“Holding Up the Universe”

One of my precious students brought me her favorite book, so of course I had to read it. The book is "Holding up the Universe" by Jennifer Niven. I read this book in the four hour drive to Branson. It was a super easy and fast read. It wasn't broken up into chapters, but little snipets of the two main characters lives. This book encourages acceptance of not only your own body and mind, but others as well. It addresses the harsh world of bullying in high school and how to overcome it. 10/10 will recommend to my students!

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"The Book Thief"

I just recently finished "The Book Thief" by Markus Zusak. I had no idea what this novel was going to be about going into it; all I knew was that our 10th grade English class study it. Right off the bat I noticed that our narrator was not your average Joe. The narrator is death. When I realized this I said to myself, "Oh this is going to be good." The novel is all about the Holocaust and it is shown from a German point of view. Leisel Meminger's mother gives her away to a foster German family. On the trip to this new family, Leisel's brother dies. So right from the start death is there. I'm not going to give you a synopsis of it, because I think you should read it for yourself. Just know that a German family hides a Jew in their basement for a while, and death is around every corner. That last line of the novel really got me though..."I am haunted by humans."

Beowulf

“Beowulf” is a well-known Epic poem. There is one scene that I absolutely love to read each time I read it, which this makes time number four. Unferth is who you could call the king’s right hand man. When Beowulf arrives to Heorot, Unferth attempts to degrade him. Unferth only has one thing on Beowulf: the fight between Beowulf and Breca. Beowulf lost the fight and Unferth felt the need to say that Beowulf wasn’t as high and mighty as everyone claimed he was. Beowulf explained what happened during the fight and then he goes on to pick a bone with Unferth. The passage reads, “Now I cannot recall any fight you entered, Unferth, that bears comparison. I don’t boast when I say that neither you nor Breca were ever much celebrated for swordsmanship or for facing danger on the field of battle. You killed your own kith and kin, so for all your cleverness and quick tongue, you will suffer damnation in the depth of hell. The fact is, Unferth if you were truly as keen or courageous as you claim t...

Inside Out

I waltz into my master bathroom to draw herself a bath. I remove the blood stained clothes and sink into the hot, bubbly water. The suds around mebegan to fizzle and pop, taking me back to the Vilmart dinner I had with my husband just a week earlier. Two champagne glasses sat half-filled on a white tablecloth that reached to the floor. Candles burned in the center of the table. I had been busy staring at the menu while my husband stared at me. Every once in a while I looked up and studied his disgusted scowl. I finally closed her menu and said, “Are you really going to be mad at me forever?” “Do you not realized what you’ve done?” I looked around to see if anyone had noticed his angered tone, and leaned in towards the middle of the table. I whispered, “Nothing happened.” “Yeah? And pigs fly.” “Would you stop?” He leaned in towards me. “No, I won’t. Do you know what it’s like getting a phone call from your best friend at two a.m. saying that he went out and saw your wife in the sa...

Guardian Angel

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