Welcome! 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.
It has been a while since I last posted - just over a month. I started writing a number of times, but life just got in the way. I am determined to write at least every other week!
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.
MOST RECENT BLOG POST
PICTURE BOOKS
I downloaded this book to read with Ellis, my dinosaur crazed three year old granddaughter. There isn't much about dinosaurs in it, but it is a fun, alphabet, rhyming book about what animals can't do. Then in the back matter there is a bit of information explaining what each of the animals can do! Ellis wasn't to interested in it, but her six year old sister was fascinated.
CHILDREN'S NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS
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| 5 stars |
A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars Seth Fishman & Isabel Greenberg (Illustrator) October 3, 2017
I nabbed this book from the library because I am a ginormous fan of Isabel Greenberg, the illustrator of this. Am I ever glad I did.
It is a book to help us (children and adults) grasp the enormity of large numbers. I say help, because really, how can anyone come close to making sense of a number like 100,000,000,000,000,000. Most of us can't really grasp 1,000,000,000.
I really appreciated that these massive numbers were written in words at the bottom of the pages where they were mentioned. My favourite page explains that the 10,000,000,000,000,000 ants that live on this planet weigh as much as the 7,500,000,000 people who they share it with.
It is a book to help us (children and adults) grasp the enormity of large numbers. I say help, because really, how can anyone come close to making sense of a number like 100,000,000,000,000,000. Most of us can't really grasp 1,000,000,000.
I really appreciated that these massive numbers were written in words at the bottom of the pages where they were mentioned. My favourite page explains that the 10,000,000,000,000,000 ants that live on this planet weigh as much as the 7,500,000,000 people who they share it with.
This book makes connections that show how how important the ocean is to our lives, even if we live a long distance from it.
Did you know that seven out of every ten gulps of air you take contain oxygen created by ocean plants?
It's full of fascinating tidbits information about ocean creatures.
I especially appreciate the end of this book where it cycles back to us, revealing the many ways human actions affect the oceans.
Author's notes in the back matter expand on the information in the book.
These underwater photographs are just stunning.
They give the reader a glimpse of the world under the sea just off the coast of South Africa. It reveals a multitude of creatures who inhabit that realm.
While an octopus is shown, I expected a bit more about it. I think this is just because of the author and the text on the bottom of the cover.
They give the reader a glimpse of the world under the sea just off the coast of South Africa. It reveals a multitude of creatures who inhabit that realm.
While an octopus is shown, I expected a bit more about it. I think this is just because of the author and the text on the bottom of the cover.
YA FICTION
This is the story of a Metis teen who is the child of rape. Her biological father, just released from jail, is stalking her, claiming he will financially support her eduction goals if she will add his name to her birth certificate.
This book is all about being 'the other.'
It's a story of romantic and sexual love. It shows a family working together to make a better life for each of it's members. It's about friendship and how important it is to be there for and stand up for the people we care for.
It's also kind of terrifying.
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| 5 stars |
The Crane Husband by Kelly Barnhill February 28, 2023
There I was with a group of women friends. They were outside in the sunshine, drinking wine, chatting and laughing while I was inside, totally absorbed by this weird and wonderful feminist retelling of The Crane Wife.
I always loved Kelly Barnhill's children's books. I am now a hard core fan of her books for adults. Ok, since the protagonist here is a 15 year old girl who is trying to keep her brother safe and her family together while her mother works on her artwork, it's probably a YA book - or maybe it's just a book for readers of all ages. Things get extremely dark when her mother brings home a large crane, and she seems almost unaware of his brutality.
ADULT FICTION
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| 4 stars |
A Lethal Lesson by Iona Whishaw & Marilla Wex (Narrator) April 27, 2021 🍁
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| 4 stars |
Framed in Fire by Iona Whishaw & Marilla Wex (Narrator) April 26, 2022 🍁
When Lane goes to visit her friend Peter Barisoff in New Denver, she meets up with Tom, an indigenous man, who is looking for traces of his ancestors. They find Peter working in his garden where the three of them unearth a body.
This book reveals a bit about the history of the indigenous people who once inhabited the West Kootenays. It also addresses issues of racism and prejudice.
I was enthralled by this story of two friends, Fabienne and Agnès, growing up a small community in France after the war. The two thirteen year old girls write a novel. (Fabienne tells the story while Agnès transcribes it.) They get the local postmaster to help them get it published, with Agnès presented as the author. Her life is changed because of this. Ultimately this book is about about how much one of them will sacrifice to improve the life of the other.
I will reading more by Yiyun Li. Her writing is beautiful.
While this book is fiction, it is based on true events and the characters are, in many ways, composites of the lives of real women.
It's the story of the prochoice abortion movement. It connects women across time - from the abusive maternity homes and deadly backroom abortions of earlier years, to the women and men who provided safe (but still against the law) abortions with the help of different kinds of underground networks, and finally to today, where in Canada at least, abortion on demand is still, theoretically at least, available. Finding a nearby clinic is impossible in some parts of the country. It's also about motherhood and what women go through to achieve it.
Ultimately, it's about choice.
I especially like the way Leckie deals with gender in this book. In the protagonists culture, everyone is a she, whereas in other cultures she often errs and misgenders people. We never really know what (if any) gender she is. I'm fascinated by her imagining of AI in a future world. I liked a lot about this book and am now reading the next in the series. It might even be better than the first.
ADULT NONFICTION
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| 4 stars |
The Woman All Spies Fear: Code Breaker Elizebeth Smith Friedman and Her Hidden Life by Amy Butler Greenfield October 19, 2021
There are few things as satisfying as finding yourself lost in a book. I had no real idea of what I was in for when I started this, but ended up being fascinated by Elizebeth Smith Friedman's life and the times she lived through. She was brilliant. If she was alive today, I suspect she would have been one of the world's finest computer programers.
Not only did I learn more about codes, I learned about the their use and abuses across the span of her life. It was fascinating to learn about how the different aspects of government interacted.
Elizebeth and her husband were both code breakers and makers. As is usual in these cases, it was he who garnered most of the credit while they were alive. Her life is remarkable given that she was a woman born 1892. Getting an education was no mean feat. Becoming one of the countries foremost code breakers of her time is an especially remarkable accomplishment.
Not only did I learn more about codes, I learned about the their use and abuses across the span of her life. It was fascinating to learn about how the different aspects of government interacted.
Elizebeth and her husband were both code breakers and makers. As is usual in these cases, it was he who garnered most of the credit while they were alive. Her life is remarkable given that she was a woman born 1892. Getting an education was no mean feat. Becoming one of the countries foremost code breakers of her time is an especially remarkable accomplishment.
I worried this would be harder to listen to, but Yeonmi Park is almost dispassionate about some of the horror she and her family experienced. By North Korean standards, her family, at least until after her father was arrested, were privileged. Following his incarceration for smuggling, things changed drastically.
Park and her mother's escape from North Korean to China is a story of sexual abuse and slavery. With the help of a missionary group, she eventually ended up in South Korea where she became involved in the human rights movement. She now lives in the USA.
CURRENTLY
Gut by Giulia Enders & Jill Enders (Illustrator)
VenCo by Cherie Dimaline 🍁
Ancillary Sword by Ann Leckie
The Secret Pocket by Peggy Janicki & Carrielynn Victor (Illustrator) April 11, 2023 🍁
UP NEXT
Roll For the Initiative by Jaime Formato
READING GOALS
#MustReadFiction 6/24
#MustReadNonFiction 8/20 one in progress
Canadian Authors 21/75
Indigenous Authors 9/20
Big Books Summer 2023 - 1/5
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 82/200
So many books! They all look good. I need to check out the one by Kelly Barnhill. I met her once at an author signing. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteOh Lucky you!
DeleteLots to love from your list, Cheriee. I am intrigued by The Crane Wife, on my list but still haven't read it. I loved the star book & thanks for the others illustrated by Greenberg. I also noted the mysteries, know they're good but I have so many other books to read 1st. What a problem! Nice to see you back!
ReplyDeleteIt is wonderful to be back! I have the same reading problem - too many books already!
DeleteIt's so exciting to see you back, Cheriee! I added A Hundred Billion Trillion Stars to my TBR list, since I'd definitely be curious to better comprehend giant numbers (or at least try to). The Summer of Bitter and Sweet sounds poignant and impactful, and The Crane Husband definitely caught my eye too—I remember from reading The Girl Who Drank the Moon how talented of an author Kelly Barnhill is. And I read The Woman All Spies Fear for the Cybils in January—it actually won for YA Nonfiction, and it definitely gripped me as a reader! Thanks so much for the thoughtful reviews!
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DeleteThanks so much Max. I was gobsmacked by Kelly Barnhill's When Women Were Dragons, so I was really excited to find this one in my library. I'm glad The Woman All Spies Fear one! It is a brilliant introduction to a brilliant woman!
So many interesting books here. Looking for Jane is definitely very timely.
ReplyDeleteIt really is - especially in the USA. It's a profound reminder of what it was like before Roe vs Wade.
DeleteThanks for sharing your thoughts on these books, The premise of The Summer of Bitter and Sweet is quite startling.
ReplyDeleteWishing you a great reading week
The book is pretty powerful too!
DeleteVery nice to see Kelly Barnhill transition from children's book author to adult novelist - how nice! A friend has given me the entire Ann Leckie series but I have yet to crack them open. Glad to see you like Ancillary Justice! :)
ReplyDeleteI hope you manage to find time to get into the series. It's brilliant!
DeleteThey say you shouldn't judge books by their covers but there were some here that vere so visually stunning. Have a great reading week.
ReplyDeleteI agree! Mostly all these books lived up to the images - thank goodness!
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