Mockingjay

I finally finished the Hunger Games series. It is definitely my new favorite. I recommend it to everyone- boys, girls, young, old. I think that's one of the amazing things about these books- they can be enjoyed by everyone. Read it. Seriously.

One thing I really love are the character's. Collins does such an amazing job of describing them and especially their relationships with each other. The reader gets the love story (thought many people did not like the end), battles, themes. Ya' know- the good stuff. It's easy to read but not a waste of time type book.

I could talk all day about it. But I won't. I need to read Frankenstein for class. 

Favorite quotes:

"But collective thinking is usually short lived. We're fickle, stupid beings with poor memories and a great gift for self-destruction" Page 379

"What I needed is the dandelion in the spring. The bright yellow that means rebirth instead of destruction. The promise that life can go on, no matter how bad our losses. That it can be good again." Page 388

"I'll tell them how I survive it. I'll tell them that on bad mornings, it feels impossible to take pleasure in anything because I'm afraid it could be taken away. That's when I make a list in my head of every act of goodness I've seen someone do. It's like a game. Repetitive. Even a little tedious after more than twenty years. But there are much worse games to play." Page 390

The Help

I bought this book a while back, but it kept getting pushed to the bottom of the pile. A few people borrowed it and read it before I had time. But finally, I was able to finish it.

It was fabulous. I loved the dialect, the organization, and the depiction of the historical setting. Stockett did a great job! The plot kept me intrigued and the pages a flippin'. I loved the characters that narrated the story and the different point of views the story was told through. The relationship between the characters was impressive too. Stockett illustrated the tension filled friendship between the narrators in a way that made the reader understand the tension of the time and the struggles even those who looked past color had to face. And of course, what the story was trying to show, I was mesmerized by the relationship between whites and their help. It showed me just how horrible things were at that time. I had never heard it described that way.

What I didn't love was the ending. And for that, you will have to read it yourself. You should do that soon too; so, you can see the movie. :)

My favorite quote from the book: "Wasn't that the point of the book? For women to realize, We are just two people. Not that much separates us. Not nearly as much as I'd thought."

And one more: "All I'm saying is, kindness don't have no boundaries."

June Books

I actually listened to this book on tape while I ran (which is my new favorite thing). 

Overall, I really enjoyed it. Its overall message is that everything we do has an affect on someone- good or bad.  Ultimately, how we treat others can profoundly influence his life. It reminded me a little of "Hate List"- the meaning, not the plot. Great book. I recommend it. Not my favorite.

Here's a short synopsis of the novel: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1217100.Thirteen_Reasons_Why

BTW- this book is going to be a movie at some point. I believe it is going to star Selena Gomez as the lead.

My first running book. And one of the few non fiction books I have read (I am forcing my students to read one as their summer reading so I figured I should too).

I love it! It's funny, well written, and extremely intriguing- even if you don't run. It made me rethink all the running clothes, shoes, socks, etc that I spend too much money on. Maybe the barefoot running thing works? But I am too much of a whiner to figure it out. :)

Here is the link to a review (other people do a much better job than me): http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/06/19/AR2009061901078.html

A Few Classics

I received a stack of about 10 books that I would be teaching this school year, so I have been slowly, and I mean slowly, working my way through them.

The first one is the ever popular "To Kill a Mockingbird"

 

I read part of this book in college but never got interested, so I didn't finish it. I used Spark Notes for the test.... judge if you wish. I'm not ashamed.

I enjoyed it much more the second time around and can't wait to teach it! So many great quotes to be discussed. A couple of my favorite are:

"They're certainly entitled to think that, and they're entitled to full respect for their opinions... but before I can live with other folks I've got to live with myself.  The one thing that doesn't abide by majority rule is a person's conscience."

"I wanted you to see what real courage is, instead of getting the idea that courage is a man with a gun in his hand.  It's when you know you're licked before you begin but you begin anyway and you see it through no matter what.  You rarely win, but sometimes you do."

The second book is "Of Mice and Men"



I am not a huge fan. Definitely will be great for teaching imagery, so that's what will be done. And maybe a good Euthanasia debate to spice things up?

Catching Fire and Bet Me

As with the first book of the series, Hunger Games, I loved this book! A-MAZ-ING! Collins has great character development as well as plot set-up. She provides all sorts of twists which had me hooked from page one. I can't say enough good things about these novels. I think everyone should read them. I don't really feel like summarizing this one; you should just read it!

And for the not so fun book:

This book was very entertaining to read. It made me laugh. It was "cute". It was also annoying and not quite original.

The main character is always complaining about how fat she is. Her mom is controlling and won't allow her to eat carbs or butter. Ya know- the typical rich, pretty mom/ chubby daughter relationship. Min (the main character) gets dumped by her boyfriend and then is taken to dinner by the sweet, charming, hott guy who swoops in to save her from herself.

The have a tumultuous courtship because they are both overcoming their relational demons. They have a weird food/ weight obsessed relationship, and a few weird moments that ruined Krispy Kreme donuts for me forever. Cal (the hunk) calls Min "full" many times. Which made me chuckle. I can see Chris coming home and saying, "Hey babe, you're looking mighty full in that dress." He'd be sleeping on the couch.

Anywho, despite family, ex's, and insecurities they fall in love and live happily ever after.

Hunger Games

Awesome. Stinkin' fantastic. Amazing. Wonderful. 

No wonder it's a New York Times Best Seller, USA Today Best Seller, ALA Top Ten Book for Young Adult Literature, and so on. It's a long list. Why? Because it's awesome. stinking fantastic. amazing. and wonderful.

Someone recommend this book to me a few weeks ago and I kind of pushed it off. That didn't last long because from then on this book was everywhere. I was working on summer reading lists and it was on many I looked at. It was recommended by friends and friends of friends. It wouldn't go away, so I made a trip to Barnes and Noble and bought it. Even though I knew I wouldn't like it because it's not "my type" of book. Whatever that may be.

So here's the summary as told by Lev Grossman in "Catching Fire: Suzanne Collins' Hit Young-Adult Novels" which appeared in TIME.

"The Hunger Games is set in an unspecified future time when things have gone pretty spectacularly badly for humanity. The world, or the bit of it we can see, is dominated by a ruling caste who live in luxury in a city called the Capitol. The rest of us live like peasants in 12 districts that are strictly cordoned off from the Capitol and one another. Life in the districts sucks: it's mostly hard labor--mining coal and farming and working in factories--in dismal conditions.
To make things even dismaler, once a year each district is required to give up two of its children, chosen by lottery, and enter them in the Hunger Games. The kids are dropped into an enormous arena strewn with traps and hazards, with a heap of weapons and supplies in the middle. The last child alive wins a lifetime of luxury and celebrity. The action is filmed and broadcast to the entire world.
We experience this ordeal through the eyes of Katniss, a resident of District 12, a harsh, cold region mostly given over to coal-mining. She is a passionate 16-year-old who hates the Capitol and is devoted to her family; she volunteers for the Games to take the place of her sister, whose name came up in the lottery. Katniss is a skilled hunter and sheer death with a bow and arrow. She doesn't like to kill. But she doesn't want to die either.
Whereas Katniss kills with finesse, Collins writes with raw power. After a life spent in freezing poverty, Katniss experiences pleasure--warmth, food, pretty clothes--with almost unbearable intensity, and that's where Collins' writing comes alive. (Not sex, though. The Hunger Games isn't just chaste, like Twilight; it's oddly non-erotic.) Likewise, Collins brings a cold, furious clarity to her accounts of physical violence. You might not think it would be possible, or desirable, for a young-adult writer to describe, slowly and in full focus, a teenage girl getting stung to death by a swarm of mutant hornets. It wasn't, until Collins did it. But rather than being repellent, the violence is strangely hypnotic. It's fairy-tale violence, Brothers Grimm violence--not a cheap thrill but a symbol of something deeper. (One of the paradoxes of the book is that it condemns the action in the arena while also inviting us to enjoy it, sting by sting. Despite ourselves, we do.)"

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1919156,00.html#ixzz1P5maqbJx

Before I Fall

I'm not sure how I feel about this book. I finished it yesterday on the ride home from Tulsa and have been thinking about it ever since, but I didn't really like it. I mean, it was entertaining and I couldn't stop reading it, but I wasn't a huge fan of the ending.

*Spoiler alert*

The reader knows at the beginning how the book will end. Samantha begins by dying which means that's  how it will end(though I kept hoping something miraculous would happen).  She's a popular girl who is characterized as the mean popular girl everyone is familiar with from other books and movies. She dies in a car accident- which of course involves drinking. She then wakes up the next morning like nothing has happened, but it's still the same day. She relives the day 7 times- perfecting it each day. She changes her actions, and by doing so, changes fate. She still dies at the end, but she dies saving a life.

My issues with the book: 1.) She dies in a drunk driving accident. A problem in high schools all over the country. And it's not addressed. I mean, when she finally perfects her day she isn't drinking- but still. It's not a big deal. For something that causes so many deaths it should have been addressed more in this book that is targeted at young adults. 2.) Drinking is a way of high school life. And yes, I know it is in real life, but in this book it was ridiculous- and it was  portrayed as okay. 3.) She falls in love on the 6th and 7th day knowing she is still going to end the day by dying. This was just me being a romantic. I wanted her to live so she didn't break her new beau's heart. But she does anyway. She does knowingly, which irritates me. 4.) When Sam finally does actually die, she dies differently. She is killed while saving the life of a girl whom she had picked on and was about to commit suicide. This is all fine and dandy, but I think the girl would have more to live with after the incident. I don't feel it would help her, knowing that someone died saving her life. And really, wouldn't the whole "mean girl crew" just be mad at the person who caused their friend's death.

Overall, I don't think I liked  it.

Something Blue

This is the sequel to Something Borrowed. At the beginning, I struggled to enjoy the books because the main character was someone I extremely disliked in the first novel- which I believe is what the author was going for. However, I quickly learned to like her and thoroughly enjoyed the book. It's about heartache, friendship, love, and being the best person you can be.

I really like this author because she creates interesting, well developed characters. She also created endings that are not as predictable as other chic lit authors. I highly recommend her. Her books are good for summer time reading! :)

Humbled

This is my new toy. And boy do I love it.

You know what I love even more? My students bought it for me. Not all of them- 6 of them. It was my going away/ birthday present.

This was my reaction:

I was seriously shocked. Like had no idea what they were up to.

The also bought me this:

 and this:

I'm not quite sure why they did, but I have never been so humbled by something. Ever. It was the first true surprise I have had in years- maybe ever. I have never felt so undeserving. I still feel that way, but I'm loving my nook.

Something Borrowed

Loved this book! It is well written, funny, and not as predictable as many "chick lit" books.

It's about a girl realizing that life's too short to follow all the rules. About learning to stand up for herself. And about being okay with who she is.

It's also the first book I read on my new Nook. But that's another post.

My New Classroom Quote

A truly good book teaches me better than to read it. I must soon lay it down, and commence living on its hint. What I began by reading, I must finish by acting.

-Henry David Thoreau

Hate List

I haven't been "wowed" by a book in a while, until yesterday. A friend recommended this novel, which was recommended to her by her students.

It. Is. Awesome.

It not only entertained me from page one, it made me think, it made me laugh, and it made me cry. It made me rethink my classroom set-up, my interaction with students, my interaction with teachers, and quite honestly opened my eyes to a world of bullying that I know goes on between my students, but I choose to ignore on many occasions.

It's a book everyone needs to read.

Water for Elephants

I finally finished! Woohoo. It only took a few months.

Unfortunately, it was not one of my favorite books. It was hard to get into and seemed to end abruptly. I think I set very high standards since it was so popular. It was very well written book with excellent character development. Overall it was a good book, just not my favorite. I would definitely recommend it. 

A few Small Purchases

It's amazing how much I get excited about small things. Since going on a budget, I only have a certain amount of money I can spend on me every month, so I spend wisely. I actually don't really spend at all, but I did this weekend. Here they are:

I am not quite sure when dish towels began making me excited. Maybe about the same time mops did? Weird.

I had to get a green one too. I couldn't resist.

I probably won't get to this until the summer, but hey, I'm prepared!

I have heard this is awesome! Can't wait to read it.

This movie comes out soon, so I need to read it quickly.

I also bought a final clearance shirt from Ann Taylor Loft. It's super cute.

A Book Worth Talking About

As I have talked about before, state tests kind of suck, but I understand the necessity. On that note, Indiana has given the ISTEP test to high school students the past few years. Students are tested over English and Math, and have to pass the test in order to graduate without a waiver. Obviously, not every student passes the test. For those who don't, there is something called remediation. I teach a remediation class to Juniors and Seniors who have trouble passing the test. Side note- Indiana no longer does the ISTEP, but has joined many other stated in giving End Of Course exams for English, Math, and Science. So, my class is made up of wonderful students who struggle with English- making my job difficult. To get them interested in a book is hard, and when I find one, it's definitely worth sharing.

So here it is:

Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, hit home to my students for many reasons. Speak deals with depression, school, teachers, friends, boys, and rape.

Speak is told through the eyes of a freshman girl who is struggling with all of the above. She takes the reader on a journey of her first year of high school, allowing us to feel what she feels. The book is sarcastic, funny, sad, random at times, and frustrating. It stirs up emotions in the reader that any good book should.

My students connected to this book because they have all, at one time or another, felt like outcasts. They related to the story in many different ways. Though this book is not one I would teach in a regular class, it is one I will continue teaching in remediation.

And I recommend it in general. Very good. :)