Favorite Reads of 2017.

I'm probably a little late on this post, but you know....well, too bad. ;)

I ended up reading 71 books in 2017 with a Goodreads goal of 75. 75 seems to be a normal and "Achievable" number for me to hit every year nowadays. That number used to be 100, but that was when I was crazy. Since I generally read a lot more during my summer break (just over two months), I can usually "Catch up" with just enough time to miss my goal. Haha. But really, this summer I read over 30 books, which is a crazy number considering that means I read 40ish books the remaining 10 months of the year. I'm working this year to make that a little more consistent, but so far, not off to a roaring start. 

I DIGRESS. My 71 books read in 2017 is heavily YA skewed. I was in a mood and I didn't break out of it. I read other things, of course, but I was really focusing on reading YA off my shelves in addition to some new releases I didn't want to let pass me by. The reading from my shelves thing is something I am aiming for this year as well. Moving all of my books showed me how many I have and how many I need to read. That won't stop me from acquiring more, but it will "check" me. I also signed up for Adam's TBR Challenge as a way to get to some books I've been neglecting (and I picked the 2nd book in a few series in hopes it'll get me to finally read those as well!). 

In any case, here are the highlights from 2017!

• Hunger by Roxane Gay: This is a powerful memoir about the author's struggle with food, weight, and dealing with a childhood trauma. I don't think I was prepared for how much I would relate to Gay's struggles with food, but reading her memoir got me thinking about my own struggles with food and weight gain (I was not a fat kid growing up-I was fairly thin and didn't start to actually put on a lot of weight until near the end of college). There are some truly POWERFUL passages in this book not only about food, but what it means to be a fat person. It's eye-opening and insightful and so true. You need to read it. And I need to read more by Gay in the future.

• The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas: I am so glad I read this last spring when it was just starting to blow up. And by the way, all the hype is well deserved. The Hate U Give is a YA novel that captures all of the current issues surrounding police brutality, racial profiling, BLM, and more. The conversations between characters about race and color were spot on and I wish I could convince the people who need to read this book to actually read it. The acclaim for this book is spot on and my experience with this title inspired me to read a few other YA titles in the same vein (All-American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brandon Kiely and Dear Martin by Nic Stone both spring to mind).

• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood: I chose to reread this title the day of the Women's March in 2017. We were up north at the log house and I was upset about not being able to go march (I was also pregnant and Matt was worried about me being out in the cold for so long-truthfully, the trip was better, especially as I miscarried just a week or two later). See me digressing again? Anyway, rereading was perfect timing. It got me inspired and riled up and that mood lasted for all of 2017 (and even to this day). I still haven't watched the mini-series, but need to. 

• The March Trilogy by John Lewis: Another title meant to get me inspired and politically motivated, the March trilogy was the perfect read over Memorial Day weekend. It's a graphic novel trilogy told from the POV of a young John Lewis (current U.S. Congressman). It stunningly depicts his experiences in the Civil Rights Movement, from early sit-ins, to arrests, to meeting MLK, to the historic inauguration of Barack Obama. The artwork is gorgeous and powerful and the set I keep in my classroom is always checked out! I'm working on a grant to get a classroom set to read with my APUSH students after their test, but we'll see how that goes!

• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline: My sister was bugging me to read this for ages, and I finally caved. It's a fun, nerdy romp through video games and 80s pop culture that I didn't know I needed to read until I started it. The worldbuilding is fantastic and crisp, and the action never lets up. I'm pretty sure I yelled at Matt numerous times while reading it to leave me alone. I think the concept is pretty original and can't wait for the film to come out! 

• Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit: A series of essays that capture the experiences of being female in the modern world, and told in a way that is straightforward and factual. The most well-known essay in the book, about the concept of "mansplaining" was so spot on that my copy is highlighted and annotated to the heavens. There are other excellent essays, including one on rape and rape culture that shook me. I think it's a great look at modern day women's issues, and one that had me reevaluating my own feminism and beliefs.

• A Court of Thorns and Roses Trilogy by Sarah J. Maas: I've been a fan of Maas' other series (Throne of Glass) for a couple years, and while I purchased this trilogy while it was being published, I had been putting it off. Well, I finally sank into the trilogy over the summer and inhaled all 3 books in a span of 4 days (put me into  major book hangover). While not the most inspiring, life-changing books I've ever read, they delivered exactly what they were meant to be-YA fantasy. They were fun. They gave me all the feels. The world building was excellent. I binged on them. They were what I needed at the time and have sold me on buying everything Maas publishes because I know I'll enjoy it. Sometimes you need that. 

• More Happy Than Not, History is all you Left Me, and They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera: I'm not even sure where I first heard of Adam Silvera, but as soon as I read a synopsis of his first book, More Happy Than Not, I knew he was an author I needed to read. I ended up purchasing everything he's published to date (those 3 titles), and I flew through them in just a few weeks. Let me tell you: Adam Silvera is a force to be reckoned with in YA lit, especially when it comes to LGBTQ titles. I was blown away by the depth of his writing! More Happy Than Not, my first read from him, remains my favorite, but They Both Die at the End is a very close second. He's another author that I will buy and read all of his books because he's just that good. 

• The Inexplicable Logic of my Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz: Speaking of authors whose work I purchase automatically, let's talk about Saenz. I read Sammy and Juliana in Hollywood way back in college for a YA course and was blown away. I read Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe and fell in love (seriously, all the happy tears). This title was no exception. Saenz definitely has his own lyrical style of writing, but you can fully sink into it. I think of his writing as being a bit more...mature? than some other YA writers. And I love it.

I think that about rounds it up. Overall, 2017 was a great year for reading. I binged on some great series (I totally didn't mention that I read a ton of Rick Riordan-essentially everything that I hadn't read by him...) and read from my shelves pretty heavily. However, I only read a few classics and want to change that for 2018.

Have any recommendations for me? Leave them below!

#24in48 Readathon

Just a quick post tonight to let you know that I am planning on participating in the #24in48 readathon this weekend. I originally wasn't going to sign up, as this week was our exam week and I was sure I would be taking home piles of grading, but somehow I conquered the massive piles of things to grade! I should be heading home tomorrow with nothing to grade and only minimal prepwork to do for the new semester.

I know I probably won't get to read for the full 24 hours, but I'm going to give it my best shot. Our kitchen should be finished at some point this weekend (hooray!), so I'll need to get it organized and put stuff away.

BUT! I still want to read all of the things before the new semester gets all crazy, and this weekend is perfect.

I picked out a small stack of things I'm interested in, but it might change. One top of that pile is Steinbeck's East of Eden, which I am already halfway through. I'm planning on snuggling in bed as soon as I publish this post to read more. Assuming I don't finish it between tonight and tomorrow, it'll be first up on Saturday.

Underneath that (that thin title), is another book from my TBR Challenge-E.M. Forster's Where Angels Fear to Tread. I was looking for a smaller book off that list that I could try and tackle in early February and it jumped out at me (the cover is gorgeous). I'm not sure that I'll get to it, but it's a good option if I feel like I want another classic.

The third title is American Street by Ibi Zoboi. I've been meaning to read this for months, but haven't had a chance. Even if I don't get to it this weekend, I will definitely be reading it sooner rather than later. It takes place (partially?) in Detroit, so that by itself sold me.

The last two books are actually books that our district choose for our Inaugural Battle of the Books competition we're having between the high schools. I promised myself I would read all 6 before the competition in early May, so I need to get moving. I read Winger by Andrew Smith when it debuted, so that's one down (he agreed to Skype in with our kids during the competition-I'm SO EXCITED). I also read John Green's Turtles All the Way Down when it came out. So, these were my next two picks.

First up will probably be One of Us is Lying by Karen M. McManus. All the kids who've read it already keep telling me to read it. Truthfully, this will probably be the book I pick up after East of Eden. It references a similarity to The Breakfast Club, so I am intrigued.

The last book is Caraval  by Stephanie Garber. It's actually the first book in a trilogy, so I'll probably end up reading the rest of it when they come out. I know very little about this one except that another teacher told me it was a YA version of The Night Circus...we shall see because that's a lot to live up to.

I might grab some other things off my shelf as I go through the weekend. I do have a professional development book that I need to read 2 chapters of for my book club at work (called Creating Cultures of Thinking), so that will be thrown in the mix. I've also been craving a biography, but none are jumping out at me at the moment. We'll see what happens!

Are you participating? Let me know so I can check in with you! I'll try and get a post up here, but I'll most likely be updating on twitter (alliedliterary) and on Instagram (aliteraryodyssey).

Weekly Wrap-up: Back to Blogging, End of Semester, House Renovation, and More.

Phew, what a week! Even being only 4 days of work (MLK day), it was a long one as it was the week before exams (they start Wednesday). But let's come back to that!

It feels so good to be writing again, even if it's a little awkward and I'm not sure the entire time if I'm "doing it right." It's hard to believe that when I first started book blogging with my initial classics project, I was writing posts daily, and sometimes I had posts going up multiple times a day. That's what the joys of unemployment will do to you. ;) While I miss the reading and writing freedom I had during those days, I feel so much more fulfilled now. Can you believe this is my 6th year teaching "officially" in my district, my 8th in the district overall, and my 10th in entirety? Yeah, neither can I.

But blogging was such an important part of my life for a few years and I have missed it. I think it'll take some time to get fully back into it and comfortable with sitting and writing posts, but I'm getting there, I think.

This past week I wrote posts on the 2 books I've managed to finish so far this year. My first read was Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills. It was a great choice to start my year as it left me feeling uplifted and hopeful even though the book highlights struggles and frustrations. My second read was actually my first read off my TBR Pile Challenge list, Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. I don't remember my original reasoning as to why I added it on Goodreads, but it was another fabulous book that I very much enjoyed. It did take me 30 pages or so to "get into" but it was well worth it and I ended up flying through it once I settled in. I definitely recommend both titles!

And I can officially say that I read 1/12 books for my TBR Challenge! Wahoo! That might be tied for the furthest I've ever gotten in that challenge. Haha! No, really, I always pick books sitting on my shelf that I feel like I should read, and usually that meant titles I was avoiding. I tried to mix it up this year, and I truthfully feel like I have a lot of excellent reads in store!

After reading two YAish titles, I decided to switch gears and settle in with Steinbeck's East of Eden, book #2 off my TBR Challenge list (killing it!). I have loved pretty much every Steinbeck I've read so far, which continually surprises me. I should really consider him one of my favorite authors, and I don't know why I haven't. But I'm just over 100 pages in, loving it, and thinking of all the things to talk about. I don't know if I'm going to write an "in progress" post like I used to (remember all of those? I love looking back at them, but it took so much time), but I will definitely be sharing thoughts when I finish. I usually avoid really chunky books during the school year (unless it's a YA chunkster that I can fly through) since they take so much time. I prefer shorter reads since it feels like I'm accomplishing more, but there is something about THIS particular title that seems fitting to read right now. Your thoughts if you've read it?

Speaking of right now, I am taking a break from the MASSIVE piles of grading I should be working through. The end of our first semester is Friday (we have exams starting Wednesday), and I have ALL OF THE WRITING to grade. My APUSH classes completed their written exam portions Thursday and Friday (3 short answers per student-about a page in length for each question, and a DBQ essay), and I also collected book reviews from my Juniors. It's a lot. I'm taking breaks. I know it'll get done, but I'm trying to be proactive.

I have been much better about my work/home balance, which I'm sure comes in part with feeling more comfortable with the courses I'm teaching meaning less prepwork. This has allowed me to read a little more during the year and partake in other fun things. Some weeks are better than others and this coming week is going to be terrible, but I'll power through.

As I'm typing, Matt is working on the kitchen. When we first looked at this house...wait. Side story. This was actually the very first house we looked at in our house search. We liked the large lot and some of the features of the house (yay basement), but the kitchen killed it for us. Gross cabinets, very small, etc. We ended up coming back to this house after we lost 2 others and decided we could make it work. The eventual goal is to turn one of the bedrooms into a much larger kitchen (a dream kitchen), but for now, we needed to renovate the current kitchen so it would function. End side story. We were originally going to keep the old, gross cabinets and rehab them, but when we removed the non-functioning dishwasher (we bought all new appliances), the cabinets essentially fell in on themselves. So, we bought new lower cabinets and Matt is rehabbing the uppers. We're going to paint the cabinets navy blue, put on new countertops, install a new sink, new backsplash, etc. Well, it's been an ordeal with some bumps in the road. We've been living here...about 4 weeks and have been using the fridge and our microwave for all our food needs. It's getting old...

But today Matt is finishing all the trim work and priming the cabinets to paint in the morning before he heads to work. He told me, worst case scenario, that the kitchen will be done (ready to cook in), by Tuesday night. SO EXCITED. I have been off my diet since before Christmas and while I haven't gained weight back, I feel gross and bloated. I also want to finish putting things away, etc. All our dishes, etc are still boxed up in the basement.

Our home is very much a starter home, but it feels cozy. I don't miss our apartment, AT ALL, which surprises me considering we lived there for 8 years-we left behind a lot of good memories. But I love having my own house to come home to, and while it needs love, I have a very handy husband willing to put in the work. I'm learning some new handy skills and its fun to see our own mark on this house. We're thinking we're going to be here 5-7 years...then build a new home (a dream home). We'll see how that plan goes...

Anyway, I should probably get back to grading so I have less to do this week. I always try and plan out my grading, since I need to save some for completing while the kids are taking exams, but I don't want to leave too much since then I'm screwed. Yep, that's the game I play.

Let me know how your week went, what you're reading, what I should read next, etc.

Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork.

“The right note sounds right and the wrong note sounds wrong.” 

I'm not quite sure where to begin to talk about Marcelo in the Real World by Francisco X. Stork. I suppose I should mention that this was the first book I read this year for my TBR Challenge List. And I loved it. I did. 

I added this book to my Goodreads "To Read" list way back in 2010, and finally got around to checking out our copy from the media center before my Christmas break. It was one of the few books I kept out in the open while packing, etc in hopes I would have a spare moment to read (HA), but it sat patiently on my nightstand until I finished book 1 of 2018. Then it was all mine.

I wasn't sure what to expect reading this, but I loved it. It's a very...calm book. Things happen and they're exciting and dramatic and heartbreaking and warm all at the same time, but because Marcelo is who he is, it's calm. It sinks in and surrounds you and you become Marcelo and hope that he doesn't see the evil and sorrow in the world. But he does. Because that's what the real world does to you.

I'm getting ahead of myself. Writing about books is hard after so long away from it that everything wants to come out all at once and I'm discombobulated. See? I should take this out, but I won't.

Marcelo is a 17 year old boy who has been diagnosed with something like Asperger's, but is so high-functioning that it isn't Asperger's. He has spent most of his life attending Paterson, a school for students like him, and because of that, has been sheltered from the "real world." His father, a very successful lawyer, tells Marcelo that he will spend the summer before his senior year working at his law firm instead of at Paterson working with the horses. Arturo (his father) has hopes that once Marcelo is in the "real world," he will see that he can function just fine with regular people and can attend a normal high school for his senior year. Marcelo hates the idea, but does it. 

It is over this summer that Marcelo becomes a part of the real world. He befriends Jasmine, his boss in the mail room, and learns the ins and outs of functioning in the world. It comes with rough patches, with bad days, but Marcelo begins to learn that things are not always so black and white. That there is gray, which is hard for him to determine and understand. 

I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this book, especially as it took me a few chapters to get into the story. But by the end, I was rooting for Marcelo, encouraging him in my own head as he challenged the delicate social constructs he had lived his life by. It was inspiring-to see the dramatic changes in a person once they are set free from an environment in which they are comfortable and are forced into awkward positions-making real decisions that could have life-altering consequences.

Most of all, I loved Marcelo's voice. It felt authentic. His confusion, his anger, his frustration-it all felt real and the language was beautiful to read. 

“Then it comes to me. It cannot be that this is the first time I realized this, but it is. We all have ugly parts. I think of the time in the cafeteria when Jasmine asked me what the girl in the picture was asking me. How do we live with all the suffering? We see our ugly parts, and then we are able to forgive, love kindness, walk humbly.”

In some ways, this reminded me of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime, but this was better (is that an unpopular opinion?). I definitely want to read more by Stork (The Memory of Light is calling my name). Overall, a wonderful book that lifted my spirits in the gloom of winter.

“My brain is like a water faucet that I can turn on or off. Only now there is no off and the water of thoughts just flows.”

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children by Kirstin Cronn-Mills.

“You know, life is just programmed chaos. Everybody starts out on one side—that’s the programmed part. But then chaos happens, and our album flips. We get fat or thin, or dye our hair and pierce our nose. But those are just our outsides. Our insides are still beautiful, even if we think we’re ugly children.”

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children popped up in my recommendations on Amazon after I purchased and devoured all of Adam Silvera’s work. On a whim, I purchased it without knowing much about it. When it came (with a few other titles), I was immediately drawn to the cover (I’m a sucker), but more importantly, the award. In 2014, it was awarded the Stonewall Book Award and I immediately placed the book on my nightstand to read.

I was not disappointed. At all. And while I do think there are some terms, etc throughout the book that date it (and are outdated in referring to the LGBTQ community), it was a fabulous look at the life of a transgendered teenager who is struggling with the transition and the impact it has on the people around him.

Gabe, born Elizabeth, has fought with acknowledging his true identity for years, but now that he is out to his parents and close friends, it’s time to be out in the real world. From asking his long time friend and mentor John to call him Gabe, to applying for work as Gabe (but having to put Elizabeth on the application), to confronting bullies, the book is full of struggles that Gabe has to face because of who he is.

But what I loved about the book was its authenticity in relationships. First, John. As a longtime friend and mentor who is quite a bit older than Gabe, Gabe was nervous to reveal his true identity. That moment and the resulting conversation made me smile for its authentic tone. I think that often we make assumptions about the older generation and what they do/don’t approve of/condone/support, and the conversation with John altered that for Gabe. John appeared to be more accepting and supportive than Gabe’s parents (who I will get to in a minute).

Paige, Gabe’s best friend, had an equally real relationship with her best friend. As kids, and as Elizabeth, the two shared a lot of memories. Gabe struggled throughout the book with his feelings for Paige (as more than friends), and how their relationship would change now that he was Gabe. I love that there were still moments of intense intimacy between them that true best friends would share. It wasn’t about supporting Gabe because he was now Gabe and going through this change, but because he was still the same person that Paige knew and loved, if that makes sense. Gabe wasn’t different than Elizabeth because Elizabeth was always Gabe. And Paige knew and understood that. That’s powerful.

That’s not to say there wasn’t tension and misunderstanding, because of course there was, but the strength of their friendship despite those challenges made me smile on more than one occasion.

And as for Gabe’s parents? In some reviews I’ve read online, the parents seem to be getting a bad rap for their turnaround, but I still see some of the reality within their struggles. At the beginning of the novel, it’s hard to see from Gabe’s perspective if his parents are truly supportive and understanding of his transition, but they seemingly switch. I see it as they are struggling until they see a much happier Gabe than they ever saw a happy Elizabeth. I think sensing that change shows that Gabe is who he really is and that this is how it is meant to be. I imagine it’s a difficult place to be-a parent of a child who is struggling with making the transition (I say this as someone without kids, but who has had students transition-parents seem to struggle, but once things have “clicked” for the student, it becomes easier for the parents-not trying to pass judgment-just some observations based on my own experiences).

Overall, the book tackled this sensitive topic with a lot of grace and far better than I expounded my thoughts here (I’m rusty on writing about books, and was intimidated to start with this one-I hope I did it justice). I do think I’m going to seek out some memoirs about transitions, as that seems to be a big critique (that a cisgendered individual wrote the book as opposed to reading a book about an actual human being). I’ll have to keep an eye out, but if you think of any recommendations, please let me know.

“Whoever you are, you're plenty.”