Greetings, Gentle Readers (If any of you are still out there)!
It has been quite a long time since I’ve blogged. It’s been quite a log time since I’ve even looked at this blog. This isn’t to say I haven’t wanted to blog. It’s not to say that I haven’t thought about blogging. And it’s not to say that I haven’t had anything to say.
I have wanted to blog. I have thought about blogging. And I’ve had things to say.
What’s been holding me back is that I feel very much like a failed blogger. I have started and stopped this blog so much in the 10 years (holy smokes–10 years) since I’ve started this blog, that it’s almost embarrassing to come back to it.
But here I am. Back on the page. Why? Because writing is how I process things.
I’ve been thinking and planning the restart of the blog for the past month.
When you look at the blog, you’re going to notice a few new pages. First, I’ll have some very short book reviews of what I have currently finished. I’m also going to try to keep track of what I’m currently reading in the YA world. This may not be easy since I’m usually reading a few books at one time. Furthermore, I’m going to add a Slice of Life page to allow you a glimpse into my reading life. This pages will slowly be added over the next few weeks. By the new year, it will all be up and running.
So what’s my focus?
When I started the blog, I never intended it to be a book review blog. There’s lots of those out there in the world. I also read YA not because I love it (some titles I do, some titles I don’t–let’s face it, I’m not the target audience for YA). I read YA because I’m a middle school teacher. I can’t recommend books to kids if I don’t know what’s in books. As my students are growing and developing as readers, I know they often need someone to help them find books that resonate with them. So I read widely and often out of my favorite genres.
Reading YA with both depth and breadth allows me to put books in kids hands. One of my eighth grade boys just finished I’m Not Dying With You Tonight by Kimberly Jones and Gilly Segal the other day. He chose this book based on a book talk I gave in class. He finished it in two days. He told me how much he loved it. And then he asked me what he should read next. Knowing the book helped me make some recommendations for him: Dear Martin by Nic Stone and This Is Where It Ends by Marieke Nijkamp and All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely.
Because we are in a hybrid situation, and the teachers move from room to room, not the students, we didn’t have access this block to my classroom library. We were at the mercy of what he could get on Sora. After reading the descriptions of all three, he put the ones that were out on hold, and started reading This Is Where It Ends. And he was happy with all three choices and is looking forward to reading all three. I have the benefit of knowing him as a reader since this is my second year with him, so the recommendation was easy. I also had the benefit of knowing these books and being able to make choices about what to give him to choose from based on theme, structure, and plot.
As I post each week, I’ll be posting about the intersectionality between my reading life, my teaching life, and current issues in the publishing/literary world. That is the true goal and focus of this blog.
Thank you for coming back to the blog. And if you’re new, thank you for joining me on my reading journey.
