East of Eden by John Steinbeck.

“But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’— that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.”

Well, damn. Why did it take me so long to read this? WHY? People have been telling me for years that East of Eden was their favorite by Steinbeck and that it ranks up there as one of the best of the best. And all that hype and pushing made me just ignore it sitting on my shelf, while I read all of its other brothers. But while The Grapes of Wrath and The Pearl and Of Mice and Men all have their glory and beautiful language and messages and themes, they aren't East...) of Eden. 

Maybe that's exaggerated because I love all those other Steinbecks as well (maybe not The Pearl), but there is something about East of Eden that I think will sit with me for a long time. 

In short, it's a novel about family and how families function. It's also a story about hope, goodness, and perseverance. It's also about a woman who I can't make my mind up about-was she just a crazy lady? Was she an early feminist, trying to push away from the role others were trying to force her into? Or was she something else entirely? I think I'll be mulling that one over for weeks.

But really, the novel is about the Trask family-Adam and Charles, the sun of Cyrus Trask. It's also about Adam's two sons, Caleb and Aron. It's also about the Hamilton family-wise old Samuel being my favorite. The story evolves over time, spanning from Adam and Charles' childhood in the East, to Adam moving west with his bride Cathy (see crazy lady from above), to the lives of Cal and Aron as they grow up and learn to be men. It's filled with secrets and devastation. There were moments when I gasped and kept flipping pages, resulting in some very rough mornings. But it left me with a sense of hope.

I think one of the things I really took away was Timshel, the word highlighted in the passage above. A lot of the novel mirrors the Biblical story of Cain and Abel, and a couple of the characters-Sam and Adam-discuss that story. Was Cain destined to be evil? Was it his choice? 

It's an interesting discussion, and the events of the novel explore the idea of what it means to be good, what it means to bad. It contrasts truly good characters, like Lee, against those who are evil-like Cathy. It gets you thinking about what it means to be good, and what it means to be evil. Do we have to fight to be good? Are some of us born with evil in our hearts? It makes you wonder.

The language, as expected from Steinbeck, is flowing and rich. As a majority of the story takes place in the Salinas Valley, a place Steinbeck knew well and wrote about often, it flies off the page in lush detail, drawing you in. I've come to love Steinbeck's depictions of nature and American life, and he is at his best in East of Eden. 

I can't believe I waited this long to read it.

“I believe a strong woman may be stronger than a man, particularly if she happens to have love in her heart. I guess a loving woman is indestructible.” 

I loved this novel and I feel as though my words don't do it justice. But I'm going to cherish it as a favorite and join all those "pushers" to get more people to read it. 

“And now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good.”

*This was the second book from my 2018 TBR Challenge that I read! 2 books down in the first month-go me!

Top Ten Tuesday: Books I Can’t Believe I Read

See, when you're gone from blogging for YEARS, you learn that some of your favorite things change. And one of those is Top Ten Tuesday, that used to be hosted by The Broke and the Bookish, but is now over at That Artsy Reader Girl.

I've always loved these posts, mainly because it was a good filler post if I needed to draw out what material I already had drafted. ;) But also, who doesn't love a good list? My whole blog was started because of a list! Anyway, I was never a consistent participant, but I've joined in when I could, and will continue to do so as the mood strikes.

This week's list is the top books I can't believe I read. For this list, I decided to think about the books I never thought I would read...but have-and all of them because of my little place here on the internet.

1. Crime and Punishmentby Fyodor Dostoevsky: I first purchased a copy of C and P when I was in high school, intending to read it for an AP Lit project. I read a few pages, tossed it aside, and didn't pick it up until September 2009 when I started my blog. It was the second book I read from my original 250 list, and the first novel I'd read by one of the Russian greats. I was blown away by how much I loved it, and I later fell in love with both The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov.

2. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens: So. I'm including this one for a few reasons...I've actually read this book more than once, and it was terrible every time. I'm still shocked that I read it again in the early days of my blog since I hated it so much in high school. And until that point, it was one of only 2 Dickens titles I had actually read (Hard Times was the other, and I loved it). Now that I've gained a little perspective and have a few more Dickens titles on my shelf, I want to give this one another go. I don't think it'll ever be a favorite, but I do think I'll like it. ;)

3. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell: This was another title that I never thought I would read because it flat out didn't interest me. At all. One summer when I was working for the parks, a co-worker was raving about this and I got all snotty about it. Oh man. Well, I finally read it as part of my 250 project, and guess what: I really enjoyed it. I would love to give it a reread one day since I flew through it!

4. The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: In the first year or so of my blog, I worked my way through all of the Holmes short stories and novels. It was never something I thought I would do, as mysteries just aren't my thing, but I focused on one right after the other and was successful!

5. Lolita by Valdimi Nabokov: I never had any desire to read this. But I did. For my project. Now I can say I've read it. Go me. (it gives me the creeps).

6. War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy: In the second year of my project, I decided to tackle the other big Russian and this big weighty tome that I thought was going to kill me. It took me a very long time to get through it, but I loved it and want to reread it at some point. But yeah...super long and super proud of myself that I read it.

7. Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand: In another one of my most terrible ideas, EVER, I decided to host a readalong of this book. I remember that Adam joined me and together, we read this. IT WAS TERRIBLE. I threw my book at the floor multiple times because I cannot stand Rand's ideas. But I persevered through it and completed it. Never. Again.

8. Moby -Dick by Herman Melville: Hand's down one of my favorite books. At times I felt like it was a chore, but it was SO WORTH IT in the end. And truthfully, I never would have picked it up without this blog.

9. Germinal by Emile Zola: I'm including this not because it was a chore or it was impressive, but just because I had never heard of it until I was researching classics, and because it was one of the first books I read for my project (YEARS AGO), and I am STILL thinking about it. It's a book that haunts me because it was so damn good.

10. The Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy by E.L. James: What? Not all of them are classics! I'm including these because they are my badge of shame. I bought all 3 as ebooks back when Homer (my Nook) was still around and kicking. Truthfully, I needed to see what all the hype was about. And even though the first one was probably one of the most horrific things I've ever read, I still finished all 3. Go ahead and judge. I'm okay with it.

What books are on your list? Let me know!

Weekly Wrap-up: New Semester, House Talk, #24in48 Readathon

Well, that week flew by! It was exam week at school, so I spent it in a grading fog as I tried to get everything done so I could enjoy this weekend. So while exams were done at 10:45 Thursday morning, I didn't leave work until close to 5 so I could get essays done and entered. I was the second to last car to leave, but I was loving it on Friday when all I needed to do was prep for this coming week and enter the multiple choice exams my kids took.

The new semester starts on Monday, and I'm excited for a "fresh" start. 4 of my 5 classes are yearlong classes, so I'm keeping a lot of the same kids. The only new class I'll have is a new section of Shakespeare. APUSH will be kicking into high gear now that we're on the other side of the semester (their test is May 11th), so that will take a lot of work on my end to keep them motivated. We're also trying some new things with my low-level juniors to continue building their reading and writing scores, so I'm hopeful we'll have a good semester.

We decided to go with a navy-aren't they pretty?

The house is still coming along with the kitchen not completed. *sigh*

All the cabinets are painted (finally) and most of the doors and hardware are on. We still need to paint the walls, put on the countertops, install the new sink and faucet, and get all the appliances into place. I think when Matt gets home he's going to keep working on it. I was hoping I'd be able to cook tonight, but that's going to be a no-go. Hopefully by the middle of the week?

I'm getting really sick of pre-packaged food and microwavable meals. And take-out. We've been living like that for about 4 weeks and I can tell that it's having a toll on my body. I feel sluggish and bloated and just want some vegetables! It's hard, especially without a sink, to function and eat healthy. Soon! I hope!

This weekend I wanted to relax after a stressful month so I am loosely participating in the #24in48 Readathon. My goal was to read for about 12 hours this weekend, and I will definitely hit that today! I finished up East of Eden yesterday (review coming Tuesday) and flew through all of One of Us is Lying (review on Friday). Both were great reads.

Next up is American Street by Ibi Zoboi, which I have been hearing nothing but good things about. It looks to be a slim, quick read, so assuming I finish it, I'm going to start Where Angels Fear to Tread by Forster.

So really, it was a fabulous reading week!

Tell me how your week was!

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).