Kristen's 2011 Reading List

[Kristen]

Hey, everyone! Thought I would introduce myself since I am getting my own folder started. :o) My name is Kristen, I have been married for almost five years and I have a 2 year old son. I work as an assitant band director for grades 6-12 in the town that we live in, and I love it. I am also finishing a degree in history, and I am hoping to be done with that at the end of the year...and I have no idea what I will do with a degree in history, but I hope to figure it out soon. I will put my books read along with my reviews in this folder for people to browse through, if they desire. A warning - my tastes in reading vary greatly, my husband calls my reading style eclectic since what I am reading depends on my mood and how much time I have at the moment to devote to reading. Thanks for listening to me ramble!

[Sashana]

I was thinking to myself, "who's Kristen?" Now I know, but you'll always be good ol' Mckris10 to me.

[Sans]

Sash, I was thinking the exact same thing. Hi Kristen! I'm looking forward to seeing your reading list!

[Kristen]

haha! I always forget that you all know me just by my screen name. I answer to either one so it's all good.

[Kristen]

1.The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

Finished January 1
3*
This book was a fast read and pretty entertaining. Not sure if it's worth all the hype that there was about it a few years ago though. I can definitely see why it caused some controversey among Christians because of some different theories and thoughts, but I think the book allows people to come to their own conclusions about the religious aspects. Not my favorite book ever, but it wasn't bad, and I would read another book by Dan Brown in the future if there was one that struck my interest.

[Kristen]

2.Red River Lalita Tademy

Finished January 6, 2011
4*
This was a very good book, but very hard to get through sometimes. Red River deals with an incident in history that I had not heard of before so it piqued my interest, and I'm very glad that I read it. It astounds me to read what ex slaves had to go through after the Civil War and through Reconstruction, so sad to hear about. I love that this is a fiction book, but it is full of true-to-life events about the author's family. Very interesting read, but not for the faint of heart.

[Kristen]

3.The Last Lecture Randy Pausch

Finished January 8, 2011
4*
Wow, what an inspiring book to read! This book was wonderful to read, so enlightening, and such a positive outlook. I need to take this author's advice sometimes and not complain about the bad things, but all of the blessings that I have. Thanks, Lisarenee for recommending this book to me! A must read book for someone who wants to laugh, cry, and experience pretty much every emotion there is out there.

[Kristen]

4.Alexander of Macedon 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography by Peter Green

Finished January 14, 2011
2*
This was such a long and boring book that I almost didn't get through it. Ughh...I am so happy to be done with it. For one, the author just didn't have a very interesting writing style to allow the reader to get into. The writing was very dry and was just facts, I never felt like I got to know the people at all, and that is what, I think, turns people off from reading about history. If the people in the book aren't personable then readers don't get invested in the characters, and therefore don't care about them. For another, the author assumes the reader knows more about every subject that he even briefly mentions, which makes for a very confusing read. To read and understand everything that the author mentions in this book you would have to be an expert ancient historian. I am all for learning about new things when I read a book, afterall, that is why I read so many books about history, but when I have to sit there with paper in hand to write down each person or event the author mentions so I can look them up later, the author is not doing a very good job of writing. Many people gave this book five stars and the author raving reviews, and maybe I'm just missing something...or maybe you are the expert ancient historians that I mentioned earlier, and are way smarter than me. In any case, this book was not for me, and I wouldn't recommend this to anyone except maybe if they wanted an alternative to a sleeping pill at night.

[Rachel]

Cool! Glad to know your name now! I have trouble getting my fingers to type in your screenname order for some reason! Is it ok if I call you Kristen? I know you said it was ok, but just wanted to make sure. :)

[Kristen]

That is definitely okay, Rachel. :o) How was your first week of student teaching? I know the first few weeks are always hard, but it does generally get better as you get used to the schedule.

[Lisarenee]

Kristen, I'm so glad you liked The Last Lecture. I loved it.

[Lisarenee]

Alexander of Macedon 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography Alexander of Macedon 356-323 B.C. A Historical Biography by Peter Green

Was this on the list of 1001 books you must read before you die or was it on the list of 1001 books that will bore you to death? It sounded interesting, too bad it was so boring.:(

[Rachel]

It went well. Quite overwhelming at first and I wasn't sure what to think. By Friday, I was a little more comfortable. Next week is still observation, and then the following week I take over one class period a week until the end. Talk to me again in about four weeks! Lol.

[Sashana]

Rachel wrote: "It went well. Quite overwhelming at first and I wasn't sure what to think. By Friday, I was a little more comfortable. Next week is still observation, and then the following week I take over one cl..."

Rachel, is it mandatory for all teacher to do student teaching before actually becoming a teacher? I pity the student teacher that sets foot in my school. Those kids are like sharks with blood, they can smell the fear from a mile away. Are you teaching English?

[Rachel]

It depends on your state's regulations and how far you are in your collge education. If I understand correctly, in Texas you can either go the student teaching route, or receive your master's in the area you would like to teach...English for example. When you receive your master's you still have to take all of the cert tests Texas requires and the PRAXIS (tests basic reading skills, math, etc.). However, student teaching is not normally required.

If anyone out there knows any more information feel free to add it. This sis what I have deduced from talking to counselors and such. Each one always says something a little different. Lol.

And yes I am teaching 7th grade English with one period being 6th grade Reading.

[Kristen]

Lisa wrote: Alexander of Macedon 356-323 B.C.: A Historical Biography Alexander of Macedon 356-323 B.C. A Historical Biography by Peter Green

Was this on the list of 1001 books you must read before you die or was it on the list of 1001 books that will bore you to death? It sounded interesting, too bad it was so boring.:(

I'm not sure if it's on the 1001 books list or not, I couldn't find it. And I agree - it did sound interesting, but was a big disappointment. And I always feel guilty if I don't finish a book, like I will miss out on something important if I don't finish. It's terrible and probably a waste of time. Oh well, I am now reading a much more interesting book so I am happy. :o)

[Kristen]

Now I can't get my previous post un-italisized. haha

Rachel - I help teach grades 6-12...you are one brave woman for doing jr high all day! I like high schoolers sooo much better. So I LOVE my 1st hour and 7th hour, but only like my classes in between. Jr high is just such an odd age.

[Rachel]

Yes it is! I am not sure I will stay in junior high. I am highly thinking about challenging the 9-12 and K-6 tests and then pray I can find a job not in junior high. It is ok,like you said, I like it, but I don't think junior high is my thing...I don't LOVE it.

[Kristen]

5.What's the Matter with Kansas?: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America Thomas Frank

Finished January 18, 2011
4*
So my husband, who is much more into politics than I am, told me that I HAD to read this book, and I was not disappointed at all. This is a very interesting look at how Kansas went from being one of the most progressive, and Democratic states in the late 1800s to being pretty much the most conservative state there is today. The author manages to keep the book fairly light, but yet informative and entertaining. I would recommend this book to people that are interested in the direction that politics is going, or understanding why people vote the way that they do. I would probably read another book by this author because I was pretty entertained.

[Kristen]

6.The Reef Edith Wharton

Finished January 24, 2011
4*
This book was interesting, to say the least. Once again Wharton amazes at her characterizations and flowing descriptions. The story flows very well even though there really isn't much action at all throughout the book. I love the phrases and words that Wharton writes with - you can picture each character specifically and the descriptions of the settings are wonderful. She manages to describe everything without getting too wordy. I loved everything about this book with the possible exception of the ending. The ending wasn't terrible I guess, but I would say the last seven pages were just odd. Very abrupt and the tone almost didn't even sound like the same author. Other than that, the book was great! Fascinating read into upper class society during the early 20th century.

[Jennifer]

Mckris10 wrote: "The ReefEdith Wharton

Finished January 24, 2011
4*
This book was interesting, to say the least. Once again Wharton amazes at her characteri..."

I was glad to read your review of this book because it's on my list for one of my challenges this year. I love Wharton. Have you read "the glimpses of the moon"?

[Kristen]

I have not read "Glimpses of the Moon" yet, but that one sounds really good too. The only other Wharton book that I have read is "The Age of Innocense" a couple of months ago. I can't wait to read more by her though because her writing is so fascinating. What other books of Wharton's have you read?

[Jennifer]

Custom of the country (liked), Ethan frome (didn't like, too puritanical), summer (liked, but it's short and tragic), house of mirth (liked), old new York (liked) Madame de treymes (liked), age of innocence (liked) and I have the greater inclination, the valley of decision and Hudson river bracketed sitting on my shelf. :-)

[Jennifer]

Oh, and next time you're in NYC bop on over to the north end of Washington square park-- number 14 Washington square (I'm 99 percent sure thats the house number) was whartons home. GWU owns it now.

[Kristen]

Sounds like you have read a lot of Wharton! Now that I've "discovered" her I think I will read a lot more of her books. I find that she is one of the more accessible classic writers - it's usually hit and miss with the classics, at least for me.

And thanks for the info about Wharton's house! That would be so cool to see. I've never been to NY before (I'm from KS), but if I ever make it out that way I will be sure to go find it. That would be fun!

[Kristen]

7.Hard Rain Peter Abrahams

Finished January 25, 2011
4*
This book was exactly what I needed at the moment - a quick, easy read. I enjoyed the suspense, even though I pretty much figured out the ending by the time I was about half way done. Recommend to anyone who likes mystyery/suspense novels.