100+ Books in 2025 discussion
2014 Lists
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Keri's List
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1. The Horse and his Boy - possibly my favorite of the Narnia series. I read this aloud to my students every year.
2. My Man Jeeves by Wodehouse - it was funny reading, and I enjoyed the British slang and dry humor. However, one of these books is quite enough for me, thankyouverymuch...
3. Lionheart by Sharon Kay Penman - historical fiction is a fav genre, and medieval history is my home base. She writes an engaging story, historically pretty accurate, and always motivates me to go fact check and get fact from fiction straight in my head.
4. King Arthur and his Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green - I haven't read a lot of Arthurian legend material. This was a first and I read it with my students. It seems to me that Green did a good job of distilling Mallory et al down to an easier reading level, but I'll do some more reading this summer to get more depth.
5. The Hobbit - another annual read with my students. Fortunately this is a book that can stand up to annual rereads.
6. Ender's Game - hadn't read this since I was in high school and wanted to reread before seeing the movie. It was interesting to me the difference of my thoughts in reading it from a teen perspective (as a teen who spent years in various "gifted and talented" programs at school) and reading it from an adult perspective.
7. Treasure Island by Stevenson - read with my sixth graders. A fun read and interesting to read an early work in a new genre. Also interesting that this was pop fiction at the time, and somewhat slow going now for my very literate sixth graders.
8. Yellow Leaves by Frederick Buechner - good essays from someone with a deft touch with words.
9. Mitford Bedside Companion by Jan Karon - I enjoyed her Mitford series and this was an impulse read in a slow afternoon. It's one of those compilation books publishers produce after the fact to sell more books and keep their brand out there, and yet it still brought a smile to my face enjoying favorite characters and scenes.
10. Family Matters by Rohinton Mistry - I enjoy realistic fiction by international authors, particularly Indian, and loved this book as well. It's my first by him and I've queued the rest of his to read this summer.
11. The Golem and the Jinni by Wecker - what a fascinating premise - mythological creatures from opposing cultures, one of earth and one of fire, meet in NYC. Didn't give it 5 stars, but an interesting read nonetheless.
12. Binocular Vision by Pearlman - I had high hopes for this short story collection. Meh.
13. Reading in the Wild by Donalyn Miller - a professional read about inspiring students to become readers. I think it's unrealistic to expect teachers to be solely responsible for this, but I'm passionate about reading and want my students to be as well, long after they are done w their formal education.
14. World without End by Ken Follett - a just for fun read...
15. To the End of the Earth by Horde - a history of crypto Jews in the American Southwest. A bit of a dry read, but very interesting content.
16. Fortunately the Milk by Neil Gaiman - :-D
17. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by Lewis - another annual read aloud
18. Ten Ways to Destroy the Imagination of Your Children by Esolen - I suppose it's because we naturally parent this way, but much of this book seemed like common sense to me. I read it because it's widely discussed in my academic circles and I wanted to be very familiar with the specific details of his content.
19. Anne of Green Gables by Montgomery - another classic of children's lit. Even my boys enjoyed it, although they probably wouldn't advertise that.
20. Girl in Transition by Kwok - an interesting story of immigration and crossing cultural lines. A bit predictable.
21. The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Alexander - only "based on true events" but an enjoyable story.
22. The Book Whisperer by Miller - more professional reading on reading in the classroom.
23. D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths - perfect work on Greek mythology for the elementary school student - pre-Riordan.
24. The Story of the Greeks by H.A. Guerber - history of Greeks written in the nineteenth century for children
25. Little Failure by Schteyngart - I thought it was interesting enough, but not something I'd reread or even recommend to someone
26. Holes by Louis Sachar - I'd never read it and decided I needed to.
27. The Adventures of Robin Hood by Roger Lancelyn Green - another children's classic, and for good reason.
28. Big Red by Jim Kjelgaard - I hadn't read this series about dogs, but enjoyed it and passed it along to some of my students.
29. Getting Things Done by David Allen - nonfiction; workflow management. I read it when it first came out and I was working in IT, but went back to it this year when my current workload become unmanageable. Good stuff if your brain works this way.
30. It Starts With Food by Hartwigs - I'm always toying with food concepts and the cover looked interesting. Whatever. Next!
31. People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks - Loved the mini stories inside the larger narrative. Great attention to detail and historical literacy.
32. Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin - I enjoy international authors, but am not as familiar with the African narrative style. I did enjoy the main character and her heart.
33. Pontoon: A Novel of Lake Wobegon by Keillor - I grew up on Prairie Home Companion, every Saturday night without fail. He's a master storyteller, and I hadn't read this one yet.
I joined this group mid-year, so I'll have to go back and log the books I read in previous months.