Rosencrantz & Guildenstern, Ltd.

School is almost upon us (my district starts back on Monday) and that means that there will be much less time for reading. Of course, that doesn’t mean I don’t have a lot of reading to do, both for school and pleasure. Here’s a rundown of some books I’ve got going at the moment:

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman: Gaiman is one of my favorite writers, and this was highly recommended to me by my mom and younger brother.  It’s basically Gaiman’s version of The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling.  Although I got this one primarily for pleasure, I’m seriously considering using it in one of my English classes this year (maybe in both).  On a related note, Gaiman wrote an introduction to a collection of Kipling’s fantasy and horror short stories.  I don’t remember the title, but it was at our local Barnes & Noble.

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines: This was suggested to me by a colleague as a potential book for English II Pre AP.  I’ve read the first chapter, and I can tell already that it will be a hard but compelling read.  I’m almost certainly going to teach it this year.  In a weird coincidence, my wife Jen is going to be reading a play version of it for one of her classes this semester.

The Writer’s Journey by Christopher Vogler: This is an analysis of Joseph Campbell’s comparative mythology for writers.  Not only is it useful for me as a writer, but the “hero’s journey” is actually on our TEKS for English II.

That’s it for now.  I’ll be posting some more about what I read as the year progresses.