I managed to cook two good meals (Thai curry and shrimp alfredo) that even made decent leftovers, so I feel successful. I also baked cookies for my book club, but lucky for me Alexander came home to make the mix, since that's his specialty. He also tackled the lawn, changed the filter in the furnace, and dusted the corners of the ceiling.
College is apparently working out for him.
The movie this week was Tomb Raider, which ended fairly well but had a slow start. I also rewatched Wrinkle in Time and Black Panther because I wanted the share the former with my boys and Alexander still hadn't seen the latter. I am now out of goodies on my movie card.
I finished half of the last Cybils from last year, so almost done. Currently Reading has rocketed back up because I started lots of books in a fit of lost focus. At least I've finished the book for my book team.
The Book Date does a weekly roundup of what people are reading, want to read, or have read each week called It's Monday! What Are You Reading so I'll join in there. There's also a version that is kidlit focussed at either Teach Mentor Text or UnLeashing Readers. My elementary book club kept me eligible this week (I mean, I started two children's books, but only finished one.).
This Week I started:
The Rancher's Lady, Shirley Penick. The author gave it to me!
A Call to Duty, David Weber, Timothy Zahn. The library tempted me.
An Unkindness of Ghosts, Rivers Solomon. Sword and Laser pick.
Shadow of Victory, David Weber. Because I remembered I have lost track of what Honor Harrington is up to.
A Wrinkle in Time, Madeline L'Engle. Since I saw the movie twice.
Out of My Mind, Sharon Draper. For elementary book club.
A Call to Arms, David Weber, Timothy Zahn, and Thomas Pope. Because I have no patience. In my defense, it meets next week's book team requirement.
I finished:
The Rancher's Lady, Shirley Penick. A very cheerful novella. Kids are well behaved, important people are reasonable, and both sides recognize how very hot each other are. I was bugged by the attempts at conflict -- the situation with the town blaming her for getting assaulted felt fake and even the in-laws animosity seemed tacked on. The biggest obstacle for them was ignored -- both felt at the beginning that it wouldn't be ethical to start a relationship while his daughter was in her class, but apparently they then decided that the sexual tension between them was high enough to override that. I guess the moral principle is that you can only sleep with your kid's teacher/your student's dad if they are smokin' hot. I would have preferred them to decide the conflict could be managed, which I believe is actually the truth. It also matched my book team's weekly requirement.
A Call to Duty, David Weber, Timothy Zahn. This was a fast read and a good reintroduction to the world of Honor Harrington. I liked the new hero, who enlists on a whim (and because it gives him an alibi for the robbery he suddenly realizes his idiot friends are attempting). He somehow has a half brother who is a minor nobility, which sorta ties together some of the political wrangling going on. I'm definitely in it for Trevor's storyline, and put up with the bits about the wider situation and the venality of the aristocracy and the nobility of the monarchy.
Black Butler XI, Yana Toboso. I lost some of the effect of this one by waiting so long to read it -- the first chapters are a dramatic re-interpretation of the mystery solved in the previous book, but I hadn't really paid attention and had forgotten most of it so the butler's cleverness and skill were rather wasted on me. But I'm interested in the cruise started at the end, so I shall continue on.
Out of My Mind, Sharon Draper. I hope the kids like this one! I wonder how much experience with special ed children they have. I wonder if they even notice the references to MySpace, which amused me. My biggest complaint was the huge pile of misfortunes at the end -- I'll see if any of the kids noticed it as well.
Bookmarks moved in:
Alliance of Equals, Sharon Lee & Steve Miller. Episode 39. Shan is finally trying to deal with his kid.
London Rain, Nicola Upson. RML audio book. At least there is now a mystery.
Weight of Zero, Karen Fortunati. Cybils YA. The protagonist seems very selfish to me, and I can't tell how much of this is because she's a teenager, how much is because she's mentally ill, and how much is she's just not that decent a person. She talks a lot about being abandoned by her friends because of her mental illness, but it could also be because she's a terrible friend before the illness manifested.
Shadow of a Doubt, Norah McClintock. I like these kids. They mean well but end up messing up. Meaning well is really all I ask.
Giant Pumpkin Suite, Melanie Hill. Bad stuff has happened.
Arabella and the Battle of Venus, David Levine. I see space battles on the horizon!
Game Change, Joseph Manniger. Small town life through the eyes of a newly promoted football quarterback.
All By Myself, Alone, Mary Higgins Clark. Reading My Library Quest pick.
These I'm barely reading; I use them as palate cleansers between books I'm actually reading.
Kenilworth, Sir Walter Scott.
A Traitor to Memory, Elizabeth George.
The Quantum Universe, Brian Cox.
Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception, Wendelin Van Draanen.
Change of Heart, Norah McClintock.
Reading and Learning to Read, Jo Anne Vaca.
2018 Challenge Progress:
- Cybils 2017! 7/104-ish. Started a YA.
- Cybils 2016! 104/106. Working on the last YA, which is a bit too full of teen self-centeredness for my liking.
- Reading My Library: Working on London Rain which at least at added a possible mystery. Working on All By Myself, Alone.
- Where Am I Reading 2018?: 25/51. Added Ohio!
7 comments:
I really liked how Out of My Mind took readers inside Melody's mind. I think it goes a long way to teaching empathy. My problem with it is that I thought many of the characters were too one-dimensional. People are often fearful, stupid and curious about individuals with special needs, but I don’t think they are deliberately malicious as Draper represents Melody’s peers in this book. The teachers from the special class are also presented unrealistically. Like everyone else, teachers have preconceptions about what disabled individuals are capable of, but none that I have met, have ever been as unaware or ignorant as some of the teachers in this book are portrayed.
Based on what you shared of Out of My Mind (and what Cheriee said) I am very intrigued. We had very mainstreamed classrooms when I was teaching in public schools, but part of my internship was in special education. I think I might especially find the portrayal interesting. Thanks for sharing!
Out of My Mind is so good. I don't know what made me read that but glad I did. I will go and read my review now because my daughter is 11 and I'm trying to keep a list of books for her to read as she gets older.
I thought the depiction of special ed rooms was a bit flat -- she made one teacher an exaggeration of the worst sentimental/condescending kind of teacher and the other students also seemed representations rather than real people. But I only have experience with my local school district (which is flat broke but doesn't have the same problems as Melody's) so maybe my expectations are high. Kids in our district aren't as mean as shown here, based on my volunteering. I'll see what the kids think tomorrow.
Beth, I read it in 2010, so don't remember details. A new book is coming out in July called Baby Teeth, I would recommend that one also. I just reviewed.
http://teawithmarce.blogspot.com/2018/03/arc-review-baby-teeth-by-zoje-stage.html
Cookies and alfredo sound yummy to me. Wow, you’re reading a lot of books. I hope you enjoy them all. Have a great week!
Aj @ Read All The Things!
So much books! I was pretty taken by the book cover of an Unkindness of ghosts - will probably look for that one. Alfredo and cookies made my mouth water. Will ask my husband to make pasta soonest. :)
Post a Comment