43 books behind schedule...

You have read 32 of 150 books. You are 43 books behind schedule.

Sigh. Here at the mid-year check-in, Goodreads declares that I am 43 books behind schedule. I've always enjoyed reading but tapered off in my 20s and early 30s. It's not that I didn't read, but I mostly read picture books to my boys or self-help books that I started with gusto and never managed to finish.

Reading Donalyn Miller's book "The Book Whisperer" and landing a job as a 4th grade teacher (prime time for igniting a love for reading!) kicked my tail into high gear. I couldn't tell my students to be a reader if I wasn't a reader. So, I dove into the wonderful world of middle grade literature. I started keeping track on Goodreads (social media-type site for book lovers) of the books I had read, and I could no longer say that reading was a dormant hobby:
2017 Reading Challenge - Congrats! You read 109 books of your goal of 100!
2018 Reading Challenge - Congrats! You read 199 books of your goal of 120!
2019 Reading Challenge - Congrats! You read 171 books of your goal of 119!

150 for this year seemed easy and do-able (Oh, and I do need to mention that these are chapter books, but some are easy chapter books that I read with my boys or to preview for them). I was still on track back in March. I remember standing in front of my class that Friday the 13th before our two-week-turned-rest-of-the-year break. I had them set reading goals for the next two weeks and take lots of books home.

For myself, I set a goal of 10 books for those two weeks. I envisioned tons of reading time during our days stuck at home.

Three and a half months later, I've finished two books. Both were ones that I read aloud to Carter and Calvin. And now I'm "43 books behind schedule." How did this happen? I think of three contributing factors:

1. The stress of those early days meant nights of checking world and local news and checking on my friends' news (via Facebook) and debriefing the day with Lucas and not really being in the mood to read regular books.
2. Pretty early on, I got a job teaching English online to kids in China through VIPKid. This meant teaching at night and/or going to bed early and then teaching in the early morning. My prime reading time (at night) had been altered drastically.
3. I ended up quitting the 5th grade teaching position that I absolutely loved. Without having to be that constant example of a reader, I subconsciously lost motivation.

So here I am, midway through the year. Though behind, I have read some books. Here were some of my favorites from 2020 so far:

Peter and Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths (Early Graphic Novel) The boys and I loved this book. and the sequel is just as good. I especially love the sloth that sings! It's fun and quick to read aloud.

Fever Year: The Killer Flu of 1918 (Informational/Graphic Novel) - I finished this one on January 31, 2020. I had picked up several of Don Brown's informational graphic novel books to read, so this was just one from that stack. I still remember thinking how I couldn't imagine myself being in the era of the fever year. It just felt so far-removed from my reality, even with some news of the far-off-in-China corona virus. And now, we're living in a pandemic eerily similar. I didn't care for the slightly-creepy illustrations, but that added to the somber mood of the book.

One Trick Pony - I'm a big fan of Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales, but I was hesitant to try this because it was a completely different genre. But... I picked it up and couldn't put it down! I LOVED it and almost wish the story wasn't resolved at the end so that this could become a series. I think my 3rd grader will enjoy it, too. This will be a good first science fiction book for him.

The Mad Wolf's Daughter (Historical Fiction) - This was one of a dozen books my 3rd grade son was reading this year in a book club. I was trying to read the same books, too, and I'll admit I put off this book because the historical context did not interest me. This was my last book from the list to read. The minute I started, though, I was hooked. I so enjoyed the journey with Drest! I had 100 pages left and 2 days to finish before we had to return the book. It was late, and I was tired, but "just one chapter" turned into staying up until midnight to finish it, enthralled with the climax and ending. I LOVED it! Looking forward to reading the next one!

Greta's Story (Biography) - Really eye-opening. I didn't know much about Greta's story, and this book really made me think about my own carbon footprint. The book seemed really repetitious, but I still enjoyed it and gained from it, and I'm still thinking about parts of it months later.

Double Identity (Science Fiction) - Whew! What a ride! I'll admit that I didn't like reading this alone at night (I'm a bit of a pansy, and it was a bit intense). One afternoon in February, I was reading it while my 5th graders were reading books of their own, and let's just say we all got a little bit of extra reading time that day! I literally walked around all afternoon holding it, hoping to catch a paragraph here or there. I kept thinking that the book couldn't possibly resolve with the few pages left, but I am glad that it didn't end on a cliffhanger to lead to a sequel. I've also enjoyed The Shadow Children series, The Missing (1st one), and the Under their Skin pair. I was planning on reading this one aloud to my class, but alas. Covid.

George Muller (Biography) - I read this to my two oldest boys during our snack time of "coronaschooling." It took us awhile to get through, but it prompted lots of great discussions. I'm amazed and inspired by George Muller's faith.

I may be behind, but the year ain't over yet!