This is my second Read 15 in 15 update! You can see the first update here. In addition to reading some real books recently, I spent a lot of time listening to podcasts and audio books. I was late to join the Serial Podcast bandwagon, but I was hooked from the first episode to the last! If you haven’t listened to Serial yet, I strongly recommend it!

Here are the books I’ve finished recently:

• The History of Us by Leah Stewart – I started this book because I enjoyed The Myth of You and Me by the same author. This one wasn’t as great as I remember the first novel being, but I enjoyed the unique, quirky characters, all of which were so flawed they felt more human than some of the humans I see posting semi-real topics on Facebook!
• A Mango- Shaped Space by Wendy Mass – I LOVED this YA novel! I began it the same time my friend introduced it as one of her students’ Book Club choices in her classroom. This is a sweet story about an uncommon disorder and one girl’s journey to appreciate her own special gifts.
• The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo – I love every YA book written by this author and Edward Tulane was no exception! While I was on a site visit last week I saw a 4th grade class excitedly discussing this novel. A few days later I found it available on my new favorite app, Oyster. The next day my teacher friend told me she had just started the book. We each read it over one Saturday and then discussed it at length the next day. I love impromptu book clubs!
• The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins- I started this after hearing lots of positive buzz about it, and many comparisons to Gone Girl, which I LOVED! I listened to the audio version of this book and was, at first, thrown off by the British accents (and I didn’t like the voice of one of the readers, which was annoying). The story is told from three different women’s perspectives, and it was a good mystery. What I found most fascinating was that I disliked ALL of the characters equally. They were each unlikable people with poor character. Yet I enjoyed reading and was happy with the unexpected twists.

ccc licensed work on flickr

Each time I read and love a YA book, I am reminded of how easy and quick they are to read! I miss my days as a teacher when I kept a running list of the books I read on my classroom door. A teacher who reads can get any student excited about reading something. I wish that all teachers thought of themselves as readers and writers!

• What have you been reading lately?
• Have you #Read15in15 yet?
• Any good recommendations?