We did book speed dating with one of our librarians in my elementary social studies methods course recently. It‘s always fun getting to spend time looking at books. Also, I still can‘t read “14 Cows for America” and keep my eyes dry. #teacherprep #education #teacher

These are my favorite reads from 2019. I‘ll be reading some of these more than once. I‘ve been away from Litsy for a while, but I miss the conversations here. It‘s so much better than those other social media platforms! I hope you are all doing well. 😎

This is a great book haul for the Little Free Library. Most came from the recent annual used book sale on campus ($1 an inch gets you a LOT of books!). I bought some and some were donated to us by patrons of the sale. (They always let me have a donation box by the checkout.) A few of these also came from a moving sale for our local indy book store, who set up a new shop down the street from the old place & a VFW yard sale. #littlefreelibrary

I'm excited to start this book for my YA Book Club. So far, it also looks like it has some good potential for use with my students. #teacherlife

I decided to look and see if there was some cool fan art for this book (there was), but then I got distracted laughing at this photo and how well it describes this story. 😂 This is a fascinating, crazy, hilarious, and terrifying read. I wasn't overly thrilled with the ending but it does have some of the best chapter titles in existence. It you're looking for something a bit different, it's probably this. 🍌👖

This was a fun read for my YA Lit #bookclub. Two of us enjoyed the ride and two didn't like it as much. There was a lot of talk about why this might be a Newbery winner. I appreciated the different take on magic, even though some things were a bit predictable. Like I said, it was a fun read and I am glad we picked it up. #litsychallenge book: "Girl(s)" in the Title.

It was fun getting to revisit my favorite Star Wars character. I've had to read so much for work lately that my personal reading really went to the wayside. I figured this was just the book to help, and it did. I also rather enjoyed the perspective of Eli Vanto. In addition, I'm rather curious about the briefly mentioned "greater evil."

Today my department got to volunteer at our nearby elementary school to read & have breakfast with kids whose parents were unable to attend their event. I got to hang out with 3 precocious and fun 1st grade boys. They were all given a copy of Friendshape, which is a great read aloud book with colors, shapes, friends, and puns. One of the boys had Bad Dog in his bag, so we read that too. It was a great way to start the day.

I ❤️ our university's annual used book sale. Books are $1 an inch and the money goes to a student organization I love. Today I walked out with a full canvas bag and a box of books for $23 to help restock the #littlefreelibrary. I'm volunteering to help out tomorrow afternoon. It's a lot of fun.

This is what is left of my beautiful bookstore! 😭😭 But it's going to be ok. They are just moving down the street! However, the building was sold to someone who wants to open another bookstore, which will focus on new books (hardcover). I can't believe I'm saying I don't want another bookstore, but I don't know if this is sustainable in our little rural town. We'll see how it goes.

I tried, but I just couldn't do it. Shanda is a great storyteller, but I just can't do this book right now. I think I listened into chapter 3. This is one of those books so many people seem to like and I'm over here just like, "Meh..."

9 out of 10 Pell Grant students graduate college with debt. The average debt for these students is $30,000. Pell students are often those with the most financial need. Our financial aid system is broken & Rab explains why with lots of research & detail. This is a good book for students, parents, educators, student affairs staff, & more. It's an important read that dispels misconceptions. Also, hard to condense to 2 pages of notes! #bulletjournal

"Avocado crush on you." This kids' book is adorable and resulted in lots of produce based giggles. My 4 year old loves this book.

When your friends get you. (And no, I couldn't resist!)

The humor in this book is much better than I expected. Reading while the kids play at the indoor park/kids museum. It's hard not to laugh out loud. (That's a ship with portraits of Lewis & Clark in the background.)

This is my $5.50 book haul from the VFW Yard Sale. This history teacher is happy. 😎

The first part of this book is particularly interesting, with the histories of the Lipizzaner and Polish Arabian breeds in Europe. (I am still thinking about the Bolsheviks horrific impact on the Polish Arabians.) If you enjoy military history or stories about horses, this book is a good choice. Photo: Witez II, the famed Polish Arabian stallion who traveled across Europe during Wild War II and later ended up in CA.

This has been on my TBR list for a while, since it keeps getting recommended to me. Today, Tor is giving it away for free! My only problem now is figuring out how to get it on my Kindle since the file is too big to email. Ha.

Well...this book wrecked me. I think you should go read it so it can wreck you too. It's worth it.

I was asked to provide some book recommendations on dog training for a family member with their first dog. They've entered the "teenage years" and need some guidance. I've read a few, but nothing that sticks out. Do you have any recommendations? Also, this is my Elkhound, Kira. #dogsoflitsy ?

For Women's History Month, Loganberry Books in Cleveland turned their books by male authors around, so only the spines of books written by female authors remained visible. The owner estimates only 37% of their fiction collection is written by women. I think this is a creative way of demonstrating one of the imbalances in publishing. You can read more at https://goo.gl/aT5nhc #lemonadesyllabus #womenshistory

The whole "I love you," "I know" exchange now has a new meaning. I enjoyed listening to Carrie narrate her story in this audio book. The choice to have her daughter, Billie, read Carrie's actual diary entries was a nice touch. It took three months to finally get it on OverDrive & only two days to listen (it's less than 6 hours), but I liked it. It was worth the wait. I love that she is also a fan. #audio

I'm excited to start this book today. I've wanted to know more about the rescue of these famed horses during WWII since I was a kid. I saw the traveling show perform a few times and got to spend an afternoon hanging around the horses with some friends. I'd love the opportunity to visit the Spanish Riding School. Thank goodness for books! 📚🐴 Photo: Alois Podhajsky, Director of Vienna's Spanish Riding School during WWII.

A quick read, this is a good story that touches on important issues related to mental illness. This is the current selection for my YA Lit Book Club. I'm excited to discuss it this week.

It is so hard to pick from the many quotable passages in this book. The students in one of my classes picked to read this book for a project & I am so glad they did. Those who reread it were really excited they got to revisit this story, including me. We had great conversations. If you haven't, please read this (it's only a little over 150 pages). If you have read it, I highly recommend a reread. This will probably become a regular reread for me.

#MarchIntoReading 4. Didn't like it, still finished: I hated all these books, but for various reasons, felt I needed to finish them. I've since learned that it really is ok to DNF books that just aren't working for me (I'm specifically looking at you, Girl on the Train). 😎 @RealLifeReading

A friend at work brought me this picture book to read during a lunch conversation the other day. It details the differences between physical books and electronic devices. It's fantastic.

This is the graphic novel version of Ender's Shadow. It the story of Bean, right up to the point where he is assigned to his first army. The story is engaging, with some intriguing mystery. I enjoy stories like this that bring a new perspective to a "known" story (in this case, Ender's Game). I look forward to the next volume. I just need to find it, since I'm trying not to buy books & it's not available via ILL in my 2 libraries. #comicbooks

This was my quick #audiobook read this weekend. I enjoyed listening to Carrie tell her stories in her own voice. I am #6 on 3 copies of The Princess Diarist audiobook for the library. It didn't take long for them to add it to their OverDrive collection. #LitsyAtoZ

As I re-read chapter 2 with Montag and Faber last night, I couldn't help but think of the current leader of our executive branch. In this passage, Faber explains one of the three things that are missing in a society that no longer reads. Our new leader prefers to get all his information from TV and never picks up a book. If I could change one thing about him, it would be to get him to love to read.

At a little over 3 hours, Crenshaw is a pretty quick, but good audio book. It thoughtfully addresses some issues that are tough for young children. This story is worthwhile for any age. #audiobook

When you bring your kid to a Friday night birthday party she's super excited about, but you know no one there and are too tired from a long week at work to make small talk. I appreciate that they let me be anti-social on the side with my brew and a book. Also, reading this book after yesterday's press conference is freaking me out a little. 😎

This is part of a mural painted outside the door of an elementary school library I passed by today. I thought you'd enjoy it.

My Sci Fi book club decided to read Ender's Game. Since this was a reread for me, I opted for the 20th Anniversary audio book. It did not disappoint. It was a great version of this book, with multiple voices. This story still sucks me right in. #audiobook #sciencefiction

This is a very interesting and thought provoking book. I was pleasantly surprised by the specific attention paid to teaching and parenting. I listened to it on audio, but it has so many intriguing ideas, I plan to reread it in print. I also bought it for a family member. This JFK quote tied in with the book nicely. #audiobook

This was a fun read about the life of an elementary teacher. There were some parts that had a tone I wasn't fond of, but a lot of it seemed dead on and had me laughing. #audiobook

This cookbook is the kind of cookbook I love. It has lots of great explanations about dishes and ingredients, along with their geographic connections. It also has gorgeous photos of Myanmar throughout, and a history chapter in the back. The recipes are delicious and some are now in regular rotation at our house. I renewed it twice and didn't want to return it. #litsycooks #cookbooks

The Powell's cookbook store was pretty fun. I don't know how I did it, but I managed to go in TWO Powells locations and bought nothing for myself but the Leuchtturm I needed & planned to get. I did buy gifts for other people, but no reads for me! I'm trying hard not to add to my already huge TBR. It was tough. 😎

I'm in PDX for work today, so of course I went to Powell's after diner. This time, I went on an adventure to the Hawthorn & Home and Garden stores. Since I'm here for a literacy institute, I found this display of snubbed books particularly compelling.

#RiotGrams 2/7 My Local Library - Pierce Library, the academic research library on my campus, has added exercise bikes this year! You can rack up some miles as you study. The webpage keeps track and says they've been ridden for 358 miles so far.

I dropped a book off at my friend's house today and couldn't resist looking to see the latest in her #LittleFreeLibrary. I had to restrain myself from taking the Fikry to put in the LFL I run. It's a good read!

I started reading Paying the Price for Bryan Alexander's online book club (link below). The second part of this book's title is "College Costs, Financial Aid, and the Betrayal of the American Dream." So far, this book mirrors my experiences working with mostly low income students at my institution. Students are too busy working to provide for themselves & their families to be involved beyond class time. This impacts academics & retention.

This book does a good job explaining why Shostakovich's music meant so much to so many people. It's tough to read about the Siege of Leningrad and the time period surrounding it, but it is history worth knowing. If you teach AP Euro, this could be a good choice for your students. And yes, while this is a serious book, I could not resist posting this picture once I saw it! #harrypotter #LitsyAtoZ #teachersoflitsy

It is fascinating to read about real life accounts such as this one during the Soviet era as I'm rereading and teaching Fahrenheit 451.

This book is an amazing read about human endurance. This section is about the Leningrad Public Library during the 872 day siege of their city.

I went to grab a book from our library to see if I will use it in a future class, and it had these two bookmarks in it! This is a great HP bookmark. Well done, ProQuest! #harrypotter #bookmark

I am so in love with Dustin Nguyen's watercolor art in this series. This volume was interesting with all the backstories, but like the other reviews, it wasn't quite what I was hoping for. I'm awaiting volume 4 and the main story with anticipation. #comics

? I finished this one up today. The first half was really interesting, with "Bat Boy." The second half went in a different direction that I'm not totally on board with at this point (but keeping the theme of civilization). The new Big Bad is an intriguing approach. The ending...well, I'm not going to talk about the ending. ? Also, these compendiums are just huge!

While I am bummed I am not participating in #24in48, I am having a blast on my family's trip to Salt Lake City. Today I had a crazy adventure at Sundance that resulted in a free ticket to The Discovery. Meanwhile, my friend got accidentally stuck in the Women's March & ended up giving a ride to Kogonada, the director of Columbus. I later got to see Kinky Boots. It has a great message that I think fits well with the Women's March. 📽❤️🎭

When you need to take reading notes, what is your preferred method? I typically do text annotations right in my books, but lately, most of my professional reads are from Interlibrary loan. I started just marking w/blank sticky notes. Later, I was able to review the book as a whole w/stickies & deciding what to write in my notes. I like how this contributed to my overall understanding & synthesis of the text. What do you do? #bulletjournal