Fresh Start and a Clean Slate

I've set a goal for myself. I only read 16 books last year. My reading consistency always falls off a cliff in the months between September and December because I get caught up in grading a whole ton of papers for the lit project. Still, I could be spending the time I am not grading on reading as opposed to watching TV or playing video games. So my goal this year is to read 25 books in 2011. Like I did in 2010, I'll crosspost my Goodreads reviews here to keep track and as a way to keep me honest.


Frosh
We started the semester off with a discussion about grades and how second semester works. The first semester of high school is tough; you have to make many adjustments in your expectations as well as figuring out what others expect of you. Because of the time it takes some folks to get themselves situated, grades and work ethic have a tendency to fall by the wayside. Second semester gives those people a chance to get back on track. Every single student starts second semester with a clean slate; grades start over from scratch. Look at second semester as an opportunity to right the wrongs of the first semester or to continue on a path that has already been working for you.

The class also discussed their Shakespeare knowledge, most of which consisted of people sharing that the Bard is a poet. At least I know the page everybody is on going into this unit.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, you started reading the first chapter of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Shakespeare, a title I hope no one takes at face value. The beauty of the Complete Idiot's Guide series is the way it is able to take complex and sometimes daunting subjects and simplify them into easily digestible books. You began to fill out the outline for the biographical chapter. To understand the creator is to better understand the work, so we study Shakespeare prior to reading Romeo & Juliet. Makes perfect sense, right?

Today is much of the same. I also will give you the newest ORU incarnation for second semester.

Seniors
It's a new semester! On Monday, we reviewed the slightly updated class syllabus for everyone's benefit, especially those new to the class due to a change in class schedules for second semester.

Here's the thing: I like second semester better than the first. We're in a rhythm as a class, and there's a bit more focus due to the fact that everyone reads the same text. The lit project is great, but for my own sanity, I prefer everyone reading the same work. There's also, at least in the fourth quarter, a renewed sense of urgency in the class because everyone wants to graduate.

Tuesday, we discussed our bucket lists, but the underlying premise was to discuss what each individual would be willing to do in order to achieve the things on said lists, as well as how far each person would go for the people in their lives and their respective lists. It's an interesting moral dilemma that we will constantly revisit in our Macbeth discussions.

Oh yeah, did I mention we started our Macbeth unit? 'Cause we did. Today will see us get some terms under our belts, some new and some old. Some of the terms will be your responsibility when I give you the fabled Shakespacket tomorrow, but if you ever have questions about the terms, let me know. The test on these terms won't be taking place until January 20, so there's some time.

Also, if anyone wants to purchase Macbeth or Romeo & Juliet, I've provided a link below to their respective Amazon pages.

Book 16 of 2010

Book 16

It's yet another book that I finished on the iPad using the iBooks app.

16) The War for Late Night: When Leno Went Early and Television Went Crazy by Bill Carter
One of the very first entertainment news stories I ever remember giving my active and full attention was the battle between Jay Leno, perennial guest host for the Tonight Show, and Dave Letterman, host of Late Night, for Johnny Carson's spot as the host of NBC's long running talk show. My mom was a huge Dave Letterman fan, often recording it and watching his show the next day. His comic sensibility helped to shape my own because if that type of humor could make my mom laugh, then that's the kind of humor for me. When Jay Leno won out over Letterman for the Tonight Show gig, I was stunned because Letterman was just so much funnier than the Doritos guy. I always thought it made more sense for Leno to take over Late Night and Letterman to get the bump up to Carson's job, but then again, I was 12. This book covers the latest transition, the attempt and failure to avoid the ugliness of the Letterman/Leno fiasco, and NBC's fascination with wanting to have its cake and eat it, too.

Book 15 of 2010

Book 15

I finished this using the Kindle app on my iPad. And I figured that I should start showcasing the covers here in case anyone is interested in picking any of the books up for themselves.

15) The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America by Erik Larson
This is the first book that I've finished in a few months for a number of reasons. Back in August, I made the mistake of starting three books all around the same time. Two is usually my max, and, when school starts up, I get distracted with grading so my own reading falls by the wayside. Factor in that this is not ideal for electronic reading, also, because part of reading to me is knowing how close I am to the end of the book because it entails a sense of accomplishment. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the non-fiction story of the 1893 World's Fair, I didn't realize that the last fifteen percent or so of the book would be filled with notes and source citations. It felt odd that the story was winding down and yet there was still so much left to finish. I didn't see any progress because a status bar isn't the same as a finger flipping through pages. This led me to lose the motivation to continue reading and felt like a big win for physical books compared to digital ones.

Book 14 of 2010

I read this using iBooks while relaxing in Las Vegas.

14) Suck It, Wonder Woman! by Olivia Munn
Olivia Munn is an entertaining lady. She's pretty and is fun to watch on G4 and The Daily Show. And she is funny. But...she's not a comedian (or comedienne, as the case may be).

Book 13 of 2010

This is the first book I finished using Apple's iBooks application, but that's not an option to choose over at Goodreads, the site I use to keep track of my reading.

13) Juliet, Naked by Nick Hornby
As an aside, there are little distinctions between iBooks and the Kindle app that make reading on each one very unique. Kindle allows the user to reverse the screen from black writing on a white background to white writing on a black background, which I find easier to read at night in the dark. iBooks doesn't do this, but one can change the brightness level. It's a similar effect, but harder on the eyes than Kindle's method. However, iBooks has a built in dictionary, something the people at Amazon say will be included soon. iBooks also possesses more intuitive and far-reaching annotation tools than Kindle. While Kindle does let the reader highlight sections of text, iBooks gives the reader the option of also adding post-it style notes along with the highlighted portion. Finally, the landscape mode in iBooks showcases an aesthetically pleasing double-page spread, as if the user were looking at an open book, while Kindle merely stretches text over the length of the screen. Ultimately, the most important part of a book reading app is the number of books available, and right now, Kindle blows iBooks out of the water. However, given the choice between the two, I always like to pick the iBooks app because of the color on the screen and the annotating ability.

Book 12 of 2010

I finished this on an exercise bike while at the gym.

12) The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Time travel has always been one of those cool ideas that always falls apart upon closer inspection. If I wanted to go back and tweak something in my past because hindsight allows me to see the nuance that I couldn't recognize back then, there's a distinct possibility that doing so would result in vast changes that wouldn't be clear to me until I had even more hindsight later on. Time traveling needs rules of some sort, and by the time that dawns on a person, the fantasy ceases to be fun.

Book 11 of 2010

This is the first book I finished on my iPad, using the Kindle app, while my wife was away in Las Vegas for a weekend.

11) The Death of WCW by RD Reynolds & Bryan Alvarez
In an age where corporate incompetence only seems to allow higher-ups to fail upwards into more money that furthers their greed, it's nice to see a story where morons who make poor decisions actually suffer the consequences of them. The story of WCW's rise to the top of the wrestling world and the subsequent fall that followed and led to its sale to rival Vince McMahon's then-WWF is a case study in people who never learn from their mistakes.

Book 10 of 2010

I skimmed the last few chapters because I couldn't wait to be done with this awful, awful book.

10) Captain Freedom: A Superhero's Quest for Truth, Justice, and the Celebrity He So Richly Deserves by G. Xavier Robillard
Purchased while in Portland at Powell's Book Store last February, the titular character relates his adventures  through a first-person narrative. Robillard's book caught my eye for a few reasons: it's about superheroes, it was cheap, and Christopher Moore gave it a plug on the cover.

Book 9 of 2010

I finished this book while taking a break from grading during STAR testing.

9) Eating the Dinosaur by Chuck Klosterman
Chuck Klosterman's latest book of essays is his best one yet, but the author is not without his annoying intricacies. His use of the word 'iconography', I'm looking at you.

Book 8 of 2010

There is nothing notable or interesting about when I finished this book.

8) My Custom Van - And 50 Other Mind-Blowing Essays That Will Blow Your Mind All Over Your Face by Michael Ian Black
Michael Ian Black is a comedian best known for being a talking head commenting on pop culture during VH1 celebrations of various decades. He's also an actor who has been in movies and television shows like The Ten, Wet Hot American Summer and Ed. This is your standard "book by a comedian" whose title describes the format: essays (52, in this case, since I bought the paperback version) that will blow your mind all over your face.

Book 7 of 2010

This has been sitting on my shelf for awhile and I read it over Spring Break. And, yes, it's a graphic novel or comic or whatever you want to call it, but I enjoyed it and I read it, so there.

7) Invincible: The Ultimate Collection Vol. 1 by Robert Kirkman (and Cory Walker and Ryan Ottley)
Invincible is a new teen superhero whose dad fits into the Superman archetype, except this time Superman has a mustache and he goes by Omni-Man.

Book 6 of 2010

I finished this book on the furlough day before returning from Spring Break. The only reason I finished it was because it was required reading for my Educational Psychology class.

6) The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
In The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls recounts her childhood with two sisters, a brother and parents who are so out of their gourd nuts that it's amazing that any of the kids amounted to anything, let alone one being a published writer.

Book 5 of 2010

If you're interested in a sometimes repetitive but ultimately informative history of one of the greatest shows in television history, John Ortved's book is hard to beat.

My history with The Simpsons is somewhat storied: my parents forbade me from watching it during the first season and stuck to their guns after briefly relenting during Herb Powell's first appearance in the second season. I ruined it for myself when I mimicked Bart's repeated sing-song use of the word "bastard"...moreI finished this book at home while deaf in one ear.

5) The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History by John Ortved
If you're interested in a sometimes repetitive but ultimately informative history of one of the greatest shows in television history, John Ortved's book is hard to beat.

Book 4 of 2010

This was completed while I was home sick with two ear infections in the same ear. Ear infections are brutal. 

4) The Strain by Guillermo Del Toro & Chuck Hogan
If the testament to a trilogy is how much the part one makes a person anxious to read the next installment, then The Strain fails big time.

Book 3 of 2010

This was completed on February 10, during my prep period.

3) Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore
Lamb, like the title suggests, is the story of Jesus's life, the whole thing, as told by his best friend, Biff. Obviously, this is a fictional tale and those easily offended by the idea that Jesus may have laughed at fart jokes with his buddy as a young man would do well to tread no further.

Book 2 of 2010

This was completed on January 12 while driving to the gym.

2) I Drink for a Reason by David Cross
In an attempt to get through a few more books this year, I subscribed to Audible.com. The first book I ordered was Under the Dome by Stephen King, but that thing is a ridiculous 54 hours and I've only listened through the first file that's eight hours long by itself. That particular audiobook is daunting is what I'm saying.

Book 1 of 2010

While I have absolutely no intention of reading 2,010 books in the year 2010, I am hoping to hit at least 25. As I am a notoriously slow first-time reader, I will be impressed with myself if I can do so. I also like to practice what I teach (thanks, Jim Burke), so I'm going to hold myself accountable by reposting my GoodReads reviews of books I finish here. Here's my first book read of 2010, completed on Friday, January 8.

1) The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove by Christopher Moore
Moore forces the reader to keep track of a ton of characters, but the overall story is engrossing and amusing.