Greetings, Literacy Lovers! I hope you are getting through your summer TBR pile and had a wonderful holiday weekend!

It’s Monday! What are you Reading? is hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys and invites bloggers to recap what they’ve read this week while planning ahead on what to read next! Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee at Unleashing Readers added their own twist by focusing on kidlit, from picture books up to YA.

Here’s what I’ve read lately:

(Click on the picture to head on over to Goodreads)

Hyperbole and a Half by Allie Brosh

Nonfiction, Humor
2013, 371 pages
My Goodreads rating: 4/5 stars
I’ve heard a lot of good things about this title and really wanted to check it out. Most of it is about the author’s struggle with depression in an honest, this-is-how-it-is kind of way that I really appreciated. There are some HILARIOUS stories mixed throughout that cover Brosh’s childhood, her ADHD, and adventures with her two dogs. The book is illustrated with MSPaint and the pictures are so funny. I highly recommend Allie Brosh’s blog too – http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com/

No More Independent Reading Without Support by Debbie Miller and Barbara Moss

Nonfiction, Professional Development

2013, 87 pages
My Goodreads rating: 4/5 stars
I’ve had this book for awhile and finally decided to read it. This book is part of the “This, Not That” series (Think Eat This, Not That) and while as a veteran teacher there aren’t really a lot of new ideas, I really like the information the authors present. Section three is fantastic, and if I were ever to teach a college course this will probably be on the syllabus for its practicality and to the point message about reading and supporting students.A very quick read!

Absolutely Almost by Lisa Graff

Middle Grade Realistic Fiction
2014, 304 pages
My Goodreads Rating: 4/5 stars
Fans of R.J. Palacio’s Wonder and Cynthia Lord’s Rules will really like this book. Albie is a great character and while his parents really, really annoy me, there are some other fantastic characters that make up for them. The story is all about taking pride in yourself and finding out what you are good at doing. Throw in a “Choose Kind” message and you’ve got a great read!

Whole Novels for the Whole Class by Ariel Sacks

Nonfiction, Professional Development
2013, 368 pages
My Goodreads Rating: 5/5 Stars
I’m really excited about this book and the potential that Sack’s ideas have for my classroom this fall. The idea of giving students a reading schedule and letting them read a novel on their own is not new to me, but I love, love, love how Sacks lays everything out on the table about how to be successful with this method. Last summer I read Join the Club by Katie Czerwinski, which is all about book clubs and I think the ideas in both of these books are the way I want to set up my ELA classes. Lots of opportunities for reading, writing and talking which are the cornerstones of what I’m wanting for my students. I ended up reading Whole Novels over the course of a week because there were so many things to think about that I read a chapter a day. Ariel Sacks is very accessible on Twitter and has offered to answer questions as I start utilizing this process, which I think is pretty awesome!

I Kill the Mockingbird by Paul Acampora

YA Realistic Fiction
2014, 176 pages
My Goodreads rating: 5/5
Oh, how I wish this book was 100 pages longer. While I am not an obsessive fan of To Kill A Mockingbird like so many readers out there, I loved this little YA book so much. I adore books that are about books and this one is so cool! I’m surprised it doesn’t have higher ratings on Goodreads, but maybe that’s because it is so short? 🙂 Anyway, this book has a really cool plot that I wish would happen in real life. I would totally participate!!

To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han

YA Realistic Fiction
2014, 288 pages
MY Goodreads rating: 5/5 stars
This is my first Jenny Han book, but it definitely won’t be the last. I really enjoyed this story, as in, I devoured it in one afternoon and got completely wrapped up in Lara Jean’s story of how some letters she wrote for herself to former crushes were mysteriously mailed to the boys and everything that happens after that. I will admit I was so bummed when I finished it and said to myself “Wait. That’s it? What happens NEXT?”. I was shocked and jump-up-and-down excited to find out that this is only book 1 . Woo Hoo! Great book, and fans of Sarah Dessen esque books would enjoy this one, too.

Happy reading, everyone! Have a great week!