Road Trip Entertainment

We just got back from a trip to San Diego - all sun-kissed and trying to catch up from the whirlwind of a vacation. It was wonderful, though and really made us miss California. A photo log will be posted soon but in the meantime I thought I would share with you my/our media "playlist" - if you will - that kept us entertained for hours on the road, afternoons at the beach and evenings at the condo.

First, my reads:
You can read reviews of all three of these books on Desperate for a Good Read - so I am just going to give brief opinions and star ratings. Cause I've always wanted to give star ratings...

1. The Guernsy Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
A very fun and easy read. I thoroughly enjoyed this and only wished I could hear it read in an English accent. I give this book 4 stars.



2. Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
This book is written for grades 6-10 but it was a fun read anyway. Remembering myself at age 13 - I think I would have fallen in love with this book. So from that perspective I give the book 3 1/2 stars.



3. Love Walked In by Marisa de los Santos
This book got mixed reviews on Desperate for a Good Read. I still have a couple of chapters left but I am going to give this 3 stars. (Rated a strong PG 13 for language)



Second, audiobooks for the whole family:
1. Bud, Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis
This book received the Newbery Medal in 2000. It was heart-warming and funny. It is definitely more appropriate for older school-age children. Four stars.



2. Ramona Quimby by Beverly Cleary
A classic. Fun for the whole family. Three stars.



Third, the theme song of our trip
1. "One Day" by Matisyahu
We listened to this new song by Matisyahu almost everytime we got the in the car to go somewhere (sometimes twice!). If you haven't heard of Matisyahu, he is a Hasidic Jew from Brooklyn, New York that has a sort of reggae/rap sound. Listen to his voice - he sounds like a Bob Marley type. The cool thing is he writes songs about the Torah and Moses and God. It's pretty wild. He's got a good sound, though and we are all big fans. We were thinking how Matisyahu might think it kind of funny and strange and random that some Mormon family from Utah likes his music. Go figure! Anyway - here is the video on youtube. We love this song! We give it 4 stars.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=as7Y-mCiFaM