Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Thing #16: Discover Library Thing

I love to read and never seem to have enough time to do it as much as I would like to. I really don't go to libraries or book stores very much. Too many choices and not enough time to really look. That is why when I go to the library or book store, I have a specific book that I am looking for. When I was working on my masters degree and additional certifications, I was so glad when I was done, so that I could start reading things for pleasure and not because it is required.

Even right now, I have a stack of magazines that I need to start reading. This summer I had foot surgery and was stuck in the house on doctors orders for two weeks. I am not a person that likes being told that "your under house arrest", and I could think of worse things that I would rather do than be under house arrest again. I will say that during this two week "house arrest", I was able to catch up on my magazines and read some books that I had been meaning to get to. One of the books that I read this summer and could not put down was by the author Jodi Picoult titled Nineteen Minutes . This was a great book that the ending caught me by total surprise.

A lot of high school students are reading the following books: Twilight, New Moon, Breaking Dawn and Eclipse all written by Stephenie Meyer. A number of the students that I know have personally went out and bought movie tickets for the opening night of New Moon which starts next week. Again, by reading some of the books that my students are currently reading, we are able to have discussions about the characters and plots in the novels and I get to pass on the importance of the "joy of reading" and becoming a "life-long learner.

Back to reality, I still have a lot of magazines that I need to read. I always get ideas for new books to read by asking other teachers at work, looking at the Oprah's Book Club, reading book reviews in other popular magazines. As a teacher, I also like to check out books that students at my high school are reading in order to make connections with students that who are really into books and are not your typical sports nut, cheerleader, and etc. Being able to make connections with students through their interests is a positive thing for teachers to do.

I enjoyed using the Library Thing to check out one of my favorite writers Jodi Picoult and was able to tag some of her novels that I would like to read in the future. I have always read book reviews on Amazon.com, but they are also wanting you to purchase the book as well. I am not sure if I will use Library Thing on a regular basis in the future, but I have bookmarked it to check out again in the future.

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