A great blogger that I follow is Pat Hensley. She frequently posts about marvelous teaching sites (which I'm so grateful for). This morning she shared a link to another blog that provides weekly topics to write about and wrote what her life as a reader has been like so far.
All she had to do is mention going to the bookmobile, and it brought back a flood of memories...
The bookmobile came to our neighborhood, and it was like going to church for me. Especially in the summer. You'd walk up those few steps, open that heavy door, and the cool air would whoosh out and embrace you like an old friend.
As a kid I went through phases and depending on what phase I was immersed in, I'd head for that particular section in the bookmobile. The phases I went through were:
- mythology...I read every collection of Greek and Roman mythological stories. It was a marvelous escape.
- books about saints. I can't figure out why I got hooked on reading about saints--I'm not Catholic--but I really fixated on Joan of Arc. (I think a small part of it was her haircut. I had a pixie haircut when I was a kid and was a tomboy.)
- Alfred Hitchcock Presents...These were collections of scary stories that kept you on the edge of your seat.
- The Three Investigators series...These books were about three boys who solved mysteries; their "office" was in the middle of one of the father's junkyard, and to get there, had built a tunnel through the junk.
- Nancy Drew mysteries...Nancy and her two female friends faced danger and solved mysteries, and they usually did not need any male assistance to do it.
These days I read a variety of types of books. I especially love memoirs. Change Me into Zeus' Daughter. All Over But the Shoutin'. Lit. Lucky. I enjoy novels about other countries and different walks of life. The Kite Runner. A Thousand Splendid Suns. I love authors who can craft a novel that keeps me thrilled with their twisted and turned plots, even though they don't write "thrillers"---authors like Sandra Dallas and Jodi Picoult.
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| photo by finsbry |
Mostly I read on the couch. I usually have a book with me, because I read in the car (when my husband is driving) and we also live by a set of railroad tracks, and getting stuck waiting for a long train is very pleasant when you have a book with you. However, as I have gotten older, one of the most delicious things is taking time on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon to read and...nap.
How about you? What is your life as a reader like?
A little-known children's book is Faithful Elephants: A True Story of Animals, People, and War. It's a book that is read over the radio every year in Japan, in hopes that peace will remain and war will never return...
It is a simple (and true) story. When the war was going on, the authorities worried that if the Tokyo zoo was bombed, the animals would get loose, causing even more injuries. So, they systematically began to euthanize the animals.
When they got to the elephants, injections did not work; their hide was too tough. They had to resort to starving the elephants to death.
Needless to say, it is a heartbreaking story. The elephants have no idea why they are not getting food. They do tricks, trying to please their trainers. In the end, I am always sitting in a pool of tears...
What are books that you use to jar students into digging deep into their conscience? What are some titles that have moved your kids? I would love to hear what your recommendations are...
People who bemoan teachers' three months off drive me crazy, and make me want to go straight for their jugular. The span of summer (a scant two months) is taken up with reading (for pleasure as well as "work" reading), doing as few home projects as I can get by with, and engaging in those little pleasures that I don't have the energy for during the school year.
For instance, I hope to get together with my book group. The last book we read and discussed was Same Kind of Different as Me--a great memoir. I just finished Mary Karr's Lit. She's the author of two other marvelous memoirs. Her perspective is unflinching...The women in our group are spirited and passionate, and sharp-witted. The barbs fly---all in fun---over a great discussion and tasty food.
Jodi Piccoult is an author I have been digging into for the last year or so. It amazes me, but with every one of her books, I read the inside blurb, it doesn't blow me away, but I succumb (because this happens every time)and the plot, the research, the emotional tugging does blow me away. The latest one I read was about a family dealing with a child born with fragile bones. Even on the last page, her characteristic twists kept me guessing. (If you are in the habit like I am sometimes, of reading the first few lines and then turning to the end and reading it, with this book, don't. The end is heartbreakingly surprising.)
That is the sort of fun fare that keeps me occupied this summer as far as reading. I am also engaged in becoming more data driven as a teacher. On my next blog, I'll note some stuff about data and pre-tests and post-tests, how being reflective is crucial, and also, how documentation can help protect educators...
