Christmas Reads...so far

Such a busy time of the year, isn't it?  Should we feel guilty for not having read enough Christmas books?  Maybe, I do.  Or...maybe...due to all the busyness, reading three is just an accomplishment!

So far, this Christmas season, I have read the following:

1. The Christmas Train by David Baldacci:  This one I read for local Paper Chase Book Store's Book Club.  As I read, the plot began to return, as I began to remember having read this one before.  Romance and mystery and history...all combined...made this one an enjoyable read...again.
2. Noel Street by Richard Paul Evans:  Single mom Elle meets Vietnam War veteran William, and each learns how one's past leads to a better future.
3. Peppermint Tea and Purple Socks by Suzy Taylor Oakley:  Written by a home-town author, I so enjoyed supporting my friend Suzy and, also, diving into this mystery romance set in a book store.  A favorite book setting of mine! 

Now, to finish some books already begun...have four for-sures to finish...and I have a Nora Roberts' trilogy that I have purposefully waited until this Christmas Break to read...and I have one more Christmas e-book to complete this season's reads.  But...even if I were to finish all seven of these novels, I will fall short of my one-book-a-week goal.  But...this has been such a busy year (new job this fall!)...so...shall we remove that but and shall I be excited...in a supercalifragalisticexpealodocious sort of way...that I will nearly complete my goal?!  Yes!  I am!

Happy reading!

Fall Reads...So Far

I am behind on my reading goal!  There.  

Why?  Shall we lay the blame on my new job?   A busy fall schedule?  Yes!  All good reasons...but...

Then The Strep arrived and sat me down to rest, sleep, recover...which all coordinated with papers all graded also...so the curse became a blessing, as I finished three novels (on my fourth now!)...yay!

Here are my brief thoughts on the above three and  two more read this fall for another book club (Yes, book clubs do seem to dominate my choice of book titles right now!):

Buried Lives by Carla McClafferty (ALA Book Club)

Set on Mt. Vernon during the time George Washington lived there (or not, as he was off fighting for and helping create this nation), this book focuses on the lives of the slaves of Mt. Vernon.  An interesting fact:  slaves belonged to a person, not a household; thus, some belonged to George, while others belonged to Martha.  The ownership of the slaves were part of inheritance passed down each side of the family.  I learned much as this one is well-researched by Arkansas author Carla McClafferty.

Weary Road by James Babb (ALA Book Club)

Initially,  the setting begins in Salem, AR, and tells the life of a dog named for this town during the Civil War.  Salem becomes the mascot for Company that main character Travis joins when he sets out to find Salem, also finding along the way a family he has never had. Captured, Travis spends time in a prisoner camp and experiences all the atrocities of that life and is later released to board the doomed ship the Sultana.

1. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owen (WRLC Bk Club/Oct and Paperchase/Oct)
2. The Cheerleaders by Kara Thomas (SCHS Student Book Club)
3. The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs (WRLC Bk Club/Sept)

Books...and More Books!

Bringing home more books is the best reward after attending a two-day literacy conference...right?

My total haul:

• three new books from a local Arkansas author
• four used books from my now favorite bookstore in Conway, AR...Book Traders...one I purchased (The Last Apprentice:  Seventh Son) and three I selected from the free box!  Yay!  Building my class library...from scratch.  
• one new book (Thunderhead...book 2 of the Scythe series...found in the bargain section!)...I just had to stop at Books a Million
• eight more books total = wow!

Then...when I arrived home, waiting in the mail, two more books!  

• Where Dandelions Bloom by Tara Johnson, author/speaker at our church's women's conference
• The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs by Katherine Howe...who also write The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane...one of my all-time favorite books!)

Then...just this evening, my husband asked again for books two and three in the Divided We Fall Series...found them both at thriftbooks.com...for a good deal!  AND just went ahead and purchased three more sitting in my cart there:

• Truthwitch...one of the books talked at today's conference...and the first in this series.
• The Forgetting...a young adult novel on the Arkansas Teen Book Award nominee...need to read the five so I may vote.
• Lilac Girls...one we will read for The Paper Chase Book Club in September.

I love books...

Now, to get back to reading my current read The Diabolic...sure wish I could remember for what book club I purchased this one...or who recommended it?!

What recent book purchase remains your favorite?

Happy reading!

Poetry Challenge 2019

The challenge is back! This challenge I created last year...during the month of April...because the idea was born...right then! Yes, I love the idea...almost as much as I love the month focused on writing poetry. The idea is to write poetry. Just that simple!


Without further ado, please read on. Won't you join me this year?

Dates: April 1-30 - Yearly


Choose an Option:

• Challenge 1 - The Epic: A poem a day...yes, everyday! You choose the topics and types of poetry you prefer. 
• Challenge 2 - The Sonnet: A poem every other day (evens or odd) and write at least 14 days this month. 
• Challenge 3 - The Limerick: A poem at least five times, for you are just here to have a good time and learn about yourself as a poet (aren't we all, though?) 
• Challenge 4: The Haiku: Three poems...as short as you would like them, for you just prefer to dabble a bit and want to attempt this challenge. 

Winners!

• One winner from each category will be awarded a prize! Yes, that prize will definitely include poetry! 

How to Sign UP:

Sign UP below in the comments by giving your name (first name is fine!) and a link to where you will be publishing your poems.

OR

Post a link in any TG Poem Post (I plan to post daily!) in the comments, being sure to include a link to your blog. Add another comment when you have completed the challenge.

I look forward to your endeavor and the spirit behind the challenge being met.

Good luck!

The Empowerment of Re-Reading Books

As I finished a three-meeting book club last evening where we chatted with author Colby Sharp about his and Donalyn Miller's book Game Changer...and then as I completed a multiple re-read of To Kill a Mockingbird last night, the topic of empowerment of re-reading a text tugs gently. 

I cringe a bit when I recall my response at times when students have asked if they could reread a book...then the memory clears as I recall that non-reader wanting to read Gary Paulsen's Hatchet for the tenth time...and the second time that year.  Know that kiddo, do you?

Then, I recall the students who wanted to reread the Harry Potter series...and how much fun we had diving back into several of those books during lunch and meeting Harry and all his friends at a different stages in our lives.  Fun...and totally different books! 

This semester, I again reread To Kill a Mockingbird with my sophomores.  Such a powerful book.  Always engaging with current events...ever since the first time I taught the book 20+ years ago.  Why?  Will we never learn from history?  I am getting very close to being able to answer that definitively...with, no.  No, we are not learning...not as much as we should, at least.

In Game Changer, the authors, too, encourage rereading a text...and encouraging students to do so after some time has passed.  Fun listening to them meet their "friends" again on the pages of novels that remain dear to them.

Another reread I am currently enjoying is Oswald Chambers' My Utmost for His Highest.  A powerful book full of nuggets, this one speaks to me again.  I am also enjoying the discussions centered around this book with my Bible Study Gals, as this is the book they chose to read and discuss for 2019.   

So tell me, what book have you reread lately?  Or a novel you would enjoy diving into again?

Happy reading!

Book Clubs for 2019

I do love book clubs.  So far this year, I am participating in the following:

• Arkansas Reading Association:  Currently, we are reading Game Changer and chatting with author Colby Sharp online about his and Donalyn Miller's new book.  

• The Paper Chase Book Club:  Last week, I finished The Optimist's Daughter by Eudora Welty for March's meeting...and last night, I finished The Things We Keep by Sally Hepworth (February's book).  Caught up, I am!

• BHS Reads...aka TG Reads:  This group is about to dissolve...as I am switching schools next year, but for now, I am adopting Colby Sharp's Facebook book of the month Atomic Habits for February and Leading a High Reliability School for March.  Go me!

• Women's Bible Cafe:  Throughout the upcoming year, one of the discussion leaders has chosen The Left Behind Series, and I have decided to quit looking at this series on the shelves and engage in their storylines.  Currently, I am about half way through the first book.  Interesting!
• Young Adult of the Month:  I am challenging myself to read one young adult a month.  For February, I hope to finish The Hate U Give...a good choice, one I have begun and put down when I dived into some of the above others.

What is your favorite book club?  What are you reading good?!