jennyifer24 reads in 2019

I'm Jenny, and this is my sixth year in the 75ers. I usually finish right at 75 right around the end of December, so this is a perfect place for me! 2018 was no exception- I finished book number 75 on December 29th and ended the year at 76.

I'm a second grade teacher in Michigan, and so picture books sometimes also make an appearance here, although I don't count them toward my total. Aside from teaching and reading, I spend a lot of time with family and friends, and watching sports. I grew up in a Michigan State family (Go green!) and also cheer for the Detroit pro teams. I'll really watch any sport though. I also enjoy traveling, and although I'm back in Michigan now, I lived in Virginia for seven years.

I'm a library (and librarything) browser, so I come up with some eclectic reads during the year. I tend toward ya, historical fiction, biography/memoir and mysteries but I've been reading a lot more fantasy lately. I'm always open to suggestions!

2018 recap
I started keeping track of the year published of the books I've been reading in the past few years. I always thought I didn't read many newer books but the numbers tell a different story. This is part of my reason for the decades challenge below.



A note for 2018- I read Divine Comedy (published in 1304) and it subtracted a full ten years off the average, lol.

Books read January-March

January
1. Nemesis (2002) (TIOLI challenge #11)
2. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle (2018) (TIOLI challenge #15)
3. Read it and Weep (2013)
4. i heart bloomberg (2008)
5. On Borrowed Time (2014)
6. Becoming (2018) (TIOLI challenge #5)
7. Outlander (1991)
8. Laudato Si' (2015)
9. Winter Bloom (2009)

February
10. The Chaperone (2012) (TIOLI #2)
11. Hard Times (1854) (TIOLI #10)
12. The Road to Little Dribbling (2015)
13. The Long Winter (1940)
14. Dragonfly in Amber (1992)
15. A Likely Story (2015)

March
16. Better Late Than Never (2016)
17. Saint John Paul the Great (2014)
18. Voyager (1994)

Books read Apr-June

April
19. The Seven Storey Mountain (1948)
20. The Great Divorce (1945) (TIOLI #10)
21. Drums of Autumn (1996)
22. The Good, the Bad, and the Emus (2014)

May
23. Death in the Stacks (2017)
24. Hitting the Books (2018)
25. Pride (2018)
26. The Nightingale Before Christmas (2014)

June
27. Dear George, Dear Mary (2019)
28. An Incomplete Revenge (2008)
29. Lost at School (2014)
30. Lord of the Wings (2015)
31. Rome Sweet Home (1993)
32. At the Drop of a Hat (2015)
33. Mathematical Mindsets (2015)
34. The Wrath and the Dawn (2015)
35. Guided Math in Action (2011)
36. The Rose and the Dagger (2016)

Books read July-Sept

July.
37. A Dangerous Act of Kindness (2019)
38. Warcross (2017)
39. These Happy Golden Years (1943)
40. Wildcard (2018)
41. The Forest Queen (2018)
42. Artemis (2017)
43. Song of the Lark (1915)
44. The Flatshare (2019)

August
45. The Lying Woods

September
46. Divergent
47. Copy Cap Murder
48. Assault and Beret
49. The Fiery Cross
50. Throne of Glass
51. Dying for Devil's Food
52. Crown of Midnight
53. Wit
54. Heir of Fire
55. Queen of Shadows

Books read Oct-Dec

October
56. Empire of Storms
57. Finale
58. Tower of Dawn
59. The Picture of Dorian Gray
60. It's Always the Husband
61. Anne of the Island
62. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

November
63. Tuesdays at the Castle
64. Kingdom of Ash
65. Forever Fudge
66. Fudge Bites
67. Evvie Drake Starts Over
68. The Prisoner in the Castle

December
69. Frankly in Love
70. Word to the Wise
71. Juliet
72. Her Royal Spyness
73. A Royal Pain
74. Where the Crawdads Sing
75. One Plus One

Series Update
Book listed is first unread in the series

Bed And Breakfast Mysteries- Dune to Death
https://www.librarything.com/series/Bed-And-Breakfast+Mysteries

Bryant and May- The Water Room
https://www.librarything.com/series/Bryant+and+May

Candy-Coated Mysteries- caught up!
https://www.librarything.com/series/Candy-Coated+Mysteries

Cupcake Bakery Mystery- Pumpkin Spice Peril
https://www.librarything.com/series/A+Cupcake+Bakery+Mystery

Drew Farthering- Murder at the Mikado
https://www.librarything.com/series/Drew+Farthering

Eight Cousins- Rose in Bloom
https://www.librarything.com/series/Eight+Cousins

Elizabeth Parker- Murder Most Austen
https://www.librarything.com/series/Elizabeth+Parker

Father Koesler- Masquerade?
https://www.librarything.com/series/Father+Koesler

Harry Hole- The Devil's Star
http://www.librarything.com/series/Harry+Hole

Her Royal Spyness- Royal Flush
https://www.librarything.com/series/Her+Royal+Spyness

Inspector Devlin- The Rising
https://www.librarything.com/series/Inspector+Devlin+%5BMcGilloway%5D

Knightley and Son- Knightley and Son K-9
https://www.librarything.com/work/15476174

Library Lovers Mystery- Word to the Wise
https://www.librarything.com/series/A+Library+Lover%27s+Mystery

MacDonald Family Trilogy- caught up!
https://www.librarything.com/series/The+MacDonald+Family+Trilogy

Maggie Hope- The Prisoner in the Castle
https://www.librarything.com/series/Maggie+Hope

Maisie Dobbs- Among the Mad
http://www.librarything.com/series/Maisie+Dobbs

Meg Langslow (blacksmith)- Die Like an Eagle
http://www.librarything.com/series/Meg+Langslow

Peter Grant- Whispers Under Ground
https://www.librarything.com/series/Peter+Grant

Poppy Markham: Culinary Cop- Out of the Frying Pan
https://www.librarything.com/series/Poppy+Markham%3A+Culinary+Cop

The Prairie Trilogy- My Antonia
https://www.librarything.com/series/The+Prairie+Trilogy

Will Anderson and Elizabeth Hume- Detroit Breakdown
https://www.librarything.com/series/Will+Anderson+and+Elizabeth+Hume

The Woodcutters- Hero
https://www.librarything.com/series/The+Woodcutters

I'd also like to hunt down the sequels to In Lane Three, Alex Archer. I read it years ago and recently discovered sequels, although I haven't gotten any of them into my hands to read!

1. The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
2. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle
3. Hard Times
4. The Wrath and the Dawn
6. Outlander
7. Dragonfly in Amber
8. Pride
10. Frankly in Love
11. Mathematical Mindsets
12. Read it and Weep
15. The Long Winter
17. Divergent
18. The Forest Queen
20. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
21. i heart bloomberg
22. Nemesis
23. Fudge Bites
24. Becoming
25. Dear George, Dear Mary

Ongoing challenges- I have threads for Dewey, and reading around the world (maybe more?) that don't get a lot of love. Hopefully I can keep up with them a little better in 2019 (I literally cut and paste this from 2018 and changed the year...oops)

50 state challenge

reading globally challenge

Dewey challenge

Apparently this classics challenge is becoming a multi-year affair, lol. (also copied from last year) And because another challenge never hurt anyone, here's a classics challenge borrowed from DeborahJade.

1. A 19th century classic - Hard Times (r. 2019)
2. A 20th century classic (pre-1968)- The Screwtape Letters (r. 2018)
3. A classic by a woman author -
4. A classic in translation - Les Miserables (r. 2018)
5. A children's classic - A Wrinkle in Time (r. 2018)
6. A classic crime story, fiction or non-fiction -
7. A classic travel or journey narrative, fiction or non-fiction -
8. A classic with a single-word title -
9. A classic with a color in the title- The Picture of Dorian Gray
10. A classic by an author that's new to you -
11. A classic that scares you- The Divine Comedy (r. 2018)
12. Re-read a favorite classic - The Long Winter (r. 2019)

Clearly I'm not that great at challenges, but I'm also going to see how I do on the PopSugar 2019 challenge. I usually add books I read to it, instead of planning my reading around it. Last year I didn't post it in here, but kept track on my own. Maybe I'll add it in to this thread later for more motivation.

I also used to think that I didn't read a lot of new books, but it seems like I read more new books than older books. So, I'm going to try to expand by reading at least one book from every decade of the 20th century. I'm starting my decades in the years ending in 0 :-)

1900-1909
1910-1919 Song of the Lark
1920-1929
1930-1939
1940-1949 The Seven Storey Mountain
1950-1959
1960-1969
1970-1979
1980-1989
1990-1999 Outlander

Okay, I think I'm done :-)

Welcome back!

Happy New Year!

Happy reading in 2019, Jenny!

Nice to see you back again!

Happy reading! Dropping my star :D

Happy 2019
A year full of books
A year full of friends
A year full of all your wishes realised

I look forward to keeping up with you, Jenny, this year.

>11 drneutron: Thank you! It's good to restart fresh!

>12 The_Hibernator: Happy New Year!! Your picture is kind of mesmerizing, lol! I can't stop looking! I hope you have a great year of reading!

>13 FAMeulstee: Thanks, you too! I can't wait to see what you're up to!

>14 MickyFine: Thanks, I'll try to stick around past September this time! I kept up the reading when school started, but not the posting (so there's half the battle won, lol)

>15 Miss_Moneypenny: Good to see you! I think I'm going to add the CathLIT challenge over here too and see how it goes!

>16 PaulCranswick: Happy New Year! (2019- crazy!! :-) )

Happy reading everybody!

Happy reading in 2019!

>18 aktakukac: Thanks!! Same to you!

Dropping off my star, Jenny!

>20 ronincats: Thanks!! Happy new year to you too!

Happy new (reading) year, Jenny!

>22 katiekrug: Thanks! Hope your first book is treating you well!

1. Nemesis by Jo Nesbo
January 3

This is the fourth book in the Harry Hole series. Harry is trying to help solve a bank robbery turned murder, while still recovering from his own loss. This plot intertwines with the return of a former love. As always, this book is dark and graphic, although it struck me as a bit less graphic than some of Nesbo's other books. There were so many twists and turns that it was sometimes hard to keep up, but in hindsight there were SO many clues Nesbo left the reader (of course, along with many red herrings). I think Harry is one of my favorite characters. His strengths (and weaknesses) drive the story along, and you have to admire the way he gets back up even when he's facing another punch to the gut (literally and figuratively).

2. The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
January 5

Renamed in the US to The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, this book follows Aiden Bishop, a man trapped at Blackheath until he can solve the murder of Evelyn Hardcastle. Each day he inhabits another character's body. The book is filled with time travel, twists and internal struggles to figure out exactly what is happening.

This book was hard for me to get into, then I had to return it while halfway through because it had a hold on it so I couldn't renew. Getting back into it was also a bit challenging. I think it was hard because the author puts you right into the character's shoes and you really don't know what is going on. There are also a lot of characters and a lot of time issues/clues to keep straight. This made the book both interesting and extra confusing. I think the author kept all the pieces straight and the story did work, but I didn't. Good premise, probably better in one go without a two-week break in the middle.

3. Read it and Weep by Jenn McKinlay
January 5

#4 in the series. Violet is directing the community theater production of A Midsummer Night's Dream and some of her actor colleagues have come to help her out. Lots of drama follows.

This book was fine- I like the characters and the mystery was interesting with good clues. The inevitable love triangle was annoying (because there was one...) but it was a good fluffy book.

>25 jennyifer24: I’m not reading your review of this one because I have a hold on it and am expecting to read it later this spring. At least, that’s the plan as of now...

I'll get to both of your recent reads eventually. The Evelyn Hardcastle book has been on The List for ages and I'm working my way through the library mysteries series but I'm only on book two. :)

>27 aktakukac:, >28 MickyFine: I'm looking forward to thinking about what you guys think!

Micky, have you read any of her other series? I'm up-to-date on the cupcake bakery mysteries, which I like, but I wasn't as big a fan of the Hat Shop books. I finally started the library mysteries because I was at my parents' house and their library had the first two, which mine doesn't.

Looks like your reading year is off to a good start, Jenny!

>30 alcottacre: Thanks! Back to school today so the pace will slow down a bit :-)

We started our mock Caldecott reading today. This week and maybe next (who knew it would be so hard to narrow down the list of Caldecott winners I want to read to kids? Lol) we'll read current winners. I'm working on hunting down some potential 2019 winners to read after that. Last year we read the winner ahead of time, but none of the honor books. Maybe we can do a bit better this time around.

>31 jennyifer24: Yeah, I know how that goes. I graduated from school 2 years ago next month and I remember how the pace slowed once I went back.

>29 jennyifer24: I haven't read any of her other series. I picked this one up, partially because my mom recommended it and partially because I'm a sucker for anything involving a librarian or libraries. Professional hazard. ;)

>33 MickyFine: also a helpful series for challenges to read a book mentioning other books, or a book mentioned in a book :-)

4. i heart bloomberg by Melody Carlson
January 8

Kendall is looking for three roommates to share her house. Three women make the cut and get to know each other, through some ups and downs. I picked this up at the library based on the title, cover and synopsis. Sort of ironically it didn't live up to my expectations. I didn't realize until after reading it that I read a short Christmas book by the same author in December. They had some of the same issues. The dialogue wasn't great. It also had a lot of stock characters and stock plotlines. I probably won't be continuing with the series.

>26 jennyifer24: I need to read #3. I found the ebook available at one of my libraries so I downloaded it. I should finish my current read today.

>36 thornton37814: Nice! I just checked out #5, which seems to be the last one my library has. Not sure if it's the last one, or they just have 3, 4, 5.

edited to add: just saw there are 9, lol. I have some hunting to do!

Caldecott Medal winners/honor books we read this past week:

>37 jennyifer24: Hopefully you'll get to the others. I may read a print one before I read the one. I have two physical books checked out. One is fiction; the other is non-fiction. Then I have an audiobook I'm listening to en route to work. I've also got Book, Line, and Sinker now.

>39 thornton37814: Michigan has a good basically-statewide library request system so I will probably get to the others that way. Sounds like you have a good bit of reading going!

I'm just starting Outlander for a school book club (school because it's people I work with- one rule is that our books cannot be school-related :-) ) so there probably won't be another finished book update for a bit.

Hopefully some of that winter weather everyone else has been getting is coming our way soon. I had snow to the north and south of me this weekend, but no snow here. We have some icy ick here now, but maybe snow this weekend...

>40 jennyifer24: I look forward to your reaction to Outlander. :)

>41 MickyFine: Almost three chapters in (haha, so barely started) but so far so good!

My student teacher read all of these books except the last, so I'm not sure what the class reaction was.
All the World was one of the class favorites of the winners we read last year. Beautiful!
Officer Buckle and Gloria happened to be our reading story this week. Finally, our librarian coincidentally read aloud The Garden of Abdul Gasazi this week.

Now on to some potential winners!

Drawn Together was a big hit in class on Thursday. They loved the artwork and although I think the storyline took a bit of talking through for second-graders, they did pick up on how the art helped tell the story and the characters' relationship arc throughout. Big hit!

Hello, Hello was geared for kids a bit younger than my kids, I think, and they might have liked it better reading it independently. I did love the artwork though, and thought it was really a celebration of animals (high marks from me for the art matching the tone of the story).

5. On Borrowed Time by Jenn McKinlay
January 12

I just realized I forgot to add this one to the list.

Lindsay's brother shows up in town but is immediately involved in mysterious, dangerous situations. Lindsay works to protect and help him. The annoying love triangle continues.

It will probably be awhile before I get back to this series. My library doesn't have anymore of them, and there are other books higher on my tbr list at the moment. I still like them as a quick, cozy mystery when I need something I don't have to think too much about.

6. Becoming by Michelle Obama
January 27

I didn't expect to be reading this in January- I was on the wait list in Nov/Dec and then it came up just before Christmas. We only get books with multiple holds for one week, though, and I wouldn't be in town to return it so I had to turn it down and go back on the list. In the meantime, I started Outlander, but then my hold came up Friday (and I only get Becoming for a week) so I took a break from Outlander and read this instead.

Michelle Obama writes about her life- from her childhood in the Southside of Chicago, to college at Princeton and Harvard, to her professional career in Chicago and then her life as a wife, mother, and eventual first lady. This is a well-written, interesting, and introspective look at her life. I didn't know much about Michelle before reading this, and I feel like it was a real insight into her actions. She shares openly and you can hear her voice in the writing. She seems like a person you'd want to know!

Well, we've been having some weather. We even closed tonight before tomorrow's snow has even started (a move I associate with my time in Virginia, and not my time in Michigan!). We did manage to sneak in a few more potential Caldecotts, though.



Islandborn had great art, but I think it was too long to keep all my kids' interest, and some of the ideas went over their heads.

Hello Lighthouse was beautiful. It didn't hold everyone's interest the whole time (I think it's one that I rated higher than most of them did)

I am a Cat was probably the class favorite of this batch. The kids liked the humor of the story.

Well, teaching fail. They announced the Caldecotts today. I had tried to look up a date earlier and didn't find one and then kind of forgot and just assumed it was coming "later". Then, I accidentally came across the winners, oops again. It might actually be for the best though, since I didn't have many on our to-read list. At least now I can go sneak some of them in before we watch, which will make it more fun than last year when we'd only read one.

Do you have a snow day again today? Has school already been cancelled for tomorrow? I am not looking forward to Wednesday or Thursday!

>49 aktakukac: We are off today. A few schools have already closed through Thursday because of the cold coming, which I'm not sure I've ever seen here before (calling multiple days at once). Our high tomorrow is something like -7, and I just checked the forecast and they're calling for another 6in. here between today and tomorrow night.

Winter has arrived! Stay warm!

I knew you are getting a lot more snow up there...I keep thinking about my parents and their cows in the snow and cold. I remember having several days off when I was in 2nd grade, because it was in February and my birthday. My mom had made a few dozen cupcakes and then school was called off so we had to eat them, and she made more thinking we'd have school and I could take them in for my treat. But no, we had another snow day, and then Mid-Winter Break. By then we were begging my grandparents to help eat them, too :) But I'm not sure if they called more than one day off at a time, though.

You should be able to get some good reading in, right?!

So many cupcakes, haha! Yeah, I think we might have missed a week straight because of temperature in middle school, but I don't remember it well.

I did finish Outlander which I didn't expect to finish this month! I'll have to see what else is at my house or on woodlands- I've decided to hole up and stay off the roads since I can.

Smart idea! And yay for finishing Outlander! I so want to re-read it (I think I read the first four books) but that's not going to happen for a while. I just don't have the time commitment for a chunkster like those anytime soon. I am reading a children's book that I hope to finish by the 31st, and that will be good for January.

7. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon
January 29

Claire is on holiday in Scotland with her husband, after reuniting following WWII. She time-travels through a stone circle, ending up in 1743. From there, all sorts of things happen. So many things!

I knew very little about this book going in, aside from basically what I wrote above. I was surprised by the kinds of issues and depths of the issues that Gabaldon raised in the book. This was a really good book club book- we had lots to discuss. Jamie was a difficult character for me throughout. He's got that brogue which you have to love, and he's dashing and romantic and understanding, but then the beating happened and I had to stop for a bit. I was so mad at him. Giving examples from how he was beaten as a child, implying she was child-like, and not even asking her why she left, did not sit well with me. I know it was common in the time, but it didn't make it easier to read! I was ready to be mad again after the witch "trial", but he redeemed himself instead when she told him about the time travel. I was pleasantly surprised when he believed her and took her back to the circle, encouraging her to make her own choice.

Lallybroch was such a nice part of the book! I'm thankful Gabaldon recognized we, and the characters needed that peaceful interval. Father Anselm was also a necessary balm in the story. His willingness and eagerness to accept her story and his mending of her spirit when so much focus was (necessarily) on Jamie.

The rest of the book was hard. Jamie's imprisonment, Randall, the wolves (?!), Randall, the injuries and seasickness, Randall, Jamie's recovery. There was so much that was tough to read.

I needed a bit of a break before starting the next book, but we're still going strong with school closings here, and I have the next book, along with a lot of questions...

So I think Randall might not be dead. I never trust a death where they didn't see the body. A book club friend thinks that maybe Randall wasn't actually Frank's ancestor- might have been a sibling instead. At any rate, I think we're agreed that Frank still exists.

I'm eagerly awaiting more time travelers. Geillis was a tantalizing foreshadowing, I'm sure of events to come.

I was convinced early on that Claire was going back to the 1940s, but now I'm not so sure. And who was the stranger under the lampost at the beginning? Hmmm...it's definitely written to make you suspect Frank of infidelity but that might be turned around.

8. Laudato Si' by Pope Francis
January 29

I started this last year and have read it in bits and pieces.

Encyclical by Pope Francis. This got a lot of press as being about the environment, which it is. It also includes a lot of other topics, including using technology for good vs. using it for the sake of progress, the dignity of work for all, the inter-connectedness of people, environment, living things, economy, and politics around the world. Although there maybe wasn't a lot of new information, I liked that there was a focus on the big picture and how so many issues are working together to create the current world we live in. In some ways it made the problems seem worse, but in other ways it made it more hopeful. There are many small things to do, many ways to work toward solutions.

9. Winter Bloom by Tara Heavey
January 31

I'm kind of in a weird reading place. We've had four snow/cold days this week and so I've had plenty of time, but have had a hard time settling into anything. I finished Outlander earlier but felt like I needed a bit of a break before picking up the next one. So, I browsed my shelves to see what I had, and came across this book. It was perfect for what I was looking for and I ended up finishing it in one go.

Eva has moved to Dublin with her son and happens upon a walled, neglected garden owned by a reclusive lady. She convinces Mrs. Prendergast to let her revive the garden and so puts up an advertisement looking for help. The group become friends as they work together in the garden, and their life stories slowly emerge. This is a character-driven novel. The stories aren't always easy to read or neat, but the book is more hopeful than dark. A good book to spend the evening with.

>56 jennyifer24: This one sounds good. It's always nice when you read the right book at the right time. Especially if it's one that you've had sitting around and maybe were't expecting to read *right* now. Plus, the title is appropriate for this weather :)

It's been years since I read Outlander. I tried to start it again last spring or summer, but I only made it a few pages and knew I needed shorter and simpler books at the time. We try to keep our book discussion selections to around 300 pages or less, so I know I won't be reading Outlander for that any time soon!

>57 aktakukac: The title was part of why I picked it out :-)

We did split Outlander over two months...technically we'll talk about the rest in Feb. That was kind of hard to manage though, since probably 3 people had finished it, 2 or 3 stopped at the designated stopping point and a few hadn't gotten there yet (for a group of teachers, we aren't that good at following the rules lol).

Closing out the week with one more snow day tomorrow- this time due to bad conditions on secondary roads. I didn't see this one coming. On Saturday it's supposed to rain and on Monday it's supposed to be 50. Go figure.

>54 jennyifer24: I'm glad you enjoyed Outlander. I think taking a bit of a break between the books in the series is a good idea. They can be pretty intense.

>54 jennyifer24: I objected to the same part of Outlander that you did, and I just couldn't get passed it. I never picked up the second book.

10. The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty
February 2

Cora offers to chaperone a neighbor's daughter, Louise Brooks, on her trip to NYC to train with the Denishawn dance company. Her offer is more personal than charitable, though, as she tries to uncover her past.

I think this book was too long and covered too many topics. It needed a clearer focus. There were a couple times that I thought it was ending, and then realized how many more pages were still to go. There is lots of interesting history, and a strong theme of challenging the status quo, but it was just too much breadth and not enough depth.

>Big fan of the Outlander series here. I hope you continue to enjoy the books!

>59 MickyFine:, >60 Cait86:, >62 alcottacre: I did start Dragonfly in Amber. I have so many questions, and thankfully a friend who's reading at about the same pace as me. We toss ideas back and forth- I'll be curious to reread what we've been saying later!

>60 Cait86:, By the end of the first book, he had won me over again by going through so much terrible stuff, I just couldn't be mad anymore .

We're on snow/ice/cold day #10 here (!!!) and #9 in the last 3 weeks. I re-reworked all my lesson plans yesterday but I'm giving up again. I'm reading Dragonfly in Amber for one book club and Hard Times for another. I should also really do my taxes (I usually do them in April, but it just seems like maybe I have enough time now to get them done...).

I'm also quite caught up on television and even have some cleaning/decluttering. Plus a lot of sleeping :-)

mock Caldecott update

With so many days off for weather, we completely missed the Caldecott announcements. We've actually still be reading through the potentials when we have had school, and although I know the winners my kiddos don't. We finished our last read Friday so on Monday we'll vote and watch the recording of the announcement. It actually worked out okay, since the only winner I had picked out ahead to read was Hello Lighthouse. I was able to swap out a few non-winners for honor books available at my library, and since the non-winners were due with holds, it gave me a ready-made excuse for the kids, without them knowing :-)





Of these, Ocean Meets Sky, A Big Mooncake for Little Star, and Thank You, Omu were probably the kid favorites. Mooncake was surprisingly good- based on the cover it isn't a book I would have picked out. We all enjoyed the story and it was fun watching some lightbulbs come on as they realized the setting and exactly what was happening in the story. The artwork in Omu reminded me of Keats, and the kids really enjoyed the repetition and engaged in the storyline. Ocean Meets Sky was just beautiful. I love that artwork, and it made sense in the story. We were relating the story to Where the Wild Things Are.

I haven't quite decided on my own votes yet. I'm trying not to be influenced by already knowing the winners...

11. Hard Times by Charles Dickens
February 10

Mr. Gradgrind lives by the principle of acknowledging only facts and statistics, and leaving out emotion. He raises his children this way, which leads to difficulties in their adult lives (imagine that!). The story takes place in Coketown, a factory town in England. This allows Dickens to provide social commentary on working conditions in his time, along with the people who are in charge.

I don't think I've read Dickens since Great Expectations in high school. I liked this book more than I thought I would. I did have to check the sparknotes a couple times just to make sure I was understanding correctly, but the story was engaging and Dickens writes poignantly and with great wit and satire. I liked the way he gave social commentary with a specific cast of characters and story line to back it up.

Mock Caldecott results!
We voted Monday (good thing, since we had snow day #11 today!) and then watched the result. Our top 5 (6 since we had a tie for 5th) was:

5. Hello Lighthouse/Islandborn
4. A Big Mooncake for Little Star
3. Ocean Meets Sky
2. I am a Cat
1. Drawn Together

Not a bad lineup :-) They were really cheering for Drawn Together while we watched the results but I think they were excited that we had read the winner. Thank You Omu was the other winner we read and it was just out of our top 5.

I'm not sure whether I'd prefer the dumps of snow you keep getting or the seemingly endless deep freeze we've had in my neck of the woods for almost two weeks now. Shoveling sucks but so does climbing into a snowsuit to spend more than 5 minutes outside. Sending you sympathies, regardless and wishing you lots of warm, cozy reading at home.

>67 MickyFine: Thanks! I'm far enough from Lake Michigan that we're not getting tons of snow here, but just getting a weird mix of everything that are making the roads bad. Usually snow and cold is doable here. You plow it, kids play outside, it's lovely! This year it's either preceded or followed by ice or rain or a lot of wind or wild temperature swings. The temp is so inconsistent the snow doesn't last.

I think I'd go for snow over your deep freeze, though! Snow looks pretty and it is nice to feel your face without that tingling-inside-your-nose feeling :-) We'll appreciate spring that much more, right?!

Stay warm!!

12. The Road to Little Dribbling by Bill Bryson
Feb. 13

Bryson travels from the south of England to the northwestern tip of Scotland, a la Notes from a Small Island, but many years later. I kind of want to reread some of his earlier work now- a lot of reviewers talked about how much complaining he did in this book. I guess it didn't bother me because I agreed with a lot of what he said? Or I was swept up trying to picture everything so if I didn't agree, it didn't bother me too much? Not sure. I do wish he had focused more on the northern parts of his travels. Scotland gets just a very small mention and some of the northern towns and villages are glossed over compared to the towns in the beginning of the book. Probably not his best work, but it served it's purpose for me.

I've found it helpful to have another book going along with The Dragonfly in Amber, first because I'm reading along with a friend, so I have something else to read if I get too far ahead, and second as a distraction after particularly graphic parts, for instance, horrifying descriptions of hanging, drawing, and quartering. I feel bad complaining because people actually went through this stuff, but it's still hard to read.

Eleven snow days so far, huh? There's still a lot of winter to go :( At least it gives you lots of reading time! It's been ages since I read any Bryson, and although I see him or his books mentioned fairly frequently, I haven't felt drawn to read any more of his stuff. I wonder how I'd like his stuff now, compared to when I was a lot younger.

Will you read Voyager when you finish Dragonfly in Amber?

>70 aktakukac: We're up to twelve, but maybe things are settling down? Hopefully?! It has been nice to just curl up with books, I won't complain! Bryson was a good, relaxing read in the midst of Outlander. I picked up Voyager from the library yesterday. I'm not sure I'll get to it in time, but I have it in case, because of course this weekend is our mid-winter break with no school Monday, lol. Just what we need is a day off ;-)

13. The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
February 14

Laura and her family move to Pa's building in town for the winter, after several hints point to a long winter. The town is pummeled by blizzards and the trains are blocked, which means the townspeople are struggling to survive.

Nothing puts winter in perspective quite like this book! The struggle to survive is throughout the book, and the close calls are hard to fathom today. They literally had no access to more food for months, on top of the lack of variety and being cooped up all the time. In the beginning of the book, I kept yelling at them to stock up early on, lol. Buy more food! Bring more hay! I always liked the part where Pa tunneled out to the stable and the snow is so high the main street is on the second floor. I do always wonder when I reread why they were so independent- why didn't they ever stay at the neighbor's during a blizzard? At least you'd have some new people to talk to. Why didn't they share more food to get more variety? And even in their own house- they always twist straw in the lean-to...why didn't they bring it inside where it was a bit warmer? Whereas now I think we are more easily flexible and bend cultural/social rules, they stuck to their norms even in extreme circumstances.

>72 jennyifer24: I'm sure part of the reason they didn't buy more food was they really couldn't afford to do so. They stayed home because they still had to feed animals, milk the cow, gather eggs, and such. Pioneers had a tough life.

>73 thornton37814: true about the money. It's just hard knowing what's coming and not encouraging them a bit! The part that always has made me wondering about visiting is that Pa does go out- he gets the news and watches the checkers games at the store, and he visits the Wilder brothers a few times too. The females just never seem to get to leave (I think I'd be pretty claustrophobic!). Thank goodness now we have so many ways to stay connected, well-nourished, and safe!

We have conferences next week and so I should (and will) be devoting a good bit of time to grading this weekend, but I really haven't been feeling it this week. I think we all just wanted it to be a regular week after all the weather that it was hard to commit to another off-routine week of assessments. I'm thankful to have a student teacher- she did the teaching and I caught up on a lot of assessing that would usually be more spread out throughout the trimester.

I am hoping to finish Dragonfly in Amber, though. I think I have about 100 pages to go.

14. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon
February 24

I think everyone has either read it or wouldn't want spoilers, so I'll skip the summary and straight to my thoughts...

I didn't like the beginning. I didn't like waiting in dread for Claire to lose the baby, since there was a big gap in the timeline, and I didn't like the slow march to Culloden. Even though I did sort of think Jamie survived, it didn't help any in this book because you still knew Claire left the 1740s in the end. It makes me curious now for the next book, but it didn't make for good anticipation throughout. A friend and I have been reading together and we did hit on some things that happened- Randall returns, Alex was the father of Frank's ancestor (though we didn't work out how it was all going down...), Jamie survives (no date on the gravestone was the biggest clue to me). Geilles Duncan didn't work out at all how I expected (except I did think maybe her son was Roger's ancestor), and the time travel is making more sense. Her changing history is really leading to what was always going to happen. Unlike last time, I'm eager to start Voyager. We have conferences this week, though, so it's not the best time. We'll see how long I can hold out! Things I'm wondering- does she go back to Jamie, does Brianna go back, how does John Grey work back in, what happens with Randall, are we done with Geillis?

edited to add, I made it about a half hour before starting Voyager, lol. Had to laugh when John Grey and Randall both popped up in chapter 1!

Voyager is probably my favourite of the series. I really enjoy the whole series but there's just some extra good stuff in that one, IMO.

>76 MickyFine: I'm just getting back to it after a week or so away. I read a bit of fluff for conference/report card week :-) Just got back to John Grey.

15. A Likely Story by Jenn McKinlay
February 28

I needed something a little less intense that Voyager for report card/conference week and this was a good fit. Lindsey investigates the murder of a man who's lived his life on one of the Thumb Islands, isolated from everyone but his brother. The house is full of their hoarded belongings, and also littered with traps to deter visitors.

I should stop complaining about the love triangle, because I keep reading even when I know the love triangle will be there, but I still want to complain about it. It's dragging on and I think it's Lindsey's fault.

16. Better Late Than Never by Jenn McKinlay
March 1

On amnesty day at the library, a book is returned 20 years overdue. Some research uncovers that the book was last borrowed by a murder victim- on the day of her murder. Lindsey works to find the connection, and the love triangle is over! Not only have Lindsey and Sully finally gone public, McKinlay has even given Robbie another love interest to keep him away. Thank goodness!

I think I'm done with this series again for a bit. Time to get back to Voyager

I'm almost finished with Voyager and will probably finish this weekend, depending on the amount of basketball I end up watching.

This year for reading month at school, we did a school-wide book bracket, which picture books. We were a little worried about how the upper grades would respond, but I've heard a lot of good feedback from upper el teachers that their kids were really enjoying it. Hooray! Our final four: Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, The Day the Crayons Quit, Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors and The Book with No Pictures. Champion coming next week!

>80 jennyifer24: Yay for almost finishing Voyager! The book bracket sounds fun! I'd like to finish up a book this weekend. Thankfully I can read small bits of it at a time, so I'll have it with me tonight when MSU plays. Go Green!

>81 aktakukac: Go White! I was reading Voyager on Friday night while watching some games. Not really the best way to watch or read but there was so much going on in the book, I couldn't stop!

17. Saint John Paul the Great by Jason Evert
March 19

This book is part biography, part keys of Pope John Paul II's spiritual philosophies. This was an easy-to-read introduction to JPII. His life during WWII and under Communism are not unique, and his biography sheds a light on the struggle people, including religious people, had in this time and place.

18. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
March 22

Feels like I should put the whole thing under spoilers. This is probably my favorite of the three I've read. I do love a good adventure at sea, and this book didn't disappoint. It's kind of crazy how much happened (I kept saying this with the first one, but the pace has kept up!) from the beginning to the end. A few parts were a bit too coincidental for me, and there were a few times I wondered how Claire didn't know some things she and John Grey really didn't recognize each other!? He never came up when she and Jamie were catching up? But then, Geillis!! I can't believe I didn't see her coming!! but overall an entertaining read. 1000+ pages but went really quickly.

>84 jennyifer24: Yay! I feel like any time you have to summarize any of the books, there is so much going on it's hard to pick what to focus on. As the cast of characters expands, it gets even more intense.

>85 MickyFine: I'm reading with a co-worker and we were trying to pin down the timeline, but had to talk through a lot of action to remember in which book the event we were talking about had even happened! Then I realize we're only three books in...lol

>86 jennyifer24: Yup. They're fun like that. Are you taking a bit of a break before Drums of Autumn?

>87 MickyFine: Spring break starts Friday so I'm just trying to make until then before starting ;-)

>88 jennyifer24: Excellent plan. :)

I didn't do much reading but watched so much basketball. Go Green! MSU is in the Final 4!!!!!!!!!!!! Crazy, close game against Duke.
Maybe I can calm down and do some reading over spring break...

Woo hoo! I'm so excited about the Final Four!!! We went to a visitation at a funeral home yesterday, and by the time we got home, halftime was already over. I was giving the baby a bath while my husband kept telling me the score, and then I was cooking supper in the last seconds of the game. He yelled when State actually beat Duke and I told him to be quiet because the baby was sleep! Enjoy Spring Break and read lots :)

>84 jennyifer24: I love the Netflix series of Outlander, Jennifer and I am likely to gobble up the series sometime soon.

Have a lovely weekend.

>92 PaulCranswick: I'm looking forward to watching the series! I've been trying not to read too fast. You don't get to read a good seven-book series for the first time too often!

I'm thinking I might finish 3 books this weekend, depending on how efficient I am with the lesson planning. Long ways to go in Drums of Autumn but without basketball it might happen...

>94 jennyifer24: It's at 8 books right now, Jenny, with book 9 promised for this fall.

Oh! I had heard about the newest one coming- somehow I was stuck on 7 instead of 8. The timing of the new book might work out well for me.

19. The Seven Storey Mountain by Thomas Merton
April 13

This book has been on my tbr list for a long time, so I was happy to see it on a book club list. Thomas Merton tells his life story from birth in France through his early unsettled, itinerant life with family and friends. He converts to Catholicism and eventually becomes a Trappist monk in Kentucky. Although his book includes a lot of the minutia of his life and it can be easy to get bogged down in the timeline of his travel and life events, the bigger picture is a wonderful arc of his life toward God. You wonder at the beginning how he'll ever end up in a contemplative monastery in Kentucky, but then his story pieces together, bit by bit. This is the first of his books I've read and I enjoyed the style of his writing- the matter-of-fact yet thoughtful look at his own life.

20. The Great Divorce by CS Lewis
April 14

The narrator travels to purgatory and heaven, listening in on ghosts who are deciding whether to stay or go. Last year we read Dante's Divine Comedy in our book club, and I found it a bit easier to understand than this book. Or easier to reconcile with how I pictured Heaven and Hell? Anyway, Lewis focuses on the choice his ghosts have in choosing to stay in heaven or return to purgatory(/Hell) and the reasons why so many would return. I had only read a bit before going to book club but after finishing it I wish I could go back and ask some more questions! The most helpful thing I remember was someone said Dante and Lewis are writers of their time- Dante's Divine Comedy portrays physical punishment and struggle, and Lewis focuses more on internal/psychological struggles.

I'm about halfway through The Drums of Autumn and I'm feeling like I might need a quick, light read as a break in the reading I've been doing...

>99 jennyifer24: That is completely understandable. That one is a bit of heavy going in spots.

21. Drums of Autumn
April 20

I guess if you're reading the spoilers you know what happens so no need to recap. Jamie is not my favorite character in this one...even though he's usually take-charge and seems to act without thinking, we almost always find out he has a good reason for his actions. Beating and selling Roger is just acting with his heart instead of his head, though, and I can't think of any good reason he and Claire and Ian spent months rescuing Roger just to leave him alone in the forest. Ugh. Okay, that being said, Jamie and Bree meeting was so sweet. I loved that that happened! I was hoping for Bree to time travel eventually.

I was sort of confused about the jewels- I know why they want them but Claire traveled fine without them and it seemed like a contrived plot element to separate Bree and Roger. Kind of like how Bree failed to mention that Roger was going by Mackenzie when she told everyone she came into contact with about Roger in hopes of finding them.

I'm curious to see how Bonnet and Hodgepile come back into the story. And Ian. Ohh, Ian. I think this is the first time I cried in the series. I'm so proud of him/sad for him/thankful for the letter he sent at the end!

There's a hold list on the next in the series so I might be on a bit of a pause, except I'm supposed to be reading Middlemarch for a book club, so trading a 1000 page book for an 800 page book...

As of now our last day is June 7 (could change depending on if the state passes a bill forgiving our snow days that were also state of emergency days) which means I need to start our ABC countdown of books next week! Crazy. I started this last year- many teachers in my building do a fun activity for each letter of the alphabet counting down the last 26 days of school. I read a picture book for each letter of the alphabet. Last year it was a fun way to read some books I hadn't gotten to that I normally read, and to read some new ones too. I have to look at last year, but I think my rule was no rereads, only new-to-our-class books (could be rereads for me, just not books I'd already read to them).

Question for my fellow library-readers: do you add library books you've read to your librarything bookshelf? I did at first, because it was basically my reason for joining. I wanted a place where I could keep track of library books I'd read without having to always keep track of random pieces of paper (Why didn't keeping one big list occur to me? Good question!). Over the past several years I've neglected to add library books in because I have a running list on the 75ers page. I know there are advantages to adding, just trying to decide if it's worth my time.

I think the last day here is May 29, which is a lot later than they normally go. The teachers in our district get really bent out of shape if they have to go past Memorial Day, and would probably die if they had to go into June. I remember one year when I was subbing in Michigan, I subbed on June 14.

I add library books to my LT bookshelf. Most of the books I read are library books. I used to keep a list on paper of all the books I read (apart from keeping track on here and on Good Reads) but that went out the window early last year, and I forgot to go back and add to that list when I started having more time to read late last year. I like adding library books to LT because I want to see ALL the books I read, regardless of where they come from.

>104 aktakukac: Wow, do they start in August? Michigan is getting away from the post-Labor Day start but many schools still wait to go back. We started August 20 I think, this year. Except the whole town had a power outage yesterday because of a sub-station fire. The high school and middle school were already started, and elementary busses were out, but they had to send kids home. Waiting to hear if we hit 75% for that day to count. Oops :-)

Yeah, I do like having all those books on there too. Plus the stats show up for shared libraries, and tags, etc. Maybe a summer project will be to go back and update...

>101 jennyifer24:The gems are sort of subtly there in the early books. I'm not sure Claire had one when she went through the first time but when she comes back after leaving Jamie, the jewel in the ring Jamie gives her has disappeared. Ditto for her second trip back. It's a small detail and not as big a plot point as it becomes for later books though so it's easy to overlook.

>103 jennyifer24: I have separate collections for library books and my books in my LibraryThing account. That way I can see overall whether I've read a book and also be able to easily split up whether I own it or not.

>106 MickyFine: That's what I have too- I've just haven't really been adding library books in for the last few years. We'll see if I sit down and do it this summer.

22. The Good, the Bad, and the Emus by Donna Andrews
April 28

Meg's family travels north, both to capture rogue emus that were released from a bankrupt farm, and to learn more about her father's birth family. Perfect over-the-top, light book to follow up 1000+ pages of Outlander.

23. Death in the Stacks by Jenn McKinlay
May 4

Lindsey and the library are preparing for their big fundraiser, but the new President of the Library Board is causing lots of drama. This book had some fun cameos from McKinlay's other books, and was another solid book in the series. It seemed to go so fast, and then I realized that is because it is a manageable 300ish pages ;-)

We started the ABC countdown on Monday! Crazy! 26-day picture book countdown to get us to the end of the year. We may have to adjust, because I'm not entirely sure about the last day of school, but here are our first five reads:

>107 jennyifer24: Sounds like a fun, nerdy project. :)

I add library books to my LT bookshelf, but put them in the Read but Not Owned collection so that I can see not only what I've read but distinguish what is actually physically on my bookshelves here at home.

>111 MickyFine: lol, cataloging my classroom library has the top spot for fun(ish), nerdy projects for the summer :-) Actually, right now it sounds more fun than the things I should be doing in May (that's always how that goes, though, right? This is the time I most like to think about how to redo things for fall...).

>112 ronincats: I did that too when I first started. Since doing the 75 group I've faded away from it since I have them listed here. I would like it for tags though.

24. Hitting the Books by Jenn McKinlay
May 9

Lindsey witnesses a hit-and-run and the police must move quickly before the victim is attacked again. This is the first in the series I listened to and it wasn't bad except for that Robbie's British accent wasn't great. Not exactly the swoon-worthy accent you expect from him! Otherwise another good book in the series. It's much better without the love triangle drama! And I loved the cameos from McKinlay's other series' characters.

25. Pride by Ibi Zoboi
May 11

Pride and Prejudice retelling that takes place in Brooklyn. Zoboi brings the setting and characters to life and the storyline works with the changes she made. I went back and forth between being a bit frustrated she stuck so close to the original storyline and then being a bit frustrated when she went off and changed some things, but that seems like my problem more than hers. I think the writing, characters, and setting were strong enough that she didn't need to rely on P&P for her inspiration? Anyway, I really enjoyed it and then it led me down the rabbit hole this weekend- ended up watching The Jane Austen Book Club and Becoming Jane this weekend.

Now, back to Middlemarch. Not sure why I'm having such a hard time sticking with this one...

>109 jennyifer24: >114 jennyifer24: I think I'm ready for #4 in that series. Maybe I'll get to it this summer.

>116 thornton37814: They've been good books for me to sneak in between longer books. I was feeling a bit "ehh" about them a few books ago but they've picked back up for me again.

I'm swear I'm still here! I've been doing some lurking, but it's May so I'm kind of behind in life in general. Working hard at wrapping up the school year means I'm watching more tv than reading (easy stuff while grading papers!) and Middlemarch is just now starting to get interesting to me. A couple more weeks then hopefully I can get to lots of books that are piling up.

ugh...I'm not usually this much off my reading/LibraryThing game in June! I'm behind on updates, and decided to take 12 credits this summer to help move toward my Masters +45 on the pay scale, which is a decent raise. Taking the classes will pay for itself in a year...just have to slog through them.

I'm going to do the quick version of book updates, then see if I can find a good ya to get into tonight. I put Middlemarch to the side for now. It's gotten better but I think it's really slowing down my reading and I want to have a string of successes, instead of feeling like I'm just slogging through because I have to.

26. The Nightingale before Christmas by Donna Andrews
May 30

Meg is helping with the Christmas model home. The various interior designers are rushing to finish their rooms when one is murdered. Cozy mystery, not my favorite but just fine. Meg seemed pretty judgy in this book though, not sure if it was extra apparent in this one or if I just didn't remember from the other books.

27. Dear George, Dear Mary by Mary Calvi
June 7

Mary Eliza Philipse is working through several traumatic experiences in her life. Her family looks after her and is also seeking the right suitor for her. Then George Washington shows up. Based on a true story.

I'm not sure the author knew what she wanted this book to be. George and Mary don't get married, which throws off the romantic historical fiction she seemed to be going for. So, about halfway through, the book turns into an account of the beginning of the revolution instead. The revolution has been building in the background, but the book really shifts courses pretty quickly.

I did read this book just after finally seeing Hamilton so it was fun to be in the time period and see a few familiar people.

28. Lost at School
June 11

This is the book for the first class I completed this summer. The class/book are about rethinking discipline in school from a punitive-based system that's pretty ineffective to a collaborative problem-solving approach. Lots of food for thought in this book. I got some great ideas for how to push forward some things I'm already doing and also new strategies to try. I read the new(er) 2014 edition (not sure that's the edition showing up in the link).

29. An Incomplete Revenge by Jacqueline Winspear
June 11

Londoners and gypsies flock to small towns and farms in Kent for hop-picking every September. The gatherings often lead to tension among the groups. In this case, Maisie is sent to check a large farm before a potential sale. Strange things have been happening in the nearby town and she is determined to understand why.

I was on the waiting list for this one for a long time (however, did I get on the waiting list for the next one...of course not!). It did not disappoint. Maisie is careful and thorough, and her friendliness toward everyone and willingness to hear every story ultimately solves the case. Maisie Dobbs stories are always twinged with sadness and/or melancholy because of the shadows of WWI and this is especially true in this book.

30. Lord of the Wings by Donna Andrews
June 21

Meg is volunteering for the Halloween festival in her town, which has been overtaken by tourists, vampires, and a group of mysterious trespassers. They must work quickly when someone turns up murdered.

Of course this Halloween celebration is over the top and ridiculous. Andrews is fun to read for these small-town festivals that are maybe not as unrealistic as they seem (having grown up in a small town, some parts seem less ridiculous and more familiar ;-) ).

31. Rome Sweet Home by Scott Hahn and Kimberly Hahn
June 22

A memoir detailing the Hahns' conversions to Catholicism. I appreciated their honesty (especially Kimberly's) of the struggles of their conversions. This book has been on my radar for a while, and then turned up in the little free library near my house!

32. At the Drop of a Hat by Jenn McKinlay
June 23

Scarlet and her friends help investigate the murder of a famous, but sleazy lawyer. I remember reading the first in this series and not being that impressed, especially compared to McKinlay's cupcake bakery mysteries. The series is starting to grow on me, though. And I do like how McKinlay incorporates setting into all of her series.

33. Mathematical Mindsets by Jo Boaler
June 24

Jo Boaler presents her research about teaching math. Her book ties in closely with the ideas of growth mindset. Mistakes are good, focus on a deep understanding of math over procedural knowledge, research shows that homework doesn't help, there is a need to rethink assessment. These are some of her key points.

I am familiar with Jo Boaler's research but I've never read any of her books. This book will make me think hard about my math instruction. Highly recommended.

34. The Wrath and the Dawn by Renee Ahdieh
June 25

Shazi volunteers to marry the King- a king who has murdered a new bride every morning- but plans to survive and exact revenge on him for the death of her best friend. This One Thousand and One Nights retelling quickly shifts from revenge to love, as Shazi survives by telling tales to the King. She soon finds herself falling for him. Their relationship developed too quickly for me. It reminded me a bit of The Red Queen where her loyalties were hard to read because of her emotions. I liked the book, but I think it needed more time for the characters and relationships to develop.

35. Guided Math in Action by Nicki Newton
June 29

Dr. Nicki Newton lays out her structure for guided math. This organization includes a math minilesson followed by centers and small group instruction.

This was an interesting book to read after Mathematical Mindsets. I read both for two different classes this summer. They are often on opposite ends of the instructional spectrum. While Boaler's book emphasized heterogeneous grouping, and using low floor, high ceiling challenging tasks to engage learners, Newton's approach is to teach small groups in homogeneous groupings focused on specific skills. Both do emphasize a conceptual understanding over procedural knowledge and using manipulatives, visuals, explaining strategies, etc. I was immediately disappointed in Newton's book after so recently finishing Boaler's but I think there is value in comparing the two models. Lots to think about!

36. The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh
June 29

The sequel to The Wrath and the Dawn. This is a book of twists and turns. I think there is still some character development missing, but the story kept me interested.

37. A Dangerous Act of Kindness by LP Fergusson
July 1

Millie helps a German soldier who parachutes into England when his plane crashes. The story follows their interactions, the danger it creates, and the war-time lives of others involved. I thought this book touched on a lot of emotions and perspectives. The plot was well-developed and included unexpected twists and difficult moments. I think that the author makes you stop and think about right/wrong and about character motivations more some other books I've read about similar topics.

Hope your classes are going well and will be over soon! I have stalled with the Maisie Dobbs series, but would like to get back to it. It looks like I've only read the first six. I agree with your spoiler for The Wrath and the Dawn. I thought the writing was beautiful and got pulled into the story.

>131 aktakukac: Thanks, I finished them up before the Fourth, hooray!

I feel like there's always a long hold list for Maisie, so I read them infrequently. I'm not that great about remembering to add the next one on. They are kind of melancholy, though, so it's also nice to spread them out a bit.

I agree about The Wrath and the Dawn. Good writing and a good story! I think I'm used to long trilogies now so I want more development time. I'm not usually one to complain about a book being too long! :-)

38. Warcross by Marie Lu
July 6

Emika is a bounty hunter/hacker but when she hacks into the championships of the largest online game, she's drawn into a new world of fame, money and danger.

I wish I had written about this book before I read Wildcard so I could remember a few things more clearly. At first I thought it was going to be like rereading Ready Player One but it definitely went in its own direction. The way the VR and real worlds interact is an interesting component of this book. It seems like something that might not be too far away into the future? I felt like character development was lacking for a lot of characters (but it's better for many of them in Wildcard). There were a few parts that were confusing but were sort of explained later on. The timeline was confusing to me and I'm pretty sure they played a 16-team tournament with only 3 rounds of games. (The sports fan in me got a little sucked into the practicalities ;-) ) Despite these drawbacks, I thought that the plot was interesting. At first I thought it was a red herring that she knew about DJ Ren so early on, but it ended up adding an interesting part to the story. I guessed about Sasuke but still didn't quite know how he fit in.

I picked up the next book right away- the cliffhanger was definitely compelling.

39. These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder (reread)
July 6

I picked this up looking for a specific part (that ended up being in Little Town on the Prairie) but then kept going anyway.

40. Wildcard by Marie Lu
July 7

Sequel to Warcross. Much more character development in this book. The world continues to develop too, with the overlays of virtual reality. This is a book full of misdirection, which is interesting to read. Jax, Zero, Taylor and Hideo make it hard from Emi to trust anyone. I kind of miss the game in this book. The actual Warcross game is not really what the book is about, and is left as a backdrop, but it would have been interesting to know more about the game, teams, tournament, etc. . Good fast-paced series- I read this at a good time to help get out of a bit of a reading slump.

41. The Forest Queen by Betsy Cornwell
July 9

Silvie struggles to push back against her bullying brother, the new sheriff. He tries to force her into a life she doesn't want, while driving the townspeople in his control to ruin.

The writing is a bit clunky, especially in the beginning, and the ending is missing some practical resolution, but an interesting reimagining of Robin Hood. Had the potential to be better. I do like that cover!

Wishing you a great weekend, Jennifer

>137 PaulCranswick: Thank you!!

My sister and I got back Saturday from a trip to Iceland and Copenhagen. Two beautiful, very different places. We had a great time- probably tried to see too much for the time we had, but it was well worth it! I'm still trying to sort out the pictures but will try to get a few up.

42. Artemis by Andy Weir
July 20 (ironically I finished this one on moon landing day!)

Jazz makes her living as a porter and smuggler in Artemis, the first lunar settlement. She takes a big, dangerous job for a wealthy businessman and the situation escalates quickly.

The world-building (moon-building?) was really interesting. Weir's interest in science came through in his details about the practicalities of maintaining life on the moon, and in other parts of the plot. The development and maintenance of a lunar community was really well thought-out. Jazz was a bit too convenient as a character. Many of her traits seemed to be written in to accomplish plot points. The reader was told about them at the relevant times in the book, instead of discovering them throughout through her actions. There were some other off things that didn't really fit into the book or storyline- stereotypes and sexual innuendos and comments that were completely irrelevant.

It seems like The Martian is much better-rated so I'll probably keep it in mind to read sometime.

43. Song of the Lark by Willa Cather
July 23

44. The Flatshare by Beth O'Leary
July 24

Tiffy needs a cheap place to live in London, so she answers an ad for a flatshare. Leon works nights and the terms of their lease mean they never have to meet. Instead, they communicate through notes and slowly get to know each other through their shared flat. The book alternates chapters from each character's point of view, with distinct writing styles.

I loved it. I almost read it in one sitting. It was everything I wanted in a light summer read, with some serious topics included too. Smart, thoughtful writing. It reminded me a lot of Bridget Jones's Diary- Leon's chapters read a lot like her diary entries.

Yay for a good trip! I've wanted to go to Copenhagen since I was in 9th grade and did a project on Denmark. Post some pictures after you get them sorted, please :)

I liked The Flatshare, but did not love it. Glad it worked so well for you. I feel like the odd one out because I didn't love it.

>142 aktakukac: I went back and read what you wrote about The Flatshare and it makes sense. She really wasn't ready to dive into anything serious after her experience. I think I was more wrapped up in so much I did like Tiffy's relationship with Richie, the cuteness of those notes, the Austen-like fall at the sea, and how Tiffy handled Justin. She stood up to him and walked away multiple times, which wasn't how I thought that part of the story would go. I did like Leon's writing style too- it was the first thing that reminded me of Bridget Jones.

>142 aktakukac: My daughter is looking to take up employment in Denmark in the near future so I'd be keen to see those photos too, Jennifer.

>144 PaulCranswick: I promise I'll get them up soon!

45. The Lying Woods by Ashley Elston
August 6 (just wrote June accidentally- where did the summer go?!)

Owen unexpectedly returns from his boarding school to his small town home after his father disappears with money stolen from half the town through his business. Owen has to start over at his local high school, where no one is happy to see him.

I don't want to say too much, but I loved this book. It's definitely focused on the mysterious circumstances of Owen's father's disappearance and theft, but also on Owen and how he starts over in his town. I listened on audio and it was amazing. Definitely recommended.

>146 jennyifer24: Yay!! I'm glad you liked this one, too!

Thank you for keeping me company in 2019.......onward to 2020.

>148 PaulCranswick: Thanks! Same to you!

I've really fallen off posting here...usually I have a dropoff when school starts but I just never made it back here to post. Trying again in 2020!

I have been reading- and just two books left to get to 75. I'll update my list at the top!

Happy reading everyone!

Months later...here are a few pictures from the trip my sister and I took to Iceland and Copenhagen. Eventually I'll try to figure out how to get them going the right direction. The first three pictures are from Iceland- black sand beaches near Vik, Seljalandsfoss waterfall, and Thingvellir National Park. The next three are from Copenhagen- The Lakes, Rosenborg Castle, Nyhavn.

Made it to 75 on Sunday with One Plus One.

Some year-end stats:
Mean: 2002.8667
Median: 2015
Mode: 2018 (11)
Total pages read: 30,346

Congrats!

Congrats on reaching the magic number!

>152 jennyifer24: Congratulations on reaching 75, Jenny!

Thanks >153 drneutron: >154 MickyFine: >155 FAMeulstee: Felt like an accomplishment that I did it before nye :-)