The 2015 Book Post

This is for my friend over here, but all are welcome to read and wonder, of course.

Last year, I read 100 books, though I do count rereads and audiobooks, so keep that in mind when we're looking at numbers. I shoot for about 100 a year. I will follow R's model and bold recommendations, though some with reservations. Okay, here we go...

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
One Came Home by Amy Timberlake
Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
Golden Son by Pierce Brown
Starstruck by Rachel Shukert
Love Me by Rachel Shukert
Mr. Death's Blue-eyed Girls by Mary Downing Hahn
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
The Lover's Dictionary by david levithan
The Darkest Part of the Forest by Holly Black
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
Graceling by Kristin Cashmore
Yes, Please by Amy Poehler
The End of Innocence by Allegra Jordan
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
To all the boys I've loved before by Jenny Han
Americanah by Chimamanda Adichie
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Sense and Sensibility by Joanne Trollope
Persuasion by Jane Austen
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
The Mime Order by Samantha Shannon
Best Friend's Forever by Jennifer Weiner
The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutowski
Burn for Burn by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
Fire with Fire by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
Ashes to Ashes by Jenny Han and Siobhan Vivian
Then Comes Seduction by Mary Balogh
A Secret Affair by Mary Balogh
The Mysteries of Pittsburgh by Michael Chabon
City of Savages by Lee Kelley
Eighteen Acres by Nicolle Wallace
The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
The Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Girl Underwater by Claire Kells
First Comes Marriage by Mary Balogh
At Last Comes Love by Mary Balogh
Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
The Heir by Kiera Cass
More than a Mistress by Mary Balogh
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
No Man's Mistress by Mary Balogh
The Secret Mistress by Mary Balogh
Everyone Else's Girl by Megan Crane
Names my Sisters Call Me by Megan Crane
Oh! You Pretty Things by Shanna Mahin
The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
The Invasion of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
PS I Still Love You by Jenny Han
Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
Funny Girl by Nick Hornby
The Gilded Web by Mary Balogh
Stay by Allie Larkin
Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith
Little Black Book of Murder by Nancy Martin
The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee
The Heart of Betrayal by Mary Pearson
A Little Night Murder by Nancy Martin
The Woman Who Stole My Life by Marian Keyes
The Wicked and the Divine, vol. 1+2
The Silkworm by Robert Galbraith
A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams
A Bollywood Affair by Sonali Dev
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
Day Four by Sarah Lotz
I'm Glad I Did by Cynthia Weil
The Other Daughter by Lauren Willig
At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen
The Girl with all the Gifts by M.R. Carey
His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novick
The Diver's Clothes Lie Empty by Vendela Vida
Dragon of Jade by Naomi Novick
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson
The Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella
The Coldest Girl in Coldtown by Holly Black
Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling
Red Glove by Holly Black
Bridget Jones' Diary by Helen Fielding
A Long way gone by Ishmael Beah
An ember in the ashes by Sabaa Tahir
Black Heart by Holly Black
The Devil and Winne Flynn by Micol Ostow and David Ostow
Armada by Ernest Cline
Truly, Madly, Famously by Rebecca Serle
The Rest of us just Live Here by Patrick Ness
That Summer by Lauren Willig
The Lure of the Moonflower by Lauren Willig
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason by Helen Fielding
Career of Evil by Robert Galbraith
Jackaby by William Ritter
Beastly Bones by William Ritter
Lafayette in the somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell
Mac/Beth: The Price of Fame Shouldn't be Murder by Michelle Ray

Okay, that's a lot of books. So, to summarize:

Best Books I Reread this Year:
- Bridget Jones' Diary
- The Coldest Girl in Coldtown
- The Scorpio Races
- Anna and the French Kiss
- To Kill a Mockingbird

Best Books I Read for the First Time this Year:
- Americanah
- Persuasion
- Kindred
- Uprooted
- Either Station Eleven or The Royal We (very different books)

Four Minutes to Save the World...

Summer is speeding to an all too soon and unsatisfactory close and I'm trying to wring every last drop out of it. Not sure what the most effective way to do this is...Do I do as much as possible or as little as possible? Do I try and whirl through my unfinished To-Do lists or leave it all for the working year and devote my remaining time to pleasure? One of the problems with the life of a teacher is it's a life of dichotomies. In all fairness, I'm sure that's everyone's life but perhaps it is less pronounced when structured differently. What I seem to end of doing is just kind of muddling around and not making much of any choice at all.

Blame it on those Summer Nights...

Aw, cute. Remember when I was young and blogging was a thing I did? First on livejournal (that was a thing, right?) and then my more respectable blog over here on blogger? I started this blog in 2005, so says my archives. That was ten years ago. I don't really remember what life was like ten years ago. If I wanted to, I could go back and read about what I was comfortable sharing publically about what it was like, but that seems uncomfortable. And like far too much procrastination.

So I'm toying with the idea of blogging again. Isn't it one of those things that has gone so far around the bend that it's almost cool again? No? Maybe? I think I lost any readers I had years ago when I, you know, stopped posting entirely, so it probably doesn't matter one way or the other. This is more an exercise for me. Unless it isn't.

What am I interested in blogging about? Teaching, obviously. Dealing with the fact that, as of next April, I will not have a single Single friend. Body acceptance. Adventure. Writing. Buffy the Vampire Slayer (probably not though). Books. Wine. I don't know.

And let's be entirely honest: I may just be doing this because I don't feel like reading an article on education right now and because I really feel like I need a platform to share how delightful I am finding "To Kill a Mockingbird" on second reading. I have blogged for lesser reasons before.

So I leave you with a moving quote from the article I am reading AND absolutely no promise that I will return to blogging any time soon.

“It hurt even more that although my colleagues called me a good teacher, I still felt that I had failed in the task that was most important to me—teaching black children and teaching them well. I could not talk about my failure then. It is difficult even now. At least I did not fall into the trap of talking about the parents’ failure. I just did not talk about any of it.”

- 'Dilemmas of a Progressive Black Educator' by Lisa D. Delpit

Notes from the Underground

This year marked my second coaching Varsity Cheerleading, an insane decision I made in a moment of weakness inspired by a bunch of pleading girls. If I didn't coach Varsity Cheerleading, there wouldn't be a squad. So I coached Varsity Cheerleading-- me, the non-athletic book/drama nerd. And I discovered that the stereotypes about cheerleaders are true: they are MEAN girls. They wear their nails too long, they fight, and they cry a lot. A LOT. I'm not coaching next year, though mostly because I think the girls need/deserve a coach who actually knows what she's doing, not because of the drama.

But one of my graduating seniors gave me a really sweet note (and some kickin' Bath and Body works lotion and mist...coconut lime is awesome) that almost made me reconsider. ALMOST.

It reads:

"This is a thank you for everything. Thank you for coaching when we didn't have a coach. Mostly, thank you for staying through the bad times. You were very strong through the season and just thank you. I am going to miss you but I will be back."


A few more tidbits from my week...

When discussing valid research sources with a student
Me: Who is the author of this site? You can't use a website unless you can prove to me who the author is and why you should trust that person.
Student: But look, this is from Arizona, so it has to be legit! Arizona!

Overheard between a student and a fellow teacher/friend of mine
Student: What's 1 + 1?
Teacher: Did you really just ask me 1 + 1?
Student: Yeah.
Teacher: 7
Student: See, this No Child Left Behind stuff does not work!

The times they are a-changing...

Assignment: Is the world changing for the better or the worse? Write an essay in which you develop your point of view on this issue, using examples taken from your reading, studies and personal experiences.

Note: This is practice for their final exam essay, which is supposed to be based on SAT essays and SAT format. My students have been taught how to write a quick (25 minute) 3 part thesis, 5 paragraph essay in response to these types of prompts. Well, I hope they've been taught...

A Sampling of responses:
The world is changing for the worse in a variety of different ways. Sneakers, unemployment, and education are a few ideas why I believe so.

Then the use of slang and incorrect grammer which is usually found in the African American community. I don't understand how you was born in American and you are unable to speak correct English, but people from other countries are able to come to America and taking English as there second language and doing better then our so called native speaker...I understand English is one of the hardest languages but if you can't speak it your better off not opening you mouth.

I say without science I think that we wouldn't have known the knowledge to know that the solar system is in space, and also creating molecular bombs and other electronics throughout the world.

In the long run to when this generation becomes old and useless, we will look back on our history and ask is it better or worse than before.

The United States should legalize weed because it is a good thing to calm you down and Doctors say it's a bring you down drug and not a pick you up like crack and other drugs that are really bad for you.

Humans treat the economy these days like it is just a trash can and that is hard enough that we have oil spills and etc.

Just think if technology diden't exist, How would our car run, trains, move, televisions work, phone calls be made and franchise businesses be built. Every thing we use is technology down to even your microwave and electricl can opener.

The Arts created a entertainment to this world. Like plays before this time people rarely saw plays but since Tyler Perry started his plays everybody went to go see them. Now plays are knowned everywhere.

The world is getting worst because of gas prices...People are having fill up their vehicle almost 3 times a week. If you are like my mother she has a big truck and she works far from where we live. In order for her to get to work she is forced to buy lots of gas.

Osama Bin Ladden was the leader of the terrorist and the cause of hundreds of people.

Then abortion is bad because people shouldn't kill a baby and think its ok with that if you pregnant have your kid people think it hard to take care of them. Then it probably easy, female that dont want kid take birth control pills. Its not fair for a unborn baby bout to be in the world life gets taking. Last one is gay marriage because the world was meant for female and males to get married. Not male and male or female and female Adam and Eve was a male and female. Then some states allow that then kids going to think that good to be gay. People dont think about how there parent would feel.

The world is changing for better/worse because of GPS, old people not driving nomore, & polution.

Do you think the world is changeing? I think it's not because all the bad things thats happening in the world today. People are getting shott and killed for dumb reasons...On the news alot of things happen to young people like Trayvon Martin. He was an inosent boy and was killed. Gays wants to take over or get married some support, some not. In history, teachers teach about the holocaust and how it effected people. The world is sometimes mean but certain ones make it that way.

The world is rappedly changeing thing are getting better, but worse at the same time because of war, weed, and Xbox's.

Some current events have done some good for the earth. A good example is the end of slavery.

The world is actually staying the same just with different forms of technology and history will always be the same. Just like the dinosaurs claim for territory ad war were always going on. Two examples of history is first, WWII led by Hitler...Also, the dinosaur's were whipped out just like we have animals going exticnt today and soon so will the humans, seeing how studies show the Y cromosome is slowly fading away and show the males will die-out giving the women no way to reproduce and Humanity will be whipped out...Also, as a weapon to kill the gun is used very similar to that of a dinosaur's teeth or claws which purpose was to kill to claim peace, food, or land which is what we as humans do today.

I think the dinosaur essay was my favorite. You're welcome, internet.

Young Love

Driving home from work today, I saw two large signs posted in a field across from the local private school. They were made of large sheets of plywood and what looked like warning paint; it was bright orange. The first set of plywood sheets read: KATIE. The second: PROM? I'm not sure what the correct sequence of those two words was- KATIE, PROM? or PROM? KATIE but it was sweet.

I hope the private school's prom is later than ours. Ours is Friday, which is leaving things a little late.

And somewhat wiser...

So I'm pretty obsessed with my upcoming 30th birthday. No way around it. Today my 23 year old roommmate was complaining about men with receding hairlines. She refuses to date such monstrosities until she is 30. So by her count I have 3 months, 1 week and 4 days left to find a man with a full head of hair.

But I digress. Today was a day when I was able to feel that I have at least learned a little in my nearly 30 years on this earth. Invaluable wisdom that I may pass on to those younger and/or less intelligent than myself.

My first young grasshopper, my youngest sister, is ten years my junior and attends my alma mater. She also, coincidentally, lives in the same room that I once did. It's the week before finals, and she has planned some end of the year festivities with her suitemates...

MK: We're all going to drink our favorite things. It's our last night to get drunk together. But Emma has to study, so she's just doing the gallon challenge with milk. And Scott is matching us shot for shot with coffee, cuz he needs to study too.
Me: Shot for shot with what? And what are you drinking?
MK: I'm just drinking Corona. I have to get up early for a 9:10 class, so I'm just doing a power hour, and Scott is matching me shot for shot.
Me: You are all morons.
MK: What?
Me: Have you ever done a power hour before?
MK: No.

So I hand out my hard-earned wisdom. I explain to my sister that I doubt she can make it through half a power hour, let alone make it through a power hour and then go to class the next morning. I explain that anyone who consumes 60 shots of coffee is going to find it extremely difficult to sit down and study and or keep from throwing up. And lastly, I share my own experience chugging a gallon of milk during my hazing days, which resulted in puking and days of extremely painful stomach cramps. She seemed skeptical-- they have to learn from themselves-- but said she'd talk to her suitemates.

Later this evening, I was talking to that same 23 year old roommate. She was in rare form tonight.

Example:
R: Can you put mascara on dogs?
Me: No. And don't put your finger in the dog's eye.

Then she told us a story about her college boyfriend who she filed a restraining order against, because when they broke up, he sent her bullets in the mail. She defriended him on facebook, of course, he couldn't call her, and he wasn't allowed to attend any college campus parties she attended. The restraining order ended when she graduated. She said he called a few times but then her step-father called and put at stop to it all. She ended the story with "and then he called me one last time, when I defriended him on facebook again."

Me: Meaning you friended him again? The boy who sent you bullets in the mail?
R: Yeah.
Me: Never friend your ex-boyfriend, who you file a restraining order against, who sends you bullets in the mail. Never. Okay?
R: Yeah, I guess...


Yes. Older, and so much wiser.