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July 2020 Book Reviews
The Road Back to You by Ian Morgan Cron and Suzanne Stabile I have been very interested in books about the Enneagram. A simple Enneagram test will tell you which of the nine personality types you are most like. Personally I am a type 2, “The Helper”. I thought that this book was a very detailed and clear explanation of the nine different personality types. If you don’t want to take the test, you can read a book such as this one and see which personality type speaks to you most. I really liked this book. It helped me understand myself better than I did before. I have this book…
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June 2020 Book Reviews
This June I read more than my goal. Which is good because I definitely had some catching up to do! Here are my reviews on the books I read in June. Catch and Kill By Ronan Farrow I really wanted to like this book. I wanted it to be the expose that I was expecting to read. I found this book to be very self-indulgent and boring. I did not like Farrow’s writing style, I felt like he went on and on for pages about things that were not important to the plot. Like I said earlier, I really wanted to like this book, it is such an important topic…
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May 2020 Book Reviews
Hello friends! This was the third month of my social-distancing. I live alone so I have had plenty of time to read! Unfortunately I usually end up watching some trash TV (looking at you RHOBH). I have found it so hard during this time to focus on reading. But, I have read some good books this month! Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewell This was my book club book for May. It is a bit of a thriller about a girl who goes missing and her mother dealing with the aftermath. Laurel is the mother of two girls, her youngest, and favorite daughter goes missing. 10 Years later, she…
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My April 2020 Book Reviews!
I am currently over 50 days into quarantine and social distancing and I have to be honest and say that I am not reading all the books like I thought I would be. Personally I am having a hard time maintaining focus long enough to read a book. I am trying to show myself grace within this time, while doing things to set myself up for success. I am maintaining my workout routines, trying to get up and do my hair a few days a week, put on real clothes, etc. Anyways, I digress, this month I read three pretty good books. Dead Wake by Erik Larson I have been…
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March 2020 Book Reviews
Looking for something to read while in quarantine? I read a few books in the month of March that were pretty good! I am sure my April book reviews are going to have a lot more since there isn’t much else to do. Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Weiner I had a hard time with this book, I think I took it out from the library three different times because I just couldn’t get through it. This is the story of two sisters growing up through a time where women were not typically encouraged to be themselves and be different. Jo is a lesbian in secret but follows the path of…
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My January 2020 Book Reviews!
I started the year strong! This month I read FOUR books. I am so pumped to get a jump start on my goal of reading 50 books in 2020. I actually really liked most of the books that I read this month, so let me dive right in and tell you about them. City of Girls by Elizabeth Gilbert This was my book club read for January. I was excited to read it because even though I haven’t read Eat, Pray, Love by Gilbert, I absolutely loved the movie. Reminder to add Eat, Pray, Love to my reading list! I was very underwhelmed by this book and I wasn’t alone. …
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December 2020 Book Reviews
I read some great books this month. I definitely did not meet my goal of reading 50 books in 2020 but I guess I will try again next year! The Grace Year by Kim Leggett I saw this book recommended on Instagram from another teacher that I follow. I don’t typically read young adult dystopian fiction but I put it on hold at the library and when it became available I read it. I have to say that I am so glad that I did! This was an awesome story that I really enjoyed. In the place where Tierney is from, it is believed that women have evil powers. In…
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The 10 Best Books I Read in 2019
This year I set the lofty goal on Goodreads to read 50 books. Well due to busyness and the fact that I didn’t make reading the priority that I should have, I did not reach this goal. But I did read some fantastic books this year. In no particular order: Beartown by Fredrik Backman Beartown is the story of a small town where hockey is at the center of everything. The community is slowly failing and the town is focusing on their hockey team and it’s star player. It tells the story of teenage love, struggles, teamwork, families supporting each other, and what happens when you let someone become too…
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My July 2019 Book Reviews
This month I finally got some great reading time and put a dent into my goal for the year. Part of that is because I went on vacation this month and spent a good chunk of time, sitting on the beach on Martha’s Vineyard absorbing a novel. The First Conspiracy by Brad Meltzer I am a big fan of Brad Meltzer’s writing. He has written some great historical fiction/political thrillers that have kept me enthralled from the first page to the last. But, this book was not quite up to my expectations. I like reading about presidents and I did learn a lot about George Washington in this book. But,…
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The Best Upper Elementary Read-Aloud Books
Reading aloud to students is so important. Even as students get older, and can read to themselves, they can still benefit from hearing someone read aloud to them. Jim Trelease wrote about this in The Read-Aloud Handbook. Students can benefit from reading books that may be above their reading level. They can benefit from having proficient reading fluency modeled for them. It can expose them to more vocabulary. It gives the whole class something to have discussions on, among other things. I gathered a list of my favorite read-aloud books for upper elementary students. Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling The Harry Potter Series is a personal favorite of mine. …
