July 2013 Reads

I haven't read this many books in one month in a very long time...if ever! One reason is that I deactivated my Facebook in early July and that allowed me a lot more free time to focus on my reading.

1)  Fly Away by Kristin Hannah...this novel is a much anticipated sequel to Firefly Lane. Looking back to my goodreads.com account I see that I read Firefly Lane in March 2008 and only gave it two stars. I am not sure why because I didn't write any comments. Oh well, I didn't check back to what I thought of that novel before I started Fly Away.  I enjoyed Fly Away but had some confusion when the different characters' stories would switch between the past and present throughout the book. I'm glad it was a library book.  3 out of 5 stars on this one.

2) The Lost Art of Mixing by Erica Bauermeister. I really enjoyed Bauermeister's two previous novels and this one didn't disappoint either. I enjoy books centered around food (I love food in all forms...written or otherwise). I was blessed to have hours to read it and finished it in just over one day. 4 out of 5 stars.

3) Big Ray by Michael Kimball. This was a short book (192 pages) that I picked up off the New Books shelf at the library. It's about a man whose morbidly obese father dies. The book details the son's thoughts on his father from his childhood to after the father's death. It is written in short snippets, like a stream of consciousness. I didn't get much out of it overall but was able to finish it in an evening. Only 2 out of 5 stars on this one. Definitely glad I didn't buy it.

4) Help, Thanks, Wow: The Three Essential Prayers by Anne Lamott. Another short library book, 112 pages, also found on the New Books shelf. While I agreed with Lamott's thoughts on prayers of help, thanks, and wow, I disagreed with her generalized God or "higher power". She appears to have a very zen approach to her faith. This book was a sweet reminder to pray often whether asking for help (in big or little things), expressing gratitude (in many forms and for many reasons) and saying Wow! in response to nature, life, and big and small moments. 3 out of 5 stars.

5)  7: An Experimental Mutiny Against Excess by Jen Hatmaker. This book was both entertaining and heartbreaking. So much to think about when I consider the excess of my own life and that of Americans in general. I definitely plan to apply some of these principles to my own life (in terms of cutting out excess). In fact, I have already stopped going through the clothes section of Target "just because there might be something cute" for me. I have more than enough clothes. Lots to think about here. I highly recommend it! 5 out of 5 stars.

6) Every Soul A Star by Wendy Mass. This YA novel was from the library. I picked it up because I've seen it offered in our Scholastic book orders before. I enjoyed it quite a bit and learned some good content about space and solar eclipses. I'd recommend it to my students. 4 out of 5 stars.

7) Teach Like A Pirate by Dave Burgess. This is a professional development book and I absolutely LOVED it! I cannot wait to apply some of these strategies to my own teaching, especially in science and social studies. I will be recommending it to my colleagues and teacher friends on Instagram as well! Definitely 5 out of 5 stars. Actually a 5+!

8) And The Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini. This is our family book club book for the summer. I chose it based on how much I loved Hosseini's previous two books. This book was very different from his other two books. I loved how beautifully written it was despite the large number of characters in this one. I think I want to reread it at some point just to revisit all the characters now that I know the ending of the novel. In some ways the end was incredibly sad but in other ways, it was a happy ending for the younger Pari.  This one is definitely 5 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend it!

9) The Center of Everything by Linda Urban.  I chose this book to read because it was recommended on a couple of teacher websites.  It's a children's book about a young girl whose grandma has recently passed away. The girl has some regrets about her last encounter with her grandma.  The story is well told but it didn't really grab me.  I will recommend it to students who like to read a more serious book. 3 out of 5 stars 

10) Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand.  I read this book in two days and it was nearly 400 pages long. It tells the story of high school juniors who grew up on Nantucket Island and a fateful graduation night.  I really enjoyed it (obviously, if I read it that quickly) and look forward to reading a few more of Hilderbrand's books. 4 out of 5 stars

11) The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. This children's novel was one of the middle school summer reading choices for our fifth graders.  I read this book in one day and let me tell you, it is a KEEPER! The narrator is Ivan, a gorilla who is in a cage in a mall. This is a gorgeous story and I cried many times while reading it.  I recommend it to everyone...it doesn't matter what your age is!  5+ out of 5 stars.

12) Faith, hope, and ivy june by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. This children's novel is one that I finished up from the school year. I had it in book clubs with my students but never finished it myself. I really love the storyline of a rich and poor girl participating in an exchange program through their schools. 4 out of 5 stars. 

13) Mr. Terupt Falls Again by Rob Buyea. This is the sequel to Because of Mr. Terupt, a book about a fifth grade class. I really loved that book. This one not so much. It had some inappropriate parts that I'm not sure I want to put in my fifth grade classroom library. I really had to force myself to finish the last twenty pages or so. 2 out of 5 stars.