I’ve tried to explain to my children and my classes, that books aren’t just assignments that you hunt down, kill and mount on the wall like a stuffed boar head. (Seriously there was one in the old beach house, creepiest thing ever). Books are a means of walking through another person’s mind –and granted, some aren’t so interesting, but if you stick with it, you will find a great many minds worth knowing beyond your own. With that in mind, here’s the beginnings of my summer reading list –why? It’s Friday, it’s the start of summer (Memorial Day Weekend), and I feel like it’s a way to pump myself up about the reading too.
#1) Ender’s Game
My goal of reading at least one a month is in danger of failing, after making it four months in a row. This May, has been super rough. However, I’m going to try and get through Ender’s Game this weekend, which will help for school and my goal. I will let you know how it goes.
2) The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents
I just saw the trailer for this one and have wanted to read Terry Pratchett for a while and never made it happen. So I ordered this book from Amazon and am hoping for a fun summer breeze of a read.
3) Frankenstein –because I always pick one classic, one I should have read but haven’t yet for my summer reads. My son teaches it and I want to have him give me the speed round of his class material.
4) The Outsiders –this is another one I haven’t read, but which my students and children have, so it’s time I could say something other than, “Yeah, that Ponyboy.” Last time I was at Jiffy Lube, the attendant asked me what I did, and when I said I taught English, he asked if I taught, “The Outsiders,” because that was his favorite book from middle school. I decided that was the universe saying, you’ve managed to not read it through raising nine adolescents. Read it before your tenth.
5) Three for work that are short reads: The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora, Living Growing Up Beyond Mexican Borders in America, and All American Boys –to see which we want to add to our curriculum possibly not for this year, but for the next.
That’s my reading dance card for the summer.
For the record, making a list helps make it start to happen. I have tickets to a Sheryl Crow concert already bought and waiting to be used. We’re currently hosting a sweet sixteen year old party for my daughter’s friend, and I’ve declared we’re going to a movie tonight (late). We’re going to have a lemonade summer after having a lemon of a year. That’s the master plan. Tomorrow, I hope to venture into the gym for the first time since I think, 2019.
We could consider that a minor miracle, maybe a major one. We’re also going to look at cars because we have a new college grad who needs a means to get from point A to point B so he may get my minivan…
Dreaming of my red truckie…because you can take the girl out of Texas, but never the Texas out of the girl.
INSERT MENTAL PICTURE OF RED FORD 150 PICK UP HERE.
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