Spring Break Reading!

My spring break officially starts today at 11am! I am heading to Las Vegas with my mom and sister to visit my grandparents and plan on getting a lot reading in between the plane rides and relaxation time during our week there. This is what I'm bring with me:

And on my kindle, I hope to get to: 

I'm currently reading The Sea of Tranquility (and enjoying it!) and hope to finish it on the plane ride. Who knows which one I'll read next!

What are your spring break reading plans?

Top Ten Books On My Spring 2014 TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is one of my personal favorites, TBR lists! Below are ten books I'd like to read this spring!

1. Dangerous by Shannon Hale: She is coming to a bookstore near me today and I plan on getting her newest book, Dangerous, signed (along with The Goose Girl)!

2. The Sea of Monsters by Rick Riordan: I read The Lightning Thief earlier this year and am looking forward to continuing the series!

3. This Song Will Save Your Life by Leila Sales: A few students have gushed over this one and said I need to read it, so I am making a point to get to it soon. Maybe over spring break? Good plane reading?

4. The Forsaken by Lisa Stasse: Another student rec that sounds pretty good!

5. Let the Sky Fall by Shannon Messenger: I've been meaning to read this one for a while and am determined to finally read it this spring.

6. The Girl of Fire and Thorns trilogy by Rae Carson: I am thinking about binge reading this whole series! Yay or nay?

7. Incarnate by Jodi Meadows: I have this on my kindle and am thinking of reading it over spring break

8. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo: I've been meaning to read this forever and am thinking it's the perfect time because Leigh is coming to Michigan with the Fierce Reads tour in June!

9. The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkoski: This one sounds awesome!

10. Front and Center by Catherine Gilbert Murdock: I need to finish DJ's story :)

Review: Crewel by Gennifer Albin

Publish date: 2012
Source: Classroom library
Format: Hardcover
Length: 368 pages
"Incapable. Awkward. Artless. That’s what the other girls whisper behind her back. But sixteen-year-old Adelice Lewys has a secret: She wants to fail.

Gifted with the ability to weave time with matter, she’s exactly what the Guild is looking for, and in the world of Arras, being chosen to work the looms is everything a girl could want. It means privilege, eternal beauty, and being something other than a secretary. It also means the power to manipulate the very fabric of reality. But if controlling what people eat, where they live, and how many children they have is the price of having it all, Adelice isn’t interested.

Not that her feelings matter, because she slipped and used her hidden talent for a moment. Now she has one hour to eat her mom’s overcooked pot roast. One hour to listen to her sister’s academy gossip and laugh at her dad’s jokes. One hour to pretend everything’s okay. And one hour to escape.

Because tonight, they’ll come for her." (Goodreads)

I really thought I would love Crewel. It's been in my classroom library for a while, the subject seemed really interesting, and the cover is pretty. It all added up to what I thought would be a win for me, but I didn't end up loving it as much as I wanted to.

Gennifer Albin has created a really interesting world here with Crewel, but I spent a majority of the book confused about what was happening. The idea of weaving time with matter is really interesting, but I didn't think the concept was explained enough. I also wish there was more background with Adelice's family at the beginning of the book. Apparently I needed more explanation about everything!

That all said, I don't think Crewel was a bad book by any means, just not my thing. I have many students who absolutely loved it and we even considered it for a book club pick last year. I was intrigued by the very end though; will I like Altered more than Crewel? Feel free to advise in the comments!

Top Ten Popular Authors I've Never Read

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week's topic is near and dear to my heart, as I often am sad when I think about all the books I need to read and how I won't ever get to all of them! Here are 10 popular authors I have yet to read:


1. Richelle Mead

2. Melina Marchetta

3. Khaled Hosseini

4. Sherman Alexie

5. Stephen King

6. Neil Gaiman

7. Ally Carter

8. A.S. King

9. Tamora Pierce

10. Holly Black (I am currently listening to Coldtown now though!)

At School: Literacy Displays

As most of you know, in addition to being a reader, I'm also a high school English and Spanish teacher. I thought it might be fun to talk a bit about what my coworkers and I do at work to encourage reading and create a culture of literacy at our school. I thought I'd start with a post about one of the most fun things I personally am doing this year: a reading display on my classroom door.

Picture taken in January. Number is up to 51 now!

I borrowed/stole the idea from Jillian (thanks!), who tweeted about it a while ago, and have seen a few other people create these types of displays as well. It was easy to do it: I created a small sign that says "This school year, Ms. Farlie has read _____ novels! Have you read any of them?" I had it laminated and now I just update the number with a dry erase marker every time I finish a book. I print book covers four to a page and tape them up around the sign. I have to say, I really look forward to adding books to the door! I think it makes me read more :)

The display itself has inspired some great conversations with kids and I already know it's helping them discover more books. I notice students checking the display as they walk down the hall or as they come into class, noticing when I add another cover or if my number goes up a few after a long weekend or a snow day. Sometimes I overhear conversations about the door from students I don't even have, especially after school!

I love what this display has done to encourage talking about literacy and to introduce students to more books that they might not notice on the shelves. 50 Cent's Playground has been popular this year, partly due to students noticing the cover on the door as they walk in. I've also had quite a few questions about Marie Lu's Legend series and The One and Only Ivan. I love all of these books getting more exposure!

If you are thinking about creating a literacy display, I'd really recommend doing one like this where students can see it easily. I also have a "currently reading" sign in the narrow window next to my door, so my students are able to check both out as they walk by or in the door. Both are fun, simple, and informative and let me display my reading life for everyone to see :)