I know that the summer doesn’t technically begin until mid-June, but let’s face it, people: it’s too hot to still be spring. So with that in mind, I’m going to jump the gun and announce my summer project, as well as some other goodies.
Looking Ahead
Percy Jackson and the Olympians — I love me some YA fiction! This bestselling series by San Antonio native Rick Riordan chronicles the adventures of Percy Jackson, son of Poseidon. Besides being a great concept and story, this series does a great job of injecting Greek and Roman mythology into everyday occurrences. Book six in the series debuts later this year, so I’m taking the chance to read every single awesome word. Rather than burying you under a deluge of Percy Jackson reviews, I’m planning to review all books within one (probably really long) post.
The Freedom Writers Diary — It’s been difficult to find non-fiction books to review, but I think this one will provide lots of discussion topics. After intercepting a racist drawing from a student in her class, teacher Erin Gruwell compares it to the techniques used by Nazis during World War II. Not one of the students in her inner-city English class knew what the Holocaust was. The book documents her students’ struggles to read and write about The Diary of Anne Frank, as well as about their own lives.
Rhett Butler’s People — An authorized sequel to Margaret Mitchell’s Gone With the Wind, this novel tells the story of the life and times of Rhett Butler. Not only does it tell the original story from Rhett’s perspective, but it also delves deeply into the man’s past–and perhaps a bit into his future.
This is by no means an exhaustive list of what’s coming up, so remember to keep up on the latest, whether that be via Twitter or right here at the blog!
“Get a Job!” Series
Partially inspired by my own search for a job. Richard Nelson Bolles’ What Color is Your Parachute? is a book for job-seekers (and career-changers!) since 1970. Updated every year, Parachute has been an eye-opening read for me. There are all kinds of worksheets and exercises included, so I’ll be working my way through those over the next little while. As the second part of the series I’ll be talking about Service Included, by Phoebe Damrosch. I’m not really certain what it’s about, but you don’t have to be a genius to know that waiting tables is most definitely not the world’s most glamorous position.
Summer Project
While surfing around online several weeks ago, I came across embodiment, a Livejournal community whose members are dedicated to writing in their journals every day for a year. Many of the community’s members create visual entries, and it is this particular aspect onto which I have seized.
I am an artist, but I have never really considered myself a visual artist (I use the term “visual artist” to cover such aspects as painting, drawing, etc.). My friends and family know that I am a lover of the written word, however; so every birthday and Christmas I receive at least one blank journal. Well, folks, the blank journals are piling up, and frankly my hand is starting to cramp, so I have decided to take on the task of documenting my summer (June-August) mainly through visual journaling. You don’t need words to tell a story, after all! I’ll be hammering out more details as we get closer to June, but if you’re interested in visual journaling right along with me, I’d be more than happy to lend you my scissors and craft glue!
[I wish I had created this.]
All in all, an exciting summer is rapidly approaching. What books will you be reading as you loll comfortably on your beach towels?