May Recap and Summer Goals

During May, I read five books:

1. When I Was Puerto Rican by Esmerelda Santiago
2.  A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah
3.  Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller
4.  Stiff by Mary Roach
5.  The Best Advice I Ever Got by Katie Couric

Looking at this list, these books have one huge theme in common: they are ALL non-fiction. I am just realizing this year, really, that non-fiction intrigues me so much and captivates me more than any other genre. However, as Reading in the Wild points out, while it’s really important to cultivate your favorite genre, it’s also necessary to get outside your comfort zone and learn from challenges that you set for yourself too.

Two events in May have convinced me of a need to have a few reading challenges for summer. First of all, I was lucky to attend a wonderful Young Adult Literature Conference in Appleton, WI and got practically millions of new book titles that my high schoolers and myself will love.

Secondly, I created a list in my classroom. A pretty simple one actually, that began like this: “What should Mrs. Droese read this summer?” I wasn’t sure how many responses I would get, or how serious my students would respond, but after just a few days, I am thrilled and intrigued with their suggestions. See the picture to the right for the full list thus far.

The biggest deficit I see in my reading is that I read practically no science fiction or fantasy. Looking at the list my students created, it’s pretty clear that a lot of them LOVE these genres. The closest I come is with dystopian fiction, and usually I only get to the first book of the trilogy.

So with that in mind, here are my summer goals:

• Read 30 books! So far this year, I have read 30 total, so I’m hoping with no school I will be able to have more time to read during my three months off.
•  Read a greater variety of genres. I have at least six fantasy books on my list and a couple of dystopian sequels too. Although I love non-fiction, I want a more even ratio of fiction to non-fiction.

To kick off summer reading, I have already starting working my way through The Magicians by Lev Grossman, a fantasy book that has been described to me as “the adult Harry Potter.” That’s a tall order for a book, but so far, so good!

Two more weeks of school, but I say to you this: Let the summer reading begin!!!

Do you have any summer reading goals or wish lists?