Good Reads

When I was a kid, I loved to read. I remember going to the library and checking out a huge stack of books at one time. Often, I would finish reading the books within a few days. I went through my Sweet Valley Twins phase, and for a few years, I wanted nothing more than to be a member of the BabySitter's Club. In Jr. High and High School, I loved my English classes (even though I was honestly always better at math). Senior year, I took AP English Lit in addition to Senior English. So it was probably no surprise to most people who knew me that I decided to earn my Bachelor's degree in English Literature when I went away to college.

Like most people, though, the reading that I did in college was almost exclusively the reading that I was assigned for class. Of course, when you take 3 or 4 literature classes in one semester, I'm not sure you really have much of a choice! I just figured that I would start reading "for fun" again once I started teaching. Yeah.....like teaching really gave me lots of "free" time! In my 8 years of teaching English, the vast majority of the reading that I've done has either been the reading I've required of my students, or the reading that's been required for my grad classes.

This January, I decided that my new year's resolution would be to read more for enjoyment. I think I've done pretty well with this goal! Most of the books that I've picked have come from friends' suggestions and titles that I've read about while browsing various sites. Over the last few days, I've discovered a few new sites that I'm excited about!

First is Goodreads.com. I only joined the site a few days ago, but I'm already loving it. It allows me to keep a list of the books that I've read, and I can review the books, too. I have "friends" on this site, and they can see my reviews of any books that they might be thinking about reading. The site also lets me keep a list of books that I'd like to read. This feature is great because I always find myself at a loss when I go to the library or a bookstore. I currently have 17 books on my "read" list (14 of which I've read since January!!), and I have 13 books on my "to be read" (TBR) list. I'm currently reading Love in the Time of Cholera, which I have to admit I'm not really enjoying very much. If you're reading this blog post and you're on GR, feel free to add me as a friend! :)

I've also added a couple of blogs to my links list. Both of these come highly rated, and I'm excited to get into the larger world of book discussions online! Once we move, maybe I'll even find a book club. :)