(no subject)
"So came August to its close, ending its last day with a night so luminous and still...there are nights in summer when darkness and ebbing tide quiet the universal wind, and this August night was full of that quiet of absence and the sky was clear."
Henry Beston, The Outermost House
(newest in bold/underlined)
1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (461 pages) *
This used to be one of my absolute favorite books and during the majority of my reread, it sort of made me wonder why. It definitely took me forever to finish it. However, once I got about 3/4 of the way through it, the same spot I had been at last time when I fell in love with it, I remembered exactly why I loved the books so much. The ending is just...gah. One of the best ever.
2. On a Highland Shore by Kathleen Givens (381 pages) *
This book kept showing up in all of my Scottish Life magazines so I figured I'd give it a shot. It was sort of the typical historical romance-y plot, but still good. I definitely got to a part where I could not put the book down and just had to finish it.
3. What a Writer Needs by Ralph Fletcher (164 pages) *
I actually had to read this book for my literacy class since it actually has to do with teaching writing, but I loved it because it was also very practical for writers too, which gave me the best of both worlds. I was very good and provided a lot of really helpful information about writer's craft and all of that--information that I think will help me both write myself and teach writing effectively to my students.
4. Lord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon (302 pages)
I absolutely adore Lord John, I do, but his books just don't have nearly the same pull that the Outlander books do and I don't find John nearly as interesting or entertaining in his own books either. It was very well written but just didn't grab me and hold my interest like the central series books do.
5. Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom by Thomas Armstrong (131 pages)
Really, really good for future educators. I'm not a "multiple intelligences are the be all and end all of education and will solve all of our problems" type of person, but I definitely see the validity in it. This book really helped me with ideas for how to incorporate all of the intelligences in my classroom.
6. A Year in the World by Frances Mayes (417 pages) *
I have to admit that parts of this book really dragged although that could be because I was mostly interested in reading the chapter on Scotland. However, this book definitely made me want to travel even more than I already wanted to and sort of inspired me to maybe write my own travel book at some point in the future (or sooner since I've already worked on it a bit).
7. The No-Nonsense Guide to Teaching Writing by Judy Davis and Sharon Hill (272 pages)
I really didn't think this book was quite as interesting as a lot of the other people in my class did. The ideas presented in it were wonderful and so practical, but it dragged a bit throughout. Plus, since I don't have my own classroom right now, it's sort of hard to try to absorb everything without having anywhere to really apply many of the ideas and strategies yet.
8. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray (819 pages) *
Although the ending massively depressed me, I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. I just really fell in love with so many of the characters more than I had in the previous books. However, I still kept waiting through all of the other parts for all of the Kartik/Gemma scenes. One track mind, that's what I have.
9. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (850 pages) *
Perhaps it's because I've since fallen hard for Roger and Brianna and Willie and everyone, but I didn't enjoy the first book quite as much as I did the first time I read it, although that's not saying much since I still completely love it. It was nice to be reminded of how all of this started and how the characters I have come to know and love so much started out, especially since it's been a good five years since I last read it. I'd forgotten how different Jamie was when he was younger. I'd also forgotten exactly why I loved Jenny and Ian and Murtagh and Rupert and Colum and my love/hate relationship with Dougal. And Frank. I'd forgotten about Frank and the Reverend. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten just how, ahem, disturbing the book gets in places.
10. Teaching Mathematics to ALL Children by Benny F. Tucker, Ann H. Singleton, and Terry L. Weaver (381 pages)
Meh. Some of the people in my class are over the moon about it but I'm not so much. I didn't really find a lot of the ideas that helpful and I found a lot of the strategies to be ones that I've already learned. I sort of felt like this would have been a good book in an undergrad/general ed class rather than one geared towards special ed.
11. Nature & Walking by Ralph Waldo Emerson & Henry David Thoreau (122 pages) *
I just loved it. Loved it. I can't help but love Transcendentalism and nature's beauty and spirit and all of that. The Emerson section dragged a bit in places but I couldn't put down the Thoreau essay. Well, I could put it down, but I felt just completely in awe of his words in places because they relate so closely to how I see the world.
12. Rivals for the Crown by Kathleen Givens (410 pages)
I'd say this book was okay. I was really looking forward to it since I loved the first book. It just didn't have the same feel to it and really didn't capture my interest as much as the first. It felt like it sort of jumped around between the many characters too much. So much so that I never really got attached to any of the characters and that I missed some of the more important interactions that I would have enjoyed actually reading rather than getting as a description of it having already happened. If that makes sense.
13. Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell (222 pages)*
This book is definitely a must have for anyone who wants to be a writer. At first I was worried that it would focus too much on writing commercial books rather than more literary, character-focused books. The great thing was that he talked a great deal about both, as well as how you can boost any story my incorporating elements of each style, which I think is really important for modern markets and readers. Although I felt a bit intimidated and overwhelmed at times, this book definitely has some amazing strategies and techniques that are so helpful. And the best part is that it's written in a very familiar style so that you feel as though the author is talking right to you, sharing his own personal experiences/struggles with writing.
14. Learning Disabilities: The Interaction of Students and their Environments by Corinne Roth Smith (552 pages)
I would certainly never recommend this book to anyone outside the education field. However, regardless of whether or not someone is education is focusing on special ed, I think this book is incredibly important. Although very, very dry and "text-booky" it had some extremely important information about learning disabilities, including discussing brain functions and just how many different parts of the brain need to be working in sync in order for a person to even read/understand a single word. It sort of impressed me that anyone is capable of reading with all that. I think it's important for teachers to keep these things in mind when working with students because it's so easy to get very frustrated when students just don't get it, even when it's not their fault. I would hope that all teachers would take the time to read a book like this so as to really provide the best environment and supports for all of their students, although, sadly, I know that most teachers do not.
15. A Celtic Miscellany edited and translated by Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson (306 pages) *
I originally ordered this book because I thought it would be something different, and I was pleasantly surprised. I found myself thoroughly enjoying reading it and actually gravitating towards it rather than the other books (Dragonfly, Atonement) that I was reading at the time. I love just about everything that has to do with the Celtic cultures (particularly Scottish) and it was interesting to get a glimpse into what their writing was really all about. I liked how this book had not just Irish and Scottish translations but also Welsh, Cornish, and Breton.
16. No Quick Fix: Rethinking Literacy Programs in America's Elementary Schools edited by Richard Allington and Sean A. Walmsley (263 pages)
I forced myself through this book during my vacation because I just wanted to get it done before all of the other classwork came up. While it was difficult to get through (as most textbooks are), I thought it had a lot of really valuable information that, apparently, many most teachers don't actually know. I.e. how traditionally ability-based reading groups (you all remember--high, medium, and low readers) are not at all effective and are actually detrimental to students' reading development. Not to mention how much school districts waste each year on ineffective and expensive reading programs.
17. Atonement by Ian McEwan (480 pages) *
While it was really slow to get going, I absolutely loved this book. It was hard to read at times because of the explicit detail, but at the same time, I think that's what I really liked about it. The language and description was so poetic, and I think Ian McEwan taught me an awful lot about writer's craft through this book. He really got the whole "write small when you write about big things," meaning that rather than write about a war, write about the child's shoe left abandoned in the road. Now if only I could get ahold of the movie to see it.
18. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama (362 pages) *
LOVED this book so much more than I thought I would. I have a lot of difficulty reading nonfiction to begin with, particularly on topics (politics) that don't interest me. I think it's a testament to how good and powerful a writer Obama is that he kept me completely interested the entire time, not to mention taught me a damn awful lot about our country. If I didn't support him before, I definitely would now. There's something about his ability to stay true to his own ideals and opinions while still really being able to listen and to understand people with opposing views that I think is significant and something that our country desperately needs in a leader.
19. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (947 pages) *
It took me forever to get through this book this time. I'd forgotten about all of the historical detail in it that slows the plot down at times. Of course, then once I got closer to the end, I had the inevitable chapter 46 looming, which is possibly the most heartwrenching piece of fiction I've ever read. As it was, I only cried a bit about six times during that chapter, so not altogether too bad. I find it amusing how we can read a piece of fiction based on a real event and, even though we know it actually happened and we've already read the book once, we still hope that we'll turn the page and it'll change for the better. All in all, I loved the reread and getting reacquainted with characters I'd forgotten about and the reasons why I loved them (Colum, Alex, Fergus. Especially Fergus, now I think about it). Plus, of course, reading Bree&Roger's first kiss again, now that I'm actually paying attention to them, which I wasn't the first time I read this book.
20. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor (210 pages) *
I had read this book back in sixth grade and it was one of my favorites. Honestly, I am beginning to realize that young adult literature doesn't have the same effect on me that it used to; however, this is an extremely good and powerful book. Although I felt it dragged at times, I think that it really speaks to teenagers and awakens students to how the world used to be.
21. Teaching Beginning Ballet Technique by Gayle Kassing and Danielle Jay (173 pages) *
I ordered this book as a way to learn more about teaching dance because I've had trouble transferring what I know and the steps that I know how to do into being able to teach it well. I was extremely pleased by what I learned about ballet from this book (more than I ever learned during 14 years of taking classes) and how much it has already helped me with my teaching. I also liked how it broke down the steps into units, which I plan to use as I begin planning for my hour and a half ballet class that I'll be teaching next year. I'm sure most people on my flist don't care about stuff like this, but I figured I'd recommend this book anyway for anyone on my flist that is interested in ballet. It was a really good read.
22. Wrightslaw: Special Education Law by Peter Wright & Pamela Darr Wright (446 pages)
As far as books on this subject go, I have to assume (not having read any others) that this is pretty good. It was very readable and helped me understand an extremely jargon-filled and complicated system that I need to know for my field. Special education law is certainly not at all easy to read about (including the 250 page Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that I had to read) but it is incredibly important that I understand it. So even though this wasn't a fun read, the authors definitely broke it down well enough that I was able to get the gist of it. Plus, it's going to be a phenomenal reference to have once I'm actually (if I ever actually get a job) in the field.
23. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (221 pages) *
I just got this book yesterday and I finished it already. I considered it required reading even though it technically wasn't. For one of my classes, we have to write three response papers and we can choose what we write them on. Well I chose this book because I've heard wonderful things about it and I really wanted to read it. It was amazing. It's told from the perspective of a boy with autism and really, really details how individuals with autism tend to see, and react to, the world around them, and the things that we as a society do to make their lives harder. I think it's a phenomenal read for everyone because not only is it a good book, but it opens us up to other ways of thinking and makes us more understanding of individuals that might be different from ourselves, which is an empathy we desperately need more of in the world.
24. The New Disability History: American Perspectives by Paul K. Longmore and Lauri Umansky (372 pages)
I had to read selections from this book for my online class on Special Education Law and History. Not only were the chapters incredibly dense and long but they also didn't have a whole lot to do, in my mind, with special education. I mean they dealt with past perceptions by society and the media towards people with various disabilties (rail-road workers who were injured and could no longer work, parents who killed their kids as acts of mercy, etc). I guess it was an important book to have read, but it was awfully hard to get through.
25. Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott (501 pages) *
This book wasn't exactly what I had expected but very good nonetheless. I've read a lot of fiction occurring during the second Jacobite Uprising in Scotland, the '45, but nothing from the first, the '15, which is when this book takes place. It was interesting to get a bit more of Scottish history through that. I also liked that the perspective was completely different. Whereas everything else I've read has been from the Jacobite perspective and showed the English as heartless monsters, this showed the other side in a way that sort of shattered my illusions a bit.
26. "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau (27 pages)
This was short, so I don't have much to say about it. However, it is interesting to see precisely how our government (and people's impressions of it) truly haven't changed in 150 years.
27. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon (1059 pages) *
The first several hundred pages of this book were probably those I enjoyed most out of the entire series, at least thus far during my reread-athon. The way that the story so seamlessly flowed back and forth between Roger, Bree, and Claire's discovery of what had happened to Jamie and it actually occuring to Jamie worked so well and kept the story going. The few teensy scenes between Jamie and little Willie are still some of my favorites of the series, as is the reunion between Jamie and Claire (is there anyone who does not cry during that scene? seriously). The second half of the book definitely dragged though. There's only so much of the voyage and the stuff in the Indies that I can take at one point, which is why it took me forever to finally finish the book. The important parts in there--meeting Lord John and his scene with Claire and the scene with Geillis were very nice to reread though. Two books left now for my reread and they're my two absolute favorites.
28. Walden by Henry David Thoreau (312 pages) *
I honestly think that I need to go back and reread this at some point. Of course, as nature writing, it's difficult to get through, but I absolutely can never not enjoy Thoreau's philosophy and wish I had absorbed more during this reading. Unfortunately, I think my mind was so much on finishing it before leaving for vacation that I didn't absorb a whole lot. I'll have to do a Thoreau reread at some point because I'd really like to reread Cape Cod and "Walking" again too. What's awesome is that I was finally able to visit Walden Pond yesterday so when I finally do reread this book, I'll have a proper mental image while I'm reading.
29. The Waste Land and Other Poems by T.S. Eliot (69 pages) *
I've read "The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock" at least 80 times by this point (the forever roomie and I used to read it aloud back in college because we just loved saying it out loud) but I have yet to hit that "too many times" point so I loved reading it again and again as I've already done with this book. It was also interesting to read a lot of Eliot's other poetry. I had read "The Waste Land" before, but it was nice to read that again since I think it's going to take me at least ten more times of reading it to really crack it. I also liked a lot of the other poems in the first section of this particular collection (Penguin classics), including "Portrait of a Lady." I had a bit more trouble with the second part, especially since a bunch of those poems weren't published in English. I reread parts of this book again on vacation and I'll probably revisit it again and again since his use of language is always so striking to me. A little disappointed to read in the notes about Eliot's possible anti-semetic leanings, though. A bit disheartening, that.
30. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (118 pages) *
This book was...different. Not exactly what I had expected. I really enjoyed it, nonetheless, though, and it only took me about a day and a half to read. I didn't really find myself getting attached to any of the characters but that wasn't really the point of the text, so I figure that's okay. The philosophy and meaning behind a lot of what was written, though, really grabbed me.
31. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (537 pages) *
I have yet to figure out how I feel about this book. I'm definitely excited for the movie, I can tell you that. On the one hand, I loved it. I loved the characters and the unique plot and the writing was wonderful. On the other hand, the ending depressed me incredibly and I almost felt that despite well-developed characters there wasn't a whole lot of actual character development. We sort of saw the characters as they already were. However, I do like how, even though we didn't really see a lot of their development, the interior voices of the characters were quite varied depending on whose perspective you were getting and how old they were at the time. That takes a whole lot of talent as an author, in my opinion. I'm still working to get my own characters that I've known for many years to sound differently.
Goals:
Total read so far: 31/50
Books I'd recommend: 21(*)
Required reading: 9
Classics: 7/8
Contemporary Bestsellers: 9/8
Over 500 pages: 7/8
Non-fiction (not including required reading): 7/5
Currently Reading:
[+] Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
[+] Paradise Lost by John Milton
Henry Beston, The Outermost House
(newest in bold/underlined)
1. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (461 pages) *
This used to be one of my absolute favorite books and during the majority of my reread, it sort of made me wonder why. It definitely took me forever to finish it. However, once I got about 3/4 of the way through it, the same spot I had been at last time when I fell in love with it, I remembered exactly why I loved the books so much. The ending is just...gah. One of the best ever.
2. On a Highland Shore by Kathleen Givens (381 pages) *
This book kept showing up in all of my Scottish Life magazines so I figured I'd give it a shot. It was sort of the typical historical romance-y plot, but still good. I definitely got to a part where I could not put the book down and just had to finish it.
3. What a Writer Needs by Ralph Fletcher (164 pages) *
I actually had to read this book for my literacy class since it actually has to do with teaching writing, but I loved it because it was also very practical for writers too, which gave me the best of both worlds. I was very good and provided a lot of really helpful information about writer's craft and all of that--information that I think will help me both write myself and teach writing effectively to my students.
4. Lord John and the Hand of Devils by Diana Gabaldon (302 pages)
I absolutely adore Lord John, I do, but his books just don't have nearly the same pull that the Outlander books do and I don't find John nearly as interesting or entertaining in his own books either. It was very well written but just didn't grab me and hold my interest like the central series books do.
5. Multiple Intelligences in the Classroom by Thomas Armstrong (131 pages)
Really, really good for future educators. I'm not a "multiple intelligences are the be all and end all of education and will solve all of our problems" type of person, but I definitely see the validity in it. This book really helped me with ideas for how to incorporate all of the intelligences in my classroom.
6. A Year in the World by Frances Mayes (417 pages) *
I have to admit that parts of this book really dragged although that could be because I was mostly interested in reading the chapter on Scotland. However, this book definitely made me want to travel even more than I already wanted to and sort of inspired me to maybe write my own travel book at some point in the future (or sooner since I've already worked on it a bit).
7. The No-Nonsense Guide to Teaching Writing by Judy Davis and Sharon Hill (272 pages)
I really didn't think this book was quite as interesting as a lot of the other people in my class did. The ideas presented in it were wonderful and so practical, but it dragged a bit throughout. Plus, since I don't have my own classroom right now, it's sort of hard to try to absorb everything without having anywhere to really apply many of the ideas and strategies yet.
8. The Sweet Far Thing by Libba Bray (819 pages) *
Although the ending massively depressed me, I absolutely loved this book and couldn't put it down. I just really fell in love with so many of the characters more than I had in the previous books. However, I still kept waiting through all of the other parts for all of the Kartik/Gemma scenes. One track mind, that's what I have.
9. Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (850 pages) *
Perhaps it's because I've since fallen hard for Roger and Brianna and Willie and everyone, but I didn't enjoy the first book quite as much as I did the first time I read it, although that's not saying much since I still completely love it. It was nice to be reminded of how all of this started and how the characters I have come to know and love so much started out, especially since it's been a good five years since I last read it. I'd forgotten how different Jamie was when he was younger. I'd also forgotten exactly why I loved Jenny and Ian and Murtagh and Rupert and Colum and my love/hate relationship with Dougal. And Frank. I'd forgotten about Frank and the Reverend. Unfortunately, I'd forgotten just how, ahem, disturbing the book gets in places.
10. Teaching Mathematics to ALL Children by Benny F. Tucker, Ann H. Singleton, and Terry L. Weaver (381 pages)
Meh. Some of the people in my class are over the moon about it but I'm not so much. I didn't really find a lot of the ideas that helpful and I found a lot of the strategies to be ones that I've already learned. I sort of felt like this would have been a good book in an undergrad/general ed class rather than one geared towards special ed.
11. Nature & Walking by Ralph Waldo Emerson & Henry David Thoreau (122 pages) *
I just loved it. Loved it. I can't help but love Transcendentalism and nature's beauty and spirit and all of that. The Emerson section dragged a bit in places but I couldn't put down the Thoreau essay. Well, I could put it down, but I felt just completely in awe of his words in places because they relate so closely to how I see the world.
12. Rivals for the Crown by Kathleen Givens (410 pages)
I'd say this book was okay. I was really looking forward to it since I loved the first book. It just didn't have the same feel to it and really didn't capture my interest as much as the first. It felt like it sort of jumped around between the many characters too much. So much so that I never really got attached to any of the characters and that I missed some of the more important interactions that I would have enjoyed actually reading rather than getting as a description of it having already happened. If that makes sense.
13. Plot and Structure by James Scott Bell (222 pages)*
This book is definitely a must have for anyone who wants to be a writer. At first I was worried that it would focus too much on writing commercial books rather than more literary, character-focused books. The great thing was that he talked a great deal about both, as well as how you can boost any story my incorporating elements of each style, which I think is really important for modern markets and readers. Although I felt a bit intimidated and overwhelmed at times, this book definitely has some amazing strategies and techniques that are so helpful. And the best part is that it's written in a very familiar style so that you feel as though the author is talking right to you, sharing his own personal experiences/struggles with writing.
14. Learning Disabilities: The Interaction of Students and their Environments by Corinne Roth Smith (552 pages)
I would certainly never recommend this book to anyone outside the education field. However, regardless of whether or not someone is education is focusing on special ed, I think this book is incredibly important. Although very, very dry and "text-booky" it had some extremely important information about learning disabilities, including discussing brain functions and just how many different parts of the brain need to be working in sync in order for a person to even read/understand a single word. It sort of impressed me that anyone is capable of reading with all that. I think it's important for teachers to keep these things in mind when working with students because it's so easy to get very frustrated when students just don't get it, even when it's not their fault. I would hope that all teachers would take the time to read a book like this so as to really provide the best environment and supports for all of their students, although, sadly, I know that most teachers do not.
15. A Celtic Miscellany edited and translated by Kenneth Hurlstone Jackson (306 pages) *
I originally ordered this book because I thought it would be something different, and I was pleasantly surprised. I found myself thoroughly enjoying reading it and actually gravitating towards it rather than the other books (Dragonfly, Atonement) that I was reading at the time. I love just about everything that has to do with the Celtic cultures (particularly Scottish) and it was interesting to get a glimpse into what their writing was really all about. I liked how this book had not just Irish and Scottish translations but also Welsh, Cornish, and Breton.
16. No Quick Fix: Rethinking Literacy Programs in America's Elementary Schools edited by Richard Allington and Sean A. Walmsley (263 pages)
I forced myself through this book during my vacation because I just wanted to get it done before all of the other classwork came up. While it was difficult to get through (as most textbooks are), I thought it had a lot of really valuable information that, apparently, many most teachers don't actually know. I.e. how traditionally ability-based reading groups (you all remember--high, medium, and low readers) are not at all effective and are actually detrimental to students' reading development. Not to mention how much school districts waste each year on ineffective and expensive reading programs.
17. Atonement by Ian McEwan (480 pages) *
While it was really slow to get going, I absolutely loved this book. It was hard to read at times because of the explicit detail, but at the same time, I think that's what I really liked about it. The language and description was so poetic, and I think Ian McEwan taught me an awful lot about writer's craft through this book. He really got the whole "write small when you write about big things," meaning that rather than write about a war, write about the child's shoe left abandoned in the road. Now if only I could get ahold of the movie to see it.
18. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream by Barack Obama (362 pages) *
LOVED this book so much more than I thought I would. I have a lot of difficulty reading nonfiction to begin with, particularly on topics (politics) that don't interest me. I think it's a testament to how good and powerful a writer Obama is that he kept me completely interested the entire time, not to mention taught me a damn awful lot about our country. If I didn't support him before, I definitely would now. There's something about his ability to stay true to his own ideals and opinions while still really being able to listen and to understand people with opposing views that I think is significant and something that our country desperately needs in a leader.
19. Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (947 pages) *
It took me forever to get through this book this time. I'd forgotten about all of the historical detail in it that slows the plot down at times. Of course, then once I got closer to the end, I had the inevitable chapter 46 looming, which is possibly the most heartwrenching piece of fiction I've ever read. As it was, I only cried a bit about six times during that chapter, so not altogether too bad. I find it amusing how we can read a piece of fiction based on a real event and, even though we know it actually happened and we've already read the book once, we still hope that we'll turn the page and it'll change for the better. All in all, I loved the reread and getting reacquainted with characters I'd forgotten about and the reasons why I loved them (Colum, Alex, Fergus. Especially Fergus, now I think about it). Plus, of course, reading Bree&Roger's first kiss again, now that I'm actually paying attention to them, which I wasn't the first time I read this book.
20. Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry by Mildred Taylor (210 pages) *
I had read this book back in sixth grade and it was one of my favorites. Honestly, I am beginning to realize that young adult literature doesn't have the same effect on me that it used to; however, this is an extremely good and powerful book. Although I felt it dragged at times, I think that it really speaks to teenagers and awakens students to how the world used to be.
21. Teaching Beginning Ballet Technique by Gayle Kassing and Danielle Jay (173 pages) *
I ordered this book as a way to learn more about teaching dance because I've had trouble transferring what I know and the steps that I know how to do into being able to teach it well. I was extremely pleased by what I learned about ballet from this book (more than I ever learned during 14 years of taking classes) and how much it has already helped me with my teaching. I also liked how it broke down the steps into units, which I plan to use as I begin planning for my hour and a half ballet class that I'll be teaching next year. I'm sure most people on my flist don't care about stuff like this, but I figured I'd recommend this book anyway for anyone on my flist that is interested in ballet. It was a really good read.
22. Wrightslaw: Special Education Law by Peter Wright & Pamela Darr Wright (446 pages)
As far as books on this subject go, I have to assume (not having read any others) that this is pretty good. It was very readable and helped me understand an extremely jargon-filled and complicated system that I need to know for my field. Special education law is certainly not at all easy to read about (including the 250 page Individuals with Disabilities Education Act that I had to read) but it is incredibly important that I understand it. So even though this wasn't a fun read, the authors definitely broke it down well enough that I was able to get the gist of it. Plus, it's going to be a phenomenal reference to have once I'm actually (if I ever actually get a job) in the field.
23. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon (221 pages) *
I just got this book yesterday and I finished it already. I considered it required reading even though it technically wasn't. For one of my classes, we have to write three response papers and we can choose what we write them on. Well I chose this book because I've heard wonderful things about it and I really wanted to read it. It was amazing. It's told from the perspective of a boy with autism and really, really details how individuals with autism tend to see, and react to, the world around them, and the things that we as a society do to make their lives harder. I think it's a phenomenal read for everyone because not only is it a good book, but it opens us up to other ways of thinking and makes us more understanding of individuals that might be different from ourselves, which is an empathy we desperately need more of in the world.
24. The New Disability History: American Perspectives by Paul K. Longmore and Lauri Umansky (372 pages)
I had to read selections from this book for my online class on Special Education Law and History. Not only were the chapters incredibly dense and long but they also didn't have a whole lot to do, in my mind, with special education. I mean they dealt with past perceptions by society and the media towards people with various disabilties (rail-road workers who were injured and could no longer work, parents who killed their kids as acts of mercy, etc). I guess it was an important book to have read, but it was awfully hard to get through.
25. Rob Roy by Sir Walter Scott (501 pages) *
This book wasn't exactly what I had expected but very good nonetheless. I've read a lot of fiction occurring during the second Jacobite Uprising in Scotland, the '45, but nothing from the first, the '15, which is when this book takes place. It was interesting to get a bit more of Scottish history through that. I also liked that the perspective was completely different. Whereas everything else I've read has been from the Jacobite perspective and showed the English as heartless monsters, this showed the other side in a way that sort of shattered my illusions a bit.
26. "Civil Disobedience" by Henry David Thoreau (27 pages)
This was short, so I don't have much to say about it. However, it is interesting to see precisely how our government (and people's impressions of it) truly haven't changed in 150 years.
27. Voyager by Diana Gabaldon (1059 pages) *
The first several hundred pages of this book were probably those I enjoyed most out of the entire series, at least thus far during my reread-athon. The way that the story so seamlessly flowed back and forth between Roger, Bree, and Claire's discovery of what had happened to Jamie and it actually occuring to Jamie worked so well and kept the story going. The few teensy scenes between Jamie and little Willie are still some of my favorites of the series, as is the reunion between Jamie and Claire (is there anyone who does not cry during that scene? seriously). The second half of the book definitely dragged though. There's only so much of the voyage and the stuff in the Indies that I can take at one point, which is why it took me forever to finally finish the book. The important parts in there--meeting Lord John and his scene with Claire and the scene with Geillis were very nice to reread though. Two books left now for my reread and they're my two absolute favorites.
28. Walden by Henry David Thoreau (312 pages) *
I honestly think that I need to go back and reread this at some point. Of course, as nature writing, it's difficult to get through, but I absolutely can never not enjoy Thoreau's philosophy and wish I had absorbed more during this reading. Unfortunately, I think my mind was so much on finishing it before leaving for vacation that I didn't absorb a whole lot. I'll have to do a Thoreau reread at some point because I'd really like to reread Cape Cod and "Walking" again too. What's awesome is that I was finally able to visit Walden Pond yesterday so when I finally do reread this book, I'll have a proper mental image while I'm reading.
29. The Waste Land and Other Poems by T.S. Eliot (69 pages) *
I've read "The Lovesong of J. Alfred Prufrock" at least 80 times by this point (the forever roomie and I used to read it aloud back in college because we just loved saying it out loud) but I have yet to hit that "too many times" point so I loved reading it again and again as I've already done with this book. It was also interesting to read a lot of Eliot's other poetry. I had read "The Waste Land" before, but it was nice to read that again since I think it's going to take me at least ten more times of reading it to really crack it. I also liked a lot of the other poems in the first section of this particular collection (Penguin classics), including "Portrait of a Lady." I had a bit more trouble with the second part, especially since a bunch of those poems weren't published in English. I reread parts of this book again on vacation and I'll probably revisit it again and again since his use of language is always so striking to me. A little disappointed to read in the notes about Eliot's possible anti-semetic leanings, though. A bit disheartening, that.
30. Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse (118 pages) *
This book was...different. Not exactly what I had expected. I really enjoyed it, nonetheless, though, and it only took me about a day and a half to read. I didn't really find myself getting attached to any of the characters but that wasn't really the point of the text, so I figure that's okay. The philosophy and meaning behind a lot of what was written, though, really grabbed me.
31. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (537 pages) *
I have yet to figure out how I feel about this book. I'm definitely excited for the movie, I can tell you that. On the one hand, I loved it. I loved the characters and the unique plot and the writing was wonderful. On the other hand, the ending depressed me incredibly and I almost felt that despite well-developed characters there wasn't a whole lot of actual character development. We sort of saw the characters as they already were. However, I do like how, even though we didn't really see a lot of their development, the interior voices of the characters were quite varied depending on whose perspective you were getting and how old they were at the time. That takes a whole lot of talent as an author, in my opinion. I'm still working to get my own characters that I've known for many years to sound differently.
Goals:
Total read so far: 31/50
Books I'd recommend: 21(*)
Required reading: 9
Classics: 7/8
Contemporary Bestsellers: 9/8
Over 500 pages: 7/8
Non-fiction (not including required reading): 7/5
Currently Reading:
[+] Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon
[+] Paradise Lost by John Milton