kazu googoo

book baton

oh crap! evidently sloop had baton'd me without my knowledge. i'm still new to these things but here goes...

number of books i own
i don't even want to get up and count, but there are probably 350-400 on the several shelves in the house. i wrapped about 50 in tin foil for a lesson in my 2nd grade class last year and i have yet to unwrap them. it will be like christmas when i finally do.

last book purchased
'the long way round' by ewan mcgregor and charlie boorman ...this is the firsthand account of ewan and charlie's motorcycle trip around the world, literally, as seen on the popular(?) television series of the same name. if i was as rich as these two actors, i'd buy a motorbike and take timE across the globe. minus the camera crew and lithuanian mafia.

book reading right now
this is pathetic for two reasons, but i have been reading this book for the last nine months. the book is none other than dan brown's 'the da vinci code' yes, i know, that's so 5 minutes ago, but i'll have you know that i am on top of other trends like this new musical movement called grunge that is all the rave... in any case, my excuse is that i picked this book up in france over christmas from the owner of the house that we stayed in while in paris. it was a great place to start reading as i would read about san sulpice and its golden compass rose and then hop on the metro and see it in person the next day. da vinci code became a frommer's guide for me during my week in paris. alas, i read slowly and gave the book back to the owner when i left france. it wasn't until my birthday in march that reese bought me the super-cool illustrated edition of of the book. by then i was busy teaching and i don't like to set a bad example by reading in front of children.

last five book i have read
this will also seem pathetic and will show that (a) i just graduated from college and (b) i have been taking a mental break. after all, it is the summer and i don't read during the summer. i tend to spill margaritas on the pages and again, i don't want to set a bad example for the children. in no particular order...

1) 'shall we gather at the river' by james wright this was a grad present from laura, brian, and n8, and i gobbled it up in a matter of hours. i am a gigantor poetry fan, and james wright is my favorite poet, he's basically pittsburgh's answer to langston hughes

2) 'the panther and the lash' by langston hughes...speaking of langston hughes, this book was a gift from my poetry professor and i try and read it a few times a year.

3) 'professional learning communities at work: best practices for enhancing student achievement' by dufour and eakerany book with a colon in the title is apt to put you to sleep. this was actually a gripping read that examined the failures of the reform movement in education and presents a case for PLCs which are all the rave in education as of late. i honestly read this book to be able to speak to PLCs in an interview, but i found it interesting and helpful on a professional level. but it may be like counting sheep to some.

4) 'Guiding Readers and Writers (Grades 3-6): Teaching Comprehension, Genre, and Content Literacy' by Irene C. Fountas, Gay Su Pinnellagain the colon in the title indicates that this wasn't pleasure reading. it does lay an insane foundation for teaching literacy though!

5) 'the branch will not break' by james wright' is it sad that three of the five books are poetry collections? i think not. i actually carry this book in my manpurse so that i can read it whenever i feel the urge. it's the bible of poetry and i try and read it in its entirety at least once a month.

so there you have it. i been batoned. i'd pass it on, but i don't know enough bloggers, so i break the chain. just like kobe, i'm the black hole and you aint gettin the ball back!

posted by kazuhank @ 7:42 PM