Clearly, it’s the end of the school year, and research papers are weighing me down. Although I have somewhat neglected my blog, I have not neglected my reading (too much).
This week I finished
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Septys
This novel is historical fiction in which the characters are sent to Siberia during the time of Josef Stalin’s takeover of Lithuania. I knew relatively nothing about the historical events described so evocatively in this story, and now the strength of these survivors has quite captivated and inspired me.
I’m currently teaching (and therefore re-reading)
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
This book is one of my favorites, which you may know if you saw my 50 favorite books post.
Here are a couple of my favorite quotes:
“If we, citizens, do not support our artists, then we sacrifice our imagination on the altar of crude reality and we end up believing in nothing and having worthless dreams.”
“To choose doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportation.”
“If you stumble about believability, what are you living for? Love is hard to believe, ask any lover. Life is hard to believe, ask any scientist. God is hard to believe, ask any believer. What is your problem with hard to believe?”
This coming week I will be reading
Drive by Daniel Pink
Yes! I finally found this book that I was missing for a few weeks. It was stuffed on my bookshelf at a weird angle. I’m about halfway through this one, and I’m really liking it. I’m already thinking about how to harness his insights in the classroom.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
I picked this one up at a bookstore sale this weekend. I’ve never read anything by Neil Gaiman, although several people I know really enjoy his work. This particular book is about a child who is raised in a graveyard by ghosts, and unbeknownst to him, his family’s killer lives nearby. I’ve been looking for a good creepy story lately; as this book’s target audience is middle school, it might be a good gateway back into that genre.
What are you reading this week?
“It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?” is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey. It’s a great way to keep track of what you’re reading and see what others are reading each week.
Teach It Slant 
I have some family and friends who love Gaiman. They’re always hounding me to read his graphic novels. If you like his books, look on YouTube for a commencement speech he gave to an art school last year; he talks about art and his career.
Life of Pi is highly quotable. Here’s a darker quotation, also from the beginning: “The first time I went to an Indian restaurant in Canada I used my fingers. The waiter looked at me critically and said, ‘Fresh off the boat, are you?’ I blanched. My fingers, which a second before had been taste buds savouring the food a little ahead of my mouth, became dirty under his gaze….He had no idea how deeply those words wounded me.” I’ve known several people from India who ate without utensils at home but never out in public. Eventually they switched completely, and I never thought anything of it. After reading Pi’s little anecdote, I wonder if they encountered alienation or disapproval for something that is viewed so differently between two cultures.
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