Week in Review - Clearing Out the Reading Pile

I made myself stick to books this week and got some that had been sitting around read. It's a huge accomplishment. Now I'm ready for break so I can plow through even more of my stack.

At school

Shooting Kabul by NH Senzai - Just started this today during reading class. Fadi and his family have just escaped Taliban controlled Afghanistan, but his six-year-old sister got lost in the shuffle and doesn't get to go on the move with them to California. Fadi is trying to figure out how to get Miriam back to her family.

At home

I just finished one last night before I went to bed, so I'm not working on anything yet. I did pull one out of my TBR pile, though.

Finished

The Big Crunch by Pete Hautman - This book takes place over the course of a year and is divided by seasons. Fall: Boy and girl meet. Winter: Boy and girl fall in love. Spring: Girl moves away; boy does some boneheaded things. Summer: Boy and girl hope to reunite. Good if you liked Eleanor & Park.

Tape by Steven Camden - This one is really hard to explain. Amelia has to live with her grandma after her parents die in 2013. She finds a box of old cassette tapes and is inexplicably drawn to them. In 1993, Ryan is dealing with his father getting remarried and a new stepbrother after his mom died. He makes some mixtapes and then records a note to his mom. To throw another twist into his life, he's inexplicably drawn to the new girl who is staying with her grandmother. Not sure how I feel about this one yet. It would be good if you liked The Future of Us.

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson - Noah and Jude are twins who are inseparable at 13. They think the same things even though Noah is a bit timid and Jude is a daredevil. Then something happens that tears them apart. Noah narrates their 13-year-old life, and Jude narrates their 16-year-old life. As 16 year olds, they also have to deal with their mom's death. Noah changes a lot, and Jude is struggling with her fancy art school and her new mentor.

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson - Loved this book so much. The idea of not making superheroes into heroes but villains instead is completely intriguing. Sanderson's writing is beautiful and does a great job of really putting you into the series. Good if you liked Gone. Can't wait for the second one in the series.

Up Next

No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale: This is has been in my "I need to buy this" list for quite a while. But who wouldn't want to check out a book with a cover like this:

It's about a murder that happens in a small town. I'm really looking forward to reading it.

Here's some others I'm going to try to read over break:

Althea & Oliver

The Prince Lestat 

Reading Week in Review - Reading Hangover

It's been an odd week for reading for me. Reading The Bell Jar put me into a funk. Not in a bad way - but when I REALLY like a book and really enjoy the writing - everything I try to read after it for a while falls very short and leaves me wanting something better. Finding books like that is fabulous - and honestly probably doesn't happen enough, but man is the "comedown" horrible. I've been slowly trying to read a few pages at night, and all I can think is "This is nothing like The Bell Jar. I want something better!" It's a horrible feeling. Especially when I'm pretty sure the books I'm reading are good; they just aren't AS good, so I judge them for that. Totally not fair to the book or the author.

At school

Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson - My husband has been trying to get me to read this since it came out. It was at the book fair, so I decided to grab it. I finally started it last week, and despite my book funk, this is a really good book. People have become "epics" (basically superheroes) but most are using their powers for bad and trying to control the normal people. This reminds me a lot of the TV series Heroes. Good if you liked the Gone series.

At home

I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson - I loved Jandy's The Sky Is Everywhere, and a lot of bloggers have been bragging about how great this book was. I have to admit that it looked interesting - twins that were practically inseparable and then three years later have nothing do with each other? Sure, why not. Nelson writes this in a different format, too. She has one twin the story from when they were inseparable, and then the next chapter is three years later from the other's point of view. You have no idea why they aren't talking anymore. It's been an interesting puzzle to piece together.

Finished

Enclave by Ann Aguirre - This was very high paced and high action. It was a great blend of zombie (which I don't typically like) and post-apocalyptic. Consider it a mash up of The Hunger Games and The Enemy series. 

The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - I'm going to do a separate post about this book because it was so good. I'm still kicking myself for waiting for so many years to read it because it definitely is now one of my favorite books. And mostly for the writing in it because it was so beautiful.

Up next

I'm really not sure yet. I think it is time to randomly pick something from my to-be read piles. Goodness knows they are tall enough...

Reading Week in Review - Feeling Accomplished

I forgot I had some reading for work last week (very exciting stuff on grading and how to adapt it), so I didn't get as much free reading done as I want. And, even though I was home sick one day last week, I didn't feel like reading much that day. But, I still finally finished a book I've been taking too long on, so that made me feel rather accomplished. Didn't even buy new books this week - that is a rarity.

At work

Enclave by Ann Aguirre - This is the first in a trilogy. It would be good for you if you liked The Hunger Games or The Maze Runner series. It's dystopian and takes place underground. The world has been taken over by "freaks" (zombies), and everyone who is underground is very controlled (their job is picked for them, they don't get to chose who they marry, etc.). It's very fast paced, and very much a story of survival.

At home

Just finished Belzhar last night, so I haven't really started anything else yet.

Finished

The Program by Suzanne Young

I still can't decide whether I liked this book. It takes place in the present future, and suicide is now considered a sickness among teenagers. It's become such an epidemic that states have developed a "cure." The cure is drugging teens enough that they feel nothing. And remember much less than they did when they went in to the treatment. And that's what really bothers me. I don't like the idea of messing with memories. Good or bad - they're there for a reason. They give us an opportunity to remember and learn from our previous experiences. I don't like that they make everyone into "sheeple" and that they take away feelings. True, teenagers are a bit dramatic, but you shouldn't make them into non-beings, which is what these drugs do. Perhaps this book could be used a little more as a warning about all the drugs/treatments we pump into our bodies?

Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer

This was Wolitzer's first foray into YA lit. It was OK. Some of her ideas weren't as flushed out as in her previous books. It almost seemed like she thought she had to write less because she was writing for a younger audience, and I think the book suffered a bit because of that. Still, it's an interesting look into 

The Magicians by Lev Grossman

So much to say about this book that I honestly don't know where to begin - and I don't want to give it away. The easiest way to explain it is that it is an adult version of a mash-up of Harry Potter and the Chronicles of Narnia. I highly recommend this. I'll definitely be reading the rest of the trilogy. 

Up Next

Thanks to Belzhar, I'm going to push off Prince Lestat and go ahead and read The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. 

Is ADM safe?

This is a hard question because there are so many options/points we could look at to determine if  our school is safe.

Is it safe from outside attacks?
Is it safe from bullying?
Is it safe from intruders?

To a degree, we can answer yes to all of these questions. But, it also is a matter of perspective and a matter of instance.

Teens are smart; they're not going to pick on kids right in front of a teacher. But am I naive enough to think that there aren't people picking on someone out in the halls? After school? Before school? On social media? Through texting?

No.

And sadly, I can't stop that unless it is made known to me.

I've said it many times this year, and I'll continue to say it. While you may not feel safe anywhere else, my goal as a teacher is to keep you safe for the 43 minutes you are in my classroom. You all know that I won't tolerate anyone being rude to you in my room. This will be a safe place. No exceptions.

Ever.

Because we all need that one safe place.

Two weeks in a row!

I was on a mission last week to get some books finished up - and I did do that for the most part. I've still been hauling books back and forth between home and work, so I'm not going to divide them up this week.

Reading

The Program by Suzanne Young - I've had this in my to-be-read pile for quite a while at home. A former student asked if I had read it or even had it last week, so I decided to pick it up. It is about the US in the future, and teen suicide is now an epidemic. Some states have developed a program to cure the issue. The problem, though: the program completely wipes their brains. The book follows one teen as she goes into the program and what she does to fight it.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman - Got a little farther into it, but not much. Still making myself finish this one before I move on to the new Anne Rice book.

Finished

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa - This series is still keeping my interest. Kagawa does a great job of introducing new story lines without it feeling repetitive and boring. But, she's also staying true to the heart of the series. 

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer - I wasn't crazy about this one. It's vague in a lot of places, but then again, I could have sped through this book just to get closer to that Anne Rice carrot in front of my face. Still, if you liked The Hunger Games, you would most likely like this book. Not sure I'll read the rest of the trilogy, though.

Up Next

• Anne Rice - Prince Lestat
• Ann Aguirre - Enclave