In what I'm going to call a fit of boredom, I made an Amazon order a couple weeks ago to get a few new titles. Here's what I got (from top to bottom):
1. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle: I love L'Engle and read almost all of her work when I was a young teen. A friend of me got me hooked on her books and I scooped up most of them. And while I know I've read Wrinkle before, I couldn't find my copy. I tore through every box of books I own, and sadly, my copy disappeared (I found everything else by her, so not sure what happened). With the movie coming out, I really want to reread, so I'm glad I have a new copy ready to go.
2. Genuine Fraud by E. Lockhart: I've enjoyed the other titles by Lockhart I've read over the last couple of years-We Were Liars blew me away and The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks being a favorite to recommend to kids at school. I had marked this one on Goodreads when I saw it pop up, but hadn't snapped up a copy yet. It looks like another suspense-type novel, so I'll probably save it for a day I can read it all in one go.
3. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides: Are you shocked I've never read this? Me too! It's a book I feel I should have read by now, but just haven't gotten around to. Now that a physical copy is on my TBR bookshelf, I'm hoping I can get to it before the end of the school year. I truthfully know very little about it.
4. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez: I first heard about this one in an ELA teacher Facebook page a couple months ago, and the title kept popping up amidst conversations of books similar to Dear Martin and The Hate U Give. While reading the description doesn't make that direct connection for me, I am pretty intrigued by what it has to offer (in fact, I'm starting this as soon as I finish drafting and scheduling this post!)
5. White Trash: The 400-Year Untold History of Class in America by Nancy Isenberg: This title actually came up at the AP conference I went to this past summer and I've had it on my Amazon wishlist ever since. Issues with class in the United States fascinate me, and I'm hoping it offers some good things to ponder and discuss.
What are some recent things you've picked up? Have you read any of these titles? Let me know!
I tried reading Middlesex about a half-dozen times before I finally accepted that it just wasn't for me. It's one of those books that I might return to again someday, just to see if it's finally right for my evolving self. Sometimes that works. :D
ReplyDeleteJesse is reading A Wrinkle in Time for the first time right now because of the movie - we both want to see it (and I just finished reading the entire quintet). He doesn't seem to be enjoying it, though. :( I really thought Middlesex was a fascinating and important read, but it's been a long time. Eugenides takes work... I struggled with The Virgin Suicides at first, too, but ultimately found that one to be incredibly powerful and important as well (so much so that I now teach it about once per year). I've got White Trash on my "must read" list! My most recent acquisitions are DEAR MARTIN by Nic Stone and LINCOLN IN THE BARDO by George Saunders. They're both on deck as my next two reads, following the one I'm currently working on - THE COURAGE TO TEACH (20th Anniversary Edition).
ReplyDeleteI have been listening to White Trash for a few months now. I am thoroughly enjoying it but just can't find the time to listen to it. My favorite sections so far were on the first settlers of the country and the class biases built into those first Europeans to live here. Fascinating stuff and so much to use in an APUSH class.
ReplyDeleteI loved Madeleine L'Engle's books as a middle schooler, but I haven't reread them since then. I need to do so soon!
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