It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a weekly meme that I am joining in on!  It is hosted by Sheila of Book Journey.  It is where book bloggers and wanna be book bloggers (me!) gather and share what they are reading and their thoughts on said books.  Like I said in my first post, I feel as if I am the Queen of lurking, and have been wanting to write on of these posts for quite some time.  So here we go....drum roll please!


Current Reads

My professional read:
Kelly Gallagher's Write Like This Teaching Real World Writing Through Modeling and Mentor Texts
I have read bits and pieces of this book before, but not as a teacher of writing necessarily.  I love the analogy of if you want to get better at shooting baskets you begin by observing someone who knows how to shoot baskets very well compared to writing.  I am thinking of revisiting personal narratives using Kelly's ideas as well as the book When I Was Your Age, Volume One: Original Stories About Growing Up.  I will keep you posted as this project develops.  If anyone has any suggestions or ideas, please share!

My "For fun" read:
Blue Balliett's Hold Fast.  This has been on my TBR pile forever, and I am putting this in writing so I just start it!  This book has me intrigued and I have heard nothing but good things about Illinois author Blue Balliett, so I think this will be a treat!

First Blog Post Ever!!!

So I have been very intrigued by the blogging world of teachers, professional authors that are on my bookshelves, and authors of children's literature and middle grade books and beyond.  I will admit that a secret guilty pleasure of mine has been lurking on Twitter and watching their conversations amongst each other.  I want to be a part of this secret world, but I always felt as if I didn't fit in!

Rewind to July.  I attended my first ever edcamp, and NerdcampBC nonetheless.  I was so excited and nervous all at the same time.  I drove up there not knowing anyone.  I felt like I was a student the night before school started.  I had butterflies and had called my husband repeatedly asking him, "What if no one likes me?" And for at least the 300th time, he reassured me, "You are the same person that can make friends with a wall, you will find someone that likes you!"  I reflected on this little nugget of wisdom, thinking I'm not friends with any walls, but I suppose the man is right.  After all, we have been married for six years and together for nine years, so I guess that means he knows me a little bit!

I got there and saw people that I had been seeing on Twitter posting brilliant tweets.  I was slightly starstruck to say the least.  Here are the very people whose blogs I had been reading and following for months.  Their thoughts in writing were everything I have thought but have never been able to put into words.  It was refreshing to see and hear and talk to people who were as passionate and probably way more passionate than I am about teaching, reading, and placing books in the hands of students.  I had arrived at Nerd Nirvana!

I went to several sessions and learned a ton!  Met some really cool people and still felt like a lurker.  I went to a session that Donalyn Miller, the Book Whisperer, led about how the Nerdy Book Club needs you.  I was intrigued.  I listened to how the Nerdy Book Club got started and how they were always looking for people to write blogs for them.  I so wanted to, but I never saw myself as a writer.  And when I say never, I mean NEVER.  The only writing I did was the classic five paragraph essay.  And I hated that type of writing.

So here I am, expanding my horizons and beginning this adventure.  I am hoping this will help me grow both as a writer and as an educator.