add to the list. . .
(since i havent read her in ages)
(and im totally immersed in her young adult novel)
the big stone gap series
viola in the spotlight
the shoemaker's wife
all by adriana trigiani. <3
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Sunday, January 8, 2012
as promised -
just finished my first official read of 2012! mockingjay by suzanne collins - the third and final installment of the hunger games series.
it wasnt on the list because i had already started it. i hardly ever recommend books to friends, colleagues or even complete strangers. because everyones taste is different. and i have cringed my way through many books recommended by others as well. but if you are unfamiliar with the hunger games trilogy (aka youve been living on mars), you must read them immediately. actually, you really only need to start the first book, the hunger games. once you get to about the 25th page, you wont need my encouragement. these books are so good, i would pretty much be willing to bet my salary on the fact that no one will hate them. in fact, its been awhile since i would say a book changed me. maybe 19 minutes by jodi picoult? or a much longer while ago, when my best friend h lent me the wednesday letters. before that, it would have been lucia lucia. i have read bazillions of books in my life. and i could probably count on one hand the books ive kept, reread, and still think about. books that have changed me.
id love to go into all the mindblowing details, having just finished the final book, mockingjay, but i know h hasnt finished the series yet. and knowing what i now do, i could never in a million years spoil these books for anyone else. ive talked them up so much, my boyfriend (who claims to have read three books to completion in his lifetime -- and whom i believe in that statement) is starting the first one tonight. im literally counting down the days until the movie comes out! anyone joining me? so ill just leave you with the line that now gives me chills up and down my spine. in the words of effie trinket. . .
it wasnt on the list because i had already started it. i hardly ever recommend books to friends, colleagues or even complete strangers. because everyones taste is different. and i have cringed my way through many books recommended by others as well. but if you are unfamiliar with the hunger games trilogy (aka youve been living on mars), you must read them immediately. actually, you really only need to start the first book, the hunger games. once you get to about the 25th page, you wont need my encouragement. these books are so good, i would pretty much be willing to bet my salary on the fact that no one will hate them. in fact, its been awhile since i would say a book changed me. maybe 19 minutes by jodi picoult? or a much longer while ago, when my best friend h lent me the wednesday letters. before that, it would have been lucia lucia. i have read bazillions of books in my life. and i could probably count on one hand the books ive kept, reread, and still think about. books that have changed me.
id love to go into all the mindblowing details, having just finished the final book, mockingjay, but i know h hasnt finished the series yet. and knowing what i now do, i could never in a million years spoil these books for anyone else. ive talked them up so much, my boyfriend (who claims to have read three books to completion in his lifetime -- and whom i believe in that statement) is starting the first one tonight. im literally counting down the days until the movie comes out! anyone joining me? so ill just leave you with the line that now gives me chills up and down my spine. in the words of effie trinket. . .
Thursday, January 5, 2012
resolving . . .
though i dont have any iron-clad resolutions this year, i am still resolving. or is it revolving?
and one of my favorite things is reading. but i dont spend nearly enough time doing it. not for fun anyway. as a language arts teacher, i am constantly reading. the same damn stories in the literature textbook ive read twenty times already. rough drafts of really poorly written seventh grade papers. and to be fair, very well-written final drafts. notes left on the floor of my classroom. emails from coworkers. posters and memos on the hallway walls. and in my personal life, other peoples blogs. pointless status updates and posts. text messages and emails from friends. but never enough books.
so im taking a book challenge on. id like to read fifty this year. and who knows if ill make it. but im making the effort. because after getting absolutely swallowed whole by the hunger games series, im feeling the old burn. i want more. so i started researching. on my list are the usual chick lit and new releases by some of my favorite authors:
and some classics ive been wanting to conquer for the longest time:
slaughterhouse 5 - kurt vonnegut
the jungle - upton sinclair
i know why the caged bird sings - maya angelou
the bell jar - sylvia plath
one flew over the cuckoo's nest - ken kesey
a clockwork orange - anthony burgess
franny and zooey - jd salinger
catch22 - joseph heller
breakfast at tiffanys - truman capote
1984 - george orwell
of mice and men - john steinbeck
the great gatsby - f scott fitzgerald
vanity fair - william makepeace thackeray
now i know its not a full list of fifty, but im hoping to add a few more "must read" books that are currently causing a stir, as well as some young adult literature my kids are going nuts over. they clearly did not steer me wrong with the hunger games. so i trust their judgement. i figure if i flip flop between YA and chick lit stuff mixed in with some heavier reads and classics, i may be able to do it! i promise to at least mention when i finish a read, possibly even comment or review. but lets not get too crazy! and on that note, the last three chapters of mockingjay are calling my name. . .
and one of my favorite things is reading. but i dont spend nearly enough time doing it. not for fun anyway. as a language arts teacher, i am constantly reading. the same damn stories in the literature textbook ive read twenty times already. rough drafts of really poorly written seventh grade papers. and to be fair, very well-written final drafts. notes left on the floor of my classroom. emails from coworkers. posters and memos on the hallway walls. and in my personal life, other peoples blogs. pointless status updates and posts. text messages and emails from friends. but never enough books.
so im taking a book challenge on. id like to read fifty this year. and who knows if ill make it. but im making the effort. because after getting absolutely swallowed whole by the hunger games series, im feeling the old burn. i want more. so i started researching. on my list are the usual chick lit and new releases by some of my favorite authors:
where we belong - emily giffin
when in doubt add butter - beth harbison
falling together - marisa de los santos
ive got your number - sophie kinsella
oxford girl - plum sykes (memoir)
last night at chateau marmont - lauren weisberger
a few best sellers and books currently being talked about:
room - emma donahue
bel canto - ann patchett
wicked - gregory maguire
water for elephants - sara gruen
and some classics ive been wanting to conquer for the longest time:
slaughterhouse 5 - kurt vonnegut
the jungle - upton sinclair
i know why the caged bird sings - maya angelou
the bell jar - sylvia plath
one flew over the cuckoo's nest - ken kesey
a clockwork orange - anthony burgess
franny and zooey - jd salinger
catch22 - joseph heller
breakfast at tiffanys - truman capote
1984 - george orwell
of mice and men - john steinbeck
the great gatsby - f scott fitzgerald
vanity fair - william makepeace thackeray
now i know its not a full list of fifty, but im hoping to add a few more "must read" books that are currently causing a stir, as well as some young adult literature my kids are going nuts over. they clearly did not steer me wrong with the hunger games. so i trust their judgement. i figure if i flip flop between YA and chick lit stuff mixed in with some heavier reads and classics, i may be able to do it! i promise to at least mention when i finish a read, possibly even comment or review. but lets not get too crazy! and on that note, the last three chapters of mockingjay are calling my name. . .
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