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.”

Author: Rae Longest

  • DEWEY’s 24 HR READATHON: 9:00 p.m. Check In

    CAUGHT UP ON Swing It Sunny by Jennifer Holm and Matthew Holm, a graphic novel. I will not review this thanks to spending time at Dewey’s, but it deals with Sunny’s summer before middle school begins and how she misses her brother, Dale, who has been sent to Military School after troubles with drugs and…

  • DEWEY’S 24 HR. READATHON: 4:30 P.M. Check In

    I took a break for lunch and a quick trip to the post office. When I arrived downtown, I realized it was Frontier Day, sponsored by the Rotary, and National Oak Park was full of vendors. I had to park about a quarter of a mile away, then walked through the many rows of booths.…

  • DEWEY’S 24 HR READATHON: 11:00 a.m. Check In

    It has been a busy, productive morning. I started with a light breakfast Then I caught up on my daily devotionals which National Poetry Month and end-of-semester grading caused me to put on the back burner for a few days. I wrote an entry in my reading log (to use in a future post) of…

  • DEWEY’S 24 HR READATHON: Set Up

    I didn’t have to set an alarm to wake up this morning, April 24, 2021; it is the day of the READATHON. It is raining this morning, so I think I’ll wear this shirt: Next order of business is to select some books to read: Most of these I have started, so I will tackle…

  • TOMORROW, APRIL 24th IS DEWEY’S 24 HOUR READ-A-THON

    Tomorrow is the big day! It’s time for Dewey’s 24 Hour Read-a thon. I have only participated in two others (and the read-a-thon was established in 2007), so I am really getting serious about tomorrow. It’s important to have books on hand, snacks and made ahead-meals, and maybe some goals. I hope to finish the…

  • HAPPY BIRTHDAY, William Shakespeare, APRIL 23

    Originally posted on Literacy and Me: We know the most famous English poet, William Shakespeare, was born in April, 1564, but the exact day is unknown. It is most celebrated by English speakers on April 23rd. Portrait of William Shakespeare from the title page of the First Folio of Shakespeare’s plays; copper engraving by Martin…

  • MORE FROM UNSAID by Asmita Rajiv

    Originally posted on Literacy and Me: National Poetry Month in April. Poster with handwritten lettering. Poetry Festival in the United States and Canada. Literary events and celebration. Greeting card, invitation, poster, banner or background. Vector “Being Understood” “I am ok if someone understands me and then chooses to reject my thoughts. It’s being misunderstood that…

  • THE MOMENT OF LIFT by Melinda Gates: A Review

    Melinda Gates’ message, “If you want to lift a society up, you need to stop keeping women down,” is more important than ever. The title comes from the “moment the plane wheels lift off the runway and the wings ” take over. She shares with her readers “lessons learned from inspiring people” during her amazing…

  • The Valley of Failure is where Writers hang out…Julian Gough QUOTES FOR WRITERS

    The Valley of Failure is where Writers hang out…Julian Gough QUOTES FOR WRITERS

    Originally posted on BRIDGET WHELAN writer: Hey, see the Mountain of Success, way over there? The only way to get to it is through the Valley of Failure. There is no other way. It’s a peculiarity of this job that it’s the reader who gets to sit on that mountain, in the sunshine, reading a…

  • Being Me

    Originally posted on The Ethereal Unicorn: I am meAuthenticity is freedom’s keyI am meNo matter the occasion or dayBecause love lets my heart splay All you need is love and acceptanceSo find joy in yourselfEven though the world has many angelsYour presence makes a difference Wouldn’t you rather be free than caged?Don’t do it for…