My January and February Reads
Here’s what I’ve been reading…
I stole this idea from my friend and moto blogger/author Debi Wilder. She is a voracious reader, and at the end of each month, she shares a recap of what she has read for the month. While I love to read, I’m also SUPER swamped these days between a full-time job and working on my master’s degree in education. So while I love Debi’s idea, I may modify it slightly and share this recap two months at a time instead of monthly.
I plan to include paper books, audiobooks, and books I read via Kindle or Apple Books. I don’t use an actual Kindle device (even though I own one…I hate it). I actually read on my iPad mini, and it's fast become my preferred way to read books! I’ll also include the textbooks I read, as I firmly believe that all reading matters. I’ll spare you by not including the scholarly articles and such that my professors ask us to read…I want to keep this just to books…be it electronic or paper.
Dinners With Ruth by Nina Totenberg (audiobook)
I can’t say enough good things about this book! I have listened to Nina for years on NPR, and I’ve seen some of her interviews with RBG but had no idea of the depth of their friendship. It’s almost like you get two biographies in one with this book, as Nina spent so much of her life covering the life and career of Ruth Badger Ginsberg. She is definitely an expert, and she relates the highs and lows of both their personal and professional lives and shares the wonderful experiences they shared together as the closest of friends.
Multipliers-How the Best Leaders Make Everyone Smarter by Liz Wiseman (audiobook)
This is a great book for leaders looking to develop capacity in their teams. There are many case studies of companies that have made incremental changes that resulted in big positive gains. However, it seemed like they really drug out the message into something that could have been completed much sooner. My other complaint was much of the ideas shared weren’t really relevant to public education, but then again, the book wasn’t marketed to be, so that’s not a big surprise.
Spare by Prince Harry (audiobook)
I try not to get caught up in all the royal hullaballoo, but I dearly loved and respected Princess Diana for her work and spirit, so by default, that made me a fan of her sons. I’ve long felt that Harry didn’t seem to fit in with the rest of that family, and after reading this book, I’m convinced of that. I know there are two sides to every story, but the palace isn’t talking, and Harry’s side of the story made my jaw drop many times. My personal take is that the family messed up an opportunity to turn the page and “modernize” their image with Harry and Megan. This was a very long audiobook, but I enjoyed every minute of it.
Green lights by Matthew McConaughey ( audiobook)
I always have liked Matthew McConaughey as an actor, and by now, you know I am a sucker for an audiobook narrated by the celebrity author….especially when that author’s voice is as smooth as McConaughey’s! But I have to say I was a bit disappointed by this one. While he told some great stories of his life and rise to stardom, in between those stories was a whole lot of egotistical pontificating, and even though this was shorter than many of the audiobooks I consume, it was at times a struggle to get through due to the pontificating segments. Maybe he didn’t mean them to sound that way, but that is how they sounded to me. Overall, if you are a McConaughey fan, this book is worth the read…but you have been warned!
The Storyteller by Dave Grohl (audiobook)
If you are a Foo Fighters or Nirvana fan, this book is a must-read…, or you can listen to the audiobook as I did. As I’ve mentioned previously, I’m a sucker for celeb bios. I like it when they narrate the audiobook themselves, and Grohl really is a master storyteller. You honestly feel like you are sitting in your backyard drinking a beer with the guy listening to him tell old stories…but these are WAY COOLER stories than anyone ever tells at the BBQs I usually attend! A self-taught musician that plays almost every instrument you can think of, Grohl has had an amazing career that he walks you through like an old friend. But probably my fave parts of this book were listening to him recount stories and memories created with his daughters Violet and Harper. Music is Grohl’s passion, but those kiddos are absolutely his first love, and it shows.
Making Content Comprehensible for English Learners: The SIOP Model by Jana Echevarria (textbook)
Yup, I include textbooks on here, so y’all know I don’t ONLY do audiobooks…lol. This is the textbook for my Master’s program practicum this semester, and we’ve just finished it. It’s actually pretty interesting, with some practical ideas that would especially be helpful to new teachers. I’ve worked in a district that used the “sheltered instruction” model for years, but as teachers, we never really got any formal instruction in it. It was helpful to read this and understand the theory behind the SIOP practices that AISD uses, and it will help me be able to share those practices better with other teachers. We still have an ESL teaching textbook we are still reading, so I’ll share details on that when I’m finished, as we are only 1/3 of the way into that one.
Understanding Research: A Consumer’s Guide by Vicki L. Plano-Clark (textbook)
This was the textbook for my literacy research course, one of the two 8-week courses I’m taking this semester as part of my program. While it’s pretty darn dry reading, it was helpful in understanding scholarly research articles. It is also extremely effective if you suffer from insomnia…I promise you’ll be sawing logs in no time…lol.
So, those are my reads for January and February. I’ve already finished one book for March, so I’ll be getting started on my list for this next month. With Spring Break, I am hoping to have a little more time for personal reading besides just my audiobooks.
If you are on Goodreads, I would love to connect with you. I’m always looking for more interesting books for my ever-expanding “to be read” list, so check out my Goodreads page here, and let’s be friends.
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/141041249-tracey-smith
What are YOU reading this month? What great books have you finished lately?
