August 2015 - Mrs Payan Reads

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 8/31/15

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? –From Picture Books to YA is a weekly meme started by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers. This is a chance for bloggers to recap their week of reading and share their plans for the next reading adventures they will take. Visit the host blogs for a list of great blogs participating in this meme and a whole bunch of titles to add to your to-read lists.

This week I had a crazy busy time. I was able to get in my classroom to start setting things up on Monday and officially started work on Thursday. My sister and her family chose this crazy time of year to come visit from California, so they were staying with us on Thursday and Friday nights. Love the time with my nieces and my sister and her husband, but I was so exhausted by the time they left! This weekend was spent supporting my husband who is still a relatively new teacher and is struggling a little bit with designing courses and planning for four preps without spending hours and hours working. I am trying to help him streamline, but we think differently so it is sometimes bumpy. That being said, I am proud that I actually finished a book this week! It is much less than usual, but I will take it!

Books Finished This Week:

The Traitor’s Smile is the sequel to The Pale Assassin by Patricia Elliot. The books are set in revolutionary France. The main character is an aristocrat and therefore in danger during this time. Both books are full of intrigue and were interesting reads because I learned a lot about that time in history in France. I would recommend this book for grades 8 and up.

Books I am Currently Reading:

I am reading I Crawl Through It by A.S.King. I got this copy from NetGalley. I am having a hard time with this one. I really love all of this author’s books and I know I will probably love this one once I understand what is going on, but I am really confused right now.

What’s Next?
Frankly, I have no idea what I will read next. My students start tomorrow so this week is just surviving and getting everything prepared for the first few days of school. I do know that I will be reading Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin for my first read aloud because Liesl Shurtliff is coming for an author visit later this month!

What are you reading? Do you have any recommendations? I would love to hear from you in the comments!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 8/24

I didn’t plan to do so, but I seem to have taken a break from blogging for the last month or so. It was kind of nice to really not worry about what day it was and live in total vacation mode. Going back to work later this week makes it important to actually know what day it is. And, oh, guess what? It’s Monday! Here are the books I’ve been reading:

Books I Finished:

Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat was a beautiful, but deeply disturbing book about growing up in two cultures and coming to terms with your past. It is definitely a novel I am glad I read but some of it was quite difficult to read. This is a book I would recommend to adults.

Stella by Starlight is another fabulous book by Sharon Draper. The Ku Klux Klan has moved into Stella’s town and now tensions are really high and everyone needs to be extra careful. I read this book thinking it would be too much for my fourth grade students, but I don’t think it would be too difficult for them content-wise. I was impressed by the way the author dealt with this sensitive and scary subject matter in a way that I would be able to incorporate into my classroom. Of course, the book is also very appropriate for older grades as well. I would highly recommend this one to grades 4 and up.

I loved The Island of Dr. Libris by Chris Grabenstein, but not as much as I loved Escape From Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. I still would absolutely recommend this excellent adventure to kids in grades 4 and up.

I loved how Liesl Shurtliff wove together the worlds of Rump and Jack. I read Rump with my students at the end of the school year and they loved it. I know they will also love Jack! What’s awesome is that my school has an author visit scheduled for Liesl Shurtliff to visit in September. I cannot wait to share this book with students and have them fall in love with this author too!

I finally got my hands on a Nathan Hale’s Hazardous Tales graphic novel. This one is The Underground Abductor. It is about Harriet Tubman. I actually learned a lot and I know my students will love this graphic novel. I highly recommend it!

The Trap by Steven Arntson is a really interesting fantasy which explores an idea about being able to have out of body experiences. I would recommend this one for grades 6 and up.

I LOVED The Running Dream by Wendelin Van Draanen. The story fascinated me from the very first page. I was able to connect with the main character from the very beginning. I liked the way the author really highlighted the idea of really seeing the people around us who are disabled and not seeing just their conditions.

I have also been reading a bunch of the Who Was and What Was books. I love learning more about some of these things and I know my students will enjoy these books too.

Have a great reading week!

It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 8/3

My poor blog has been quite neglected and pitiful this summer. I am enjoying my summer and it has been nice to just play it by ear and not necessarily stick to a schedule. This blog post will include the books I have read in the last two weeks since I didn’t get to write last week.

Books I Have Finished:

I bought Life After Theft because I was really interested in reading it after seeing Aprilynne Pike talk at an event. She is so funny! I really enjoyed reading the book. The characters are witty and clever. This is a fun read that many young adults would really love. I highly recommend this one for a light read.

Gates of Thread and Stone by Lori Lee is a very intriguing fantasy book. It captivated my attention from the first page. I highly recommend this book to grades 8 and up, especially fantasy fans.

I love Rainbow Rowell and all the novels she has written! Landline is a novel written for adults and is a realistic look at marriage and the way people choose their priorities. The way the author weaves together a science fiction element and the great story about relationships is magic. I really loved this one and would highly recommend it for adults, especially those of us who can remember having to memorize a friend’s number and call back multiple times in order to reach our friend.

Milo gets pulled into a world full of Ogres and needs to figure out his way back home. He goes on a big adventure with lots of dangerous escapes. I know my 4th graders will love this book! I can’t wait to share it with them when it comes out in September!

I have seen a lot of great things said about this book. I completely agree with all of them. What a magical story! I cannot wait to share this story with my students. I would highly recommend this one for grades 3 and up.

Currently Reading:

I am reading The Witch of Lime Street: Seance, Seduction, and Houdini in the Spirit World from NetGalley. It is a fascinating historical account of how science tried to prove that the psychic world exists. I am really enjoying learning about this time in history. I am also reading Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat and listening to Rebecca.

What’s Next?

I am not sure what will be next. I do have a pile from the library and a shelf full of books from my class library that I wanted to read this summer.

What are you reading this week? Any recommendations for me? I would love to hear from you in the comments!