Pages

Monday, August 1, 2011

July Reads

Vacation is over and work begins next week!  I always love the start of a school year.  Great plans, great people and new goals make me feel so efficient.  If I could end the year with the energy that I have at the start of a year I'd be unstoppable!  (and quite possibly annoying)

This month gave me so much time to focus on writing and reading.  I've loved using the time to focus on some of my long-term writing projects, and to knock out some serious reading.

This past month afforded me tons of time to read.  I was worried I'd fall so far behind my reading goal of 100 books this year, but July gave me time to get a little ahead.  I also started the #bookaday reading; focusing on one children's book a day.  This has allowed me to broaden my reading horizons and given me some great ideas for lessons in the future.

This week I'll be speaking at UHCL to writing teachers.  I'm looking forward to spending time with them.  The National Writing Project and the Greater Houston Area Writing Project has been one of the most inspirational things I did as a writing teacher.   I adore working with them.
 

Following are the books I read for this month.


  1. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass  (This was a reread, but it is one of those books I find very inspirational.)
  2. Written in Bone: Buried Lives of Jamestown and Colonial Maryland by: Sally Walker
  3. Ladybug Girl at the Beach by Jacky Davis (great book for pre-readers)
  4. French Colonial Louisiana And The Atlantic World by Bradly Bond (book for a research project I'm working on.  Very interesting if you are a history buff)
  5. Real Revision: Authors' Strategies to Share With Student Writers by Kate Messner (awesome book for writing teachers)
  6. Parcours De L'Ombre: Les Trois Indecideab by Sernin (More research, but reading in French is not easy!)
  7. Ladybug Girl and Bumblebee Boy by Jacky Davis
  8. The Brilliant Fall of Gianna Z by Kate Messner
  9. Focus: Elevating the Essentials to Radically Improve Student Learning by Mike Schmoker (great book with new ideas on improving student achievement) 
  10. Hydra's Secret by John Stancik
  11. A Dance with Dragons (A Song of Ice and Fire, #5) by George RR Martin
  12. What Happened to Goodbye by Sarah Dessen (great book with one of my newest favorite characters)
  13. Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zabin
  14. City of Bones (The Mortal Instruments #1) by Cassandra Clare 
  15. All the World by Elizabeth G Scanlon
  16. Bad Taste in Boys by Casandra Harris (READ THIS!  You will love it)
  17. The Stinky Cheese Man 10th Anniversary by Jon Scieczka
  18. The Emerald Atlas (The Books of Beginning #1) by John Stephens
  19. Wolfsbane by Andrea Creamer
  20. The Masterwork of a Painting Elephant by Michelle Cuevas
  21. On What Grounds (Coffeehouse Mystery, #1) by Cleo Coyle 
  22. Journal of a Schoolyard Bully: Notes on Noogies, Wet Willies, and Wedgies by Farley Katz

Since I was traveling on Friday, I did not post my Friday Finds.  I'll go back to my normal schedule this week, so you can look forward to Wordless Wednesday and my Friday Finds this week. 

Have a great week!

Doris



2 comments:

Robyn Ryle said...

Very impressive list. I can't say July has been quite that productive for me. I'm hoping to hit 100 books this year, too, but I'm falling a bit behind pace during the summer. Also gearing up for the start of a school year, but not until September. One more month of freedom.

Unknown said...

Thanks Robyn. I am very thankful that my Kindle has a read to me feature. This allows me to listen to books when I am riding in the car.

This summer went way too quickly.

Thanks for stopping by.