I am going to use the same metric I used for this Top Ten Books with Fewer Than 2,000 Ratings on Goodreads post some years ago for today’s topic.
Continue reading “#AMonthofFaves 2022: Underrated Books”#AMonthofFaves 2022: Underrated Books
Category: Picture Books
It’s Monday! What are you reading?: More Five-star Books!
First things first: A Month of Faves is back for this year! Yessssssss. It is one of my favorite blogging events, and I look both for it and forward to it every year.
I did my last update post in July (!), so here are some things that happened since then:
Continue reading “It’s Monday! What are you reading?: More Five-star Books!”We’re Going to Need More Books #IMWAYR
My last post about prepping for courses to start in mid-February is like a time capsule into another world. Live theater? Flights? I mean, one of those things is still happening but the other most certainly isn’t–at least not where I live. Although I am course-prepping again because our school switched to remote instruction a week and a half ago, so I guess some things don’t change.
I am going to ease back into blogging by doing a reading update because I have a lot to say but am not quite sure where to start. So I’m going to start where I always start: books. I mean, I have two stacks of library books that will go back to the library…someday? I’m not even sure when because all of our local libraries are closed. On the plus side, I definitely checked out some books I have been meaning to read–a couple of them graphic novels–so I am going to make those my priority after I finish the book I’m currently reading (and that I assigned to my children’s literature class): Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly.
Over the past month, I read the following:
Patti LaBelle and Step Aerobics
Today is the last day of class before the end of NaNoWriMo, and my students are very studiously working on their drafts, so I figured now is as good a time as any to update.
1. First, let me just say that watching my creative writing students write during NaNo has been such a delight. They come in and get right to it. Headphones on, laptops or notebooks open, and away they go. I have put a prompt up on the board every day (some requested it), but I have no idea if they’re using them–I just know that they’re intensely focused on writing. It is a joy to behold.
Goal: fewer work dates, more play dates
1. A lot has been going on this week. I asked some friends how they were and what was happening, and then I listed two things for myself and thought of a bunch more. But then I remembered I have a blog.
My domain name has expired but my blog lives on
I just realized I am guilty of a thing that I hate that other people do: not putting Goodreads links (or Amazon or wherever) for books I’m currently reading. I will no longer make that mistake.
Hello! This has been a whirlwind week. First, I have to say I am officially OFFICIALLY on vacation now. I know I said I was on vacation last week (and I was), but I had to wrap up some search committee work, which meant I had to go to work twice. TWICE. That does not count as vacation, especially since I had to (a) set my alarm and (b) go to work and do work. Interviews! Work.
Anyway, it’s over now, and I have three months with no teaching or search committees ahead of me.
A funny thing keeps happening to me. I cannot for the life of me remember what I am planning to do in my classes in the fall. I always remember three of the four assignments I have planned. And it’s only ever three. Usually it’s the same three, but this time it’s a different three. My plan is to put the missing assignment in my phone as soon as I remember.
But I digress.
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It’s Monday & I’m on vacation!
Vacation, vacation, vacation, vacation! Also: vacation.
I am not at Jay Pritchett levels of luxury or anything, but I did wind up taking super long naps every day since Wednesday. You know, not to brag or anything.
(Okay, okay. A little bragging.)
Anyway, this week, I have some appointments so it may be a while before I can get to that nap level again. Oh well.
I may post about being on vacation every week, just so you’re all forewarned. Did you know school doesn’t start until August? Oh, this is just delightful.
It took me over two hours to write this post.
Not because it was hard, but because (a) my daughter kept talking to me and (b) I kept getting distracted by The Oscars. And Twitter and Facebook. Also, I was trying to figure out which leggings to buy. Anyway.
Okay, I had to look at my calendar to see what I actually did this past week. Is that sad? It feels sad. I guess it’s a good thing I’m doing the Slice of Life challenge next month, huh? Anyway, that’s where I am. So yes, this past week I:
- went to a Hamilton trivia night (my team lost)
- went to the dentist
- went to a search committee meeting for the church’s new minister
- attended a plagiarism hearing as a witness
- visited an astronomy class as part of the pilot Teaching Squares program at my school (and learned quite a bit!)
- attended a student conduct hearing as a member of the conduct board
- went to see a student production of The Drowsy Chaperone, which was super fun (I love a good farce and a good meta-narrative)
- dropped in to a party I wasn’t invited to to visit a friend who was only in town for one night
- went to the Women’s March celebration and activist fair held by the local chapter of the march
And that doesn’t even count my regularly scheduled activities (work, gym, etc.).
Continue reading “It took me over two hours to write this post.”
It’s Wednesday, which means it’s not Monday. Still, I’m checking in.
Traveling to the march this past weekend put me behind on everything. Sigh.
First things first, though: I didn’t make it to the actual march because on the way there, about two hours outside of DC, I got sick and knew I wouldn’t be able to handle the walking or the crowds.
However, I still had a positive experience because of all the awesome women in my life, most notably my friend Monique who was willing to brave traffic, etc. to pick me up from RFK at 7:30 a.m. when I told her what was going on and also a woman named Crystal on our bus who supplied me with Dramamine and anti-nausea meds when I got motion sickness on the bus ride home (before I knew her name, even!).
And, yes, that means I got sick on the way there AND the way back.
Anyway, the best sign I saw this weekend was black text on a white background that said, “NOPE.”
Then, of course, there were the books.
Continue reading “It’s Wednesday, which means it’s not Monday. Still, I’m checking in.”
Recommendation Wednesday: Two Picture Books
As part of my passion project, I’ve recently finished (and loved) two of Walter Dean Myers’ early picture books: Where Does the Day Go? (illustrated by Leo Carty) and Fly, Jimmy, Fly! (illustrated by Moneta Barnett).
Where Does the Day Go? is delightful. A group of kids are in the park with one of the children’s father, and they have a pretty serious conversation about what happens to the day when it turns into night. Each kid has a theory, but each theory leaves the group with questions. So they take turns telling their theories and trying to answer the questions.
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The Englishist 