It's Monday! What are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? (#IMWAYR) is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys with a kid/YA-lit spin hosted by Kellee at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

Past Reads: It’s been quite awhile since I’ve posted my Monday reading...crazy time at school lately. Even though I haven’t posted, I’ve done some AMAZING reading (not quantity, but quality). I finished two life-changing books! I know that sounds over-the-top and cheesy, but in reality these books have changed my outlook on life and how I look at other people. If you haven’t already done so, you need to immediately drop everything and read Reality Boy by A.S. King and Wonder by R.J. Palacio. I cannot say enough about these two books...seriously, read them!

I also finished Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper; this one was seriously slow-moving for me. I got into the last third of the book, but I came so close to abandoning this one, and I never abandon books. It’s not my kind of book at all, which isn’t to say others won’t enjoy it. Too bad, too, because I was really excited about trying something different.

Another book I picked up based on recommendations was Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. I really enjoyed this book; it actually reminded me of a more modern To Kill a Mockingbird. I know this sounds sacrilegious, but I think we should look into teaching this instead of Mockingbird.

Current Reads: I’m just starting The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black. I’ve read some AMAZING reviews, so I’m really excited to start it. I’m not normally a vampire-story reader (Twilight was not my thing at all), but I think this book might be my kind of thing. This is also my first young adult Holly Black read, which I’m super-stoked about (read her middle grade Doll Bones earlier this year).

Here’s the goodreads summary of the book:

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown’s gates, you can never leave.

One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

I’m also slowly working my way through The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson. I’m reading it alongside an APLAC student for a nonfiction reading project she’s working on. It was slow going at first, but I’m really starting to get into it. I LOVE the Holmes serial-killer chapters, and I’ve actually started getting into the World’s Fair chapters as well - admittedly, I skimmed those to get to the Holmes chapters early on in the reading process. We’ll be done next week, and I’m glad I can finally cross this off my reading bucket list.

Future Reads: Based on my library checkouts, here’s what’s next: Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock by Matthew Quick, Mind Games by Kiersten White, Picture Me Gone by Meg Rosoff, and Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles. I am SO looking forward to Thanksgiving break for some reading-filled couch-time. Nothing better than being curled up with a bowl of Thanksgiving leftovers and a good book!

        

What are you reading? What have you just finished? What are your top recommendations? Leave me a comment as I'm always looking for books to add to my To-Be-Read list!

It's Monday! What are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? (#IMWAYR) is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys with a kid/YA-lit spin hosted by Kellee at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

Past Reads: What an amazing, inspiring, and uplifting reading week I’ve had...and, I didn’t even read that many books. Two events happened this week that reaffirmed what I’m trying to do for my students - inspire them to be lifelong readers.

First, Simone Elkeles - author of the Perfect Chemistry series and new book Wild Cards - came to visit our school. Our students LOVED her! She had them laughing, asking questions, and most importantly wanting to read! The next day, I had a waiting list for her books. Yes! If you ever have a chance for her to speak to your students, take it!

Second, I went to my first library book sale - why didn’t someone tell me what I’ve been missing?! I got 19 AMAZING young adult novels (most of them BRAND NEW!) for $9...what?!? I cannot wait to share the titles with my students. Thank you McHenry Public Library!

Oh yeah, I also read a couple books. I finished The Evolution of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin in one day, and it’s just that good. If you haven’t read this series yet, do so right now. So good! I also read The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White. It took me some time to get into the story, but once I did, I was hooked. I really enjoyed it, plus I have a newfound interest in Egyptian mythology. We need to start teaching this alongside the Greek gods of Mount Olympus.

                                             

Current Reads: I’m just starting Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper. This is a big departure for me, so I have no idea what to expect. I think it will be a great recommendation for some readers I have a hard time recommending to.

Here’s the goodreads summary of the book:

From Newbery Medalist Susan Cooper, a story of adventure and friendship between a young Native American and a colonial New England settler.

On the winter day Little Hawk is sent into the woods alone, he can take only a bow and arrows, his handcrafted tomahawk, and the amazing metal knife his father traded for with the new white settlers. If Little Hawk survives three moons by himself, he will be a man.

John Wakely is only ten when his father dies, but he has already experienced the warmth and friendship of the nearby tribes. Yet his fellow colonists aren’t as accepting of the native people. When he is apprenticed to a barrel-maker, John sees how quickly the relationships between settlers and natives are deteriorating. His friendship with Little Hawk will put both boys in grave danger.

The intertwining stories of Little Hawk and John Wakely are a fascinating tale of friendship and an eye-opening look at the history of our nation. Newbery Medalist Susan Cooper also includes a timeline and an author’s note that discusses the historical context of this important and moving novel.

Future Reads: We have parent/teacher conferences coming up this week, which usually means a lot less reading time. Assuming I find chunks of time here and there (who needs sleep?), the next two books I’m excited to get to are: Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein and Wild Cards by Simone Elkeles (I can’t let me students get to through this one before me).

What are you reading? What have you just finished? What are your top recommendations? Leave me a comment as I'm always looking for books to add to my To-Be-Read list!

It's Monday! What are You Reading?

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? (#IMWAYR) is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys with a kid/YA-lit spin hosted by Kellee at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts.

Past Reads: A long weekend = a lot of reading time! Over the last few weeks, I’ve read some phenomenal books, books I couldn’t wait to share with my students after finishing them.

    

                                            

Frozen in Time by Mitchell Zuckoff - an enlightening nonfiction read. I learned SO much from this book, plus it’s told as an engaging story, not dry and textbooky. With all of my WWII reading, I’ve never come across this story. It’s not quite Unbroken good, but still a good read nonetheless.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman - I literally read Just One Day in just one day - so good! It has romance, it has Shakespeare, it has travel...I loved it. Of course I immediately put Just One Year on hold at my library because I NEED to know Willem’s story.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me by Lisa Schroeder - this book has been making my female students cry in class for the last few weeks. I snatched it up for the long weekend, and I completely understand their show of unabashed emotion. A beautiful verse novel packed with oh-so-many feelings.

Two Boys Kissing by David Levithan - a poignant and powerful piece of literature. I;m not sure what else to say, other than David Levithan is wonderful for putting this much-needed point of view out there. Beautiful!

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau - I officially ended my self-imposed dystopian hiatus with this book and, man, am I glad I did. This is a much read for fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and Legend.

Current Reads: Due to a student plea, my current read jumped the line, so to speak. I borrowed The Evolution of Mara Dyer from our school library the day after finishing The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer. I’ve put the book off for a few weeks due to some upcoming public library due dates. One of my students recently finished The Unbecoming and is dying for The Evolution. I promised her I’d get right to it; not like she had to twist my arm after how much I love the first book in the trilogy.

Here’s the goodreads summary of the book:

Mara Dyer once believed she could run from her past.

She can’t.

She used to think her problems were all in her head.

They aren’t.

She couldn’t imagine that after everything she’s been through, the boy she loves would still be keeping secrets.

She’s wrong.

In this gripping sequel to The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer, the truth evolves and choices prove deadly. What will become of Mara Dyer next?

Future Reads: Looking back at past posts, I realized I very rarely follow what I write down here. Some new book pops up on twitter, a hold becomes available at the library, or a student insists I read the book he just finished so he can talk about it with someone. Assuming something like that doesn’t happen, here are the books currently stacked up on my nightstand: Embrace by Jessica Shirvington, Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein, The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White, and Ghost Hawk by Susan Cooper. Phew, that’s a lot of good reading ahead of me!

      

What are you reading? What have you just finished? What are your top recommendations? Leave me a comment as I'm always looking for books to add to my To-Be-Read list!