Karen’s Book Nook

Since I’m back to school I have little to no time to read “for fun” right now. I’m swamped with getting my year underway and it’s also the beginning of the dreaded Alternate Assessment window which saps all of my time and energy.

I am managing to read little snippets of Educating Esme: Diary of a Teacher’s First Year by Esme Raji Codell when I get a few minutes to spare. Since it’s all diary entries, I can blast through a few at a time. This one is my “purse book” and travels with me.  (Recommended by my teaching partner, Syd )

* I just noticed when I linked to her site that she has written many more books and also has a blog.  I’ll be sure to check everything out!

Today’s book is The Breakdown Lane by Jacquelyn Mitchard. It’s another one that I got from a fellow teacher when I left school in June. She handed me a stack of books to read over the summer and I’m glad to be able to return them to her READ, next week. I just realized that she also wrote The Deep End of the Ocean, one of Oprah’s Book Club selections years ago. I believe I read it right here on vacation in this very spot many hundreds of books ago.

Finished yesterday’s novel, The Virgin of Small Plains and LOVED it! (My comments are with the library entry.)  Today’s read is Sail by James Patterson. It should be a quickie as his usually are. I’ve been squeezing them in between more “meaty” books. I should be done this one in no time today.

Since I’m on vacation, I’m able to read to my heart’s content!  This is one that someone at work gave to me to read at the end of the school year and I knew I wouldn’t get to it until the summer. Since I’m going back next week, I bumped it up to the front of the list. Today’s book is The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard. I’ve never read her before but even if it wasn’t given to me I probably would have grabbed it while looking at books on the shelf  because the cover appeals to me.

On my quest to read as many books as possible on my vacation, this one should be a quickie as I can always blow through a Patterson in no time.  Today’s book is Sundays at Tiffany’s by James Patterson.

I finally had a rainy day with no Patriots Training Camp or committments so I hunkered down on the couch,  read 90% of The Seduction of Water and finished it tonight. I’m starting the second book of my Heard it Through the Grapevine Challenge, Marley and Me: life and love with the world’s worst dog by John Grogan. I’m sure it will be a quick read once I find time to actually open a book but this one will travel in my bag so I can sneak in a chapter or two when ever I can. Of course, this one came with a promise from my friend and fellow dog lover that I’ll love it. <woof!>

I just finished The Ghost Orchid by Carol Goodman and this one, The Seduction of Water is coming due as well so I bumped it to the top of my pile.  The first book that I read of hers was The Lake of Dead Languages and it blew me away. I read it a couple of years ago and thought about it for weeks. Having just finished Ghost Orchid yesterday, I can say that I enjoyed it but since it wasn’t my first experience reading her, I was more used to her style and sort of knew where it was going. I’m curious to see if I enjoy this one as much or if it will be too predictable to me since the newness is gone.

Didn’t get much reading in this month at all.  I  wrapped-up the  school year and I’ve been so busy catching up around the house and yard since I got out on June 18th.  I’m hoping that July will be more productive; it usually is, until training camp starts,  that is. Then… there will be zero time left for reading until my one week vacation in which I do little EXCEPT read!

Here’s my pathetic list for June:

The Guy Not Taken: Stories by Jennifer Weiner

Visual Supports for People with Autism: A Guide for Parents and Professionals by Marlene J Cohen

The Secret by Rhonda Byrne

I just finished The Guy Not Taken and this one  came in from the library hold. I’m planning on reading it while reading Carol Goodman’s,  The Ghost Orchid because it’s a totally different type of book. Weiner is very light and funny and Goodman is much more deep and dark. Besides.. I always read Weiner super-fast and I’ve got tons of books to read!

’nuff said!