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.

Week 12 in review

Page Numbers for the Week: 751. Total Pages for 2019 so far: 8017. Page Average Per Day: 98. Total Number of Books: 29.

A bit of a busy week. Grades are due and there's a ton of organizational stuff happening at school. I'm behind on reviews again. Seems like I need to get them done during the weekend to make them happen but the weekends get pretty full too.

A Short List:

1. Leah on the Offbeat by Becky Albertalli (Dekalb Library)
2. Dinner For Everyone by Mark Bittman (Gift from Ryan)
3. A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness (Tsundoku - bought it in Chattanooga last summer)
4. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland (Dekalb Library)
5. Black Powder War by Naomi Novik (Tsundoku Stack and also got a mention on Book Riot)
6. Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America edited by Ibi Zoboi (School Library)
7. Teaching English by Design by Peter Smagorinsky (Pedagogy book - Playing Catch Up)

In other news, I'm thinking of doing Camp NaNoWriMo for April. Unlike the standard November event, there are different kinds of goals, including a time based one. I'm thinking of committing to 30 minutes a day for the month. It feels doable, anyway.

Week 11 - Back in the Saddle

Page Numbers for the Week: 1,500. Total Pages for 2019 so far: 7266. Page Average Per Day: 97. Total Number of Books: 27.

As promised, I'm back on track and making up ground. I started the week eight books behind pace, and I am now only three behind. I've also pulled my daily average page count up 12 pages. So things are turning around.  I also caught up on my back log of reviews which resulted in a new post each day last week. Even though some of this apparent gain is the result of strategy, it still feels good to get my feet under me.

A  Short List:

1. Dinner For Everyone by Mark Bittman (Gift from Ryan)
2. A Discovery Of Witches by Deborah Harkness (Tsundoku - bought it in Chattanooga last summer)
3. His Majesty's Dragon by Naomi Novik (Tsundoku Stack and also got a mention on Book Riot) - Finished 3/17/2019
4. Throne of Jade by Naomi Novik (Tsundoku Stack and also got a mention on Book Riot) - Finished 3/21/2019
5. Black Powder War by Naomi Novik (Tsundoku Stack and also got a mention on Book Riot)
6. Black Enough: Stories of Being Young and Black in America edited by Ibi Zoboi (School Library)
7. Teaching English by Design by Peter Smagorinsky (Pedagogy book - Playing Catch Up)

I'm sure my gains over the next week will be more moderate. I've started on His Majesty's Dragon and it's absolutely enthralling. I've added the next two books in the series. All three came out of a box donated to me by a coworker. Actually he donated me three boxes and I'm still sorting through it all. Lol. It's a nice problem to have.

Stand Tall by Joan Bauer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

More and more kids are growing up in divorced households. In previous generations, narratives tended to cast one or the other of the parents as some sort of evil selfish person at worst or at best as simply absent and leaving behind a void in their kids lives. In truth, for most families there is no villain which makes it all much harder for the kids and so much sadder. Without hate and anger, loss is harder to deal with and so much more raw. That’s what Tree, protagonist of Stand Tall, is dealing with.

Tree is six foot three at the age of 12. He visually just doesn’t fit in. (Excellent metaphor for adolescence by the way) He’s a good kid though. He helps his Vietnam vet grandfather with his post amputation physical therapy. He helps the new girl, Sophie, find a place in their school. He just helps people and while doing so finds a place for himself.

I think this is a good book in general, but especially for what it does exploring issues surrounding adjusting to a broken home.


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The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Good science fiction explores ideas. It’s not all zap guns and silly aliens. A good idea drives the story and questions that the central idea raises fuel the conflict. This is why I love science fiction. Unfortunately, many of the novels published as science fiction fall woefully short of this. So many in fact, that I find many of my students have a poor understanding of what science fiction should be. This leads to a phenomenon that has many English teachers scratching their heads.

Somehow The House of the Scorpion has become a common assigned text in middle school. It is true science fiction and every kid I’ve talked to, save one, has hated it. This is really too bad because it’s an excellent book. The House of the Scorpion takes on the idea of human cloning. Told from the point of view of Matt, who is the clone of a drug lord called El Patron, the story takes on the social, legal, and religious perspectives on what being a clone means.

Matt, of course, is just a kid and has no idea what he is for a large chunk of the novel. Religiously and legally, he’s considered sub-human and without a soul, but things get complicated when he, against the odds, survives his original purpose as a living source of replacement organs.

It’s all very interesting and, while not all the questions raised can be answered, the book does its job by illustrating the complexity of the issues. I’m looking forward to tracking down the sequel.


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Life Below Stairs: True Lives of Edwardian Servants by Alison Maloney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I admit it, I love Downton Abbey. The dichotomy of the leisure class and serving class is just so alien to me. As much as I liked all the Granthams, I found myself more interested in the various servants. It’s just such a weird world. So I did what any highly educated person does when confronted with something strange. I bought a book.

Ok, so in all fairness this is a good little book. It provides an overview of the world and concerns of the edwardian servants. While the author has a modern outlook on the plight of the servant class, she is also pretty realistic about relative opportunities of the time. The whole social landscape was just different.

This is just an overview, but it’s a good one and provides good direction for where to find more information.


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