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About this time last summer, I realized something awful; I had quit reading for pleasure!  I blamed it on not having enough time, but that was a lie.  Instead of reading, I had fallen prey to mindless games on my ipad.  It started off with Angry Birds, Scrabble, and then Candy Crush.   
This past year I made a commitment to myself-to start reading again!  I didn't realize how much I'd missed it.  Although I don't have a great deal of free time, I have found that I can get some reading in at the gym while on the elliptical or the bike.  I prefer reading on my ipad and love that I can highlight sentences to come back to later.  Of course, being able to tap a word and find its definition is also pretty awesome!  Just yesterday I learned how to spell facetious!  Although I knew what the word meant, I didn't know how to spell it.  
I enjoy reading books about education, memoirs, and historical fiction.  I am currently reading In the Best Interest of Students by Kelly Gallagher, and it's been a life changer for me as a teacher! If you'd like to know more about him, click the link-you won't regret it. Kelly Gallagher's website He has inspired me to follow my instincts in regards to teaching and the Common Core.  He has inspired me to give my students more choice in what they write about! He has inspired me to give my students more choice in what they read! He also spends time explaining the pros and cons of the new standards. I read the book once, highlighting important sentences.  Then, I went back a second time and took notes on everything. I can't wait to put what I learned into practice next year. 

 In addition to that book, I finished The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah.  It takes place in 1939 in a small village in France and gives a French woman's perspective of the war.  I could NOT put it down.  I have read numerous books about WWII, but this one was unlike any other.   The main character,  a French woman named Vianne, must raise her daughter alone when her husband is called to fight in the war.  Eventually, a Nazi soldier shows up at her door and demands the right to billet in her home!  This book is beautifully written, and   I highly recommend it.
Not only did I miss reading books, I missed talking about books. I missed learning from books.  I missed disappearing in a book.  

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