Hosted by Sheila — Thank you! Last week I did finish "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern but I didn't end of up finishing "Cinder." So, my goal for this week is to finish "Cinder" by Marissa Meyer.
"Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl... . Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future."
It seems like this week is awful lonely without Sheila and "What Are You Reading" has almost less meaning because I know while I'm writing this she's off saving lives and making a difference. At first when I started thinking about it I grew almost bitter at the mundaneness of memes; I mean, really why is it important, who does it benefit, listing what you accomplished every week and what books you "brought" in?
What is it about book blogging that I feel like "makes a difference" anyway? Is it the reviews, the community, the memes, the scheduled posts, the Twitter conversations? Being a teacher, I'd like to say it's the reviews and the growing knowledge of YA books that I have gained since becoming a book blogger. But really, I think it's more than that. Yes, this blog benefits my students — but more than that this blog benefits me, as a teacher and as reader. If it weren't for reading YOUR "It's Monday" posts, "IMM" posts, and other random book posts, my TBR pile wouldn't be overflowing... but at the same time I wouldn't know what books to "look for" at my local book stores or library. I wouldn't know about books (synopses) without reading them. And most importantly, I don't think I'd be as driven to read every week if I didn't know that someone out there was going to check in on my progress every week.
So while Sheila, God Bless her, is out saving lives and making a difference in Honduras (save travels!), this week I was able to add one more book to my classroom shelves and do a book talk on it. This week I finished reading "Shade." And who knows, maybe someone out there will read my review or a student will love my book talk and pick the book up and consequently have a life changing literary experience. It could happen, right? Maybe I'm changing lives one book and one student at a time? Or... maybe I just like the satisfaction of seeing what I've accomplished every week.
What about you? What benefit do you get out of doing memes?
Hosted by Sheila — Thank you! Last week was probably my most productive in a long time! I finished "Crossed" by Ally Condie, "Silence" by Becca Fitzpatrick, and "Replication: The Jason Experiment" by Jill Williamson! I'm feeling on fire!:) This week I'd like to finished "Cinder" by Marissa Meyer and "The Night Circus" by Erin Morgenstern.
"Humans and androids crowd the raucous streets of New Beijing. A deadly plague ravages the population. From space, a ruthless lunar people watch, waiting to make their move. No one knows that Earth’s fate hinges on one girl... .
Cinder, a gifted mechanic, is a cyborg. She’s a second-class citizen with a mysterious past, reviled by her stepmother and blamed for her stepsister’s illness. But when her life becomes intertwined with the handsome Prince Kai’s, she suddenly finds herself at the center of an intergalactic struggle, and a forbidden attraction. Caught between duty and freedom, loyalty and betrayal, she must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect her world’s future."
"The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.
True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead. "
Wow, it's been a long time since I've done an "It's Monday" post! But like I said yesterday I'm hoping to get back in the swing of things and today is definitely the day to start. This week I finished "Fall for Anything."
Review Books: "E=MC2" and " The Classics"
My Books/Recreational Read: "Shade"
Class Books: "To Kill a Mockingbird" — I should finish TKM this week!
Last week I finished listening to "Between Shades of Gray" (review to come this week) and I read "Pandemonium" (Um... WOW!). This week I'd like to finish "Crossed."
"In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky — taken by the Society to his certain death — only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake. Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander — who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart — change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever."
Last week I finished reading two fantastic dystopias: "Ashfall" by Mike Mullin and "The Pledge" by Kimberly Derting. This sounds crazy, but as I was on my reading high with two absolutely amazing books, I kept thinking of how great it was going to be to tell all you Monday hoppers that I was actually productive this week (as it has been such a long time)! This productivity may be due to amazing books or to my new "plan:" I've been reading during my thirty minute lunch break. I know people say to do this but I eat in the department office with the other thirteen female teachers and I thought it would be "distracting" but I've found that reading during lunch not only settles me down but it a great "breather". I look forward to lunch now and can't wait to open my Nook for that thirty minutes a day that I know I have to read. The conversations going on don't bother me (I'm lucky enough to be able to focus on reading).
Anyway, that's what has really changed this past week in my reading life. This week I'd like to finish "Saving June" by Hannah Harrington.
"‘If she’d waited less than two weeks, she’d be June who died in June. But I guess my sister didn’t consider that.’
Harper Scott’s older sister has always been the perfect one so when June takes her own life a week before her high school graduation, sixteen-year-old Harper is devastated. Everyone’s sorry, but no one can explain why.
When her divorcing parents decide to split her sister’s ashes into his-and-her urns, Harper takes matters into her own hands. She’ll steal the ashes and drive cross-country with her best friend, Laney, to the one place June always dreamed of going California.
Enter Jake Tolan. He’s a boy with a bad attitude, a classic-rock obsession and nothing in common with Harper’s sister. But Jake had a connection with June, and when he insists on joining them, Harper’s just desperate enough to let him. With his alternately charming and infuriating demeanour and his belief that music can see you through anything, he might be exactly what she needs.
Except June wasn’t the only one hiding something. Jake’s keeping a secret that has the power to turn Harper’s life upside down again."
This week I finished listening to "Crescendo" and am planning to finish "Ashfall" by Mike Mullin this week. I am absolutely loving this book. It's the mega survival story of all times. It's heartbreaking but hopeful at the same time. If you are a fan of survival stories — this is fantastic. I'm having a hard time putting it down.
"Under the bubbling hot springs and geysers of Yellowstone National Park is a supervolcano. Most people don't know it's there. The caldera is so large that it can only be seen from a plane or satellite. It just could be overdue for an eruption, which would change the landscape and climate of our planet.
Ashfall is the story of Alex, a teenage boy left alone for the weekend while his parents visit relatives. When the Yellowstone supervolcano erupts unexpectedly, Alex is determined to reach his parents. He must travel over a hundred miles in a landscape transformed by a foot of ash and the destruction of every modern convenience that he has ever known, and through a new world in which disaster has brought out both the best and worst in people desperate for food, water, and warmth. With a combination of nonstop action, a little romance, and very real science, this is a story that is difficult to stop reading and even more difficult to forget."
This week I feel like I've made real headway, since last Wednesday when I wrote my "It's Monday" post, I've finished "Captivate" and have made serious progress on "To Kill A Mockingbird." I'm listening to TKM, it really helped pass the time on my way to the Twin Cities for the TC Book Festival (post to come soon). Now that I'm past Chapter 10, I'm very much into the book and find myself constantly thinking about it.
I know it's Wednesday and I am officially three days late. My bad. In case you haven't heard — I'm ENGAGED! I spent Monday and Tuesday calling the church, reception venue, caterer, and photographer. Needless to say, I haven't gotten a thing accomplished... reading-wise anyway.:)
I finished listening to "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow" and reading "The Dark Divine" last week! It's the most productive I've been since September!
This week I finished "The Awakening" and am hoping to finish "A Beautiful Dark" Jocelyn Davis this week.
"On the night of Skye’s seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites—like fire and ice—Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye’s life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move—only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past. In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can’t help falling for, and Devin, who she can’t stay away from, the consequences of Skye’s choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine."
I finished "Need" last week and am currently almost through "Matched." It's been a crazy week and I haven't had a lot of time to devote to reading — but it's BBAW! Whoot!
Review Books: "Matched"
My Books/Recreational Read:
Class Books: "The Pedestrian," a short story by Ray Bradbury (I think).
Wow, it has been forever since I've done a It's Monday post, and that's probably due to the fact that my reading life has been a bit inactive lately. But I just finished "The Juliet Spell" tonight and am hoping that that will spur me into action again.
This week I'd like to read:
"A Beautiful Dark" Jocelyn Davis
"On the night of Skye’s seventeenth birthday, she meets two enigmatic strangers. Complete opposites—like fire and ice—Asher is dark and wild, while Devin is fair and aloof. Their sudden appearance sends Skye’s life into a tailspin. She has no idea what they want, or why they seem to follow her every move—only that their presence coincides with a flurry of strange events. Soon she begins to doubt not just the identity of the two boys, but also the truth about her own past.
In the dead of a bitingly cold Colorado winter, Skye finds herself coming to terms with the impossible secret that threatens to shatter her world. Torn between Asher, who she can’t help falling for, and Devin, who she can’t stay away from, the consequences of Skye’s choice will reach further than the three of them could ever imagine."
This week I finished "Mockingjay" and am still in the process of "Need." I was pretty distressed last week about not being able to purchase "Mockingjay" right away. Then I just happened to take my students to the school library on Wednesday for their tour and the librarian mentioned that she had just gotten back from Barnes and Noble. I went up to her afterward and said, "You may be my new best friend." I asked if she had purchased "Mockingjay" and she had. She gave it to me before she had even cataloged it! Talk about connections!
Review Books: "Dracula in Love"
My Books/Recreational Read: "Need"
Class Books: We are on a short story unit including "The Scarlet Ibis"
I made it through the first week of teaching! Whoot Whoot! Bring on week two! I even found some time to read. Before I got into bed last Wednesday, I picked up "The DUFF." I was on chapter five. I told myself to read until chapter ten. Then I got to chapter ten and was like, "Really? I can do chapter fifteen." By the time I got to fifteen I was like, "I'm half way done... let's just finish this." (There are 27 chapters). I had to quit at Chapter 24. It was 10:30am and I was about to pass out. It was the best part of the book though, so I took every spare moment on Thursday to pick it up (to, you know, model reading). I finished it in DEAR and couldn't help but smile "outloud." I also read "Losing Faith" over the weekend. This week I'm going to conquer "Need" and "Mockingjay."
Review Books: uh... maybe next week?
My Books/Recreational Read: "Need" and "Mockingjay"
Class Books: We are on a short story unit including "The Princess and the Tin Box" and "The Pedestrian"
This past weekend was my last summer wedding (and my birthday)! Whoo! My first "new teacher" inservice day is on Wednesday and then I have inservice days Thursday, Friday, and next Monday before I start school on Tuesday! SCARY! Oh man!
Last week, being in my own apartment all by myself, I read "Shiver," "Linger," and "I Am Number Four." How was everyone else's week?
What a week! Thanks to everyone who stopped by with Blogoversary or Birthday wishes! It was an amazing week! This week my husband and I are celebrating our marriage and finally taking our honeymoon (more of a mini-moon) to the Twin Cities to watch the Boston Red Sox play the Twins! I'm a huge Twins fan whereas D prefers the Sox — so we'll see how this works out! I am hoping to get a few hours of reading done while we're away though as it is a 7 hour drive.
This week I'd like to read:
"The Power of Six" by Pittacus Lore
"I've seen him on the news. Followed the stories about what happened in Ohio. John Smith, out there, on the run. To the world, he's a mystery. But to me... he's one of us.Nine of us came here, but sometimes I wonder if time has changed us—if we all still believe in our mission. How can I know? There are six of us left. We're hiding, blending in, avoiding contact with one another... but our Legacies are developing, and soon we'll be equipped to fight. Is John Number Four, and is his appearance the sign I've been waiting for? And what about Number Five and Six? Could one of them be the raven-haired girl with the stormy eyes from my dreams? The girl with powers that are beyond anything I could ever imagine? The girl who may be strong enough to bring the six of us together? They caught Number One in Malaysia. Number Two in England. And Number Three in Kenya. They tried to catch Number Four in Ohio—and failed. I am Number Seven. One of six still alive. And I'm ready to fight."
