Saturday, August 15th, 2009Books I've Read in My Absence So, I took the summer off from EVERYTHING. I was just so burnt out on life at the end of last school year that I needed a break, and I took it. I taught one month of summer school part time, but other than that, I just enjoyed myself. I crafted, I read (a lot), I ran, and I just generally enjoyed my summer.
But it couldn't last forever. I go back to work on Monday. This is my last free weekend before going back to the chaos that is my life as a teacher. I'm determined to relax all weekend (minus a run tomorrow).
The reason for the sudden return to blogging?? Met Denny Deaton and saw the Heinzel family yesterday after dinner. He pointed out the absence, and I figured it was time to come back and join the real and Humzoo world.
For the first post of my return, I'm going to list the books I've read this summer. Most have been young adult lit books because I've been trying to choose some for my classroom, but I've read some big kid books too. (I am going to leave off the trashy romance novels, as if you've read one, you've read them all.)
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Life, the Universe, and Everything --all by Douglas Adams (I have one more book in the series to read.)
Coraline
The Graveyard Book
Stardust --all by Neil Gaiman
From Dead to Worse --Charlaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse series)
Inkheart --Cornelia Funke
The Phantom Tollbooth --Norton Juster
In Search of Mockingbird --Loretta Ellsworth
Gifts --Ursula K. LeGuinn
The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian --Sherman Alexie
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (again) --J. K. Rowling
Thirteen Reasons Why --Jay Asher
Speak (again...teaching it) --Laurie Halse Anderson
Fledgling --Octavia Butler
There were definitely more, but I've taken most of them to school to populate my bookshelves for my students. As I think of them, I'll add them.
I plan to start Inkspell (the sequel to Inkheart) soon. I also have The Boy in the Striped Pajamas; So Long, And Thanks for All the Fish; and a couple others on deck.
I've also gotten a good start on my masters (finished in October of next year), and started learning to knit. Pretty good summer overall.
What have you all been up to this summer?
On the reading, I've never been a fan and rarely enjoyed the books that the teachers I had forced us to read. The only series I've been able to get into was Harry Potter. I've got a very short attention span and need to be consistantly stimulated. If I don't have something interesting happen in the first chapter I'm not so likely to get to the second. Any suggestions?
GC, My laptop had to be sent off to be worked on, but when I get it back, I'll definitely post pictures. I worked on the baby blanket from hell at the beginning of the summer. It took forever to finish, but it's really pretty. I was so tired of it that I didn't get any really good pictures though.
Trippy, Speak is really good. Also, I left a comment on FB with lesson links. It isn't a lot since I don't have my laptop. When I get that back, I'll leave more.
Ashley, Anything young adult by Neil Gaiman is good; the Inkheart series has kept me interested; 13 Reasons Why is heartbreaking, but excellent...I have more, but I need to figure out what else I read this summer. I know there was more, but for the life of me, I can't remember. I need to start keeping track of all I read on goodreads.com.