Right Up My Alley....

I was SO excited about this post over at To Reflect His Glory today!! It turns out thatCallapidderdays is sponsoring this challenge called Fall into Reading.

The idea is to list all those books you intend to read this Fall. There's a prize that will be selected at random at the end. You know what, though? It's not about the prize, for me. It's about the fact that I need to take the time to do the very thing I LOVE and the very thing that is my PASSION! I am hoping that some of you will join me.

Since I'm a Reading Specialist who is EXTREMELY far behind on her reading (both personally and professionally), I thought I'd jump in with the group. I went right to my bedside table, brought all my books out to the living room, and took this picture: This is only a SMALL portion of my "To Be Read" books. I have many more at work that are waiting in line.
I'll delineate here:

Non-fiction (at home)

1. Ending Your Day Right: Devotions for Ending the Day Right by Joyce Meyer

2. My Bible--no, I don't get to really READ it everyday. It's something that I know is important and that deserves so much priority.

3. Having a Mary Heart In a Martha World by Joanna Weaver. - If you've read my blog at all, you know I NEED this book!! The problem is, I've been a bit too "Martha" lately to actually sit down and READ the thing!!!!

4. What Really Matters for Struggling Readers by Richard Allington - I've read this before, but this is an updated version of it. This book directly impacts the population we serve at my school and thus impacts the job I do every single day.

Non-fiction (at work)

5. Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi - This book has intrigued me since it came out. It is a very deep read and I have had it in my pile. I finally picked it up the other day and am trying to read it a little chunk at a time. It would be a great reading group book. Every time I read a chunk, I want to talk to someone else about it.

6. Literacy Leadership: Six Strategies for People Work by Donald A. McAndrew - We received this book at one of our recent literacy meetings. We each read a portion and shared our portion. This definitely made me want to read the rest of it and really dig into it. It is a keeper that could impact my job for sure.

7. Bringing Words to Life: Robust Vocabulary Instruction by Isabell Beck and margaret G. McKeown. I'm going to be conducting a book study group on this book in the very near future. I guess it'd be nice if I picked it up and previewed it, right??

Fiction (at home)

The following books are in my stack in the photo above:

8. the devil wears prada by Lauren Weisberger - OK, I admit it just intrigued me a bit. A friend read it and whet my appetite.

9. Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden - I've always wanted to read this. I bought it in a 2-for-1 sale not long ago. It's been closed in my pile since then.


10. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd - I wanted to read it because I LOVED Secret Life of Bees. I talked to my cousin, Lynn, about it and she said she didn't really like it as much as "Bees"...I think that's why I didn't dive right in. It's amazing what the "blessing of a book" or "not blessing of a book" means to a reader, isn't it?

11. Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd - I REALLY loved it and want to read it again!!!!

12. The Rescue by Nicholas Sparks - I put these away when I got weepy around the time of DS 1's high school graduation. I think I am about ready emotionally to handle a new Sparks' book.

13. The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks - See my comment above.

Books that were loaned to me and recommended by friends:

14. Angelas Ashes by Frank McCourt - A friend loaned me this months ago. It has gone virtually untouched.

15. Teacher Man by Frank McCourt - Also given to me by the same friend. I WILL get through this book!!

16. Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson - A friend recommended this to me after she read it and was ready to put it in our book swap basket at work. There it sits, at work, waiting!

OK, I am definitely challenged and motivated to get started. Maybe I'll finish a couple this weekend!! If you want to join in, hurry over to Callapidderdays and sign up!!

Happy Reading!!