Sunday, January 31, 2010

One Down, 11 to go...

Today is January 31; to date, my books of 2010 are:

  1. Notes from the Midnight Driver
  2. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
  3. Beautiful Creatures
  4. Ballad
  5. Her Fearful Symmetry
  6. Going Bovine
  7. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief
  8. The Girl Who Played with Fire
  9. Nurtureshock (still in progress)

I just finished the second Stieg Larsson book, The Girl Who Played with Fire. I couldn't put it down! My to-do list has been neglected. It was outstanding, as was The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.

Two things are on my mind: first, great disappointment that Stieg Larsson died not long after turning over the manuscripts of his trilogy. I would have loved to read many more of his books. Second, Larsson was an outspoken humanitarian and activist. I suspect that his series is an attempt to draw attention to the sex trade that continues to exploit women and girls throughout the world. I hope it's a successful attempt; I would like to find a way to do my part.

One month into 2010 and so far I have tracked my reading...sort of. It occurred to me the other day that in addition to books, I read all sorts of things. I visit and interact at online professional networking sites in order to improve my work as a teacher everyday. I read magazines and journals everyday. I was accepted and received my first assignment as a reviewer for The ALAN Review, which is in progress right now. So much of my life focuses on the written word! I am so lucky that my personal and professional interests merge in this single focus.

It also occurs to me, though, that the writing I do on this blog is far more like journal writing than it is anything that anyone else might want to read. Of course, that was the purpose when I began this blog a month ago...So in addition to all the other reading I do, I'm beginning to read about blogging as a writing style, and how I can improve as a blogger. I'm hoping to learn this along with my students, as I explore the possibility of blogging as a form of academic writing. Stay tuned!

No comments:

Post a Comment