21st Century Symposium is a new class at Berkeley Springs High School in Morgan County West Virginia. During the 2008-2009 year, teachers and students will partner to learn more about our world and to affect change in it.
Friday, June 6, 2008
What are YOU reading this summer?
My favorite things about summer are big red sliced tomatoes, campfires, going to Cape Cod, and READING WHATEVER I WANT! I'd love to hear everyone else's book suggestions, and I'll share a few of my own. Post 'em on this thread!
It's about 2 boys who grow up together in Afghanistan, but it is not a book for the weak of heart or stomach. Suffice it to say that some bad stuff happens. It's an incredible book.
Then last summer, I read Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Nights:
This book was one of Time Magazine's top 10 books of 2007. It's also set in Afghanistan, but it's about 2 women. I like this comment about both books on amazon.com:
"It's difficult to imagine a harder first act to follow than The Kite Runner: a debut novel by an unknown writer about a country many readers knew little about that has gone on to have over four million copies in print worldwide. But when preview copies of Khaled Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, started circulating at Amazon.com, readers reacted with a unanimous enthusiasm that few of us could remember seeing before. As special as The Kite Runner was, those readers said, A Thousand Splendid Suns is more so, bringing Hosseini's compassionate storytelling and his sense of personal and national tragedy to a tale of two women that is weighted equally with despair and grave hope."
It will make you laugh and shake your head in horror and disbelief at some of things that happen to the characters. It's about a completely dysfunctional but endearing family that is forever "doing the skedaddle" in the middle of the night when they have run up bills and can't pay their rent. The story begins in the southwest but eventually moves to Welch, WV where the father was raised. The kids in this family are incredibly resilient and resourceful and eventually make their way to New York City. Here's the first line of the book:
"I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a dumpster."
This is one you will read into the wee hours of the morning, because you won't be able to stop.
Yay! Books! I have three that I am (re)reading now for the class I lead in July. The first is Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott, a guide for writers that is amusing, practical, and fun to read. The second is Writing Analytically, by David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen, a guide for teaching writing--this one is a little more technical and a little less fun to read, but it has some AMAZING teaching ideas. The last is What Keeps Teachers Going? by Sonia Nieto. This book is the product of a teacher inquiry group that researched, discussed, and wrote about the reasons teachers stay in the classroom despite the pressure high stakes tests, the workload, and little pay; they found motivating factors to be anything from belief in democracy to anger and frustration. I am almost finished with this one, and it is very good.
I'm looking forward to August, when I can read for fun, so I will be looking for suggestions here...
I am currently reading the Nicholas Sparks classic "Nights In Rodanthe". I'm now at the part where divorced, single mother decides to tell her widowed daughter about how her husband and herself met, and how they ended. So far it is fairly interesting. ALthough he is sometimes "knocked" for being cliche all critics agree he has a great emotional impact. Here is a link with more information on this book...
I'm currently reading the last Harry Potter book. I'm at the part where the Death Eaters destroy the wedding. So far this book has been very interesting and I think everyone should read it. It's exciting and awesome. And the movie doesn't come out for a while so that will give plenty of time to read the book first.
The books I highly recommend to read (especially for girls) is the series: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, by Louise Rennison. MOST AMAZING EVER!! HILARIOUS!!!! WITTY!!!!
Another book that I plan to read well actually it's a series, but it's the Left Behind Kids series. I got the books a while ago but never really got to them. They seem like an interesting set so check them out.
Mrs. Stotler...this is really scary. I think we have the exact same taste in books. I read the Kite Runner and absolutely LOVED it but I haven't read the new one yet. I'm dying to though. And The Glass Castle was really, really good too. Her parents drove me insane!! It was really funny though and I might actually read it again this summer... I just finished reading "It's Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini. It's about a 15-year-old boy named Craig who ends up in a psychiatric hospital and all his experiences with the different and quirky people he meets there. Craig's vulnerability and funny outtake on the world was heartwarming--it is a truly great story.
Well, since we are such book soulmates, I guess I'll have to pick up your recommendation, It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini! Along the lines of great books about different but endearing adolescent guys, I would completely recommend The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
I am reading some old favorite, A Farewell to Arms, To Kill A Mockingbird and Uncle Tom's Cabin, but I also have some required reading for a course I am taking; The Jossey-Bass Reader on the Brain and Learning. I would love some suggestions for light summer reading. I read the Kite Runner last year and loved it.
The First Part Last is an amazing book. its about a teenager who finds out his girlfriend is pregnant. im at the part where this huge tragedy strikes his girlfriend and he ends up a single teenage dad. Its an amazing book to read.
I just recently read the book Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry. It is sort of a spin-off of The Giver. I absolutly LOVED The Giver but Gathering Blue was sooo much better. More clear and desicive about the point it was supposed to be getting to. I like books like that.
12 comments:
Two summers ago I read The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini:
http://www.amazon.com/Kite-Runner-Riverhead-Essential-Editions/dp/1594481776/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1212785347&sr=1-1
It's about 2 boys who grow up together in Afghanistan, but it is not a book for the weak of heart or stomach. Suffice it to say that some bad stuff happens. It's an incredible book.
Then last summer, I read Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Nights:
http://www.amazon.com/Thousand-Splendid-Suns-Khaled-Hosseini/dp/1594489505/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b
This book was one of Time Magazine's top 10 books of 2007. It's also set in Afghanistan, but it's about 2 women. I like this comment about both books on amazon.com:
"It's difficult to imagine a harder first act to follow than The Kite Runner: a debut novel by an unknown writer about a country many readers knew little about that has gone on to have over four million copies in print worldwide. But when preview copies of Khaled Hosseini's second novel, A Thousand Splendid Suns, started circulating at Amazon.com, readers reacted with a unanimous enthusiasm that few of us could remember seeing before. As special as The Kite Runner was, those readers said, A Thousand Splendid Suns is more so, bringing Hosseini's compassionate storytelling and his sense of personal and national tragedy to a tale of two women that is weighted equally with despair and grave hope."
They're both WONDERFUL books.
I just finished The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls:
http://www.amazon.com/Glass-Castle-Memoir-Jeannette-Walls/dp/074324754X/ref=ed_oe_p
It will make you laugh and shake your head in horror and disbelief at some of things that happen to the characters. It's about a completely dysfunctional but endearing family that is forever "doing the skedaddle" in the middle of the night when they have run up bills and can't pay their rent. The story begins in the southwest but eventually moves to Welch, WV where the father was raised. The kids in this family are incredibly resilient and resourceful and eventually make their way to New York City. Here's the first line of the book:
"I was sitting in a taxi, wondering if I had overdressed for the evening, when I looked out the window and saw Mom rooting through a dumpster."
This is one you will read into the wee hours of the morning, because you won't be able to stop.
Yay! Books!
I have three that I am (re)reading now for the class I lead in July. The first is Bird By Bird by Anne Lamott, a guide for writers that is amusing, practical, and fun to read. The second is Writing Analytically, by David Rosenwasser and Jill Stephen, a guide for teaching writing--this one is a little more technical and a little less fun to read, but it has some AMAZING teaching ideas. The last is What Keeps Teachers Going? by Sonia Nieto. This book is the product of a teacher inquiry group that researched, discussed, and wrote about the reasons teachers stay in the classroom despite the pressure high stakes tests, the workload, and little pay; they found motivating factors to be anything from belief in democracy to anger and frustration. I am almost finished with this one, and it is very good.
I'm looking forward to August, when I can read for fun, so I will be looking for suggestions here...
I am currently reading the Nicholas Sparks classic "Nights In Rodanthe". I'm now at the part where divorced, single mother decides to tell her widowed daughter about how her husband and herself met, and how they ended. So far it is fairly interesting. ALthough he is sometimes "knocked" for being cliche all critics agree he has a great emotional impact. Here is a link with more information on this book...
http://search.barnesandnoble.com/booksearch/isbnInquiry.asp?isbn=9780446612708
soon to be a cinematic hit I'd recommend reading this book before watching the movie.
-Emily Y.
I'm currently reading the last Harry Potter book. I'm at the part where the Death Eaters destroy the wedding. So far this book has been very interesting and I think everyone should read it. It's exciting and awesome. And the movie doesn't come out for a while so that will give plenty of time to read the book first.
-Carrie B.
The books I highly recommend to read (especially for girls) is the series: Confessions of Georgia Nicolson, by Louise Rennison. MOST AMAZING EVER!! HILARIOUS!!!! WITTY!!!!
Another book that I plan to read well actually it's a series, but it's the Left Behind Kids series. I got the books a while ago but never really got to them. They seem like an interesting set so check them out.
-Carrie B.
Mrs. Stotler...this is really scary. I think we have the exact same taste in books. I read the Kite Runner and absolutely LOVED it but I haven't read the new one yet. I'm dying to though. And The Glass Castle was really, really good too. Her parents drove me insane!! It was really funny though and I might actually read it again this summer...
I just finished reading "It's Kind of a Funny Story" by Ned Vizzini. It's about a 15-year-old boy named Craig who ends up in a psychiatric hospital and all his experiences with the different and quirky people he meets there. Craig's vulnerability and funny outtake on the world was heartwarming--it is a truly great story.
Well, since we are such book soulmates, I guess I'll have to pick up your recommendation, It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini! Along the lines of great books about different but endearing adolescent guys, I would completely recommend The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
http://www.amazon.com/Curious-Incident-Dog-Night-Time/dp/1400032717/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214769574&sr=1-1
written from the perspective of a teenage autistic boy, and The Perks of Being a Wallflower
http://www.amazon.com/Perks-Being-Wallflower-Stephen-Chbosky/dp/0671027344/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1214769792&sr=1-1
about the observations of a shy, introspective, not very socially savvy freshman boy. Both have lots of humor and humanity. I bet you'd like them.
I am reading some old favorite, A Farewell to Arms, To Kill A Mockingbird and Uncle Tom's Cabin, but I also have some required reading for a course I am taking; The Jossey-Bass Reader on the Brain and Learning. I would love some suggestions for light summer reading. I read the Kite Runner last year and loved it.
The First Part Last is an amazing book. its about a teenager who finds out his girlfriend is pregnant. im at the part where this huge tragedy strikes his girlfriend and he ends up a single teenage dad. Its an amazing book to read.
I just recently read the book Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry. It is sort of a spin-off of The Giver. I absolutly LOVED The Giver but Gathering Blue was sooo much better. More clear and desicive about the point it was supposed to be getting to. I like books like that.
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