Wednesday, December 30, 2015

Books of 2015 and 2016

Hello!

It's been very quiet here. I'm glad to have the time to refresh myself in Indonesia *woohoo*. I've been catching up my sleep, sewing (after so many years!), and tidying up teaching ideas on my pinterest. I've also finished watching the introductory course of DIR/Floortime by Dr Stanley Greenspan. I can't wait for a renewal in my relationship with my students next year :)

My reading progress was going well till midyear, those days when I traveled for an hour to office =P
From midyear till now, I've been reading a lot of classic picture books, particularly during Advent period. The list in Carrotsformichaelmas blog was wonderful.

Here are the books that I managed to read in 2015:
1. Growing up with sensory issues by Jennifer Mcllwee  Myers

It was an eye-opening book for me as I started my new job as an assistant teacher. The sensory issues were real issues among children with special needs. I really wonder why my psychology textbooks only mentioned these issues as one or two lines. I still need to learn more about this as despite the knowledge I have from the book, implementing sensory support in the classroom is still a trial-and-error effort for me.

2. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

I think it was only the second American literature that I read after finishing the Great Gatsby. My American friend kindly explained a lot to me about the book and the cultural context :)

3. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Oops. Another one!

I finally read it and I fall in love with this book. Thanks Dom for lending me this book! hahaha.

4. Lord of the Rings - Tolkien

I almost finished the first book. My boyfriend's version is the 3-in-1 book *arggh so heavy*, yet I carried the book around when I have the mood, especially on Saturday mornings to fill the gap between Mass and girls' club activities. The most striking passage for me was when Frodo asked Gandalf about why he was chosen to accomplish the mission. I've found that particular paragraph was exactly about our vocation in life. So beautiful!

I didn't list my spiritual reading books here, but I'd like to share with you a book that inspired me this year. The title is "Putting down roots: Fr.Joseph Muzquiz and the Growth of Opus Dei" by John F. Coverdale. Fr. Joseph is the first Opus Dei priest who landed in the US and his canonization cause has been opened. When I read the book, I was really amazed by his optimism. I was like, "Wow, this is real faith man!" So if you are in the middle of doubting whether your little effort to bring your friends or family to God will bear fruit, this is a good book to keep you going :)

As for 2016, I would love to continue reading these books. My friends have given me some of them as my birthday present! =D

1. The temperament that God gives you
2. Emma by Jane Austen
3. North and South by Elisabeth Gaskell
4. Wrinkle of Time
5. Engaging autism by Stanley Greenspan
and of course... Lord of the Rings



Have a wonderful year ahead!

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