Ding. Into the ring we go for round two of #nerdlution. I took a few hits in round one, but managed to stay on my feet. I read 50 minutes of fiction most nights. Each evening I tried to be done with school work as well as day to day chores by 9 p.m. so I could begin reading. The first few nights I would watch the clock for my 50 minutes to be done; not because I wasn't enjoying the time, but because I felt like the clock owned me. I didn't really enjoy this feeling and thought about how our students must feel when we give them "assigned times" to read. After I realized #nerdlution was a bit flexible, I decided to quit clock watching and just read each night. Before I knew it I was reading for much longer periods of time.
What I Learned
I'd consider myself more of a nonfiction reader, but I was reminded during the challenge how much I miss getting lost in a story. I had missed meeting new characters and making them a part of my life for a few days. Reading fiction also gave me a chance to catch up with all my #nerdybookclub friends who manage to read for hours each day and keep up on all the latest books. Without Karen Terlecky, Katherine Sokolowski, Katie Strawser and Stephanie Shouldis I would have been lost.
During the event I created a "tissue book rating scale." It seemed every book I read somehow had me in tears before the end of the story. Here are a few examples:
- The Center of Everything: 4 tissues out of 5 (grandma stories get me every time)
- Counting by 7s: 4 tissues out of 5 (tears for sadness and joy in this one)
- The First Phone Call from Heaven: 2 tissues out of 5 (who wouldn't want to get a call from someone they miss, but….)
- The Book Thief : 5 tissues (I had to leave the room as I was worried I'd wake my husband I was crying so much.)
What's Next
During round one I was enjoying reading fiction, but I was also not entirely happy with my #nerdlution. While I was getting to know characters, my nonfiction reading pile was growing. I wanted to read The Power of Quiet, Thinking Fast and Slow, and Becoming Scientists. I was also missing spending time with the blogs I enjoy stopping by to read and comment. There are only so many hours in a day and deciding how to use them is a trick.
This time around I want to be able to diversify my reading a bit. I want to keep growing the number of fiction books I read, but I also need to have time for nonfiction and blog posts. I'm going to find time to read each day and will continue to work toward being done with everything by 9 so I can curl up to read. However, some days just don't work like that so I may have to find my time in a different part of my day. Each week at the #nerdlution round-up Michele is hosting on Thursdays, in keeping with my #olw DISCOVER, I'll share a book and a blog post I discovered in the previous week. We'll call it my #BooksandBlogsDiscoveryTour.
The Community
Most of all, I look forward to laughing and learning with everyone tweeting about their triumphs and road blocks. If you'd like to join, stop by Colby's blog to link to the event.
It's interesting how you thought about reading time requirements for students. It's always good to translate our own experiences into how students might feel! I think your Round 2 goals are great!!
ReplyDeleteSo reflective and fun to read! I am looking forward to learning from all your discoveries as I tag along through reading. I find balancing life and reading choices SO challenging! Following thoughtful readers who share helps me "read" more. Thanks for sharing!
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