Early retirement has brought some changes. One, is the abundance of holidays I seem to have had. Since my last day at work, December 2015 Tony and I have been to Budapest, Isle of Wight, Scotland and Malta.
In Edinburgh, we stayed for a couple of nights in a spa hotel and I surprised myself by having a couple of swims. Nice bit of gentle breast stroke.
In Malta, our daughter Karen was with us for the first week. She had me up and out, at the beach, most mornings, before I could say, "What's for breakfast". Sand in places I can't reach is bearable, if uncomfortable - but swimming... I loved it and I had forgotten how much. Holiday over, I returned home back to a fairly sedentary existence. Feet up, I settled in to watch week 2 of the Rio Olympics. It's great watching other people sweat. Did I mention that I lost about 4lb on holiday? That's odd, I thought. Could it be all that swimming?
Then I saw the triathalons and marvelled at the stamina of the multi disciplined sports men and women. I thought about my old, (almost unused), sit up and beg bike that had mostly been stored outside. Before I knew what I was doing, I had bought a new bike, (better value that tarting up the old one), and had signed up for 'Everyone Active' at our local leisure centre. Swimming is free for over 60s. Who knew?
Having been inspired by a hotel pool, my daughter, triathletes, weight loss, (much needed), and the lure of something free, I have set myself a goal and I'm feeling VERY motivated to exercise for 30 minutes, five times a week. I am further inspired by my friend John Manderson, who recently blogged on his Couch to 5k experience. He made it!
Rough plan; Monday, Wednesday, Friday, morning; swim for thirty minutes. Tuesday and Thursday, cycle for thirty minutes. Let's be clear, both are fairly leisurely at the moment and time in pool and on cycle, don't necessarily translate into swimming/pedalling time. But it's a start and if the inspiration keeps coming, I'll keep going.
Over 40 'likes' on Facebook means that people are behind me, so I don't want to let them down. Keep nudging me people!
I don't know if I will blog every day, but watch out for info on lengths, chatting women and gears.
Lydia Jean Speaks. (Nothing new there!)
Expect to read my thoughts on my faith, my work, my interests and the occasional comment on the news and things that amuse.
Thursday 25 August 2016
Saturday 19 July 2014
Young Adult, (YA), reads for old adults like me.
I work in a high school library. Reading what students read comes with the job, but it is usually a pleasure rather than a chore. As the end of term approaches, I wrote this list for school staff.
Maybe you will find it useful too.
Summer time.... and the readin' is easy.......
Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
Maybe you will find it useful too.
Summer time.... and the readin' is easy.......
TEN ‘YOUNG ADULT’ (YA) TITLES THAT ‘NOT SO YOUNG ADULTS’ (NSYAs) SHOULD
READ THIS SUMMER
Some are well crafted and worthy of a place on anyone’s
reading list. Others are popular through
hype and the current trend for books where, “bad stuff happens to people”. One
or two on the list are suitable for younger readers and might just appear
because I liked them! All are available
in the LRC, many as digital eBooks or eAudiobooks. Jean
The
Fault in our Stars by John Green
‘Love Story’ for a new generation. THE most requested book
in the LRC with a long waiting list.
Students cry. Film just out.
‘Despite the tumour-shrinking medical miracle that has
bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final
chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus
Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to
be completely rewritten.’
Thirteen Reasons Why
by Jay Asher
More teenage angst.
‘Clay Jensen returns home from school one day to find a box,
with his name on it, lying on the porch. Inside he discovers 13 cassette tapes
recorded by Hannah Baker, his classmate, who committed suicide two weeks
earlier. On tape, Hannah explains that there are 13 reasons why she did what
she did, and Clay is one of them.’
The
Bunker Diary by Kevin Brooks
The unputdownable winner of this
year’s Carnegie Medal. Kevin Brooks has a following here at chsg and that
following has grown since ‘Bunker’ hit the shelves. Reluctant Year 10
reader? Put this in their hand.
‘I can't believe I fell for it. It was still dark when I
woke up this morning. As soon as my eyes opened I knew where I was. A
low-ceilinged rectangular building made entirely of whitewashed concrete. There
are six little rooms along the main corridor. There are no windows. No doors.
The lift is the only way in or out. What's he going to do to me?’
The Hunger Games
Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
Still popular. Destined to be a
classic. If you haven’t read it yet –
what’s stopping you? This did for
reluctant teen readers what Harry Potter did for pre teens reluctant
readers. More than that it is a crackin’
good read. Based on Greek mythology, oh yes... educational too, and the more
contemporary ‘Big Brother’, now relegated to Channel 5.
‘16-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death
sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the annual Hunger
Games, a fight to the death on live TV. But Katniss has been close to death
before and survival, for her, is second nature.’
My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece by Annabel Pitcher
Intended for younger readers, so not
strictly YA. I listened to it on audio, using Audible, read by David Tennant.
What’s not to like? Dad loses the plot when he and mum split up after the death
of one of their children. The family
left behind, cope in different ways.
Heartbreaking. Well told by the
wonderful Mr Tennant. (Who is on a par with Colin Firth as Darcy.) (Just
saying).
‘Narrated by ten-year-old Jamie, this is a novel about the
tragedy that tears apart his family after a terrorist attack. As Jamie comes to
terms with his loss, he asks questions that he must answer for himself.’
Looking for JJ by Anne Cassidy
An author very popular with
students. Looking for JJ is one of those books once read – never
forgotten. The sequel, Finding Jennifer
Jones, has just been published after 10
years and is on my reading list.
‘A gripping and emotionally searing novel from a talented
author, 'Looking For JJ' explores the circumstances and motives behind the
murder of a child by her best friend. Six years later, JJ has now been
released, and has a new identity. But is there any way that she can lead a
'normal' life?’
A modern classic. I
am asked for this at least once a week and yet it was written in 2001. Most, if
not all students who borrow this, go on to read the sequels. Malorie Blackman
is a master, (or is it mistress?), of her art.
‘Sephy is a Cross - a member of the dark-skinned ruling
class. Callum is a nought - a 'colourless' member of the underclass who were
once slaves to the Crosses. The two have been friends since early
childhood. But that's as far as it can go. Against a background of prejudice,
distrust and mounting terrorist violence, a romance builds between Sephy and
Callum - a romance that is to lead both of them into terrible danger . . .’
The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams
A little gem, hidden on the LRC shelves, but one I often
recommend to students. The chapter about the baby and the bathwater
will break your heart. The book also
features a mobile library. (Random thought from me).
‘In a polygamous cult in the desert, Kyra, not yet
14-years-old, sees being chosen to be the seventh wife of her uncle just as
punishment for having read books and kissed a boy, in violation of Prophet
Childs' teachings, and is torn between facing her fate and running away from
all that she knows and loves.’
The Divergent Series by Veronica Roth
Dystopian fiction is HOT right
now. Another popular series from across the pond. Now a major film. I hadn’t
heard of it until I found a few notes in the LRC suggestion box, asking me to
buy it. Hard copies and eBooks are
available. You do KNOW we have eBooks
and eAudiobooks don’t you? Contact me to sign up!
‘Society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to
the cultivation of a particular virtue, in the attempt to form a 'perfect
society'. On her Choosing Day, Beatrice Prior renames herself Tris, rejects her
family's Abnegation group, and chooses another faction.’
Stolen by Lucy Christopher
One for the psychologists as well as for those who want to
read about bad stuff happening. This book is rarely available to borrow – a
sign that students recommend it to each other. (This makes me happy).
‘Told in a moving letter to her captor, 16-year-old Gemma
relives her kidnapping from Bangkok airport while on holiday. Taken by Ty, her
troubled young stalker, to the wild and desolate Australian Outback she
reflects on a landscape from which there's no escape.’
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