I've got some good books to talk about this week. I'm so excited. It warms my heart to see so many books waiting to be read. As always, I want to thank The
Story Siren for this idea. So without further ado:
Books I bought:Drood by Dan Simmons 
I have been wanting this book for a long time. I read about the last five years of Charles Dickens life after he was in a life-changing train accident. Simmons tells the story through Wilkie Collins, Dickens' writing partner. The voice is full of wit and humor with a little creepiness thrown in. I can't wait to immerse myself in this one.
Separate Peace by John Knowles 
I heard about this one when I moved from elementary school to middle school, from the classroom to the library. I read Looking for Alaska by John Green, fell in love and was told this book was similar. The 8th graders will be reading this for book group.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding 
The 7th grade book group will read this one right before Nation by Terry Pratchett. I'm hoping that there will be some similarities since they are both, loosely, about starting over on an island.
Epic by Conor Kostick 
This is another one for the 7th graders. We will be reading this one in about 2 weeks. It had some similarities to The Hunger Games, which I loved and most have read, so it will be interesting to discuss. There's already some debate about the title. Students feel the author was being lazy. I couldn't find much info on Kostick but he has done some work with libraries to increase reading. Here's a
poster he worked on with some students.
The Outsiders by SE Hinton 
I remember reading this when I was in 7th grade, about 30 years ago, no comments from the peanut gallery, and now the 8th graders are reading this for book group. I wonder if it will resonate now as it did then? Will we be able to look past the dated language and find the underlying timeless human elements? Should be interesting.
SE Hinton was just 17 when she wrote The Outsiders. Rumor has it that she used her initials to hide her gender. That in itself will be cause for discussion!
Books I borrowed:The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad 
I'm hoping to gain more insight into what's happening in Afghanistan. This book promises to deliver that through the eyes of a bookseller, my dream job.
Well, that's what I have this week. I am now strengthening my resolve to borrow more and buy less. It's a dilemma for me, on the one hand, I'm a librarian so I should support libraries, on the other hand, I want to sell books so I want to support bookstores. In the end, using libraries will help me save money to get my own store. So that's what I'm going to try to do. Ok, enough about me!
What's in your mailbox?
great books! lots of classics!!
ReplyDeletethanks for participating in IMM!
Lord of the Flies and The Outsiders are two of my favorites. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteI hope you enjoy A Separate Peace!
ReplyDeleteLoved the Outsiders, an amazing novel!
ReplyDeleteGreat books! I really loved lord of the flies and the outsiders.
ReplyDeletehey! that's so cool, you want to start your own, I do too. :D good luck to the both of us!
Great book list this week!
ReplyDeleteI also wanted to let you know about Eternal- it's more of a companion book to Tantalize, so you don't have to read Tantalize first but you can. You should definitely read it by the time the third book comes out because that will combine the characters from Tantalize and Eternal.
I hope that makes sense. :)
Separate Peace and The Bookseller sound very interesting to me. Because I am a volunteer librarian and not one by profession, I find your blog particularly helpful. You help me know what kids are reading at grade level. Because I am not a trained librarian, I have to do a bit of homework checking educator sites and finding educators to connect with so I am informed. You are valued and incredible resource for me. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteOh, my daughter read The Outsiders and loved it. Strangely, I did not read this for school and haven't read it. Of course I know the story and we have it in our library but I haven't made time to read it.
ReplyDeleteThese are perfect books. I've read and loved so many of them, and at such different times in my life. Separate Peace I didn't discover until a few years ago, and reading it then was just the right time.
ReplyDeleteI love your dream, Brain Liar—a teen-centered bookstore/hang out. I've taught teen writers (and will be teaching them again on Tuesday). There's nothing finer than being in their midst.
Thanks so much for your comment on the blog...
I attended an all-boys school in New England during the era when A Separate Peace, The Catcher in the Rye and similar books dominated reading lists. I re-read "Catcher" not too long ago, and your post made me want to go back to A Separate Peace, too. I can still recall the climactic scene, decades after reading it.
ReplyDeletep.s. Welcome to Book Blogs.