#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.
My partner and I were away in Oliver for a week of resting and
relaxing. We missed our babies terribly, but I managed to get some sewing,
knitting, and cleaning done there. We had dinners with friends and laughed a
lot. Back in Vancouver, first thing after unpacking the car, I ran
downstairs to enjoy some snuggle and play time with my granddaughter Ada. She was as happy to see me as I was to see her!
PICTURE BOOKS
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| 5 stars |
Wolf in the Snow by Matthew Cordell
This book packs such delightful emotional punch. I love the connection to Little Red Riding Hood and how it upends our stereotype of wolves. I was teary eyed at the happy ending. I went through the book a couple more times and yup, it worked everytime, even though I knew what was coming.
 |
| 5 stars |
Professional Crocodile by Giovanna Zoboli
Just wow! There is so much about this wordless picture book I adore. On the surface it's the simple story of someone (who just happens to be a crocodile) getting up and heading off to work in the morning. Where he works is a delightful surprise.
However, the book is so much more than this. It captures snapshots in time of the crocodile's routines and commute. Each moment is a world of activity to get lost in. On the commuter train you can't help but wonder who all these people and animals are and where they are on their way to. If you look closely at the monkey compound you will notice a lot of very human kinds of behaviour.
Honestly, this turns out to be a not so simple book that you can spend hours pouring over.
And then, there's that ending.
NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS
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| 3.5 stars |
How to Be an Elephant by Katherine Roy
Beautiful art is accompanied by fascinating information about the life of an elephant.
I liked it well enough but found it disconcerting at the end with the announcement about a new baby coming. How the heck did that happen? I even went back to see if I had missed a page. Nope. I wish there had been information about how the bull elephants knew when to meet up with the females when mating occurs. After reading that the herd was composed of females and young I wondered how the males knew it was time to leave, and how they would get together again. I guess I will have to do my own research.
GRAPHIC NOVELS
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| 5 stars |
The Boy Who Crashed to Earth (HiLo #1) by Judd Winick &
Guy Major (Colorist)
This was fabulous! It has adorable characters placed in a
science fiction setting. The pages are gorgeously coloured with brilliant
action scenes. I love the silliness that is countered with witty remarks, and
strong emotional connections between the characters. I am now a fan of Judd
Winick’s work and plan to read more! The good thing about being late to the
Hilo party is that I won’t have to wait to read more of the series.
MIDDLE GRADE NOVELS
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| 4 stars |
The Way to Bea by Kat Yeh & Dianne Down (Narrator)
I am a sucker for really good, realistic, middle grade
novels, especially ones that show us how we can be our best selves.
This is one of them.
It’s quiet and thoughtful although it does have some tense
moments. Beatrix is an exuberant character who is passionate about poetry,
music, and her relationship with her best friend, S. When that relationship
falls apart at the beginning of seventh grade, Bea loses herself for awhile.
While hiding from S and her new group of girls, she ends up connecting to Will,
Briggs, and other individuals involved in the school paper.
It’s the relationship between Bea and Will (who seems to be
on the autism spectrum) that most fascinated me. Where Bea is passionate and
spontaneous, Will is analytical and rigid. I appreciate how their ‘friendship’
helps each of them become more self aware. Their relationship is not in any way romantic. That
may or may not be where here friendship with Briggs is headed.
Will’s fascination with labyrinths drives much of the plot.
It also leads to philosophical understandings for the characters and the
readers.
Best of all, it has a satisfying conclusion even though it
doesn’t end up the way I expected.
YA AND ADULT NOVLES
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| 5 stars |
Symptoms of Being Human by Jeff Garvin & Tom Phelan
(Narrator) (MG/YA)
Riley Cavanaugh is gender fluid character whose assigned sex
is never identified. Riley is a sympathetic character who is witty,
compassionate, and smart. On the suggestion of their therapist, Riley creates
an anonymous blog, writing about their life under the pseudonym Alex. The blog
becomes an overnight sensation, but someone knows that Alex is Riley, and
starts threatening them. Riley's parents don't know about the blog or Riley's
gender fluid identity. Mr Cavanaugh, Riley's father, is in the middle of a
tight election when the information is leaked and used against him.
I really liked this one. I liked the romantic relationship
between Riley and Bec, and friendship between Riley and Solo. Although it is
YA, and there is a violent incident near the end of the book, I would
comfortably pass this on to students in grades 6 and 7. Ultimately it is a
positive book with positive characters that will educate readers about what it
means to be gender fluid.
 |
| 4 stars |
Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf & Mark Bramhall
(Narrator)
This book broke my heart a bit. It tells of the relationship
between two elderly people, Addie and Louis, who have lost their partners. What begins as a way
to help each other deal with their loneliness grows into friendship and
eventually love. The two of them end up looking after Addie's grandson while
the parents are separated. Unfortunately the boy's father is an ass. The book
is definitely worth reading, but also frustrating. I plan to read more Kent
Haruf. I just discovered that this has been made into a movie. I'm contemplating whether or not to watch it.
 |
| 4 stars |
Still Life by Louise Penny by Louise Penny & Ralph Cosham (Narrator)
I finally got around to Louise Penny's Chief Inspector
Armand Gamache's series.
One autumn my partner and I travelled through the Gaspe
Peninsula in Southern Quebec. This novel took me back into that landscape and
those towns. If we had had any inkling that the people would be as charming as these characters, we might have stayed.
I’m especially looking forward to getting to know Chief
Inspector Armand Gamache better in the next books!
Honestly with all the adult authors I'm getting around to
reading, I may just have to devote my entire life doing nothing but reading!
CURRENTLY
Sammy Keyes and the Dead Giveaway by Wendelin Van Draanen and narrated by Tara
Sands is the audiobook I've got on the go. This series is my go to when I've
been immersed in intense literature. I'm in the middle of Ahimsa by Supriya
Kelkar. I didn't put The Book Scavenger by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman in my
book bag so I'll get back to that this week. I'm still taking Palestine by Joe
Sacco in small doses. I've just begun This Accident of Being Lost: Songs and
Stories by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson.
UP NEXT
I hope to get to Celia's Song by Lee Maracle and The
Furthest Station by Ben Aaronovitch.
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS
#MustReadIn2018 6/25 1 in process
#MustReadNFIn2018 2/12
25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 2/25 1 in progress
Goodreads Reading Challenge 67/333
