48 HBC: Final Update

Last night I read:

A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park (on of my favorite authors)

The PS Brothers by Maribeth Boelts

I liked both of these books.

I started 13 Treasures and will finished but yawning caught up with me so I went to sleep.

Today I read Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai. Loved. This. Book.

Total Hours: 18 hours (joint reading and book activities)
Total Pages: 1143 pages
Total Books read : 6.75 books

I fell short of my goal. Reading was slow.  Unplanned projects needed my attention. One being that the weather is great and I have to get garden plants turned in.

If I read anymore before 8 PM I will correct the totals. UPDATE:  I started The Book of Elsewhere after planting the garden and read 117 pages.  The totals are now correct.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

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48 Hours of Reading

It’s the seventh annual 48 Hours of Reading Extravaganza developed by Pam of Mother Reader.  I remember the first year, it was gloriously sunny and I planted myself in the backyard to read.  I really haven’t had another weekend like that since our weather in the Pacific Northwest is fickled.

Last year’s stats:

Total Hours: 19.5 hours (joint reading and book activities)
Total Pages: 1373 pages
Total Books read: 7 books

This year’s goal:

Total Hours: 25 hours (joint reading and book activities)
Total Pages: 2000 pages
Total Books read: 10 books

I always use this weekend to read books for our to reader award lists I promote in the upcoming school year; the WA Sasquatch and YRCA. And there’s something about fickled-showery weather that makes it an easy time to read.

Last night I listened to Scumble by Ingrid Law on my way home.  We had dinner plans with friends and then to an opening of an art show by the daughter of a friend.  Upon returning home, I read As Simple as it Seems (which isn’t an award book but intrigued me by Sarah weeks.

So far:

Total Hours: 3 hours (joint reading and book activities)
Total Pages: 181 pages
Total Books read: 1 book

Off to read. 

MsMac

The Finish Line of the 48 Hour Reading Challenge

I finished my 48 hours at  8 PM this evening.  And I’m engrossed in the final book ,The Mermaid’s Mirror, (not one of the reader’s choice nominations).

Total Hours: 19.5 hours (combined reading and book activities)
Total Pages: 1373 pages
Books read: 7 books
2012 Reader Choice Nominations

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School and Other Scary Things by Look Lenore
Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: Moving Day by Meg Cabot
11 Birthdays by Wendy Mass
Lost and Found by Andrew Clements
Dying to Meet You by Kate Klise

Others:
Finished Second Fiddle by Rosanne Parry
Read to page 212 of  The Mermaid’s Mirror by L.K.Madigan

I have some pledges to collect for  Friends of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC) as well as my own donation. 

I loved this weekend. I loved the comments and the silver pom poms of those encouraging me to read on. My eyes are tired. Thanks to Pam, AKA Mother Reader for arranging this weekend.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

Now Up to 11 Hours

Yesterday was a glorious day to read.  I sat outside as much as I could to read. It was interrupted with committments, two of which had reading attached to them.

I read and finished:

Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School and Other Scary Things

Allie Finkle’s Rules for Girls: Moving Day

Both of these books are on the reader’s choice lists for 2012.  I like this weekend to get these read. These two books will appeal to many readers and I thought it interesting that they both had “rules”.

I finished Rosanne Parry’s Second Fiddle last night.  What a great read and the pace is different from Heart of a Shepherd which Ialso loved.  It’s been fun to read her books side by side.

I began 11 Birthdays, another reader’s choice last night and will continue on my list.

My dinner with my adult book club talked about reading The Book Thief (forever on my list) and other potentials for the coming year. We decided to read Team of Rivals this summer to discuss in August.

Totally fun day.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

So Far 4.5 Hours

I have read 4.5 hours.  My eyes fell asleep ;ast night and I missed an hour.  Got up this am at 5:30 to read.  Fininshed Lenore Look’s Alvin Ho: Allergic to Girls, School, and Other Scary Things. It was pretty funny.  Today I have an hour and a half Readers’ Theater rehearsal at school. Hopefully I can count some of it.  the students perform on Tuesday.

Today I plan to finish Second Fiddle by Rosanne Parry and my reread of her first book, Heart of a Shepherd.  She comes for lunch on Monday for book club.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

48 Hour Reading Challenge

This weekend I am participating in the the 6th Annual 48 Hour Reading Challenge.  I amreading this weekend in honor of Bridget Zinn.  She loved, loved, loved reading. 

I will donate money for the hours  I have read to  Friends of the Cooperative Children’s Book Center (CCBC), a place in which Bridget worked and was part of their board. 

If you would like to donate to my  weekend read-a-thon, that would be super duper.  All money will go to the CCBC.

 

 

Now I gotta get reading! I’ll be checking in periodically.  You can follow on Twitter me @JoneMac53.

 

Happy reading.

Ms Mac

 

Poetry Friday: Inventory

The worse part about June is the library books need to come in two weeks before school ends to do inventory. My assistant  and I feel like grinches and grumblebunnies as we plead and cajole students to find and return books. This year I am trying something new.   For every student who gets their book in on time, their name will go into a drawing for a chance to win some books. 

Today’s poem  is in honor of those who cannot part with their books.

Inventory

 June arrives
and library books
must return.

I can’t find
mine. Not finished reading yet.

Book lovers resist.

 Poetry Friday is HERE

This is the 48 Hour Reading Challenge Weekend and that’s what I am doing.  What ar you up to this weekend?

Happy Reading.

MsMac

 

48 Hour Reading Challenge: The Finish Line

Done. Completed.  Better than last year. 

Last year  I was traveling. I forgot to say I was in on the challenge nor did I sign out.  But this year I did.  Last year I read 4 of the 6 books planned.  Last year I read a total of  559 pages.  I didn’t blog or tweet last year while reading. 

Hours of reading: 15
Hours of blogging/tweeting, etc: 2
Books read: 6 plus a smidge
Pages: 923
Charity donation: $25.00
Charity: Fanconi Anemia Research Fund ( in remembrance to my friend’s son who lost his life to this terrible disease and in hopes they find a cure for her other son graduating from college this month).

Definitely improved from last year.

Thoughts about this weekend’s book selection:

I finished with Ellie McDoodle: New Kid in School by Ruth McNally Barshaw and got to page 29 of  The Magic Half by Annie Barrows.  Ellie McDoodle is a very fun book that anybody who loved Diary of a Wimpy Kid with probably love this (especially the girl readers).  It is a combo of cartoon like illustrations and text featuring a girl who has moved and is adapting to her new school.  It is very humorous.

Just started The Magic Half, a story about a girl stuck in the middle of two sets of twins.  I just reached the part where she travels back into time.  Again, another story about moving, getting used to new surroundings and wanting to fit in. 

It’s interesting that the Sasquatch nominees for this year are heavy into girl MC.   I like reading these books this time of year so that I have a good idea in how to promote them in September.  Of the books listed below, I think only four will have great appeal to boys: Found, Knucklehead ( a memoir), Leepike Ridge (which I may start to read tonight) and Simon bloom, the Gravity Keeper.  The Lemonade War might appeal to boys with the brother-sister rivalry.  But the list seems to lack a wow factor for all readers.  I just know there were great books written in 2007-2008 that should have made this list.

Title	Author
The Magic Half	Barrows, Annie
Ellie McDoodle, New Kid in School	Barshaw, Ruth McNally
The Lemonade War	Davies, Jacqueline
Diamond Willow	Frost, Helen
The Truth about Horses, Friends, & My Life as a Coward	Gibson, Sarah
Found	Haddix, Margaret Peterson
A Friendship for Today	McKissack, Patricia
Simon Bloom, the Gravity Keeper	Reisman, Michael
Knucklehead	Sciezka, Jon
First Light	Stead, Rebecca
Leepike Ridge	Wilson, N.D.
42 Miles	Zimmer, Tracie Vaughn

 A big thank you to Mother Reader for once again organizing this event. It really is fun.  Now I am off to figure out a nonfiction book for Nonfiction Monday and to read some more.  I hope next year I break the 1000 page mark.  Congrats to other finishers.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

48HRC: Saturday

For the first time in weeks, the sun made an appearance to awake the northwest from its rain drenched slumber. 

So I was able to do the planned weeding ( helped by the fact that my husband had sprayed the weeks  the last time there was sun).  I thinned and moved some crocosmia from the side to the front yard.  It has bloomed where its been planted and I am hoping it will like the new location as well.  Was also able to get the perennial purchased in April into the ground, finally!

In order to get to out of dodge on June 17, I have to put in seven hours outside of school to make-up and extra day.  So off to school I went (throughly wishing I had a book on tape in th car, grrr).  At school I listened to Karen Hesse’s The Music of Dolphins as I worked on grading the fifth grade tech projects. It is haunting.  I kept  thinking about Karena in Island of the Blue Dolphins.

Attended the bargaining meeting and while we are not done bargaining, the sections for the library media specialists remain. We are teaching. Now I have to figure  out how to keep the hour block at 5th grade and hopefully add fourth grade.

So after a nap, dinner, and DQ (Dairy Queen) for dessert, I returned to reading. The books I am reading this weekend are from the Washington State Reader’s Choice Award, The Sasquatch Award.  Getting the books read now gives me time to think about how to promote them and which ones teachers should read aloud.

  Finished The Lemonade War by Jaqueline Davies.  I liked it and  think kids will relate to the story.  Sibling rivalry, competition, and boys vs girls, what’s not to like?

Read and finished A Friendship for Today by Patricia McKissack.  This is one for teachers to read aloud.  In the end, McKissack reveals it is based on her childhood.  I think that it might be a good one for a book study as well.  I don’t know that my students will gobble it up when given the choice.

So today, other than church and a bit of groceries shopping, I am reading, reading, reading until 7 PM.  I should be able to get 8 hours in and hopefully get through the remaining 7 books I selected for the weekend.

Happy Reading.

MsMac

48 Hour Reading Challenge: Notes So Far

My time is from 7 PM Friday to 7 PM Sunday.   Of course the weather has decided to bless us with sun so I have to do some gardening before the weeds completely take over, have to spend three hours at work (book on tape to save the day), and attend a bargaining general membership meeting.

Hoped to have two books read last night. Eyes kept slamming shut (evidenced by my poor spelling on the Facebook and Twitter update).  I am almost done with The Lemonade War.