Learning to Drive

With the risk of being pelted to death with rocks, I think I missed the boat with this book. As a 22 yr old college grad, I’m not one to be pretentious about writing in YA books, but this one I couldn’t get over. I thought that the writing was very cliche and predictable and although the intent seemed valiant, I found myself rolling my eyes at some point. Although some things that happened to Melinda were very realistic, others I felt were caricatures of real human beings.

Maybe if I read it in high school I would have liked it more.

Today I woke up early and after a morning cup o’ joe drug my ass to the pool. I’ve been feeling a little defeated lately, trying to pull myself through emotional hurdles on my own can sometimes prove more than I can take. 

I’ve always loved Sundays because I can take my time doing the things I need to get done. I swam a mile, which is better than therapy, before 10 am and I think somehow it was just what I needed. I wish my job started later so that I could do this daily but alas, to no avail. 

I’m spending the rest of the day doing homework, laundry, and cleaning. I hope this week is better.

Okay, another year and another crack at a bucket list goal I’ve never managed to attain:

Watch all of the Best Picture Nominees before the academy awards. 

And I doubt this year is gonna be the year it happens between grad school, teaching, and tutoring. BUT! There’s always a shot.

Best Picture
“The Artist”
“The Descendants”
“Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close”
“Hugo”
“Midnight in Paris”
“The Help”
“Moneyball”
“War Horse”
“The Tree of Life”

That’s 7 films to go. Stay tuned. 

So I’ve been meaning to post about this since the new year, but life has been getting in the way of my internet habits. 

I’m taking the 50 book challenge. 

In 2012, my new year’s resolution is to read 50 books. It’s about a book a week. I’m including novels I’m reading for my classes at school, because technically I don’t HAVE to read them to do my job, and therefore I don’t consider it cheating. I’ve finished two books so far this year, and I’m reading 3 currently.

In addition to reading them, I’d like to blog about each one I finish. Thoughts, recommendations, etc. I think this will be good for my growth as both a reader and a writer. Teaching English, although wonderful in keeping you on your toes in many aspects of life, does not keep you very active in these two categories simply due to time and energy constraints. I’m not ready to give up those parts of myself quite yet.

Happy Reading

 Sold

By: Patricia McCormick

I finished this novel this morning and threw the book down in the middle of a SSR period. The class, all senior boys, laughed and were excited to get to the end. This book….is the heart-wrenching tale of a young girl from Nepal who gets trapped in the world of human sex trafficking. 

What’s cool about this book is that it’s told through vignettes instead of prose, but it’s first person perspective hits you right where it hurts. Although the character is fictional, she is a collective representation of interviews McCormick conducted in India from survivors of the sex slave world. McCormick takes no prisoners in her readers and exposes you to the horrors Lakshmi encounters: rape, disease, beating, starvation, and tragedy. 

This book is not for the faint of heart. I want to go to India and help. Maybe I’ll go abroad this summer. 

Breathing Underwater

By: Alex Flinn

This is the first book I finished this year. Breathing Underwater is a YA book my sophomores are reading, and tells the story of Nick, a popular high school student, in an abusive relationship with his girlfriend Caitlin. The story takes you back and forth between Nicks past (his relationship with Caitlin) and his present (the court proceedings after Caitlin pressed charges). Alex Flinn, well known as the author of Beastly, writes a novel that completely sucked me in. THe characters I felt were realistic, and the development was heartbreaking to watch. I typically don’t like realistic YA novels, but this one was truly an exception. 

I heard one of my students say, “Of course you like this Ms., you’re a girl. This is so romantic,” and I think there’s value to that. It would be interesting to see if the boys in the class are just saying they think it’s too romantic, or if they really feel that way. 

If you’re looking for a easy read with an interesting plot, pick this one up!