Dear Carolyn Parkhurst,

Dear Carolyn Parkhurst,
     The Dogs of Babel knocked me off my feet. The prose is beautiful and haunting, the ideas heartbreakingly sad yet realistic, and the imagery something you can't forget. I love this book so much that I want to share it with everyone, but I've never lent it out afraid that I won't get it back. When I reread the book, as I have often, I have to brace myself each time, even though I know the ending and the secret.
     I can't imagine going through what the characters go through.  A man's wife dies by falling out of a tree and no one knows if she fell or jumped. The only witness is their loyal dog, Lorelei, and Paul, the husband, becomes obsessed with finding out what happened to Lexy, his wife. The way the story runs through the present day searching and flashbacks to their relationship creates this impending doom. You know the ending from the beginning but you find yourself hoping, maybe not. Maybe they will live happily ever after in the end.
  The hardest and best part of the story for me is all about Lorelei. I had a dog named Zoey from when I was in high school until I almost graduated college. We found Zoey in a very unusual way. I was working the summer at Storrowton Village. Since it was before I got my licence, my Mom had picked me up and we were exiting the highway on the way home. Out of nowhere this white streak crosses the road headed back onto the highway. Cars are dodging, people are jumping out to help and the whole place is chaos. So Mom, who has never, ever been able to walk away from an animal in need, pulls a U-turn and pulls up next to a guy running. "Is that your dog?" she asks and he tells us, no, but his buddy is up there trying to get the dog. So we peel out and try to catch up to his buddy. We don't see him, but we do see the dog. Mom pulls up next to the little pup and I open the door and in she jumps. By the time we turn around and get back to where all the cars are, no one is left. So we have a dog and no one to give it back to. Eventually, we take it to the kennel and when they call to tell us that they have to put the dog down, Zoey joins our family. She was sweetest thing, so happy to see everyone and everything. She was small, so jumping on the couch was a big deal, but nothing could keep her away from cuddling with you. She had doggy asthma (I'm not making that up) and coughed and hacked constantly. It was embarrassing walking her around the neighborhood, but she was so happy, it was hard to deny her it.  She was loyal beyond anything and everyone loved her. Eventually she couldn't get around much and you could tell she was in pain a lot so we had to let her go. I still tear up thinking about the last time I saw her and I don't think I can type much more about her.
       I have only had cats since Zoey and I don't think I would ever want another dog. Zoey wasn't planned, she just kind of happend, like the Lorelei in the story. But these animals leave their mark and I know how important our pets are to us. Stories like these celebrate our animals like they should be. They are members of our families, the one who know us best and love us anyways. Those who don't have pets or don't think much of cats or dogs will never understand and never know what that's like and to those I feel sad. There is nothing like the unconditional love of a pet you take care of. And that will always mean something to me.
     Thank you for putting into words how special our animals are and for those of us who love them like family. This is much more moving that that awful ASPCA commercial that I have to change everytime it airs.

Sincerely,

KT

Dear Reader,

Dear Reader,

Contrary to popular belief, I am not, in fact, dead. I have, unfortunately, had my world kicked around until I couldn't see straight. School starting, losing my grandmother, trips up north, visits down here and a kitten who doesn't let me sleep through the night have taken any time to read a book, let alone write about  it. But things are finally calming down and I have some time coming to me. Hope everyone is doing well and I appreciate anyone who is still sticking around to read this thing. I will try to do keep up with it more than I have.

Sincerely,
KT

Dear Rick Roden,

Dear Rick Roden,
    These books are awesome. As a teacher, sometimes I come across boring children's lit with sad plots and unlikeable characters. Then I find smart books with good characters and a plot I can enjoy. The Percy Jackson books are smart, enjoyable, with great characters and teach Greek Mythology in a way that you don't realize you are learning. I couldn't ask for more.
    I had this student when I taught 6th grade, will call her H. H was the kind of student you only get once in a career. She was sweet, smart, kind, bright and soaked up her education like a sponge. She was genuinely interested in writing and went at it with an enthusiasm and zest that made you excited as a teacher. I had many good students, some great students but only two as gifted as she. One day she confessed to me that when she was in trouble, her parents took away her books. I had noticed that like many of the other girls she was carrying Breaking Dawn with her where ever she went. This was not something unusual but the fact that she was carrying it with her for a few months was. She read quickly and it was unlike her to linger over a book. When I asked how she liked the book, she told me, "I love it. This is my seventh time reading it." Now, as an educator I am thrilled to hear a love of reading, but isn't there only so much Bella and Edward love making one can take? I told her that was great, but why didn't she read something else before her eight turn. She asked for a suggestion and a few other of my students had raved about Lightning Thief. When I told her that, she asked if I had read it because she wanted someone to talk to about it, so I told her I would read it too. At first I expected it to be just another teen lit but then I couldn't put it down. It was fast paced with a complex story and had me guessing which mythological creature would be next. I finished the first story before H did and we raved about it when she finished. She was off to the library for the next and I was off to target to "add to my classroom library" of course. Eventually we both finished the series and got another student enchanted with it as well. It was a fun mini book club that overall helped each girl with their writing as well. Fantasy always spices up writing, in my opinion.
   I feel this series is on par with the Harry Potter series but I don't think it gets enough respect. I saw the movie and was pleasantly surprised. From the trailers, I didn't think it would do the book justice, but on the contrary it was smart and funny and followed a good chunk of the story. I don't know what happened then. Was it bad advertising or a missed age group? When I moved to fourth grade, I read the first few chapters out loud. The students enjoyed it a lot and a few even went to get the book from the library themselves. I'm not sure why it hasn't the fan base of the boy wizard. I hope that eventually as the new Lost Heroes series grows so will it's fan base and the interest of others. There are so many qualities that kids can relate to and adults who remember what it was like to be in that awkward middle school age.
    After I read this story, I wish I could have gone with Percy, Annabeth and Grover on their adventures. To me that is a great fiction story and one that I will continue to pass on to my students. And when the next Lost Hero book comes out in October, I know I will just have to make a run to Target to add to my classroom library.

Sincerely,
KT


Percy Jackson and the Olympians Paperback Boxed Set (Books 1-3)
The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero 

Dear Stacey Ballis,

Dear Stacey Ballis,
     Thank you for giving me such a fantastic and perfect summer read. Good Enough to Eat is a sweet story with a backbone that shows a characters flaws and makes you love her for it. I had alternatives motives when buying this book, but I have none recommending it.
     Originally I bought this book because of Jen Lancaster. I have loved reading about Bravo nights and trips to the opera. I loved reading about the friendship and the hilarious things that happen. So of course, I knew I'd have to read this book. Ironically, I remember seeing this book in hardcover in Target a while back, before I put two and two together and remember how nice it seemed and how much the cover reminded me of home. So when Bill and I were at the Book Warehouse and I found this book, I snatched it up as fast as I could. The story is fabulous as it seems to begin where a big girl's happily ever after ends. If you are a big girl and then lose all the weight, what happens next? That's what I loved about this story. I have seen so many stories about women losing weight and then in the end they are skinny and they get the guy and everything is great. But it's not that simple. I love that the character has relapses and needs support. I respect the honesty of the what you may look like when all that weight is gone and how that makes you feel too. I love that losing a whole person sometimes means becoming a new person too.
    But there is another side to this, food. I love good food. I always have. I love cooking and baking and that thing you feel feeding others. So when it comes to the food stories in the beginning of each chapter, not only could I relate, I was reminded of my own stories from my family. How my friends thought my mom must be constantly making apple pies because everytime they came over there was a pie there. How we HAD to make raviolis when the Patriots played or they wouldn't win and they tasted so so much better when they won. The first meal I made for Bill. The first things he made for me. My christmas chicken wings that try as I may, I cannot make them taste like my moms. And the best part of this is the memories that we all have with food. How no one makes something as good as mom. How the best times can sometimes have the best food. I have good food memories like many people and it's a nice connection we can all make. In my opinion, you are just fooling yourself if you say you don't have any good food memories.  Lots of people don't want to talk about it, maybe they think that talking about food makes them look weak or unhealthy. Maybe, but food is not something that we can go without so why try to ignore it?
      Besides all the food, I love that Mel doesn't follow the same generic path as you may think. The ending is one that doesn't feel the need to come to a clear and straight conclusion. I feel that some author's aren't brave enough to let the ending be not tidy and not happily ever after. But I do understand how wonderful friends can be in your life and I do feel a strong connection to that.
   I spent the majority of the time reading this book in the sunshine on a boat. It was the perfect way to read this story, but I got so into it, I read it in the car, while everyone else was watching a movie and late into the night. I know that is the showing of a great story. I did not want it to end, but I couldn't stop. Thank you for this story and the strength to say out loud that food is good and so am I.

Sincerely,
KT

Good Enough to EatGood Enough to Eat

Dear Helen Fielding,

Dear Helen Fielding,
 Bridget Jones is the voice of my generation and I'm damn proud to be represented by her. Reading Bridget Jones's Diary for the first time was finding out all those little secrets and idiosyncrasies that you and only you had; everyone had.All the bad choices we make, all the crazy thoughts and feelings and never really growing up, Bridget does it too. She made it fun to be crazy, and as I said before, you can make crazy look good.
  I was looking at my book shelf trying to figure out which book to write about next and saw Bridget Jones. I was just going to read the first few pages and then I couldn't stop. I read the entire thing in two bath tub soakings and a sleepless night. And I have read it over and over again. I know what's going to happen, I know when it's going to happen but I still love it. It's a great story that really connects people.
   Bridget paved the way for all the new women are powerful ideal, like Sex and the City. Bridget showed that you can be necrotic and brave, holding it together and falling apart and not perfect. I love that these women came along when I was in my teens and twenties and I didn't have to think I was alone and strange for thinking and overthinking. That all I was doing was normal and okay.
    Having so much respect for this book,it kills me that people put it down. Why is this chick lit? Why is this not accepted like it should be? Because it has a relationship in the center of the story? Because there is talk of shopping and girl issues? This is a great story and maybe I do connect it because I'm a girl but I think the label chick lit is sometimes viewed as a bad thing. Now I love that most women have taken it up as a badge of honor (especially my girls at Chick Lit Central) but I'm tired of hearing it. I have a minor in English Lit and loved my women lit classes with the serious literature that came along with that. I just feel that stories like Bridget Jones should be taken seriously as well. There is so much good writing out there and just because it's about a girl and a guy doesn't mean it's bad.
  So thank you Helen Fielding. I believe your story has changed so many women's lives and it will continue to live on with the quirky, messy fabulous Bridget.

Sincerely,
KT



Bridget Jones's DiaryBridget Jones's Diary

Dear Kristen Chenoweth,

Dear Kristen Chenoweth,
   I heart you. Years and years ago I saw you on the Rosie O'Donnell show singing the Girl in 14 G and couldn't believe all those parts, Opera, Jazz and Pop song were coming out of one person. As a theater geek, I was enchanted by Wicked, although I only knew your version by soundtrack. By Pushing Daisies and Glee, I was telling Bill, "Oh Kristen Chenoweth, I love her." But now hearing your story and your principles and, just from your writing, seeing what a good, kind person can accomplish, I adore you even more. Your story should be told every time Paris Hilton is on the screen to combat the negative ideals out there for women to absorb. I hope young girls can read your story and see you don't have to do awful terrible things to succeed. You can be yourself and have your faith and still come out on top.
   When I first started reading this memoir, I had some trouble with the flow. I found myself rereading parts to try and get the voice from the story. Then I saw an episode of Pushing Daisies with you talking. From there, I was all set. As long as I could hear that tone of your voice, and how little side comments are said, then the story came alive. I love hearing a real voice in writing, especially since I spend forever trying to get my students to do that in their writing. By the story itself is so wonderful. From down home beginnings to Tony awards, it feels like an "aw-shucks, just little ol' me" tone that you don't hear in most memoirs. I love that. I love that everything is laid out on the table, good and bad. I love that there aren't excuses and no sugar coating. I love the little recipes that make this feel like a conversation. More than anything, I love that happiness, believing in yourself and not giving up in anything, especially your faith take center stage.I was expecting more of a This Is When I Did This Wonderful Thing, and This Is When I Did That Wonderful Thing, story with gory details of Wicked and other shows. I thought I would connect to this story as a theater person, but now I can say anyone can connect to this story just by being a human being.
 That being said, I do have a strong connection to the theater aspect of this story.  I love the theater. I love seeing live shows, but more than anything I love being in live shows. Theater geeks will understand, there is something intoxicating about performing in front of others. The process of putting the show together, watching it build and come together and finally seeing it from start to finish, I and many other performers, have such a sense of pride and accomplishment. I have been in a good amount of shows, nothing too exciting but when I moved to Florida, Aimee introduced me to the Emma Parish theater in Titusville. We did Camelot together first, which was fun but included a whole lot of sitting and waiting backstage. It's a fun costume show and was a great way to introduce myself to the Titusville crew. The next show I did with them was Ragtime. Ragtime was magically. Ragtime was unlike anything I had ever done and most of us felt that way. I remember one music rehearsal, before we did any blocking, we were practicing a song, I think it was Til We Reach that Day, and when we finally sang it all the way through and finished, everyone just sat in silence. It was unbelievable. No one could believe that that noise that come from us. The whole show was like that. Everything was amazing and the music we created was unreal. I was really sad to see it end but so so so grateful for the experience. I did Pirates of Penzance in Cocoa Beach after that. It was such a fantastic cast in a funny, don't take yourself serious experience. That crew was so warm and welcoming that even showing up knowing no one, and having no support, I still felt like a part of something so great. I really needed that in that time in my life and the theater was able to give it to me.
  So with my tiny, insignificant experience in theater, I can't imagine what it was like to be on Broadway and how unbelievable that must feel. I watch the Tonys and drool over the new shows (Doesn't Book of Mormon look UNBELIEVABLE??) and dream of what that could possibly be like. But I know that I am a Central Florida Community Theater Chorus Member through and through. It doesn't mean I love it any less and since moving I miss it very much. I look often to see if there are any shows around here but so far nothing. Someday I know I will get back into it because the theater doesn't leave you. You always want to be part of it whether you just watch it or you get into it. This story makes me want to go back in. If and when I get the opportunity, I will keep the lessons of this book, working hard, putting everything into it, having fun, trying new things, and go out there and give it my all.


Sincerely,
KT


A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages

Dear JK Rowling,

Dear JK Rowling,
   I cannot imagine a world without Harry Potter and I'm glad I don't have to. How amazing is it that an entire universe came from a single story written by an unemployed Mom in a coffee shop? Harry and his friends are living, breathing parts of our imagination that are to real to most of us as people we see every day. Not only did this story turn on hundreds of thousands students to reading, it revolutionized how the world sees children's and young adult fiction. Harry Potter is more than a story, it's a piece of our lives that will never die.
   I love these stories. I love that Harry is not perfect and he deals with things my students and my friends (and me) deal with. Bullies like Draco, family like the Durseys, terrible teachers like Snape, these are things we all have had or have now. So even though Harry flies on his broom and concocts magic potions, he is still accessable.
      Yet, sometime all we want to do is disappear into a whole new time and place that is nothing like our everyday lives. Leave this world and these troubles to some place that time can be moved and everything changes with a flick of your wand.  When you read these stories you can see yourself in a castle fighting dragons and dancing by floating candle light. Sometimes losing yourself in this world makes your world a little better and easier to deal with. We have all had times in our lives when everything is awful and it doesn't matter if you're in 3rd grade or 13 years in the work force, it still can be awful. To me, books are an escape that I learned early on but is lost on the students of today. Sure video games can take you away, but not like a book can, at least that is my opinion. Harry Potter showed that to many people who I know will be forever grateful. Just look at all those fan sites if you don't believe me.
  What I appreciate most about these stories is the magic. I miss believing in magic and feeling like there is something more to what you see. I am lucky enough to live close and visited the Harry Potter World at Universal multiple times. Most times, theme parks disappoint me in their theming. Let me explain, I love movies and have all my life. I always wanted to be in the movie; not an actress playing a part but to actually be in that moment in the story. Now, don't get me wrong I am a Disney girl thru and thru but Universal does an excellent job putting me in the scenes of the movie. I was giddy at 13 going there for the first time and actually seeing the town from Jaws, the deloran from Back to the Future, the bikes from ET. Well years later, it just hasn't been the same until Harry Potter World. They have done an amazing job on this place. If you haven't been, you are in Hogsmead, you are in the town's stores, you are in the castle and seeing the world you read about. The magic is there in front of you and if only for a moment, you get that feeling again; that maybe, just maybe, there is something else out there that you can't see and that can make anything happen.
  As an educator,  I will always appreciate stories that get students excited, but if I can enjoy that story as well, that's what I really love. Sure the Goosebump stories and Captain Underpants are great, but they're not on the top of my To Read list. Harry Potter books were not just children's stories, they are great novels with interesting, attention keeping, character investing, plots that everyone wants to read. Kid's books don't have to be dumb, watered down same old same old that teachers have to force their students to read. They don't have to focus on "those darn kids" archetypes or Nancy Drew good girls who don't have any character flaws and wrap everything up neatly with a bow. They don't have to be all boogers and fart jokes either. They can deal with terrible things like death and facing insurmountable obstacles and still be enjoyable. That's what the Harry Potter books have done and continue to do for children's lit. It can be exciting and epic and wonderful and reach so many people at so many points in their life. And if I can pass that message to my students, that there are good worthy stories out there that are worth your time, than that's the kind of teacher I'm trying to be.
   Thank you for these stories. They will live on long past any of us and Harry Potter will always be the boy who lives on.

Sincerely,

KT
Harry Potter Paperback Box Set (Books 1-7)

Side note

Meet Mia. The reason for no blog posts. Our adorable new kitten is way more fun than a computer. She joins our other baby

Bella. Blog posts will come soon, but in the meanwhile I've got some flurry friends to play with.

Sincerely,

KT

Dear Diana Abu-Jaber,

Dear Diana Abu-Jaber,
    This book is amazing. Spellbinding, memorizing, haunting, unbelievable. I cannot say enough about this story. It's probably been eight years since I first read this story and I've read it from cover to cover at least eight times since then. My copy's tattered cover shows my love for this story. As you can see, I sing the praises of this story and want the world to know about this incredible book.
   When I got to Westfield State, I found as an Elementary Education major, you needed to pick a minor. In hindsight, I should have picked Reading as it would probably help me in my career now. But I was originally an English major and a part of me didn't want to let that go. So I choose a Liberal Arts Minor with a concentrate in English Lit (nice and simple huh?).  I love reading, I love talking about books and I love finding new stories that come with English majors. I love writing opinion pieces and comparative essays. I love arguing a point in class. And yes, I see how much of a nerd this makes me, but what can I do, I love books.  I'm pretty sure it was my Junior year, possibly my Sophomore year, I was taking a series of combination English Lit and Women Studies classes (I can see the feminazi comments forming in your brain. I was one and proud of it).  These were awesome classes that focused on women writers and their women heroines. Now, like most English majors and probably college students in general, in the beginning of the semester I was on top of my reading assignments. Went home, did the reading, wrote the comments, had notes ready for class, no problem. Now by say, two or three months in, I'm in my car in between classes just starting the pages due in about an hour. Excuses aside, it just became a fact of life. I had already read two great books Housekeeping and The Hundred Secret Senses and really enjoyed both of them. So when it came time to read Crescent, I was sitting in my car on a rainy day and all I had to do was read Chapter 1 and 2 for class. I don't know why I remember where I was and what I was like when I first read this story, but I do. Maybe it's because this book is so beautiful. I remember finishing Chapter 2 and I couldn't wait to go on, but I had to go to class. This book I read not like an assignment, but something I was actually going to read to enjoy.
    This book is a beautiful flow of prose. It's intoxicating. When you read about Sirine and Han in the pool, under the stars with a glowing party reception around them, it's like reading about casting magic spells or putting people under trances. Every part of the story feels like there is a magical undertone in our everyday life around us. The fantasy story that her Uncle weaves into the story just adds to the mysticism. But the strongest connection to magic is Sirine and her food. As if she can bewitch people with her cooking, the stories about how people react to her cooking feel like realistic fiction and fantasy at the same time. I do feel that sometimes you can feel something in someones cooking. If they cook with love, you can taste it. If they cook in pain, you can taste that too, as the characters do in this story as well. I'd say it is something like the movie Simply Irresistible, but that's not a very good movie and this is a fantastic book.
    There is a strong middle eastern element to this story that if you are of that heritage I'm sure you connect to, but as someone who isn't, I connected to it just as well. It was very interesting to see how Iraq is portrayed in this story in comparison to what we see of it today. It is almost a character on how it pulls people back and the history it holds, but it's not held up on a pedestal. It is realistic with how fighting destroys families and what it is like to try and live in a place constantly being bombed. It is a very important part of the story, but nothing something that drags it down or makes it a story that tries to preach anti-war sentiments. Its adds a sadness to the story that balances out the happiness and love. Like adding salt to your dessert recipes, it just makes it better without taking over completely.
  When I first read this story, I was in college and a completely different person than I am now. I have read this story through different phases in my life and find it enchanting in every light. Yes, in a way, it is a romance story, but it's not the insepid, vapid, grocery store Fabio stories we associate with that genre. It's more like a story of a women and a man, sadness, pain, the past, food, friends and what it means to be who you really are. Sometimes I wish I could really visit these characters at Um-Nadia's cafe and to me that is the showing of a really, really great story.

Sincerely,
KT

Crescent: A Novel

PS Stephenie Meyers

P.S. Stephenie Meyers-
    Today it hit me. Something I should have mentioned in my letter. I envy your fans. Don't misunderstand me, I don't wish I was 17 or a vampire or crazy, but I wish I had that connection to something. I see it all the time, especially in school. Students are committed to the things they love. Whether it's Twilight, Taylor Swift, Justin Beiber, American Idol, whatever they love it. They have to have everything, read everything, hear everything. They can reread, relisten or rewatch everything. Sure I like a lot of things. I like the Harry Potter series and the movies and I'll go opening night but I'm not counting the hours, reading the spoilers or writing my own fan fiction.I don't think about anything the way Twilight fans think about these stories.
  I saw a show, Oprah maybe, about Twilight fans. These moms got together once a month every month to do something Twilight related. The entire basement for their houses would be decorated and everything was Twilight inspired. The food, the decor, the conversation, everything had some touch of twilight or it wasn't there. I can't imagine liking, no loving, something so much. 
   Sure I had some similar situations as a teenager. I went through my JTT, Hanson and N Sync phases. I could spout out facts and lyrics, covered my walls and bought the merchandise but a few years later and it was gone. Sure I still like the music, but I don't remember birth dates, sibling names or favorite movie anymore. And maybe it's just that. Maybe I'm too old to be a Twi-hard. Maybe you can only feel that way about something when you're young and don't have the worries of adulthood. It's hard to think about Bella and Edward's undying love when the state is cutting your pension, you house has lost thousands of dollars in value and your boss is breathing down your neck. Reality has it's way of taking priority over vampires and country singers. I know adults have obsessions. I have many friends who are Parrotheads, theater junkies, roller coaster enthusiasts, plenty of Disney freaks  and many more. They are adults who deal with real life problems and usually the things they love are the things that take them away from their problems. So maybe it's just me. Maybe I'm not the the type to obsess over something like that. Maybe I haven't found something to obsess over. So Stephenie Meyers, I am grateful for what you have given the world, something to love more than anything. I wish I could count myself that lucky.

Sincerely,

KT

Dear Jen Lancaster,

Dear Jen Lancaster,
      How do I write this without sounding like a fangirl or Oprah guest? Your books are awesome. I have never found books I connect to like these books. I have actually written a letter to you, but here I will write as if I hadn't before. Jen, you are so "fetch" (mean girls reference :-) ).
     The first book I found was Such a Pretty Fat. As one who has ridden the diet train many many times, I connected to everything in the story. I too know what it's like to try and be tough but sometimes when some idiot says something stupid, you just break down. I know the world of the gym, mostly for working at one. I have seen those idiot gym girls with less on than you'd where to the beach giggling and flirting while sweat is pouring down my face. I also seem to continue to punish myself by attending group aerobics. My latest encounter was in a rich suburban near here with moms who never need to work, wearing $300 worth of workout gear. They are singing along, yelling to the instructor to go harder and asking each other, "what are you doing tomorrow? you want to meet for coffee?" Meanwhile, I am in the back in my target workout clothes (clearance!) so red in the face, you'd think I was part lobster. What am I doing tomorrow? WORKING. Shut up and keep punching the imaginary things in the air! I am here to work out, not listen to you like a bad sitcom scene. Even with that, I may not be having the results you had, but I'm on my way and doing better than I have in a while.I know that in the end it's only how you feel and who loves you for you that matter.
    Bitter is the New Black came just a few months after that when we had just moved to Orange County and I didn't have a teaching job. I knew I was taking a risk leaving one teaching job without having another in a the years when hundreds of teachers were being fired. Bill bought me Bitter is the New Black and Bright Lights, Big Ass for my birthday. As I was reading Bitter, summer was slowly fading away and I was coming to the realization that I was now just another Disney minimum wage employee and I wasn't going to be a teacher that year. I was beyond depressed when the first day of school came and went with no options. Four weeks later, I was teaching in that affluent suburb, happier than I had been in any other teaching job. In the end, it all came together and we were all better because of it. Had I had to go to unemployment, I knew to leave the designer clothes at home. (see Dear Phillip Done to see how things changed from there).
    The strongest connection I ever read was in My Fair Lazy. I love me some trashy TV. Now, I think these shows are great, but I get so much flack from Bill about them. One of my all time favorite awful shows is Real World/ Road Rules Challenge. For those of you who don't know, it takes previous MTV reality stars and put them in competition with each other. There have been many different version of the Challenge with how the teams are formed and what the rules are. Fresh Meat, The Duel and the Ruins are my top three favorites. One night, Bill came home and went to take a shower, like an addict I secretly changed the channel to watch while he was gone, even though it was being taped by the TIVO in the other room. With two minutes left, I didn't switch it off when he walked back into the room. Bill couldn't get over it. "Why are you watching this crap? You are too smart to like this!" I huffed him off explaining that I just love this and after a long day of thinking, I want to tune off and watch some nonsense. A few weeks later, My Fair Lazy came out. The very first chapter made me nearly fall off my chair. Jen and Fletch are having the exact same conversation. Fletch cannot understand why Jen likes this same crappy TV show. When Bill came home that night, I made him sit and read the chapter out loud to him like my students. See? I'm not the only one was repeated multiple times that night.
   We all feel, at least from time to time, that no one has ever or will ever feel the way we feel. Whether it's about work or relationships or ourselves, we wonder, is it just me? For me, it was unbelievable to find so many parts of myself in these books and I think a lot of your readers feel the same way. I have tried to figure out what it is that makes us all feel connected and what I think it comes down to is being real regardless of how it may look to everyone else. When you write, you can write yourself how ever you want. You can make yourself as elegant or poised as you desire. But when you write how you took an old raisinette out of the bottom of your purse and ate it, that is real life and something I'd probably due myself. So many stories and books just show the nice, pretty side of things, but when you put in all the good and all the bad, we see the reflection of all the good and all the bad that make us up too. I think if I had to tell what message I get from reading your novels, it would be it might not always be pretty, but it's a damn great ride.
      As I am reading the latest book, If You Were Here I find myself connecting to all the crazy adventures we had buying this house. But most of all, I am just enjoying myself when I'm reading. And in the end, as an author, isn't that the most important part? Thank you for your books and never being afraid of saying what you're thinking. Your fans appreciate it.

Sincerely,
KT

If You Were Here: A Novel

Dear Laurie Notaro,

Dear Laurie Notaro,
 First let me say, thank god for Idiot Girls. I consider myself a proud member and co-founder of the adjacent club, "I Make Crazy Look Good" with my bff Alison. Thank god for someone else who sees the world like I see it, who lives the way I live it and who thinks the way I do too.Thank God for both of you.
 I am an Idiot Girl. I am kinda messy inside and out. I trip a lot. I make a fool of myself more times than I don't. I have fallen off decks, off the edge of stairwells and off a set on a stage, sober. I miss my co-founder dearly. Together we have visited goats in the night, saved each other from awful dates and sang Karaoke with a guy who hears voices. I may or may not talk her into some crazy ideas from time to time as well. But idiot girls are amazing. We may drink too much, think too much and get ourselves into situations Smart Girls don't get themselves into, but Smart Girls don't have the kind of memories Idiot Girls have.
  I have grown into the series of books as well. I was single when I read The Idiots Girls' Action Adventure Club. And I was the one with the list of dumb ex boyfriends, the crazy late night adventures and hanging out at same shady bars (especially the Free til You Pee night in Merritt Island, just ask my friend Aimee).  Now I'm older and living the married life without being married. But like you, cooking was the key to the man's heart. I too remembered chicken cutlet's to a man whose mother was a health nut will bond this man to you. Baked goods help too. And I couldn't believe that I had found a guy who called when he did and kept showing up, who did sweet things and who didn't have a slew of awful friends. You like what I like and like staying home too? He isn't perfect, but I am very happy with my potential suitor.  Although I'm not planning a wedding anytime soon but I understand Autobiography of a Fat Bride. I will most likely be a fat bride although I do have a mother who does not believe in a traditional wedding so with any luck I'll be married on a beach on an island somewhere and there will be not meatball pyramid because I don't like them. It's nice to know when the time comes, there will be an idiot guide to get me through it.
  Please don't think less of me, but I haven't got through There's a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell or purchased Spooky Girls. I just found out about Flaming Tantrum of Death and It Looked Different on the Model and can't wait to get both of them. I love all the work, but I just keep going back to Idiot Girls. I laugh out loud at the same parts every time, even when I know there coming. When telling about Idiot Game Jamie, and I know on the bottom of the next page is when her Dutch boyfriend has to carry her over his shoulder out of the family gathering and she pees on him and I start giggling. When alone, no big deal but many of times I've done this in public and many of times I've gotten the let's-get-away-from-the-crazy-lady look. Truthfully, I really don't mind it because I'd rather have people farther than closer, but I'm getting away from the topic.
    I love these books. I love that the crazy brunette is not the side kick she is the star. I may not have the funny Sex and the City story life. I don't go to classy clubs for 14 dollar drinks. My heels don't cost as much as my rent, they're from Payless and in the rare occasion Macy's (only 1 pair, I think). I don't go to art museums or blues clubs, I walk around downtown Disney and Citywalk but don't usually go in anything. I've been to Emeril's once but Moe's plenty of times.  And I am not ashamed. I am proud to be an Idiot Girl and greatful for you to sharing this with me.

Sincerely,
KT

The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life

Dear Tim Gunn,

Dear Tim Gunn,
   I love you. Like a tween at a Bieber concert, I think you are fabulous. When I first started watching Project Runway, I loved how you worked with, what I feel, were your students. You could have been like Simon from Idol and made these people cry. You could have been snarky and told them how you would do it and how they were wrong. But you didn't. You told them to make it work. You took the high road when Santino mocked you. You always took the role of the gentleman and even when bitchy Kenley ignored you and gave you such attitude I wanted to smack that red lipstick off her stuck up face, you never yelled at her, you never gave her attitude back. And you know what? She looked like a pestilent child and you looked like the smart respectable gentleman. So when I saw you promoting a book on Life Rules, I knew that I had to read it. I don't want to be a Kenley. I want to make it work.
    The book is very interesting. It's part memoir, part life lesson, but all conversation. It feels like a letter sent out to friends. It's very candid and open, but does jump around. Sometimes I forgot the main idea of the chapter but it always came back around. I was so glad it wasn't Dr. Laura preachy. The last thing I needed was someone telling me all the things I'm doing wrong and all the things I should be doing. These are just some basic rules of being nice and a good person. Nothing will rock your world and nothing will take a giant leap of faith to make a position change in your life.
   We need to talk about manners because as a teacher, I can tell you, our future has no manners. The students now a days are awful. There is no respect, there is no kindness, no class. They don't say please or thank you. They don't put someone else's needs before themselves or even think of others at all. They do thinks that physically hurt each other and they don't care. They have no respect or fear for their teachers, principals or dean. They speak in rude, mean tones. Now let me say this, I have at least 5 sweet, kind students who are taught manners. But that is 5 out of 20. I have one who is completely respectful and has fantastic manners. He has a terrible home situation which makes me wonder if manners are genetic.
      So I am trying to take the Tim Gunn way in my classroom. I try and say "Make It Work" when they don't know what to do. They look at me strangely and grumble about getting help, but ultimately they figure it out. I try to teach Karma in a way that they understand. I tell them, when you do good things, good things happen to you. So when they are quietly working when a teacher is talking to me or line up without me asking I take them to extra recess. When one of them does something nice, I give them tickets for no reason. I hope it leaves an impact.
   There was only one part of this book that rocked my world. It's not what you think. I'm not a fashionista by any means. I'm no future contestant on Project Runway. I don't take risks or follow Vogue. But there is one thing I do know, you never wear black and brown together. So in the chapters about fashion, the fact that Tim Gunn, who I see as the fashion expert, who to me is the epitome of style writes that it's okay to wear black and brown, I don't know what to do. Since I read that chapter, I see THEM mixed (black and brown clothes and accessories) every where. I saw a girl in a beautiful long black sweater, skinny jeans and long brown boots. She looked awesome. I think, that looks great. I look in my closet. I see a cute brown top with nice black pants. Can't do it. I can't do it. I may have worn the side pony tail and jelly shoes, but I knew that black pants had any color but brown and brown pants had any color but black. I can't do it. The only way I'll wear brown and black if it Tim Gunn picks out the outfit himself. And that's a promise.
    Overall, this is a sweet, charming book like I picture Gunn himself is. A conversation that sometimes veers away but always makes you smile. Thank you for this kind and enjoyable moment.

 Sincerely,
KT

Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work

Dear Stephenie Meyer,

Dear Stephenie Meyer,
        I may not be a twihard. I may not be a twimom or a twilady (?) or a member of Team Edward or Team Jacob. I am none of these things, but I do thank you for your books. I thank you for getting tweens and teens to read. Thank you for reminding people that a good book and a good story is what reading is actually about.
      When I found out I was going to be teaching middle school, I figured I should start reading the series. I knew that the middle school students LOVED these books and if I wanted to understand them, I should start taking an interest in what they liked. I was pleasantly surprised. I knew the basic story but expected middle school sap that no one in their right mind could stomach. It was a great story with very good story telling techniques. For me, the best part was being pulled back to that time in my life. I remember being in high school. I remember the first love and those feelings. When you would see them, what it was like to know they felt that way too. It was nice to remember a more innocent time. True, it does have a little clingyness, a little you and me only vibe, a little I am your life and no one else matters, but I understand the why. I understand the idea of having the world revolve around one person, but like a good old person in the story, I think they are a little young to feel that way. It makes me understand that I am not a high schooler.
      I read the rest of the books soon after. New Moon was done before I taught middle school and Eclipse and Breaking Dawn in the middle of the school year. I couldn't put Breaking Dawn down. A Christmas present, I was done before New Years and can reread it all the time. It is one of my favorite books lately. And I was right when it came to my students. One student alone read Breaking Dawn 7 times in a row. They were obsessed. Prime for love and relationships, these poor girls have no options with these middle school boys. Middle school boys don't have a clue. So they turned inward to these stories. As they wrote my creative writing stories, their inner desire to be Bella permeated every line. Some were basic rip offs with vampires and werewolves. Some loved and used the idea of being the new girl in school that the ungettable boy fell in love with. And reading these made me sorta sad. What will happen to these impressible girls? Will they be forever waiting for their own Edward or Jacob? Will no one be good enough? Will they settle for some loser guy who breaks their hearts and forever destroys their innocence? Will reality ever be good enough for these girls?
   It's been nearly a year since I taught sixth grade and I see these same girls. They don't seem to be as single minded but I'm not as close to them as I once was. Maybe they are counting the days til Breaking Dawn and carrying the books every where they go. But I see them holding hands with boys, laughing and I guess Edward and Jacob are gone. But that's the best thing about books. There will be a new generation and they will read the books and they will fall in love too. I just hope it works out for everyone in the end.

Sincerely,
KT


Breaking Dawn (The Twilight Saga, Book 4)