Reading All the Books

"Mrs. Porter, have you read all the books in here?"

I hear that question several times a year. My stock answer is, "No, but I wish I had the time to do that."

As the Media Specialist I recommend books to children and give book talks, but I wonder:

• How am I modeling the act of reading in a concrete and visible way?

• How do I best share not only what I am reading, but that I read for enjoyment, that I push myself to read widely despite my tendency to lean toward certain genres?

• How am I starting the conversation about reading for enjoyment as a lifelong activity?

My current To Be Read pile.

Last year I made a resolution to read 100 books between Jan. 1 and Dec. 31. I further resolved to add the titles to my Goodreads list and write one sentence about each book.

Amazingly, I accomplished this goal. And Goodreads gave me a visual record to share. I also kept a spreadsheet that recorded the number of pages. During a lesson where I had language arts classes setting reading goals for the year, I shared my reading list. The number of books read got a mild reaction, but when they saw the total of 28,005 pages they were astonished.

This year I'm again recording books and reviews on Goodreads. I've created a chart paper record of titles read, dates completed, and number of pages.

Last week, without comment, I displayed it on an easel in the corner of the library in an act of passive-aggressive librarianship.

I've spotted folks examining it, I've heard conversations among students, teachers, students and teachers about those titles and what books they've been reading. 

Mission accomplished.

 If you're curious to see for yourself, my online record can be found at Mrs. Porter's Goodreads Shelf.