Friday, January 29, 2010

Library Loot: 1.29.10


UGH!! I am faced with such a dilemma (although I am not really complaining....) Why do all the great library holds become available at the same time?!

I have had several of these books on hold for weeks, and now, when second semester is in full swing and my free time is rather limited, they all become available for a limited three week time period. What is a girl to do?!



Here is the loot that I have acquired this week.
  • Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips to Clean up your Writing and...
  • Grammar Girls' Quick and Dirty Tips for Better Writing. I am the grammar teacher at school and, not surprisingly....grammar is not a favorite among the student body. I am hoping that this audio series will either give me some ideas to help spice up my classroom OR....I can use these audio clips in the classroom so students will realize that it is not just Mrs. T's boring subject matter -- but actually supported by others in the country.
  • On Writing by Stephen King - performed by Stephen King. Belle at Ms. Bookish raved about this audio book which is read by the author. I know that the book is considered a modern classic among those books on writing - and I figured that if it is read by the master himself, if must be excellent!
  • Leaving a Trace by Alexandra Johnson. To be honest, I do not remember what bunny trail led me to this book, but I am grateful. This non-fiction book focuses on how to journal with intent. I think this might be the place for me to begin my budding writing endeavors.
  • Fablehaven by Brandon Mull. Again, I am not sure how I came across this series, but I think it had to do with my recent interest in the Percy Jackson series that my students absolutely, positively LOVE.
  • The Motion of the Ocean by Janna Cawrse Esarey. I read several favorable reviews of this memoir in January and I knew that it was one that I would enjoy. I hope I have the time to read it in its entirety.
  • On Writer's Block: A New Approach to Creativity by Victoria Nelson. I am sure that I have mentioned more than once my desire to write - but my lack of ideas has me worried. I am hoping that this book might help me break through some of those self-imposed barriers.
  • Alice I Have Been by Melanie Benjamin. I reserved this book for several reasons. First of all, it came highly recommended from several book bloggers. Secondly, the March 2010 release of Alice in Wonderland, starring Johnny Depp, has renewed an interest in this classic not only for me - but for my students. I made a bargain with my English 1 class that if they truly "studied" the original fantasy story - then we could go see the movie in 3-D. I want to read this book as an enrichment to the unit of study.
  • Turning Life into Fiction by Robin Hemley. Are you noticing a pattern here? I know I want to investigate this writing interest -- but I am just not sure which direction to follow. Non-fiction is less scary to me, so when I saw the title of this book, I thought I would give it a try.
  • Noah's Compass by Anne Tyler. I really, really, really hope that I have the time to read this one. It is paired with several books that I have enjoyed reading in the past, including The Help by Kathryn Stockett.
  • The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson. Yes, I know...nearly every other thriller lover in the bloggersphere has read (and ranted and raved about) this book - but somehow I never got around to reading it. Again, I sure hope I have the time to do so before I need to return it.
Yes, it was indeed a great week at the library this week. I want to thank Eva of A Striped Armchair and Marg of Reading Adventures for hosting this wonderful weekly meme.

Hmmm...I wonder if they know a way I can add more hours to my day so that I can read all these amazing books???


18 comments:

  1. Noah's compass is lovely - I hope you get time to read it.

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  2. Some fabulous books. I have made a note of the grammar girl ones as my grammar definitely needs editing.

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  3. Always eat dessert first- The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo!

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  4. Percy Jackson is awesome! I also really enjoyed Fablehaven. I think the first one is probably the weakest, but it really picks up after that.

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  5. You know, Molly, if you don't get to the Girl With the Dragon Tattoo right now, it might be a good summer book. Because....I suspect you will want to move right into Book 2 and Book 3 is published in June I think. Just a thought. :-)

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  6. That's the exact question I've asked myself soooooo many times. And sometimes the books all become available when purchased books arrived in the mail.

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  7. What a great pile! I'm glad to see you checked out Leaving a Trace since I'm the "bunny" that lead you to it!

    I'm facing the same dilemma as you. I've started to realize that my library science classes are harder than I thought but I have a lot of great books coming in from the library right now. I'm going to freeze my holds for now.

    Happy reading!

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  8. I have one more holiday gift card to spend and was saving it for next week when so many of the books I want to read are coming out in paperback-finally. There's so many though! All at once. So I understand how you are feeling--at least in the having them all become available at the same time. I would hate it if I had to deal with the deadlines too. All I really have to worry about is picking and choosing which I will get and which ones will have to wait.

    I've heard nothing but good things about Stephen King's On Writing. I hope you will like it. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is one I really want to read.

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  9. No wonder you are in a quandry! I've heard King's On Writing is excellent, and I know I'll need to get to that at some point. And well, you know how I feel about the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo! Kay does have a good point though. You won't want to stop with the series once you get started.

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  10. I am starting to wish I was in one of your classes. I love grammar and punctuation!

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  11. That happens to me all the time! Enjoy Dragon Tattoo. I've got Alice on hold.

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  12. Alice I Have Been is excellent! I hope you get to this one soon :)

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  13. Alice I Have Been is wonderful! I have Noah's Compass on my short stack.

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  14. Oh my goodness - you guys are no help at all :)

    Alice I Have Been seems to be a popular favorite, and truthfully, I do hope to read this prior to my 9th graders reading the Louis Carroll Classic.

    Noah's Compass is truly calling my name - as Verity verifies, and many other book reviews.

    Kay - you bring up a wonderful point about the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo -- I love the idea of reading all 3 in succession. Perhaps I will just read a chapter (or two) to whet my appetite.

    I will be happy to listen to a few of the Grammar Girl tracks and let you know how they are. My current thought is to play one or two "lessons" for the class -- give them a quick handout to complete and reinforce the concept - and then move with the days lesson. This, of course, is always subject to change.

    Vasilly - thank you for identifying yourself as the "bunny trail" :) I have already read half the book and have truly enjoyed it!

    I plan to start listening to the Stephen King book, On Writing, in the car. I currently reserve my treadmill audio books to Harry Potter - but I think Mr. King might make some tedious driving more exciting!

    Laza - each day I have students at school asking me if I have started the Percy Jackson series. I think I may have to read that just to have something to report to the students!

    Unfortunately, none of you had any suggestions for finding more time in my day. I assume you are afflicted with the same frustration :)

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  15. The same thing happens to me at the library. It must be some cosmic force that's pushing this. You have a great stack there. Hopefully the library will allow you to renew?

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  16. "On Writing" by Mr. King is excellent....and a very easy read. I loved it.

    And I'm going to try the Larrson book too. I've heard so much about it ... how I could I not?

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  17. That was a great week at the library. I try never to reserve too many books at once just because this always used to happen to me.

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  18. I have that same issue! All my holds come in at once! Of the books you looted I have only read Girl with a Dragon Tattoo, but I really liked it!

    Enjoy your loot.

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