In no specific order these were my favorite reads from the last year...
The One World School House by Salmon Khan is a must-read for all persons in education. His ideas are unique and inspire creativity, student to teacher interaction, and life-long learning. Reading his vision for education inspired me in my classroom and helped me see how the faults in our current system affect the classroom environment while also inhibiting potential. If you call yourself a teacher - read this!
The Joy of Less, A Minimalist Living Guide: How to Declutter, Organize and Simplify Your Life by Francine Jay I've written about this book many times on my blog as I aspire to become a minimalist. She helped me create a minimalist mindset - which was the game changer for me as I declutter and discover who I am, what my purpose is, and what it is I want to do with my life.
Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - I'll be honest, this was the first of the Harry Potter series that I enjoyed from the beginning to the end. The first two took me a bit to get into and I'm glad I kept reading them! (And no judgement, haha; this is my first time reading them!)
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer - This was another one that took me at least 30 pages to get into, but once I was able to differentiate between the characters and get past some of the literary references I knew nothing of, I could not put it down! There was so much depth to the story and the formatting was so different than anything I've ever read that I fell in love with the author's ability to tell a story through letter correspondence. It was genius! I highly recommend this story that will add to your knowledge of WWII. P.S. DO NOT skip the author's note.
A Bride in the Bargain by Deeanne Gist - I picked this one off a bargain rack mostly as a joke. As a 12 year old I was drawn to the idea of a mail-order bride. I read many books related to this story plot and dug into a bit of history behind it. I wondered how much of my fascination was just childhood fantasy or a genuine interest, so I picked this up. I did not regret reading it. This became one of my favorite books on page 231. It is not that it was a bad book up to that point, but it was at that point the book went from average to phenomenal. All because of one character who helped Anna see how big God really is using my favorite Scripture; a turning point in my own life becoming one for the main character. Despite her being fiction, I felt a connection. She drove me crazy with her nonsensical reasoning behind the biggest moments of her life and was saddened to read the note her father wrote was one that actually existed. Which brings me to my next point: I enjoyed the book all the more when I finished with the author's note detailing her research behind this fantastic historical fiction novel. One that I did not go into with overwhelming confidence but would now recommend as a must read! And one that will stay on my shelf to read again someday.
Oddhopper Opera: A Bug's Garden of Verses by Kurt Cyrus was a delight to my poetry loving, silly self. My girls and I giggled through the whole thing while also enjoying the clever rhymes and word plays.
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes was one of those terrible books that I loved to hate. This book revealed so much about the life of a quadriplegic, perseverance, love, suicide, choices, dedication, and so much more. It opened my eyes, made me angry, fall in love with the characters, and admire Moyes for tackling such a major topic.
After You by Jojo Moyes - It is rare indeed when the second book is loved more than the first. I enjoyed reading about the character's life post "Me Before You" and getting a glimpse into how she coped with grief and lived.
School's First Day of School by Adam Rex is one of the most adorable children's books I've read. I definitely recommend this one for every elementary teacher's shelf. You'll fall in love with the main character, "School" who offers a wonderful new perspective on the first day of school.
Dragon's Merry Christmas by Dav Pilkey is one of those easy readers for beginners. Unlike most level 1's, this one was actually enjoyable as you follow Dragon through his Christmas. It was refreshing to read a creative story line of a selfless character inspiring me (and my emerging reader) with the joy of giving to others and thinking of their needs above your own desires. It was one Brielle could read and I actually enjoyed reading it with her!
Plus One:
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine was a book I read after watching the movie. I was genuinely impressed that I enjoyed the movie as much as the book despite their many, many differences ('cause that has never, ever happened). Levine has a gift for writing and I found this book hard to put down. The main character is charming, full of wit, and easy to love - as is Char. The antagonist is hated as much as the protagonist is loved. For its originality, this well-written book is a favorite.
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