Books I Read and Other Assorted Oddities

 This was a really popular fantasy pick a few years ago, and I picked it up at the bookstore at one point, but never read it. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue  follows the story a French girl named Addie. Addie grew up in a small French village called Villon-sur-Sarthe in the early 1700s. Addie is promised to an older man, and despite her best efforts, she cannot get out of the marriage. Eventually she summons a dark entity in a last ditch effort to avoid the wedding. This entity promises her that she will live as long as she wants, but the promise has a dark side. She can live forever, never aging or changing, but no one will remember her, and she will be able to make no marks on the world. She can meet a person, but as soon as she leaves their line of sight, they will not remember seeing her. She cannot speak her name. She can't write, or draw, or alter the world in any way. Then, in 2014, she steals a book from a used bookstore, but when she goes the next day, the clerk re...

 I rolled this as part of my mystery rolls. When it finally came in from being on hold, I was able to finish it pretty quickly. The Mysterious Affair at Styles  follows the story of Arthur Hastings as he stays with friends in a village called Styles St. Mary. The friend, John Cavendish, lives with his step-mother Emily Inglethorp, his wife, his brother, his step-mother's new husband, and a host of servants. One night, while staying at the mansion, Hastings and others in the household are awoken to discover that Mrs. Inglethorp is in significant distress. She has been poisoned. Hastings summons his friend, also living at Styles, Hercule Poirot. Poirot is a Belgian detective, and he quickly steps in to help solve the murder. Will they be able to find the murderer? This book is certainly a product of its time, and the language felt like 1920 when the book was written. It took a little bit to get used to the writing style of the novel, but once I did, the book went quickly. This i...

 One of my trainings this summer was by the author of this book. We ended up buying the book as a full department, and I read it as I started to get ready to work on planning. Re Envisioning Rigor pursues the thesis that rigorous teaching is not complicated, and comes down to routines used consistently with students to push them to learn material effectively. Furthermore, McDowell argues that learning is not hierarchical, and that students need transfer, deep, and surface learning in some combination in order to effectively grasp material. The book provides strategies to integrate consistent, effective routines that will help students learn. I found this book easy to digest, and easy to read. The strategy pages are really helpful and have a consistent dashboard layout that's easy to follow. I was able to bookmark several things that I plan to implement next year. I rated this book ⭐⭐⭐⭐

 This was a book club book choice for this month. This was a really quick read. It took me about 45 minutes to get through. Carlos and his family live in rural Cuba, on land that their family has owned for centuries. Carlos's grandparents and aunt are next door, and Carlos loves spending time with them and his friend, Alvaro. Then, Carlos's father wins the lottery, and moves the family to a big city. He starts a woodworking business that becomes very successful. But things change drastically for the family when Fidel Castro and his revolutionaries take over Cuba. First, I had a hard time rating this book. It was good, so I gave it five stars, but I'll admit it didn't blow me away. I did like that it was about a time and place that I didn't know much about. The autobiographical nature of the story made it really personal. The story itself was pretty simple and fast paced. There was not a lot of exploration of some of the deeper topics of the story. I think the thing ...

 OK, once again, I'm back through the rotation. Fantasy:  The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue  by V. E. Schwab (61%) Sci-Fi:  Legend  by Marie Lu (32%) Realistic Fiction:  Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe  by Benjamin Alire Saenz (70%) Brandon Sanderson:  Isle of the Emberdark  (19%) Nonfiction:  The Anxious Generation  by Jonathan Haidt (100%) Classic:  Les Misérables  by Victor Hugo (17%) Mystery/Thriller:  The Eye of the Crow  by Shane Peacock (100%) Historical Fiction:  Apeirogon  by Colum McCann (12%) Audio:  An Ember in the Ashes  by Sabaa Tahir (11%) English Department Book Club: We didn't pick anything for the summer... Neighborhood Book Club: How to Say Goodbye in Cuban  by Daniel Miyares Husband Buddy Read: The Hero of Ages  by Brandon Sanderson (7%) I've also got to read a couple of books for work: Code Name Verity  by Elizabeth Wein A Visual, St...

 Now that I've finished Another Major Motion Picture Masterpiece , it's time to roll again for an audiobook to read. I rolled a percentile D10, and a regular D10, and got: 84 on my list is An Ember in the Ashes  series! I'm on book 3. I'm really, really excited for this one. It's been a while since I read book 2, so I'll need to do some research to remember what's going on, but I'm super excited to get to continue this series.