It’s Monday! What are you reading?
I have been sharing a weekly reading photo of the week each week but because of winter break, I haven’t been with my students. So I decided to share a favourite from last January. It makes me excited to remember how keen the students are the first week back to dive into our classroom library!
Join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and share all of the reading you have done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Follow the links to read about all of the amazing books the #IMWAYR community has read. It’s the best way to discover what to read next.
I read A LOT of picture books (fiction and nonfiction) last week trying to meet my 2014 Goodreads goal. Some were okay, a few were terrible but thankfully, many were fantastic.
I am able to type a little better than a week ago but resting my arm (serious pinched nerve issue in my neck) in anticipation of work tomorrow so sharing only covers, not details.
Here are my 10 favourites:
I also read two novels:
Wake Up Missing by Kate Messner
Whoa – so much suspense. Hard to put this title down.
Glory O’Brien’s History of the Future by A.S. King
Everything A.S. King writes is so unique and makes me more of a fan. This is a wild ride. Glory O’Brien has some voice.
A final update on my 2014 challenges:
Reading Goal Updates:
2014 Chapter Book Challenge: I finished 89 novels. My goal was to read 100 novels
Goodreads Challenge: My pledge was to read 650 books. And . . . at around 11 p.m, thanks to a picture book binge I completed 651 titles!
#MustReadin2014: 25/30 complete
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: I wanted to read 65 titles. My final total was 146 nonfiction books!
My reading goals for this year come down in numbers in certain places, up in others and reach out in terms of range. I know I will be reading many books regardless – these goals help ensure I read widely.
2015 Reading Goals:
2015 Chapter Book Challenge: 1/80 complete
Goodreads Challenge: 5/415 books read
#MustReadin2015: 1/24 complete
Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge: 0/100 titles
Diverse Books in 2015: 0/50 books read
For anyone out there who would like to participate in the #MustReadin2015 challenge, read here for more information and to check out the lists being shared. Create a list and send it to me and I will include it!
There's a Book for That 
If you have access to Edelweiss Above the treeline, they have e ARCs of Listen, Slowly and Red Butterfly, which are set in Vietnam and China, respectively. Probably a few more diverse books there, but those are the ones I can remember this morning!
Appreciate the recommendations. I have just finished a number of gorgeous verse novels that are in the “diverse books” category and loved them all.
I hope you are feeling better! I loved many of those picture books you shared (Handle with Care and Tea Party Rules were top picks) LOVED Wake Up Missing. That AS King is on my list for this year 🙂
I would be happy if A.S. King wrote a book a month. I am a true fan!
Best wishes for this week! I enjoyed Wake Up Missing, & many students have, too. Thanks for telling about the AS King book-new to me & I’m sure it’s good. I also need to find a few of the picture books you’ve shared-from the library!
I found most of these picture books at my library in December. A nice treat when you find lots of great ones!
Congratulations on finishing up your challenges! 🙂 Wake Up Missing was wonderful wasn’t it? Fantastic top book list, added a few to my TBR pile, thanks.
Thanks so much! I had a fantastic year of reading!
Fantastic results for your Reading Challenges. The important thing with those is always if you find the truly wonderful books you wouldn’t have otherwise read! Happy New Reading Year!
I so agree. In trying to get more novels read at the end of the year, I discovered some incredible novels in verse that I wouldn’t have otherwise found.
How I loved Chasing Cheetahs! Sy Montgomery and Nic Bishop should just write every book. I read 3 or 4 by them in 2014 and it was hard to decide which was my favorite (Tapir Scientist was my final choice, but on a different day, I’m sure I would have chosen Chasing Cheetahs. I am still fantasizing about taking a cheetah for a walk on a leash!) As always, you’ve shared some new-to-me PBs that I have to get onto my TBR list! Hope your nerve pain heals fully this week. That’s such an unbelievably uncomfortable feeling. I really need to read Kate Messner….
I’m not sure if I am heading for full recovery in a week. It can take up to 3 months supposedly. Oh my. But I am better. I agree that Sy and Nic are the dream team!
I hope you are feeling better! I have Messner’s book in my TBR pile, and kids chomping at the bit to get to it before I do. I may just have to break a rule (mine) and pass it along to them before I get to it myself…it sounds great!
It’s one of those books that will likely travel like wild fire once the buzz gets happening. Lots of mystery and intrigue!
Wow Carrie! Congratulations on meeting your reading goals. I’m getting Chasing Cheetahs NOW. I have little girl in mind for that one. AND I’m getting Glory O’Brien and Wake up Missing for me. I have to check on my Must Read list for 2014. I’m afraid… This year I promise to keep better track of my progress.
I really adored Chasing Cheetahs – it is such a powerful story of how we can step up and make a difference for animals.
Great list and some great goals! Really looking forward to my first year with reading challenges too.
It does help keep reading on track. And I find that trying to make sure I keep up with a goal often leads me in directions I didn’t expect.
Kellee and I can’t wait to (officially) join your challenge this Wednesday. We spent a long time on our book collages. Glory O’Brien has been on my TBR stack for awhile, and it turns out, I accidentally left it off of my #mustreadin2015 list. No worries, I will be sure to read it in 2015. I found it incredibly difficult to limit my list! Ahh! Can’t wait to join the party! Thanks for sharing these books with us today.
Can’t wait to see what you and Kellee list. I find with each list I read, I end up heading to Goodreads or to my public library online request system! Ever growing TBR lists!
The 7th graders and I loved Wake Up Missing, and Tea Party Rules is one of my favorite recent picture books. All of your other titles are new to me. So much to read! Glad to hear your feeling a little better. Hope you continue to improve!
Thanks! I think it is going to be a slowly but surely process. Kate Messner writes such suspenseful titles!
Another Kate Messner title! I love everything of hers that I’ve read and this is another that I haven’t read yet. So glad to hear it is good.
I also look forward to reading Glory. It is in my TBR pile.
I brought Cheetahs home today to read–I look forward to it.
Happy reading this week! 🙂
LOVED Cheetahs. Loved, loved, loved. I wanted to jump on a plane and go be a part of it all. Looking forward to seeing what you think.
I’m reading a few Kate Messner books this month. I have the one you mentioned, but haven’t read that one yet either. I think she is so talented at what she does. And she has a professional book coming out this month too!
I loved Edgar’s Second Word, it surprised me and made my heart happy 🙂
Hope you have a good week!
What is the professional book? Got to look into that. I just got two professional books in mail today that I ordered – What Readers Really Do and Perfect Pairs I look forward to reading both of them!
I adore the cover of Fossil. Both of the novels look fabulous too. I’m still coming up with my must read lists, but I’ll get there. We’ve got Handle With Care in the library. It is so beautiful.
It is a fantastic title. I am going to share a whole pike of nonfiction titles with my class over next few afternoons. This nerve thing = lots of read alouds, yoga and building (the kids, not me) in our afternoons as I ease into the year. The heating pad is my best friend.
I am hoping to read at least one AS King novel before the year ends. She sounds like a very powerful writer. 🙂 Congratulations on meeting most of your reading goals! 🙂
Thanks Myra. I tried! A.S. King is amazing. My favourite of her titles is probably Everybody Sees the Ants. But fan of all of them!