Feature & Follow Friday (10) - I'm Featured!

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read

I am so excited that I am featured this week!! Thank you Parajunkee & Alison Can Read!

For those new visitors, I am a teacher and mom who loves to inspire young readers and to talk books with pretty much anyone.  I read mostly YA but throw in an adult novel or two every now and then.  I hope everyone enjoys their visit to my little slice of the internet.

This week's question is:

Q: Do your reading habits change based on your mood? Do you read a certain genre if you are feeling depressed or happy?

My reading habits definitely change based on my mood and whether or not I am working.  They also change based on the season.  During the summer, I love light, interesting reads that keep me coming back for more.  In the September, when I head back to work, I find my reading slowing down since I am so tired at the end of the day and need a really engrossing read to keep me going.  October leaves me craving creepy novels (and I sometimes save some special reads for this time) and the winter months are when I usually move from YA to the longer, and often more demanding, adult novels that have been languishing away on the bottom of my to-be-read pile.  And sometimes, within the seasons, it is my moods themselves that help me choose my next book.  If I am lonely or depressed, I look for comfort - usually through re-reading an old favorite or picking up something humorous.  Feeling happy tends to make me reach for Magical Realism where I know I can find a light romance and a little magic.   

I always find it really interesting in January to go back through my books on GoodReads over the previous year and see the changes from season to season and mood to mood.  

  If you want the whole Reading Between Classes experience, feel free to follow me on Twitter and Goodreads.  I can't wait to read all of your responses!  

Feature & Follow Friday (9)

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read

This week's question is:

Q:
Summer Reading. What was your favorite book that you were REQUIRED to read when you were in school?

 

Now this is an interesting question for the English teacher over here.  As such, there is no way that I can write a simple answer and move on, so I am going to complicate things a little:

 

My favorite required reading from my schooling:

 

 

 

My most hated required reading from my schooling:

 

 

 

The books that I require my students to read: 

 

Feature & Follow Friday (8)

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read

This week's question is:

Q: What drove you to start book blogging in the first place?

 

Firstly, I started blogging because I wanted to start buying more YA books to build my classroom library.  Of course, in order to vet these books before putting them in my student's hands, I needed to read them and make notes about appropriateness.  I did some searching and noticed that I couldn't find anyone who clearly and concisely listed the issues a parent might have with a book regarding Sex, Violence and Substance Abuse.  I thought that by blogging and reviewing, I could make these notes available and, perhaps, help the parents and teachers out there who are concerned about what their kids read, but don't have the time to read every book before their child does.  

I am much more strict about the books that I recommend to my students than I would be to my own children.  This is because you never know what personal beliefs a child and/or parent has and what content they might find offensive.  The last thing I ever want is to have a parent object to a book that I have given their child.  I hope that, through my blog, I am helping other teachers to avoid an uncomfortable situation.

 

Secondly, I read A LOT.  Far more than any of my friends.  I also read YA, a genre that none of my friends read.  Before I started blogging, I was aching for someone to talk to about my books.  Someone to share my thoughts with and have them agree or disagree.  I attempted to find YA readers in my area - no luck, I put out feelers for starting a YA Book Club - no one showed interest.  Blogging provides me with that connection to other readers.  It makes reading a little less of a solitary activity and has helped me "meet" some great people - though I am always open to starting a real life YA book club.... anyone?

Feature & Follow Friday (7)

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read

This week's question is:

Jumping Genres: Ever pick up a book from a genre you usually don’t like and LOVE it? Tell us about it and why you picked it up in the first place.

I have been doing that a lot actually.  Mostly because I started this blog and wanted it to better reflect the various genres and because with Goodreads, NetGalley and Edelweiss, I am coming across fun and interesting books from many genres that I never would have found on my own.  

The first time that I remember branching out and LOVING a book was in my Science Fiction and Fantasy course in University.  Our prof chose Ender's Game as required reading.  I never read Science Fiction and I didn't have high hopes but I ended up loving every minute of it.  The characters were wonderful and the plot was riveting.  I still recommend it to my students (though I take issue with the author's personal politics - but that is a discussion for another day).  

 I haven't really picked up any Science Fiction in the last little while, so I would love any recommendations!

 Here are some of the other "Jumping Genres" titles that I have enjoyed in the last few months:

Romance 

 Fantasy  

YA Contemporary Fiction

YA Sports Fiction

Memoir

 

Feature & Follow Friday (6)

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This week's question is 

Birthday Wishes — Blow out the candles and imagine what character could pop out of your cake…who is it and what book are they from??

Here we go: 1.....2.....3..... TA DA! It's Zach from Jeri Smith-Ready's Shade series.  Hello Handsome, come lay that accent on me.

Feature & Follow Friday (5)

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This week's question activity is

Dream Cast Your Current Read

Well Peeps, this should be interesting.  My current read is Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson.

Now for casting:

Jenny: 

Toni Collette

Toni pulls off all kinds of lunacy on United States of Tara.  If she can handle a redneck, slut and Martha Stewart wannabe - all in one show, then she MIGHT be able to embody Jenny's personal brand of bat shit crazy.

Victor: 

Jake Gyllenhaal

I have no reasoning here..... I just really like looking at him.... I mean, come on.  LOOK AT HIM!

Hailey: 

Dakota Fanning

Remember THIS Dakota Fanning, when she was all big smiles, baby teeth and (thank god!) no makeup?  That's the Dakota Fanning I want.  Now that she is all grown up she scares me a little.  I mean, I was just as awkward when I was a kid and *I* didn't grow up all Hottastic.  Which devil did she make a deal with that I missed out on?

Jenny's Dad:  

Jack Nicolson

Who wouldn't pay real movie theater money (and not wait for Netflix or *GASP* download illegally) to see Jack's hand up the ass of a recently deceased squirrel as he gleefully embodies the creepiest puppeteer since the dude behind Saw - IN 3D!

Barnaby Jones: 

Frank from Men In Black

 What is better than a dog that stabs you with a chicken, trips you and then acts like he was just innocently being a dog and he has no idea why you are on the ground and bleeding?  One that yells "Die Motherfucker" when he does it, then goes strangely silent and dog-like when your husband walks in prompting you to question your own sanity in thinking that the dog could talk, until he whispers "Next time make it steak or you might find yourself getting a little too friendly with the stairs" when you Husband isn't paying attention. 

That's all from me, I hope you like my casting.  Maybe, if I ask my cats to wish me luck and start calling the number before 14 - 12B MAYBE Jenny herself will come and check it out.  And maybe laugh - I hope *gulp*.

Feature & Follow Friday (4)

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read

This week's question is

Q: Summer Break is upon us.  What would be the perfect vacation spot for you to catch up on your reading and relax.

I am actually planning a trip to my perfect vacation spot.  I will be spending a few weeks in my hometown.

My parents will help with taking care of the little one and I can relax.  There is a beautiful (and usually deserted) beach, a gorgeous harbour and quite a few swimming holes like this one:

I have a ton of family there and I can't wait for my son to get a chance to spend some more time with them, while I take advantage of all the extra hands!

Feature & Follow Friday (3)

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read

This week's question is

Q:What are some of your favorite books with a strong mother/child relationship
 
I didn't realize how difficult this question would be.  In the YA world, it is pretty much a given that the main character is either going to have parents who are dead or have an estranged relationship with them.  As such, it is difficult to even come up with books that FEATURE a mom.  That said, I did come up with one.

In Divergent Tris falls into the trap of being a teenager who thinks she knows who her mother is.  She assumes that what she has seen on the outside is all there is to her mother.  As the story progresses and moves into Insurgent, Tris begins to learn details about her mother that she never thought possible and realizes that she did not know this woman, and her dark secrets, at all.

I think we all go through this as we age.  As children, we have a very limited view as to who our parents are.  When we become teenagers we are SURE that we know who they are (and convinced that they are LAME).  It is only as adults that we begin to discover some of the hardships and struggles that made our parents who they are.  If we are lucky enough to have a relationship where parent and child are treated as equals, we can learn things about our parents that we never imagined, and in doing so, learn things about ourselves as well.

Feature & Follow Friday (2)

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read

This week's question is

Q:What is one thing you wish you could tell your favorite author? 

Dear Roald Dahl,

As a child I suffered from a severe lack of friends.  Instead, I explored a chocolate factory, hid from witches with square toes, and followed a very little girl with a penchant for very large books.  Your characters showed me how to dive into other people's worlds and drift pleasantly there until my own problems seem a little smaller.  I now try to instill that love of escapism in my students - I do believe I am succeeding.  Thank you for creating my friends and for sending them to me.  

P.S Please stop being dead and start writing again.  

Sincerely, 

Zabet Reading

Feature & Follow Friday (1)

Feature & Follow is hosted by Parajunkee & Alison Can Read

This week's question is

Q: Have you had a character that disappointed you? One that you fell in love with and then “broke up” with later on in either the series or a stand-alone book? Tell us about him or her.

1. Shade by Jeri Smith-Ready: Logan

I fell in and out of love with Logan throughout this whole book. He would do something so cute and sweet that I couldn't help but melt and then he would do something so stupid or petty that I wanted to scream! I completely understand the frustration of his family as they try to come to terms with him being a ghost (and a stubborn one at that) and still managing to pull off his diva rockstar act.

2. The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness: Todd

I liked Todd for about 1/3 of the book. He seemed like a kid beaten down by circumstances and I wanted to root for him. I really did. And then *SPOILER* he murders someone who did him no harm and it pretty much gets ignored for the rest of the book because the victim wasn't human. Finally, when faced with the sadistic son of a bitch who chased him across half the damn world, he freezes. ARGH!!

3. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins: Gale

I understand the need for Gale's progression throughout this series but that doesn't mean that I need to like it. I loved Gale in the first book. He was handsome, strong, determined and self sufficient. If you subscribe to the belief that the strongest relationships are built on common interests and goals, then he is perfect for Me Katniss. Our literary love ended when he allowed he became obsessed with his weapons and winning at all costs. Sorry Gale, even I couldn't root for you to get the girl after the war ended the way it did.