Breaking Point

The Book Fairy

Confession

New bookcases!

It will come as no surprise to most nerdy people that I am a book hoarder. If you follow our Two Nerdy Sisters blog, we have a weekly post dedicated to my book purchases. Anyway, I had books double shelved and piled everywhere. I was fortunate enough to inherit bookcases from my husband's aunt. Now every book in my house has a home. I gave some of my bookcases to my children, enabling them to deal with their overwhelming stacks of books.

My reading closet:

This bookcase held encyclopedias; it is perfect for picture books.

This one was in the basement and was going to be given to Goodwill. I protested and it is my favorite.

In my bedroom:

DVD rack turned into bookcase. ☺️

At the top of the stairs:

What's that? An empty one! (Well, I begrudgingly gave my husband a shelf.) I have a place for all the books I will order in the future. It should take me a year or two to fill these.

The total number of bookcases in our house now? 14 We could open a small library. 

My Favorite Book From Every Year I've Been Alive

This idea stolen from my friend and Newbery Pie co-blogger, Benji Martin. Check out his list.

1978: My favorite Dr. Seuss book because it has my favorite quote -





Honorable Mention: The Stand by Stephen King

1979:



1980:



1981:



1982:



1983:



1984:



I know this is an odd choice, but I read this in high school for a book report. It is a still a favorite.

1985:




1986:




1987:




1988:




1989:



1990:



1991:



1992:



1993:



1994:



P.S. The Weston Woods version of this is amazing!

1995:



1996:



1997:



1998:



1999:



2000:



2001:



2002:



2003:



2004: A family favorite.




2005:


















2006:



2007:





2008:



2009:



2010:



The best E&P book!

2011:



2012:



2013:



For the last two years, I couldn't decide so I picked two.

2014:

 

2015:

 

Balance is everything...

Here comes my resignation story. I am not going to give specifics about what went down or complain about how I was treated. That's not professional. I am not going to fill this post with a diatribe about how legislatures are killing education or how we are testing children to death. Those things are all true and you have heard them over and over again. If education is your passion, you will continue in this profession despite those things, and children desperately need people like you. If you are reading this, you are most likely an educator or someone very close to me. As they say, "No need to preach to the choir."

As any passionate educator will tell you, being a teacher takes everything you have, and if you're not careful, it can be to your own detriment: to your health, to your family, to your relationship with God. As staff were cut and my responsibilities grew, I failed to maintain a balance and all those things suffered, particularly my health. This is by no means an original statement, but I obviously didn't hear it enough times: as educators, we must take care of ourselves. Like me, many educators are also parents. We get in the habit of putting ourselves last, and years of that practice eventually takes its toll.

I am so blessed to have the financial resources and the family support to take time to find my balance.

I love reading. I love children. I want children to love reading. I have breathed this every day for over 12 years. I believe that I was put on earth for that purpose. I am not done; I have just pressed the pause button. I will focus on my three readers at home for awhile. As usual, you'll see me on Facebook, Twitter and Goodreads keeping it #nerdy.

God bless you all and thank you for reading.

Guideposts and Cockeyed Optimists

I'm not going to name this person, but if you know them, you may be able to guess their identity. I am not special or anything so I do not want to "name drop." This person has inspired hundreds, if not thousands, of people.

I love my job as a school librarian and I love children's literature. If you've read this blog, you know that I have publically identified myself as someone, along with millions of others, who suffers from mental illness, specifically depression and mild panic disorder. Last year, I had to acknowledge my illnesses because my diagnosis of chronic migraines led me to consider resigning. I know this person is one of the reasons I am still a children's librarian. 

I hope that you all can find someone in your profession who is knowledgable, and has a strong unwavering ethical character, someone who can be a guidepost for you. Here is the lesson I learned this week:

How do we respond when faced with negativity from others within or from without our profession? Continue with business as usual. Addressing the negativity can turn it into a monster, especially when there is little or no chance for change/resolution of the issue/problem. My guidepost didn't say this; it is simply what they did. 

So just think of Nellie Forbush,

"I have heard people rant and rave and bellow

That we're done and we might as well be dead

But I'm only a cockeyed optimist 

And I can't get it into my head."