Looking for something fun to do? 

This section is full of ideas to help keep you entertained. Books, movies, websites, bookstore events, you name it. This will be an evolving section, so come back often.

I've been busy scheduling bookstore visits, library talks, and school visits. I'll post these here as I arrange them. Click here to see a list of upcoming events.

What are you reading?

When you have finished reading Stones of Abraxas, here are some other books that I highly recommend to keep you entertained.

- The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins. This post-apocolyptic series is compelling and exciting and the kind of book you can't put down. Beyond that, it offers compelling criticisms of American consumerism and our fascination with degrading reality TV shows, not to mention oppressive government. These are fascinating books.

- Half Moon Investigations by Eoin Colfer. This is a mystery by the same genius who brought us Artemis Fowl. I expected to hate this book because when Colfer was writing it, he was spending time away from writing Artemis Fowl. Turns out, I got a real kick out of it. It seems like it's the first in a new series. I liked it so much that I've forgiven the author for writing about someone besides Artemis.

- Bartameus Trilogy by Johathan Stroud. There's nothing as much fun as a sarcastic djinni!

- Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer.  In case you've been living under a rock and haven't heard about this series, here's a summary: Girl loves vampire. Vampire loves girl but also wants to turn her into a snack. Werewolf loves girl and hates vampire. Girl's dad distrusts vampire and despite being a cop is clueless that his daughter is being stalked by a blood-sucker. OK, maybe it doesn't sound great, but it really is.

- Orange is the New Pink by Nina Malkin.  This is a funny book about a high school girl who gets to live her dream interning at her favorite magazine in New York City. It's definitely geared to girls more than guys because it follows the antics of 5 girls on the loose and working at a girls' magazine. 

- Montmorency: Thief, Liar, Gentleman by Eleanor Updale.  A thief in the sewers? I didn't expect to love this, but I did, then my son read it and loved it, then we started lending it to friends who all loved it, too. Give it a try, you won't be sorry. This is the first book in a series of three. The second one is good, too, but it contains some of those dreaded "adult themes," so it might not be good for younger or more sensitive readers (you know who you are). In other words, proceed with caution.

- Eragon and Eldest by Christopher Paolini.  If you like the classic fantasy genre, these books are for you.

- The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer.  Artemis is my favorite billionaire, genius, Irish thief ever. These are terrific books. I never realized I wanted a massive bodyguard named Butler of my own until Artemis showed me how cool it could be.  

- Louise Rennison's series of books about Georgia Nichols:  The first book is called Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging. Georgia Nichols is an English high school girl whose family life is goofy and her love life is not exactly the stuff dreams are made of. I laughed from the first page to the last of each of these terrific books.

- Dear Dumb Diary series by Jim Benton: You know that perfect girl at your school who's beautiful and everybody seems to love? These hilarious books understand how much you hate her.

- Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke: This book was written for adults, but I think there are plenty of older kids who would enjoy it, too. It has an old fashioned style that makes it feel like it had been written 200 years ago. This is a cool, unique book about magicians that really delighted me.

- Harry Potter series, of course: But there's a major problem with the last book in the series. She killed my favorite character! How could that happen? Why would anyone do something so cruel? And why did Harry have to spend the entire first half of the last book camping? I mean, 300 pages of lurking in the woods? I'm wondering how they're going to handle that in the movie. I'll go through a lot of popcorn watching him dig pit toilets and wrestle with tent stakes for a full hour.  Anyway, I liked the very end of book #7 because it wrapped up things nicely and offered a happily-ever-ending for the half-dozen or so people who managed to survive. But don't let me give you the wrong impression; this is an amazing and wonderful series.

- The Devil in the White City: This is an adult nonfiction book about the Chicago's 1893 World Fair. It's a terrific book! I rarely read nonfiction, but this one reads like a novel. Half of the book is devoted to the activities of a serial killer who called himself Dr. H.H. Holmes. He was on the loose in Chicago while the hustle and bustle of the fair had the city thrown into chaos. The other half of the book shows how Chicago pulled together a historic World's Fair, despite impossible odds. I really enjoyed this "Truth is stranger than fiction" story. Oh, and just a warning for younger or more sensitive readers: This is an adult book, which means that it has some parts that are pretty intense. Dr. Holmes wasn't a nice guy, and some of his crimes are described in a chilling way.

Want more suggestions for good things to read? Try these sites:

http://www.teensreadtoo.com  This new website has lots of reviews of books geared to young adult readers, upcoming book information, author interviews, and other great stuff. They have the distinction of posting the first-ever online interview with me. It was really fun to do. Also, I do some book reviews for this site, so check out their reviews and let me know if you agree with my thoughts.

http://www.yabookscentral.com  This is another site with a lot of information about books and authors. They offer young adult book reviews and other fun things that readers will love.

http://kidslitinformation.blogspot.com/  This is a blog that focuses on books for kids, including young adult literature. Lots of good stuff here, including reviews and some about movies, etc.

What are you watching?

Man (or woman or child) does not live on books alone, so here are some of movies that I really like. Sure, a lot of them are older, but that just means they're cheaper to rent than the new stuff:

Harry Potter: These movies are instant classics. I want to live at Hogwarts!

Hell Boy I and II: He's big, he's red, and he's fireproof.

Twilight (et al): Put pretty people in pretty scenery and make them fall in love with each other. Save me a seat for these.

Transformers: Funny, cool robots can't be beat.

X-Men: I love these movies. And, finally, my favorite X-Man (Beast) has hit the silver screen!

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story:  Anything with a fake pirate in it has a special place in my heart.

Meet the Fockers: The best role Barbra Streisand has ever played.

Serenity: This movie is based on the best TV show ever, called Firefly. If you haven't seen either, you need to immediately get yourself to the video store for the movie and the show's DVD boxed set. What are you waiting for? Get your shoes on!

Pirates of the Caribbean movies: Captain Jack for President!

Lord of the Rings Trilogy: If you've got an entire weekend on your hands, I'd say draw the curtains, lay in a stock of popcorn, and cuddle up with this trilogy. You won't regret it.

10 Things I Hate About You: Heath Ledger. I really miss him.

Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Everyone should know TV show's origins.

Ghostbusters: Classic.

Addams Family Values: Christina Ricci as Wednesday Addams is priceless.

Men in Black: They make that suit look good.

Small Soldiers: When your dolls start attacking you, maybe it's time to switch to video games.

So I Married an Ax Murderer: This is one of the most underrated films of all time and it stars Austin Powers.

Ever switch on the TV for mindless entertainment? Here are some of my favorite shows:

30 Rock: The funniest thing ever! It's on back-to-back with The Office, which is also fantastic. However, if I had to choose, I'd say that I get more belly laughs from this one every week. As funny as Dwight is, he can't compete with the combination of Tracy Morgan, Alec Baldwin, and Tina Fey. This show is hilarious!

Leverage: This is a "heist" type show on TNT that just started this year. It's kind of like the Ocean's 11 movies, and the "good guys" are former criminals who are using their unique skills to get back at bad guys. It's funny and exciting.

Castle: A mystery series starring Captain Mal from the Firefly series. It's #1 on my DVR.

Vampire Diaries: Sexy, brooding vampires. How did the producers know what I wish for when I blow out birthday candles?

Flight of the Conchords: This HBO series is a quirky look at the lives of a couple New Zealand musicians who are trying to make it big in New York. Their songs are really fun and the guys themselves are perfectly deadpan. They only made two seasons, so there are only reruns now. Since it was on HBO, beware of the occasional "adult language and themes," but it's not too bad.

Friday Night Lights: No, I'm not usually into dramas, but this one hooked me for some reason. Do you like football? No? That's OK. It's still a fabulous show. Do you like attractive people doing interesting things? Who doesn't? Well, this show is full of them.

American Idol: I'm always disappointed because my favorite never wins, but I keep coming back, anyway.

Simpsons: Always a classic.

Family Guy: Stuey for President!

Bones: I've just recently gotten into this show, but it's got the guy who used to play Angel in it, so how can you go wrong? It's funny and the characters are all likeable.

Daily Show and The Colbert Report on Comedy Central: John Stewart for President! (No, really, I think he'd be terrific)

The Office: Dwight NOT for president!

Scrubs: I had never gotten into this show, but now I'm watching reruns on Comedy Central. This show can always be counted on for a few laugh-out-loud moments. New episodes are on NBC on Thursdays.

MXC on Spike: I can never find this show any more, which is sad because "Sinkers and Floaters" is one of the best things on television.

Reruns of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Star Trek: TNG or DSN. I can't see enough of these episodes.

Arrested Development reruns: I heard a rumor that this amazingly hilarious show was going to be back as a motion picture. My fingers are crossed!