Poetry Friday May 31, 2019

This week's Poetry Friday roundup is hosted by Franki and Mary Lee at A Year of Reading. A whole lot of Celebrating Naomi Shihab Nye is going on there. Check out all the participants' sites for poetry inspired by Naomi Shihab Nye and some that isn't. After reading Mary Lee's post and poem, I feel a need to invest in a copy of The Creativity Project. I'm pretty sure that by the time I read all that poetry, I might even be inspired to write my own bit. 



I am continuing to work on poems about a pivotal time in 1958, when my family joined other relatives on an adventure into the Pine Valley region in Northern British Columbia. I'm committed to sharing a bit every week to keep me going. They might not be in any kind of order. I just hope to get some kind of drafts out there. I appreciate feedback on the construction of the poetry and ideas and questions about what information might be missing.

Today I'm posting my last poem about laundry. The more I research, the more I realize that housework was pure drudgery. Next week I'm planning on something about how the men were faring. 

I'm babysitting two toddlers tomorrow so I probably won't get around to reading all of your posts until Saturday. 

Diaper Duty

Diapers were a perilous trial.

Solid bits were scraped into a pot,
dumped into the outhouse
when someone went out that way.
The soiled flannel squares
were chucked into a bucket
For cleaning every few days.

Got pretty ripe if you left them too long.

I helped out while my sister, Rae, 
almost three and a half,
looked after the younger ones.

Mommy rinsed them
in the river,
or in melted ice or snow
if it was froze over.

A large kettle of clean water
was set on the wood stove.
Soap was added and
those diapers were set to boiling.
Mommy scrubbed stains out
with a washboard.
Wrung out
the clean soapy diapers
by hand,

My job was to stir them
As they were twice rinsed in fresh water,
before being wrung out,
and pinned on a line outside.

In winter they froze
soon as they hit the line,
were freeze dried by the end of the day.

Come rain,
they were strung on ropes
across the already cramped cabin.

I helped Mommy
Fold the dry nappies,
Kite style, ready for use.


Family legend tells of the time
the Pine River tried take our Granny Alaric.

Middle of that September,
Mommy headed to Prince George
to birth our baby brother, Tim.
Granny Alaric, her mom,
came to stay for spell
and help out.

James, my other brother,
just over one year,
was still in diapers.

Granny was down at the river
readying to rinse a pail of nappies.
As usual,
a passel of us children
traipsed at her heels.

We watched as she,
needing to fill her bucket,

              stretched across the
                                          iced over shallow water
                                                                         into
                                                                            the
                                                                             deeper
                                                                                   chanel.

The current,
stronger than she anticipated,
snatched up that bucket,
and her holding on to it.

Our 70 year old Granny
couldn’t swim.
She yelled.
Hollering,
we kids
ran along the river bank
watched her
go under,
come up again.

The Pine River swept her
under the bridge.
On the other side
she grabbed hold
of one of the trusses.

Men rushed into the river
to rescue her.
But she, 
sputtering and cussing,
had already rescued herself.
And was still holding on to the pail.


Here are links to previous Pine Valley poems. 
Leaving

Characters
Journey
Arrival
Preparedness 
Ready and Willing 
Larder

Laundry

Big Book reading challenge Summer 2019

Once again I'm joining other readers who plan to read some weighty tomes over the summer. The challenge begins at the end of May and continues through to the Labour Day weekend. The only rule is that the book has to be at least 400 pages. You can read as many or as few books as you want. You can even get through them as audiobooks!

You can find out more about this challenge at Sue Jackson's blog, Book By Book.


I went to my 2018 list to see what I hadn't finished and these became the base for this year. Then I added a few more books, and presto my big book list is complete.  Some of these books are also on my MustReadIn2019 list, but I figure I might as well double up and make gains on a couple of challenges for one book. My goal is to read at least 4 of these books this summer. I've already finished one, so who knows? I might even read more!




A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles 462 pp

Archenemies by Marissa Meyer 560 pp
Carry Me Like Water Benjamin by Alire Sáenz 503 pp
Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha, #1) by Tomi Adeyemi 544 pp
Cold Skies: A DreadfulWater Mystery by Thomas King 464 pp
Colonize This!: Young Women of Color on Today's Feminism Daisy Hernández by 403 pp
Crooked Kingdom (Six of Crows, #2) by Leigh Bardugo 536 pp
The Dollar Kids by Jennifer Richard Jacobson 416 pp
Echo After Echo by Amy Rose Capetta 432 pp
The Hunting Accident: A True Story of Crime and Poetry by David L. Carlson 464 pp
Mark of the Plague (The Blackthorn Key, #2) by Kevin Sands 534 pp
On the Come Up by Angie Thomas 464 pp
The Red Power Murders (DreadfulWater Mystery) by Thomas King 512 pp
Sophie Quire and the Last Storyguard (Peter Nimble #2) by Jonathan Auxier 444 pp
This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. The Climate by Naomi Klein 576 pp
Wool (Wool, #1) by Hugh Howey 537 pp
Zero Repeat Forever by Gabrielle Prendergast 496 pp









#IMWAYR May 27, 2019

#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 was away on my annual women's retreat last weekend. We figured out that we have been getting together for more than 30 years! I finished one book late at night because I couldn't sleep, but that was all the reading I accomplished. I was too busy visiting with everyone. I did get some knitting accomplished though.

I'm pretty sure that I read more picture books than I kept track of on Goodreads.

BLOG POSTS IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS

I managed to get a few poetry posts in but that's all.

Poetry Friday May 17, 2019: Larder
Poetry Friday May 24, 2019: Laundry
Instructions For a River

PICTURE BOOKS


4 stars
Tidy by Emily Gravett

On the surface this is a story of a badger who gets carried away with cleaning much to the chagrin of the rest of the forest inhabitants. It's also an environmental story about what ensues when forests are decimated.


5 stars
Cyril and Pat by Emily Gravett

Cyril is a lonely squirrel. When he meets Pat, the two become fast friends. They get into all kinds of fun mischief together. When he is told that Pat is a rat and that squirrels can't be friends with rats, he goes back to being lonely. It turns out that life without Pat, is not only boring, it's also dangerous.
I like that his book addresses stereotyping and racism in a way that is easy for children to understand. The deliberate, almost rhyming text and gorgeous illustrations entertain groups of all ages.


4 stars
Bear Hare -- Where's Bear? (Bear & Hare) by Emily Gravett

It seems much easier for Hare to find Bear when they are playing hide and seek. Then Bear tries to find Hare and ends up falling asleep. Then Hare becomes frantic trying to find his friend. That hug at the ending when they reunite is one of the most loving images I've seen in ages. Ada, my two year old granddaughter loves this book. 


3 stars
The Littlest Mountain by Barb Rosenstock & Melanie Hall (Illustrator)

This adaptation of The Contest of the Mountains tells how God choose Mount Sinai to be the mountain where God gave the Ten Commandments to the people.


5 stars
Stone Soup by Jon J. Muth

This might be my favourite retelling of the stone soup story. It makes it clear that happiness is found in sharing what we have with others.

GRAPHIC

3 stars
Space Boy by Stephen McCranie

When her father loses his job on a planet out in deep space, Amy's family has to go into cryotubes to travel the 30 year distance back to Earth.  When they arrive, it's awkward to be so out of step with her peers and she misses her best friend who has grown up without her.
Amy has some kind of synesthesia that results in different people having different flavours. Then she meets a boy who doesn't have any flavour at all.
I'm planning on reading the next in this series to find out what happens, but wasn't happy with this lack of satisfying ending.

NOVELS


4 stars
Ebb and Flow by Heather Smith

This heart wrenching story, written in beautiful verse, is liable to have you crying your eyes out.
After a very bad year, Jett goes to spend the summer with his grandmother. At the start we learn that he did something very bad, but we don’t learn what it was til near the end.
The characters are richly developed individuals with stories that will break your heart. Ultimately it’s about redemption for Jett, and hopefully, someday, for his friend Junior.
Heather Smith is Canadian. 🍁


4 stars
Pride by Ibi Zoboi & Elizabeth Acevedo (Narrator)

I enjoyed this fun retelling of Pride and Prejudice. As a hard core fan of the original novel (that I've read more times than I can count,) it was fascinating how Zoboi established the familiar plot in this modern setting with diverse individuals. Elizabeth Acevedo's narration was brilliant!


4 stars
Children of Blood and Bone (Legacy of Orïsha #1) by Tomi Adeyemi & Bahni Turpin (Narrator)

I just finished this book and need to contemplate it a bit more before writing much. I adored Bahni Turpin's narration. I was mostly fascinated throughout, although I could have done without some of the romantic bits.

NONFICTION


4 stars
Too Young to Escape by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch & Van Ho

I can't imagine what life was like for Van even before her mother and siblings left her behind to join her father in Canada. She was only four years old and already had more chores than most people can imagine a child that age taking on. My heart ached for her when she wondered what she had done wrong and if she was bad and that's why they left her in Vietnam. Her grandmother was a remarkable women.
Both of these contributors are Canadian. 🍁


4 stars
Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography by Andrea Warner (Author and Narrator) & Buffy Sainte-Marie (Narrator)

I was fascinated by this book. I knew a bit about Sainte-Marie, but had no idea how influential and important she has been in so many ways. I was stunned to discover how many songs she has written that were covered by many well known artists. I knew about some of her songs, but others were new to me. Did you know that Elvis Presley recorded Until It's Time For You to Go seven times!
Buffy Sainte-Marie and Andrea Warner are Canadian. 🍁

CURRENTLY

I am about to start listening to Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming. I've just started Piecing Me Together by Renée Watson. I'm savouring The Essential Gwendolyn Brooks one poem at a time.

UP NEXT

I'm hoping to listen to The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman. Children of Blood and Bone took longer to listen to than I thought and of course everything becomes available all at once! I hope to get to Copyboy by Vince Vawter.

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2018 12/25

#MustReadNFIn2018 7/12

25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 9/25

25 books by Canadian Authors 30/25

Big Book Reading Challenge 1/4

Goodreads Reading Challenge 172/333

Instructions For a River

At the beginning of May I read about a challenge to write an instructional poem to an inanimate object on Michelle Heidenrich Barnes blog. You can read poetry written in response to this challenge on the May Padlet.

Since I have been writing poetry about family who headed North to make a new life in the Pine Valley, I began to wonder about writing instructions for a river. 

I might have gotten carried away a bit.



Instructions For a River

Acquiesce to the seasons.
Satiate yourself on snow melt and spring rain.
Rescue runoff from rivulets and streams.
Tumble white and wild over boulders and rocks.
Careen screaming over cliffs, and then
Ease off and etch oxbows onto plains.
Keep within your banks.
Flood only when necessary.
Slow down in summer, even rivers need a rest.
Gorge yourself on autumn storms and then,
Come winter, rest, encased in ice.

Acknowledge your importance, but
Remember, you are part of a larger cycle.
Share some of your cargo with the sun.
Hydrate the plants that grow near your shores.
Vanquish the thirst of animals congregating there.
Replenish oceans and lakes. 

Be mindful of your responsibilities.
Harbour insects of all kinds.
Calm your whirlpools around nesting fowl.
Be gentle with amphibians and reptiles.
Mind your manners around mammals,
but keep those beavers in check.
Nurture fish of all species.
Guard their eggs til they hatch.
Tend the fry till they are ready and then,
Show them the way to ocean and lake.
Welcome them home when they return.

Provide for your people.
Cradle canoes and kayaks.
Float flies and fishing lines downstream.
Scrape out swimming holes.
Rehabilitate yourself when you are desecrated.
Be kind to us, even when we are undeserving.
And fierce when you must, but
Please don’t take our loved ones from us.
Let the rumble of your passing be a persistent lullaby.

Cheriee Weichel 2019 (draft)

Poetry Friday May 24, 2019

This week's Poetry Friday roundup is hosted by Dani Burtsfield at Doing The Work That Matters. Check out her golden shovel poem about grief and finding comfort. Then connect up with others sharing poetry today.



I am working on poems about a pivotal time in 1958, when my family joined other relatives on an adventure into the Pine Valley region in Northern British Columbia. I'm committed to sharing a bit every week to keep me going. They might not be in any kind of order. I just hope to get some kind of drafts out there. I appreciate feedback on the construction of the poetry and ideas and questions about what information might be missing.

I'v learned that some of them had gas washing machines, so last week I was busy researching the history of these appliances. I've posted a couple of videos at the end of today's post to give you a sense of what laundry day involved. Part of me is now nostalgic for the days when we used to do laundry with an electric wringer washer. 

I'm also immersed in BC logging history, but today's post is all about laundry. I'll have another about washing diapers next week.

Here are links to previous Pine Valley poems. 
Leaving

Characters
Journey
Arrival
Preparedness 
Ready and Willing 
Larder

Laundry

Howard and Lynn
had some fancy
gadgets:
gas lights
and an Easy brand 
gas fired
washing machine.
Had a kick start,
and hit and miss engine.

Didn’t even have to crank
the mangle by hand.

Aunty Margaret wouldn't have
gas lamps in the house,
but loved her old Maytag
gas powered machine.

No wonder
with the crowd
of nearly grown children
she had to tend.

Dorothy and Marianne,
her two girls,
were put in charge
of the contraption
on wash day.

Made life easier,
but those machines made 
one heck of a racket!

And the darn things
were dangerous.

Had to be used outside
or the carbon dioxide fumes
would poison you.

Rollers were called 
a mangle for good reason.
Better mind your fingers
if you wanted to keep them.

Kids had to be watched
like a hawk
around the machines.
Barb, Howard and Lynne's
two year old,
got her leg burned real bad
from the exhaust.

Those machines were 
shared around with others.
But mostly
everyone else used
a washboard and tub,
except when cleaning
heavy duty loads.

Let me tell you,
wash day was some kind of endeavour.

Water had to be hauled
up from the river
and heated on the wood stove
to fill the machine's reservoir.
A square tub for rinsing
was filled with cold.

Come winter, 
the river froze over,
snow had to be melted. 

Laundry was sorted
from the least
to the most soiled,
and washed in that order.

Every load was cleaned 
and rinsed in the same water. 
It was pure nasty
by the time they were finished. 

Ropes stretched between 
a couple of pine trees 
where wooden pegs
hung onto the wash 
til it was dry. 

Ironing was left for the wind to do.







Poetry Friday May 17, 2019

This week's Poetry Friday roundup is hosted by Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche. Check out her page to read some Pi-ku written by students she works with and to connect up with others sharing poetry today. 





I am working on poems about a pivotal time in 1958, when my family joined other relatives on an adventure into the Pine Valley region in Northern British Columbia. I'm committed to sharing a bit every week to keep me going. They might not be in any kind of order. I just hope to get some kind of drafts out there. I appreciate feedback on the construction of the poetry and ideas and questions about what information might be missing.
I'm still researching logging history in BC, but today's post is all about food.

Larder

August was too late
to til the earth,
but game of all kinds:
white fish, pickerel,
moose, deer and bear
were in abundance.

Wood for heating
and cooking
was plentiful.

Almost everything
we needed
was at hand.

Almost.

That far north,
grub was expensive.
$12.50 was outrageous
for a 100 pound sack of potatoes.

Lee and Sharon
spent their last pennies,
all they had,
on some spuds.
Kerosene spilled on them.
No matter what she did,
she couldn’t make them edible.

It wasn't till Sharon
made Johnnycake
that she found out
the flour had
soaked it up too.

Lee shrugged it off.
They wouldn’t starve.
All he had to do was throw his line
into the river,
and there was white fish to eat.

Our family looked out for each other.
Meat got shared around,
but didn’t last long in that crowd.
Billy got a moose.
Had to go into town for a few days.
When he returned,
nearly all of it was gone.

Billy, Don and Howard
built a smokehouse.
Loaded it with game,
set the fire to burning
and went to bed.
That evening,
flames lit up
the forest.
Woke everyone up.
Wasn't much they could do,
just keep the fire from spreading
and stand around watching
the building burn,
leaving behind charred
carcasses of meat.

By then, game was
getting scarce.
A diet of potatoes,
pancakes and oatmeal
gets pretty darn boring.

Mommy, always cheerful,
made eating hotcakes
day after day,
meal after meal,
seem like a party.
But she was nursing a newborn
and needed more.

Eventually they
carved an inch of char
off that meat
and ate the rest.

From then on
we dined on
pancakes and
smoked bear.

Other families made do with
the moose and venison.

Still remark
that bear,
that moose,
was the best ever eaten.

I'm heading off with some women friends this weekend. Depending on the internet situation, I might not get to access your work till next week, but I'm looking forward to reading all your posts.

Here are links to previous Pine Valley poems. 
Leaving

Characters
Journey
Arrival
Preparedness 
Ready and Willing 

#IMWAYR May 13, 2019

#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 missed posting last weekend because I dropped my laptop on the floor and damaged the screen. It could have been much worse, but I am still $550 dollars poorer.

I'm continuing to write and work on poetry just about every day, but I'm only posting on Poetry Friday. These days I'm working on drafts for a family memoir.

We are away in our Oliver home this weekend. I am feeling blessedly rested and managed to almost get my NetGalley commitments under control.

BLOG POSTS IN THE LAST COUPLE OF WEEKS

What Makes Girls Sick and Tired by Lucile de Pesloüan & Genevieve Darling (Illustrations)

You Are Never Alone by Elin Kelsey & Soyeon Kim (Illustrations)

Poetry Friday May 3, 2019

Poetry Friday May 10, 2019

Also, if you are interested, Links to all my poems from the Poem a Day Challenge are here.

NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS


Marvelous Mattie: How Margaret E. Knight Became an Inventor by Emily Arnold McCully

Mattie Knight was an amazing girl and woman! I found this book on the shelves in the library I am working in. I put it on display at the checkout counter, meaning to read it to a group of students. I read something else, but one young girl wanted it. After she finished it, it was checked out in turn, by three other girls.
Mattie was an innovative inventor who among her many achievements, created the machine that makes paper bags with a flat bottom and started her own business producing them.


Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor: The Woman Who Loved Reptiles by Patricia Valdez & Felicita Sala (Illustrator)

Joan Procter was an amazing young woman who accomplished more in her short lifetime than many people do in twice as many years. That she accomplished it while in chronic pain is even more remarkable. I had never heard of her before reading this book. Not only did I learn about her, but I learned a lot about reptiles. I’m still not going to go in search of Komodo Dragons in the wild, but it’s good to know that if they are well fed they are gentle creatures.
Patricia Valdez text is poetic. Felicita Sala artwork is gorgeous as usual.
The back matter includes two pages of additional information, photographs of her as a child and as an adult, as well as an extensive bibliography. This book held rowdy grade 6 and 7 students in rapt attention.


The Streak: How Joe DiMaggio Became America's Hero by Barb Rosenstock & Terry Widener (Illustrations)

As I finished this book I couldn’t help but wonder if anyone will ever beat DiMaggio's record. Pitchers throw balls much faster today than they did then. Still his accomplishment is phenomenal.
I can’t help but wonder who stole Betsy Ann, DiMaggio's bat and why.
I appreciate that Rosenstark connected his story into the larger picture of the world at war, and showed us how his success inspired a nation.
The back matter includes of all kinds of additional information. There’s a note with more details about DiMaggio. There’s a chart of his statistics. There’s an extensive bibliography that includes websites that were active at the time of publication. 
I'm planning on testing this on that rowdy grade 6/7 group this week. 


What Makes Girls Sick and Tired by Lucile de Pesloüan & Genevieve Darling (Illustrations)

This feminist manifesto addresses a spectrum of issues that encompass all the ways that sexism destroys the lives of girls and boys. In places it isn't a comfortable read, but then, generally it isn't comfortable being a girl either and in some places it's harder than others.
Pair this book with Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson & Ellen Hagan. Their characters could have written this book.
Both of these contributors are Canadian. 🍁


You Are Never Alone by Elin Kelsey & Soyeon Kim (Illustrator)

The whole earth is our community and we exist within "the blast of it's love."
Elin Kelsey and Soyeon Kim, with lyrical text and gorgeous art, make the interconnectedness of life here on our blue planet very clear. The positive message is scientifically based. Our relationships benefits us in remarkable ways. These two creators remind us that "Mother Nature has your back."
Elin Kelsey has a home in Victoria BC, and Soyeon Kim now lives in Toronto. 🍁

GRAPHIC


New Kid by Jerry Craft

Jordan's parents have forced him to go to a posh private school, although what he really wants to do is study art. He struggles to fit in and make new friends, but manages that well enough. That would usually be enough in a graphic novel, but in the middle of all that, the book addresses issues of racism and stereotyping. Although there's some bullying, mostly we are just exposed to ignorance. I really appreciated the level of kindness that is portrayed. It's a brilliant story that belongs in all school libraries.

NOVELS


Tilly: A Story of Hope and Resilience by Monique Gray Smith

This book is based on the author’s life. Tilly started drinking while in grade seven. She didn’t stop until she was in her twenties. This is her story of becoming sober, healing, and finding out how to help others.
Through it, readers discover the experiences of many indigenous people across Canada: residential schools, 60’s scoop, dysfunctional families, poverty, addiction, abuse and survival. It’s heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time. There’s a reason the full title of this book includes, A Story of Hope and Resilience.
Monique Gray Smith is an indigenous Canadian. 🍁


Property of the Rebel Librarian by Allison Varnes & Monika Felice Smith (Narrator)

This book is a lot like Ban This Book by Alan Gratz.
I liked June, her sister, and most of her friends, but I hated her parents, the principal, and the school board. Of course I'm pretty sure that this is what is supposed to happen.
When her parents get involved with banning books in her school library, and getting the teacher librarian fired, June opens up a lending library in a locker next to hers. Even though she eventually gets caught, in the process she makes new friends and discovers the person she was meant to be.
I had a hard time accepting that this scenario could actually happen. Perhaps there are places in the United States where there are no teacher unions, and all parents are right wing rednecks, but it's hard to believe this is possible. I also can't imagine that there are no parents who would advocate for reading choice.

If there's anything in this scenario that chills me, it's that it shows how easily people can be lead down a dark and dangerous path.


When a Ghost Talks, Listen (How I Became a Ghost #2) by Tim Tingle

This continues the story of Isaac, a young Choctaw boy, who died on the Trail of Tears and became a ghost. Readers learn more about the horrific conditions the people underwent on that journey as well as more about Choctaw culture. The important learning here is how General Pushmataha died. Like the youngsters at the end of the story, I can't help but wonder if the scenario here is true or not.
Tim Tingle is one heck of a story teller! I wish I could claim he is Canadian, but he's Choctow American. 


Watch Us Rise by Renée Watson & Ellen Hagan

I wish I had teenaged nieces to give this to. Told in two voices, the story introduces us to two young girls who challenge misogyny at their high school. Their intersectional analysis of how girls are treated there ends up creating conflict and gets them into trouble. Both of them learn much about themselves and each other before the end of the book.
I especially enjoyed reading the girl's poetry.
Pair this up with What Makes Girls Sick and Tired by Lucile de Pesloüan & Genevieve Darling

NONFICTION


Feel Free: Essays written and read by Zadie Smith

This was my introduction to Zadie Smith. I will absolutely read more. In this collection of essays she addresses a huge spectrum of issues. She analyzes the dismantling of public libraries, the misogyny and beauty of rap music, racism, how she came to adore Joni Mitchel's music, and much more. Each essay is brilliant and fascinating.

POETRY


The Journals of Susanna Moodie by Margaret Atwood & Charles Pachter (Illustrator)

I found this gem on a bookshelf in the flea market. I was looking for logging history but as soon as I read the first poem I knew I had to have it. How’s this for a poem ending?
“I am a word
In a foreign language.”
An added bonus is that someone penciled in notes in the margins. I can compare my interpretations of the different lines and sections with their's.
Margaret Atwood writes these poems from the perspective of one of Canada’s most famous pioneers. Now I think I’m going to have to find and read Susanna Moodie’s real journals.
Margaret Atwood is a Canadian author. 🍁

CURRENTLY

I am listening to Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography written and narrated by Andrea Warner. With my eyes I'm reading Ebb and Flow by Heather Smith. I'm also immersed in numerous a couple of nonfiction titles dealing with the history of logging in BC. I've just started Space Boy by Stephen McCranie.

UP NEXT

I will start The Essential Gwendolyn Brooks and hope to get to Internment by Samira Ahmed before it has to go back to the library. I will also try to get the growing pile of picture books under control.

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2018 12/25

#MustReadNFIn2018 6/12

25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 9/25

25 books by Canadian Authors 27/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge 161/333