#IMWAYR November 1, 2020

Hello out there. It's #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 tried really hard to finish listening to Internment by by Samira Ahmed, but It was too intense for me in this format. I've put a reserve on a print copy.

Here are three projects I finished last week that are going in the mail today. 

My granddaughter organized scraps on backing
fabric when she visited and I sewed them all
together to make this quilt for her baby doll. 

I'm learning to do colour work. This is't perfect,
but it is done. It's going off to the same
granddaughter. 

My mother in law started this sweater before
she died. I finished knitting the collar, sewed
the parts together, and put in a zipper. It's off
for my grandson. 

Now I have to get back to work on my son and daughter-in-law's quilt. 

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian Author and or Illustrator. 

Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book. 

RECENT BLOG POSTS

For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World by Michael W. Waters, Keisha Morris (Illustrator)

Willa the Wisp (The Fabled Stables #1) by Jonathan Auxier & Olga Demidova (Illustrations)

Saturday at the Garage by Nancy Hundal, Angela Pan (Illustrator)

PICTURE BOOKS

5 Stars

For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World by Michael W. Waters, Keisha Morris (Illustrator)

Don't miss this. My friend read my review and texted me to say it made her cry. I told her to go and read the book. It's an emotional and important read for all of us. You can read my full review and see samples of the artwork here.

5 Stars

Saturday at the Garage by Nancy Hundal, Angela Pan (Illustrator) 🍁

If you are searching for descriptive language as mentor text, look no further. I've read this at least three times and each go round I find more lines and phrases to swoon over. Add to this the glorious artwork by Angela Pan. She captures light and sets it to illuminating the pages. Put it all together and this picture book welcomes us into enchantment. You can read my full review and see samples of the artwork here.

4 Stars

The Cool Bean (Bad Seed #3) by Jory John, Pete Oswald (Illustrations)

Being cool is more than what you wear and how you move. A bean who thinks he is a 'has bean' learns that being cool is mostly about who you are and how you are with others. 

GRAPHIC NOVELS

4 Stars

Act (Click #3) by Kayla Miller

I was delighted to enter into Kayla Miller's world again. Olive discovers that some students can't go on field trips because their parents can't afford them. This not only leaves them out, but puts them at a disadvantage when these trips are important aspects of the curriculum. In order to raise awareness of this and other issues students have to deal with, she ends up running for student council against some of her best friends. 

I loved this book. It pairs up beautifully with For Beautiful Black Boys Who Believe in a Better World in that both of these books will empower readers to become active to make the world a better place for all of us. 

CHAPTER BOOKS

 

5 Stars

Willa the Wisp (The Fabled Stables #1) by Jonathan Auxier & Olga Demidova (Illustrations) 🍁

I truly enjoyed this chapter book and think children will too. It's a little bit creepy, a little bit fanciful and a whole lotta delightful. If you are interested in learning more about Auggie, the youngster who looks after the creatures in the The Fabled Stables, you can read my full review and see samples of the artwork here.

NOVELS 

4 Stars

War Stories by Gordon Korman 🍁

Trevor is excited to be heading off to Europe with his father and Great Grandfather (GG). GG is set to receive an award for his work liberating a town during WW2. Trevor is mad for anything war related and considers GG to be a hero. GG, in all his story telling about his experiences, doesn't dispel Trevor's romanticization of war. Everything changes when they arrive in Europe. Not only do GG's stories reveal a darker side to his adventures, the trio are being stalked by a group who don't think he is a hero at all.

4 Stars

Dear Justyce by Nic Stone & Dion Graham (Narrator) 

This book broke my heart. I knew that BIPOC are represented in the prison system way more than they should, (in both the United States and here in Canada) but Nic Stone made me really care about one possible kid. You will too. 

In her remarks at the end she talks about her research for this novel. Quan and his story is a composite of all the young incarcerated people she met. His story of early trauma is commonplace. 

 My takeaway is that we need to do better for all our youth at risk.

DISCWORLD NOVELS

5 Stars

Wyrd Sisters by Terry Pratchett

You can watch the animated version of this novel, but you will miss all the wonderful nuances and humour in Terry Pratchett's novel. It is his version of Shakespeare's Macbeth. It's hilarious, baudy, and sobering in the truth that is revealed about the power of words. It seemed very relevant for the times. This is the second time I've read this and I loved visiting Nanny Og, Granny Weatherwax, and Magrat Garlick again. 

NONFICTION

5 Stars

How to Become an Accidental Genius by Frieda Wishinsky, Elizabeth MacLeod, & Jenn Playford (Illustrations) 🍁

Frieda Wishinsky and Elizabeth MacLeod are a dynamic duo. This endeavor is chock full of fascinating biographies of scientists, mathematicians, inventors and all kinds of remarkable individuals. Some of these are well known, while others are new to me. They are a diverse collection of individuals: men, women, and BIPOC, all who span across time and space. 

The book is divided into eleven chapters. Each highlights a specific aspect what what it takes to be a genius and goes on to showcase three different people who portray this characteristic. Brightly coloured collages precede each chapter. Photographs of each genius and related images accompany the write up about them. There are fact boxes loaded with quotes, captioned photographs, close ups, diagrams and many other significant text features including a glossary and index.  

I especially appreciate that the characteristics are ones readers can develop. Hopefully, they too can become geniuses. 

In addition to all that, this is a fun book to read. I couldn't stop myself from interrupting my partner's reading claiming, "Listen to this.... Did you know that?" It was so interesting he didn't once give me the evil eye. 

CURRENTLY 

I've started Waiting for First Light by Roméo Dallaire, one of my #MustReadNF titles. It's a very hard read. I'm listening to Maskerade by Terry Pratchett. I'm reading and writing a blog post about The Paper Boat by Thao Lam. 

UP NEXT 

I'm hoping to get to Carpe Jugulum by Terry Pratchett. (It's got vampires and I should have listened to it last month, but I wasn't ready for it.) I will also read Ghosts by David A Robertson. 

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS 

#MustReadIn2020: 20/25 

#MustReadNFIn2020: 9/12 one in progress

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 21/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 118/100 one in progress

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 284/333