“small fry” – steve jobs’s daughter – his first daughter’s – story of growing up – good book – sad book – coupled with the BOB book from years ago about how wonderful jobs was, this is a good balance to that

“running home” – great book about loss – and running – enjoyed reading it on the way back from nyc – good reminder of how running can help you cope with loss at times – really, any activity can help you cope with loss

“a fine team man” – great new book on jackie robinson – looked at jackie’s impact on others – each chapter was about another person – good, balanced view of those people – not just “this person was evil, this one was good” – enjoyed it – and learned a bit on a topic i thought i already knew a lot about

“the 100-yard journey” – gary pinkel – former missouri coach – meh…

“dare to dream” – 1D – i think i’d read it years ago – although, i checked the blog and didn’t see it – anyway, took me back to 2011 – a simpler time in america – and in london:) back before all the members of 1D hated each other – back when they said all the right things:)

“neil patrick harris: choose your own autobiography” – great, great find at the thrift store a week ago – enjoyed reading it the second time through – had been four-ish years – i’m now passing it along to friends

j

“fear” – woodward’s new book about the president – very familiar in spots – i’d read some of what had been going on before – still, just amazing – a bit more “balanced” than i figured it would be

“racing to the finish” – my NASCAR book for the year – or for the decade:) anyway, i enjoyed it – especially the talladega references – the fact that the book was written to encourage discussions about CTE was good

“every day is extra” – great book from the former secretary of state – again, sad in spots – but lots of Boston references – which i loved – the vietnam stuff made me think of my parents and their lives

“unscripted” – wonderful book by the guy who does “inside the NBA” with tnt – ernie johnson jr – he has had a wonderful life – and he has a wonderful perspective on life’s ups and downs

j

“fierce” – great book on aly raisman – US gymnast – really recommendable as a YA book – but also for adults who like a good story about athletics

“a place of remembrance” – book about the 9-11 memorial – which i hope to visit in nyc in three weeks – it was a good summary of the ideas that went into the memorial – i’d remembered that it was a contentious issue

“earn the right to win” – book from tom coughlin – former NY Giants coach – he was surprisingly candid about how he changed his personality – that was the best part of the book – that he was humble enough to change

“Run Fast, Cook Fast, Eat Slow” – sequel to a great book by two runners – really appetizing meals – ms. pursley has promised me her class will get on a couple of the items – so that’s exciting:)

“The Fifth Risk” – from the library of Mr. Evans – great book – a scary book in parts – i wondered how the department of education was being handled with this too

“let’s play two” – biography on ernie banks – mr. cub – for such an optimistic guy, it was a fairly sad book

j

“restless wave” – great last book by john mccain – we read his final address in class – lots of that was in the book – more developed

“how about that!” – biography on yankees broadcaster from 1939-1963 – and then he was dumped – it was sad b/c of that – allen was from alabama – west blocton

“endure” – great book for my training – about the quest to get to the 2-hour marathon

“normally, this would be a cause for concern” – celeb book – from topanga – meh…

“fodor’s guide to nyc” – there’s lots to do there, needless to say:)

j

“asperger’s children” – amazing story of the man behind the name of a condition – really compelling history – science should’ve been more careful awarding this name in 1981 – good read – but sad

“102 minutes” – yep, continuing with sad – but b/c i’m headed to NYC this fall, i wanted to remember 9-11 – lots of the details i was surprised i still knew – the lack of coordination between fire and police was new to me

“my dad, yogi” – great new book about the son of one of baseball’s greats – and not a “tell all” – or a hagiography – good story about the son – and the dad

“this is the day” – new book by tebow – highly recommended – good encouragement

j

Dr. Rush asked me about what I’d learned from my last book I’d read – I started talking about it – the bell rang – I realized she’d wanted to know about a book I read several books back – but that she figured I was still reading – oops – we were both confused:)

“The Legacy of Maggie Dixon” – made me think of my student who went to West Point – good book about a legacy that might’ve gone unnoticed

“Off the Charts” – book on childhood prodigies – really enjoyed reading this book – but it was a very sad book b/c prodigies don’t end very well

“The Barcelona Inheritance” – surprisingly, a lot about Chelsea soccer (football) – enjoyed learning a whole lot about Barca’s influence in Europe

“We Want Fish Sticks” – in honor of running in New York in a couple of months, I read about the worst logo design ever – that of the Islanders for 1995-97 – it was an interesting read – I don’t know much about hockey so lots was new to me

“Pitino” – book about Louisville’s ex-coach – he spoke at Briarwood years ago – I hate to say that I unfairly judged his demise w/o the facts – and there are a lot of them

j

you know, b/c i’m far behind the rest of the faculty in the book challenge

“disco demolition” – great read on the 1979 disaster at the white sox’s park – more on the chicago music than on baseball – but still a great read

“football for a buck” – very entertaining book on the USFL – b’ham had a franchise – I didn’t know Trump had such a role in the league’s demise – great read

“serving gifted students in rural settings” – took care of some professional reading – was recommended by a student long ago – really enjoyed it

“no bull” – story of the Durham Bulls – at least, the return to Durham in 1980 – enjoyed it

“winning ugly” – great NEW book in my room on the history of ugly uniforms in MLB – lots of them were a part of my childhood

“playing for more” – new book on case keenum – NFL player – about his faith – and football – enjoyable read

j

so it’s on to a new year…

“the big book of dyslexia activities for kids and teens” – great book with good teaching strategies – i liked the idea of red herrings – i also liked a notecard activity we’re going to try

“still in the game” – great book – i told you about it – most of the classes – the NFL player with the daughter with cancer – good example of how a book can turn and really get interesting if you stick with it

“paul: a biography” – great book on the apostle – good insights into his life – and will help me read the new testament better

“the united states of sports” – new from sports illustrated – great read – about all 50 states – cool, fun facts

j

Around the World in Many Ways

Work from last Friday with my seventh grade.

3 minute video with explanation of our work – 8th grade