Thoughts on a Reading Slump and Book Abandonment

For whatever reason, in the month of April my reading hit a slump. I read four books, one of them a reread (In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan- see my last post!). While this is impressive by my 2013 standards, it’s the least amount of books I’ve read in a month in 2014, and I completely ditched audiobooks. Here are some possible causes:

1. The weather has been unusually awful for April and the TV has been calling my name
2. I bought a road bike and have been dedicating some time to a new hobby
3. Grading and school has been getting the better of me

Most likely though, I think I’ve hit a wall because I haven’t been EXCITED about the books I’ve chosen to read. At the beginning of the year, I made a list of all the books I have been recommended or wanted to read and I have been steadily making my way through them. However, my most recent books have just not been making the cut. Here are some books I have abandoned  in recent weeks:

• The Group by Mary McCarthy: this is the book club choice from my college book club (hi guys!). I didn’t get too far into it when I heard many people were either a) not reading it or b) hating it, so I promptly decided not to make it a priority. The incredibly tiny font didn’t help either!

• Cooked by Michael Pollan: I love Michael Pollan and I love food, but I just wasn’t in the mood for this book. I’m much more interested in the process of growing food and eating food (thus, my recent Michael Pollan read), but over 500 pages of how cooking works just was not doing it for me.

• Endurance by Alfred Lansing: I actually do want to read this book still, reading about a ship crew trudging through snow and ice in Antarctica and it was snowing in April this year just made me angry! When I’m sweltering hot and baling hay in July, I think this book will be a much better fit.

• A Long Way Gone by Ishmael Beah: This memoir of Ishmael Beah, who was a boy soldier during the civil war of Sierra Leone, is extremely powerful and fascinating, and I would like to finish reading it. However, I had checked it out from the library as an audiobook. Although the narrator has a strong, calm voice, the contents of the book were so depressing that I hated listening to it in the car. I want to read this book, but I think this is better suited as a “read this and be depressed for one week,” not a “read in short spurts and be reminded how awful the world is all over again for weeks” selection.

So what’s a girl to do with all of this book abandonment and indecisiveness? I feel incredibly guilty when I abandon books, but as I’ve learned from Donalyn Miller, reader and teacher extraordinaire and author of my teaching bible The Book Whisperer, there are too many wonderful books in the world to read ones that don’t interest you. Reading should be fun, engaging, and an escape from your current world; the real world should not be an escape from books you are dreading to read.

So with that, I am picking myself up from April and setting out to salvage my reading in May. Luckily, I have wonderful friends who make my life so much better and have given me books and recommendations. Here are some books and ideas that are spurring me forward:

• What Teachers Make by Taylor Mali: Given to me by a dear childhood friend who also teaches, I have been reading a little of this each night and especially when teaching has been rough recently. A nice little reminder of why we teach.

• Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller: Another gift from a lovely colleague. As previously admitted, Donalyn Miller is my idol in a totally dorky reader and teacher sort of way. Can’t wait to get some ideas for next year from this book!

• Other things I have done: Without too much guilt, I cleaned out books from my list that I do not really want to read and have added in new recommendations after browsing my library website and GoodReads. Hopefully, six new books and two audiobooks will await me at the library soon! On May 22, I will also be attending a Young Adult Literature Conference with some of my buddies from school. Always a fantastic way to get the latest YAL titles and give me a huge summer booklist!

Spring is here and I can’t wait to share with you some of my newest book finds of May soon J

The Power of Rereading

When I look over my list of books to read and browse my “Books Worth Reading” board on Pinterest, it’s almost overwhelming to think about all the books there are in the world and what a small percentage I will actually get to read in my lifetime. (For reference, in the United States in 2011, nearly 300,000 books were published!!!) So far this year, I’ve put a concerted effort to focus on those awesome yet-to-be-read books that will make my world come alive.

But in the last week, it’s been books I’ve already read that have gotten my attention. These two books have come in very different forms, but it’s been refreshing to reflect on the power of rereading stories and the importance of taking a second look.

1. Macbeth by William Shakespeare

This is my third year reading Macbeth with my 10th graders, and each year I look at this play in a different light. The conversations and opinions of my students certainly influence me to look at characters in different ways, and ultimately, I come to the end of the unit with a completely new outlook on Macbeth, Lady Macbeth, and even Banquo than when I began. It’s also amazing to me how much more I understand with each rereading. I also love being able to quote lines without having to check the book. In other word, rereading continues to make me into an expert!

2. In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

My good buddy Fran gave me this book way back in the good old days when we were college roommates. Having read Omnivore’s Dilemma, I devoured (haha- get it?) this book by local food expert Michael Pollan. In Defense of Food argues that what most of us eat on a regular basis is not, in fact, food, but “edible foodlike substances.” What follows is a well-crafted, fascinating argument for all of us to get back to eating real food in order to be healthier and happier people.

I’m still not done rereading this book, but it has given me a refreshing reminder of what it means to be a healthy eater. It has also inspired me to dive headfirst into making our vegetable garden the best it’s ever been- which is not a high bar, for the record. Taking a second look has been an inspiring start to spring, and it makes me excited for eating healthy summer food- not just foodlike substances!

Admittedly, I have not been the best reader lately, but rereading these two books, although for very different purposes, has reenergized me and made me feel excited for other books that I may read for the first of many times.

What books will you take a second look at this week to inspire and energize you?

March Recap

It’s finally spring, right? Sitting comfy cozy on my bed during a much-needed Spring Break, I feel so pleased when I look over the eight books I was able to make time to read this month.

Here’s a recap of the books I read this month:

1. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
2. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
3. David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell
4. Self Help by Lorrie Moore
5. America Again by Stephen Colbert
6. Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink
7. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
8. The Fault in our Stars by John Green

Favorite Fiction: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon. I read this as a recommendation of my friend Kirsten, and it was lovely. A great, quick read told from the perspective of a boy with autism and a mystery that changes his life forever. Fantastic!

Least Favorite Fiction: Self Help by Lorrie Moore. It was a little bit too “woe is me I’m a twenty-something living in NYC” for me. However, the reason I read the book in the first place fills my heart to the top: my college friends and I started an online book club and this was our second read. So fun to be able to connect through books, even when we all live in five different states and two different countries!

Favorite Non-Fiction: Mindless Eating by Brian Wansink. I hope I get a chance to blog about this book, because it really helped me think about eating in a different way. Everyone struggles with mindless eating- snacking even though you’re not hungry, eating just because food is there, munching because everyone else is. This book put a great perspective on how to use mindless eating to your advantage.

Least Favorite Non-Fiction: America Again by Stephen Colbert. This was a quick read, and a fun audiobook, but didn’t have a lot of meat to it. As could be expected from Colbert, this was more about cracking jokes than anything else.

Looking back on these reads, what’s most enjoyable for me is thinking about when I read them and who I got to read them with. I loved discussing Curious Incident with my tenth graders, who read it in ninth grade. I looked so forward to hanging out on Google+ with my book club buddies to discuss Self Help. I snuggled in on my airplane home from Florida to read Insurgent. I laughed, cried, and pondered about my audiobooks on my way to visit friends, drive home from work, and run errands.

Reading always seems to make life more enjoyable.

Audio Review: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green

Admittedly, I have not been the best blogger lately. However, I’m hoping the multitudes of books- audio and traditional- that I have been reading lately make up for it. Stay tuned for a March Recap in a day or two!

I was lucky enough to attend a rockin’ bachelorette party in Minneapolis a couple of weekends ago (yay Kaitlyn!). During the 9 hour round trip, I listened to two very different books- Mindless Eating, a non-fiction book by Mark Wasink and The Fault in Our Stars by the beloved Young Adult Lit author John Green.

I say beloved because teens seem to thrive over his books, most notably The Fault in Our Stars and Paper Towns. Admittedly, I did not LOVE Paper Towns, but when my students said “YOU HAVE TO READ THIS BOOK NOW,” I, per usual, gave in and checked it out.

Hazel is a teenager with limited days. Barely escaping death from lung cancer thanks to a new experimental drug, she is a grenade waiting for her time to run out. At a somewhat lame but nonetheless supportive cancer group at a local church, Hazel meets the dreamy Augustus Waters. Gus lost his leg to cancer and, now healthy, is at the support group to support another cancer-friend Isaac. Hazel and Gus fall into a whirlwind romance and through each other, are able to truly live while awaiting what they can only assume are going to be untimely deaths.

As you might guess, this story will have some major sad moments. And yes, I did cry by myself in the car toward the end of the book, and I am not at all ashamed. In fact, if you don’t cry, I will question you are probably a tin man.

Why you might like this book: Although I’ve been fortunate not to have anything close to a life-threatening illness, it sure seems like John Green offers a realistic, though not totally cynical, view of how it feels to have cancer. In this way, I felt like the characters’ feelings are pretty believable. Secondly, this novel offered a couple of twists that surprised me, which I always appreciate.

Why you might not like this book: The characters in this book talk like they are on Gilmore Girls; super witty and not at all realistic. In fact, this is a huge reason why I never got into Gilmore Girls. It’s especially obvious on the audio version of the book, but it’s something you get used to.

Similar Titles I’ve Read: Paper Towns by John Green, My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

I would recommend this book to: mostly teens, people who like having feelings, anyone planning on seeing the movie

The movie version of this book comes out on June 6. Although Shailene Woodley, one of my archnemeses, is in it, rest assured I will probably still see it at some point. See the trailer here!

Dystopian Lit Roundup

I read Legend by Marie Lu a couple of weeks ago. While it was really good, and at some point I plan on reading the sequel Prodigy, a sudden realization came over me when I was trying to explain the plot to my class. It was a realization that had been lingering a while, until someone finally voiced my concern. The conversation went something like this:

“What’s the book about?” the class asked me.

“Well,” I said, “in some ways it’s kind of like Hunger Games. It’s a dystopian novel about a society where teenagers take a test to determine….”

“Ugh!” a student whined. “All the books are like Hunger Games. Seriously!”

And that whining student is 100% correct. Just like novels and TV were overrun with vampires a few years ago, the dystopian society is taking over Young Adult Literature. These books are rampant, with the best of them being made into movies and making loads of money.

For reference, this is my definitive ranking of YAL dystopian novels:*

1.  Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
2. Legend by Marie Lu
3. Divergent by Veronica Roth
4. Uglies by Scott Westerfield
5. Matched by Allie Condie

*Full disclosure: I have read all of these books but not all of them in the series, so the list, while definitive, could change once I have read more sequels. There’s also probably 108 more books that should be in this list, but one only has so many time for reading young adult dystopian lit, right?

After some deliberate thought, I have decided that writing a dystopian novel is truly the next “get rich quick” scheme for any aspiring writers. And lucky for you, I have decided to help you become the next Suzanna Collins or Veronica Roth. Presenting….the formula for a dystopian teen novel:

1. Create a strong female protagonist who either:

          a. Has been stomped on her entire life by “the man” and is now incredibly jaded and
          angry

          b. Believes in her dystopian system like a blind wombat until some discovery or event
          shatters her understanding of the universe

This protagonist should be pretty B.A. and hardened in some way by her life experiences. She may not realize it at the time, but she also has a deadly power to motivate people and because of this, is a threat to the status quo of her city/country. Finally, although she is a teenager, she and her friends are given a ton of power and access to weapons.

2. Design a society in which some sort of “choosing” ceremony takes place, which divides the citizens into different groups based on: personality, looks, intelligence, occupation, love interests, etc. This society should be ruled by some sort of ruler who, at first appearance, may not seem to be in charge, but definitely is and is probably spying on the protagonist and trying to ruin her life.

3. Add in a love connection, which probably includes the following characteristics:

a. Secretive or forbidden fruit, a la Romeo and Juliet

b. A love triangle of some sort between an old flame and new, fun boy

c. A relationship constantly in turmoil due to the violence that erupts in the story, or the lovebirds’ volatile personalities

d. Love that is not consistent or fully solidified until the end of book three in the series. Which leads us to….

4. Drag out the story into a trilogy. Three books is a must, and for best results, make sure that the second one is a classic sequel and develops the overarching story without being able to truly stand on its own. In other words, provide no closure in the second book and force your readers to wait until the third book comes out months later. Hopefully when the movies come out, you can make them into four or five movies. That would be money (literally).

5. Add in a surprise twist. This twist won’t actually be a huge surprise, given the fact that this is a formula, and if your readers have read any other dystopian novels, they’ll be expecting it. Ideas for twists include: a character who seems good but is actually bad, a character who seems bad but if actually good, an identity change, a surprise attack, or a mystery death.

6. Kill your characters off with technology and violence. Lots of people need to die, and definitely consider killing off two or three really important characters. Remember that dystopian societies usually have some pretty boss technology, so use that to your advantage. These deaths should also be surprisingly violent, considering this is a novel for teens.

That’s about it. With these characteristics, you pretty much have a blockbuster formula for creating a hit book series. And remember: as long as the first book’s good enough, the last two can pretty much suck.

February Recap

Another cold winter month has come and gone! But our cold weather temps weren't the only record-breaking stat; I set a new personal best for books read in a month at eight, including three audiobooks. In this awfully dreary February, it was so soothing to have some fantastic, intriguing, and heart-warming reads to get me through. There’s seriously nothing like some hot chocolate, a good book, and a warm blanket to make a day better.

Here’s a recap of the books I read this month:

1. Cuckoo’s Calling by Robert Galbraith (AKA JK Rowling)
2. Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom
3. The Book of Matt by Stephen Jimenez
4. Dewey: The Small Town Library Cat by Vicki Myron
5. Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
6. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt
7. Lean In by Sheryl Sandburg
8. Legend by Mary Lu

Favorite Fiction: Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell. This shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone- you’ve read my review, haven’t you?

Favorite Non-Fiction: Have a Little Faith by Mitch Albom. A wonderful quick read!

Least Favorite Book: Teacher Man by Frank McCourt. It wasn’t that this book wasn’t interesting, but the audio got a little long and it mostly just made me sad as a teacher to have disrespectful kids and no help from administration and all that other stuff. Let’s just say, at times, Frank McCourt did not make me proud to be a teacher. But it was also full of some classroom joys, some of which I'm striving to experience myself.

Although I didn’t get to “book it” for all of my reads this past month, I was pretty busy with dance and other aspects of my life. I’m proud that I read so many books, and have no regrets for choosing reading over blogging. If you have any questions about books on the above list, though, please ask! You know I love to talk about books J

My birthday is just a week away- happy March!

Book Review: Lean In by Sheryl Sandberg

One of my favorite SNL sketches is with Tina Fey as Sarah Palin and Amy Poehler as Hilary Clinton. Palin and Clinton give a “non-partisan message” about sexism and the role it is playing in the upcoming 2008 election:

                  Palin: So please, stop photoshopping my head on sexy bikini picture.

                  Clinton: And stop saying I have cankles.

This absurd dichotomy that women are either hot, dumb playthings or shrewd, cold witches is exactly what Sheryl Sandberg takes on in Lean In. In this self-help/personal story, Sandberg, the Chief Operating Officer of Facebook, shares her journey to the top of her field and the struggle of being a woman in a position of power. “Why we have too few women leaders” was also the subject of her famous TED Talk, which propelled her to write this book in the first place.

Let me be clear, nothing I read in this book was ground-breaking. I was not shocked by any of the claims in this book and even found some of her arguments patronizing because they were so common sense; however, I did find the book as a whole intriguing and her stories and experiences interesting if for no other reason except they are so very different than my own.

Here are five of Sandberg’s main ideas:

1. Women hold themselves back by underestimating their own abilities. They need to be more confident in themselves and their potential.
2. Women who are successful are often perceived as "unlikable" and and that needs to change.
3. Building relationships with other people is an essential element of success.
4. Who you marry and how your partnership works matter.
5. Everyone (men and women) needs to work together to make the world a better place.

Not to be a brat, but wow, never saw those things coming.

In all fairness, some of the studies quoted by Sandberg were new to me, and you know how much I love a good study (really, though)!

Why you might like this book: Sandberg is clearly very passionate about this idea, and she seems to believe whole-heartedly in everything she says. Even though she has been accused of being out of touch with the middle-class working women, she has created Lean In, a private organization aimed at creating a community to inspire, educate, and communicate with future women leaders.

Why you might not like this book: Type in “Sheryl Sandberg” on Google, and most of the top hits are going to be negative. There are tons of critiques for this book, including this one, published last week by Georgetown professor Rosa Brooks (titled “Why I Hate Sheryl Sandberg- yikes!). I agree in some ways with Brooks; at times throughout the book, Sandberg makes me feel like a bad woman and human being for not jumping up to volunteer for power positions and for not encouraging women in the workplace as much as I probably should. Sorry, but sometimes I’m just trying to survive!!!

Similar Titles I’ve Read: 168 Hours by Lauren Vanderkam, Bossy Pants by Tina Fey (although, to be clear, Tina Fey is way funnier, and not just because she does a mean Sarah Palin impression).

I would recommend this book to: Ambitious women

Lean In is a quick read- I wouldn’t call it life changing, and despite my sassy remarks, Sheryl Sandberg is an important voice for gender equality and I’m happy to join in on the conversation.