Books I Finished This Week:
Reawakened by Colleen Houck was a fun adventure. I got this one from NetGalley. It is similar to the Tiger's Curse series in that I was a little annoyed by the character's teenage thoughts. However, the character is a teenager and I think her writing would appeal to teen readers. This one was a fun trip to Egypt. I would definitely recommend this one to teenagers and adults who are fans of her other series.
Cold War on Maplewood Street by Gayle Rosengren will be coming out in August. This is a really well done historical fiction book about the feeling in the United States during the Cuban Missile Crisis. In the author's note the author says that she was surprised that so many people didn't really know about this time in our history because it was so vivid in her own memory. I have to admit that I am one of those people who was ignorant of that tense time in history. I loved how this book made this history accessible for young people while at the same time really letting the reader know how scary it was to be living here at that moment in history. I highly recommend this book for grades 4 and up.
This book is another one that I got from NetGalley. These Shallow Graves by Jennifer Donnelly was one of those books that grabbed me and I could not put it down. I should have been doing many things in preparation for my trip, but instead I was reading for hours. The book had the perfect combination of my favorite things. It was a mystery set in a victorian period with a strong female protagonist and just a little bit of romance. So good! I highly recommend it to grades 8 and up. I know now (if I didn't before) that I need to look for other books by this author.
The Living by Matt DeLaPena is a very thrilling read. It was the perfect book to be reading as I travelled because it really captured my attention and kept me busy as I spent what felt like endless hours flying across the country. One thing that you need to know about this book is that it is the first in a series. Don't expect a huge amount of resolution at the end of the book. It is also quite difficult to read at points since it really is talking about surviving a Tsunami while on the ocean. There are a few graphic scenes. I highly recommend this book to high schoolers and adults. I know I will be looking for the second one in this series very soon.
Books I am Currently Reading:
I am reading Learn Like a Pirate and am totally inspired by this book to work on making my classroom much more student-centered. I feel like the book is reminding me of the things that I used to do and want to get back to doing. It is going slow for me because I am taking the time to reflect and write down ideas as I read. I also have started to read a bunch of other books. I am a few pages into A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson, The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick, Those Who Wish Me Dead by Michael Koryta, and The Game of Love and Death by Martha Brockenbrough. I don't know why I am feeling so scattered, but I am sure I will settle on one soon. I am visiting family this week so I have a lot less time for reading.
What's Next?
I will probably not start any other books this week. I will be reading lots of picture books this week with my niece.
What are you reading this week? I would love to hear from you in the comments!
Andrea, you are my neighbor @ "What are you Reading?" I tutor primary-aged kids so these books sound a bit more than what even my third graders will be able to read, but I am going to keep them on my list for future reading as they progress. Thanks for the many write-ups.
ReplyDeleteI have These Shallow Graves too. I will be bumping it up to next in line as soon as I finish Everything, Everything. Have fun reading with your niece. Maybe a week of picture books will help you feel less scattered when you get back to your other reads! ~Megan
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Thanks for the kind words about "Learn Like a PIRATE" Andrea! If you ever have any questions or wonderings that you'd like to chat about, please send me an email: psolarz@sd25.org!
ReplyDeleteWe also talk about the book on Twitter a lot. All of July you can add the #2k15reads hashtag to tweets (that group is reading it this month), and I run a Twitter chat every Monday evening from 7-8 Central on the #LearnLAP hashtag.
I look forward to reading future posts! :)
I just finished The Living last week. I enjoyed it more than I anticipated I would. The ending was at least satisfying enough that I didn't want to wring the author's neck. I've asked for These Shallow Graves from Netgalley after reading your review of it here. Thanks for the heads up!
ReplyDeleteHi there Andrea, I've been reading so many rave reviews about The Living - I haven't read any of Matt dela Pena's novels yet - so I am looking forward to starting with this one. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for the intros to the new novels. I've only read The Living (thrilling is right!). I love learning about new to me books :)
ReplyDeleteHappy reading this week!