Whachu Reading?
Blog will be random today. I am le pooped and have Mushy Brain Syndrome. So far the only treatment is chocolate. And cereal. If you're on Twitter/Facebook this is old news, but this weekend I caved and bought a box (Family size of course) of Fruity Pebbles. Yesterday afternoon I threw them in the trash. Yesterday evening I dug them out of the trash. Proud, proud moment…
Thanks for chiming in on the book cover discussion. You guys picked some great ones. One I forgot to mention that I love is the cover for The Invention of Hugo Cabret, a book I ADORED. (Though I always mess up and say, “Hey, have you read the Invention of Hugo Chavez? But trust me, this book is not about the leader of the Bolivian Revolution.) Is that not the best book cover? It's art.
When I worked in a small school, we all traded funny emails all the time. Not like forwards, but smarty comments to staff memos, questions, etc. I really miss that. At the super grande school I teach at, our faculty is so large we can be pretty distant (read: boring). So any small measure of humor pretty much makes my day. Last month one of our asst. principals sent out an email that asked if any of us wanted to teach a mini-class on technology. Not only am I a techno moron, but I have no technology in my classroom. As a speech teacher, I don't even have a digital projector for PowerPoints. (I know, right?) I have an old, clunky outdated overhead projector. So I emailed back and said, “How about a class about how to make the most of your 1986 projector?” My princpal replies: “You are lucky to have even that. Not everyone does.” He was right.
Fast forward a month or so later, and we get an email today that lists the upcoming teachers of our technology sessions. My name was on there. Here is the class listing:
Pod Casting
InterWrite Boards
One-Note
Advanced Gradebook
SharePoint
Journal in Outlook
PDF Files
How to Make the Most of Your 1986 Overhead Projector
Very funny. The genuine techies were probably totally impressed, I'm sure. They haven't used an old school projector since carbon paper went out of style.
A blog I check almost daily is Novel Journey. This past Monday they had a great post on middle level YA. I LOVE LOVE LOVE middle level books. They have the best covers (speaking of covers, not to mention today I went to a book store and there was a YA book with a puffy 3D cover. I totally ran my hand over it. I'll probably get swine flu, but it will be worth it) and there are just so many great stories. I was beyond thrilled to read this librarian's take on the best books for 2009. Because little did I know, favorite YA author in the whole wide universe (including all those new planets that keep popping up) Richard Peck had a new book come out this year–a new addition to the Grandma Dowdel series. A Year Down Yonder, book two in the series, is probably my most favorite book of all time–YA or adult fiction. If you haven't read it, you are missing out. Truly. After I read it the first time I made a ton of other people read it–even my grandmother–who was like, “Bring on another one!” I mean seriously go get that book today. Grandma Dowdel is who I loosely based Mad Maxine on in the Katie Parker Production series. I think Grandma Dowdel could be one of the best characters in literature. Definitely one of the best in YA. Richard Peck is a genius, and he makes it look so easy. You feel like you are right there in the story and these are people you know. Anyway, book three is called A Season of Gifts. I had to go to Barnes and Noble to get it today. I am an Amazon addict, but I decided I couldn't wait 5 days for it. I will let you know how it is. If you've read it and it was mediocre, don't even tell me!!!
Did anyone see Where the Wild Things Are? I haven't seen it yet, but it's on my list. But then again, so is sleeping, and that hasn't happened for most of the week. Thus my rambling blog…and my Fruity Pebbles dependence. (Oh, the power of suggestion. Just got up and dug the box out of the trash AGAIN. It's SUCH a good thing I'm not into drugs…I'd never get out of rehab. Dr. Drew would totally give up on me. Speaking of that, did you know the actress who played the little girl (youngest daughter) on Family Matters went on to be a stripper and addict and was on Celebrity Rehab? Urkel would not be impressed, little missy!)
You know what I love about Halloween? (BESIDES the candy) I love all the random games on the internet. Like this one. That could keep me entertained for hours.
Have you all seen this yet? It's an office–all singing Backstreet Boys–on one take.
I love the guy who crawls OVER his computer all cat-like. For a second I thought he was gonna take it to PG-13-ville. Meeow.
Do you write Christian speculative fiction? ( We old timers still call this fantasy.) If so, sharpen your pencils and fire up your keyboards. Check out this cool opportunity for unpublished speculative (cough**fantasy!) writers.
And if fantasy isn't politically correct, don't bother emailing and correcting me. I still say “chick lit” too. And so does Bridgette Jones.
We know I'm getting ready to read the new Richard Peck book, but I just finished The Help. This is a major best seller and destined to be a movie. I've heard the audio version is FABULOUS, and if you read the book that will not surprise you at all. This book is all about voice. Specifically voices. Three of them. It's a story told in first person by three different women during the upswing of the civil rights movement of the early 60s. It's not about politics. It's about what civil rights (the lack of ) really looked like behind closed doors. Two of the narrators are African American maids. The other is young twenty-something Skeeter, who grew up having a maid. She lives the privileged life that feeds the other two narrators. Skeeter eventually gets the idea to write a book…about “the help.” And it's about her journey, recruiting the maids for research to get their stories (in a time when an African American could be beaten to disfigurement for using a white toilet), and how their personal lives intersect. It is freakin' brilliant. It's long–I mean I thought it needed a little trimmy-poo, but it's so worth it. I loved this book. It has tons of lines that just make you want to get out the highlighter. But yet it's not TOO literary, you know?
Also I just semi-finished Graceling. I liked the concept behind this wildly popular and highly touted YA. But…I didn't really get into the book. I was bored. Sometimes I think my taste meter is off. But I was bored. I also wasn't crazy about Hunger Games, so take it for what it's worth.
Anyway, that's what I'm reading. What about you? AND have you read A Year Down Yonder? Cause if you haven't, we need to do a giveaway. (And pray for your lost soul…) So you have two things to answer.
Can't wait to read your answers. I get to find out what you're reading WITHOUT doing the awkward blatant stare thing.
JEN
