It's Monday! What are you reading?

I'm joining Jen and Kellee at Mentor Texts for today's post

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… that’s right, it’s holiday #bookaday. (Although summer rocks as well) Don’t get me wrong, I LOVE teaching. But right about now I am begging for a break. I want to hibernate in my house, hang out with my boys, bake things that are sugar laden, and read. And read. And read some more. In front of a fire with a glass of hot chocolate by my side. And stay up late and sleep in. The only thing that could make this break more perfect would be six inches of snow outside. On the other hand, no snow means easier travel for my relatives so I’d say this is perfect.

If you look at the word #bookaday and wonder if I have forgotten how to type, let me explain. Donalyn Miller began this on twitter a while ago (no idea how long). You pick your start date, your end date, with the sole goal of reading the amount of books equal to the days you have off. They can be any type of books you want. You can follow what others are reading by typing in the hashtag #bookaday in the twitter search box.

So, back to the original intent of today’s blog – What am I reading? Well, this week I finally jumped back on the reading train. Yay! I didn’t review any on this blog but did review several on Goodreads. Feel free to come by and say hi there as well. I read the following books this week:

• Finished The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann last Sunday night
• The Downside of Being Up by Alan Sitomer (hilarious)
• Pie by Sarah Weeks (beautiful Middle Grade story)
• Stars by Mary Lyn Ray (Amazing picture book)
• Letter to Leo by Amy Hest (comes out 2012 – great story with letters from Amy to her dog)
• Mysteries of the Komodo Dragon by Martha Crump (Fabulous non-fiction)
• Along a Long Road by Frank Viva (great picture book)
• Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol (graphic novel in the category of HOW DID I MISS THIS? Amazing)
• The Third Gift by Linda Sue Park (no shock – beautiful picture book)
• Binky Under Pressure by Ashley Spires (am buying this graphic novel for my class. My son, 9 yrs, immediately picked it up when I was done and read it himself. Loved it.)
• 11 Experiments that Failed by Jenny Offill (Hilarious picture book)
• The Case of the Vanishing Golden Frogs by Sandra Markle (Awesome Non-Fiction)
• Peaceful Pieces by Anna Grossnickle Hines (beautiful poem picture book)
• The Elephant Scientist by Caitlin O’Connell (Scientist in the field series – awesome)
• Perfect Square by Michael Hall (creative picture book)
• Around the World by Matt Phelan (great graphic novel – buying this one)
• Can we Save the Tiger by Martin Jenkins (amazing non-fiction picture book. Might buy it as well)
• Clementine and the Family Meeting by Sara Pennypacker (love this series. Buying this one too)

So what am I reading this week? A ton! But what first, I’m not sure. I know I am starting with Dragon’s Tooth – meant to read it this week but wasn’t in the mood for a “long” book. After that one, I’m perusing my shelves of to read books and grabbing what catches my eye. Check back next week to see what I picked. And please join us on Twitter for holiday #bookaday, it is such a wonderful community.