I've recently read a ton of graphic novels and memoirs - some I loved and others not so much but were still a thrill to read. Guts by Raina Telgemeier I am always on the lookout for Raina Telgemeier's comics, so when I found Guts available at my library's Overdrive catalog last year, I had to request it right away. Her comics are always delightful, designed for the middle-grade audience, and written very well. Guts is a continuation of her Smile nonfiction graphic memoir series (see Smile and Sisters ) and recounts a period in her childhood when she experienced IBS for the first time. When Raina wakes up one night with an upset tummy, she just assumes it's a stomach bug as her mom is also showing the same symptoms. But when it doesn't go away soon but is instead influenced by the daily highs and lows of being a middle grader - good friends, not so good ones, and then the bullies, she realizes there's something else going on. If you have not read the previous
Hello? Anyone there? I'm still here.
Boy, it's been about three weeks since I posted anything. Last I hollered over here, it was to announce a trip we were making to Miami and Orlando, to check some beaches out and to drink Butterbeer. Something came up during the trip that took away my interest in books and reading but I think it's all finally returning back.
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Poor little thing - it must be tired of its boring job of posing in photos. |
The Universal Studios was even more fun. Some of the rides were downright madness - we did the Hulk roller coaster ride at least two times. It's been a long time since I sat in a real loopy winding crazy roller coaster and so this was a lot of fun. The Harry Potter section in the park - which is the main reason we went there - was really very well put together. I loved how we could walk into Honeydukes and get Chocolate frogs, Bertie Botts' Every Flavor Beans, Peppermint Toads, Fudge Flies, and many many more. It was hard choosing what to get but I eventually picked the Chocolate Frog and got the Helga Hufflepuff card. (Harry Potter readers will get the reference.) Can you guess how very much like an excited schoolgirl I was inside there? The poor darling husband indulged my fancies as well. The main Harry Potter ride wasn't that big a deal for the amount of hype this place gets but I still thought it was quite charming. You could actually pretend that you're sitting on a broom and having the ride of your non-Muggle life. Butterbeer, on the other hand, was just a soda drink mixed with a faint sweet tasty hint of something frothy on top. I thought the drink was consistent with the way it was described in the books, but there was still a part of me that wished it wasn't soda (which I don't drink).
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Chocolate Frog |
I can't wait to get back to blogging and catching up with whatever I missed.

Comments
Sounds like you had a good time though.
And I'm so disappointed about butterbeer.
I have seen some amazing recipes on Pinterest for it.
We should make some!