> The Things You Can Read: June 2014

The Things You Can Read welcomes you and thanks you for your readership. We, here at The Things You Can Read, ask your help, if you visit our site regularly, please follow us either via email or Google Friend Connect.  Launched on June 7, 2012, our site has already attracted a great deal of attention.  One of the goals of the site is to feature reviews of Children's Picture Books, Young Adult novels and Adult Literary Fiction/Nonfiction.  A second goal for the blog is to be a resource for teachers of English and writing--with examples of student created writing, writing tips, resource links, and the opportunity to pick the brain of a seasoned English teacher.  To spice things up...every now and then, we'll also include random quotes and thoughts on education and life in general, but our ultimate goal is to reach out into the blogosphere and be a "Book Whisperer" and "Writing Whisperer" to children and adults of all ages.   Thank you for your readership.  Here is to a lifetime filled with reading and writing.

Monday, June 30, 2014

Review in Miniature: The Art Forger A Novel by B. A. Shapiro


Let me start by saying that I love stories that deal with the art world.  We all have favorite artists and there is nothing better than seeing a favorite painting in person, which is why the The Art Forger by B. A. Shapiro hooked me from the get-go.  

As many may or may not already know, on March 18, 1990, thirteen works of art today worth over $500 million were stolen from the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston and this heist remains the largest unsolved art theft in history.  What really happened?  Well, here is a plausible fictional accounting of what might have been.  There is so much fact inside The Art Forger you can easily forget that you are reading a work of fiction. I was quickly caught up in the world of artists, art dealers, gallery owners, critics, curators, and  forgers.  

My favorite part of the book was the expertly researched detail the author shared on how one creates a believable forgery.  So not only does this novel entertain with a compelling story it also educates those of us who do not live and breathe the art world; sharing with us the secrets on how one goes about fooling the experts.

Love Claire or hate Claire you can’t help, but be caught up in her world. I highly recommend this novel to anyone who loves a good mystery or anyone who like me loves stories set in the art world.

Thank you Net Galley and Algonquin Books for the review copy of The Art Forger.  As always I continue to count on Algonquin to publish quality works of fiction and The Art Forger is just another example of the discerning choices this publishing house makes.


Happy Reading
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Sunday, June 29, 2014

Teaching Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery"?




Do you teach Shirley Jackson's "The Lottery"?  Well, if you do or if you just like this classic tale you'll love the interesting trivia uncovered over at Mental Floss.  Checkout "11 Facts About Shirley Jackson's The Lottery."  One of which states that, "Even the staff at the New Yorker were baffled by this controversial story."

As always let us know your thoughts on this classic and controversial short story.






Happy Reading
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Quote to Think About


I am a collector of quotes here is one I found thanks to a post on Nerdy Book Club's blog:

"A story saves life a little at a time by making us see and hear and taste our lives and dreams more deeply. A story does not rescue life at the end heroically, but along the road, continually."--Kim Stafford, Essayist and Poet

What do you think of that?  Agree?  Disagree?  Share your opinion with us!  Thanks Nerdy Book Club for the great post.

Happy Reading
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Friday, June 27, 2014

Summer Reading 2014


You know summer has arrived when all your favorite book sources start sharing their summer reading lists here are a few:
Check these out and let us know what you think!

Happy Reading
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Juliet in August: Mini-Review



In twenty-four hours a lot can happen.  Even for those living in the quiet prairie town of Juliet, Saskatchewan. Pick up a copy of Juliet in August by Dianne Warren and see what an outwardly sleepy little town has to offer. A tale of families, but with a finely focused view of their lives in a twenty-four hour period.  If you are a fan of Alice Munro then Dianne Warren is an author you need to try.  I guarantee Juliet in August will not disappoint.  A character driven novel that will not let those who love this genre down.  





A big thanks to Net Galley and Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam USA for the review copy of Juliet in August.

Happy Reading
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Thursday, June 12, 2014

Final Research Projects: "I" Witness To History



The 2013-2014 School year is coming to a close and the final "I" Witness To History research projects are in.  Students did a great job with the revamped Research Unit.  As I reflect back I feel I had the most success with the summative assessment assignment (the aged journal with three entries) then in previous years (traditional five paragraph research paper), but I already have plans to tweak the unit a bit next year.

Checkout out the NEW material that has been added to our newest page: STEM Problem Based Unit Plan: "I" Witness to History. We also have additional information on the Titanic Research Project-Student Writing 2012 and 2013 Page.  We continue to tweak this project and thereby consider this a work in process, and we still are finding new resources and ideas to try so don't be surprised to see that we are adding information on a continuous basis,.  There are some great links and PowerPoint presentations to aid in teaching the research process located on this site and should you use  any of these resources your feedback is greatly appreciated.  Visit STEM Problem Based Unit Plan: "I" Witness to History, as well as, Titanic Research Project-Student Writing 2012 and 2013, and be sure to let us, here at The Things You Can Read, know if these resources are useful!

Check out Stunning Images of the Titanic: HERE


Happy Reading!
The Things You Can Read
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!




Sunday, June 8, 2014

Excellence is a habit!


The great Aristotle had it right, excellence is attained through the habit of practice, practice, practice!  Great quote to remember as we work to find our blogging juju again.

Happy Reading
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Saturday, June 7, 2014

Happy Birthday



Happy Birthday to The Things You Can Read!  We are two today!  What they say is true, life events really do affect your blogging.  We welcomed a new baby into our lives on March 20, 2014 and his impending arrival and his post delivery demands really impeded our blogging, but not to worry.  We will forge ahead and try to get back to our blogging rituals.  Thanks for your continued support.  We have actually added a ton of material to our research project so make sure you check out the Stem Based Unit Plan: "I" Witness to History page.  We really turned teaching research on its ear this year.  Continue to check us out each day as we work to get back to our regular posting schedule.


Happy Reading
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Create Lessons Easily on Blendspace


A "NEW to ME" teacher resource came to my attention at a recent professional seminair I attended on Saturday, it's called Blendspace.  Its easy to use and has so many practical applications in the classroom.  Check out the LESSON we created below or hop on over to Blendspace and check it out for yourself.  As always let us know what you think of this resource, and don't forget to check out our STEM Problem Based Unit we created on our newest page!





Happy Reading
The Things You Can Read!
Believe In Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love, and the Power of Books!
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