Category: It’s Monday!

Posts to reflect on my reading week.

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 3/21

IMWAYR 2015

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? –From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.

This week, I was focused on writing. I spent a lot of time working on and thinking about the blog manifesto and other slices from this week. A lot of my reading time was spent reading other blogs and commenting. I did get a chance to go to the library this weekend so I have a few picture books to talk about.

Books I Finished This Week:

Trombone Shorty is a fabulous picture book. I am really excited to share this one with my class. I love the illustrations, especially the ones with collage artwork. They really depict that vibrant sound that is being described in the words. I highly recommend this one.

 

 I actually picked up Imaginary Fred because of the author Eoin Colfer. I like the Artemis Fowl series and other books by this author, so I wanted to see what the picture book was like. I think it is a lovely story about imaginary friends and friendship in general.

 

 

 

Books I am currently reading:

Yes, I am still reading 1Q84. I am up to 90% on my Kindle so there’s that. It will be interesting to see how this story comes together and what ends up happening to these characters. I am only really reading at night before bed and so some nights do not get very far before falling asleep. I am also listening to Queen of Shadows. I am loving this one.

What’s Next?

I don’t exactly know what will come next. I think I will most definitely be spending more of my time writing again this week along with reading blogs and commenting. Report cards are also due this week so there is that as well.

What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 3/14

IMWAYR 2015

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? –From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.

 

Books I Finished This Week:

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The Doll Graveyard by Lois Ruby was the perfect amount of creepy. Students who love ghost stories and creepy mysteries will love this book. I appreciate the way the book does not go over the top with the scary stuff. Kids will be able to identify with the main character who is angry about her parents divorce and her new stepmother. I would recommend this one to grades 4 and up.

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Maggie Malone and the Mostly Magical Boots was a really fun read. Maggie is confused when her beloved aunt sends her a pair of beat up boots for her birthday. The gift arrives after a hard first day at a new school. Then, she discovers that the boots are magical and will transport her into the life of anyone she wishes to be for one day. She spends a day as her favorite rock star and starts to realize that maybe that person does not have as glamorous a life as she once thought. This was a really cute book and I have already thought of which students will love it. I highly recommend it for grades 3 and up.

Books I Am Currently Reading:

This week I spent most my reading time still trying to make my way through 1Q84. I do still like the storyline and I am curious about what will happen, but I am not used to reading such a long book. I am ready to be done with this one. According to my Kindle, I am about 80% of the way through the book, which means there are about 200 pages left. I should be able to get through that amount of reading this week. Wish me luck!

I am also listening to Queen of Shadows. I am really loving the way the plot is developing in this fourth book of the series. It is fun to listen to the book and I really love the narrator of this one.

What’s Next?

The last two weeks I just grabbed a couple middle grade titles off my shelves to read over the weekend. It was nice to be able to get in a couple quick reads. I will probably continue to do this so I can get through some of my book shelves. I also really want to get to Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. I hope that I will finish 1Q84 so that I can focus on other books later this week.

What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 3/7

IMWAYR 2015

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? –From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.

Books I Finished This Week:

22729478Anna, Banana, and the Monkey in the Middle  by Anica Mrose Rissi is a fun read that your early middle grade readers will love. I am looking forward to sharing this one with my low readers who I am sure will be able to connect with Anna and her struggles with two best friends and trying to be fair.

Leroy Ninker Saddles Up by Kate DiCamillo was another fun read that I am excited about sharing with my struggling readers.

 

I had not yet read El Deafo by Cece Bell before now. I am so glad I ordered it and read it! It is another one that I am so excited to share with my students. I love how the author shared her feelings about growing up deaf. I think the book will spur quite a few good conversations about understanding differences and accepting people for who they are and what they can do.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I am still reading 1Q84, of course (I think I will be done with it soon). I am also reading The Art of Asking. I am also listening to Queen of Shadows.

What’s Next?

I am not sure what else I will read. I am really trying to focus on finishing 1Q84. 

What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 2/29

IMWAYR 2015

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? –From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.

Welcome to my new blog!

I bit the bullet this weekend and merged my blogs into one and moved myself to a self-hosted space. I will be working on the appearance and layout throughout the next couple weeks. I hope you like it so far…

Books I finished this Week:

I did not finish any books this week, because I am working to finish 1Q84. It is a looooonnggg book. I hope to finish it this week.

Books I Am Currently Reading:

I am reading 1Q84 and listening to Queen of Shadows by Sarah Maas. This series really had me hooked from the beginning, but it has just gotten more intriguing as it goes. I am really loving this book and really interested to see how this whole tangle will work out.

What’s Next?

I am not sure what will be next. I got Carry On by Rainbow Rowell for Christmas and it is staring at me from the book shelf so I will probably pick that one up. I also have Cutting for Stone to read for book club, but I am not sure we are going to meet this month so I may have more time to read this one.

What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 2/22

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? –From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.

I didn’t post last week so I will be writing about the books I finished in the last two weeks. I had a lot of books going at once, so the list seems impressive, but I really have been reading some of these books for a long time. I do have to say that I am really enjoying the variety of books that I have been reading.
Books I Finished:
Part of my new morning routine is to read some self-help books to think about what I can do to improve my life. I appreciated Ruth Soukup’s advice in Living Well, Spending Less about some things I can do to gain some more control over my finances and my life. I am definitely more interested in her blog now and have been using some of the advice already.
The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman is full of great financial advice. I was surprised at first with how much she links our financial picture to our emotional reactions to money. It was interesting for me to think about that connection. I appreciated the practical advice in this book, but had to skim through some parts that got way more technical than I was ready for. Overall, I am glad I read the book and I have confronted some of my financial challenges honestly.
The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli was a book club pick. I really enjoyed the story and was glad for the book club because I most likely would not have selected this title on my own. It was fascinating and heartbreaking to read about a woman reporter who was living in Vietnam and going into the field to take pictures during the war.  So much was so awful for the people who were there. I appreciated learning more about it through this fictional lens.
I listened to the audiobook of Bone Gap and found myself inventing excuses to put the book on. I loved this story and all of the characters. I thought the narrator did a fabulous job of reading this book as well. I don’t really even have words to describe this one except: you should read it.
Revolution by Deborah Wiles was another amazing read. I loved the primary sources mixed in between chapters. I loved the way there were multiple narrators. I loved that this book helped me to learn more about a controversial time in our history. I loved this book. I highly recommend it. I am definitely going to look for the other books in the sixties trilogy now.
I finished reading The Tiger Rising aloud to my class this week. I wrote about our emotional moments while sharing the final chapters in my Celebrate This Week post. This is the third or fourth time I have read this book, but the first time I did it as a read aloud. I will definitely continue to use this book as a teaching text. I am so glad the TCRWP chose it to be the anchor text in the first unit for fourth grade. If you haven’t already read this one, you need to find a copy and get to it!

Books I am Currently Reading:

I am still reading 1Q84. I am still enjoying it and will still be reading it for quite some time. I am also reading The Art of Asking by Amanda Palmer.

What’s Next?

My book club is reading Cutting for Stone so I will probably pick that up to start it, although I am quite hesitant to do so since it is another long one. I have a stack of middle grade titles from my last Scholastic order that I will probably grab from so that I can get through a few books faster in the next week or so.

What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 2/8

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? –From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.

Books I Finished This Week:

I really enjoyed the audiobook of Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear. The author, Elizabeth Gilbert, read the book and I loved the conversational style of the writing. She has many good points that she makes about being creative and honoring that part of who you are. I enjoyed many of the stories she tells in this book. I think I would like to get a hard copy of this book in order to refer back to some of the ideas. I highly recommend this book.

Books I am Currently Reading:

This is such a long list that I feel like none of the books will ever be finished. I think I need to focus on one of them in order to finish it this week. I am still reading 1Q84, The Lotus Eaters, and 9 Steps to Financial Freedom. I also started listening to Bone Gap and reading Living Well, Spending Less.

 What’s Next?

I will focus on finishing The Lotus Eaters this week. I need to start reading Cutting for Stone since that is my book club’s March selection. Otherwise, I will just focus on trying to finish some of the books I have started.

What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 2/1

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? –From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.

I am reading so many books right now and almost all of them are long ones. Therefore, I only finished one this week even though I am reading a lot.
Books I Finished this week:
Blog, Inc: Blogging for Passion, Profit, and to Create Community was a quick read. I am thinking a lot about how to bring out more of my voice and write more. I will be changing a few things with my blog and working to make it more than it is right now. This book had some good advice, but was more about how to monetize your blog which is not really where I think I will go from here. It also had advice for people who are just starting out with blogging.
 
 
Books I am Currently Reading:
 
   I am reading 1Q84 and will be for quite some time more. I am also reading Revolution by Deborah Wiles and The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli. For personal improvement, I am listening to Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert and reading The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom by Suze Orman.
What’s Next?
   I don’t know what will be next. Right now, I will just hope to finish at least one of the books I have going.
What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/25

 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? –From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.

Books I Finished This Week:
Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan was a really fun read. I was curious about this book because of Jen Vincent. She reads this book every holiday season and I was curious about what would bring her back to it every year. I now completely understand. What a fun book! I love the premise of this book and the scavenger hunt of ideas that occurred in the story.
I was home sick on Friday and had some time to read. I picked up The Thing About Jellyfish and did not move for the few hours that it took for me to finish it. This is a beautiful and heartbreaking story. The author did an amazing job of making me fascinated and very curious about jellyfish. She also pulled at my heartstrings with the description of Suzy’s grief and how she dealt with it. This is a fabulous novel that I highly recommend for middle grades and up.
Currently Reading:
I am still reading 1Q84. I am about a third of the way through this monster. It is still a great story so far. I also started Revolution by Deborah Wiles. I love the primary sources and the way the story is unfolding. I am also reading The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom and Blog, Inc. one chapter at a time as part of my morning routine.
What’s Next?
I need to start reading The Lotus Eaters for my book club in two weeks. I have a hold on a digital copy at the library. I hope it comes in soon. Or else I will have to find my way to a bookstore in the next couple days. I am not sure what else I will decide to pick up to read.
What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/18

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? –From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.

Books I Finished This Week:
Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine, and the Miracle That Set Them Free by Hector Tobar was a fascinating read. There were so many things that surprised me about the lives of these men and the culture that they come from. The story of how the mine collapsed and how the men were rescued is only a part of the story that is told in this book. It was an eye-opening read and I am curious to see which stories they chose to share in the movie. I highly recommend this one for adults. 
A few years ago, I made it a goal to try to read more classics. In fact, I think I even made it a goal to read a classic every month. I am glad that the Sync audiobook program in the summer decided to pair a classic with the more recent YA book each week. I have been able to get to more of the classics with these free audiobooks. I started listening to Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne with my husband on our road trip.  I finished listening this week. I love to listen to audiobooks or podcasts while I cook dinner each day. I am really curious and interested in reading more Jules Verne books now too. 
I loved reading The Adventures of Beekle with my class. This group is such a great group of kids with excellent insights. They notice everything in the pictures so it is fun to read picture books with them. I highly recommend this picture book.  
Books I Am Currently Reading:
I am still reading 1Q84 (surprise, surprise), I also am reading Revolution by Deborah Wiles, and The 9 Steps to Financial Freedom: Practical and Spiritual Steps So You Can Stop Worrying by Suze Orman. I also started listening to Buddha Boy by Kathe Koja. 
What’s Next?
As part of my new morning routine, I am planning to read self-help books. If I finish the Suze Orman book this week, I will start The Five Love Languages. I have a pile from the library that includes Dash and Lily’s Book of Dares and The Thing About Jellyfish. I also have to start reading my book club’s February selection, which I am pretty sure is The Lotus Eaters by Tatjana Soli. 
What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments! 

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/11

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? –From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.

Books I Finished This Week:
I have to admit, I wasn’t sure I would like Dorothy Must Die by Danielle Paige. I am not always a fan of adaptations of stories like this. (I really did not like the book Wicked, for example) However, I really liked this one. It was very imaginative and twisted. I know that teenagers would absolutely love this twist on the classic story. I am very curious to see what happens next in Oz. I recommend this one to teens and adults. 
Books I Am Currently Reading:
I think 1Q84 is going to be on this list for months! It is SOOOO long. I am really enjoying it so far though so I will stick through it. I am also still reading Deep Down Dark: The Untold Stories of 33 Men Buried in a Chilean Mine and the Miracle that Set Them Free. The book reads like a novel even though it is a true story. I am listening to Around the World in 80 Days also. 
What’s Next?
I am not really sure what to read next. I have the book Revolution on my shelf and want to read that, but I haven’t read Countdown and don’t have that one. Do I need to read Countdown first? 
What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments! Have a great reading week!