Spring cleaning

It's finally spring and as the weather warms up, I feel so motivated to de-clutter, clean, enjoy the outside, and read.  How to do all of those at the same time?  Hmmmmm....

Well, I'm enjoying my audiobooks while I carry my little guy to soccer practices on Mondays and Wednesdays.  I have discovered how much I'm motivated to cook when I have an audiobook to keep me company.  The same goes for folding laundry.  I also find that when cleaning or de-cluttering my home or office, that my reading life needs some rethinking.  What about you?

In my #bookbootcamp discussions, I find inspiration to read so many new titles that my TBR list is growing disproportionately to my actual reading lists.  So why not apply the de-clutter and spring cleaning advice to our reading life like we do to other areas of our lives?

Those series titles that I tried but couldn't finish...swept off of my TBR list.  I dusted off a few titles sitting on my bookshelf and returned them to the library since I haven't read them in the 6 weeks they've inhabited the shelf.  Surely, there is someone else who can read these while I catch up on other good books!

Here are some great books I've read lately.  I've been heavily reading historical fiction and it started with the Luxe series by Godbersen, which lead to the Flappers series by Larkin.  While these wouldn't be appropriate for middle school, I do feel they give us some insight into those eras of history.  The one middle grades novel I've finished recently, One Came Home by Amy Timberlake, is a great Wild West mystery with a strong sharpshooting female character.  Enjoy!

Liked False Prince?

If you're looking for a YA/middle grade fantasy with action and suspense, this is the start of a fabulous series...The Ascendance Trilogy.  The third book comes out in February and I have students who can't wait to get their hands on it.  Check out @nielsenwriter's blog for her ARC giveaway if you too are waiting patiently/impatiently for February's release date.  http://www.jennielsen.com/blog

Check it out on Goodreads too!

I highly recommend The False Prince (The Ascendance Trilogy, #1) by Jennifer A. Nielsen 

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/12432220 

Triskaidekaphobia fine clearance

So to encourage research on Friday the 13th, we offered fine clearance for all students who came into the media center and told us what the word triskaidekaphobia means.  It encouraged students to come into the media center, even if they didn't have fines!  Definitely worth trying on the next Friday that's a 13th.  It was a huge hit!

Sci-Fi and Fantasy

WAYRTW?

What are you reading this weekend?

I'm working on several great books.  I finished Origin by Khoury last night.  It was pretty popular with our book fair crowd back in early October so I thought I'd try it.  Definitely science fiction with a little bit of romance tossed in.  I'm counting it as part of my romance stack for last week's #bookbootcamp chat.

Origin by Jessica Khoury
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm still in the midst of Dear Blue Sky and I'm going to attempt Summer of the Gypsy Moths per a teacher recommendation this week.

I can't help but enjoy the sunshine today.  I'm taking my books outside to get some Vitamin D.  What about you?  Enjoy your first weekend of November!

Check and Treat

In the spirit of the frightfully holiday known as Halloween, I began a new tradition this year.  

Check and Treat!  

No, it's not overly crafty or creative and it's probably already being done by many librarians out there, with a variety of cute(r) names.  But at Muller Road, for the past 2 days, students have been "checking" and we've been "treating".  Simple concept and I really don't know why I never thought of that before.  It's a win-win for students and teachers alike.  

Students come into the media center to return, check their account, check out, or pay fines and voila, they receive a sweet treat.  For myself and my assistant, this is also a great way to hand out the candy that will no doubt end up in our stomachs by the end of the semester.  Win-win!!!

8th graders love getting a treat for checking out new books!

What are you reading this weekend?

Since I'm traveling this weekend, I brought along some student favorites and some picture books to keep my 3yo happy.  I finished The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe last night/early this morning.  Here's my review.  If you liked The Ghost of Graylock, then this is a good choice for you.  I have trouble keeping both of these in my library since we're doing a Scary Stories display.

The Haunting of Gabriel Ashe by Dan Poblocki
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Poblocki continues the spine tingling mystery with Gabriel Ashe that he introduced in The Ghost of Graylock. Basically the story goes like this: boy loses home in fire, moves w/ family to grandmother's mansion, makes friends with local boy who is ostracized at school, has to choose b/w new friend and group of popular people, discovers local mysterious disappearances, and has to find an ending to the strange happenings around town. Gabriel is the main character but Seth's character also holds up the story. I like the pretend world that Seth introduces to Gabriel. It makes the boys seem more human, more middle school. I did not feel that there was a strong enough connection between Gabriel and his grandmother, but that is explained later in the book. Good mystery, kept my attention long after bedtime, and then of course I had trouble falling asleep.
View all my reviews

This week, I'll have Chad Crews come present his show, Authors of Mystery & Horror to all grades (6-8).  I count on books disappearing from the shelves after students see his show.  I stocked up on Edgar Allan Poe faves like Tales of Mystery and Madness, Scary Stories series', R.L. Stine, Mary Downing Hahn, and Dan Poblocki especially for that reason.  Hope you're reading something good too!