Teacher Man by Frank McCourt.

“You have to give yourself credit, not too much because that would be bragging.”

Truthfully, I've never read anything by Frank McCourt, even though I own his books and have heard marvelous things. He was always one of those authors I just ignored...for no good reason, but because I was never drawn to their work.

So I forced myself to pick one of his works as a choice for #15in31. I thought Teacher Man would be the perfect choice, as I always seem to hit a wall every October (I think most teachers do-it's a long month).

Unfortunately, I struggled getting into this one. And if it wasn't for the readathon and the promise of other books on the horizon, I would have had a horrible reading month. But I persevered and finished it, while I enjoyed the end much more than the beginning, it was not my favorite book.

Perhaps it's just McCourt's style of writing, but I almost found him flippant about his role and responsibilities. His writing, in places, lacked the depth and detail I enjoy in memoirs about teaching. For me, well, teaching is a serious job. And it's also a job that is pretty lonely. Think about it...a teacher spends all day in the company of people that are not their equal. At least, that's how many feel. It's your responsibility to teach children content they don't know. You have to be professional. There are rules. Paperwork. And sometimes you just want to talk to another adult.

I'm serious, teaching, while rewarding, is incredibly lonely. 

And in teaching memoirs, I really look for the depth and analysis that usually comes with it. And while McCourt did dive in later in his book, I missed it. But I think that was a clash of styles. I just found his writing a tad too dry for my taste.

The other piece that was frustrating for me, and that is more of a frustration with the system than with McCourt, it the manner of class content. I'm sure things have changed drastically in the last 20-30 years of public education, but teachers, at least in my area, have very little say in their class content. There are certain books I have to teach. There are topics, etc that I have to get across because my kids will be tested on it. And while I loved McCourt's combination of creative writing and food...I know that would never fly in this day and age. So maybe I'm just bitter. ;)

However, I did enjoy some of McCourt's more touching stories about single students. There were quite a few that I was rooting for, so I was glad to hear about their lives after the classroom. I think that many teacher worry about those kids. And some do manage to make it. :)

I also enjoyed McCourt's astute observations about education, like this gem, 

"This is the situation in the public schools of America: The farther you travel from the classroom the greater your financial and professional rewards.” 

Yep. We all know this. Again, perhaps I am bitter (after only a few years in a classroom officially), but public education is very much under attack in the United States, so it almost makes me feel better to know I'm not alone. And that others see it.

Anyway, it was a fun read after I got through the first 75 pages or so. And while I did enjoy some of the snippets, I found it to be a dry read overall. And I'm not too excited about getting to Angela's Ashes. We shall see.

*Finishing Teacher Man marks the 5th book read for my #15in31 challenge! Huzzah!

Remembering Rachel.

Picture taken December 26, 2009

Last Monday, we lost my grandmother Rachel.

Back in August, she decided she was done. While not sick with anything specific, she was tired. IN her lifetime she's had heart surgeries, diabetes, arthritis, and dementia. And she was tired of treating it. So, she gained hospice care in her home, and spent the last two months in a slow decline.

And while we knew it was coming, it didn't make last Monday any easier, or the days after.

I got a text message from my mom with the news while I was in my fifth hour. I excused myself and called my siblings as my mom asked. And then I broke down a little in the English office. It was a few minutes later that my principal found me and then ushered me to his office with his arm around me. He let me compose myself and he arranged for a sub for the rest of the day. I drove home relatively calm, calling my aunt.

It wasn't until I got home and flung my arms around Matt that I really let myself go.

The days following weren't easy. The visitation was all day Wednesday, and the funeral on Thursday. We had a burial service in addition to mass, and that was the hardest part of the week. We all placed a red rose on her casket to say our final goodbyes. As I grasped the wood of her casket, I just sobbed.

It's hard to say goodbye to someone who has had such a profound impact on your life. My grandmother was a spirited and independent woman. Her husband, my grandfather, died 34 years ago. Every night, while she still could, she said a rosary in his name. She lit candles at church for all of us, and in the years when I was really struggling (the early years of this blog), she said extra prayers for me in hopes I would finally land the job I dreamed of.

She also prayed for Matt and I-we struggled a lot financially, and knowing she was rooting for us always encouraged me. There were many times where we would chat at family gatherings and she'd grasp my hand and tell me it would be okay-that it would all be better one day.

She loved Matt. She told me once that he was my perfect other half, and that in some ways he reminded her of my grandfather-proud, strong, and undeniably caring. She always cheered for us.

I'm not sure if it has really sunk in, and I know these things take time. But she was my last grandparent, and that is a sobering thought. Where have all my wise sages gone? Who will root for me and cheer me on? And tell me things will be okay?

I know it will get easier, but it's still a little raw and open.

I just miss her spirit and sass....but I know I have a bit of the same in me, and I suppose that makes it easier.

Weekly Wrap-up for October 18, 2015: Readathon, #15in31 Progress.

What a crazy weekend! 

I participated in the readathon yesterday and for the first time in a few years, I actually read most of the day. I took a very laid back and relaxed approach to the whole event, and I think it really worked out in my favor. I didn't really participate in any challenges, but I enjoyed myself anyway. And I got a lot of reading done. 

Here is my complete stack:

I actually finished Teacher Man on Friday night, but I'm including it anyway since I only read for about 9 or 10 hours yesterday. I also through in Volume 18 of Fables, even though I read it this morning. And without those two, I still managed to read just under 1500 pages and finish 5 books from cover to cover yesterday. It was a fabulous reading day. :) I also really enjoyed everything I read, so that's always a bonus.

With all of that reading, and finishing another volume of Fables this morning, I caught back up where I should be for #15in31. I have 11 books under my belt for the month, and while I have 4 more volumes of Fables to go, I have a few novels I also want to read this month. We'll see how much progress I keep making, especially considering this is a busy week and the grading is still piling up.

I'm so glad that I'm pushing myself back into reading. I MISSED it. SO MUCH. It's very easy to get caught up in other things-watching TV, etc-so I'm glad I'm returning my first love. I'm probably not going to be as focused next month with NaNoWriMo, but I might tackle another #15in31 in December. I'm enjoying it so much and with 2 weeks off from school, I'll have time to read some lengthier books.

In any case, while I would love to keep the reading trend going to day, I have laundry and grading to keep me busy. I hope you all had a great reading week!

My Official 2015 October Readathon Post.

Saturday Night (11:31 pm):

This is officially my last post of the night. My eyes and body are tired, so I'm heading to bed for whatever sleep I can get.

I had a very successful and relaxing day. In addition to just relaxing here at home, I spent the whole day with Matt, watched a fabulous football game, and read...a lot. It was what I needed to feel a bit like myself again, if even just for a day.

But I'm pooped now, and while I want to continue reading, I know I need the sleep more because this week is going to be busy and draining.

I ended up reading 5 full books today, and count 6 as being finished. Huzzah for that. I'm catching back up for my #15in31 challenge, and with more volumes of Fables sitting on my shelves, I might be able to complete the challenge.

Anyway, here are my final stats for the night. Let me know how you did.

Stats:

Number of Pages Read: 1,476 (that's a pretty awesome number, even though 400 or so of those pages are from graphic novels).
Books Finished: 6 (I read 180 pages last night in Teacher Man to finish it, and read Everything Everything, Volumes 15, 16, and 17 in Fables, and The Impossible Knife of Memory today)
Cups of Tea: 5 (English Breakfast, Chai, and a couple glasses of iced green tea)
Instagram posts: 4? 5? I lost track. 
Snacks: We didn't really eat a formal dinner, but Matt made a big batch of nachos to snack on while we finished watching the game, and peanut butter cookies to end the evening. :)
Cat Snuggles: 6
Husband Distractions: Oh, too many to count. I took a long break this evening to watch the game (MSU WON), and he tried to get me  to clean or watch a movie, but my book was just too good.

Saturday Afternoon (5:25 pm):

I really didn't intend to be away that long! But here I am! After a late breakfast, I ended up falling asleep on the couch for a little while. I didn't sleep long, and while I would love to go back and sleep some more, I know I need to keep myself awake to get a good night's sleep tonight.

I did get some reading done-2 more volumes of Fables. I'm enjoying the series so much! I think I'm going to read one more volume while the game is on (MSU v. Michigan), and then switch over to an actual novel to end my evening. I'd be perfectly happy with reading a total of 5 books today, even if 3 of them are graphic novels. :)

Anyway, I want to get settled back in to the couch since the game just came back on. I hope your reading is going well. I know that I'm enjoying this quieter participation this time around.

Stats:

Number of Pages Read: 916
Books Finished: 4 (Everything Everything, Teacher Man, and Volumes 15 and 16 of Fables)
Cups of Tea: 3 (English Breakfast, Chai, and now a class of iced green tea, which will probably be my drink for the rest of the night)
Instagram posts: 3 so far. I'm going to post again in a moment with my 4th book of the day. :)
Snacks: We ate breakfast at around noon...so brunch. ;) I also made some mini-hot dogs as a game-day snack, and we stuffed ourselves on those. I'm not in a snacking mood today.
Cat Snuggles: 4-mostly Sparty. I'm snuggled under an afghan my grandmother made me, and he happens to like the blanket. I'll take it
Husband Distractions: 3. Making a list for the grocery store, making him a snack, and then the game. But I'm not complaining. He's gotten me a couple drink refills. :)

Saturday Morning (11:21 am):

Hi guys. I just finished reading Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon. Just as I suspected, it was the perfect book to start with for a readathon. :) I love engrossing YA books on days like this. I can fly through them and get in the mood for a lot of reading.

I think I'm going to settle in with a few volumes of Fables next, as Matt is now awake and making me a very late breakfast/brunch. Something short is just what I need to get through the afternoon.

I haven't entered any mini-challenges, and I don't think I'm going to. Honestly, my body is so exhausted from this week and all the Lupus flaring that's been going on that I am perfectly content to have a quiet kind of readathon. :) I'm sure I'll update in a few hours. Happy reading.

Stats:

Number of Pages Read: 500 (All of Everything Everything and the 180 pages I read in Teacher Man last night. That totally counts)
Books Finished: 2 (Everything Everything and Teacher Man)
Cups of Tea: 1 (English Breakfast, my favorite)
Instagram posts: 2 so far. I'm about to make my third. But I posted my reading stack last night and a pic of my reading this morning
Snacks: None so far
Cat Snuggles: 2 (Sparty and Lily both snuggled with me this morning as I read)
Husband Distractions: 1. I had to make him a grocery list this morning so he could go buy snacks, etc for the day. :) He's amazing

Saturday Morning (8:53 am):

Good morning! I'm finally up and ready to read. I actually woke up at 5:30 this morning, but forced myself to go back to sleep because of how absolutely exhausted I knew I'd be without a few more hours of sleep. I'm glad I did so. But I'm finally ready to start reading and joining in on all the fun.

My goal for today is just to relax, so I'm going to try and pop on whenever I finish reading or just need a break. Again, let me know if you're participating so I can come cheer you on!

Since I finished Teacher Man last night (I read about 180 pages!), I'm going to dive into one of the YA titles in my stack-Everything Everything. I saved it specifically for today, so I'm excited to read it.

I'm also including my beginning of event survey here-HAPPY READING! I'll check back in later!

Intro Survey:
1. Where are you reading from today?
I'm reading from the lovely Rochester, Michigan (35-40 minutes north of Detroit). It's pretty cold outside today, so I'll be snuggled up on our couch.

2. Which book in your stack are you most looking forward to?
All of them? I think I have a great stack of books (seen below), so I'm craving a bit of everything. I am excited to read a few volumes of the Fables series, but Rowell's new book is also a big contender.

3. Which snack are you most looking forward to?
Today is also the big MSU v. Michigan football game, so my husband has a lot of game-day snacks in the house for us to munch on while we cheer for the Spartans (GO GREEN!). Out of those...probably our chips and salsa. YUM.

4. Tell us a little about yourself!
I'm a 30 year-old English and History teacher. I'm married to my high school sweetheart and we have three cats, and all 4 of them will likely bother me today while I'm reading. :) I love reading the classics, which is why I started my blog in the first place, but I'm a big YA reader as well.

5. If you participated in the last readathon, what's one thing you'll do differently today?
This is probably my 8th or 9th readathon, so I consider myself a pro at this point. My main goal is to read. I might do a couple mini-challenges here or there, but I really just want to relax and enjoy some books that have been sitting on my shelves.

Friday Evening:

Hi everyone! It's Friday, October 16, and I am settling in for a night of relaxation before the readathon tomorrow. Truthfully, I was really excited for this readathon when they announced the date, as I knew it was a weekend when I had nothing going on. And then life happened and while I'm not going anywhere tomorrow, my mind is definitely in a different place. I'm also in the midst of a pretty bad Lupus flare-I haven't had one in months, but I've been so stressed and overwhelmed by everything for the last month, I know that I triggered it myself.

Anyway, I'm still planning on reading a ton tonight and tomorrow, so I thought I would pop in and post my stack for tomorrow, as well as my plans.

I'm hoping I an get through a couple of things, not only to get caught up on my #15in31 challenge, but also to relax. I'm so in need of some relaxation.

My stack:

• Fables Volumes 15-22 by Bill Willingham: I just purchased the rest of the series last week because I really want to finish it by the end of the year. In some ways, I feel like I'm cheating by reading these for #15in31, but I know they'll make great readathon material. I can generally fly through them in an hour or so. And I have 8 volumes left. That sounds like an epic readathon.
• Teacher Man by Frank McCourt: I'm just under halfway through this one, and I really want to finish it. Truthfully, I'm pretty sure this book is why I stalled in my #15in31. I like it, but it isn't something I want to race through to find out what happens, if that makes sense. I already told myself I can ignore it for the weekend if something else grabs me.
• Carry On by Rainbow Rowell: I've loved all of Rowell's books thus far, so I was really excited to snatch this one up at the bookstore the other day. I'm pretty sure I'll dig into this one soon, but we'll see what kind of mood I'm in tomorrow!
• The Impossible Knife of Memory by Laurie Halse Anderson: I was on a BIG Anderson kick earlier in the year and read a good chunk of her work, but missed this one. And since a student is reading it, I thought I would give it a try. 
• Alexander's Bridge by Willa Cather: I've been craving more Cather, and while I read this one not that long ago (2013), I kind of want to reread it. So...that might happen. It's also a short little book!
• Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon: This is one of those books everyone's been talking about and I saved it specifically for the readathon. I know it'll be a fast read and pretty engrossing, so perhaps I'll get to it tomorrow night. 
• The Marbury Lens by Andrew Smith: I have two Smith titles on my #15in31 challenge list, but this one shouted out to me when I was pulling books. I'm not sure if I'll end up reading it because there are some others I want to read more, but it's a contender. Smith's books always grab me.
• Where Angels Fear to Tread by E.M. Forster: I thought I needed another classic option, and this was another title on my #15in31 challenge list. I loved the other Forster book I read, and like the Cather title, this one is short-perfectly doable in readathon time.
• Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte: I've been savoring this one slowly over the last month, so I imagine I'll read a little bit of it tomorrow. I'm loving this reread of it, so I'm not in any hurry to finish it.

Super ambitious, right? Yep. But I know that plans always change and I inevitably grab a different book off the shelf anyway. I don't know why I even bother. I just like stacking books. ;)

I'm going to update this post throughout the day tomorrow, and I will also be super active on Instagram (alliedanielson) and on twitter (@alliedanielson). I would love to cheer you on, so if you're participating, please let me know!

In any case, I'm starting a little early and diving into Teacher Man. Happy Reading tomorrow!

A Lost Lady by Willa Cather.

“If her image flashed into his mind, it came with a brightness of dark eyes, her pale triangular cheeks with long earrings, and her many-coloured laugh.  When he was dull, dull and tired of everything, he used to think that if he could hear that long-lost lady laugh again, he would be gay."

It has been quite some time since I read Cather, which saddens me. Cather has not always been a favorite of mine (I disliked My Antonia in high school), but over the last few years, I've come to cherish her work and her vision of the American frontier. 

For this #15in31 challenge, I wanted to make sure I incorporated some classics in my reading. We all know that a good YA novel or a thriller can fly by and keep us motivated, but I didn't want my month to be dominated by those books. I also wanted things of substance-books to savor and love and remind me why I love the classics so much. So a couple of Cather's shorter works ended up in my challenge pile, and this slim little volume found it's way into my hands as the fourth book for this reading challenge.

In A Lost Lady, our narrator, Neil, tells us the story of the last 30 years and his memories of Mrs. Forrester, second wife to a well-off railroad man. In Sweet Water, the Forresters were the well-to-do city folk who built a grand house for the summer and would invite their city friends to visit. They were seen as grander than the rest of the town's population and as a boy, Neil idolized Mrs. Forrester. She was a beautiful woman and carried herself with so much grace that she stood out as an anomaly in the country. 

Over time, Neil became a part of the Forresters' world. He dined at their home frequently with his uncle, and learned to see both of the Forresters as great people.

Until he doesn't. 

The older Neil gets, he begins to see that our illusions and impressions of the people around us change. And while we think people may be a certain way, well, we learn their true colors. 

Mr. Forrester falls on hard times. The bank where he had saved most of their money goes under, and then he suffers a stroke. The couple falls into hard financial times and Neil stays home from college to help them-taking care of Mr. Forrester and keeping Mrs. Forrester company.

This is when Neil sees the truth about Mrs. Forrester and his good opinion changes. She shuns the people who used to help her and pulls away, relaying on shady individuals who only seek to profit. It saddens Neil, who truly believes that the grandeur of a lady like Mrs. Forrester has been lost.

The book also spotlights the change in America going on in this time. Old businesses, like the railroading companies that Mr. Forrester had been involved with, were dying. The frontier and all of its promises was no longer a beacon for hope for many. Instead, people were moving back to the cities for work and hard times. The beauty and glory of the countryside was gone, and moments like those in the Forrester house were becoming few and far between.

Cather's work here really depicts that change in American culture-from the seemingly simple life in the country dying as the American dream, to the harsh realities of the city. The Forresters certainly reflect that change as the old way of living dies out. It's a fabulous juxtaposition of two worlds. And Neil's narration glides us through that change and the ending of an era.

This is certainly one of my favorites by Cather now. While different than some of her larger novels, My Antonia or O Pioneers!, it contains many of the same ideas-life on the American frontier, family, and the changing of eras. 

“He came to be very glad that he had known her, and that she had had a hand in breaking him in to life. He has known pretty women and clever ones since then,-- but never one like her, as she was in her best days. Her eyes, when they laughed for a moment into one`s own, seemed to promise a wild delight that he has not found in life. "I know where it is," they seemed to say, "I could show you!"