Books I've Read This Year

I asked you to write about the books that you have read this year in anticipation for our author study. I can't wait to see what titles you write down and the authors that you choose. Asking you to write about the books that you have read this year made me think that I should make a list of some of the books that I have read this year and reflect on them.

Paper Towns and An Abundance of Katherines-I had previously read two other books by John Green, The Fault in our Stars and Looking for Alaska and thoroughly enjoyed them both. While I mowed through those two books in a couple of days, I didn't get through Paper Towns or Katherines as quickly. The characters weren't as engaging, but they were still funny and definitely John Greenish.


Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver-When I first started this book I thought it was just going to be a "mean girls" kind of story, I quickly discovered that there was more to it than that. I found myself not wanting to put this book down because I wanted to know what would happen to the main character. I look forward to reading more books from this author.

Everyday by David Levithan-This book was amazing. It appears frequently on top YA lists and there is a reason why. By the end of the book, I couldn't hold back the tears!

Catalyst and Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson-I think I have read all (or most of) the books that Anderson has written. Although I'm a huge fan of hers and look forward to reading her newest book, I wasn't as impressed with these two books. They were just ok.

Wonder by R.J.Palacio-Everyone should read this book. Enough said.

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness-Although this is a good book, I can't say that I necessarily enjoyed it. The cotent made me really sad :-( Another tear-jerker

Night by Eli Weisel-Very vivid account of life in a concentration camp.

Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell-Most "Best of 2013 Lists" rated this book #1. It's definitely The Fault in Our Stars of 2013. The characters and story were great, and I read it quickly, but I was disappointed in the ending. Immediately, I went online to see if the author was planning a sequal.

Those are some of the books that I have read this year. I can't wait to see your finished author websites so that I can get more book recommendations for my reading :-)

As we finish this semester and begin a new, I want to share with you some of your classmates' blogs that I consider exemplify what I want each of you to do on your blog. Your blog should show who you are, but it should also help you grow as a writer. It's a great place to take risks with your ideas and with your writing style.

Check these out...

 

Aidan the Amazing's Blog

 

Double A's Blog

 

Alex's Amazing Blog

 

Sumbo Jumbo

 

I'm Just Being Amy

These are just a sampling of some of the best. Remember to check out your classmates' blogs whenever we post. Make sure you leave comments!

News Junkie

I don't know what it is, but I love to read the news. My obsession with news reading began in my early 20's. The rise of the Internet (no kids, I didn't have access to the Internet in middle or high school) gave me access to a plethora of news outlets. Every morning, I would get up before work and check all my news sites--CNN, Fox News, The Dallas Morning News (before it required a paid subscription), The Corpus Christi Caller Times (I grew up there), Yahoo News. I know, I know, sounds kinda weird, but I just feel like I learn so much from reading the news. News sites just don't carry "the news." They also carry lifestyle stories, scientific advancements, entertainment buzz. The list goes on and on.

Anyway, during my daily news reading, I found this article "At Some Schools, 'Big Brother' is Watching." The title had me intrigued. What are they watching I wondered? The article described a school district where the school is monitoring kids online interaction. It is normal for a school to monitor a student's activity when they are online at school, but in this case they are monitoring students activity at home. There is much debate over whether or not a school has the right to monitor and dole out discipline to students based on things they do when they are not in school. With several recent suicides linked to cyberbullying, it seems like a good idea for schools to know what is going on outside of school hours between students. Personally, I have mixed feelings on the issue. Why should students get in trouble at school for incidents that occur off school property and not during school hours? At the same time though, the social media provides an opportunity for constant contact between students. In the past, students who were being bullied could at least escape their tormentors when they left school. But today, that's not the case. Students have constant connection through the Internet.

Even after reading the article, I'm not sure how I feel about the issue. What do you think? Read the article and let me know!

Check Out This Blog

This week, I have really enjoyed reading all of your blogs! I learned what many of you are interested in or are passionate about and also what kinds of books you like to read (which, if you ask me, says a lot about a person). Hopefully you have all been checking out each other's blogs. Check out the blog below. This student has totally embraced the blogging concept. Way to go!

 

Jone H.'s Blog

Cast Your Ballot!

Did you know that today is election day?  None of you are old enough to vote for a mayor or city council member, but you can vote in the Goodreads Choice Awards 2013!

At the beginning of the year, we all set up an account on Goodreads. This site is a great place to keep track of the books that you are reading as well as a great place to find books that you may be interested in reading. If you haven't looked at your account in a while, you need to go check it out. Right now they are asking people to cast their votes for the best books of 2013. Check out your Goodreads account and vote for your favorites!

Books Change Lives

Today I stumbled upon this article on CNN about books that changed your life. I started to think if one particular book had changed my life. Growing up, I always enjoyed reading. It started with the Little House on the Prairie Series, and then I graduated to Nancy Drew Mysteries. Through middle and high school, I had to read A LOT for school. It seemed that there was little time for pleasure reading. This was especially true in Advanced Junior English. My teacher Ms. Pete made us read at least 10 outside reading books a six weeks (I swear I'm not exaggerating). Countless nights I stayed up into the wee hours of the night trying to finish a book for one of her "book talks." The "book talk" consisted of students and teacher sitting around discussing the book. There might have been 40 people in the room for a book talk, and she might never call on you, but I knew if I didn't read the book in its entirity, she would know, and she would call on me! So I always read no matter what. That year, I read more than I ever had and was truly challenged. So would I say that a book changed my life? No, probably not, but an amazing teacher did make me love literature!

Can you think of any books or teachers who have shaped your view of reading? Let me know by posting in the comments below.

From Book to the Big Screen

Great Young Adult Books become Great Movies

So the other night I was looking at Pinterest for YA literature suggestions. I'm always looking for more great books to read and to buy for my classroom library. I happened upon a pin that lead me to a list of awesome young adult books that are being made into feature films. Below are the movie trailers for some of the books. Check out the trailers. It might inspire you to read some of the books!

Divergent by Veronica Roth

 

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

 



 

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

 



 

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

 



 

 

All of these books are available in the Shadow Ridge Middle School Library. For a more comprehensive list of 60 young adult movie to book adaptations click on the link!