Welcome! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. I'm also connecting up with the Sunday Salon. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.
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Here's the top that I finished. Lydia, my four year old granddaughter, has claimed it as her own. |
Usborne Beginners
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5 stars |
Dangerous Animals by Rebecca Gilpin & Catriona Clarke July 01, 2008
My four year old granddaughter and I had a grand time reading these while she was here.
I used these nonfiction titles all the time when I was teaching. They are chock full of information. I love the pairing of one line of text with an image. These books were perfect for my ESL learners as well as primary students. When my husband and I were last visiting the Mosaic Bookstore in Kelowna, BC, I found some on sale for $1.99. I grabbed a copy of as many as I could find.
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5 stars |
Olivetti by Allie Millington, Christopher Gebauer (Narrator) & Simon Vance
(Narrator) March 26, 2024
This book is a perfect example of why I read middle grade novels. Olivetti, a typewriter, is one of the main characters. Olivetti lived with the Brindle family for years. Before the introduction of personal computers, it was a valued member. Then it was mostly forgotten until one day, their mother, Beatrice, packed it up and took it to a pawnshop where she pawned it for $126. Then she disappeared.
This Japanese mystery novel is both fascinating and creepy. When Yasuko Hanaoka’s abusive ex husband finds her and her daughter, they end up murdering him. It’s the only way they will ever be safe. Unexpectedly, their neighbour, Tetsuya Ishigami, a brilliant mathematician, comes to their rescue to help them get rid of the body.
Detective Kusanagi does eventually find the body and comes to interview the mother and daughter. They have a water tight alibi for where they were the night of the murder but the inspector feels that something isn’t quite right. When he talks about the case with his physicist friend, Dr. Manabu Yukawa, it turns out Yukawa is a friend of the mathematician. In the end, it’s the physicist who unravels what actually happened. I did not expect the convolutions that are revealed.
Since I first read Dr. jen Gunter’s book, The Vagina Bible, I’ve been a fan of her work. I plan to purchase copies of Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation as a reference book for my grandchildren and their families. The latter is a book I really wish had been around when I was young.
Jen Gunter's writing is full of empathy, but it's also straight up and no nonsense. These are the facts. This is the research. Here’s what to look out for so you aren't sucked into purchasing from corporations selling snake oil. Not only do we readers learn about history of menopause through a feminist lens, we learn what to look out for to ensure that we are truly taking care of our own health.
The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett August 27, 2015
Why We Remember: Unlocking Memory's Power to Hold on to What Matters by Charan Ranganath January 1, 2024
The Teller of Small Fortunes by Julie Leong November 5, 2024
NonFiction 12/30
Canadian Authors 22/50 one on the go
Indigenous Authors 6/25
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 48/200