Holly > Recent Status Updates

"It makes me understand that the best standover man I've ever known is not a man at all..."

"I don't know any way to the other side of this conversation without trudging through it. I don't know any other way to offer solidarity to others who've gone through their own trauma without describing my own."

"And while they had checked many things off their list, there were still those nagging few... the hanging chads of wishes and dreams that still hadn't come to fruition."
I haven't heard a good "hanging chads" reference in years lol

Trying (and failing) to do a complete reread before Splintered Harmony comes out Tuesday.

Starting this as a novel study with my sophomores!!!

Finally, we're here.

"Mami pats my knee one more time as if
Laying down the final brick to a house

I will never live in."

I low-key hate the mom right now 😅 #religiouspsychosis

This is the most beautiful sentence:
"The emerald lace of the pines frames the black velvet of the sky." 😍

"In every culture there is bread, and it is good."

Still trying to finish this book 🙃

'punched him with the full strength of her disappointment'

"The point is there are no villains in this story, or maybe there are no heroes."

It definitely takes longer than a week after starting it for birth control to be effective.

Not enough groveling. Get on the floor, sir.

SWEET BABY ANGLE MATEO 😩

RUFUS!! <3

RIP my emotions, we're reading another Kristin Hannah 🥲

Listening on Spotify because the Libby line is too long. 2 notes for this update:
1. I've been spoiled with duet narrators on other books, and I get the ick when a male narrator does a woman's voice.
2. If I fins myself with a job after I die, I will lose my absolute shit.

Lots of sniffles as we get to the end. We knew what was coming based on the Preface, but it's sad anyway. Definitely need to plan a lighthearted text to read after we're done with this!

They've been relating the Death March to Squid Games, and tbh they're not wrong. I love that they're connecting this to other things.

Right before the young pipel was hanged, I gave my class a warning that the next 2 pages would be really sad, and one kid said, "This is already sad." 🥲

😣

We're having great classroom conversations about not repeating history and how important it was that Elie got to stay with his dad.

A little disappointed that, for the first time since I've been teaching this book, the kids were mostly unfazed about the people crammed into the cattle car and still trying to canoodle on the way to Auschwitz 😆. Although one kid did say, "But Miss, it's a great stress reliever!" 💀. Then I got roasted for laughing too hard at that 😒. Can't win against Gen Alpha kids 😮‍💨.

Reading with my students. I have 6 different sections of class periods, so does this count as 6 books read toward my goal? lol

I've been listening while working on lesson plans and laminating things. Giggling, kicking my feet, and smiling like an idiot the entire time.

"We should be required to take flight from time to time, to see anew, to see how small and fragile we are."

"Next you'll tell me that an anagram of funeral is real fun." 🤣🤣