If I Weren't Me by hal evans
I had the pleasure of meeting hal last year when he and his wife came to my school to help the English I team introduce our classes to Shakespeare. He has an interesting way of looking at the Bard and uses a bit of theatrics, which was perfect for helping us get our students interested in Shakespeare. The four days on campus with him were awesome, and we, the teachers, learned a lot too.
So, when I found out hal had a book published, I knew I would have to have it.
It's no secret that I am not a fan of poetry in general. There are a few poems and poets that I like, but most of it does nothing for me. What I love about this book is that it is easy to understand, and is accessible to everyone. It is written along the lines of Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky, so it would be easy to integrate into my lessons for my students. Also, at the end of the book, it lists the types of poems used, so if teachers needed examples, they're here.
I have already decided that this will be used in my classes next year.
Thursday, April 26, 2018
Tuesday, April 24, 2018
Modern Day Green Gables
Ana of California by Andi Teran
This came in my most recent, and, as it turns out, penultimate Lit-Cube. The theme was a California adventure or something. Everything in the box was lame, except for the book, which is the first Lit-Cube book I've read in months. This was touted as a modern-day version of Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. I cannot attest to that, as I have not read it. Still, this was a good book.
Ana is fifteen, almost sixteen, and sitting in her caseworker's office because she is being removed from yet another foster home. She doesn't want to go to another group home, but since she isn't of age to be emancipated yet, they have to do something with her. Interestingly, an opportunity recently presented itself, and it seems like a good solution for Ana. She is to go work on a farm, as kind of an intern, and go to school until she turns sixteen and they can proceed with the emancipation process.
So, Ana is flown from LA to Hadley in northern California, to work for Abbie and Emmett Garber, a sibling duo, on their farm. Emmett is gruff and standoffish, where Abbie is warm and welcoming. Emmett makes it clear from the very beginning that he doesn't think Ana will be able to hack it, but he's willing to give her a shot.
Ana makes friends, well, three, but whatever. What she has at Garber Farms is unlike anything she's ever had in her life, and she makes a tremendous effort to keep from screwing up because she is afraid if she does, they'll send her away--just like everyone else. Ana doesn't reveal her story too much until close to the end, but, rest assured, it's heartbreaking.
I liked this, except for the end. It went from the last chapter to the epilogue, but the epilogue just felt rushed and tacked on. I think if more care had been taken to make the epilogue more cohesive, the book would've been just about perfect.
This came in my most recent, and, as it turns out, penultimate Lit-Cube. The theme was a California adventure or something. Everything in the box was lame, except for the book, which is the first Lit-Cube book I've read in months. This was touted as a modern-day version of Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables. I cannot attest to that, as I have not read it. Still, this was a good book.
Ana is fifteen, almost sixteen, and sitting in her caseworker's office because she is being removed from yet another foster home. She doesn't want to go to another group home, but since she isn't of age to be emancipated yet, they have to do something with her. Interestingly, an opportunity recently presented itself, and it seems like a good solution for Ana. She is to go work on a farm, as kind of an intern, and go to school until she turns sixteen and they can proceed with the emancipation process.
So, Ana is flown from LA to Hadley in northern California, to work for Abbie and Emmett Garber, a sibling duo, on their farm. Emmett is gruff and standoffish, where Abbie is warm and welcoming. Emmett makes it clear from the very beginning that he doesn't think Ana will be able to hack it, but he's willing to give her a shot.
Ana makes friends, well, three, but whatever. What she has at Garber Farms is unlike anything she's ever had in her life, and she makes a tremendous effort to keep from screwing up because she is afraid if she does, they'll send her away--just like everyone else. Ana doesn't reveal her story too much until close to the end, but, rest assured, it's heartbreaking.
I liked this, except for the end. It went from the last chapter to the epilogue, but the epilogue just felt rushed and tacked on. I think if more care had been taken to make the epilogue more cohesive, the book would've been just about perfect.
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
The Brain is an Interesting Thing
Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness by Susannah Cahalan
I bought this in the fall of 2016 with the intention of reading it while my Pre-AP students read this as a choice for their nonfiction "lit" circles. I started it, got thirty-something pages in, and just couldn't get into it. I dug it off the bookcase in our media room the other day, and haven't been able to put it down.
This is a true story. Susannah Cahalan wrote for a newspaper in New York. One day, she starts to feel so unlike herself. She doesn't trust her boyfriend, feels paranoid, and just out of sorts. She thought she was bi-polar, so she is put on meds for it, but that, as it turns out, is not the problem.
Everything starts out with issues that could be psychological, but then she starts having seizures. If not for the seizures, she may never have gotten the proper care. She also becomes catatonic, and her speech slows way down. It takes nearly a month in the hospital to find out what is wrong with her: an autoimmune encephalitis.
This book is her looking back, and with the help of people who care for her, she is able to piece together that month she "lost."
It's weird how you can start a book and not be into it at all, so you put it aside. Then you decided to give it another try, and it clicks.
I bought this in the fall of 2016 with the intention of reading it while my Pre-AP students read this as a choice for their nonfiction "lit" circles. I started it, got thirty-something pages in, and just couldn't get into it. I dug it off the bookcase in our media room the other day, and haven't been able to put it down.
This is a true story. Susannah Cahalan wrote for a newspaper in New York. One day, she starts to feel so unlike herself. She doesn't trust her boyfriend, feels paranoid, and just out of sorts. She thought she was bi-polar, so she is put on meds for it, but that, as it turns out, is not the problem.
Everything starts out with issues that could be psychological, but then she starts having seizures. If not for the seizures, she may never have gotten the proper care. She also becomes catatonic, and her speech slows way down. It takes nearly a month in the hospital to find out what is wrong with her: an autoimmune encephalitis.
This book is her looking back, and with the help of people who care for her, she is able to piece together that month she "lost."
It's weird how you can start a book and not be into it at all, so you put it aside. Then you decided to give it another try, and it clicks.
Saturday, April 14, 2018
A Tale of Two Brothers
Are We There Yet? by David Levithan
Despite reading the blurb on the back of the book, I thought this involved a road trip. I was wrong on that account. It is a story about two brothers, Danny and Elijah, who are tricked into a trip to Italy by their parents. Apparently, Mom and Dad have noticed that their sons aren't as involved in each others' lives as they want them to be. There is an age gap of either seven or ten years (I don't remember) which would account for them not being that close, but I know as people grow older, that gap doesn't matter much.
At any rate, these two brothers are in Italy. They start out in Venice, and it is so obvious that they have next to nothing in common. They hardly talk, and Danny spends a good deal of time in the hotel sleeping. Separately, they both meet a girl named Julia. Elijah is smitten with her, and Danny turns down her advances.
By the time they head to Rome, the brothers travel separately. It takes running into an old friend from summer camp for Danny to realize he needs to repair his relationship with his brother. I wish there had been more of that in the book. It was an ok book, but I think it could have been better if we saw more than a day's worth of the brothers being brothers.
Despite reading the blurb on the back of the book, I thought this involved a road trip. I was wrong on that account. It is a story about two brothers, Danny and Elijah, who are tricked into a trip to Italy by their parents. Apparently, Mom and Dad have noticed that their sons aren't as involved in each others' lives as they want them to be. There is an age gap of either seven or ten years (I don't remember) which would account for them not being that close, but I know as people grow older, that gap doesn't matter much.
At any rate, these two brothers are in Italy. They start out in Venice, and it is so obvious that they have next to nothing in common. They hardly talk, and Danny spends a good deal of time in the hotel sleeping. Separately, they both meet a girl named Julia. Elijah is smitten with her, and Danny turns down her advances.
By the time they head to Rome, the brothers travel separately. It takes running into an old friend from summer camp for Danny to realize he needs to repair his relationship with his brother. I wish there had been more of that in the book. It was an ok book, but I think it could have been better if we saw more than a day's worth of the brothers being brothers.
Sunday, April 8, 2018
TAYSHAS 15
We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
This book is reasonably short. According to my kindle, Hypatia2, it took a little over three hours to read. Not bad when the one before claimed to be five and a half. Despite its length, there is a lot of emotion packed in this book. It will likely give you the feels, and you may shed a tear or two at the end like I did.
Marin is a freshman in college in New York. It is the beginning of a month-long winter break, and she is not going home. She doesn't really have a home to go to. Her best friend from San Francisco is coming to visit for a few days, and Marin is nervous about this. She hasn't seen Mabel since Mabel left for college in Los Angeles, and things have happened. Things that Marin is not sure can be overcome.
Marin and Mabel were the best of friends, and the last few months they had together, they were more than that. Arguably, they were in love. Then Marin's grandfather, who she'd lived with since her own mother died when Marin was a toddler, passed away, and Marin was lost and confused. She shut out all who cared about her.
Mabel has come to New York to try to get Marin to come home to her family, if only for the holidays. Partially because of her grandfather's death and partially because of her feelings for Mabel, Marin doesn't feel she can.
This book takes place over the course of only three days, but there are flashbacks to the summer before. So much happens in this little bit of time, and my heart kept breaking over and over for Marin and her situation. This one was beautifully written, and I highly recommend it.
This book is reasonably short. According to my kindle, Hypatia2, it took a little over three hours to read. Not bad when the one before claimed to be five and a half. Despite its length, there is a lot of emotion packed in this book. It will likely give you the feels, and you may shed a tear or two at the end like I did.
Marin is a freshman in college in New York. It is the beginning of a month-long winter break, and she is not going home. She doesn't really have a home to go to. Her best friend from San Francisco is coming to visit for a few days, and Marin is nervous about this. She hasn't seen Mabel since Mabel left for college in Los Angeles, and things have happened. Things that Marin is not sure can be overcome.
Marin and Mabel were the best of friends, and the last few months they had together, they were more than that. Arguably, they were in love. Then Marin's grandfather, who she'd lived with since her own mother died when Marin was a toddler, passed away, and Marin was lost and confused. She shut out all who cared about her.
Mabel has come to New York to try to get Marin to come home to her family, if only for the holidays. Partially because of her grandfather's death and partially because of her feelings for Mabel, Marin doesn't feel she can.
This book takes place over the course of only three days, but there are flashbacks to the summer before. So much happens in this little bit of time, and my heart kept breaking over and over for Marin and her situation. This one was beautifully written, and I highly recommend it.
TAYSHAS 14
Life in a Fishbowl by Len Vlahos
This year's TAYSHAS list is something else. There just haven't been that many that I HAVE to read. Well, after the ones that I read before I knew they made the list anyway. It is always my goal to hit 15, and these last couple have been hard to choose. This one was surprisingly good, though different.
Jared Stone is in his mid-forties and has a brain tumor. This tumor is inoperable and will be the cause of his death in four months or less. He hasn't told his wife or his daughters yet, and he is trying to figure out how to take care of them, as the life insurance won't go very far. His first thought is to place his life on eBay for people to bid on. That garners some attention from the local media, and this is how Jared's family finds out the situation. Then the eBay auction gets canceled because it violates their rules.
One of the people who bid on Jared's life is a television producer, and he offers Jared five million dollars to film his last days. Jared jumps on it because, in his mind, his family needs the money. So, all of America and the world sees Jared's quality of life deteriorate on their television screens.
But, having your life filmed every second of every day can and will take a toll on a family. No one wants every little thing filmed, and they don't want their lives spliced together to fit the agenda of the television company. Reality tv is not real, and this book makes that all too apparent.
So much more than what I have documented here happens in this book. I suggest you read it to get the whole story. Somehow, I don't think you will regret it, particularly since one of the voices telling the story is the brain tumor.
This year's TAYSHAS list is something else. There just haven't been that many that I HAVE to read. Well, after the ones that I read before I knew they made the list anyway. It is always my goal to hit 15, and these last couple have been hard to choose. This one was surprisingly good, though different.
Jared Stone is in his mid-forties and has a brain tumor. This tumor is inoperable and will be the cause of his death in four months or less. He hasn't told his wife or his daughters yet, and he is trying to figure out how to take care of them, as the life insurance won't go very far. His first thought is to place his life on eBay for people to bid on. That garners some attention from the local media, and this is how Jared's family finds out the situation. Then the eBay auction gets canceled because it violates their rules.
One of the people who bid on Jared's life is a television producer, and he offers Jared five million dollars to film his last days. Jared jumps on it because, in his mind, his family needs the money. So, all of America and the world sees Jared's quality of life deteriorate on their television screens.
But, having your life filmed every second of every day can and will take a toll on a family. No one wants every little thing filmed, and they don't want their lives spliced together to fit the agenda of the television company. Reality tv is not real, and this book makes that all too apparent.
So much more than what I have documented here happens in this book. I suggest you read it to get the whole story. Somehow, I don't think you will regret it, particularly since one of the voices telling the story is the brain tumor.
Thursday, April 5, 2018
St. Valentine's Massacre
You Will Be Mine by Natasha Preston
I have read all of this woman's books, and, as with a couple of the others, this one looks like it came straight from WattPad, complete with the lack of editing. It was a good read, so I can overlook that, and it wasn't as bad as others.
Lylah hates Valentine's Day. Why? Because two years ago her parents died on Valentine's Day. She was just left with her only sibling, her brother, Riley. He wants her to come home, but she decides against it.
Lylah's college starts celebrating Valentine's Day on February first, and she is just trying to cringe her way through it. There are a lot of pranks, which I never would have associated with this holiday, but apparently that is a thing on the other side of the pond. Anyway, Lylah and her housemates are headed for a night out when someone rings the doorbell. A creepy note is left for Sonny, one of the housemates, and he ends up dead with his heart cut out.
One by one, Lylah's housemates are receiving these letters and ending up dead with their hearts cut out, but who is doing this? Everyone seems to think it is this guy, Jake, who left school after Lylah rejected him, but no one has actually seen or heard from him. So, is it Jake? Or is someone else committing these horrible crimes? Will Lylah figure it out before she is killed herself? Gonna have to read this to find out.
I have read all of this woman's books, and, as with a couple of the others, this one looks like it came straight from WattPad, complete with the lack of editing. It was a good read, so I can overlook that, and it wasn't as bad as others.
Lylah hates Valentine's Day. Why? Because two years ago her parents died on Valentine's Day. She was just left with her only sibling, her brother, Riley. He wants her to come home, but she decides against it.
Lylah's college starts celebrating Valentine's Day on February first, and she is just trying to cringe her way through it. There are a lot of pranks, which I never would have associated with this holiday, but apparently that is a thing on the other side of the pond. Anyway, Lylah and her housemates are headed for a night out when someone rings the doorbell. A creepy note is left for Sonny, one of the housemates, and he ends up dead with his heart cut out.
One by one, Lylah's housemates are receiving these letters and ending up dead with their hearts cut out, but who is doing this? Everyone seems to think it is this guy, Jake, who left school after Lylah rejected him, but no one has actually seen or heard from him. So, is it Jake? Or is someone else committing these horrible crimes? Will Lylah figure it out before she is killed herself? Gonna have to read this to find out.
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