Sunday Salon: January 20, 2019

My life in books over the past two weeks: 

• Escape from Syria by Samya Kullab--CYBILS Award elementary / MG graphic novel finalist
• Hero Dogs by Wilma Melville and Paul Lobo--Adult non-fiction
• We'll Fly Away by Bryan Bliss--YA fiction

• Quince by Kit and Emma Steinkellner and Sebastian Kadlecik--CYBILS Award YA graphic novel finalist
• Grand Theft Horse by G. Neri--CYBILS Award YA graphic novel finalist
• Very, Very, Very Dreadful by Albert Marrin--YA non-fiction

• As the Crow Flies by Melanie Gillman--CYBILS Award YA graphic novel finalist
• The Grand Escape by Neal Bascomb--YA non-fiction
• Anne Frank: The Graphic Adaptation adapted by Ari Folman--CYBILS Award YA graphic novel finalist

• The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang--CYBILS Award YA graphic novel finalist
• On a Sunbeam--CYBILS Award YA graphic novel finalist

Challenges progress:

• A to Z Reading--I have read books with titles for 14 letters so far: A, B, C, E, F, G, H, M, O, P, Q, T, V, and W.
• Diversity Reading Challenge--I have read 7 books, adding a book set in the Middle East and one with a Latina main character (and all other races in the background), and three with a trans and / or queer characters.
• Literary Escapes--I have read books set in 8 states so far, adding Kansas, North Carolina, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas; and in 7 countries, adding France, Germany, Holland, Syria and Lebanon. Does outer space count as a country?!
• Motif Reading Challenge--The January motif is "New to You" and I am counting The Widows by Jess Montgomery.
• Non-fiction--I have read 5 books so far.
• YA Award Winners--Winners are announced January 28 and I cannot wait!

My life outside books:

Work:

Well, it's been quite a couple weeks for me regarding work. I currently have two paying jobs: I am a tech coach and a social studies coach. Last week I was told the tech coach positions are being eliminated for next year (there goes .2 of my job) and then this week I was told they are reorganizing the instructional coach jobs so we all have to reapply and may not be chosen. Well, there goes the rest of my job. Wow. Maybe I'll be chosen again, but maybe not. If I am not, I can go back in the classroom, but I don't know if I want to do that. I'll put off thinking about it until I find out where I stand in March after interviews.

Personal:

My daughter's month-long winter break comes to an end when she flies back to New York early tomorrow morning. I'm going to miss her, but am excited for her to begin her second semester in college. We had a wonderful time together this break.

I bought myself a treadmill! Unfortunately, the only place I have to put it is my bedroom, but at least that way it will be difficult to ignore it. :-)