#IMWAYR November 15, 2021

Hello everyone. 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'm sharing two weeks of books again this week. We ended up in Vancouver visiting with our family last weekend and didn't get home til Monday. While we were there we picked up some kind of bug from the grandkids, but we seem to be mostly recuperated now. 

I am plowing through audiobooks these days. They keep me company while I am busy sewing, knitting, cooking, (I now need to hide those double chocolate cookies from myself) or assisting my partner with renovations. I've taken a bit of a break from the Olivier Dunrea quilts and am making a couple of advent calendars for my grandchildren. I will post pictures of the finished results next week. 

It was an exciting couple of literary weeks here in Canada. I should have mentioned the Canadian Children’s Book Centre Book Awards in my last post. Those winners were announced October 29th.  Katherena Vermette, Tomson Highway, Cherie Dimaline, Frances Itani, Linda Bailey and Weyman Chan were winners of Writer's Trust awards on November 3rd. On the 8th, Omar El Akkad won the Giller prize with his novel, What Strange Paradise. 

It hasn't all been wonderful though. Last Thursday, Lee Maracle, matriarch of Indigenous Literature in Canada, died. She was only 71. Her book, Celia's Song, blew my mind and helped me understand the intense intimacy of the indigenous relationship to the land. She will be deeply. 

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

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

RECENT BLOG POSTS 

Gemma and the Giant Girl by Sara O'Leary & Marie Lafrance (Illustrations)

Stealing Home by J. Torres & David Namisato 

PICTURE BOOKS

3.5 stars

The Stray by Molly Ruttan May 19, 2020

A family finds a crashed spaceship and bring the little creature they find with it, home with them. Daily walks become a whole knew adventure. They bond, but the creature is obviously homesick. Eventually it's owners come for it, and the heartbroken family has to say goodbye. There is hope that perhaps this animal might be a connection between both sets of caretakers.

4 stars

Gemma and the Giant Girl by Sara O'Leary & Marie Lafrance (Illustrations) October 5, 2021  🍁

This is a strange and disturbing tale of a family of dolls living in an old fashioned doll house. After years of being abandoned, a giant girl discovers them and disrupts their lives. You will have to read it for yourself to determine if it is for the better or not. Check out my full blog post here to see some of Marie Lafrance's gorgeous artwork.

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

Feathered Serpent and the Five Suns: A Mesoamerican Creation Myth by Duncan Tonatiuh September 1, 2020

This Mesoamerican creation myth tells the story of how Quetzalcóatl—the Feathered Serpent, went on a perilous journey to retrieve bones from the underworld and create humans. It's a fascinating tale that begins with four attempts to create humans. Each one ended up in failure until Quetzalcóatl got involved.
I appreciated the additional information in the back matter about the survival of this myth. Duncan Tonatiuh's art is stunning as usual.

CHAPTER BOOKS

5 stars

Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise by Kate DiCamillo, Chris Van Dusen (Illustrator) January 1, 2007

I read this with my granddaughter. To be honest, I was not much of a Mercy Watson fan (although I adore the Deckawoo Drive titles) Reading the Mercy books with my grandkids has taught me to admire them. Mostly, I have come to appreciate how hilarious and goofy they are! The contrast between Mr and Mrs Watson's perspective compared to Mercy's outlook on things makes me laugh out loud.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

5 stars

Clash by Kayla Miller July 20, 2021

I love this series more with every book I read.
When Olive is exposed to mean girl drama though a new student, Natasha, she tries to befriend her. It doesn't work. Things get worse. Thankfully Olive's Aunt Molly really listens to her and acknowledges Olive's distress is justified.
It isn't until Natasha reveals her antagonism to Olive publicly, that others become aware of what is going on. Olive is embraced by her friends while Natasha ends up excluded. Olive ends up extending a hand and the two girls reach an accord.
Like Shannon Hale's Friends series, readers are exposed to positive ways to deal with toxic relationships. I'm so glad these books exist for kids today. I wish they had been there when I was of middle school age.

3.5 stars

Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani June 22, 2021

Shaheen's father, Gio, has disappeared. Shaheen and her cousin, Tannaz, visit the music store he haunted, and discover a jukebox time machine. It takes them back in time to a place where a certain song is playing. The two girls begin a time travelling search for Gio and Earl, the owner of the record store.
I really liked the idea of this. I like the exposure to historical events provided through music. I think the target audience of readers will enjoy it. It went too fast for me.

5 stars

Stealing Home by J. Torres & David Namisato October 5, 2021 🍁

This graphic novel looks at Japanese Internment here in Canada from a child's perspective. I've read many books on this topic, and have discovered that the individual stories, like this one, are all important. It's the juxtaposition of the Asahi Baseball team in the context of the Japanese Internment that make this one unique. Check out my full blog post if you want to see examples of David Namisato's artwork.

NOVELS

4 stars

How to Train Your Dad by Gary Paulsen October 5, 2021

I laughed out loud regularly while reading this book. It's a lot of fun!

Carl's father is a free spirit who focuses on environmental concerns at a personal level. It never used to be a problem. His best friend, Pooder, thinks Carl's dad is cool, and wishes his dad could be more like him. But Carl has now reached the age where he wants to be the kind of boy who gets noticed by a certain girl. His father's lifestyle is cramping his style, so Carl decides to act on a pamphlet for how to train dogs and see if he can change his father.
Over time his father seems to change, but whether it has anything to do with Carl's actions is debatable. When his father finally realizes what Carl is up to he does what he can to support him. In the end the two of them come to a compromise that works for both of them.
What makes this book work is the nature of the characters themselves and their relationships with each other. There is a kind of vintage feel to the humour that permeates it. The antics of their rescued pit bull, Carole, are hilarious.
In spite of the laughter, I felt a kind of melancholy while reading, acknowledging that this is one of the last books Gary Paulsen will write.

4 stars

Under Shifting Stars by Alexandra Latos September 29, 2020 🍁

I had no idea what this book was about going into it, so I had no expectations. I ended up liking it well enough, although there is a lot going on!
It's the story of fraternal twins. At one time they were best friends. As they grew up, Audrey, who seems to be on the autism spectrum, doesn't fit in with the rest of their peers. It's compounded by Clare's new friend, Sharon, who goes out of her way to harass her.
At the time this story enters our lives, their older brother, Adam, has been dead for about ten months, Audrey is going to a school with other students who are 'different,' and the two girls are estranged. Audrey wants to return to the same school as Clare. Clare is struggling with her sexual identity and trying to cope with what it means to be her authentic self. She is terrified of what will happen if Audrey returns to main stream high school, both for Audrey and herself.
As the two girls find their way back to each other, they have to first learn to be comfortable being who they are.

5 stars

Em by Kim Thúy & Sheila Fischman (Translator) November 2, 2020 🍁

I finished listening to this adult novel and immediately started all over again.
It is a love story between two mixed race orphans. Thúy integrates this fictional romance into the history of Vietnam. Her rich and complicated story begins with the French invasion and ends with the state of the diaspora in America and Canada. She imbues her narrative with sensitive portrayals of many different actors. Parts of it left me in tears: the rainbow of chemicals rained down upon forests, rice fields, and people; the 19 year old GI who played hide and seek with children until his commander came back and showed him the war meaning of 'take care of them'; children abandoned by adults and forced to look after themselves and each other; and the fatal plane crash full of babies during the frenzied evacuation.
The audiobook is read by the author. Her accented narration suffuses the narrative with heartbreaking authenticity. I dare you to read this book in any format and not be moved.

4 stars

Whispers Under Ground by Ben Aaronovitch & Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Narrator) June 21, 2012

This book introduces Abigail Kamara to the series when she takes Peter and Lesley May into the underground where she found a ghost. Soon afterwards the son of an American Senator is found murdered. It is determined that magic is involved. The search for the murderer takes the Folly inhabitants from art shows to an underground community known as the Quiet People.
All the magical weirdness is just delightful.

4 stars

Broken Homes by Ben Aaronovitch & Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (Narrator) February 4, 2013

Peter and the Folly denizens have a lot to deal with. They are tracking down illegally trained magic students, there are three different murders to solve, the peace to keep at he Summer Court of the God and Goddess of the River Thames, and a trap to set for the Faceless Man.
Even though I knew this ending was coming, I was still gobsmacked by it and immediately downloaded the next in the series.

I am discovering that the Rivers of London series is even better the second time round. If possible, I am even more infatuated.  It is filled with self deprecating humour. They are adult oriented, but would make fabulous YA reading. I love how well the magical elements are integrated into what is otherwise the modern world.

If you are looking for fun, light, entertaining reading that incorporates magic, murder and the mythological creatures, this is it. So far everyone who I have referred these to has enjoyed them as much as I do. I'm wondering who I might gift them to this year.

5 stars

Patron Saints of Nothing by Randy Ribay & Ramón de Ocampo (Narrator) June  18, 2019

This is intense on many different levels. The first time round I had to stop listening and read it with my eyes.
Following the death of his cousin, a Filipino-American teenager heads off to the Philippines to find out what happened. He's met with an uncle steeped in toxic masculinity and a family that refuses to acknowledge they ever had a son and brother.
As a reader from Canada, this YA novel provided me with a window into Filipino history and sociopolitical culture. I was deeply engaged with the characters and terrified for them.
There are many gorgeous chunks of writing. I collected this quote “If we are to be more than what we have been, there's so much that we need to say. Salvation through honesty, I guess.”

After rereading this the second time for a book club, I decided to increase my rating from 4 to 5 

 NON FICTION

5+ stars

Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest by Suzanne Simard May 4, 2021 🍁

Everyone should read this book, especially if they have ever been, or are now involved in logging or forestry.
I knew something about tree communication from reading Peter Wohlleben's The Secret Life of Trees, but Suzanne Simard, in her memoir, makes connections between our lives and the ways trees relate to each other. If you have read The Overstory, you will note that the character of Patricia Westerford is based on her.
Suzanne Simard, a professor at UBC, is is a pioneer on the frontier of plant communication and intelligence. Her story of coming to understand the relationship between trees highlights the failure of the old boys club of foresters, who were more caught up in power politics than paying attention to how to rehabilitate clear cut forests. Her research shows us that reciprocity, not competition, is the key to reforestation. It's also the key to getting us through the crisis of climate change.

UPCOMING BLOG POSTS

Thunder and the Noise Storms by Jeffrey Ansloos & Shezza Ansloos
Living With Viola by Rosena Fung

CURRENTLY

I am still reading No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters by Ursula K. Le Guin. Each essay is a jewel.

Linked by Gordon Korman

Fight Night by Miriam Toews

Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch

UP NEXT 

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
& picture books from my #MustReadList

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2021 29/25 

#MustReadNFIn2021 11/12 one in progress

#MustReadPBIn2021 65/100 

Big Book Summer Challenge 9 

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 35/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 104/100

Canada Reads 2021 5/5 

Discworld Series 41/41

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 388/333