I know exactly why I am a reader. Because of my mother. When I was growing up, she read to me every night before bed (even now when I reread Bedtime for Frances, possibly my very favorite childhood book, I hear her voice telling the story). She took me to the library every week. She…
I am still working on my #MustReadin2018 reading challenge as well as the reading challenge I created with my Children’s Literature students, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for just one more. My Children’s Literature students alerted me to a glaring book gap in my own reading life: mysteries. They kept asking for recommendations,…
In January, I joined Carrie Gelson and many other bloggers in creating #MustReadin2018 reading lists. To add a twist to the challenge, I crowdsource my list, selecting one title from each blogger’s list to add to my own. Crowdsourcing has proven to be a more effective way for me to get closer to completing a…
One of the joys of my reading life is making elaborate reading plans and long lists. I have never seen a reading challenge I don’t want to join or scanned a book list I don’t want to complete. But it is also a truth of my reading life that I hate assigned reading and…
I love making #MustRead lists, but I’ll be honest: that’s usually where it ends for me. If I manage to read three or four titles on the list, that’s a very successful reading experience for me. There’s something about putting a book on a list and deciding to read it that makes me lose interest…
My reading life over the past few months has been sad. I do have excuses. I taught a course overload in spring, and I’m teaching one now. I also have two completely new preps this semester. For most of the year, too, parenting has been really intense, and I’ve lost some of the guaranteed daily…
Ruth Ayres hosts a weekly celebration on her blog. I appreciate this invitation to reflect on the positives of my week. 1. We made it! I love my son so much, but seventeen days straight of 24/7 parenting with no school, no after-school club, no respite of any kind is daunting when your child comes…
Nonfiction is one of my favorite genres to read, so I’m thrilled to participate this year in Nonfiction November. I don’t think I’ll be doing the readalongs (too many other reading challenges to complete before December 31), but I do hope to participate in the weekly discussions. This week’s link-up is hosted by Kim at Sophisticated…
Visit Teach Mentor Texts and Unleashing Readers to participate in the kidlit version of this weekly meme. This week on my blog: A slice about the art of slow grading A review of a picture book biography of Civil War doctor, Mary Walker A celebration of reading, black bottom chocolate pie, and more A curation…
Hard to believe we’re already halfway through 2014. It’s been a tremendous reading year for me, and I think that’s largely thanks to my PLN and all their wonderful book recommendations. I don’t really remember how I found books to read before blogs and Twitter. I’ve always read a lot and loved to read, so…
