Tuesday, January 1, 2019

Must Read in 2019

#MustReadin2019

When I saw the reminder that it was almost to share our 2019 lists, I felt a wave of panic because it didn't seem like I had as many soon to be published books on my "to read" list as I usually do. Once I spent some time on Goodreads, I didn't have any trouble compiling a list, but it is a little bit shorter than last year. I have 36 titles, mostly for middle grades with a few exceptions, composing my #MustReadin2019.

I have spent a little less time on Twitter and reading blog posts this year, and I have definitely missed out on some updates by others as well as completing one of the updates for myself. I did briefly consider whether I was going to spend the time forming a list and making the post to share this year, but a couple of thoughts pushed me to do it. I think this community is a great source of ideas and inspiration. Reading the lists and updates of others always helps me add to my own and sometimes think about a book a little differently. I just need to do a better job in sharing more from my own reading life. I am a complete "check off the list" nerd! I guess I take great joy in marking things off lists, so this is really a huge motivator to me. I don't know why a written list pushes me to read more than the huge stack of books on my nightstand, but for some reason it does! Finally, the biggest benefit of my 2018 Must Read list came from printing a copy and taping it on the circulation desk at school. It helped create a great deal of book conversations and recommendations, to an extent I hadn't really imagined. So before writing this post, I taped the new list to my desk, ready for students to return on Monday, January 7!

My 2019 Must Reads are below:
I look forward to catching up with everyone else's new lists and to beginning a new year of reading!
Happy 2019!


Must Read in 2018 - Final Update



It almost seems strange to be going back to update this list, because I finished it back in May, but I wanted to take a quick look back before posting my 2019 list. I am definitely one who loves to work off a list, and I usually read all or at least most of the books on mine. I do listen to several of the books, which allows me to read more than I would otherwise. As I look back at my goals, my reading was spot on, but my wish to write more about the books I read only lasted a very short time. I didn't really blog on any of my books, with the exception of the spring #mustread update, and while I made some notes on books early in the year, I didn't stick with it. That will continue to be a goal. My other positive was keeping my list on my circulation desk at school. It was the spark of many conversations with students and even some teachers, and I consider that the biggest success of my #mustreadin2018!  My 2018 list is below:
There are several outstanding books on the list, and I didn't read any which I rated below 4 stars. Most books are for middle grade students, although I did include some young adult titles as well. Eight of the titles ended up on our 2018 Mock Newbery list. They are listed below:
  • Amal Unbound
  • Breakout
  • Ghost Boys
  • Hope in the Holler
  • The Journey of Little Charlie
  • Just Like Jackie
  • The Parker Inheritance
  • Rebound
I look forward to reading updates from others and to continuing the #mustread tradition in 2019!