Dates Read: December 2012
My adviser at Teachers College was Erica Walker. While I was there, I had the pleasure of working as a mentor for a peer tutoring project she was developing. Last year she published this book, which is about that project. I LOVED this book! So many educational books have a doom and gloom feel and ramble on and on about the problems in education. Erica does a great job of saying "here's the problem, but look, here's a way to fix it." I found this book to be very motivational. I also loved how real it was - although peer tutoring is great and can have some wonderful results, it is not a process that will be implemented without bumps along the way and Erica is very honest about that aspect. Teachers are often told to implement strategies that will work, improve test scores, yadda yadda, but teachers aren't told how to get past the hurdles or the low times and are led to believe every day will be a good day. I truly appreciate the honesty in this book. In fact, the only downside of this book is that it made me sad that I don't currently have a job where I can implement some of the strategies she recommends.
Summary: (from Amazon.com)
Drawing on perceptions, behaviors, and experiences of students at an urban high school--both high and low achievers--this timely book demonstrates how urban youth can be meaningfully engaged in learning mathematics. The author presents a ''potential'' model rather than a ''deficit'' model, complete with teaching strategies and best practices for teaching mathematics in innovative and relevant ways. This resource offers practical insights for pre- and inservice teachers and administrators on facilitating positive interactions, engagement, and achievement in mathematics, particularly with Black and Latino/a students. It also examines societal perceptions of urban students and how these affect teaching and learning, policies, and mathematics outcomes.
Dates Read: February 2013After finishing Emma, I decided I wanted a quick and fun read so when I saw this book recommended on a blog, I decided to check it out from the library. It wasn't as good as some of the other YA books I've read lately, and although there are some similarities, it's definitely no Harry Potter, but it was a good, quick, fun read and I've already placed the second book in the series on hold at the library. (Sadly, the third book is not out yet.)
Summary: (from Amazon.com)
Henry Grim is a servant boy at the Midsummer School—until he passes the elite Knightley Academy exam and suddenly finds himself one of the first commoners at the Academy, studying alongside the cleverest and bravest—and most arrogant—young aristocrats in the country. They thwart Henry’s efforts to become a full-fledged Knight of the Realm, but he and two commoner classmates are determined to succeed. In the process, the boys uncover a conspiracy that violates the Hundred Years’ Peace treaty—and could lead to war! Can Henry manage to save his school and country from their enemies—and continue to study at the Academy?
Dates Read: ??? - January 2013
I started this book sometime in 2012 (perhaps in the spring). I wanted to join Elaine on her quest to read all of Jane Austen's books and this was the last one. I loved all the other books but sadly, I had the hardest time finishing this one! Perhaps it's because I was reading it on my phone so it felt like I wasn't making any progress (no pages to flip through) or perhaps it's because I was too into the other books I was reading at the same time. I'm glad I was finally able to finish because the third volume of this book was quite entertaining and a wonderful read - it's just too bad I didn't enjoy the second volume (or the end of the first volume) as much.Summary: (from Amazon.com)Sparkling comedy of provincial manners concerns a well-intentioned young heiress and her matchmaking schemes that result in comic confusion for the inhabitants of a 19th-century English village. Droll characterizations of the well-intentioned heroine, her hypochondriacal father, plus many other finely drawn personalities make this sparkling satire of provincial life one of Jane Austen's finest novels.
Dates Read: January 2013
After hearing this book, I immediately added my name to the library's wait list - I was number 684. I knew it would be a while. Finally, around Christmas, it was my turn to read it. Yay! I've been busy with work so it wasn't until this week (of course, the due date) that I finally sat down and started ready it - and then three nights later I was done. I love Grisham's books because they have wonderfully short chapters (perfect for public transportation), are slow at first but then pick up the pace without you realizing it and before you know it your 150 pages in and don't want to put it down. This was another great Grisham book (with wonderfully surprising twists) and I'm glad it was finally my turn to read it! (And it was definitely worth the $2+ that I will owe in late fees.)Summary: (from the amazon)Given the importance of what they do, and the controversies that often surround them, and the violent people they sometimes confront, it is remarkable that in the history of this country only four active federal judges have been murdered. Judge Raymond Fawcett has just become number five.
Who is the Racketeer? And what does he have to do with the judge’s untimely demise? His name, for the moment, is Malcolm Bannister. Job status? Former attorney. Current residence? The Federal Prison Camp near Frostburg, Maryland.On paper, Malcolm’s situation isn’t looking too good these days, but he’s got an ace up his sleeve. He knows who killed Judge Fawcett, and he knows why. The judge’s body was found in his remote lakeside cabin. There was no forced entry, no struggle, just two dead bodies: Judge Fawcett and his young secretary. And one large, state-of-the-art, extremely secure safe, opened and emptied.What was in the safe? The FBI would love to know. And Malcolm Bannister would love to tell them. But everything has a price—especially information as explosive as the sequence of events that led to Judge Fawcett’s death. And the Racketeer wasn’t born yesterday . . .Nothing is as it seems and everything’s fair game in this wickedly clever new novel from John Grisham, the undisputed master of the legal thriller.
Dates Read: November 2012
I was in the mood for a light-hearted read so I decided to pick up this chick-lit book from the library. I thoroughly enjoyed it - as evidenced by the fact that I read it in approximately 48 hours. It is a silly, slightly unrealistic, but wonderful read!
Summary: (from the amazon)
Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect! Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life. What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.
Dates Read: October 2012
This is the second book of the Lumatere Chronicles. I thought it was better than the first because the story picked up a lot faster and didn't have as many slow parts. I am now anxiously awaiting the third book's release sometime next year.
Summary: (from the amazon)
Three years after the curse on Lumatere was lifted, Froi has found his home . . . or so he believes. Fiercely loyal to the Queen and Finnikin, Froi has been taken roughly and lovingly in hand by the Guard sworn to protect the royal family, and has learned to control his quick temper with a warrior's discipline. But when he is sent on a secretive mission to the kingdom of Charyn, nothing could have prepared him for what he finds in its surreal royal court. Soon he must unravel both the dark bonds of kinship and the mysteries of a half-mad princess in this barren and mysterious place. It is in Charyn that he will discover there is a song sleeping in his blood . . . and though Froi would rather not, the time has come to listen.
Dates Read: September 2012
After reading The Unwanteds, I decided to continue procrastinating reading Emma and pick up another Young Adult fantasy novel - one that came highly recommended on a blog I read. The book started off slow... well, very slow... but I'm glad I pushed through because the last half of the book was a page-turner.
This book is in the Lumatere Chronicles, but it was also a good stand alone book (though I have already picked up the second book from the library).
I would say the book is a toned down version of Lord of the Rings - there are a lot of lands and names to remember (don't worry, there's a helpful map in the front of the book) but it's not as intricate as I imagine Lord of the Rings is (though I did consult the map frequently).
Summary: (from the amazon)
Finnikin was only a child during the five days of the unspeakable, when the royal family of Lumatere were brutally murdered, and an imposter seized the throne. Now a curse binds all who remain inside Lumatere’s walls, and those who escaped roam the surrounding lands as exiles, persecuted and despairing, dying by the thousands in fever camps. In a narrative crackling with the tension of an imminent storm, Finnikin, now on the cusp of manhood, is compelled to join forces with an arrogant and enigmatic young novice named Evanjalin, who claims that her dark dreams will lead the exiles to a surviving royal child and a way to pierce the cursed barrier and regain the land of Lumatere. But Evanjalin’s unpredictable behavior suggests that she is not what she seems — and the startling truth will test Finnikin’s faith not only in her, but in all he knows to be true about himself and his destiny.
