Tuesday Slice of Life - Book Treasures

These four books are not only the beginning of some of my favorite series from my childhood, they are reminders of a lost part of my childhood. Recently, a fellow booklover reminded me of an author of one of my favorite childhood books, Sarah, Plain and Tall, and a rush of book memories flooded my mind. I still have my original copy, one of only a handful of books that have made it with me to adulthood. For reasons unknown, my cherished Baby Sitter's Club, Peanut Butter and Jelly, and Sweet Valley books have been lost, most likely left in an attic or basement during a move when I was in high school or college. There is actually a lump in my throat just thinking about the loss of these treasured books. I can certainly find copies of these books from a used book store or seller online, and I have found several copies of other beloved books that I have re-collected. But there is so much more power in holding the same book that I once treasured. I hold these books with as much reverence as old childhood pictures and notes passed between friends. The memories of these books are just as real to me as events that actually happened, which sounds crazy, but it's true. I loved reading these books over and over again, staring at the covers and admiring their outfits. My reaction to seeing these book covers is so strongly tied to my emotions that it just reaffirms the power of the right book for the right child. I can only hope that the books I have put in the hands of my students will elicit a similar reaction years from now.



Four original books from my childhood: (Clockwise from top left) Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary, Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret by Judy Blume, Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia Maclachlan, My Daniel by Pam Conrad.



Some lost books that I have found from used book sellers: (Left, top to bottom) The Dollhouse Murders by Betty Ren Wright, The Glass Mermaid by Susan Clymer, The Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop. Box sets that I got as Christmas gifts: Nancy Drew and The Little House on the Prairie Series.

Do you have any treasured books, lost or kept?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

From Teach Mentor Texts:

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

After doing the meme for a couple of weeks, we realized this would be a fun meme to start up with a kidlit focus - anyone reading and reviewing books in children's literature - it can be picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, you name it in the world of kidlit and it's in! We have loved being a part of this meme and we hope you do too! We encourage everyone participating to go and visit the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and to comment on as many posts as you can. We love talking books and believe in sharing and discussing what we're reading. We hope you join us!

Last Week I Dived Into...
White Lilacs by Carolyn Meyer, an ALA Best Book for Young Adults. Just look at the cover. This was a beautiful and beatifully written book. I am looking forward to teaching my students about acceptance and prejudice through this book next year.  

Professionally, I finished Kelly Gallagher's Deeper Reading. What a fabulous read! I love how Kelly writes so conversationally. It's like sitting back and talking to a colleague during PLC time! I took a lot of notes about helping students move past surface-level comprehension. I'm also a little sad, because I have now read Kelly's entire library of professional books. Now I have to wait for him to write another!

I also finished Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides for my staff book club pick. Phew! 529 pages! We picked it as our summer read for a reason. The writing was so rich in some parts, I just had to read them over and over again.

Finally, I read a Joni Mitchel biography by Michelle Mercer called Will You Take Me as I am: Joni Mitchell's Blue Period. This was also for a staff book club summer reading challenge. It fulfilled the category for reading a book about music. As a novice guitar player, I was interested in reading about someone labeled as one of the greatest female guitarists of all time. Her story was interesting, and I look forward to reading more about her and her contemporaries. I know little about the folk music scene of the 60s and 70s.

This Week I'm Diving Into...

Dragonwings by Laurence Yep. I'm about 30 pages in, and I'm really liking it so far! I also hope to get to Beth Revis's A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2).

Professionally, since I'm (sniffle) done with Kelly Gallagher's library of books, I'm moving on to Simplifying Response to Intervention: Four Essential Guiding Principals as part of an RTI focus group in my building.

As for adult books, I am finally getting to We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. Years ago, my staff book club's first pick was Columbine  by Dave Cullen. We had heard that it got to the truth behind the school shooting and dispelled many myths put forth by the media. I recommend it to every teacher. It included details about the shooters' lives, school lives, class writing, and journals. Dave Cullen was there that day in April, and this work is the culmination of 10 years worth of research. Our book club was horrified and deeply moved by the stories in the book, and we continue to talk about it today. Though it wasn't an official book club choice, several of us also read William Landay's Defending Jacob about a DA whose son is accused of murdering a classmate and it gave us a unique perspective from the parents' side. Now, those of us who read Defending Jacob are getting into We Need to Talk About Kevin as another offshoot of the school shooting topic. This is another book from the viewpoint of the parents through letters from Kevin's mother. It's not a very uplifting topic to read about, but it always generates a lot of conversation.

Happy Reading!

Tuesday Slice of Life 7/17/12

Today's slice is about hair.

Maybe everyone feels this way, but I have always struggled with my hair. It seems to me that I am never completely satisfied with my hair. Who is? When I visit my salon every few months, they seem surprised that I only want a cut. "No color?" "No, just a cut. Thanks." Walking past the women with tinfoil in their hair to get to the sinks is an exercise in self-control. If men only knew the lengths we went to.

For Christmas a few years ago, my dad wanted to know what I wanted for a gift. I suggested the type of hair dryer that my stylist uses. It was a very powerful Solano hair dryer. It was meant to be used multiple times a day, specifically for salons. It would be perfect for my thick, wavy, unruly hair. After all, it always did the trick at the salon! I had no idea how much it cost, but my dad braved the salon and went to purchase one.

It. Was. A. Miracle. I could blow dry my hair in less than 5 minutes, and I rarely needed a second tool to finish it. My previous hair prep included 10-15 minutes with the dryer, and another 10 with a curling iron or a straightener. My naturally wavy hair finally had the smooth finish I had been craving. This bliss lasted for 5 years.

Recently, my husband and I moved into a new place, and after bragging about my awesome 5 year old, beloved hair dryer, what happened? It finally burned out. I couldn't justify spending money to get another Solano when we were paying off bills and buying other things for our new home. I sucked it up and bought a $20 Conair. I'm shaking my head as I type this. How could I have fooled myself into thinking it could handle my hair? I think the hair dryer sensed my antipathy, because less than a week in, the button that recoils the cord broke. About 6 months later, the heat function completely died and I was in essence blowing room temperature air at my head with a scowl on my face. Needless to say, I was not psyched about spending 15 minutes drying my hair, just to spend another 10 straightening the train wreck on my head.

That lasted about a week when I decided it was time to go back to my long lost love. It was pricey, but I figure the number of years divided by the cost of it is even less than the Conair I had for 7 months. Totally worth it. Call me superficial, but life is just better when you like your hair!

My Solano Hair Dryer

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

From Teach Mentor Texts:

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. It is a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now…who knows, you might discover that next “must read” book!

After doing the meme for a couple of weeks, we realized this would be a fun meme to start up with a kidlit focus - anyone reading and reviewing books in children's literature - it can be picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, you name it in the world of kidlit and it's in! We have loved being a part of this meme and we hope you do too! We encourage everyone participating to go and visit the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and to comment on as many posts as you can. We love talking books and believe in sharing and discussing what we're reading. We hope you join us!

Last Week I Dived Into...
Labor Day by Joyce Maynard, an adult novel about one weekend that changed a young boy's life when an escaped convict takes him and his reclusive mother hostage in their own home.


 

As for adult books, I'm still reading short stories from Charles Baxter's (love!) Gryphon: New and Selected Stories that I got from Boswell Bookstore in Milwaukee a few months ago. I read one short story a night before bed, so it's slow going with this one. But they are like little nuggets of perfect, so I don't mind savoring it.

I also started Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. It's the "epic" my book club picked to conquer over the summer. Its 500+ plus pages seemed too daunting to tackle anytime else. I am loving it. The language is delicious.

This Week I'm Diving Into...

I am going to finish Middlesex in the next couple of days.

Professionally, I am reading Kelly Gallagher's Deeper Reading and loving it. My professional book notebook is hot with notes from this one.

For young adult books, I really have to get my Common Core reading done. I am bound and determined to finish White Lilacs by Carolyn Meyer. If I can get to it, I'd love to start A Million Suns (Across the Universe #2) by Beth Revis. The first one was a cool, futuristic sci-fi romance-y read.

Tuesday Slice of Life - Music's Romance Language

The Language of Music

I was a flute player in a former life. Recently, I have been playing with other musicians again, and the experience has reconnected me to the language of music. In my opinion, a romance language. I love these words.

My favorite music words
embouchure
accelerando
crescendo
pianissimo
timpani
piccolo
acompaniment
appoggiatura
arpeggio
cadenza
prestissimo
timbre

Got a favorite music word of your own?