#IMWAYR, July 25, 2022

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. 

Our oldest son and his family are arriving on Wednesday. We are excited. I've downloaded all the Charlie and Mouse books to introduce to Everett, our five year old grandson. I think we have enough board and picture books to keep Lydia, who is almost two, entertained. I'm not sure if I will get a post in next week (or even how much reading I will actually accomplish) since they will be here til Sunday. 

It's predicted to be hot this week with temperatures climbing to over 40 °C.  Thankfully we have central air conditioning, a shaded backyard, and our neighbours encourage us to use their pool. 

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.

MG NOVELS

4 stars

Macy Mcmillan and The Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green  May 15, 2017  🍁

I started reading this only to discover the story was really familiar. I realized I had read it before, but couldn't remember how it all ended so I decided to continue reading. I'm glad I did.
There is a lot going on in this verse novel. Eleven year old Macy is deaf following a bout of meningitis when she was four. There has always been just her and her mom, but now her mother is getting married to a man with twin six year olds. Macy is not happy and does not want her life to change. Unfortunately, her life just get worse. She has no idea how to complete a family tree project. She gets in a fight with her best friend and ends up isolated at school. Her mother sends her over to help Iris, their aging neighbour, sort out her books. In the process, Iris and Macy become fond of each other. It turns out that Iris might have the key for how to get Macy's life back on track - so long as Macy doesn't do something really disastrous first.

5 stars

The Wherewood by Gabrielle S. Prendergast   🍁

Don't make a deal with the Fae. 

Salix (a Nixie) and Finola (a Faerie) have tricked Blue into going on another adventure into the Faerieland. They end up first in Wherewood, a land where lost things end up. It's a problem if you haven't lost anything, since the only way out is to find what you are missing. Things end up going from bad to worse when they eventually end up in Witherwood, a cursed land now ruled by Olea, the former evil queen of Nearwood. 

This is the second in Prendergast's Faerie Woods series from the Orca Currents collection. Imagine Holly Black for reluctant, struggling readers. Like The Crosswood, this is loaded with fast paced action and plenty of humour. I came to enjoy the characters even more and am looking forward to reading the last in the series. 

The Orca Currents collection are "are short, high-interest novels with contemporary themes written specifically for middle-school students reading below grade level. Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 5.0. Interest level ages 9-12"

YA/ADULT NOVELS

5 stars

Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Briggs (Narrator) September 25, 2003

The thing I enjoy most about Pratchett is that he takes well known stories and messes around with them. This book is a feminist look at war, religion, and gender roles. 

"Polly Perks joins the Discworld army to find her brother Paul. "Ozzer" cuts off her blonde braids, dons male garb, belches, scratches, and masters macho habits - aided by well-placed pair of socks. The legendary and seemingly ageless Sergeant Jackrum accepts her plus a vampire, troll, zombie, religious fanatic, and two close "friends". The best man for the job may be a woman."
When Polly Perks signs up to go to war to search for her brother, she soon discovers that the rest of the recruits in her regiment are women disguised as men. They end up rescuing the rest of the army by disguising themselves as women.

In the end, Polly reminisces, "You think you’re the hero, and it turns out you’re really part of someone else’s story."

 

ADULT FICTION

3 stars

Three Women and A Boat (The Narrowboat Summer) by Anne Younson November 12, 2020

This was a book club book. We had previously read Meet Me at the Museum by the same author. Not only did everyone enjoy that one, we probably talked more about it than any other we have read together. 

I preferred the first one, but the characters in this are rich and unique. It's the story of friendship between three women from disparate walks of life. Eve has been let go from the job she worked at for 30 years. Sally has left her husband. Anastasia, the owner of the boat, has to have an operation to remove cancer. The most important thing about all of them is how they show us that we are never too old to come of age.
I found myself trying to convince my partner that we should go on vacation touring the canals of Britain. He told me that Britain is experiencing a drought and it isn't a good idea. 

I prefer the title, The Narrowboat Summer and wonder why the title of the book is changed to this in more recent publications. 

4 stars

The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner & Richard Armitage (Narrator) May 26, 2020 🍁

As a Jane Austen fan, this has been on my to read list since it was first published. When Bloomsbury Girls, the next in the series, became available, I went to remind myself what had happened previously. I was shocked to discover I hadn't read it. Luckily it was available immediately. I enjoyed it much more than I anticipated. Natalie Jenner has written some glorious characters. I appreciated the strong women and girls. I admired most of the men. I loved the sense of community, the love for Austen, and the multiple romances. I was shocked by the group's decision for Adam, and kept thinking it couldn't end like that. I'm still not sure I'm happy with that part of this book, but I still loved the story. 

ADULT NONFICTION

5 stars

Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner (Author & Narrator) April 20, 2021

Grieving is hard work. It's triggered by places, events, and sensory experiences. For Michelle Zauner, it's H Mart, a Korean grocery store, that provokes overwhelming grief for her mother. 

This book is a memoir of her life with her Omma until she died of cancer when Michelle was only 25. It's a story of love, loss, learning, and coming as close to acceptance as we can. It's full of Korean culture and food. 

I am lucky to have a Korean daughter in law and two grandchildren from her. We have shopped together at H Mart and other Korean grocery stores. My daughter in law, like Michelle's mother, is beautiful inside and out. All this helped me to connect to her story at a personal level. I pray my granddaughters never have to go through what she did. 

CURRENTLY

Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner  🍁

The Summer We Saved the Bees by Robin Stevenson  🍁

UP NEXT

The Lucky Ones by Linda Williams Jackson

Diggers by Terry Pratchet

Forbidden City by James Ponti

Kim Jiyoung, Born 1983 by Cho Nam-Joo

READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 15/24

#MustReadNonFiction 12/18

Canadian Authors 46/100 

Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 

Indigenous Authors 12/25

2022 Big Book Summer Challenge 6 

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 173 /250