#IMWAYR April 16, 2018

#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 am so very far behind in my reading life. Writing a poem a day is A LOT MORE WORK than I anticipated.

I had to replace my laptop. It was a pain because I store audiobooks on it that I transfer to my iphone. I ended up with nothing to listen to and had scurry to find something from the library while I was sewing, cooking and running around. Second, I have all my favourite recipes stored in a folder in my laptop. I couldn't cook last week!

I've got a book club meeting tomorrow and still haven't finished the book. I don't have much to finish but I probably won't get around to responding to people's posts until the evening and later on in the week. 

Poem A Day Challenge 2018

9. Anniversary
10. Tribulation
11. Story Is Who We Are
12. Fears
13. Another Poem
14. Morning Headache
15. Love

BOARD BOOKS

4 stars

Kiss, Tickle, Cuddle, Hug by Susan Musgrave

This book wasn't really a hit when we first started reading it ages ago, but this week I observed Ada reading it by herself. She was screeching with excitement at the faces and trying to either eat or kiss them. By the way, Susan Musgrave is a Canadian poet!

4 stars

Clip-Clop (Mr. Horse) by Nicola Smee

This one might possibly be a delight because of we pretend that we are riding a horse as we read it. I think the language, the clip clop and clippity clop has a lot to do with it.

3 1/2 stars

Hair by Leslie Patricelli

I thought this book was just delightful, but Ada just wasn't impressed by it.

GRAPHIC

4 stars

The Big Wet Balloon: TOON by Liniers

An older sibling takes the younger, more cautious, one outside to revel in the glories of rain. Eventually they are persuaded and both have a rollicking good time in a day that ends in a rainbow.

PICTURE BOOKS

3 stars

Tessa's Tip-tapping Toes by Carolyn Crimi & Marsha Gray Carrington (Illustrator)

This is a charming story of a mouse who couldn't stop dancing and a cat who couldn't stop singing. They do their best to be ordinary animals, but in the end, find out that together they can make their little world boogie.

4 stars

A Dance Like Starlight: One Ballerina's Dream by Kristy Dempsey & Floyd Cooper (Illustrator)

A young black girl dreams of becoming a ballet dancer. Although she is unable to dance with the white girls, the ballet master recognizes her talent and lets her participate in lessons at the back of the room. Then she went to see Janet Collins, the first colored prima ballerina, on stage at the Metropolitan Opera House and felt like Miss Collins was dancing just for her.
The lyrical text breaks into concrete poetry format in some sections. Floyd Cooper's illustrations make those words sing.

4 stars

Miss Bridie Chose a Shovel by Leslie Connor & Mary Azarian (Illustrator)

I’m trying to read everything of Leslie Connor’s work that is in our library system.
Miss Brodie is an industrious young woman who could have taken a chiming clock or porcelain figurine when she left her home to travel across the sea. The shovel and her own grit and determination ended up helping her make a fine life.
Mary Azarian’s stunning woodcuts are the perfect visual accompaniment.

NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

Bee (Grow with Me) by Kate Riggs

I love this book so much that if I were still in the library I would purchase the entire series!
It takes the reader through the life cycle of a honey bee. It's loaded with all kinds of text features: bold text, fact boxes, comparison charts, close ups, headings, a diagram showing the different stomachs inside a bee, a glossary and an index. The photographs are absolutely stunning.
I have a few quibbles with the veracity and clarity of bits of the information, but I still adore this book for what it does do.

MIDDLE GRADE NOVELS

4 stars

Redwall by Brian Jacques

I thought it was my brother who recommended this book to me, but he claims he's never heard of it. To whoever did, I thank you. At first I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy it, but not too long after that, I was hooked by this story of a peaceful abby and its inhabitants who are attacked by Cluny the Scourge and his marauding army.

What Elephants Know by Eric Dinerstein

I wanted to love this book, but after 50 pages it felt like a book I had to, or should read. I wasn't having fun at all and so I stopped reading. It might just not have been the right time, so I haven't completely abandoned it.

ADULT FICTION AND NON FICTION

5+ stars

Thousand Star Hotel by Bao Phi

I adored this book. I think it inspired me to write more honest poetry this past week. On the other hand, Bao Phi's writing intimidates the heck out of me.
I have lines and phrases from this book scribbled on bits of paper and in the notes app on my ipad.

Here is a fragment from Therapist 4:
"Each raindrop doesn't care
if it's the one to soak in
or the one that stays above it all to flood.
They just throw themselves on top of each other
until they become bigger than who they were
when they were apart."

Here's another snippet from Night of the Living:
tonight I will see
if dreaming of being myself
is ever going to be enough

CURRENTLY

I'm listening to The Grave's a Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley. I have to finish We Should All Be Feminists by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. I've just started All That Was by Karen Rivers.

UP NEXT

I'll listen to whatever comes available next. Otherwise I hope to have time to read Sythe by Neal Shusterman.

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2018 11/25 
#MustReadNFIn2018 3/12 1 in progress
25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 7/25
Goodreads Reading Challenge 136/333