#IMWAYR July 15, 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.


The weather improved last week so I managed to get out into the garden. It looks pretty good if you don't examine it too closely. Gardening might be a lot of work, but we love going out into our backyard and picking our dinner.


The true miracle of the week was getting my sewing room tidy. I needed to get it under control so I could finish a quilt. I got the pieced binding machine stitched so all I have left to do is the hand sewing. It's going to be hard to give this one away. I'll post a picture next week if I get it finished.


Clicking on the title to the following books will take you to the Goodreads page for that book.


RECENT BLOG POSTS


Poetry Friday July 12, 2019 Bath Night


PICTURE BOOKS



5 stars
Peek-a-Boo Zoo! by Jane Cabrera

I picked this up at a library story time and checked it out because my grandson sat down to read it with me without any persuasion. It's a simple repetitive rhyme scheme that doesn't really work for me, but sure pleases my grandkids. Truthfully, it's all about those eyes and turning the page to see who's there. We've been reading it pretty regular these days. Ada screams with delight each time she sees the next set of eyes.


NOVELS



5 + stars
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart & Khristine Hvam (Narrator)

I love love love this book. Coyote and her dad, Rodeo, are two characters I will be carrying with me for a long time. As they travel around the country in their renovated bus, the pick up a diverse collection of brilliant secondary characters. Their destinations might be different, but here they are united in love and friendship. This novel is a powerful look at loss and healing and that bus is a powerful analogy for the earth. My eyes leaked a lot. There might even have been some ugly crying.



4 stars
Orange for the Sunsets by Tina Athaide

I've been wanting to read this book for a while because I have a friend who's family had to leave Uganda when Idi Amin came to power. We are lucky to have him and his family here in Canada. Also, Ms Yingling gave it 5 stars on Goodreads. 

Previously, Asha and her best friend, Yesofu, didn't acknowledge the differences between them. Then a decree was proclaimed that all Indians must leave the country in 90 days. As the days to expulsion count down, violence against Indians increases. People who were once friends turn against them. Asha doesn't want to have to leave and does something that ends up costing her more than she could imagine.
Tina Athaide has done a brilliant job highlighting the disparity between the two main protagonists. Asha, a young Indian girl, has no idea how privileged she is compared to Yesofu and his African family. I also appreciate how she showed us readers the complexity of the situation.
Tina Athaide makes her home in Canada. 


4 stars
Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga & Vaneh Assadourian (Narrator)

When Syria become too dangerous for Jude and her pregnant mother, they travel to America to be with her mom's brother and family. There is authentic tension between Jude and her cousin for all kinds of reasons. I loved all the complex characters in the extended family.

This is an important book to help Canadian and American children come to a deeper understanding of what it means to be a refugee.
I listened to this instead of reading it with my eyes. I think I will have to find a hard copy to read as mentor text for the verse project I am working on.


5 stars
The Serpent King by Jeff Zentner

This is the kind of YA coming of age novel I adore. It’s got rich characters dealing with important stuff. The relationship between the three protagonists is authentic. I was invested in each of them and couldn’t stop reading. I wept buckets.

There is so much going on. I appreciated how Zentner unpacks religious fundamentalism to show us the pitfalls, at the same time as he highlights a more loving and accepting version of Christianity.
That said, I don’t care how good the book is, I am too old to stay awake reading till 4:30 in the morning.

CURRENTLY


I've started Lost Girl by Anne Ursu and am listening to A Trick of the Light (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #7) by Louise Penny. I haven't made much progress on Some Places More Than Others by RenĂ©e Watson because I don't like reading on my iPad. However, I will try to get it finished this week!


UP NEXT


I've got a lot of books to get through before they go back to the library so I will have to hunker down and carve out some reading time. Here's what I need to plow through in the next four days: Outside in: A Political Memoir by Libby Davies; Takedown by Laura Shovan; and With the Fire on High by Elizabeth Acevedo. There is also a pile of picture books. 


PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS


#MustReadIn2018 15/25 1 in progress


#MustReadNFIn2018 9/12


25 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 16/25


25 books by Canadian Authors 33/25


Big Book Reading Challenge 4/4


Goodreads Reading Challenge 221/333

26 comments:

  1. Except for Orange for the Sunsets, I've read and loved the others you shared, all wonderful, I agree. I hope you enjoy Laura Shovan's Takedown, too. It's going to be a great read for my granddaughter who's playing softball & wondering about girls and sports and who gets to do what. Happy reading, Cheriee!

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    1. I'm looking forward to reading Takedown! I hope you get to Orange for the Sunsets. It's an important book for what it teaches us about history and what it shows us about how systemic racism.

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  2. I am glad that you loved Coyote, as I did as well. I am hoping to try Orange for the Sunsets at some point and you might have gotten The Serpent King off of the pile that I brought home from the library a week ago. It's a book I also get interested in and then leave for other MG novels my students might read. I need to let myself read more YA. Thanks for the shares.

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    1. The Serpent King has been on my MustRead list for three years in a row. I am so happy I kept it there. What a book! I'll be looking forward to reading what you think of it!

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  3. Congratulations on your sewing room. I'm JEALOUS! lol On books: I am so happy you loved The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise! This is one that has really stuck with me. I also really enjoyed Other Words for Home and will have to re-check Orange for the Sunsets since I had to return it before I read it (too much on my plate this summer). The Serpent King is a new-to-me titles, but I'm definitely adding this one to my list. Sounds unique and intriguing! Thanks for all these shares, Cheriee!

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    1. I just adored Coyote! It's one that will stick with me too I think, although I have been reading some stellar fiction these days. The Serpent King is just brilliant. I hope you get to it.

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  4. The jury is in! Coyote Sunrise is a hit. :) Adding my 2-cents to that endorsement. Of course, I love all of Dan's books equally.
    Enjoy your reading time. And try not to get too bogged down with your writing. Advice for the day? When you hit a snag, take another turn, head down a new path. Good luck!

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    1. I am also a hard core Dan Gemeinhart fan. I swear he just gets better and better!
      Thanks for the writerly advice Augusta. I expected writing to be hard, but have found nonfiction writing relatively simple. Fiction/memoir is an entirely different experience.

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  5. Love those MG and YA titles! The only one I had not read, but it's in my reading pile is Orange for the Sunsets. Looking forward to it after your review!

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    1. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did. I have a hard time when characters do things that I know are going to cause them grief. In this case, it's terrible.

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  6. Coyote is a tearjerker but such an amazing story. My heart hurt for both Coyote and her dad. Other Words for Home is in my TBR pile. I hear nothing but good things about this novel and love that it is written in verse.

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    1. If I hadn't read so many fabulous MG novels this year, I would claim it is the best. It is certainly in the top 3, and not in third place.

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  7. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed The Serpent King. I was expecting completely something different with that one.

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    1. Me too Earl. I am not sure what I expected, but it wasn't what I got. Those characters are still with me.

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  8. I too loved Coyote Sunrise and Other Words for Home. I just put Serpant King into my Little Free Library since I don't read as much YA. Glad it is out in the world for others to enjoy! I added Orange for the Sunsets to my TBR stack! Thank you.

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    1. I appreciated Serpent King since it wasn't loaded with romantic teenage angst. There was still some angst (it is YA after all) but there is an authenticity in this one.

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  9. A couple of books I loved are on this list - Coyote and Other Words for Home. Orange for the Sunsets sounds amazing. Have a great week!

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    1. Hope you get to Orange for the Sunsets. I really appreciated it.

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  10. Wow, so many good books for you, Cheriee! I really want to read Coyote Sunrise - love Dan Gemeinhart novels!

    Sounds like you have your hands full - but in a good way! Enjoy your books this week -

    Sue

    2019 Big Book Summer Challenge

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    1. Overwhelmed it closer to the truth Sue. I need to get back to my Big Books!

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  11. Those look like great books. I've only read The Serpent King but I thought that was really powerful, so I'm going to look out for the others you found moving.

    I laughed at the picture book that your grandkids like more than you. Sometimes a book's worth is in the reaction of the people you share it with.

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    1. That is the truth. To be honest, I don't usually read books to them that I don't like. I know that if they like them, I will be reading them a lot!

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  12. Oooh. I haven't seen that Renee Watson book. I love her writing. Coyote Sunrise has been getting a lot of love.

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    1. So do I! It's as good, if not better than her others!

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  13. I know what you mean about The Serpent King - I didn't expect to love it as much as I did - a few of the characters still remain with me, which is remarkable because I read a LOT - as I am sure you do too, but it is indeed a page-turner. I reviewed that a few years back as well. I think you commented that you would like to read it then, so am so happy that it finally found you now: https://gatheringbooks.org/2017/03/27/monday-reading-43/

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    1. Thanks for the link. I enjoyed going back and reading your review. I agree with you. I had no idea that I would love The Serpent King so much!

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