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Monday, December 11, 2017

Summer Reading

For a teacher who's also a runner, the best part of summer break is being able to run whenever and wherever you want.  The second best part is being able to read tons of books, and this summer was a good one!








  • Running books
    • The Road to Sparta (Dean Karnazes)
      • I loved this book!  Very different than Run! or Ultramarathon Man.  Karnazes has a specific voice.  Very confident, very vocal.  His book conveyed his journey to trace Phidipedes steps, as well as his journey to connect with his ancestors, in way that was so poetic, so beautiful, that I felt connected.  I wanted to be Greek.  I wanted to there.
    • The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (Alan Sillitoe)
      • Classic short story about running.  As a runner, I'm glad I read it.  As a reader, it didn't really do much for me.  It's short, so I'd say read it, just so you know what it's about.
    • Anatomy for Runners (Jay Dicharry)
      • If you're a runner you have to read this book.  Anatomy and physiology.  PT exercises.  A functional movement assessment.
  • Stephen King
    • Pet Sematary
      • I love every Stephen King book I've read.  This was no exception.  Suspenseful.  Plot twists.  Scary, but not too scary.  Great story.
    • Salem's Lot
      • Another great novel.  Scarier than Pet Sematary.  Highly recommend.
    • The Dark Tower:  The Gunslinger
      • This is the one King novel that I almost didn't finish.  It was so slow for most of the novel.  I almost fell asleep reading it several times.  Got better towards the end, and I'll continue the series.
    • Just After Sunset (short story collection)
      • King is a master!  Each story felt like it could have been a novel, but he managed to contain it as a short.
  • The Chemist (Stephanie Meyer, also wrote Twilight and The Host)
    • Loved this book!  I also loved Meyer's other books.  This one was refreshingly different. I almost forgot she wrote it.
  • Into the Water (Paula Hawkins, also wrote Girl on the Train)
    • I think I liked this better than Girl on the Train.  It didn't get great reviews, but I really enjoyed it.
Now it's December and I'm immersed in Cassandra Clare's The Mortal Instruments series.  I've read books one through three and I'm currently reading City of Fallen Angels.  I read book three in a day.  It's 541 pages.  It's that good.  It's a great YA series.