One of the great parts of my job as a teacher is that in the summer I get much more time to do what I enjoy most – read. Granted, some of that reading is school-related as I continue to search for new and better ways to do what I do. However, between not having to be at work every day and sitting around waiting for games to start, I get more time to read books.
I’m sure some schools give summer reading lists to students. While that would be nice to do, I can imagine how effective it must be. After all, while I’m catching up on my reading, kids have a lot of binge watching to complete during the summer, along with hours and hours in which to sharpen their Fortnite skills.
One of my favorite parts of reading is sharing with others when I’ve read a great book. The ability to give that gift and hopefully have someone else read that same book and find it to be a great experience is nourishing for the soul. It’s also a lot of fun to talk about the book after that person has finished it. Sometimes you gain even more insight into that reading experience.
Over the last couple of years, I’ve started posting a picture of whatever I’m reading on my classroom door. Every now and then a student will ask about that book or say that he or she has read it, but I also find a number of adults who traverse the hallways will comment. And if, every now and then, someone decides to read one of those books based on seeing it on my door, all the better.
With that in mind, I’d like to share with you some of the great things I read this summer. I hit a streak where I kept finding outstanding book after outstanding book. Maybe you’ve read some of these or maybe you’d like to read them in the future.
Last year, TNT had a TV show on called The Alienist. It was a very well done historical drama set in the late 1800s. I enjoyed the storyline and decided to find the book upon which it was based. Caleb Carr was the author, and I quickly found that the book really drew me in, even though I knew what was going to happen. The historical accuracy of what life in New York City was like at that time and including people we’re all familiar with, such as Teddy Roosevelt, made the book seem real.
The Alienist is a mystery that is exceedingly disturbing. Young boys who serve in the world’s oldest profession are being murdered, and a bizarre group gathers to try to solve the mystery. This group is trying out new methods of detecting such as using fingerprints and analyzing the motives to track down the killer. Warning: this is a graphic book. There are a lot of details about the murders and other things that might not be for everyone. If you’ve seen the show, the book fills in a lot of blanks and really makes the story complete.
I had placed my name on a waiting list at the library for Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi. I was #19 at the time. Within three weeks, I got my copy. People all around the library region were not able to put it down, which is why I got it so quickly. I found the book to be just as compelling as those others had. I had seen this book recommended by another teacher as a good book for young adults, and I found it to be one of the better books I’ve read in awhile.
The main character is Zelie. She lives in a country called Orisha, which is a monarchy. There used to be magic in the land, but that has mostly dried up and disappeared for various reasons. Zeile, who is considered to be a second-class citizen, joins with her brother and a member of the aristocracy to try to change things. Alliances constantly shift as the charcters try to figure out just what it is they really want. While magic is involved in the story, it doesn’t really feel like a fantasy story, so if that’s not your thing, you might still consider this excellent book. Plus, it sure feels like Adeyemi is setting up at least one more story in this land.
Most people know that I love Star Wars and just about everything to do with that amazing galaxy far, far away. So it’s no surprise that I enjoy reading novels set in the Star Wars universe. They expand on the mythos created by the movies and give great insight into the characters and actions we see in those movies. For example, if you saw The Last Jedi and were a bit confused by some parts, I recommend reading the novelization of it; the book adds a lot and makes the movie even more rewarding upon another viewing.
My favorite author in this particular universe is Timothy Zahn. His various Star Wars novels over the years have stood head and shoulders above most others. His latest, which came out in July, is Thrawn: Alliances. Grand Admiral Thrawn is a character Zahn created back in the 90s, an alien character who, against all odds, rose through the ranks in the Empire. While we would consider him a “bad guy,” his turn as a protagonist is fascinating.
This book is a follow-up to a Thrawn novel that came out last year and finds the main character having to team up with Darth Vader to solve a problem that threatens the Empire. Through the course of the book, we also see a past team-up with these two, except it was during a time before Anakin Skywalker became the Dark Lord of the Sith. Zahn’s ability to make you care about characters you should despise is uncanny.
As the school year starts, my reading time will be curtailed. However, hopefully by the time you read this, I’ll have finished Carr’s sequel to the book I mentioned, a tome titled The Angel of Darkness. It’s pretty amazing too, so chances are good I’ll be on to something new soon!
Word of the Week: This week’s word is scapegrace, which means a scoundrel, as in, “Even though the main character was something of a scapegrace, the reader found himself caring about what happened to him.” Impress your friends and confuse your enemies!