#IMWAYR September 4, 2017

#IMWAYR time again, when readers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to in the past week. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. Whatever you are looking forward to in your next great read, these are fabulous places to start your search.

I didn't get a lot of reading with my eyes in last week because I was busy with the garden and trying to finish up a knitting project. I'm not sure how next week will be since I will be processing 400 pounds of tomatoes.

BLOG POSTS LAST WEEK

From Far Away by Robert Munsch, Saoussan Askar & Rebecca Green (illustrator)

Mighty Jack and the Goblin Kingby Ben Hatke

The Water Walker by JoanneRobertson

PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

The Way Home in the Night by Akiko Miyakoshi

Akiko Miyakoshi has taken an ordinary walk home in the evening and turned it into a surreal, almost mystical experience. A young bunny being carried home by his mother takes notice of the work around him. Later on he wonders about all of these things.

As usual, Miyakoshi's illustrations are spectacular.

3 stars

Sometimes I Feel Like a Fox by Danielle Daniel

The illustrations in this book are truly gorgeous. Danielle Daniel, is Metis, but was raised without connection to her culture. She wrote this book for her son to help him connect with his Anishinaabe roots. It shows paintings of children in different animal masks that reference different animal totems. An author's note at the end tells us more about the significance of these totems. I was a bit confused because it seemed in the book that children were choosing their own totem, while in the Anishinaabe culture, it is a clan you are born into.

I was also distressed to see an online activity for children to 'play' at having a totem. It seems to trivialize the importance of this cultural act.

4 stars

The White Cat and the Monk: A Retelling of the Poem "Pangur Bán" by Jo Ellen Bogart & Sydney Smith (Illustrations)

This is a deeply philosophical book about a monk and his cat who search for something. The cat's quest is more pragmatic as he waits for a mouse. The monk's search for meaning through his tombs is more esoteric.

Sydney Smith's black and white illustrations provide an ambience of mysticism and wonder to the poem. The first few wordless pages where the cat comes in from the dark had me hooked!

4 stars

Letters to a Prisoner by Jacques Goldstyn (Netgalley)

I'm working on a thorough review for this wordless book. In a nutshell, a man is imprisoned unjustly because of his political beliefs and is eventually freed because of people writing letters. The significance of this book is that it raises awareness of the power of Amnesty International's letter writing campaigns for rights of political prisoners.

4 stars

From Far Away by Munsch,Saoussan Askar & Rebecca Green (Illustrator) (Netgalley)

This book, first published in 1995 is reissued with a new illustrator and acknowledges Saoussan Askar as part author. It is based on Askar's experiences when she first came to Canada. It was an important book then and is probably even more significant and necessary these days given the political climate. I adore Rebecca Green's illustrations. 
If you go read my full review I've embedded an NFB video of Saoussan Askar's experience. Both the book and that film are important contributions towards helping children understand each other.

NOVELS

5 stars

This Is Just a Test by Madelyn Rosenberg & Wendy Wan-Long Shang

I was worried at first that this book would be too goofy. That didn't last long and soon I was caught up in David Da Wei Horowitz' world. He's a Chinese Jewish kid getting ready for his bar mitzvah. He struggles to intercede between his squabbling Jewish and Chinese grandmothers, at the same time as figuring out how to get his two best friends to get along. All this is set against a backdrop of fear about nuclear war.

The book is witty and sweet and finished off with an ending filled with important messages about love and peace.

4 stars

Feathers by Jacqueline Woodson & Sisi Aisha Johnson (Narrator)

If Jacqueline Woodson writes it, then I will read, or in this case, listen to it. Her mastery puts readers right smack into her world. I swear I needed to put on a coat while reading the scenes about winter. In this coming of age novel, a young black girl's perspective on her life changes when a white boy enrolls in her school. I loved the deeply philosophical components and the questioning and wondering this novel invoked in me. I especially love the feeling of hope and understanding that permeates through the novel. Sisi Aisha Johnson's narration was just perfect.

Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception by Wendelin Van Draanan & Tara Sands (Narrator)

I had no audiobooks queued up to listen to and felt the need for a bit of literary brain candy last week, so I downloaded and listened to this. If you aren't a fan of this series, well, I just feel sorry for you. In this novel Sammy, our 12 year old sleuth, learns about the world of art and the world of love. I love that we learn more about her Gram in this book. Maybe she will be joining Sammy in her next detecting novel! 

ADULT NOVELS

4 stars

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg

My sister recommended this book to me. I had no idea how much I needed to read a book like this until I started it. Flagg's writing is filled with sweetness and humour. These are characters I'm going to carry with me for a long time. When fifty nine year old Sookie Poole learns that she is adopted, her understanding of who she is disintegrates. In the process of rediscovering herself, we learn about her polish roots and the WASP's, a group of women pilots who flew planes during WW2. This book is a charming reminder that we are always coming of age.

CURRENTLY

I'm listening to I'm Just A Person by Tig Notaro. I'm still reading Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese and The Inconvenient Indian by Thomas King. 

UP NEXT

I really have no idea. I've returned unread books to the library and will try to focus on catching up on my #MustReadIn2017 list!

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MUSTREADIN2017 21/36 1 in progress

#MUSTREADNFIN2017 7/12 1 in progress

50 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 25/50 2 in progress

Chocolate Lily (CL) 51/51

Big Book Challenge 4/6

Goodreads Reading Challenge 275/333