Week 17 - Race to the End

Page Numbers since the last tally: 2,552. Total Pages for 2019 so far: 11,328. Page Average Per Day: 97. Total Number of Books: 38.

So, I've realized a flaw in my goals. I had said I was aiming to read 200 pages a day. It turns out I'm only really managing close to 100 pages a day. There's a good reason for that. I've managed almost a hundred pages a day and read about 38 books which is slightly less than normal for the year. However, 76 books (what I'd have if I'd read 200 pages a day) is on pace for 200 books a year. I'm going to adjust the goal.

New goal, I'm aiming for 125 pages a day. It's a little more than I've been managing but more inline with other goals. Additionally, I'm going to start aiming to write 30 minutes a day. While that's not strictly a goal for this blog, I'm going to track it here.

Short List:

1. Traitor to the Throne by Alwyn Hamilton (Dekalb Library)
2. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman (Dekalb Library)
3. Prodigy by Marie Lu (Classroom Library) - Finished 5/1/2019
4. Champion by Marie Lu (Classroom Library)
5. The Last Girl by Nadia Murad (Dekalb Library)
6. Black Powder War by Naomi Novik (Tsundoku Stack)
7. Cooked by Michael Pollan (Tsundoku Stack)
8. Fiery Ferments by Kirsten K. Shockey & Christopher Shockey (Tsundoku Stack)
9. Fermented Vegetables by Kirsten K. Shockey & Christopher Shockey (Tsundoku Stack)
10. An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage (Tsundoku Stack)
11. Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook
12. The Treatment by Suzanne Young (borrowed from Julia)
13. Project Based Writing by Liz Prather (Pedagogy)
14. Teaching English by Design by Peter Smagorinsky (Pedagogy)

Week 16: Sorting it all Out

It is probably time that I recognize as a teacher that there are two months where everything just tends to go to hell and I lose the thread on my personal projects. October and April. I think it's a perfect storm of professional and family obligations. Even Christmas is easier. So to sum up, I'm behind in both my reading and my writing. I am trying to get back up on top of it.

I think in some ways I'm getting burned out on YA. It's getting hard to read at my usual rate. That being said, I've hit some real gems in the last couple weeks that I've been off grid. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland is an action packed sci-fi alternate history Western with undead set just after the American Civil War. Our protagonist is a young black woman trained to fight the undead. It sounds a little hoky, but somehow it really works. Rebel In the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton is a fantasy set in a world straight out of 1,001 Arabian Nights complete with djinni, magic, and ghouls. It's half political intrigue and half crime caper, I loved it. Both books are entry points into series but they are excellent stand alones as well.

Looking to my next week, I think it's time for a break on the YA. I'm including a few for stress relief, but I'm composing it mainly of non-fiction and non-YA fiction. Because of this, it will be a little longer than normal for the sake of choice.

Short List of all Seriousness:

1. Illuminae by Amie Kaufman (Dekalb Library)
2. Hunter by Mercedes Lackey (Dekalb Library) - Finished 4/24/2019
3. Elite by Mercedes Lackey (Dekalb Library) -Finished 4/25/2019
4. Apex by Mercedes Lackey (Dekalb Library) - Finished 4/26/2019
5. Prodigy by Marie Lu (Classroom LIbrary
6. Champion by Marie Lu (Classroom Library)
7. The Last Girl by Nadia Murad (Dekalb Library)
8. Black Powder War by Naomi Novik (Tsundoku Stack)
9. Cooked by Michael Pollan (Tsundoku Stack)
10. Fiery Ferments by Kirsten K. Shockey & Christopher Shockey (Tsundoku Stack)
11. Fermented Vegetables by Kirsten K. Shockey & Christopher Shockey (Tsundoku Stack)
12. An Edible History of Humanity by Tom Standage (Tsundoku Stack)
13. Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook
14. The Treatment by Suzanne Young (borrowed from Julia)
15. Teaching English by Design by Peter Smagorinsky (Pedagogy)

Locomotion by Jacqueline Woodson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I picked this up on a whim from a remainder bin. I'm always looking for things to add to my classroom library. I hadn't read it, but I generally trust anything that makes the Printz shortlist.

It's odd that so many books for young audiences feature protagonists with absent parents but so few of them actually deal with what happens to a kid with dead parents. I think this might be the only book I've ever read that deals with a kid in the foster system. Lonnie's parents died in a house fire. Lonnie's sister Lily is adopted. Lonnie is fostered out to Miss Edna. Lonnie has a lot going on. The book is him expressing himself through poetry. Or rather, processing. He's processing.

In terms of narrative thread, it's a little slow. However, in terms of character voice and investment, this is excellent. I gulped this down in about two hours and ended up almost in tears. It's heartbreaking, what Lonnie had to go through but his resilience is inspiring.

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Dinner for Everyone: 100 Iconic Dishes Made 3 Ways--Easy, Vegan, or Perfect for Company by Mark Bittman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is an interesting approach to a cookbook. Instead of being organized into courses or types of dish the way most cookbooks are, Bittman identified 100 iconic dishes such as pizza, pot roast, chowder, or sunday dinner. He then gave three versions of each dish: quick, vegan, and all out. In some cases, this resulted in some interesting interpretations, especially with the vegan versions of things like pot roast or otherwise inherently meat/seafood dishes. This is not a book built for purists (although the all out versions should satisfy them). This is a book that encourages flexible thinking and adaptability while still valuing food traditions.

In his forward, Bittman mentions that he has friends who won't consider a dish that can't be on the table in under an hour. People are busy and he respects that. So far, I've only tried the quick versions, but all have turned out well and very tasty. This is a good book for anyone with solid basic kitchen skills. The recipes are well written and clear.

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I am a Bittman fan and I make no bones about it. I was a little slow to hop on the bandwagon, but now that I'm there, I've been following avidly for almost 10 years. I'm such an enthusiast that I have a whole passel of people who buy me the new books as they come out. Bittman's not perfect. I generally find that I need to double or triple the spicing on all the recipes and his idea of serving sizes is completely bizarre: I can't imagine eating an entire Bittman serving in many cases. However, his recipes just don't fail. They might need tweaking, but they all come out enjoyably edible.

Out of this one I've so far tried:

• Orzo with Shrimp and Dill 
• Peanut Bun 
• Sweet and Salty Coconut Rice and
• Pepperoni Pan Pizza

All have been very good.

Week 13 14 - Spring Break Woo Hoo

Page Numbers for the Week: 759. Total Pages for 2019 so far: 8776. Page Average Per Day: 94. Total Number of Books: 31.
Somehow I got it in my head that this is already done. Of course it was not done and I am dreadfully late so I'm going to go ahead and combine the remainder of this week with the next. I've been working through my back log of book related emails and I've accidently loaded up my reading list with library books again.

Short List for a Reading Glut:

1. Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh (Dekalb Library)
2. The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (Dekalb Library)
3. Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 4: Original Sin by Brian Michael Bendis (Ryan's Christmas Gift)
4. Guardians of the Galaxy, Volume 5: Through the Looking Glass by Brian Michael Bendis (Ryan's Christmas Gift)
5. Dinner For Everyone by Mark Bittman (Gift from Ryan) - finished 4/4/2019
6. The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian (Dekalb Library)
7. True History of the Kelly Gang by Peter Carey (Dekalb Library)
8. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland (Dekalb Library) - Finished 4/3/2019
9. Human Acts by Han Kang (Dekalb Library)
10. Black Powder War by Naomi Novik (Tsundoku Stack)
11. Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith (Dekalb Library)
12. Thug Kitchen: The Official Cookbook
13. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (Classroom Library)**
14. The Treatment by Suzanne Young (borrowed from Julia)
15. Teaching English by Design by Peter Smagorinsky (Pedagogy)

I'm sure I will not get through them all but I need to turn back to writing my reviews. I'm behind again. I've somehow lost the habit and it will have to be regained.