Welcome readers! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to. 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. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.
Just a reminder to everyone participating in #MustReadIn2022, I will host an (entirely optional) update at the end of the month. How are you doing? My goal is to have a post ready April 25th for you to connect to.
How have you all been? I've been fighting a sinus infection for the past week or so. My head feels like it's full of cotton and it's been hard to focus on my reading. Luckily I had a stack of graphic novels and picture books to while away the time.
In spite of the foggy head I have managed to do some poetry writing every day so far this month. I shared a poem about my mother with my family, but other than that, I'm just enjoying the writing.
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.
PICTURE BOOKS
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| 4 stars |
Everybody in the Red Brick Building by Anne Wynter, Oge Mora (Illustrator) October 12, 2021
Loved this cumulative story that begins with a baby waking in the middle of the night. The baby wakes up others and the sounds build up until everyone goes back to sleep to the cumulative quiet noises of night.
NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS
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| 5 stars |
Stacey's Extraordinary Words by Stacey Abrams & Kitt Thomas (Illustrator) December 28, 2021
As a person who is not a brilliant speller, I am not a huge fan of spelling bees. That said, I am a huge fan of Stacey Abrams and was delighted to read this picture book memoir about her early life as a spelling bee contestant.
I suspect that if I had grown up thinking about words the way Stacey did, my spelling might have been at least slightly better. I hope this book inspires readers to be as persistent as Stacey about all of their goals. I also hope it encourages teachers to teach language with this kind of joy and creativity.
CHAPTER BOOKS
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| 5 stars |
Cornbread & Poppy by Matthew Cordell January 4, 2022
Two mice, Cornbread and Poppy, might be best friends, but they are as different as chalk and cheese. As winter approaches Poppy is not ready, but Cornbread is prepared to go with her into danger to help her find enough food to get her through the winter. They are forced to journey up the high mountain where danger and delightful surprises await them.
I'm getting this one for my grandkids for their fifth birthdays.
This book reminded me of Avi's Poppy series. I'll be suggesting my sons do it as a read aloud.
YA GRAPHIC
This book is about growing up and coming into your own power. The tension between Mandy and her superhero mom, StarFire, represents the separation of all children from their parents. It’s more challenging for Mandy because her mother seems to be the exact opposite of her. It’s only by distancing herself, and facing true danger, that she discovers how much they have in common.
ADULT GRAPHIC
The Waiting by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim & Janet Hong 🍁 (Translation) November 02, 2021
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| 5 stars |
The Waiting by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim & Janet Hong 🍁 (Translation) November 02, 2021
This week I'll be picking up Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, a story about the Korean Comfort Women.
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| 5 stars |
Shadow Life by Hiromi Goto 🍁 & Ann Xu (Illustrations) March 30, 2021
Death might be stalking Kumiko, but she is not ready for it just yet.
This book is profound. It reminded me of my mother and mother in law who were not ready to give up their independence when circumstances forced them to. I'm no spring chicken myself and see hints of those dark shadows that follow Kumiko around.
I love that while this book centres on Kumiko now, we are also introduced to the strong young woman she once was.
NOVELS
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| 4 stars |
Those Kids from Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly & Ramón de Ocampo (Narrator) March 8, 2022
Things heave been pretty much the same at Fawn Creek school until the exotic new girl, Orchid Mason arrives. She's got her own secrets, but that doesn't stop her from changing her classmates lives. She introduces them to a new way of looking at themselves and accepting who they are. Before she leaves she also shows them how brave and genuinely good they can be to one another.
ADULT NOVELS
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| 5 stars |
Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman & Martin Jarvis (Narrator)
I just refinished listening to this in preparation for season 2 on Amazon Prime.
This book is so much fun to read (or listen to.) It's easy to imagine how much fun Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman had writing it.
Two children are born. Another, the antichrist, arrives at the hospital and his planned substitution goes awry.
Consequently his strategic upbringing is meted out to the wrong child. This really screws things up, as nothing takes. Meanwhile, the real antichrist grows up in a small village with loving parents and a cohort of close friends.
Considerable celestial and satanic energy have been put into preparing for Armageddon. As the time draws near, the armies of good and evil are ready and waiting for the antichrist to take over the world and destroy it.
But what if the main actor decides to change plans?
This novel is peopled by a delightful cast of characters, including The Gang of Them, a 'fussy angel and a fast living demon', witches and witch finders, and the four Horsemen of the apocalypse.
It's also full of rich ruminations on religion, life, and what it means to be human.
Two children are born. Another, the antichrist, arrives at the hospital and his planned substitution goes awry.
Consequently his strategic upbringing is meted out to the wrong child. This really screws things up, as nothing takes. Meanwhile, the real antichrist grows up in a small village with loving parents and a cohort of close friends.
Considerable celestial and satanic energy have been put into preparing for Armageddon. As the time draws near, the armies of good and evil are ready and waiting for the antichrist to take over the world and destroy it.
But what if the main actor decides to change plans?
This novel is peopled by a delightful cast of characters, including The Gang of Them, a 'fussy angel and a fast living demon', witches and witch finders, and the four Horsemen of the apocalypse.
It's also full of rich ruminations on religion, life, and what it means to be human.
CURRENTLY
Audiobook - Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram
UP NEXT
The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber & David Wengrow
Golden Gate (City Spies 2) by James Ponti
A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger
READING GOALS
#MustReadFiction 8/24 one in progress
#MustReadNonFiction 5/18
Canadian Authors 24/100
Canada Reads shortlist 5/5
Indigenous Authors 9/25 one in progress
Stacey’s Extraordinary Words sounds excellent. I am a collector of books about reading, writing and words. So this one looks like I’ll need to check it out.
ReplyDeleteIt is brilliant! If this book and games like wordle had been around when I was younger, I might have been a much better speller. (I still have to check spelling with these kinds of word games)
DeleteLove Gaiman but I seem to have little time to read, can't re-read it yet. The books by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim are new to me & I'm sure I'll enjoy them, though they must be heartbreaking. We rarely see anything about N. Korea lately. I have Fawn Creek, am excited to read that one. And I adored Cornbread & Poppy! Thanks, Cheriee, hope you feel better soon!
ReplyDeleteI wasn't sure about Fawn Creek at first. I worry about books with bullying, but then she showed her characters a whole new way to see themselves and others. I ended up adoring it.
DeleteI have Those Kids From Fawn Creek, but keep forgetting about. I really need to read it soon.
ReplyDeleteYes you do. It is brilliant, but then everything she writes is.
DeleteI'm so sorry about your sinus infection, Cheriee—that is no fun at all! But it's wonderful you've been able to write some poetry and read so much lately! Stacey's Extraordinary Words sounds like a wonderful story—I used to complete in spelling competitions, but I can assure you that it is an almost completely useless skill in the days of spell-check, so you're not missing out! And I am struck by the fact that I have never thought of intentionally reading adult graphic novels, even though they would be a perfect mix of what I need to read more of (adult books) and what I already like (graphic novels), and I have family members who I could recommend them to! I've actually seen Shadow Life, and it sounds so compelling—I also love that the illustrator is the same one as Measuring Up, even though the subjects and tone are obviously wildly different! And shamefully, I still haven't read anything by Erin Entrada Kelly, so I need to resolve that soon—perhaps over the summer...? Thanks so much for the wonderful post!
ReplyDeleteI hadn't made the connection to Measuring up so that is great. The art work is very different!
DeleteAre you a fan of The Nib? https://thenib.com/ It's full of comics for adults. I get it delivered to my inbox daily.
I am deeply appreciative of spell check.