What I read, watched and rocked out to in 2018!

2018 was a trying year. But of course, good times as well. 

Here's to a healthy, happy 2019 for all of us!
My next book comes out NEXT MONTH!

Below is my usual list of what I read, watched, and the many concerts I attended in 2018!

What were your favorite reads, shows or events of 2018?

BOOKS – 9

Broken Little Melodies by Jennifer Ann

Luckiest Girl Alive by Jessica Knoll

No Relation by Paula Carter

The Perfect Mother by Aimee Molloy

The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell

Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis

A Dying Machine by Mark Tremonti and John Shirley

My signed book by Mark Tremonti!

When We Touch by Tia Louise

 MOVIES – Total at the theater 6

Black Panther

Solo

Avengers Infinity War

Antman and Wasp

A Star is Born

Bohemian Rhapsody

TV

My fave network shows right now are Life in Pieces and Modern Family.

I also watched

Atypical -seasons 1 and 2
Ozark season 1

The Little Drummer Girl
True Blood – my favorite series of all time! Currently rewatching. (On season 5/8)
Bird Box

CONCERTS- Total –14

Papa Roach (16th time)

Daughtry

Buckcherry

Harry Styles

Foo Fighters

Niall Horan

Buckcherry

Buckcherry

Buckcherry (19^th time), Alien Ant Farm, POD, Lit

Tremonti

Tremonti and Ten Years

Kip Winger

Fight the Fury

Winger

Daughtry (8^th time)

And I even got to sing onstage again with Kip Winger this year!

Check it out here! https://www.instagram.com/p/BpKCMtTH0Q2/

Happy 2019 to you!

What I read, watched, and rocked out to in 2017

It's sort of still the beginning of the year, right? Good! So let's get onto my usual wrap up of what I read, watched, and rocked out to in the previous year!

First...

BOOKS – Total 4

BIG LITTLE LIES by Liane Moriarty

THE INEVITABLE COLLISION OF BIRDIE AND BASH by Candace Ganger
THE HANDMAID’S TALE by Margaret Atwood
THE LAST GUY by Tia Louise and Ilsa Madden Mils

I'm a little embarrassed at the lack of reading I did the past year! But all good books.
I did have a busy 2017 though. Teaching kindergarten full time. My oldest graduated high school! Attending and chauffeuring my kids' activities. I visited Wisconsin, Iowa, Ohio, Michigan, the Bahamas. And I started my National Board teaching certification process.
 But dude. Even so. I promise to read more this year.

MOVIES – Total at the theater 6

Kong: Skull Island
Wonder Woman
Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol 2
The Lego Ninjago Movie
Thor, Ragnorok
Star Wars: The Last Jedi

All of these with one or more of my kiddos! My top three were Wonder Woman, Thor and The Last Jedi.

CONCERTS- Total – 13!

Yes, music is my therapy, my passion.  I totally rock out and sing at the top of my lungs to decompress. So this is obviously where my entertainment dollar went to this year.

Kip Winger- Yes, that's me singing with him! Ahhhhhh!

Winger (twice)

Third Eye Blind

Scott Stapp, Trapt, Sick Puppies

Buckcherry (for the 16th time)

Daughtry and Nickelback
Ed Sheeran (9th row!!)
Josh Todd and the Conflict (twice)

Dua Lipa
Papa Roach (for the 14th and 15th time)

 

 

So, that's my year.

What were your fave books, movies, and concerts of 2017?

 

What I read, watched, and rocked out to in 2015

Happy New Year, friends! I hope 2015 was good to you, and I hope 2016 is even better.

2015 was busy. I taught kindergarten and reading, helped coach my son in basketball, went to three weddings in June, hosted a Spanish exchange student, chauffeured and watched my kids play sports, and traveled to Arizona, Iowa and Wisconsin. My newest picture book I'M A LITTLE GREEN WITCH was released in September. I became an It Works! distributor (I'm healthier!). And I finished the year wrapping up my rough draft of a middle grade novel on December 31. I'm determined to make more time for writing and improving myself in 2016.

Here is my usual what I read, watched and rocked out to throughout the year!

Books

 

Bark Until Heard by Becky Monroe

Paper Towns by John Green

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The Terrible Two by Mac Barnett and Jory John

One to Hold by Tia Louise

The Silent Wife by ASA Harrison

Dark Places by Gillian Flynn

King of the Mutants by Samantha Verant

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Demon’s Ink By Kimbra Kasch

Into the Dark By Caroline Patti

Auggie & Me by RJ Palacio

 

Movies

Fifty Shades of Grey

Insurgent

The Spongebob Movie
Home
Avengers: Age of Ultron
Jurassic World
Inside Out
Minions
AntMan
Vacation
Goosebumps
The Outsiders
Star Wars: The Force Awakens (3x)

 

CONCERTS

Buckcherry for the 10th time

Papa Roach 2 times in January

Seether

Sixx Am/Apocalyptica

Taylor Swift/Shawn Mendez

Kip Winger (see below)

and Papa Roach (for the 13th time)/In this Moment/Pop Evil

What were some of your favorite

books, concerts, or movies of 2015?

 

 

The Listing Hop!

Welcome to the Listing Hop! Looking forward to seeing everyone's lists!

If you've been here before, you know I love music.
So my list is a list of all (probably most, I may have forgotten a few) of the bands I've seen and how many times!

Here goes! In ABC order even! I told you I love music! Papa Roach is at the top of the list with 13 times live!

30 Seconds to Mars (5), 3 Doors Down, 5 Seconds of Summer, Aerosmith, Christina Aguilera, Alice Cooper (2), Alter Bridge, Anberlin, Apocalyptica, Avenged Sevenfold (4), Sebastian Bach (2), Bad Company, Pat Benatar (2), Big Time Rush, Black Eyed Peas, Blondie (2), Bon Jovi, Brides of Destruction, Buckcherry (10), Bush, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Chevelle (3), Chicago, Coheed and Cambria, The Connells, Crash Kings, Creed, Sheryl Crowe, Daughtry (5), Def Leppard, Disturbed (2), Dokken (2), The Donnas, Dovetail Joint, Duran Duran (4), Eve 6, Foo Fighters (2), Lita Ford, Goo Goo Dolls (2), Great White (2), Guns n Roses, Halestorm, Hollywood Undead, Hoobastank, Billy Idol, In This Moment, INXS, Jet, Billy Joel, Elton John, Juke Kartel, The Killers, Kiss (2), LA Guns, Lovehammers (2), Maroon 5, Bret Michaels Band, The Monkees, Motley Crue (8), My Chemical Romance (2), Vince Neil solo (4), Nelson, Neon Trees (3), New Medicine (3), New Politics, Otherwise (2), Our Lady Peace, One Direction, Owl City, Ozzy Osbourne, Panic Channel, Papa Roach (13), P!NK,  P.O.D., Poison (3), Pop Evil (2), Prince, Puddle of Mudd (2), Queensryche (2),Ratt, RED, REO Speedwagon (2),  Rockstar Supernova, Gavin Rossdale, Safety Suit, Saliva (2), Mike Sanchez, Saving Abel, Scorpions, Seether (3), Seven Mary Three, Shinedown (2), Silvertide, Cody Simpson, Sixx AM (2), Skid Row (2), Slash, Slaughter (2), Smashing Pumpkins, Rick Springfield, Billy Squier, Stone Sour (2), Styx (3), Sum 41, Survivor (2), Taylor Swift, System of a Down, Tantric (2), Third Eye Blind (2), Three Days Grace (3), Justin Timberlake, The Plain White T’s, Toadies, Trapt, Tremonti, The Tubes, Van Halen (2), Velvet Revolver, Warrant, Weezer, Weird Al Yankovic,  Whitesnake (3), Kip Winger (3), Winger (2)

I told you I love music! Here's a song  for  Xmas Dolly's Monday's Music Moves Me Halloween edition! Love MCR and this creepy song!


And speaking of Halloween, my newest picture book, I'M A LITTLE GREEN WITCH is available at amazon, barnesandnoble.com and select bookstores!

Have you seen any of these bands live? What was your last concert?

Check out more links for lists here and here! Congrats on eight years of blogging, Bish!

 

My Cover Rocks!

This is it! This is the cover of my upcoming picture book titled, ROCKABET, that comes out in September. Does it rock or what?!

Rockabet: Classic Edition is an ABC picture book of rock 'n' roll. The book introduces classic rock bands in catchy couplets. The illustrations depict the bands as chibis, which are childlike versions of characters. The book is illustrated by Kelli Little. More of her amazing artwork can be seen at her Facebook page, Catching Dreams Illustration. I just love it!

Speaking of Facebook pages, I just created an author page for myself and I'd love if you would hop on over and "Like" it! Here is the link: Author Kelly Polark. As you know, I love rock music and this book brings together two of my passions: promoting literacy and promoting good ole rock 'n' roll! I have another Meegenius book coming out this fall, and I will post a sneak peek of an illustration on my Facebook page next week. Thanks for stopping by the blog and liking my author page. Your support means so much!!

Now back to ROCKABET. Can you guess which band I chose for the letter A?

Genre Favorites Blogfest

Cassastar Ninja Alex Cavanaugh is hosting today's spectacular GENRE FAVORITES BLOGFEST! Fun, right? I didn't plan on blogging here this week, but I had to join the partay!

MOVIE
My go-to movie is a comedy. I love to laugh. Some of my all-time favorites include Old School, Vacation, and Elf. Some of the more recent movies that made me giggle are Bridesmaids and The Change Up. I want to see Ted. I heard that was a funny one.

BOOKS
I am all over the place with books. I love picture books, middle grade, young adult, and adult novels in all different genres. The only genre I generally do not read is non-fiction. I love a great story! Some of my all time favorite books are The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, Guess Again by Mac Barnett, The Hunger Games, The Outsiders, and A Time to Kill.

MUSIC
If you know me at all, you know that my favorite genre of music is ROCK! My last four concerts over the summer included

Daughtry and opener, new fave musician, Mike Sanchez

New Medicine (this is the bassist, Brady)

Buckcherry (for the sixth time!)

and Motley Crue (also for the sixth time!).

Rock 'n' Roll, baby!





GUILTY PLEASURE
I subscribe to Us Weekly and look forward to every issue. It's just my little slice of pure mindless entertainment. I sit outside on the patio or couch and zone out for an hour. I also read it to get celebrity book recommendations for my other site, Book Recs of the Rock & Famous, too!

Also, my guilty pleasure TV show is True Blood (Eric Northman, need I say more?)

How about you? What are your favorite genres?