Week in Review: April 15, 2018

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I would complain about the weather in the Midwest ... 70s and sunny one day and then a return to cloudy and 40s for several days after ... but I know the rest of the country is suffering as well. So instead I will say... I'm sure Spring is out there somewhere!! And I am not-so-patiently waiting for its arrival.

Blogging:

While I have not written a Sunday Salon post in quite some time, that does not mean I have not posted on the blog.

This is April ... the month dedicated to the A-Z Challenge. This is my third year to participate in the grueling, albeit creative, blogging event. The first year I blogged about Paris A-Z. Last year I blogged about Journaling A-Z.

This year the topic is Boston A-Z and we are officially half-way through the alphabet.

Do you participate in this challenge? If so, please leave a comment as I would love to connect!


Reading:

The last time I wrote in this space, I was in the middle of #MarchMysteryMadness. While I did not complete all six challenges... I did read a total of three books:

• The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware
• Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
• The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

In addition, I learned as much as I enjoy a psychological thriller, I am not a fan of emotional/physical abuse (I only read a third of Behind Closed Doors by B.A. Paris before my vivid imagination got the best of me).

I also participated in my first book club!! Talk about a dream come true.

We selected The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown as our first book and we met this past Thursday for our first discussion.

What a fabulous book - and a wonderful experience!

While I would never select this book on my own (I'm not an avid fan of sports or World War II ... and I know precious little about rowing) this book came highly recommended by fellow bibliophiles whose opinions I trust. They did not lead me astray. I would venture to say this will rank as one of the best books I will read in 2018.

I am currently reading three books (!) Two are on loan from the library, so I am sure to finish them over the next week or so. One is a non-fiction book I picked up on a whim: Dear Fahrenheit 451 by Annie Spence. I plan to review once I finish - but suffice it say, I am smitten.

The second is The Alice Network by Kate Quinn. I just started this book yesterday, but I am very intrigued by the plot and interesting, albeit flawed, characters.

The final book was a Kindle "deal of the day" and one I plan to savor over the next several weeks: Madeleine L'Engle's Walking on Water: Reflections on Faith and Art. I first read A Wrinkle in Time about two years ago (!) but after savoring these essays, I plan to re-read this children's classic with (perhaps) a different perspective.

Up next... How to Stop Time by Matt Haig is finally available at the library (only took two months!) and our May book club selection is I am the Messenger by Marus Zusak. While I know nothing about this book, I was a huge fan of The Book Thief, so I am very excited to begin this literary journey.

Writing and Teaching:

It is that time of year when all cylinders are firing. We are t-minus five weeks until graduation and since I teach 12th grade English Comp, this means final research papers are due at a time when students are checked out of high school and looking forward to the next chapter of life. It is both a rewarding and frustrating time of year for instructors. I strive to encourage them to finish strong - and yet I want to give them the time (and grace) to enjoy this milestone moment.

Writing takes a backseat for a few weeks while I grade papers and help these students reach the finish line. It is a sacrifice I am glad to make. It is their time - their moment to celebrate - and I am honored to be a part of this significant turning point in their lives.