Summer Reading

One thing I have tried to do each summer for the last several years is read more (compared to what I find time for during the school year). Generally, I try to read a few books for professional development (and catch up to newsletters and such from TESOL, the professional organization I belong to). I also, of course, want to read for pleasure, which usually means fiction, though this summer I've read more non-fiction than in the past. I keep a list of books I'd like to read, and I request things regularly from the library. It seems that I often end up with piles of books under the coffee table--I have to be careful that I don't collect/request more than I can read! (I seem to enjoy the process of looking for and bringing home interesting books almost as much as I like reading them!). Lately, I've been wondering if I should also keep a list of books that I have finished reading, as one of my friends once mentioned doing. At least, I've decided to share here, in no particular order, a few that I've enjoyed so far this summer. I'm probably forgetting something interesting, so I may update the list if I think of something else to include.

Professional Development:

• Teaching Listening: Voices from the Field, Ed. Ashcraft & Tran 
• I have a couple of books about pronunciation checked out, but I haven't been reading them. Better pick up the slack before school starts!

Fiction:

• The Postmistress by Sarah Blake
• The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner
• An Equal Music by Vikram Seth
• Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende
• Memoirs of an Imaginary Friend by Matthew Dicks
• The Silver Star by Jeannette Walls
• The Book of Summers by Emylia Hall
• Eat Cake by Jeannie Ray

Non-Fiction:

• The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
• Mark and Damon also read the copy I checked out from the library! 
• Politics According to the Bible by Wayne Grudem 
• This one's hefty--I haven't finished it yet, but so far it's been very thought provoking, even when I don't agree with the author.
• VB6: Eat Vegan Before 6:00 to Lose Weight and Restore Your Health by Mark Bittman
• Although I don't really plan to follow the diet, I am intriegued by the idea of a middle ground between a carnivorous and a vegetarian/vegan diet. It seems important to focus also on less processed food and more fruits and veggies, as well as possibly less meat and dairy. Perhaps I'll share more ideas on this theme for another post. 
• Make the Bread, Buy the Butter: What You Should and Shouldn't Cook from Scratch by Jennifer Reese
• Another interesting book about food--with much more personality than a standard cookbook.

Now...time to get back to reading a book!