weekend read: Legend

I know I'm a sucker for dystopian literature. See The Hunger Games series or the Matched series for more proof. I've also got a stack of similar themed books waiting patiently for summer and pool time.

With Legend, I've heard about it since early 2012 and I ignored it because that's what I do to books everyone is talking about (also see: Gone Girl), but I bought a set of the books for our classrooms at school so I decided I better read it before introducing it to kids. And once I started, I.was.hooked.

The overall premise is the same (futuristic world, there's no more United States of America, dictatorship police state, persecuted people, government lies, unlikely teenage heroes, etc.) as all the other dystopian series out right now. And while occasionally I struggled with the likeness of The Hunger Games, the characters were strong enough that I didn't feel like I was reading a retelling of it.

Legend by Marie Lu is told from two different perspectives: Day, a homeless, Robin Hood type enemy-of-the-state who is being used as a scapegoat for the government's dirty deeds, and June, a privileged, rich girl from the elite side of town who also happens to be the government's military prodigy. Of course, their two worlds come together when Day is framed for the death of June's brother. She begins to hunt him down as revenge, but things change as both of them realize things are not as they seem.

There's more love story in this one than The Hunger Games, but less than the Matched books. I know my students will love this book, it's fast-paced from the start and relatable on multiple levels. They seem to love any book that lets them live in a world where they have power and more control than they do in reality. The book also has enough twists and turns that it's not easily put down and it's also a good fit for adults who can't get enough of the dystopian genre. I can't wait to start the second one.

Have you read this one yet? What did you think?


DISCLOSURE: AFFILIATE LINKS USED.

copycat 25.0

(skirt: Macys, shirt: Old Navy, shoes: JC Penney, necklace: Sears, bracelets: Forever 21, ring: Kohls)

This is it.

The end.

I think the time is right. I've been struggling to hit "publish" recently. On average, I've got 15-20 posts sitting in my drafts just waiting for a little edit and shine. But I don't even have the time to do that right now. Sorry about that. I hate when people play the I'm busy victim, it makes it sound like others aren't busy and they're the only ones. So I know you're probably stressed right now too and I hope things slow down soon. For all of us.

Thanks for linking up with us and trying this copycat linkup out. It was a fun experiment that taught us a lot. Mostly that linkups are hard and I don't like doing anything that's hard. But other lessons too.

Anyway, thanks for being here.

original website || original pin 

I loved the floral skirt with belt and tucked chambray top. But I didn't have the right belt and my skirt hit in a funny spot so I left my shirt untucked. I definitely liked the Pinterest look better and felt mine was a little too sloppy. Also, I'm wrinkly, but that's because these pictures were taken after a ten hour day and a long meeting.

What did you do this week? Show us your copycat style one more time!

Rules

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-Do not link to giveaways or your homepage, link to a specific post about your copycat style and how you made the look your own. Linkups that don't follow this rule will be deleted.
-Please link back to the post and let your readers know what's going on. You could grab a button if you'd like (hint, hint).

when may comes calling.

(sweater: Kohls, pants & shirt: Old Navy, necklace: NY & Co., watch: Kohls, bracelets: Forever 21, boots: Payless)

Aye aye aye.

I feel like things are going too fast right now. Too much to do, not enough hours in the day (although more daylight is awesome, by the way), and I'm feeling stressed and overwhelmed. Welcome to the life of a teacher in May. I'd share more, but it's really not that interesting. I'm busy, you're busy, life is busy.

The only thing that is keeping me going at this point is there are only ten more days of school. Ten more days of kids and stress and bad principals and teachers that don't do their jobs and adults that lie. I'm really hoping that there's only ten days left of my time at my current school too, but I'll let you know more about that later.

If I'm MIA, just know I'm trying to keep my head above water and eventually I'll be more successful at it. Eventually there will be more time and less stuff. It's called June.

mother's day lessons.

Here's what I know about mothering:

That some days are bad and some days are good. And just because it's bad today doesn't mean it won't get better. And that really good day you had? Burn that into your memory because soon it'll go downhill again. Sometimes all within a matter of minutes.

Some of the best mothers I've ever met don't have children. 

Ice cream for dinner is okay once in a while.

Yelling doesn't make the situation better. But for some reason, I keep doing it.

A supportive husband can make or break you.

For our family, I'm a better mother because I work outside the home. Some days I wish I was a stay-at-home mom, but most days I do not. I know the grass is always greener on the other side so I try to remind myself of that when I'm feeling sorry for myself. And then I remember to water where I'm at and shut up about it.

Naps are important. And if you can get your kids to take them too, that'd be good.

Sometimes my children don't know why they're crying, they just want to cry. Maybe if more adults did this once in a while, we'd all be happier. A good cry is powerful therapy.

Seeing what I put in my children's bodies and how it effects their poop has changed the way I eat. Also, I can now talk about poop with a completely straight face and in all seriousness. Well, most of the time, anyway.

We all mother differently. I'm not right and you're not wrong. We're all just doing the best we can. But telling someone they're wrong because it's not how you would do it destroys us all. So stop it.

Mess is okay sometimes. I'm still working on acceptance of this one.

There's beauty in the unplanned.  Loosen up, Mary.

Sing songs even if you can't sing. Your children don't know that yet and they love your voice anyway. You might even start to think you don't sound that bad. But your husband will bring you back down to Earth soon, so don't you worry about that recording contract just yet.

There's power in I'm sorry. Show your kids that grace.

And a good snuggle can cure most bad days.

Happy Mother's day.

weekend read: Prisoners in the Palace

I picked up this uncharacteristic reading choice right after the season finale of Downton Abbey when I thought I could not live without English aristocracy, maids and footmen, and marrying above your social class. And I was depressed that I had to wait nine more months for season four of Downton.

I still haven't recovered from those feelings, but this book did help to lessen the hurt.

Prisoners in the Palace by Michaela MacColl is set in London during the year of 1836 (so yes, almost one hundred years before Downton, but whatever). The main character, Liza, and her parents moved to London for her coming out, planning to spend the year at dances and balls, being wooed by suitors and dressing fancy. But when her parents die in an accident and Liza learns she is left penniless, she has to go to work to pay off her father's debts and try to make a way for herself.

Through some connections of her father's, she finds her way to Kensington Palace where she becomes the maid of Princess Victoria. Victoria is held captive by her mother, the Duchess, and her scheming right hand man, Sir John Conroy. Their plan is to portray the Princess as incapable of inheriting the throne when the King (who is sick) dies so they can become her regent and control the throne and its purse.

There's lots of trickery, scheming, plotting, and, in the end, freedom for Princess Victoria and her maid, Liza. It was a fun read that helped feed my fascination with life in England.

After I finished the book, I learned from the author's notes that the book was based on real life stories and letters left by Victoria, the Duchess, the King, and the Queen. Liza and her plot line were entirely made up, but Sir John and his thievery, Victoria and her mother's relationship, and the struggles the Queen had to conceive a child were all historically true. And the writings used in the book (from Victoria's diary or letters from the Duchess) were not made up, but straight from the archives of the British family. It was a fun twist at the end to learn that and I wish I had known from the beginning.

Prisoners in the Palace, a young adult book for all ages, would be a great read for anyone who needs a British aristocracy fix while they're waiting for the next season of Downton Abbey (like me) or anyone who is a history buff that likes a mix of fiction and non-fiction. Another way I'm helping with my Downton issue is watching Call the Midwife on Netflix. It's produced by the BBC and just as great as Downton, but again, a slightly different time period, but with that same mix of lovely British life. Which, for some reason, I can't get enough of.