It’s the new year, and I’m not much for making resolutions. I do like dreaming of the possibilities a new year can bring, especially when I think of all the good books out there waiting for me to discover them.
A conversation over on Twitter has got me thinking about some of those books that I might be missing out on because I get stuck reading my favorites. If you look at the shelves in my classroom, it’s easy to tell what my favorite genres are: fantasy and science fiction, historical fiction, realistic fiction. Those shelves are overflowing with books. It’s also easy too tell what my bookgaps are. Those are the shelves that look empty and lonely: graphic novels, sports and adventure stories, horror, and almost all nonfiction except for memoir. I’ve gotten better at reading outside my comfort zone (and if nothing else is available, I will read just about anything), but I could definitely push myself.
Some of these bookgaps have been longstanding. I can remember the children’s librarian from my hometown trying to convince me to read some nonfiction as part of the summer reading program. I may have read the most books that summer, but I definitely didn’t read the most variety. I finally gave in on nonfiction by reading a couple of biographies and lots of mythology. Fortunately, I’ve since discovered some nonfiction books that I actually enjoyed. I suspect the nonfiction writing is getting better!
Last year I did set a goal of reading 200 books. Much to my surprise, I made it! I can still remember when Paul Hankins started the Centurians group on Facebook. I didn’t know if I could read 100 books that year (and my husband thought I was nuts to consider it), but I did it.
Rather than increase (or even set) a number of books for a reading goal this year, I want to explore some different possibilities. Some of these explore possibilities of what I want to read. Others explore ways I can share what I read.
Read more books to fill in my bookgaps: graphic novels and nonfiction especially
Read some of the classics I missed. Can you believe I’ve never read Catcher in the Rye?
Add more book trailers to my blog and share them with my classes.
Do more book talks in class!
Keep searching to put the right book in the hands of the right student at the right time. I want every student in my classes to find the book that speaks to them.
Develop my PLN on Twitter. I’ve been listening in on great conversations. Now it’s time to speak up and join in the conversations.
What possibilities would you like to explore through the coming year? Are there bookgaps in your reading life waiting for you to explore? Are you all about the numbers? What is your book number?
Remember all those pictures I took in the library? Here’s the video of all of you with you with your favorite books. Confession: I stole this idea from the Nerdy Book Club. I sent my photo there, too, so check it out as well. Enjoy, and Happpy Reading over Christmas
Where do you find the next book you want to read? We had some great conversations about that yesterday. Check out the sticky note groups on the chalkboard:
In case you can’t read what’s on the sticky notes, here are the ideas we collected and grouped:
friends (by far the biggest source–Katie S, Olivia M, Brendan S, and Tylor B got special mentions)
teachers (Mrs. McGriff, Mrs. Marsh, and Miss Bowman, in particular)
library or bookstore shelves (Can you judge a book by its cover? Should you?)
online places (Amazon/Kindle, GoodReads, iBook, WattPad, Blog Buddies)
I never worry about what to read next. The way my TBR (to be read) piles are stacking up, I can never die. I will never be able to read them all, and I keep adding more. The suggestions come from everywhere–my students, The Nerdy Book Club, #titletalk on Twitter, GoodReads, award lists like the Young Hoosier, Newbery, Morris, and Printz, and YALSA nonfiction awards.
Now here is one of my favorite authors, John Green, with more reading recommendations for you:
What are you waiting for? Go find the next best book and read!
I had a great first day of school today. I could feel the excitement in the hallways all day long. My students blew me away already today. When students came in to class, they had to think about a quote and write their their response to it. Here’s the quote and some questions for thought:
“Reading is to the mind, what exercise is to the body.”
Joseph Addison (English poet and essayist)
How is reading like exercise? What do the two activities have in common?
Many students had thoughtful answers, but one blew me away. I want to share Hannah’s response:
Reading is like exercise because your mind is absorbing all the words and you are painting a picture in your mind of the scene you are reading. The two activities are alike because you may be using different materials, but we are still working.
What do you think? How is reading like exercise? I’d love to hear what you think in the comments. (If you’re new to blogging, click on the word “comments” just below the title. Fill out your name and email (not published) and type your answer in the box. Then click on the SUBMIT button below. You may have to scroll down a bit to find it.)
Every year I compare success in reading to success in sports. What does it take to succeed in any sport? Talent and ability, yes, but also hard work and dedication to practice. The same is true for reading. It takes practice–lots and lots of reading–to get better. All that reading has many payoffs. Not only do readers get better at reading, but they also increase their vocabulary and improve their writing. In this age of over-emphasis on test-scores, independent reading is still shown to have a positive impact.
Now LeBron James gives me this gift: video of him reading everywhere!
Which of these books have you read? Which do you want to read? What books would you recommend for James to read next?
Today comes only once every four years. By adding a 29th day to February, we get to celebrate Leap Year and reset our calendar to the movement of our solar system. Cool. To celebrate, I’m taking part in the Feb29. net Blog by posting about what I’m doing today. This blog hopes to record the events of the day across the blog. Here is the description from the blog itself:
The aim of this project is simple – Stripped down blogging to its simplest form to record one special day in time across the globe. As soon as the first country’s time zone enters Feb29th.net this blog will be open to posts. It’s simple, by filling out the form below, you will be creating a blog post on this blog.
If you want to participate, you can click on the link above and fill out the form yourself.
My big news to share today is that I’ve been asked to write my first guest post for The Nerdy Book Club Blog! I want your help! You see, I’ve always been a member of the Nerdy Book Club, but some of you have not. As I’ve invited you to join me in reading and writing this year, I’ve noticed some interesting things. Some of you who thought you hated to read have found books and authors that you love. Especially after reading the books for our author research project, some of you are reading more books by that author. Some of you who have been reading and reading–and who give me frequent updates on what’s happening in your books–still say you hate reading. Others of you who say you hate reading open your books every chance you get in class. Hmmm…I wonder what’s going on. Would you help me out by answering some questions in the form below? I just might use your answers in my blog post.
Summer is here, and the reading is easy. I hope you have a good book to pick up every once in a while. If you don’t, take warning from this Public Service Announcement, brought to you by the telecom class.
Kickstart Challenge #6 looks at embedding media in blog posts–the nerves of a blog. There are several blogs that I think effectively use embedded media. I look to them for examples and inspiration.
Laurie Halse Anderson sometimes shares book trailer videos created by the readers of her books. These trailers show both an understanding of the book and an appreciation for the story’s impact. One of my favorites isthe post with videos for Catalyst.
Sarah Anderson of YA Love posts a book trailer every Thursday for a recurring feature on her blog, Book Trailer Thursday. I would love to get to this point with my own blog. I know trailers can get students excited about reading books. My difficulty has been finding trailers that I actually have a copy of the book to put into students’ hands.
Maggie Steifvator not only writes beautiful books, she also creates breathtaking book trailers for her own books. Check out this one for Linger. Not only did she create the art and music, she shared how she did it in posts through the following days: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, and Part 4.
The bloggers at the League of Extraordinary Writers (for all things dystopian) often connect the science fiction genre across mediums (books, movies, television). Of course, they include clips from the relevant films/television shows as in this one bemoaning the fate of Caprica.
I do have some goals for increasing my use of media on my blog. Here are three to get me started.
Find and share book trailers with my students on a regular basis. If I can’t manage weekly trailers, why not monthly or bi-monthly trailers? I could do that.
Share student work with videos. Today I collected some good examples of my students’ last book projects. Now I just need to scan them in and use Windows Movie Maker or Animoto to present them.
Write up a parent permission to upload videos of students to youtube, so I can embed them on my blog. I created video poems with each class last fall using George Ella Lyon’s “Where I’m From” as a model. We’ve watched them in class, but my students and their parents would enjoy more access.
Now just for fun I have a video I’ve been wanting to share. Now seems like a great time:
Many thanks to previous bloggers who shared this activity. If you get stuck for ideas, check out some of these bloggers: Brian and Franki on the blog A Year of Reading. Then it spread to Kevin, who jumped in with 50 Things, and James. Now it’s your turn. What do you know about yourself as a reader? Check out the links in the Blogroll to find out what your classmates have learned about themselves and reading.
I read a lot.
I have always read more than one book at a time. When I was a kid, I kept a different books in each room of the house and would pick up whatever book was in the same room I was to read.
Now I only read 2 or 3 books at a time.
I read fast. In high school I checked out a book on speed reading, but it slowed me down too much.
One summer I won the library’s summer reading contest by reading the most books.
I take a big bag of books with me whenever I travel.
I want a Kindle so I can lighten that load–or do I want an iPad? How about both!
The librarian in my childhood had to beg and threaten me to read nonfiction.
The only nonfiction I would read were mytholgy and biographies because they were at least stories.
I learned to like nonfiction when I worked shelving books in the public library as a teenager. It was a lot easier to keep the nonfiction shelves straight, I would browse the pages of the books as I shelved them.
My favorite genres are fantasy/science fiction/dystopian and historical fiction.
I like books to take me to another time and place.
I read anything and everything in front of me–up to and including cereal boxes.
As a kid I read all my mother’s magazines: Guideposts, Reader’s Digest, Good Housekeeping, mission magazines from our church.
Dr. Suess is my favorite picture book author.
Once I start a book, I have to finish it, no matter how bad it is.
Once I reach the “point of no return,” I can’t put the book down.
I went to the midnight release party for the last Harry Potter book.
When I’m really bored, I’ll read my husband’s hunting and fishing magazines.
If I want to learn something new, the first thing I do is find books about it.
Some of my favorite books were introduced to me by my students.
I buy books when I go on vacation. Books make great souvenirs.
I used to hate all movies based on books because the movie never got it right.
I took a course on film and fiction in American literature in college that changed my mind about books into movies. Now I can appreciate the differences in the two mediums and enjoy both–most of the time.
I love hearing authors read their own books out loud and talk about their experiences as writers and readers.
I have discovered blogs: by writers who generously share their knowledge and by readers who share their passion for books.
There is no better job in the world than to share my love of reading with my students.
I have never understood why people like Wuthering Heights.
I never liked Gone with the Wind–not the book, movie, nor sequel–because I can’t stand Scarlett O’Hara.
I always wanted red hair to be like my favorite book character: Anne of Green Gables. Check it out.
I am addicted to reading updates on Facebook.
My favorite parts of the newspaper are the comics and advice columns.
I rarely read past the headline and first paragraphs of news articles.
The only book I couldn’t finish (couldn’t make it past the first few pages) was TTYL. It’s written in texting language.
I learned French in high school in college because I wanted to read The Little Prince by Antoine St. Exupery in its original language.
I struggle to read graphic novels. I’ve only finished two: Maus and Rapunzel’s Revenge.
I love how memoirs let me into the thoughts and feelings of the person who lived that particular life.
I have discovered many new books and authors by reading all of the books on the Young Hoosier list each year.
I discovered that books become classics because they are good stories.
One year I read everything Charles Dickens wrote.
When studying to becomes a teacher, I went down the education section of the library shelves and read every book they had on the topic of education.
I chose to major in English in college because I loved to read. I actually liked most of the books I read for class.
I have piles of books waiting for me to read.
I buy books faster than I can read them.
I sometimes skip to the end of the book and read it first. Then I get mad at myself for spoiling it.
Some books I can read over and over and over: The Chronicles of Narnia, the Harry Potter books, Jane Eyre.
I never know how to get places I’ve been before because I read in the car instead of paying attention–but only if someone else is driving.
I could get happily lost in a big bookstore and not come out for hours.
Amazon.com is my go-to place to learn about books. I love reading the customer reviews.
I cannot read before going to bed because I don’t want to put the book down to go to sleep.
I’m going to keep thinking and adding to this list. Once I get the next 50 down, I’ll share it with you. So, what do you know about yourself as a reader?
If you thought all you could do with a book is read, then watch this! Of course, after watching, you will want to go find all these books to read, too. How many of them have you read?
This just shows one more reason to read…it’s all kinds of fun.
