I just realized that I chose the same picture for this blog as the blog two posts down.
Ridiculous. I guess I should pay closer attention.
At least it's a great pic!
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Thanks for stopping by...
It's Thursday night and we're almost through our first week of school... just one more day in the humid sweatbox of B22!
I hope you're enjoying the first few days of class - thanks for checking the blog and reading this. It's a good habit to get into; although I will not update the blog daily, it's important to check it daily just in case.
If you haven't found an independent reading book yet, see me tomorrow either before or after class and I'll make an effort to find one for you. The weather is supposed to be miserable this weekend, so perhaps you can shelter from the storm at the EBPL or Barnes and Noble.
Speaking of the library, one of my students caught me red handed this evening at the EBPL holding a Jane Austen audiobook. He commented that he was surprised I was listening to a book and not reading it cover to cover like a good English teacher should and I understood where he was coming from.
A lot of people think listening to a book on audio is "cheating" and, well, my verdict it still out on that one. Whereas I understand the difference between reading and listening, I'm not going to say one is more beneficial than the other - they are just different. Listening to audio books during the school year is the only way I can "read" for pleasure at the rate I'm used to. I commute two hours a day and listening to an audio book is the ONLY thing that gets me through those awful minutes - it actually makes me look forward to getting in the car in the morning.
During the summertime, I'll read a book day but that's not possible during the school year because, obviously, I work during the day. In addition to the hours in my work day, I do an hour or two of work in my classroom after school before I go to the library to tutor for several hours a night. By the time I get home, it's almost 8pm and then it's time for dinner and, I'll admit, television (I'm a primetime tv junkie - I never turn it on when I'm home during the day but once 8pm comes, watch out! I need my fix of "The Office", "House", "The Biggest Loser" or "Paranormal State").
I read every night before I fall asleep but it's never more than a page or two because usually, I'm out like a light. I need to read - it's what I do. I like it so much, I made a career out of it. So thank goodness for audio books - they afford me two hours of reading a day. I guess you could say that I'm safely multi-tasking at the wheel. If you've never tried listening to a book on audio, take a chance and give it a try - I promise it's better than listening to a recording of "The Fall of the House of Usher"!
I hope you're enjoying the first few days of class - thanks for checking the blog and reading this. It's a good habit to get into; although I will not update the blog daily, it's important to check it daily just in case.
If you haven't found an independent reading book yet, see me tomorrow either before or after class and I'll make an effort to find one for you. The weather is supposed to be miserable this weekend, so perhaps you can shelter from the storm at the EBPL or Barnes and Noble.
Speaking of the library, one of my students caught me red handed this evening at the EBPL holding a Jane Austen audiobook. He commented that he was surprised I was listening to a book and not reading it cover to cover like a good English teacher should and I understood where he was coming from.
A lot of people think listening to a book on audio is "cheating" and, well, my verdict it still out on that one. Whereas I understand the difference between reading and listening, I'm not going to say one is more beneficial than the other - they are just different. Listening to audio books during the school year is the only way I can "read" for pleasure at the rate I'm used to. I commute two hours a day and listening to an audio book is the ONLY thing that gets me through those awful minutes - it actually makes me look forward to getting in the car in the morning.
During the summertime, I'll read a book day but that's not possible during the school year because, obviously, I work during the day. In addition to the hours in my work day, I do an hour or two of work in my classroom after school before I go to the library to tutor for several hours a night. By the time I get home, it's almost 8pm and then it's time for dinner and, I'll admit, television (I'm a primetime tv junkie - I never turn it on when I'm home during the day but once 8pm comes, watch out! I need my fix of "The Office", "House", "The Biggest Loser" or "Paranormal State").
I read every night before I fall asleep but it's never more than a page or two because usually, I'm out like a light. I need to read - it's what I do. I like it so much, I made a career out of it. So thank goodness for audio books - they afford me two hours of reading a day. I guess you could say that I'm safely multi-tasking at the wheel. If you've never tried listening to a book on audio, take a chance and give it a try - I promise it's better than listening to a recording of "The Fall of the House of Usher"!
Friday, August 29, 2008
Welcome Back!
Welcome kids, to the 2008-09 editions of British Literature and Reader's/Writer's Workshop!
This year we are going to read - a lot. We are going to write - a lot. And most importantly, we are going to laugh - a lot!
Here's what you need to know:
1. Come prepared to work for the entire period. Always have an independent reading book with you - ALWAYS. Make sure to keep up on classwork/homework and do not forget for one minute the importance of every grade. This is your junior year and the most important three letters in your life are G.P.A!
2. Be nice - to me, to your classmates, and to yourself. I can't begin to express how important this is for success. A pleasant learning and working environment is essential and I do not tolerate unpleasantness!
3. Every night, it is your responsibility to check this blog for assignment updates, homework, additional information, links to required readings, etc. Do not forget.
4. Maintain open communication at all times and ALWAYS be honest with me. If you have a question, ask it immediately. You can talk to me before and after class or you can email me at readwriteweiss@gmail.com and I'll get back to you! I check my email regularly between 7:15 am and 10:15 pm.
5. The goal of this course is to increase your critical thinking, to challenge you to take academic risks, and to show that English is a discipline, not just a flowery subject that talks about your "feelings". We're not here to talk about how the literature makes us "feel". We're here to discover how it makes us think.
I look forward to a great year - I am dedicated to my students, to my colleagues, to my job, and to my study of literature. I don't know everything and I don't expect you to - I do know, however, how to find the answers and that's what I'm here to teach you!
Welcome Back!
Ms. Weiss
This year we are going to read - a lot. We are going to write - a lot. And most importantly, we are going to laugh - a lot!
Here's what you need to know:
1. Come prepared to work for the entire period. Always have an independent reading book with you - ALWAYS. Make sure to keep up on classwork/homework and do not forget for one minute the importance of every grade. This is your junior year and the most important three letters in your life are G.P.A!
2. Be nice - to me, to your classmates, and to yourself. I can't begin to express how important this is for success. A pleasant learning and working environment is essential and I do not tolerate unpleasantness!
3. Every night, it is your responsibility to check this blog for assignment updates, homework, additional information, links to required readings, etc. Do not forget.
4. Maintain open communication at all times and ALWAYS be honest with me. If you have a question, ask it immediately. You can talk to me before and after class or you can email me at readwriteweiss@gmail.com and I'll get back to you! I check my email regularly between 7:15 am and 10:15 pm.
5. The goal of this course is to increase your critical thinking, to challenge you to take academic risks, and to show that English is a discipline, not just a flowery subject that talks about your "feelings". We're not here to talk about how the literature makes us "feel". We're here to discover how it makes us think.
I look forward to a great year - I am dedicated to my students, to my colleagues, to my job, and to my study of literature. I don't know everything and I don't expect you to - I do know, however, how to find the answers and that's what I'm here to teach you!
Welcome Back!
Ms. Weiss
Sunday, March 16, 2008
Does the library scare you?
I was talking to one of my students the other day and she admitted that finding books in the library is a daunting task for her. I get that - unless you grew up using the Dewey Decimel System, it can be intimidating. In our technological world, what should be easy (finding a good book) often becomes a challenge of search engines and blinking cursors and hypertext links!
Honestly, call me old fashioned but books are tactile and meant to be handled, which is why I believe it's easier to find a good book if you employ a "hands on" approach. Personally, I like to find new books at bookstores rather than at libraries because to me, it's easier to come across a good read at a place like Barnes and Noble than it is for me to find something new at the EB Library. Having said that, I must admit that although I like to find them at BN, I like to obtain them from the library.
Why, you ask? Well, for one main reason - I don't like to buy a book for my personal collection unless it's a book I know and love. That's why I like to read it first for free and then decide if it merits purchase. Gift cards to BN are like gold to me and every time I get one, I take my time planning my purchases and 9 times out of 10, I purchase books I've already read!
From my email to that student who was having a hard time finding books at the library, here's a suggestion: go to Barnes and Noble and spend some time looking around. Look in the New Paperback section and the New Release section, plus, look in the teen section. Because Barnes and Noble encourages reading, you can grab as many books as you can carry and take them over to the cafe, order yourself a Grande Non-fat Caramel Machiatto with Extra Foam and sit back and read!
Explore the first few pages, read a couple of chapters, whatever - they encourage people to read before purchasing! Then, make a list of the books and authors you come across that you like and voila! Now you have a purpose when you go to the EB library!
It's much easier to find good books at the book store because they are displayed nicely but that doesn't mean you have to buy them there...
Honestly, call me old fashioned but books are tactile and meant to be handled, which is why I believe it's easier to find a good book if you employ a "hands on" approach. Personally, I like to find new books at bookstores rather than at libraries because to me, it's easier to come across a good read at a place like Barnes and Noble than it is for me to find something new at the EB Library. Having said that, I must admit that although I like to find them at BN, I like to obtain them from the library.
Why, you ask? Well, for one main reason - I don't like to buy a book for my personal collection unless it's a book I know and love. That's why I like to read it first for free and then decide if it merits purchase. Gift cards to BN are like gold to me and every time I get one, I take my time planning my purchases and 9 times out of 10, I purchase books I've already read!
From my email to that student who was having a hard time finding books at the library, here's a suggestion: go to Barnes and Noble and spend some time looking around. Look in the New Paperback section and the New Release section, plus, look in the teen section. Because Barnes and Noble encourages reading, you can grab as many books as you can carry and take them over to the cafe, order yourself a Grande Non-fat Caramel Machiatto with Extra Foam and sit back and read!
Explore the first few pages, read a couple of chapters, whatever - they encourage people to read before purchasing! Then, make a list of the books and authors you come across that you like and voila! Now you have a purpose when you go to the EB library!
It's much easier to find good books at the book store because they are displayed nicely but that doesn't mean you have to buy them there...
Thursday, January 31, 2008
This Just In! Student Review of A Great and Terrible Beauty
A Great and Terrible Beauty
Reviewed by Giuli Galiano
Because the cover is so pretty, and because it is a New York Times Bestseller, A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray, stole my attention. I love how the beginning of the novel starts off with a quotation. Whenever a story has a quote in the introduction, it immediately hooks me into reading further.
Bray uses descriptive language to describe the streets of India in raw detail. I always see pictures and hear people speak about the poverty in parts of India and how some cities are clouded in dust and pollution. Bray's stylistic use of detail and specific images bring this observation to life and makes the reader feel like they are walking through the crowded streets of an Indian market place.
My only complaint so far is that the first chapter is confusing. I understand some sort of mystical storm happens upon the narrator, Gemma, and her mother as they are walking through the market place but I'm not quite sure what exactly happened. The same event reoccurs when the narrator moves to London to go attend private school. I hope I found out why this mystical storm and its subsequent spirits keep appearing to Gemma! A friend who has read the book told me it has something to do with superpowers, so the book is bound to get quite interesting!
Because Writer's/Reader's Workshop ends on Feburary 8th, I don't have much time left to read the book - I'm paranoid about loosing the the media center's copy, so I've been storing it in Ms. Weiss' desk. I must find out what happes, though, so I plan on finishing A Great and Terrible Beauty by next weekend. With midterms going on this week, I'm going to brave it and take it home because I am looking forward to reading it during this half day week and at night.
Reviewed by Giuli Galiano
Because the cover is so pretty, and because it is a New York Times Bestseller, A Great and Terrible Beauty, by Libba Bray, stole my attention. I love how the beginning of the novel starts off with a quotation. Whenever a story has a quote in the introduction, it immediately hooks me into reading further.
Bray uses descriptive language to describe the streets of India in raw detail. I always see pictures and hear people speak about the poverty in parts of India and how some cities are clouded in dust and pollution. Bray's stylistic use of detail and specific images bring this observation to life and makes the reader feel like they are walking through the crowded streets of an Indian market place.
My only complaint so far is that the first chapter is confusing. I understand some sort of mystical storm happens upon the narrator, Gemma, and her mother as they are walking through the market place but I'm not quite sure what exactly happened. The same event reoccurs when the narrator moves to London to go attend private school. I hope I found out why this mystical storm and its subsequent spirits keep appearing to Gemma! A friend who has read the book told me it has something to do with superpowers, so the book is bound to get quite interesting!
Because Writer's/Reader's Workshop ends on Feburary 8th, I don't have much time left to read the book - I'm paranoid about loosing the the media center's copy, so I've been storing it in Ms. Weiss' desk. I must find out what happes, though, so I plan on finishing A Great and Terrible Beauty by next weekend. With midterms going on this week, I'm going to brave it and take it home because I am looking forward to reading it during this half day week and at night.
NIght Light by Terri Blackstock
NIght LIght by Terry Blackstock
Reviewed by Dmitry Ratushnyy
For the first time in my life I am reading more than one book at the same time, which truly is like flipping channels on the TV. I’m not very far into the story, but I’m fairly satisfied with Terri Blackstock’s novel, Night Light. This novel centers on an idea, which frankly, is not very original. Nevertheless this factor doesn’t affect Terri Blackstock’s ability of telling an interesting story. Night Light is about a world that is plunged into the chaos of total human recession. With modern technology rendered completely useless, and human kind relying on the little instinctual intuition that is left behind, after centuries of technology, humanity is bound for extinction.
This Dark Age has thrown mankind into a new era, an era not of enlightenment and progression, but of survival of the fittest. Stripped down to merely our own fragile bodies and a weak will to live, humanity must endure the harsh conditions that men managed to cheat through for so long. This book reminds me a lot of the movie, I Am Legend, which was fantastic and basically shares a similar plot with this novel, except for the references to human-cannibals. I strongly recommend this book.
If you’re wondering what other book I’m reading, it’s Paulo Coelho’s fable, The Alchemist. After reading a few pages of Coelho’s novella, I realize how much I’ve missed reading good books. My next log will be about The Alchemist.
Reviewed by Dmitry Ratushnyy
For the first time in my life I am reading more than one book at the same time, which truly is like flipping channels on the TV. I’m not very far into the story, but I’m fairly satisfied with Terri Blackstock’s novel, Night Light. This novel centers on an idea, which frankly, is not very original. Nevertheless this factor doesn’t affect Terri Blackstock’s ability of telling an interesting story. Night Light is about a world that is plunged into the chaos of total human recession. With modern technology rendered completely useless, and human kind relying on the little instinctual intuition that is left behind, after centuries of technology, humanity is bound for extinction.
This Dark Age has thrown mankind into a new era, an era not of enlightenment and progression, but of survival of the fittest. Stripped down to merely our own fragile bodies and a weak will to live, humanity must endure the harsh conditions that men managed to cheat through for so long. This book reminds me a lot of the movie, I Am Legend, which was fantastic and basically shares a similar plot with this novel, except for the references to human-cannibals. I strongly recommend this book.
If you’re wondering what other book I’m reading, it’s Paulo Coelho’s fable, The Alchemist. After reading a few pages of Coelho’s novella, I realize how much I’ve missed reading good books. My next log will be about The Alchemist.
What I've Been Reading...
Hey readers! Here's a quick list of what I've been reading. I've cut and pasted summaries and links from online sources so you can get a detailed account of or an excerpt from each book.
SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN by Lisa See:
"This absorbing novel – with a storyline unlike anything Lisa See has written before – takes place in 19th century China when girls had their feet bound, then spent the rest of their lives in seclusion with only a single window from which to see. Illiterate and isolated, they were not expected to think, be creative, or have emotions. But in one remote county, women developed their own secret code, nu shu – "women's writing" – the only gender-based written language to have been found in the world. Some girls were paired as "old-sames" in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their windows to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.
An old woman tells of her relationship with her "old-same," their arranged marriages, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood—until a terrible misunderstanding written on their secret fan threatens to tear them apart. With the detail and emotional resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha , Snow Flower and the Secret Fan delves into one of the most mysterious and treasured relationships of all time—female friendship."
STILL SUMMER by Jacquelyn Mitchard
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/excerpts/2007-08-20-still-summer_N.htm
A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY* by Libba Bray
"Gemma Doyle, sixteen and proud, must leave the warmth of her childhood home in India for the rigid Spence Academy, a cold finishing school outside of London, followed by a stranger who bears puzzling warnings. Using her sharp tongue and agile mind, she navigates the stormy seas of friendship with high-born daughters and her roommate, a plain scholarship case. As Gemma discovers that her mother's death may have an otherworldly cause, and that she herself may have innate powers, Gemma is forced to face her own frightening, yet exciting destiny . . . if only she can believe in it."
* The first in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy
http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/gemmadoyle/books/great.html
SONGS WITHOUT WORDS by Ann Packer
"Ann Packer’s new novel centers around two childhood friends, Liz and Sarabeth, as they navigate the challenges of their lives as adults, confront loneliness and near tragedy, and test both the limits and the redemptive power of their friendship.
Songs Without Words is a novel about friendship and about family, but it is also very much about suicide. Sarabeth remarks that Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina, which she is reading at a retirement home, are not so much about adultery as about suicide. Adultery is an issue, too, in Songs Without Words, as Sarabeth struggles to climb out of the wreckage of one adulterous affair and to avoid falling into another. But suicide is the mother lode in this novel, just as it is in Flaubert’s and Tolstoy’s. When Sarabeth’s mother took her own life, which for Sarabeth was a “devastating relief,” it deepened the bond between her and Liz. But decades later, when Liz’s daughter tries to kill herself, it threatens to destroy their friendship.
Part of what makes Songs Without Words so deeply moving–and so terrifying–is its extraordinary level of realism, the way Packer captures both the most subtle and most dramatic emotional currents that spark human behavior. What Packer shows with such devastating effect is how fragile even the most seemingly normal families can be, how easily despair can well up to engulf someone like Lauren, who in a moment of self-hatred nearly severs herself from life. But, as much as the novel examines unflinchingly the nature of human suffering, it also affirms, in writing that is as vivid and emotionally compelling as any in contemporary American fiction, the healing power of friendship and of love."
That's all for now - more to come!
SNOW FLOWER AND THE SECRET FAN by Lisa See:
"This absorbing novel – with a storyline unlike anything Lisa See has written before – takes place in 19th century China when girls had their feet bound, then spent the rest of their lives in seclusion with only a single window from which to see. Illiterate and isolated, they were not expected to think, be creative, or have emotions. But in one remote county, women developed their own secret code, nu shu – "women's writing" – the only gender-based written language to have been found in the world. Some girls were paired as "old-sames" in emotional matches that lasted throughout their lives. They painted letters on fans, embroidered messages on handkerchiefs, and composed stories, thereby reaching out of their windows to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments.
An old woman tells of her relationship with her "old-same," their arranged marriages, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood—until a terrible misunderstanding written on their secret fan threatens to tear them apart. With the detail and emotional resonance of Memoirs of a Geisha , Snow Flower and the Secret Fan delves into one of the most mysterious and treasured relationships of all time—female friendship."
STILL SUMMER by Jacquelyn Mitchard
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/excerpts/2007-08-20-still-summer_N.htm
A GREAT AND TERRIBLE BEAUTY* by Libba Bray
"Gemma Doyle, sixteen and proud, must leave the warmth of her childhood home in India for the rigid Spence Academy, a cold finishing school outside of London, followed by a stranger who bears puzzling warnings. Using her sharp tongue and agile mind, she navigates the stormy seas of friendship with high-born daughters and her roommate, a plain scholarship case. As Gemma discovers that her mother's death may have an otherworldly cause, and that she herself may have innate powers, Gemma is forced to face her own frightening, yet exciting destiny . . . if only she can believe in it."
* The first in the Gemma Doyle Trilogy
http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/gemmadoyle/books/great.html
SONGS WITHOUT WORDS by Ann Packer
"Ann Packer’s new novel centers around two childhood friends, Liz and Sarabeth, as they navigate the challenges of their lives as adults, confront loneliness and near tragedy, and test both the limits and the redemptive power of their friendship.
Songs Without Words is a novel about friendship and about family, but it is also very much about suicide. Sarabeth remarks that Madame Bovary and Anna Karenina, which she is reading at a retirement home, are not so much about adultery as about suicide. Adultery is an issue, too, in Songs Without Words, as Sarabeth struggles to climb out of the wreckage of one adulterous affair and to avoid falling into another. But suicide is the mother lode in this novel, just as it is in Flaubert’s and Tolstoy’s. When Sarabeth’s mother took her own life, which for Sarabeth was a “devastating relief,” it deepened the bond between her and Liz. But decades later, when Liz’s daughter tries to kill herself, it threatens to destroy their friendship.
Part of what makes Songs Without Words so deeply moving–and so terrifying–is its extraordinary level of realism, the way Packer captures both the most subtle and most dramatic emotional currents that spark human behavior. What Packer shows with such devastating effect is how fragile even the most seemingly normal families can be, how easily despair can well up to engulf someone like Lauren, who in a moment of self-hatred nearly severs herself from life. But, as much as the novel examines unflinchingly the nature of human suffering, it also affirms, in writing that is as vivid and emotionally compelling as any in contemporary American fiction, the healing power of friendship and of love."
That's all for now - more to come!
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