What are You Reading?

Let us know what you are reading or what you are thinking about reading....

Free Reading for the Winter Holiday

Whew! The weather has gotten very cold and many of us have gotten very busy; but we always manage to make time for reading. I very much enjoyed _City of Bones_ and am seriously thinking about the other two books in the triology... so many books to read and so little time. We have a long list of books to choose from--look on the Book Lists and Resources webpage for the Book Club at http://www.waunakee.k12.wi.us/high/booklists.cfm
Enjoy the winter holidays and happy reading!

Two Very Different Books -- December's Selections

You have chosen: City of Bones by Cassandra Clare for the Early Lunch Group and Blackout by Connie Willis for the Late Lunch group. These are both very different and intriguing selections. It should be fun! One of the best things about being part of a book club is that we get to read books that we might otherwise never choose to read. Our next meeting is on Wednesday, December 15th (that's an A day).

We will read _Crazy_ by Han Nolan

We are off to a great start in the school year. Even though people seem busier than ever, there is a lot of reading going on. I hear teachers talking about books they are reading in their book clubs. I see students with books, actually reading them and sometimes talking about them. So, our selection this time is a book about boy who has a father with mental illness. It received starred reviews in both Booklist and Kirkus, so let's see if these reviews pan out with our reading views... We have a great group of students and staff members---I feel very fortunate to have the chance to talk books with all of you!

The 2010 School Year!!! Welcome Back!

Hello. We are off to a great start this year with the book club because our two student leaders, Missy and Patricia, are so awesome. They manned the booth at the club/org fair with Mrs. Grams and a number of new students signed up to join us. We are also starting the year with a very popular new book, Mockingjay. This book is the third and final book in the Hunger Games trilogy. I am almost done reading it and it is as good as the first two books! If you haven't read the first two books, why don't you start with Hunger Games and join us on October 6th to talk about all things Katnis?

May is Here!

We met for the last time this school year and shared some of what we are reading. Good bye to our seniors--we will miss you!!! You can keep us posted on what you are reading (if you have time). Be sure to check the lists for current reading ideas and remember that the library is your friend. I just finished the 2010 Newbery winner _When You Reach Me_ by Rebecca Stead. It is a page turner that can appeal to a wide range of ages.

Here is for April---

Can you believe that it is getting lighter out and Spring is just around the corner? It makes the long winter worth it. Well, you have chosen and this time around I am very excited about two excellent choices: Punkzilla by Adam Rapp looks like an easy read though some of the content may jar us; The Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, was recommended by at least one teacher and one student at the school so we will see what we think about "word of mouth" recommendations! Let me know what you think.

The Help

I have enjoyed _The Help_ and know that this book is well liked by a number of people here at WHS. What an incredible story. I hope that everyone gets a chance to read it.

Heading into March!!

Wow--we have the best group of people. It was great to hear about all of the books that people are reading. I heard about _The Help_ from a number of you and would like to read that. My list keeps increasing as we have these get-togethers, but my actual reading speed and time to read stays the same. What to do? Here are some of the books that people mentioned: _The Shaddow of the Wind_ by Ruiz Zafon; _I Know this Much is True_ by Wally Lamb; _The Freedom Writer's Diary_ about teacher Erin Gruwell and _The Passion_ by Jeanette Winterson. _Push_ was also mentioned. We had a discussion about _Say You're One of Them_ and most people found it hard to plod through, though eye-opening. People have read stacks of books since December, which is great. Keep telling us about them! Over the past month I have read _What is the What_ by Dave Eggers--a truly amazing story as well as _The Afterlife_ by Gary Soto, _The Rules of Survival_ by Nancy Werlin and _One of those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies_ by Sonya Sones, all captivating YA titles. I particularly like Nancy Werlin's book because she knows how to tell a dramatic story, though the crazy mother theme is making me want to pull my hair out... What are you reading?

What Have You Been Reading?

I am reading two books that take place in Africa right now: _What is the What_ by Dave Eggers and _Say You're One of Them_ by Uwem Akpan. These stories are eye opening! I cannot imagine the level of poverty and hardship portrayed in these pages. I have never read anything like either of these two books. The Akpan book is a collection of stories and the first story floored me. I know in a remote way that people in the world live in such extreme poverty that they go hungry, but this story brought me up uncomfortably close to the experience.