Sunday, May 10, 2009

The Sunday Salon: My TBR List is Out of Control and Other Bookish Rambling

My TBR list is really ridiculous. It's gotten to the point where I'm reluctant to add anything new unless the review is absolutely riveting or if the book is by an author whose work I like. This year I've only added 11 books so far.

I also have this "bad" habit of picking up library books from the "new books" shelf that aren't on my reading list. And now I have a new challenge. I'm going to be teaching a literature circle for middle schoolers and a World Lit class for high schoolers beginning in August. I'm going to have to devote a large portion of the next few months to re-reading books to pick which ones I want to teach. I have great suggestions for World Lit from this post; I'm going to start the selection process by plowing through Crime and Punishment for the first time in 20 years very soon.

Now I'm looking for suggestions for books for middle-schoolers. I'd like to do three books for a 10-week class. I'm thinking along the lines of Where the Red Fern Grows, Number the Stars, Julie of the Wolves, Shiloh, etc., but I'm open to ideas. The class would be for boys and girls, 6th-8th grades.

And now, since it's Mothers' Day, I'm going to take some time this afternoon to actually lounge around and read.

6 comments:

serendipity_viv said...

Sounds like you have a lot of serious reading ahead. My TBR is out of control too, though so is my book spending!

Literary Feline said...

Your TBR and mine! I wish I could say I was reluctant to add anything new to the pile. I can't seem to stop. I do need to cut back though.

Island of the Blue Dolphins is another one you might consider for your class and perhaps Jacob Have I Loved. I hope you have a great Mother's Day.

Unknown said...

How about Ties That Bind, Ties That Break, The Good Earth, Bound, or is there some theme you want the books to have? Will this be small group or whole group reading? Does it have to be a classics? Will there be assignments or is this just for fun? What do you expect the students to get out of this? These are some questions I use to help find some good books for students to read!

Leah Courtney said...

My TBR pile is out of control too!

How about The Giver by Lois Lowry for your class? And I love Where the Red Fern Grows. I think I'm going to do that one with my dc this year. Also Little Britches by Ralph Moody is a great book.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for stopping by my blog!

I remember reading and loving Julie of the Wolves in middle school. Please don't make your class read Pollyanna! That was my least favorite. There was a novel we read in middle school about a Chinese family who moves to the United States and opens a laundromat. Have you heard of that one? I can't seem to find it anywhere. Good luck picking books!

Natasha @ Maw Books said...

You're not the only one who's got a TBR problem! And I LOVE Crime and Punishment. I hope you do too.