The Reading Rainbow Comeback

I grew up on PBS. While my fellow 90's kids remember Nickelodeon show after Nickelodeon show, I watched Arthur, Zoom, Cyberchase, Barney, Mister Rogers, Sesame Street, Between the Lions, and yes, Reading Rainbow. I loved each and every program, but I remember my mom making sure I sat down for the occasional Reading Rainbow episode. I learned all about new books and was exposed to different kinds of reading. I loved it as a kid, but as I grew up I typically only turned PBS on for the occasional Arthur and, or course, British television shows.

But now, Reading Rainbow is coming back and in a new, 2010s format. LaVar Burton, the face I'm used to seeing with a book, wants to bring back the program to help increase literacy and give millions of children access to the wonderful world of reading. He explains it way better than I ever could on the Kickstarter site, including a nifty graphic :) It's pretty cool what Burton and his team are doing, and how they've invited all of America to be a part of it.

I can't imagine my childhood without stacks of books all around my house, and I can't imagine not having the love of reading I do now (yes, even when I'm face with 100 pages of reading assignments at college. Even though it doesn't seem like love at the time ;)). I'm really glad to see Reading Rainbow return, and the response Burton's project has gotten so far!

What I Read: Gone Girl

4/5 pineapples

After all the rave reviews, I assumed this was going to be the best. Book. Ever. But you know what they say when you assume...

Okay, so this wasn't the best book ever but it was still pretty great and maybe my expectations are just too high (I'm a picky book person). Gillian Flynn is an amazing writer and I enjoyed how much she twisted my mind as I read Gone Girl. There's no clear "bad" and "good" involved, and that's just what I like about it. Flynn has created a very unconventional novel, one where you never know where to place your alliances and who to trust (spoiler: no one). I liked how she kept me on my toes, especially after the first section.

The characters are also fantastic. You can tell Flynn knows Nick and Amy very, very well, and she used them to create some of the richest characters I've seen in a recent novel. I'm a huge fan of characters, and they often make or break a book for me. I think it's the people Flynn has imagined that made reading this go so smoothly, and I felt invested in their lives. Nick and Amy, while dramatized, are completely realistic; just like real humans, they have flaws.

But of course, Gone Girl also had a few flaws itself for my reading preferences. The drama could be a bit much, and sometimes I rolled my eyes at a scene. There were also a few "twists" I saw coming from a mile away (but others that shocked me very much). Most importantly, it's not a book that's changed my world in any way. To get five pineapples, I'm expecting a book to make me think about my own life or the real world differently; something that inspires thought. Something that goes deeper than an entertaining read. This is not one of those books.

Long Story Short: Gone Girl is worth a read. If you have a weekend or some travel time to sit down with a book, this is an excellent choice. Flynn knows how to draw you in and create really developed, intense characters that keep you turning pages. It's more than a beach read, but not quite literary canon status. Most importantly, Flynn is an extremely talented writer and for that I would read her again.

You can find more reviews and details for Gone Girl on Goodreads, Amazon, Allison Anderson's post, or Catch the Lune's review.

What do you think of Gone Girl? Any good books I should look into this summer?

A Writer's Road Trip Bag Essentials

I'm doing quite a bit of traveling this summer and recently came back from a nine-hour road trip to my grandparents' farm. As I've gotten older, I've brought less and less stuff with me for the ride since a good book and portable DVD player are about all I need. So last week I shoved any and all entertainment into my Lands' End tote and set off for my first adventure!

But of course, I wanted to share with you all what a book lover/amateur writer/college student (I wear many hats) brings on car trips, so that for the entire trip, you too can be entertained! (As long as you're not driving. Oh goodness, please not when you're driving.)

Here's what my bag of goodies entailed:

A Book (or two). Not so shockingly, the majority of my time in the car is spent reading. I also love to sit on my grandparents' sun porch and sink into a good book in the afternoon, so enough reading material is a must! This trip I brought Gone Girl (review coming soon!) and Barbara Kingsolver's The Bean Trees. Gone Girl turned out to be enough, but I never want to be caught without a book!

Work. Glamorous, I know :)  The jobs I have this summer can travel, so I brought some along with me for down time.

Notebook, pen, and pencil. A writer never wants to be caught without a notebook! This is my favorite Moleskin that I take with me everywhere. I put a lot of creative writing ideas in it, but also use it to take notes and record blog post ideas. Whatever I want to remember goes in here! The pen and pencil ride around in this bag; you never know when you need a writing utensil.

Gum. The trip from my house to the farm involves a lot of driving through mountains. Gum helps avoid that uncomfortable ear popping which, let's be honest, no one loves.

iPod and Headphones. I don't listen to my iPod a ton since my family tends to listen to CDs in the car, but I like to have it on hand- just in case! My headphones get a little more love, coming out when I want to watch YouTube or listen to music while I work.

Laptop. Because where would I be without it? I work on here, blog, watch YouTube, and practically live inside Word and Gmail.

Tissues. Honestly not sure where they came from. But you never know, right?

iPad. Yeah yeah, I know you can't get internet on an iPad in the car. But I love to play Frozen Free Fall, and would break up my reading or napping with a few rounds.

Camera (and case). I knew I wanted to take some photos while at the farm (like the ones above) and so I needed my camera on hand. I never used to take my point-and-shoot anywhere with me, but now I'm trying to get into the habit of toting it along so that I will actually use it (instead of watching the battery die time after time in my desk drawer).

So there you have it! My family also brings a snack bag on the trip, so I had nuts and Luna bars to dine on (trust me, I eat on car trips ;)). What do you like to bring on car trips?

To Do in June

I was thinking about where I want to go with this blog and just what I can do with it, when I thought I should start putting my thought into action. I love writing the book reviews, but I also want to mix them in with other posts, like my college tips, adventures, and (coming soon!) "what I use" type posts. I want to grow this blog more, and finally pick a name so that I can advertise with pride. So I decided to set some goals for myself for the month of June, both about this blog and my other summer activities!

• Post at least two times a week. So far my posting has been pretty sporadic. I've been trying to post as much as possible, but without any type of schedule or plan. Now I have a plan, and I'd like to stick with it. I hope to up this to every other day next month, but June is crazy for me and I like to accomplish my goals :)
• PICK A NAME. If you don't know, leeanniebananie is just a placeholder name for this blog. I haven't officially decided on what I want to call this blog yet. PLEASE leave me any suggestions you might have. I'm currently looking at my favorite books for quotes to use, so hopefully something sticks out there :)
• Read three books. So I can review them for you, of course!
• Keep a work schedule. I have one other blog and two jobs, along with this blog, so I need to schedule out time for each activity. I don't want to fall behind on anything, and I also want to make sure I have time for the things I love this summer!

So those are my goals for June! What are you hoping to do this month? Please leave any name suggestions below, I'd appreciate the help :)