Wednesday #wanttoread List

Today, and hopefully (fingers crossed for added luck) most Wednesdays I will share the title of a book that I want to read from my growing stack of books waiting to be read, also known as the 'TBR' pile. I have one of my Pilates clients to thank for getting me started on the Books on The Nightstand podcast, which I have been listening to every week. This new podcast has subsequently added to the growing list of titles piling up on my Pinterest TBR 2015 board. I listen to their podcast every week, and am always intrigued by their thoughts on books. If you are unfamiliar with Books on the Nightstand, you must check them out. They both work for a major publishing house, and I'd say, have the best jobs in the whole wide Universe! I'm supremely jealous of what they have the opportunity to do every week, and will soon manifest this destiny into my own life. Channeling my inner Dalai Lama in 3...2..1...

This week's #wanttoread title is Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum. Here's an excerpt of the book:
'Anna was a good wife, mostly. For readers of The Girl on the Train and The Woman Upstairs comes a striking debut novel of marriage, fidelity, sex, and morality, featuring a fascinating heroine who struggles to live a life with meaning—“a modern-day Anna Karenina tale.”

I'll Give You The Sun

I'm in love with this cover art!

I'll Give You The Sun by Jandy Nelson was a book that I nearly gave up on. It was one of those reads that you don't know whether to love it, or leave it. I strongly considered leaving it, but I am thrilled to tell you that I loved it in the end. My perseverance (or stubbornness) prevented me from quitting this book. Thank Clark Gable! The two siblings in this book have lives so tightly wound together that they are inextricably linked to one another, even through tragedy. In the end, my heart swelled, and I felt satisfied. I found this under Young Adult, though I doubt I'd have put it there myself. Beautifully written.

'Jude and her twin brother, Noah, are incredibly close. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, while daredevil Jude cliff-dives and wears red-red lipstick and does the talking for both of them. But three years later, Jude and Noah are barely speaking. Something has happened to wreck the twins in different and dramatic ways . . . until Jude meets a cocky, broken, beautiful boy, as well as someone else—an even more unpredictable new force in her life. The early years are Noah's story to tell. The later years are Jude's. What the twins don't realize is that they each have only half the story, and if they could just find their way back to one another, they’d have a chance to remake their world.'

Tales of the supernatural, same love, and art weave together a beautiful story by Jandy Nelson. Check it out!

Jandy Nelson
Twitter @JandyNelson

Saturday Kid Reads

Like Saturday morning cartoons...but better!

As a reading specialist for elementary aged-kids, I was often asked to recommend great books to parents and children. This is a tough task, because you want to match kids with a book that they'll love. I remember as a young girl being excited to watch Saturday morning cartoons. You would wake up early in the morning, and watch about 2 to 3 hours of Saturday cartoons. From Scooby-Doo to The A-Team, it was what we did on a Saturday morning. So, now, as an adult, I want to offer you an alternative to mind-numbing cartoons. There are an abundance of those. On Saturdays, I am going to post two recommendations a week-one picture book, as well as one chapter book that will entertain your kids on a Saturday afternoon. Make time to read!

One of my all-time favorite children's book authors is Mo Willems. In this particular book, the Pigeon is trying to convince the reader (the child) to let him drive the bus. The caveat is that the bus driver asked the reader NOT to let the Pigeon drive the bus at the beginning of the book. In this hilarious book, the Pigeon tries all sorts of persuasive tactics to get the reader to let him drive the bus. Will the reader let the Pigeon drive the bus? The answer will hopefully be NO! 

Helpful Hint: Point to the words as you read them to match the words with the print. After several reads, let your child do the pointing and help you 'read'. 

This book was incredibly memorable to me. I read this book for an advanced book reader's club, and the story line is incredibly powerful. Carly is a foster child who moves in with the Murphy's after she is removed from her home. She is street-wise and savvy, and has seen her fair share of sorrow. The Murphy's give Carly the gift she has always needed. I found myself crying at the end. You will love this book! Read here about using the inside of this book with my students. 

Helpful Hint: There are so many lessons to be learned in this book. To assist you in finding themes, use this Penguin teacher's guide as a tool to guide you along the way.

Stay tuned for next Saturday!

Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult

Last night I finished reading this novel, and it definitely satisfied my craving for a book that was hard to put down. I had a conversation with one of my friends last night, and we talked about our pre-requisites for reading a book. They're actually very simple. The book must...
1) hook me from the beginning
2) prevent me from doing 'stuff'

Now, is that so tough? Yes! The better the book you read, the harder it is to follow it up with another book. With a book like Leaving Time, I feel a little sorry for you if you're the book I'm reading after this one. Leaving Time weaves multiple perspectives in time that encourage the reader to discover what happened to Alice Metcalf, a worker at the Elephant Sanctuary she and her husband own. The story begins with the knowledge that someone has died after being trampled by an elephant, and Alice has seemingly disappeared. To further complicate the situation, her husband Thomas has gone crazy, and is institutionalized. He is unable to answer any questions about what happened that night.

Alice's daughter Jenna wants to find out what happened to her mother, and enlists the help of Serenity, a has-been psychic (think John Edwards) and Virgil, one of the police officers who was on the case when Alice disappeared. At the beginning of the novel, you have one piece of the puzzle. All you, the reader, know is that a woman's body has been discovered, and that Alice seems to have gone missing. This motley crew of three embarks on the journey to not only find answers for Jenna about her mother, but ultimately right their own demons that led them to this place. Piece by piece, the puzzle comes together so that you see the whole story.

The ending was definitely surprising to me. I had my theories throughout, but I did not see that coming. Readers of Jodi Picoult's other books will not find a twist at the end a novel concept, but you will not have predicted this particular ending.

The Author's Note was the part that I found very interesting. Since the majority of this novel takes place at an elephant sanctuary, and Alice Metcalf, one of the main characters, studies elephant behavior and grief, the author did extensive research on elephant behavior. All of the anecdotal bits about elephants were fascinating. It's reprehensible to me that poaching is so rampant, and that ivory sales drive this industry. Even today, mass killings of elephants is common practice. Also, elephants who had once been part of a circus or zoo behave differently toward humans. At one point, an elephant in the story went into the corner of the barn as a form of punishment. Almost like a 'time out.' It's the expectation of negative reinforcement instead of positive that drives this behavior. Incredibly fascinating information that provides the reader with insight about these beautiful creatures.

I highly recommend this book. If you are a reader who does not have a stack of TBR books a mile long, like myself, this book will satisfy your craving for a great read.

Listen To Your Mother

Listen To Your Mother: What She Said Then, What We're Saying Now Edited by Ann Imig

I am absolutely delighted to share this book with you. It is the book that is closest to having a conversation with family or your closest friends that starts out something like 'Remember when...?' There are so many essays written in this book that I could muse about, so many stories I resonated with, and connected to my own personal experiences. The 'Swimsuit Edition' by Jennifer Sutton was particularly touching. At what age do you lost the resolve to stand boldly in your bathing suit? Jennifer reflected on her daughter, without a care in the world, just wanting her Mom to join in the fun at the beach. Embracing your stretch marks and imperfections is much more difficult in practice than in theory. I think she captured that sentiment perfectly.

I won't lie to you and tell you that some of the stories won't rip your heart out. They will. If you are anything like me, the word mother is synonymous with angel. Promise me you will pick up a copy of this book, and I will tell you about my mother. Do I have your word? Okay, here I go.

My mom is a nurse. For most of my life she spent her years as a Nurse Practitioner in the Ob/GYN department. When I first learned what that meant, I thought it was horrifying. I asked her, 'Mom, why would you choose to work in that department? It's gross!' She replied, 'so advocating for women's health and saving women's lives is gross?' Hmmm, hadn't thought about it like that. I didn't realize the tremendous impact my mother's work had on people's lives until I heard stories. People would find out we were related and say how lucky I was, and that my mother was an angel walking the Earth. If I had a dollar for every time someone said 'your mom is the best person I know, the kindest, most gentle spirit', well...you know. I would have a few more bills paid off. The truth is, there are people who have their mother because of my mother. There are people who can pick their babies up and swing them high into the air, and blow raspberries on their tummies, and sit in the front row of their daughter's wedding because of my mom. How cool is that? What an honor to be the daughter of a woman who has people say that about her. If you talked to my mom, and offered up your flattery, she would talk about how wonderful you were and point out your accomplishments, or why the world is better because you are in it. She is the soul who always, I mean always has something kind to say about another. There aren't enough hugs, kisses, or ways to say I love you and thank you for being my mom. You truly are my gift, Mom. I love you. I promise to show that same kindness to others, and to teach Kenna Roo that she is beautiful no matter what, and to live a life of service. But, sorry to tell you I will let her shave her hairy legs before I was allowed to. xoxo

This book was truly wonderful! A thank you to G.P. Putnam's Sons, a member of Penguin Group USA for the advanced copy of this book.
 

Wednesday #wanttoread List

This week's #wanttoread title is  Inside the O'Brien's by Lisa Genova. I recently listened to the audio of Still Alice, and it was heartbreaking, so I can only imagine what this title may do to me. I have added it to my list of books to be read this year. There are a ton of great books being released this Spring, and my TBR cup is running over.

'From the New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice Lisa Genova comes a powerful and transcendent new novel about a family struggling with the impact of Huntington’s disease.

Joe O’Brien is a forty-four-year-old police officer from the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, proud father of four children in their twenties, and respected officer, Joe begins experiencing bouts of disorganized thinking, uncharacteristic temper outbursts, and strange, involuntary movements. He initially attributes these episodes to the stress of his job, but as these symptoms worsen, he agrees to see a neurologist and is handed a diagnosis that will change his and his family’s lives forever: Huntington’s Disease.

Huntington’s is a lethal neurodegenerative disease with no treatment and no cure. Each of Joe’s four children has a 50 percent chance of inheriting their father’s disease, and a simple blood test can reveal their genetic fate. While watching her potential future in her father’s escalating symptoms, twenty-one-year-old daughter Katie struggles with the questions this test imposes on her young adult life. Does she want to know? What if she’s gene positive? Can she live with the constant anxiety of not knowing?

As Joe’s symptoms worsen and he’s eventually stripped of his badge and more, Joe struggles to maintain hope and a sense of purpose, while Katie and her siblings must find the courage to either live a life “at risk” or learn their fate.'

Doesn't it sound amazing?

Saturday Kid Reads

Like Saturday morning cartoons...but better!

Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens

Oh, boy Bear! Bear is so lazy, he never wants to do anything. Even his house is in disarray (check out the illustrations). Rabbit has lost his land in a bet, and realizes he is going to need some vegetables to last him all winter long, so this tricky little Rabbit gets to work in Bear's yard. Rabbit says he will do all the work while Bear sleeps. Of course, Bear agrees to this. He has given Bear the choice between tops or bottoms, and of course, Bear chooses wrong every time! While the Rabbit family works all day and night, Bear sleeps. Hard work and your wits pay off in the end, and sometimes the choices you make need to be more well thought out. This trickster tale has roots in the time of slavery, and capitalizes on using your wits to overcome adversity.  

Here is a link to hear the story being read aloud. 

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper
This was another top choice from my Gifted student's book club. This book is so perfect to teach diversity, tolerance, and acceptance. The story premise, and I promise I didn't choose this based on the main character's name, is about a girl named Melody who has Cerebral Palsy. She is confined to a wheelchair, but her brain works just fine. She cannot speak well, and uses a machine (computer) to speak for her. Unfortunately, many of the children and classmates at her school do not think that Melody is capable of being in a general education environment.  Many of her teachers think she should be in special ed as well, and the conversations that arise from this book are priceless. Empathy for the main character may be spoken at the beginning of this novel, but by the very end, you will have children making a judgment and taking a stand. You will be so proud. The end of this story is brilliant! 
Sharon's Blog