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.
It's been a wild week here in British Columbia and Washington State. BC is now in a state of emergency. Last weekend, from November 13th to November 15th, a level 5 atmospheric river dropped up to 250 millimetres (9.84 inches) of rain in some areas. Areas that didn't get that much, still ended up breaking all previous records for rainfall. This followed what was already one of the wettest months on record. Flooding and landslides have been intense across the province and state. Small towns have been nearly decimated. Vancouver, our largest city, was cut off from the rest of the country for a week because all the highways were closed. In one of the most important agricultural zones, Sumas lake, drained in the 1920's, has returned.
 |
| Photograph from Abbotsford News Nov. 17, 2021 |
The one route that finally opened up is for essential traffic only. Other routes won't be passable for at least a year, if ever. Here in my small town we were unscathed weather wise, but the usual self centred faction stormed grocery stores and cleaned out the produce, dairy, and toilet paper sections.
In more positive news, the Governor General Literary Awards, "among Canada's oldest and most prestigious prizes for literature," were announced. Philippa Dowding won the Young People's Literature prize in the text category for Firefly, while David A. Robertson and illustrator Julie Flett won the illustrated books category, for their picture book, On the Trapline.
I finished up my advent calendars and mailed them off on Friday. I am keeping my fingers crossed that, now that the mail can get through, they will arrive in Vancouver before December 1st. Now I'm back to working on my second Olivier Dunrea quilt.
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
PICTURE BOOKS
 |
| 4 stars |
Thunder and the Noise Storms by Jeffrey Ansloos, Shezza Ansloos & Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (Illustrator) October 12, 2021 🍁
A young Cree boy is hyper sensitive to noise. His Mosom, (grandfather) teaches him an indigenous strategy called mamaskasitawew that involves learning to listen for wonder.
Read my whole review to see some examples of Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley gorgeous artwork.
Read my whole review to see some examples of Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley gorgeous artwork.
NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS
 |
| 5 stars |
Emmy Noether: The Most Important Mathematician You've Never Heard Of by Helaine Becker & Kari Rust October 6, 2020 🍁
Emmy Noether (pronounced NER-ter) solved a problem in Einstein's Theory of Relativity that none of the existing male mathematicians could figure out, but you probably haven't heard of her. She ended up proving a number of other laws of physics, but remained essentially unknown. "She worked in a field of study that didn't welcome women, and her male colleagues didn't even think to give her credit when they used her work or included it in their own."
The back matter includes additional information about this amazing woman.
Kari Rust's artwork is hand drawn and coloured digitally.
NOVELS
 |
| 5 stars |
Linked by Gordon Korman July 20, 2021 🍁
I picked this up because Ms Yingling, who is more critical than I am, gave it 5 stars. I knew it had to be good and wasn't disappointed.
A swastika is painted on a school wall in a small town in Colorado. It sets off a series of events that results in students at the school working to create a paper chain 6 million links long, to represent the number of Jews killed during the Holocaust. In spite of this, swastikas continue to show up.
This novel is told through the perspectives of a number of students at the school. The creation of the chain, uncovering the truth about the communities racist past, and discovery of the swastika painter, transforms them and their community.
Gordon Korman is proving himself to be a noteworthy author. While this novel contains his characteristic humour, it addresses serious issues in ways that make them approachable for his readers. I adore this quote, "A paper chain can be done when it hits certain number of links. But tolerance is a project you always have to keep working at."
This is an adult novel told through the voice of Swiv, a nine year old. Three generations of women live together. Swiv's pregnant mother, an actress, tries to take care of all of them.
It's a book about intergenerational love. It's full of family stories told to Swiv that bring us close to each member of the family - including Swiv's absent father. It's about the relationship between a girl and her grandmother. In a family full of characters, this grandmother steals the show. She's a role model for all of us aging women.
I laughed. I cried. Sometimes at the same time.
Now that I am a grandmother, I am a sucker for stories of intergenerational relationships. I'm certain I would have loved this book even without that connection.
 |
| 5 stars |
Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr with Marin Ireland & Simon Jones (Narrators) September 28, 2021
It took me a bit to really get into this book. Mostly just until I got all the different characters and stories right. Then I could hardly stop listening.
Doerr takes characters from across time - starting with Anna and Omeir during the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and moving forward to the future with 14 year old Konstance, the last of a group of humans travelling across space in search of a new planet. Between them is Zeno, a gay man born in the 1940, and Seymour, from the present day, who doesn't fit in and finds solace in wilderness (he might be on on the autism spectrum).
What ties them all together is a fictional novel about Aethon, a shepherd who is magically transformed into different creatures in his search for Cloud Cuckoo Land. It's credited to Antonius Diogenes, a real author from around 100 CE.
There is a lot going on in this book. At the same time as Anthony Doerr braids together the stories of the different characters, he weaves in multiple themes. He highlights heroes, environmental degradation, our attitudes towards those who are different, the importance of libraries and librarians, and ultimately, the power of story.
No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters by Ursula K. Le Guin December 5, 2017
& more picture books from my #MustReadList
There is a lot going on in this book. At the same time as Anthony Doerr braids together the stories of the different characters, he weaves in multiple themes. He highlights heroes, environmental degradation, our attitudes towards those who are different, the importance of libraries and librarians, and ultimately, the power of story.
NON FICTION
 |
| 5+ stars |
No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters by Ursula K. Le Guin December 5, 2017
I've taken my sweet time reading this eclectic collection of essays because each one is a treasure. Some, like those about Pard, Ursula K. Le Guin's cat, are pure sweetness. Others, like those about the declawed and defanged lynx, broke my heart. Maybe it's because I am getting on in years myself, that I found her essays on aging to be profound. Permeating all of them is tenderness and a wry sense of humour.
These essays are taken from the blog she wrote in the last years of her life. They prove that not only was Le Guin one of the worlds finest science fiction and fantasy authors, she is one of our finest authors.
This is a book I now want to own. It's a book I'm hoping to gift
These essays are taken from the blog she wrote in the last years of her life. They prove that not only was Le Guin one of the worlds finest science fiction and fantasy authors, she is one of our finest authors.
This is a book I now want to own. It's a book I'm hoping to gift
CURRENTLY
Living With Viola by Rosena Fung
Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz
UP NEXT
All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson
& more picture books from my #MustReadList
UPCOMING BLOG POSTS
Living With Viola by Rosena Fung
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS
#MustReadIn2021 29/25
#MustReadIn2021 29/25
#MustReadNFIn2021 12/12
#MustReadPBIn2021 66/100
Big Book Summer Challenge 9
Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 36/25
Books by Canadian Authors: 108/100
Canada Reads 2021 5/5
Discworld Series 41/41
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 394/333
I am so sorry to hear about all of the flooding in Canada—that is seriously alarming, but I'm glad to hear you and your town are OK. Also, that is crazy that a literal lake has returned after 100 years from all the flooding—is that a good thing for the agriculture? (Probably not good enough to solve the problem of your crops literally being underwater...)
ReplyDeleteAlso, your advent calendars are so cute!! I hope they get to Vancouver in time. And literally all of these books look fantastic—Thunder and the Noise Storms and the book on Emmy Noether both look like great picture books. And I've heard a ton of praise for Linked, so I'm glad you enjoyed it too. Fight Night and Cloud Cuckoo Land both sound like such powerful and complex reads, and I know a big fan of Ursula K. Le Guin who read that book of essays and really enjoyed it. Thanks so much for the wonderful post, Cheriee!
The worst thing about the flood at Sumas Lake is all the farm animals that died. Luckily in the middle of all this disaster there have been few human lives lost.
DeleteHope you find time for those picture books and Linked.
I did see the news about the flooding, so sorry that it hit people so hard. I noted a few new ones to me, Cheriee, like 'Thunder and the Noise Storms" and "Emma Noether", will checkout the review of Clous Cuckoo Land after I read the book, which I have! LeGuin is always great, just need to find the time! Thanks & have a lovely week ahead! (Love those Advent calendars!)
ReplyDeleteI'm going to be looking forward to reading your thoughts on Cloud Cuckoo Land Linda. It's a book that would be wonderful to read for a book club. There is a lot to unpack!
DeleteWhat a terrible weather event! I hope things start looking up! I enjoyed Linked, too!
ReplyDeleteThanks Lisa. Korman is maturing wonderfully as a writer.
DeleteWhat a scary weather situation for you in BC! I've never even heard of the term atmospheric river before. I hope you and your family are doing OK!
ReplyDeleteBeth, I have learned so much new climate related vocabulary in the last week it's enough to make my head spin! Hydrophobic especially blew my mind and puts a lot of the recent flooding into perspective. ""Wildfires can have immediate and long term effects on rivers, lakes, and streams. After burning vegetation, the ground’s soil becomes hydrophobic and is unable to absorb any water. This creates what is known as stormwater runoff."
DeleteMy family is doing good for now. Looking into the future I expect there will be issues of some kinds of food availability.
Wow! The photo really shows the impact. Another wow for your advent calendars! They are beautiful! Thunder and the Night Storm is a new title for me and a good one to add to my collection.
ReplyDelete