Category Book Lists
Best Books of 2016
Can you believe the new year is practically here? Today I’m excited to share my top ten books from the past year. It’s so difficult to pick favorites, but surprisingly, the top ten came out to five fiction books and five nonfiction books without any forced arrangement. The order of these ten is incredibly flexible because I’m […]
2017 Reading Challenge
I’ve never been one for New Year’s Resolutions. Why? Well–they never seem to stick. I even went so far as to look up the definition of a “resolution” to see why I have such a problem with them. According to the dictionary, a resolution is “a firm decision to do or not to do something.” […]
Elizabeth the Queen
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of the royal family. I have a Kate Middleton Pinterest board, a tote bag with Will and Kate’s faces on it, and I am always proud to tell people that I was in London in front of Buckingham Palace on the day of their wedding in 2011. […]
The DNF List
The older I get, the more okay I am with the idea that I don’t have to finish every book I start. If it’s not something I’m going to enjoy, why spend the time reading it? I know this doesn’t sound like something I would normally say, and there are a few exceptions to this–classic […]
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
Do you hear that beautiful sound? It’s Christmas Break calling! Finals for my students began today, and as of 12:15 next Tuesday, I’ll be home free until January. The break couldn’t come at a better time, because I still have a lot of reading to get done if I’m going to meet my fifty book […]
Nine Classic Stories for Halloween
We are about a week away from Halloween, so I thought I’d share with you some great classic books that fit all of the requirements for a good October read. I’m not much of a scary movie person, but every now and then it’s nice to curl up with a suspenseful read. In case you’re […]
The Year of Lear by James Shapiro
It’s been a while since I’ve been able to write a new book review, so today I’m excited to share The Year of Lear: Shakespeare in 1606 by James Shapiro. In case you haven’t been reading the blog long, I’m a bit of a Shakespeare-a-holic, just to warn you. I’ve written a bit about why I […]
In Defense of Difficult Books
Tomorrow I’ll start teaching my first novel unit of the semester, Fahrenheit 451. After my students take their Unit 1 Test, we’ll look together at the introduction and first eight pages and try to set a purpose for reading. As I’ve been planning for this unit, I find myself asking “What is the purpose of […]
All Things Potter
It’s Saturday, and I’ve been away on a retreat with my students, so today was filled with a lot of napping. Tonight I’ll have to buckle down and work on some of my grad school assignments, but first I thought I’d catch up on the blog! This evening I have two Harry Potter-related items to […]
Young Adult Medley
I’m excited to share a few young adult picks with you all tonight. These three books might seem like a random assortment, but they all have one thing in common: They were the summer reading choices for my students this year. I really enjoyed throwing some Young Adult lit into my reading selection for the […]
Book Fifty 