Top Ten Tuesday: Books That Have Been On My TBR the Longest and I Still Haven’t Read.

I was really excited to see this topic this week. A few weeks ago, as I was re-shelving books after the move, I realized how many books I purchased years ago for my blog that I still haven't gotten around to reading. It kind of made me sad that all these classics have been sitting on my shelves for years and years, and I still haven't made time for them. It's been a few years since I've read a large number of classics yearly, but I'd really like to spend more time with them. They make me feel better as a reader, if that even makes sense. I've got nothing against a YA title, a bestseller, or anything else, but the classics are just something I'm drawn to.

So, one of my biggest resolutions this year was to have a better balance in my book diet. And so far, so good.

I'm sidetracking myself...For this list, I wanted to focus on some titles from my original 250 list, as it's really the oldest TBR list I have, and pull some titles that I still can't believe I haven't gotten to yet. Hopefully I can make room for them this year!

In no particular order...

1. Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy: I was super excited to get to read this when I made my 250 list, and while I know I started it at some point (there's still a bookmark in it about 100 pages in), I stepped away from it during a busy period and never returned to it. I'm set to do a readalong of it in April, so I know I'll finally read it and I am so excited. I really enjoyed War and Peace, so I have high hopes!

2. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou: This is one of those titles that I am almost embarrassed to say that I haven't read yet. I've read a lot of Angelou's work in anthologies, school textbooks, etc, but I have never picked this one up. I can remember being excited to put this one on my list, but time gets away from me. I actually think this would be a great title to read this month...so I'm going to move it on my nightstand.

3. Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll: It never fails that when I tell people (especially bloggers) that I've never read Alice, they freak out on me. But I haven't. I am a little wary of this one, for whatever unknown reason, but it's never struck me as the "right time" to give it a go. I did put it on my TBR challenge list for this year so I would make it a priority. I'm thinking this spring/summer?

4. Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe: Considering I teach a course on Shakespeare and talk about Marlowe, you would think I would have read something by him. But nope. This is the only Marlowe on my shelves and there it sits, unread and unloved. I'm thinking that once I finish all of Shakespeare I'll give this one a go...

5. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare: Again, you would think that since I teach a course on Shakespeare I would be able to call this an accomplishment, but no. There are about 10 plays by the Bard that I haven't read (as well as some of his longer poems), and I do want to read all of them. I own almost all of his works as single editions, so perhaps I should try to read one a month until I finish? My little "Shakespeare Project" tab up there is woefully outdated as well.

6. A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens: I've had a love/hate relationship with Dickens for a very long time, but this was always a title I was intrigued by. I've read a lot by Dickens over the years, but I always pass this one by for some reason...even though I know I will love it. Again, perhaps this summer?

7. Les Miserables by Victor Hugo: Yet another title I'm ashamed I haven't read yet. I've also never seen the musical, in any form, so feel free to shame me. I have no doubt that I will love this once I dive in, but my copy looks awfully chunky...

8. Beloved by Toni Morrison: I've actually read a few other titles by Morrison, so that assuages my guilt a touch, but this is another book I should have read by now. I'm actually moving this to my nightstand alongside the Angelou in hopes I'll get to it soon!

9. Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe: Every time I get to the Civil War in my history classes, I tell myself that I'm finally going to read this. And every time, I don't. This is definitely a title I need to read sooner rather than later, but it never feels like something I need to get to immediately. Instead I pass over it.

10. Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell: I can tell you exactly why I haven't read this yet-I'm hoarding it. I do that sometimes with authors I love. I hoard their books so I always have something unread by them on my shelf. In reality, that's silly. I know I'll enjoy the book more as I'm reading it then having it sit there unread, but that's what I do to myself.

Tell me what books you have sitting on your shelves!

(In looking at this list...I kind of want to do A Victorian Celebration again this summer like I did a number of years ago. Would anyone be interested?)

Weekly Wrap-up: New Kids, Lovefest, and Reading News...

It has been a long and exhausting week, which is why I am writing this update at 11:09 Sunday night instead of early Sunday morning. It doesn't help we were gone Friday and Saturday, so I feel all discombobulated. I was going to skip the post, but I got a magical phone call and we have a snow day tomorrow, so now I can stay up late writing. :)

Last week felt like it went by very slowly. It was the start of the new semester, and I only gained one class of new kids. 4 of my 5 hours are year-long courses, so I kept those kids-they just mixed together in their hours. My only semester course, Shakespeare, has all new kids, but I know a lot of them from previous classes or as members of NHS (which I advise). It's a great group this semester, and I'm excited to do some new things with them. We're still doing some of the same opening units, but I want to change up the plays a little-definitely thinking we're reading The Merchant of Venice. Any other suggestions?

Besides the start of the new semester, there were the other stresses. Grades were due Wednesday and we got a new gradebook system this year, so of course, we're all still trying to figure it out. I was so glad that I was done grading last week, as most of my grades were done-I just had to enter comment codes and citizenship, and all the other things kids needed me to enter. I also had a very heavy "Talking" week, which always strains my voice.

It doesn't help that I also had IEP meetings, leadership team meetings, and play rehearsals mixed in there. The play rehearsals are done now, since we had Lovefest this weekend.

Lovefest is actually called the "Mid-Michigan Theatre Arts Festival" and I've gone every year for the last 5 years. Essentially all the participating schools rehearse a 1-act play. They get 1 hour to set up their set, perform, and tear down their set before getting feedback from a local college professor. Over the course of Friday night and Saturday, there were 15 performances. It's a wonderful experience for the kids and they have a blast being with like-minded kids. I love seeing all the shows and I like being a part of the plays as much as I can. I was definitely less involved this year than I have been in years past (last year I helped a student direct a version of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown"), but I was excited to go anyway. Our kid did a comedy this year-"The House of Fog"- and did a fabulous job.

There were some other great plays. One school did a workshopped piece of the 3 Oedipus plays rolled into one, and it was amazing. I also loved a performance of "Silent Sky," about female astronomers at Harvard. "Dark Road" was another great performance. It told the story of a female Nazi guard-what brought her into it and how it changed her as a person. But one of my favorites was a piece called "Exonerated." It had multiple storylines woven together that talked about people who were sentenced to death row for crimes they didn't commit (all based on real people). It was a powerful piece!

The weekend always ends with an awards ceremony from the 2 college professors who watched all the plays, and a big celebration. The professors announced that Saginaw Valley State University started a scholarship just for Lovefest participants wanting to go in theatre and gifted a kid a $2000/year scholarship at the festival. It was amazing.

Anyway, Lovefest weekend is always one of my favorites of the year, and I love that Matt goes with me as well. The kids like getting to know him, and he enjoys seeing a little of what I do. This year he drove our set truck, so he bonded with the techies. We got home super late last night and tried to get some sleep today.

So yeah, definitely glad to have tomorrow off. I'm going to spend some of the day helping Matt work in the kitchen (STILL NOT DONE). We need to finish hanging cabinet doors, and we might start putting up the backsplash. But I'm definitely going to do some reading. I didn't bring any grading home since I knew I wouldn't get to it, so now I have some free time.

I didn't get a chance to read a lot last week with how busy I was, but I only have about 100 pages left in Where Angels Fear to Tread by Forster. It's a quick read and I'd like to finish it up. I'd also like to get to Caraval by Stephanie Garber, as it's one of the Battle Books for school. But I'm also participating in a Ulysses readalong (or at least I'm supposed to be), so I should probably start it (I did read the first 50 or so pages a few years ago, but set it aside). I do have some posts scheduled for this week, but I need to finish something so I can keep up my posting streak. ;) Now I just need to work on reading and commenting. I'll get there!

Let me know how your week was and what you're reading this week!

One of Us is Lying by Karen McManus.

“She's a princess and you're a jock," he says. He thrusts his chin toward Bronwyn, then at Nate. "And you're a brain. And you're a criminal. You're all walking teen-movie stereotypes.” 

One of Us is Lying is probably not a book I would have picked up on my own. Mainly because it's a mystery and mysteries are not my jam. But, it was a title selected for the first ever "Battle of the Books" Competition taking place in my district between the high schools. I told myself I would read all the books on the battle list (6 in total), and this was my first pick (I've already read Winger by Andrew Smith-which I nominated and pushed for-and Turtles All the Way Down by John Green). I was hoping that by reading the books, I could help motivate some kids into participating (we do NOT have a big reading culture in my building). 

Now, while this wasn't a book that I would normally pick up, I enjoyed it. A lot. It was the second book I read during the #24in48 Readathon last weekend, and I flew through it in just a couple hours, staying up pretty late because I couldn't put it down.

The book is pitched as being an edgier, more modern version of The Breakfast Club, but that comparison fell flat for me after the first couple chapters. Because while the novel opens in detention with 5 students gathered from different walks of life, the comparisons end there. 

The 5 students in detention definitely come from different groups in school. There's Bronwyn, the super smart girl from a wealthy family; Addy, the beautiful girl with the hottest boyfriend in school who everyone things is a bit dumb; Cooper, the star baseball player; Nate, the stereotypical bad boy who sells drugs; and Simon, the founder of a gossip app that reveals the "truth" of what happens at school.

Then, Simon dies by ingesting concentrated peanut oil, and the 4 other students are all suspects. 

It's entertaining. And fast-moving. As the book dives deeper into the lives of the 4 students under investigation, we, as readers, learn that each of them does have something to hide that Simon knew-thus, they could all be responsible. But as the media frenzy heightens and new evidence comes out, the 4 of them have to decide if they can rely on each other and determine who is lying and killed Simon.

It's a fascinating read. Of course there were parts that I didn't love (some of Addy's story-line developed a bit too quickly and some minor characters who turned major characters needed a little more page time), but overall, it was an engrossing book, and one that I know students would love. I also loved that I didn't guess the twist (I guessed wrong, but I was close)! 

In all, a very fast paced read that's perfectly wonderful and suspenseful. I have a feeling our kids are going to love it! (And I do think McManus is one of the authors who agreed to skype in during the Battle in May).

“I stand and hold out my hand. She gives me a skeptical look, but takes it and lets me pull her to her feet. I put my other hand in the air. 'Bronwyn Rojas, I solemnly swear not to murder you today or at any point in the future. Deal?'
'You're ridiculous,' she mutters, going even redder.
'It concerns me you're avoiding a promise not to murder me.”

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!