#MustReadin2017

Visit There Is a Book for That to see what else others are reading.

Setting goals is something I do all the time in my running world, but I have never set any reading goals for myself. I have to admit, I find it kind of overwhelming. Truth be told, I’m a ~~slow~~ reader. But that’s okay, right? (say yes, or nod your head here!)

When I came across the hashtag #MustReadin2017, I certainly had no difficulties compiling a stack of books. I mean what reader doesn’t have a never-ending list of books they want to read, right?

But, I’ll tell you that creating this stack really gave me a focus for what I want to read next. I’m usually grabbing at books here and grabbing at books there and that too gets overwhelming. Creating the list and having a focus, now that’s a good feeling, for me anyway. I’m also keeping an open mind and accepting what I do complete from this list as a success.

Regardless, I thought it would be fun to see what else others are reading and enjoy some great books along the way. And, perhaps the best part is that I get share the books with my friends, readers, colleagues, and PLN. So, here’s what my #MustReadin2017 stack looks like. Drum roll, please…

On my reading radar now:

• small great things by Jodi Picoult: Wow, intense and certainly thought provoking! I’m wondering when the small great things are going to make an appearance in this book. I love Picoult’s writing so I’m anxious to see how she pulls everything together or not…
• How to Live a Good Life by Jonathan Fields: This book is in the self-help genre, which is a favorite genre of mine. I have found so many wonderful wise words in it and it is also where I found my One Little Word for 2017 (more details about my OLW for 2017 in another post).
• The Key to Extraordinary by Natalie Lloyd. I received this book when I went to the Scholastic Reading Summit and somehow it got pushed to the side. Then my partner in crime, Katie, told me I must.read.it! I would.love.it! So that’s what I’m reading next.

Happy reading!

Thank you, Carrie for hosting #MustReadin2017!

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Slice of Life

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Two Writing Teachers

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A Magical Tasting of Books

There were books!

There were raffle prizes.

There were more books!

There was white & grape sparkling juice cocktail served in champaign flutes.

There were more books!

There were macaroons, brownies, and crepe cookies sprinkled on silver platters.

And there were more books!

Yes, there was magic in the air! It was a Book Tasting hosted in the Literacy Lovers’ Lounge by two book enthusiasts ready to share their love of books with their colleagues.

Your hostesses: Amy & Katie

Two weeks before the Christmas break began Katie & I hosted a book tasting for the fellow book lovers at our school.

We.had.a.blast!

The book tasting was a huge success and the buzz of books was eve-ry-where. So perhaps you’re wondering what a book tasting is or how you can host one in your school. Well, read on to see how it unfolded.

Katie and I first decided which books and which categories/genres we wanted to highlight for our tasting. Boy was that difficult! There were so many books. We kept adding books to our list and kept adding books to our list! We came up with the six genres we wanted to share: realistic fiction, fantasy, non-fiction, poetry, picture books, and professional books.

Then we made “library cards” for each book (cute and fun). The library cards were talking points and highlights of the fantastic features of the book. We attached curling ribbon and added them to the book in a bookmark-like fashion. And, of course, we added the books to a Padlet so teachers could reference them after the tasting.

displaying the books

We invited the teachers to join us and for anyone who RSVP’d we sent them a free downloadable resource on how to host a Book Swap before the Christmas break. This was a great way to make sure everyone had a book to read over the break.

On event day, we set up a raffle table and handed out raffle tickets to teachers who showed up, wrote a book recommendation, and visited both rooms of the “literacy lovers’ lounge”. The raffle items were everything from a reading survival kit (fuzzy blanket, cozy socks, and a box of tea bags) to picture books to chapter books. Who could resist such wonderful prizes!

drop your raffle ticket here

And, of course, we weren’t just tasting books! We had small treats sprinkled here and there to enjoy while book browsing.

macaroons, brownies, and crepe cookies

But the best part of all…

the book platters!

realistic fiction

nonfiction

professional books

poetry/books in verse

Last but not least, our book friends arrived and Katie and I talked, chatted, shared, and babbled about the books we had selected.

The atmosphere was magical!

We shared some of our favorite books and teachers were “eating them up”!

It was a magnificent morning sharing our book love.

But the magic didn’t stop that morning. The excitement continued as teachers in our building hosted their very own Book Tasting with their readers. I was honored to attend and talk about books with a group of 5th grade readers.

And that my fellow readers is what it is all about…

“You can find magic wherever you look.  Sit back and relax all you need is a book!”

~Dr. Seuss

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Slice of Life

hosted at

Two Writing Teachers

Join in and share a slice of your life!