:3 Time for Number Three

I had such a difficult time with Pride and Prejudice. From the sound of it, I'm the complete opposite from everyone else, haha. I'm excited to read Frankenstein, though! BUT I'm wondering, Who else is reading the same book? If you are, you should definitely let me know! :)

P&P

Well, I finished Pride and Prejudice. It seemed like it was longer than Catch 22 but it was definitely an easier read for me. So yeah. Now I guess we just wait to school starts...darn.

Dear Old Books

The assignments for Book #2 of your summer AP reading trickled in during the end of the week before the Friday deadline. Thanks to those who were so prompt in getting your work in. I'm working on some homework of my own, due September 1st to my grad school mentor. It may be cliche', but I do feel your pain with the summer assignments. It's been a while since your fearless leader has had homework!

Click on the title of the post for an article from the UK's Telegraph newspaper regarding the Oxford English Dictionary. You may recall me mentioning the premier authority on the English language. Only two complete OEDs have been published (they take several decades to compile) and it looks like the third OED will NOT be available in print. Read the article to find out why. And I'm interested to hear your thoughts on this...

Book #3, the book you are reading along with other AP students in smaller groups, should be completed by Wednesday, September 23. This will follow our discussion of Catch-22 and Pride and Prejudice, as well as the test over these two books. It would be a good idea to review your reading logs for Book #1 in the days before we come back to school.

Enjoy your last week of freedom! I'll be at school on Wednesday and Thursday of this week, so if you're around feel free to stop by my room.

Happy reading!

-MCC

P and P

Im finished with P & P!! YES!! I never write out the whole title because I can never remember how to spell it!! I always get the "Pride and__" but I always have to look at the book to figure out how to spell the second word and it drives me crazy! :)

mwahahahaha!!

DONE!!!!! :) This makes me very happy indeed!

Here we go...

8 days and 41 chapters to go...

:/

P&P

I too am also reading P&P now. As I continue reading, I realize that this book is easier for me to read. I have seen the movie and realized that there are a number of differences in the first 20 chapters alone. I was flying through the book, then I had to go to camp. I didn't get much reading in there but I will definitely have it finished sooner than Catch-22.

libro numero dos

I have started reading P&P as my 2nd book as well Lena. It is 1000000x better than Catch-22! I am only on Chapter 12 but hope on getting farther in the book soon. :)

Book two!

I've started P&P, and it is better than Catch-22, by far. Although, the more I think about how terrible and ridiculous that book was, the more I start to like it. It's scaring me! It seemed horrible while I was reading it, but now, not so bad. I have been pretty busy with camping, Cedar Point, work, conditioning, etc., so I haven't really gotten into P&P. Only on chapter 6 but I like it so far. It was a little difficult to keep up with at first but it's getting better.

Anyone else reading this one as their second book?

:)

Brontë Sisters Power Dolls

An English professor of mine from Aquinas sent me a link to this. If only kids were encouraged to play with literary action figures they way they are with Barbie and GI Joe, we might have more people take AP English!                      

      I                  H

On to the next one...

I have received a few questions about the due date for the reading log and vocabulary list for the next book. Your assignments for Book #2 will be due to me on Friday, August 27, by 11:59 PM. As before, I welcome all early assignments submitted before the due date.

For the AP Language students from last year, please have The Importance of Being Earnest completed by that time as well. I will be emailing you a quiz and essay questions after August 27 and those will be due to me by email before we return to school in September.

Any questions, you know how to find me! My grad school residency ends tomorrow and I will be continuing my summer journey to Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, for vacation. I return home to Michigan on August 9.

Be sure to post to the blog or email me with any questions or concerns.

-MCC

24 hour countdown

You thought this book was dragged out to annoy AP students for their summer reading, but no....

It's EVERYWHERE!!

Including the Borders at New York's LaGuardia Airport! 

I'm currently in New York City on my way back to school. That's right, your fearless leader is going back to school. Tomorrow, I head to Connecticut for the first residency of my Master of Fine Arts in creative writing at Fairfield University. The residency goes until July 26 and I can promise that I will do enough reading and writing to make us even in the summer homework department :) 

This also means that I will have limited email access during the day. If you don't hear back from me immediately, fear not. I'll return your email when I get a chance. I've received several book #1 assignments already - thanks to those who are ahead of the game! The rest of you I trust I will be hearing from tomorrow :)

When I began this post, there were 24 hours left before the vocabulary lists and reading logs for the first book are due. Now it is 12:13 AM. Time is sure a-flying!

Happy reading (and writing)

-MCC

Better Late Than Never?

Well, I've finally posted to the blog. Took me a while, but I've done it. Finished reading Pride & Prejudice and....well....let's just say it was everything I expected it to be. I'm hoping Catch-22 will be a bit more entertaining though. I'm going to be gone for a couple weeks, so I wouldn't expect a comment on this blog from me for quite a while. I'm off to go camping and hopefully acquire a sufficient amount of bug bites. Lewkowitz out....

The Good, The Bad And The Unreadable

I was talking to a friend the other day and she asked me what qualities in a book make it so that I don't want to continue reading or so that I can hardly stand not to read. I thought that this was a good question, and after thinking about it I told her what I thought. Knowing what gives you reader's block or what qualities of a book you really like is helpful, particularly when the reading is required. My friend is doing a presentation for a writing organization she is part of and part of her presentation is what makes a book bad. So I thought that getting the feedback from some of the best and brightest members of the Class of 2011 couldn't hurt. What makes you want to put the book down and spend a ridiculous amount of time on facebook? What makes you finish a book in one day because it was just that good? I know that some of the books that we read last year had qualities that produce reader's block for me, such as not identifying who the speaker is often enough in dialogue. Your feedback would be much appreciated. Good luck getting your logs and vocab lists done by Friday if they're not done already :)

Book #1 reminders

Greetings AP warriors!

Hee hee hee....good question  :-)

Some of you are close. Some of you are finished. Some of you have some long nights ahead of you this week....

Whatever boat you are in, this is a reminder that the vocabulary list and reading log for BOOK #1 (either Catch-22 or Pride and Prejudice) is due to me by 11:59 PM on Friday, July 16.

Your options for submitting these assignments are as follows.

Email: scarter.conklin@gmail.com or sconklin@bridgmanschools.com  Either email is fine.

Snail mail:  Drop off at any post office by 5:00 PM to ensure a July 16 post mark. You can mail them to me at: 2518 Willa Drive, Saint Joseph, MI 49085

Drop off: You can drop them off at my house if you like. Mapquest or Google maps my address. It's about a 17 minute drive from Bridgman. My mailbox is attached to the house, to the left of my front door. It's a yellow house with green shutters with a rabid pit bull chained to the porch (just kidding about the pit bull!).  They need to be IN my mailbox before the end of Friday, July 16 if you do the drop off.

Reminder: Many of you have commented on the extensive vocabulary list you have created for Catch-22. Please be sure you have AT LEAST 50 words on your vocab list. You most likely have more, but 50 is appropriate for P&P and Catch-22.

Let me know if you have any questions or concerns. I look forward to hearing about your experiences with the first book!

Happy summer! Happy reading!

-MCC