Monday, September 3, 2012

My Summer Reading

Tomorrow I go back to work, so today is the last day of summer vacation.  (sob)

On the general principal that I don't want to ask students to do anything I wouldn't do myself, here is my summer reading log. 



2012 Summer Reading
Words in parentheses are tags.  Interest level (picture book, elementary, middle grades – i.e. 4th-6th, YA, adult) genre, comments, abandoned (books that I read more than half but didn’t finish), review means I reviewed the book either on this blog or submitted to Library Media Connection. ( LMC is an excellent magazine from Linworth Publishers.  They send me boxes of goodies several times during the year that I get to keep in exchange for sending them words.)

Tally
Adult fiction 1
Adult nonfiction 1
YA fiction 3 (I classified Captain Blood as YA.  Do you agree?
Middle grade fiction 6
Middle grade nonfiction 1
Elementary fiction 4
Picture book nonfiction 3

Captain Blood by Rafael Sabatini  (YA, old fashioned, historical fiction, fun)
The Trouble with Chickens by Doreen Cronin (elementary, fantasy, noir, detective, animals, funny)
Capture the Flag by Kate Messner (middle grades, realistic fiction, action, review)
Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z. by Kate Messner (middle grades, realistic, bullying, family, death, memory loss)
Inside out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai (middle grades, poetry, historical fiction, Vietnam)
The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (adult, historical fiction, entertaining, long)
The Game of Silence by Louise Erdrich (middle grades, historical fiction, Native Americans, sequel)
Unlocking the Spell by E.D. Baker (middle grades, fractured fairy tale, happy ending, review)
Invisible Inkling by Emily Jenkins (elementary, invisible friend, bullying, school)
Flat Broke by Gary Paulsen (middle grades, realistic fiction, abandoned)
Golden Domes and Silver Lanterns by Hena Khan (picture book, color book, Muslim)
Ivy and Bean; What’s the big idea? by Annie Barrow (elementary, realistic fiction, science, family)
Jasper John Dooley: Star of the Week by Caroline Adderson (elementary, realistic fiction, family, new baby, review)
Lincoln Tells a Joke by Kathleen Krull (picture book, biography, Lincoln)
Octavia Boones Big Questions about Life the Universe and Everything by Rebecca Rupp (middle grades, realistic fiction, family, divorce, religion)
Okay for Now by gary D. Schmidt (middle grades, YA, realistic fiction, historical fiction, Vietnam, art, thought provoking)
Two and Twenty Dark Tales edited by Georgia McBride (YA, short stories, fractured fairy tale, dark, review)
Republic of Noise by Diana Senechal (adult, nonfiction, professional, thought provoking)
No Ordinary Apple by Sara Marlowe (picture book, nonfiction, mindful eating, review)
Just Write by Walter Dean Myers (middle grades, YA, adult, writing, how to, reflection)


Looking at what I read this summer, I will try to read more extended nonfiction - picture books almost don't even count! (I didn't list picture book fiction)  I also want to read a bit more contemporary adult fiction.  I just finished a free sample of Anthill by Edward O. Wilson and think I might order the book for my Nook.



No Ordinary Apple

Marlowe, Sara.  No Ordinary Apple: A story about eating mindfully. Wisdom Publications.  June 2013.

Yes - 2013!  Time is flying!

I was completely prepared to be annoyed at this book. It's subtitle sounded more than a little preachy!  But I was curious enough to request it from Netgalley, and was pleasantly surprised.  The story about Elliot and his caregiver, Carmen is a little contrived.  Elliot expressed his disappointment in the apple Carmen offers for a snack and tells her he was hoping for candy.  But the story is just an excuse for a lovely, detailed, sensory description of the experience of eating an apple.  The writing was much more fun than I expected.  Like Elliot, I could barely wait to go try some other foods, maybe even some I don't like, just to see what they smell, sound, and taste like.  I especially liked the concept of tasting in all the different parts of my mouth.