My Reading Life

I honestly don’t remember a time where I didn’t read. Even before I could read, I would listen to books on tape (some were even on 45 records) or I remember my mom reading to me every night before I had to go to bed. I read a lot even as a kid. When your mom was an English teacher, one grandma was an English teacher then a librarian, and the other grandma worked in a library - you don’t have much choice but to read. But, add in the fact that I was an only child with no kids my age who lived near me (before I went to school anyway), reading was one thing I could do at anytime without needing anyone else around.

Picking a favorite book is really difficult for me. I have favorite authors: Ernest Hemingway, Anne Rice, Rainbow Rowell, JoJo Moyes, John Green, Christopher Moore, and Jonathan Tropper are a few of those. Their books are usually toward the top of my favorite’s list. And I’ll always pick up their books when they have a new one out. These are also usually the same ones I’ll reread - for example, I used to read Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire - I even have a first edition of that one - and Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises yearly. But picking a favorite book is hard because it depends on my mood and my attention span at that moment. I usually tend to gravitate toward literary fiction, supernatural and historical fiction - but I do like a good “popcorn” book every once in a while too. These are ones I don’t have to think about much while I read; Janet Evanovich, James Patterson, and Tim Dorsey are some of my favorite brain break authors. While I’ll usually give anything a try, I barely read anything that’s strictly romance (my husband says I may be the least romantic person in the world), and I try to read war/military books, but that usually isn’t successful either (although Tim O’Brien writes some fantastic stuff based in the Vietnam War).

Even though I read a lot (almost 100 books last year, and I’m at 100 right now for this year), I still have weaknesses. Sometimes I read too fast or I skim too much (the downsides of being a former copy editor), so I’ll miss out on stuff and have to go back and reread (sometimes chapters back) because I wasn’t paying enough attention. Another weakness is that I will rarely abandon a book. I always hold out hope that it will redeem itself by the end or that it will become more interesting. This usually means I will read some books that make me want to scream - and these are the ones that I frequently read too quickly because I just want to finish it! It also means that I usually greatly dislike that book because I feel like I wasted too much time on it when there are so many other great books out there to read. While that’s a weakness, it can also be a strength. It has exposed me to new authors and genres or books that I wouldn’t likely read in the first place.

I can’t imagine not reading. It’s how I wind down at night, and it keeps my brain active. I get exposed to so many other cultures and ideas - as well as learn history sometimes. It makes me want to go and explore new places, and when I finally get to go to those places, I feel like I’ve already been there thanks to the book. So, I truly believe that reading expands your world and takes you to places you’ve never been.

IMWAYR - FIrst edition of the 2014-2015 school year

Some of the bloggers/teachers I follow on Twitter started a hashtag - #IMWAYR (It's Monday, what are you reading?). So, I decided on Mondays, I would do a post on what I've read during the past week, what I'm reading now, and what I plan to read next. I meant to post the books I read this summer last week, but I forgot, but I will eventually do that (it shouldn't be too hard since I have the books I emailed out during the summer).

At work

Thanks to doing SSR in class on Friday, I finished the book I was reading. So, I'll be starting Grave Mercy by Robin LavFevers (the first in His Fair Assassin series) today. Ismae (all of this is from the back) has escaped an arranged marriage and finds safety at a convent. She learns that she has been "blessed" by the god of Death to have violent gifts and destiny. Basically, she's an assassin. 

At home

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein - This takes place during WWII. An American pilot is working with the English women's auxiliary when she manages to fly into German airspace. She is captured and has to spend six months in a women's work camp/concentration camp. Even though it isn't one of the death camps, conditions are still brutal. Little food, tons of people, random beatings. This has been a very interesting read so far.

Audiobook

This summer, I started to listen to audiobooks while I was walking or doing housework. I've learned that the narrator makes a HUGE difference, and that I have a harder time getting into a book this way. I didn't realize how much I reread and how much I skim when I read (I sometimes skip over background information, and I rarely read the attribution for dialog. It's amazing how much difference this makes.) Right now, I'm listening to Delirium by Lauren Oliver. Love has been outlawed because it makes people crazy, so all marriages are arranged and people are "cured"/prevented from falling in love. I'm not that far into this one, but the narrator is probably the best I've heard so far this summer, and that has helped tremendously with me getting into the book

Finished

If I Stay by Gayle Forman - I don't plan on going to see the movie, but from what I've seen on the previews, a lot has been added to the movie. Mia has a snow day from school, and she and her family are out driving. A car slams into them, and ends up with her parents and brother dying - and Mia is in the ICU. The book is written from Mia's perspective as she looks down on herself while she's fighting for her life. She has flashbacks from her life with her family and boyfriend. And ultimately, the decision for her to live or die is up to her spirit. This really isn't my type of book, but it was an OK read.

Prisoner B-3087 by Alan Gratz - Yanek (Jacob) is a teen in Krakow, Poland, when the Nazis invade in 1939. He and his family are moved into the Jewish ghetto by the Nazis, and then he moves around to 10 different concentration camps throughout the war. This is based on a true story. I personally thought that they didn't focus enough on one aspect of it, which watered down the story. It still shows the horrible conditions but it could have been better.

Conversion by Katherine Howe - This story takes place in a private girls' school in Massachusetts in 2012. Suddenly, a bunch of the girls come down with mysterious diseases - seizures, hair falling out, massive headaches, throwing up pins. No one knows what is causing it, and more and more girls are getting weird symptoms. It becomes a national story, and all the while, Colleen is starting to draw parallels to this story and the Salem Witch trials - which took place in the school's town (even though it has been renamed). The story is also interspersed with some narratives from the trials. I really liked this book. I started reading it, and the next thing I knew it was an hour later. I thought the ending was a little rushed and lacked real explanation - but it was still a good read.

Picking Books

I'm not sure that there is a rhyme or reason to how I pick out books to read. Honestly, my to-be-read piles are so massive, I just dig around in those until one seems to fit my mood (and then there are the times where the huge, towering stacks just make me groan because nothing looks good, so I either head to the bookstore or download something on my Kindle).

Of course, there has to be a way to get those huge stacks. A lot of the books I pick up are from recommendations - either friends, students, authors I follow on Twitter or Goodreads. I also like taking a look through Barnes and Noble's staff picks shelf. Sometimes I've found some good stuff there. I also know my favorite authors, so if they release something, I usually have it pre-ordered. Another source for book ideas is the Iowa State Book Awards lists (http://www.iasl-ia.org/p/state-awards.html). I focus on the teen and high school awards lists. Most states have a similar list, so I'll search those every once in a while. And I always pay attention to the national awards - the Printz, Pulitzer, National Book Award, etc. I will fully admit that those are sometimes a crapshoot, but it never hurts to check them out.

Going back to Goodreads, I only really started using that this winter. At first, it didn't do much good because I didn't have many books rated, but I've gotten a lot of suggestions from them - some good, some bad. But, it's also expanded my reading horizons and made me aware of a lot more books when they come out. The biggest thing I've gotten from them is following book bloggers; because they will write about the books as they read them, they often get sent ARCs (advanced reading copies). This means they get a first look at books months before they come out. That has really added to my to-be-read list!

It is perfectly fine to abandon a book. However, I rarely do that. I will force myself to finish one - usually because I hope that it will redeem itself by the end. Many times, it does not. I also try to finish all of the ones I get for the classroom because I want to be able to at least talk to you about them. This makes it hard for me to do the booktalks because I don't want you to get a negative view of the book, but I at least want you to be "exposed" to it (and this is why I don't read most of the military war books I have in the room because I know I won't like them).

Feel free at anytime to recommend a book to me that you've really liked! Trust me, I've had plenty of students just throw books on my desk for me to read - and I always will read them!

Me, in 47 words

Today, I had you write your story in 47 words and then go back and edit it to as many words as you wanted. Here's one of the ones I did today and then the revised version.


Scared faces. Silent room. Awkward pauses. Bumbling words. The first day isn't the easiest. Soon they'll be boisterous. Soon, I'll wish they were timid little mice. It is always an adventure to get to know their personalities. A fresh start. Not every job gets this. I'm lucky.
(FYI: By some miracle, I got to my 47 words on the first try for this one).



Not every job gets this luxury. A fresh slate at the start of every year. New faces that come in: timid little mice at first - some of who will eventually turn into roaring lions after 180 days. I get to see them grow and change throughout that time. Sometimes physically to where they are towering over me. All of them I get to see change emotionally as they mature. Right now, they are stranger, but in May, we'll have strong bonds that will make me get a little teary-eyed when they walk out that door for the last time as freshmen. Sure, there will be moments I cringe and bang my head on my desk, but these are my kids and I wouldn't change any of it for the world.