RAE’S READS

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This year (2025) finds me with 53 years of teaching “under my belt.” I have taught all levels from pre-K “(library lady” or “book lady”–volunteer) to juniors, seniors, and graduate students enrolled in my Advanced Writing class at the university where I have just completed 34 years. My first paying teaching job was junior high, and I spent 13 years with ages 12-13, the “difficult years.” I had some of the “funnest” experiences with this age group. When I was no longer the “young, fun teacher,” I taught in an elementary school setting before sixth graders went on to junior high, teaching language arts blocs, an assignment that was a “dream-fit” for me. After completing graduate school in my 40s, I went on to community college, then university teaching. This past fall I accepted a part-time teaching job at Apogee Gulf Coast Schools in its first year at the Alvin campus. After my Better Half died n 2022, I achieved a lifelong dream: opening a bookstore of my own, Rae’s Reads. A year later, I sold the house we had lived in for 47 years and moved into the bookstore. My goal is to circulate and repurpose books. Just as teaching is “in my blood,” so is a passion for reading, writing, libraries, and everything bookish. This blog will be open to anyone who loves books, promotes literacy and wants to “come out and play.”

WEDNESDAY TO-DO’S

One of my goals for the New Year (2020) was to whittle my TBR shelves (at the time there were two of them in my book closet) to a reasonable size. I managed to get them down to about twenty-three books, and at the end of January, I pronounced that goal “accomplished.”

Since then, during the pandemic, people in my neighborhood have gone crazy cleaning closets, de-cluttering, and donating books to my Little Free Library…

…which leaves me with a tipsy pile of TBR books. (see photo above)

At first I tried my own “read the first fifty pages and decide” plan for discarding books. I applied this strenuously and arrived with this stack (see top photo) to read. Not only have I not accomplished my 2020 goal, but I have ruined what efforts I had made toward accomplishing it!

Some of the books are ones I kept when friends gave me hand-me-downs (Thanks, Deb Nance of Readerbuzz and Susan Wilson, downsizing friend) that I didn’t have time to read when I was scrambling to convert my Face-to-Face Advanced Writing class to an on-line format, but I promised to “take a look at later.” WARNING: Do not put off until tomorrow too many books or you will have a “Leaning Tower” similar to mine!

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9 responses to “WEDNESDAY TO-DO’S”

  1. carhicks Avatar
    carhicks

    Rae, that doesn’t look too bad to me. I have two bookshelves full of books that I want to read. That is after sorting and getting rid of a couple of boxes. 😄📚💖

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  2. TheChattyIntrovert Avatar
    TheChattyIntrovert

    Wish my to-read pile looked like that. I’m gonna have sagging shelves and half my wall’s gonna come down if I don’t start knocking a few out myself… just so busy and too tired to read. Might be lucky enough to FINISH one book tonight, but gonna have to go into overdrive to get the rest of my list down by the end of the year (without cheating by resorting to little kids’ books).

    Crud–forgot I was gonna shop for Goosebumps books online for the kiddos at work (grumble, grumble).

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    1. Rae Longest Avatar
      Rae Longest

      Check at Half-Price books for Goosebumps.

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      1. TheChattyIntrovert Avatar
        TheChattyIntrovert

        Either there or BetterWorldBooks.com. I’ve blown plenty of paychecks there.

        Liked by 1 person

  3. Deb Nance at Readerbuzz Avatar
    Deb Nance at Readerbuzz

    Once I had eight huge bookshelves of books I planned to read. I donated all those books to a nonprofit resale shop several years ago.

    Problem solved, right?

    Well, no. Now, instead of eight huge bookshelves, I have books stashed away on the top shelf of a closet, under our bed, in the corner of my reading room, and under a couch.

    I’ve decided that having a big TBR is going to be something I shall have to live with.

    I love the photos! You made me smile.

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    1. Rae Longest Avatar
      Rae Longest

      II was laughing outright because the pile was starting to fall!

      Like

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  4. odbookreviews Avatar
    odbookreviews

    I LOVE your Little Free Library!
    I made the mistake of counting my TBR pile, wont be doing that again.
    Your stack is both impressive and manageable 👍 I hope they are great reads!

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  5. Gluten Free A-Z Avatar
    Gluten Free A-Z

    Oh- parting with books is always difficult for me- I seem to just want to keep them all. I love your idea of the little library.

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  6. shelleyrae @ Book'd Out Avatar
    shelleyrae @ Book’d Out

    At least the library won’t go empty 🙂

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