Coming Soon: Book List

What could be nicer than a trip to San Antonio in November? While North Carolina's been entertaining unseasonably cold weather and earlier snow flurries than usual, I am in balmy Texas, enjoying the Riverwalk--at least on my way to the National Council of Teachers of English Convention. Anybody who knows me at all knows that I enjoy conferences more than most. I go to as many sessions as possible and feel sad about the ones I have to miss. Every 75-minute session has offered around 50-60 choices, so I feel like a food addict at the all-you-can-eat bar with only one plate.

The one session I make a point never to miss is called "Readers Ourselves." For the last fifteen years at least, this has been a guilty pleasure. Instead of practical matters for the classroom, this session is an opportunity for teachers to talk about what we are reading for pleasure. The plan is simple: You jot down your name, email address, and the name of any book you mention during the discussion, along with the author's name if you know it. The facilitators collect the list, spell check, and send everyone the compiled list. Of course, even know the list is "in the mail," we are all writing furiously.

Tonight, I am heading back out to the Riverwalk--to plan for our session we're presenting tomorrow. When I get back or tomorrow, I'll list the ones that caught my eye. In fact, through this whole conference, I've been listing books for my "I want" list. Check back. I'm ready to share!

Coming Soon: Book List