I have not read as much in the past year as I usually do. I am not entirely certain what accounts for this, but there's a good chance it's related to the fact that I started subbing in February. Caring for three kids this past summer probably cut into my reading time as well. I hope to remedy that in 2011.
I am not a slow and steady reader. I can't start a book and read a chapter a night until it's finished. I need more instant gratification. If I start a book I like, I will often stay up into the wee hours a couple of nights in a row until it's finished.
I don't know if I could describe the kinds of books I like in a succinct way. My tastes are eclectic, and sometimes I will enjoy one particular book by an author, but none of their others. For instance, I like Firestarter, but nothing else by Stephen King. I don't like the horror/thriller genre in general. I have a particular interest in India, and I enjoy stories set in India, or about Indian families in the US. I like Christian fiction set in Amish communities, or period stories about feisty women in the late 1800's - early 1900's. I enjoy entertaining non-fiction, like Who Are You People?: A Personal Journey into the Heart of Fanatical Passion in America. I read all of the Harry Potter books numerous times, but I have no interest in anything related to vampires or zombies. I love movie adaptations of Jane Austen books, but I can't plod through her actual books to save my life.
I have a stack of about 20 books on the shelf next to my bed that are waiting to be read. Some are new or best sellers, some were on a "buy three get one free" table. Since I got my iPad, I use the kindle app a lot now. I love to find free ebooks, and I'll try about anything. I have a profile on goodreads.com and I like to see what my friends are reading. I have also recently begun to enjoy their book swapping system.
When I sub in third grade and up, I love to walk around the classroom and see what books the kids have on their desk that they are currently reading. I like to make connections with kids through their reading. I'm not a stranger for long once I strike up a conversation with a student about the book they're reading. "I loved that book! Which character do you like the best?" or "I've heard that book is really funny, do you think so?" I made a friend for life when I read the back of one girl's book and said, "This sounds great! Would you mind writing down the title and author for me, so I can look for it at the library?" She was so pleased that she helped me discover a book I wanted to read! When I see her in the halls now, she always says hello and tells me what she's reading.
One day I got a very last minute call to sub for the elementary librarian. Due to sudden illness, there were no specific plans. The only class I was uncertain about was the fifth graders. The younger classes were thrilled with a story and discussion, and then time to find a book. I could not envision gathering the 10 year olds on the carpet for a picture book, however. So I took about 20 minutes during a planning time to gather some classic novels, some popular ones, and some often overlooked books. I marked passages at or near the beginning of the story (no giving away key plot points!) in each book I had selected. When the fifth graders arrived, I read them the passages from each book. I had planned to finish each reading with a reveal of the book title and author, but they quickly made it a game to see who could tell first what book I was reading from. I was secretly pleased when I stumped them. After about 20 minutes of rapt attention, I was finished. They begged for more. They offered to bring me their favorites to read to the class. We spent 10 more minutes "previewing" novels. Then I dispatched them to find their books to borrow for the week. About half the class came straight to me to ask for one of the books I had read from. That may be one of my favorite subbing moments ever.
