Lora's United States of Whatever

"Reading gives us someplace to go when you have to stay where you are." - Mason Cooley I've always loved losing myself in a book, but this year, I truly lived by the above quote. From heading to Chicago and D.C. with Michelle Obama in her autobiography,  Becoming, to heading back in time to the 1940s in New York City with Vivian in City of Girls , I went places this year. The comfy corner of my couch and favorite yellow throw were my travel companions. My time was not only spent traveling, but it was also spent challenging my thinking. Many of the nonfiction books I read this year challenged my perceptions about racism. I learned so much about how my experiences have shaped my thinking and how that thinking needs to evolve.  Here were the goals I set for reading in 2020: Read 36 books Read more nonfiction Try at least one audiobook.  With the help of a global pandemic, I crushed those goals.  I read 58 books this year.  Out of 58 books, 17 were nonfiction. I li...

I am a self-proclaimed nerd. I love to read and write, and I'd rather do that than watch TV. Using new vocabulary words exhilarates me (Geez, the sky looks ominous today!), and silently correcting the grammar of others is a daily occurrence. (Your is possessive; if you mean YOU ARE, then write you're!) I have always wanted to be in a real book club, and about two years ago that dream came true! I get so excited for our monthly meetings, so we can discuss the characters, setting, plot, and themes of our latest read. I've even started typing up questions to bring to book club to deepen our conversations. #SoNerdy Being nerdy in one of my favorite Harry Potter t-shirts! A few years ago a couple of my 5th grade students introduced me to the world of Harry Potter. I had refused to read the series for years, thinking that there's no way an adult could enjoy the world of witches and wizards. Then, these boys convinced me that as their reading teacher, I had to read it! O...