poem - 20 questions

The Journey

Is it time yet? Are we almost there?
Why does it always seem to drag? And why,
when it gets here, do I not want it to end?
 But why do I still crave that fresh start?
Am I the only one? Or do the other bodies
in the room - in the building - desire the same thing?
Why do we always look to the "end"?
Why can't we enjoy the ride?
Isn't that the main goal? To enjoy the ride?
Isn't that what we really learn from?
Why do we rush? Why do we not slow down
and take everything in? Wouldn't that make it
more enjoyable? Wouldn't we be more at peace?
If we always just rush to the end, what are we missing out on?
The real lesson? The real point?
Is anyone listening, thinking about this?

Poem example - simile

Bleak World

The world seems like death
Just a lot of little (and sometimes big) sticks
That's all you see dotting the landscape

They mock me
It's like I can hear Nelson's laugh
"Ha, ha."
Or the Soup Nazi
"No green for you."

It seems to drag on and on
It never wants to end
Just lasts forever
     Much longer than the warmth

But eventually it will lose the battle
Little green will start popping up
No more brown will carpet the ground

And then I can mock it
I can laugh like Nelson
"Ha, ha, winter. You've lost again!"

Reading Week in Review - Lackluster break

I started off break reading quite a bit. Then it kinda ground to a halt. I'm blaming decorating for Christmas. Still got some good books read, though, so at least I made a dent in my pile. And I didn't buy any new books, so the piles are actually smaller!

At school

Because of break, I'm still working on Shooting Kabul. Not much farther than I was last week.

At home

Althea & Oliver by Christina Morchado - Absolutely love this book. The two title characters have been best friends since they were little kids. Althea has stronger feelings for Oliver, but Oliver refuses to have her act on them. And then things become very difficult. Suddenly, Oliver will go to sleep for weeks at a time - and not remember anything that happens during that time (he is "awake" for very brief periods during that time). Powerful writing

Finished

No One Else Can Have You by Kathleen Hale - Craziness ensues when there's a murder in a small Wisconsin town. Secrets - because we all know small towns have them - are revealed. If you like dark comedy - this book would be a great choice.

Kill Alex Cross by James Patterson - Patterson's mysteries are my brain candy/brain break books. Just a quick read that keeps me entertained. I'll never say these are great works but they keep me interested. And, I can't deny that he does a great job of keeping you on the edge of your seat while you're reading.

Up Next

Honestly, I'm not sure. I think How to Build a Girl will be next at home, and then maybe Girl Stolen at work.  As long as it is out of my "to-read" pile, I'll be fine :)

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

Catching Up on My Reading List

Wow. It's been more than a month. But, my blogging takes a huge nosedive when I start reading through short stories. It's hard to want to read or write when you've been reading for work for multiple hours a day. So, my finished list is a little longer than normal. I'm going to keep up with this again since I won't have any writing to grade for a while. 

Reading

I'm not even going to break up my reading list right now because I've been carting books back and forth (which is part of the reason this list is a little longer than usual). I forget to bring the book back to school and then start another one. I've also had a little bit of reading ADD because nothing has been holding my attention.

The Iron Queen by Julie Kagawa (third in a series) - Puck, Ash and Megan think that they've been banished from the fey so they won't have to deal with the war with the Iron King (the false one) again. Wrong. Their fate twists so they are sucked back into the petty fighting between the Summer and Winter fey.

The Magicians by Lev Grossman - Yup. Still reading this more than a month later. Remember that ADD I was talking about? This book was the biggest victim. 

How to Build a Girl by Caitlin Moran - I've been looking at this one since it came out in September. It's about a 14-year-old girl who is trying to find her place in the world. I thought it would be a good one for the classroom, but nope - slightly inappropriate for freshmen (it's one of those that I talked about during Banned Books Week; not one I feel comfortable having on my shelves but wouldn't tell you that you couldn't read it). Let's just say the main character isn't so innocent.

Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer - I forgot The Iron King at home one day, so I picked this one up from my to-read box behind my desk. It's short, so I thought I could plow through it - but the next day I brought The Iron King again. So, now this one is sitting on my bookcase. This takes place in the future in an undisclosed location. Eleven previous groups have taken an expedition to Area X, but all have failed (a lot of them have ended in death). This follows four women (you only know them by their job title psychologist, anthropologist, biologist and a surveyor. They find out all kinds of secrets about the area. This trilogy is a little unique because the author is going to release all three in this calendar year. I know the second one is out, but I'm not sure if the third one is yet or not.

I was going to put down the third one in the Daughter of Smoke & Bone but I hadn't read it since AUGUST. So I've decided that one just needs to be abandoned for a bit. 

Finished

*I'm going to be lazy and not discuss these because there are so many. Feel free to ask me about my thoughts and opinions of them. I honestly did booktalks on all of them, so if you've been in class - you know about them!

The 57 Lives of Alex Wayfare by MG Buehrlen

The Madness Underneath by Maureen Johnson

Delirium by Lauren Oliver

Cress by Marissa Meyer

Ungifted by Gordon Korman

Variant by Robinson Wells

Feedback by Robinson Wells

The Dirt by Motley Crue  

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

The Iron Daughter by Julie Kagawa

Up Next

Prince Lestat by Anne Rice - You have NO idea how excited I am about this one. I have been waiting for it since Anne Rice announced it. I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Anne Rice. Like enough that on one of my trips to New Orleans, my friends and I sat outside of her house because there was a limo outside. We were hoping to get a glimpse of her. No dice. Anyway, I will buy any Anne Rice book as soon as it comes out, and this one is no different. But, I'm trying to practice some control; I'm not going to start it until I finish The Magicians. We'll see if that lasts. Anyway, a few years ago, Rice said she had finished her Vampire Chronicles. Thank goodness she was wrong! This is probably my favorite series; I can't tell you how many times I've read Interview with the Vampire. The series is wonderful (minus Tale of the Body Thief that one wasn't the greatest), so I'm excited to hear more about the exploits of the Brat Prince, Lestat.

Standing Ovation for Cory Doctrow

When I first heard about Washington High "banning" Little Brother by Cory Doctrow, I immediately felt shame because I lived and worked in Pensacola for six years. I didn't even want to be connected to a town who felt that action was OK (although at least I wasn't like a few of my friends who were alums of that school - they were really upset).

But, honestly, knowing Pensacola, it didn't surprise me. It's not really a radical town; conservative is a mild way of explaining the town. That still doesn't excuse this behavior. It is just wrong to tell kids they can't read something.

I was proud of the English teachers for continuing to fight against their principal about deleting the book from the summer program because he "didn't like it" (even though he didn't read it; I'm not sure how you don't like something you don't try). I was proud of the commenters on the news articles saying they were going to go out and buy it. I was proud of the students for still wanting to read the book.

But Cory Doctrow was just amazing. Sending free copies of the book? Making a video to talk to the students about their book being banned? Awesome. It took two easy steps to show that he cared - and he didn't even care that someone might not like his book, because he understands that not everyone has the same likes/dislikes. He just cared that kids were being denied the possibility of finding something they enjoyed reading.

We should never take books out of kids' hands. Like Doctrow, we should be putting them IN their hands.

So, bravo, Cory Doctrow, bravo!