listen to an audiobook while I'm looking at birds.

Jeremy and Nichole (who are also doing the birding challenge), got out one evening for some bonding birding time to the Provo River Delta and saw a barn owl among a few other birds.

Jeremy and I decided to go the next week for a morning birding adventure to see if we could find the owl.

We got there nice and early. You know I love mornings in nature. It was cold, we didn't see the barn owl, but we saw so many other birds. It was worth it.

And somehow I turned the exposure way down on the birding camera so all the bird pictures we took are dark. Sigh.

Oh well. We still enjoyed seeing them... together.

 

I love bonding time! 

 

That day, January 17, was Popeye Day and Hot Heads Chili Day so we had spinach salad and chili on cornbread (I added hot sauce on top of my chili).

The next day, January 18, was Winnie-the-Pooh Day. We had foods with honey: Honey garlic chicken, salad with honey mustard dressing.

It was also Thesaurus Day so we had fun figuring out different way of saying things. Lucky wanted to make Kool-aid. I corrected him and told him it was "Colored Flavored Sugar Water." He needed to put crystalized sweetener in it (aka sugar). The funny thing is the honey I used for dinner was crystalized (crystalized sweetener) so I had to heat it up in order to use it. Heh Heh Heh. 

I Love Reading Challenges

You know I love reading challenges. I participated in the 2025 Adult Reading Challenge with Orem Library and got a notebook and pen. I love what they both say. The notebook says, "Just one more chapter." You know I love that. The pen says, "My weekend is all booked." So fun.

Nichole and I both signed up for the Winter Reading Program at Provo Library. That one runs December and January. I was thrilled when I picked up my main prize from reading enough minutes. It's a tote that says, "The book was better." Ha Ha Ha Ha. I love things that have sayings related to books and reading.

Nichole and I took some bonding time one day to finish up the activities for the Winter Reading Program. We went on a scavenger hunt, we wrote poems, we texted each other, we colored bookmarks at the library. Then we picked up the prizes that still needed to be picked up (hot cocoa mix, candy, chips, etc.). 

On Peculiar People Day, January 10, Nichole and I had more bonding time. We went to the kickoff event for the 2026 Adult Reading Challenge at Orem Library. This year's challenge centers around The Hobbit. We got to be with other book lovers for "second breakfast," while listening to Lord of the Rings music. We got to learn about this year's challenge. We got a copy of The Hobbit to keep. We made junk journals to keep track of things during the challenge this year. We got pins that say, "Make reading a hobbit." We got to interpret some Elvish. It was nice.

As soon as we got home, I told people everyone was welcome to read The Hobbit. Jet immediately asked me to start reading it to him. So cute.

I keep the book and junk journal in my reading tote now so I can take it all with me while waiting for kids after school or after play practice.

I love reading challenges.

 
P.S. One of the book categories for the challenge is a book published in 2025. This is me going for a walk while listening to the audiobook of The Rules of Matrimony by Anneka R. Walker. I loved reading it last year and heard that the audiobook had good narrators so I listened and laughed out loud and loved it just like I love the physical book. Narrators really can make a difference for me wanting to listen to audiobooks.

I'd say Anneka R. Walker is one of my favorite authors. I can happily reread her books and get excited about reading those I haven't read before.

 

School Begins

Before school started we picked up final prizes for Jet who was participating in "1000 Books Before Kindergarten." We'd finished 1000 books a while back (that kid likes books like the rest of the family). We just hadn't gotten around to recording them and picking up the last of the prizes. So we did.

He got a bag, certificate, sticker, and book from Orem Library and he picked a flashlight from the treasure box at Provo Library.

 

We went to Back to School Nights for Jr. Jr. and Lucky and Jet, and Kindergarten assessment for Jet.

I saw Jr. Jr.'s schedule and this is the conversation that came from it.

Mom: You're taking Earth and Space Science? How cool is that?

Jr. Jr.: It's out of this world.

-Later-

Jr. Jr.: Earth and Space Science. You can tell you're in the right classroom because it's always vacuumed.

He also had clever things to say after school started.

Jr. Jr.: When I get a homework assignment, I spend the first few days in de-Nile.

Mom: Is that a geography joke?

Jr. Jr.: Yes, because I'm doing geography right now.

Jr. Jr.: What river is labeled 8?

Mom: It's in South America.

Jr. Jr.: The river labeled 8 is where all your packages come from. 

 

What do you do when you have a child who loves school so much they are anxious for the first day of school to start?

Give them a task. Sharpen pencils. That will help when it's time for homework.

 

How does a child who does not like school combat the frustration of it? 

He takes juggling balls with him wherever he goes at school and at home. He impressed quite a few people who didn't know he could juggle, which he couldn't last school year. 

 

I got first day of school pictures for the kids (we had four different first days of school this year), except for Jr. I got first day at his apartment pictures. I had a little Nemo toy that I used to tell everyone, "First day of school. First day of school," that morning.

 

While the middle boys were at their first day of school (less kids in the house), I did something useful. I put together some freezer meals, using recipes that used ingredients we had at home so I didn't have to go shopping for anything. I put directions on the bags so I don't have to look up the recipes when it's time to make them. Go, me! Woohoo.

 

After one of the first days of school, we went to the annual Utah County Birders potluck. So nice to be around other birders. We've been so busy, we haven't been out birding much. Sigh. And the monthly meetings, I usually join online instead of in person. Also sigh.

I must say, though, my kids are awesome. They helped clean up after the potluck, even though they had school the next day. 

 

The first Saturday after school started, I did something for myself. I went to "my spot" by the lake to watch the "sunrise"- which actually means I watched the other direction from where the sun rose. I watched the light come across the lake from the mountains on the other side until it reached me then the sun was to my back when it came up over the mountains. That's how I usually like to watch the sunrise.

After Jr.'s first day of school, we picked him up and went to another BBQ/cookout. 

Jeremy: Do you want to go to this cookout? You don't have to figure out dinner.

I was in favor of that. Jeremy previously made a balloon arch for this cookout so we were able to get some pictures.

 

Another day, before Jet and Nichole started school, they went with me on a drive up Kyhv Peak Road. Nice drive and view.

 

I highly recommend this.

We keep a pocket sized copy of The Book of Mormon in our vehicle.

Now that school has started, that means more sitting around waiting to pick up kids. I get busy some mornings and don't get a chance to read my Book of Mormon. So even though I often have a physical novel in my bag, an audiobook on my phone, I realized I could get something even better out of my wait by reading what is always available to me.