Sunday Salon...Oct. 14

Purple Mountain Ash in the background and a Japanese Willow in the foreground. Fall has arrived to our backyard.

Weather:  Cold and rainy. The weather has turned and Fall is definitely with us.

This past week: I kept my head down and just tried to do my work without doing anything to draw attention to myself. I needed this after the blunders of the week before. I also rolled out the Mock Printz books for my students.  We are underway. 

Yesterday. I spent the day reading and blogging. I finally have my reading mojo back and I didn't want to lose my momentum. I finished five books this past week which equals the total reading for the month of September.

Today:  I need to write a few thank you cards and hope to find a break in the weather to walk the dog.

Book(s) I've finished this week:

• Second Chance Summer by Morgan Matson...it took me almost a month to read it, but I finally completed it.  As with most books, when you read them too slowly they don't hold the attention. I liked the ending but I still think the book was too long.
• The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater.... my new favorite!  Love this book from start to finish. In fact, I can attribute the return of my reading mojo to this audiobook. I wanted to listen to this story all the time (which, of course, I couldn't do.)
• Beyond Courage: the Untold Story of Jewish Resistance During the Holocaust by Doreen Rappaport... divided into regions and themes this nonfiction book relates stories of Jewish heroism during WWII. It is a Mock Printz selection.
• October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shepard by Leslea Newman... this slim volume contains over fifty poems in a variety of poetic styles about the life, death, and legacy of Matthew Shepard, the gay boy who was tortured and killed for being gay in October 1998.
• The Good Braider by Terry Farish...a war victim from Sudan makes it to America with her mother but assimilation isn't easy.

Currently reading/listening to:  

• Every Day by David Levithan...I just started this book before bed last night so I haven't gotten far. The story line--a boy wakes up every morning in a different persons body.
• Legend by Marie Lu...I just started this audiobook yesterday. I can't tell if it is considered Dystopian or just set in the future. Students report that they like this book and want to read one just like it.  Guess I'd best figure out what all the fuss is about.

Scripture Lesson today: Isaiah 65:1 “I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me; I was found by those who did not seek me. To a nation that did not call on my name, I said, ‘Here am I, here am I.’

I'm praying for: my husband's job situation.

From the kitchen: Today I hope to make a pot of pumpkin soup. The recipe in Parade Magazine sounds good.