Author: Terry Pratchett

It’s been some time since I dug into the “Wow, why haven’t you read this yet?” list.

All I kept hearing is how awesome Pratchett is and how Discworld is a brilliant series, especially if you’re looking for that off-beat type of humour.

Which, of course, I do.
And I love.
So I finally did.

In some ways, I’m glad I read this when I was older. I loved the quirkiness and playful way it was written. Age and experience allowed me the opportunity to see it all.

In other ways, I’m disappointed I didn’t read this when I was younger. Younger me would’ve devoured this entire series pretty quickly… with the added caveat of missing some of the humour.

Which would be unfortunate because there are some great one-liners in here.

However, there’s so much to love about this book regardless of the age you read it. In a time just before fantasy wasn’t considered publishable unless it hit that 100k mark (and nothing happened for 80k of that), this is a fun foray into the genre.

You get everything about what makes fantasy great, without all the padding and without taking itself too seriously.

I look forward to the day when I can dive back into this world and devour some more of it, taking time to really appreciate everything Pratchett created. In the meantime, I’m left with a good memory from a literary giant who was rightfully honoured for his work.

Author: Eric Kahn Gale

I have to give Gale a lot of credit for writing this book.

It’s a shred of hope that the existence of bullies is a preordained matter, each one carefully selected and… more importantly… a systemic approach to picking their victims.

In other words, here is the reason bullies exist, why they pick on who they do and how they must go about doing it. He’s trying to give clarity to a situation that has little to no plausible explanation.

Middle school is when young people recognize and/or develop a sense of social order and nobody wants to be left out. Without the foresight to stand your ground, one easily gets swayed into the mess of trying to fit in somewhere.

Unless, of course, you’re a single outcast.

The story sucked me right in and I applaud the stylistic choice to intersperse the experience of the protagonist (Eric) with snippets from “The Bully Book” (a book handed down from bully to bully to teach the “proper” methods of maintaining social order). It keeps the pace moving and provides great anticipation for what’s to come.

For me, the last chapter stands out and is worth the entire read to get there.

The only disappointment is in knowing there is no conspiracy. After putting the book down, you’re more aware of what questions to ask and what to look for, but the source of the problem still remains a mystery.

Author: Kristin Cashore

After leaving the fantasy genre for almost 20 years, it feels as though my love for it is flooding back.

Currently, I’m out of my depths with high fantasy, and its complexities with names and systems, which require complete concentration to work through it.

It’s nice to get a book where you can slowly dip your feet into the water… something you rarely got twenty to thirty years ago.

I would classify Graceling as a fun adventure book. The one thing you have to look past when reading is the main character, Katsa, is a complete Mary Sue.

She has special powers. As the book goes on, those special powers continue to multiply: she can kill a person instantly, she’s super fast, she can deal with extreme temperatures, she also has superhuman strength when needed, and she can also go for days without food.

The list just keeps growing.

At some point I think the author just said, oh maybe I should give her a weakness and let that be the actual conflict of the book.

Anyway, if you’re willing to look past that, then you do have a very neat adventure story to read through. This is a fantasy world that’s fun to get into and easy to envision. It allows you to enjoy the adventure without having to spend too much time figuring things out along the way.

It’ll take some time to get into, but you are rewarded for it.

In a world where the marker for perfect is always moving, I absolutely love this video.

The one question I have when watching is at what point did the 1980s parent turn into the 2019 parent?

I mean, I’m an 80s kid.

What is it that got me to lean more towards the parenting styles of today?

I would say a big part of that is the Internet and watching what everyone else is doing and the great ideas they have. Mix that with the fears, “benchmarks” and the endless research, or what loosely qualifies as research in, in what raises happy healthy kids–it only takes some time to realize you’re trying to live up to an ideal.

That doesn’t actually exist.

No one can really define what the parameters of this ideal are and what the benchmark for perfection is. And let’s say we actually do define it, or give it some rough estimate.

Eventually that marker will change again.

In our lives, the “ideal” has to be something we need to let go of if we want to keep some semblance of sanity.

Otherwise, all we’re doing is constantly comparing ourselves to something we can ever reach towards a finish line that is always moving.

At some point you ask, is this worth it?

Certain things just need to be let go.

Author: Angela Watson

This is the book I needed to read last year.

Actually, this is the book I needed to read when I first started teaching.

While there are many things in this book that I’ve read before in other contexts, the way Watson puts it together is formidable. This book is a stark solid, and on point, reminder that as a teacher, you can’t do it all.
Side note: This is also a great book for anybody working in a field where they feel overtaxed, never able to accomplish what they want and striving to strike a work life balance.

And the self inflicted martyrdom that comes with trying to do so only leads to burnout.

There were many parts of this book where I just had to stop, nod and say, “Yes, thank you! That’s exactly what I needed to hear right now.”

In fact, many of the things she says in this book are things that I’ve said on my website and in my 15 minutes a day book. However, I could never fully put it in the context of being a teacher.

Watson articulates the reason why I couldn’t transition my thoughts (and actions) on productivity, efficiency, and perfect being the enemy of the good: I’m stuck on the sacred cows of the teaching profession. There are many. And just like getting rid of the sacred cows of writing (see Dean Wesley Smith) will revitalize your love of writing and put you on a path to an enjoyable career, the same can be said for teaching.

I will admit, Watson certainly knows her audience. She definitely talks right to their pain points and she reframes everything in a way that makes you feel like you can handle it again. Now, considering she is a consultant and teacherpreneur, there is a bit of upsell in this book–especially towards her 40 hour a week teacher course.

I’m constantly trying to find ways to improve my craft. I’ve read countless articles and books on the subject, many of which had good ideas and gems, but not wholly applicable to what I’m trying to accomplish. In some instances, it was too theoretical. In other instances, it advocated for a “perfect” system.

This book, however, should be built as the foundation for anything else that you wish to bring into the classroom. I’ve already made a request to get copies for other teachers in my school. So thank you, Miss Watson and I look forward to applying everything you’ve written here.

Author: Blake Crouch

Wow…just…wow.

It’s been quite some time when a book captured me on the very first page and hooked me all the way to the very last word.

My wife told me about this author and recommended him. I knew I needed to read this because my wife does not recommend books to me unless she knows that I’ll have some interest in it. She’s just as much of a voracious reader as I am, but her recommendations to me are far and few. I know if it’s coming from her, it’s going to be good.

This was very good.

I actually had to stop myself from reading this at night so I could get to bed. But my mind was still swirling and I was still thinking about the book even during my day. I kept wanting to go back to it.

It’s fast paced suspenseful and deals with the nature of the universe, and the theoretical possibility of a multiverse.

It’s one of those books that asks, what if?

Then does it in such a magnificent way that you leave the book going, “Well, now I know.”

What really impressed me about this book is when the big reveal started happening. Rather, what I perceived to be the big reveal. I almost felt as if they came too soon and then the rest of the book was going to fall apart.

Nope. Not even close.

It’s after the big reveal happens that the story really picks up and you really begin to understand what the bigger implications of the mystery behind this novel is.

I’m always thrilled when I find a book that whisks me away into another world and keeps me hooked inside of it.

I can’t wait to dive into his other works.

Author: Erin Jade Lange

It only took an excerpt and the synopsis to get me to read this. In fact, when I shared that excerpt and synopsis with my students, they demanded I bring this book into the classroom library.

Here we are–Butter, a book about a guy who is morbidly obese and so beyond getting picked on that he’s not even bullied, just ignored. So he decides to take action by eating himself to death on the internet for everyone to see.

The book starts off with a lot of promise, a lot of questions and a lot of interest; especially into the psyche of Butter

As the book continues, you really get a feel for his life and the psychology behind what he’s going through. There are points when you sympathize with him, but also with his parents and teachers.

You also feel, intelligent because even though it’s being told from his perspective, you kind of get a bigger picture of what’s going on. And you can see the blind spots of the protagonist. Whether this was intentional by the writer, it was a brilliant move and made the book very enjoyable.

The writing on this book was smooth and it kept you going right to the very end.

In fact, once you got to the ending bit (the part where the action slows down and you just kind of trudge through to see how it ends), you’re still kind of working through the issues with the main character and putting it into your own perspective.

I really do have to thank the author here for wrapping this up in a way that makes you feel content.

You’re not left with all the answers, but you’re left with enough to trust where this main character will go from here. Overall, this is a great book to add to a classroom library and to offer to a middle school (or high school student) as well.

It’s good for anybody who has any empathy for those being bullied…especially about their weight.

Author: Scott Adams

This particular book peeked out of the express shelves at the library.

Well I’m familiar with Scott Adams work on his Dilbert comic strip, I didn’t know he ventured off into other areas, especially in the political commentary forum.

However within a few pages of reading this book it intrigued me enough. I mean, look at the title! It didn’t take me long to finish and…

Wow.

Am I very happy that I read this one.

A lot of the conditions that Adams described in this book is the way that people misconstrue how the world actually works.

In other words, reading this book as a way to help release us from our mental prisons in which we can think the world works a certain way. It gives you a greater appreciation for not only understanding others, but why they get stuck in the way that they do.

And lo and behold, it also makes me realize how much of these mental prisons I fall into, which is good because I can learn to break out of it.

I already did a post earlier on one of the parts of the book that stood out to me.

After that point, there’s a great chapter on how we’ve hit the golden age of humanity. Now, no one can predict the future and what’s going to happen. However, I certainly share his optimism that when humanity has its back against the wall, and has a bit of time, we can come up with solutions to our greatest problems.

This, in combination with the great research of Hans Rosling in Factfulness, can turn any person’s despair into some modicum of hope.

Many of the topics in this book have been covered in detail by others, although those were a bit more academic in nature and represent a microcosm of the varieties of way in which we fall into mental traps.

Adams really delivers it all in a very palatable way.

You read it, get it and understand it.

Now, it’s just a matter of applying it.

Author: Ally Condie

This book has gone missing from my classroom library… twice.

After getting a third copy in there, and finally being able to read it, I was ready to figure out why my students loved it so much. Or rather, why they loved stealing it so much.

For me, this book was a bit of a slog.

I am someone who thoroughly enjoyed The Giver, by Lois Lowry. It was very hard not to notice the influence that book had on Miss Condie, especially considering she is a former high school English teacher.

Let’s call it a pale imitation–a nod, or an appreciation for the work of Lowry. And there’s nothing wrong with that because all artists give a nod in their work to those who came before them.

What I found difficult and getting through this one is the complete lack of tension. It felt like I was just kind of meandering through the book and following along with the main character, as she worked out her feelings.

It was tough to see where this was really going. And then when it finally got there, I just didn’t really feel an emotional attachment to care about what happened.

It’s not to say the book was poorly written. The writing was fine. It was just the execution of an idea that had been done before and not enough variance in that idea to really make this book stand apart.

However, if you’re a young person who is not familiar with The Giver and this was your first foray into dystopian literature… and you like pointless love triangles…

I could see why this would be an appealing grab.

Author: Neal Shusterman

I’m not sure where to start with this one.

Perhaps I’ll start with the fact that this could be a real scenario. It’s a frightening scenario and one that we could be moving towards if we’re not careful.

So what is it?

The taps have run dry in California and there is no more water.

What’s neat about the way Shusterman handled this particular situation is he rooted it in something that could happen as a localized issue (as opposed to a world-wide dystopian setting). California, specifically Southern California, is already subjected to issues of water and brush-fires. But what happens when you take that to its end?

Well, this book gives you that nightmare scenario and how people would respond.

I just couldn’t put this one down. It just can’t be gripped from beginning to and, not only for its scenario, for its brilliant suspense. It just doesn’t let up.

What I appreciated most is how there was no clean solution to any of the issues the characters face. In fact, it just kept piling on the problems as if it was mimicking a Lester Dent formula. The trouble just keep piling on our protagonists… over and over again.

In terms of dystopian literature, most take the world to its extreme. In this particular book, it’s about as close to home as you could make it… especially if you live in California.

It just makes me even more frightened for the world.