Space Station Mir

 It's been a crazy month, and I don't tend to be a seasonal reader but publishers tend to put out their biggest books in the fall. So, happy fall and happy Rosh Hashanah next week (I won't be participating in TTT since it falls on the second day of Rosh Hashanah). Shana tova u'metuka--a sweet new year--to anyone else celebrating or anyone who just needs a fresh start. Happy 5783! Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Top Ten Books on My Fall 2022 TBR When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill--Did you see the title? Fair Play by Eve Rodsky (methods/card system fo r   chores ) The Cloisters by Katy Hays Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry--As a '90s kid, I think I'm obligated to read this. The Fixer Upper by Lauren Forsythe The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell--Intriguing review in WaPo on this fiction about a lesser known de Medici. Thistlefoot by GennaRose Nethercott--I once went as Baba Yaga for Halloween. ...

 I love this topic idea! I feel like there should be plenty of mountains and forests and islands and maybe oceans. Would Howl's Moving Castle count as a geographical feature? Here are some of my favorite books, or books that sound like they could be my new favorite books, with exciting geographical terms in the title! Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Books With Geographical Terms in the Title The Farthest-Away Mountain by Lynne Reid Banks--This was one of my favorite books as a kid, it involves a journey up a mountain, and it's a one-off fairytale/fantasy. The Grim Grotto by Lemony Snicket (A Series of Unfortunate Events #11)--I loved these and there are plenty of great geographical names throughout the series (Lake Lachrymose, Briny Beach, Swarthy Swamp!), but this one gets the whole book. Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel--on my list, but I've heard good things and I like her other books The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern--same as above Anne of the Island by L.M. Montgo...

I love this idea in theory and have done it occasionally. Practically, however, I really need to downsize my personal physical library, and Kindle and public library books are cheaper and take up much less space on my shelves. Right now, I'm not buying books if I know I will always be able to get them at the library (classics or consistently bestselling authors) or if I can easily read them on Kindle (living authors I want to support). That might or might not always be the case. Hope everyone who got one had a relaxing Labor Day weekend.  Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Books I Loved So Much I Had to Get a Copy for My Physical Library Writing Down the Bones by Natalie Goldberg--A colleague originally loaned this to me, and I found it so helpful, I wanted to have my own copy. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert--I originally read a library copy, but I wanted to own it and picked it up in a used bookstore. The Red Tent by Anita Diamant--This was a formative book for me but I read my mother...

 I started a new job this month, so I've been pretty busy, but still had time for some reading! Normally, I would be coming up on a really busy time of year right now, but I'll have to see if that's true in my new non-education job. It will definitely be different--although I will still have a batch of Hebrew school kids on Sundays (which will also be new for me!).  Books Read This Month Once and For All by Sarah Dessen--This is my first Sarah Dessen book and won't be my last (I actually immediately started reading another one!). I watched the Along for the Ride movie on Netflix and had a feeling I would like the book even more, but there was of course a wait for that one, so I got this one first. I enjoyed all the wedding planning details and slow burn romance.  The Searcher by Tana French (book club read)--Definitely wouldn't have picked this one on my own, but it made for an interesting conversation about the morality Western society values in our detective ficti...

I finished up the graphic novels for superhero class as I was teaching them during the first couple weeks of July (I got assigned the class late and didn't get to pick the books--not that I've read many graphic novels before). I definitely learned a lot about graphic novels! Fortunately, I seemed to know more than most of the kids who, like me, primarily knew about superheroes via Marvel and DC movies. I saw Thor: Love and Thunder after the session wrapped, but I can picture exactly how much my students enjoyed it!  Books Read This Month 1. Herobear and the Kid, Vol. 1 The Inheritance by Mike Kunkel--graphic novel for class; the librarians had fun taking out all my notes when I returned it! It was difficult to get since it wasn't recently published, the most conventional of the books we read (which was good for teaching archetypes, tropes, and the Hero's Journey), but I would really only recommend this for kids/American Christian kids (not to spoil too much but there...

 Although I've gotten a lot better at fulfilling my reading plans, due to book clubs, having a better sense of what I like to read, and sneaking in books I've already got or already started, I still usually end up with a few leftover books on my lists--though sometimes I do catch up months or even years later. Here are the books I still haven't read from some of my more recent seasonal TBR lists--I think I have read at least as many as I haven't though! Happy Top Ten Tuesday at That Artsy Reader Girl! Ten Books from My Past Seasonal TBR Lists I Still Haven't Read In the Serpent's Wake by Rachel Hartman--I am still really looking forward to this one after Tess ! Dreams Greater Than Heartbreak by Charlie Jane Anders--I feel like I have to reread Victories Greater Than Death first. The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Dare--I know I bought this one--oops. Visible City by Tova Mirvis--Forgot about this one.  Ariel Samon: Freelance Rabbi by MaNishtana Through It A...

 Bird Summons by Leila Aboulela-Muslim, Scottish interest, magical realism, interesting but not my jam except for the bird king stories (liked the Bird King better) The Village Maid: A Fairy-Tale with Benefits by Emily Jane Buehler-received for review from LibraryThing, fun fantasy romance-- very open-door. The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict--did not know the story of Einstein's first wife or that he had more than one, very interesting, credits her with theory of relativity which might be true and she at least very likely assisted with calculations Amulet by Kazu Kibuishi--graphic novel for the class I'm teaching. Good for an elementary school reading level, although it does have some sad stuff (dead/incapacitated parents).

Today's TTT is bookish wishlists, but I don't need any new books right now, so I'll share my summer tbr list instead, especially since I will probably be too busy to post after I start teaching my Superheroes class next week. Some of the books are on the list for the class, which I got switched to after my original class was canceled so I didn't get to pick the books. Comics and graphic novels aren't my specialty, but I'm looking forward to learning more about them. Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Summer TBR List 1. Herobear and the Kid: The Inheritance by Mike Kunkel--graphic novel for class 2. Nimona by Noelle Stevenson--graphic novel for class, by the creator of (Netflix's) She-Ra! 3. Yerba Buena by Nina LaCour--So excited that she has a new book out! 4. The Chancellor: The Remarkable Odyssey of Angela Merkel by Kati Marton--Book club read. I'm looking forward to learning more about Merkel! 5. Morningside Heights by Joshua Henkin--Other book club read. Hopeful...