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.
I decided to write a blog post this week because I won't be doing it next Monday.
We are trying to get everything under control for a huge family reunion here this coming weekend. We have been so busy with the house and garden, that I haven't made any progress with the books I'm reading with my eyes. I'm most likely going to be returning them to the library unfinished.
In the middle of this, my husband decided we needed to have a dinner party. So we had six friends over and he cooked up a Thai food feast. Thankfully, everyone else contributed to it. A fabulous time was had by everyone.
While we were enjoying ourselves, a forest fire in Washington State jumped the border. Parts of Osoyoos, the town twenty kilometres south of us, was evacuated and/or put on evacuation alert. On Sunday as I write this, ash drifts past our windows and the sky is tinged in hints of grey and orange.
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.
CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOKS
Becker brilliantly shows the environmental devastation that accompanies human progress.
In the first few pages I thought to myself, "Look at this winding river - what dunces these people are for building here - for sure this river will flood sometime in the year." It took much longer than I expected for this to happen.
This disturbing, dystopian picture book has much to show us about our selves. Will we ever learn?
This is a gorgeous book. I can't wait to read it with my two oldest grandkids. Not only are the illustrations sublime, the section headings almost read together like poetry. I learned a lot from reading this book, and so will they.
Did you know that the largest bivalve is 1.2 meters (4 feet) across and can weigh 180 kilos (400 pounds)?
ADULT/YA FICTION
Back in Nelson the case of the missing husband gets stranger and stranger. Meanwhile, Darling ends up being sent to London to deal with the uncovered body that has ties to Nelson. Working together, Lane and Darling put together the pieces of the puzzle and rescue the sister.
The worst thing about finishing this book is having to wait a year for the next in this cosy mystery series.
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| 4 stars |
The City We Became (Great Cities, #1) by N.K. Jemisin & Robin Miles (Narrator) March 24, 2020
Right from the get go, Jemisin gobsmacked me with her world building. I shouldn't have been so wowed, because in large part, it's what sucked me in and kept me reading her Broken Earth Trilogy.
So there is fabulous world building - but it also seems like a love letter to the city of New York. The premise it that once a city gets to a certain age and size, it evolves into a living being. Most of the time one human avatar represents it, but in New York's case, the city has a main avatar, and each borough has it's own representative. I loved each and everyone of these characters. Not only does Jemisin do magnificent world building, she creates realistic characters you can't help but either love, or at the very least, empathize with.
Upon the birth of New York, the city is attacked by strange forces from a different realm. While under attack from this terrifying opponent, the borough avatars have to find each other, unite, and find the missing and damaged city avatar before the enemy does.
Holy Carumba, Steinbeck could write!
I fell in love with his writing all over again while reading this. Gary Sinise's narration might have had something to do with it.
I thought this would be fiction since that is what I associate Steinbeck with. Instead, it's a semi fictionalized travelogue. The author set out on a 10,000 mile expedition across the USA with his dog Charlie. He muses on the countryside, the people he sees, and the state of country. The last section written about New Orleans was horrific. I know my audiobook will expire soon, but no sooner did I finish this, than I started listening all over again.
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
I thought this would be fiction since that is what I associate Steinbeck with. Instead, it's a semi fictionalized travelogue. The author set out on a 10,000 mile expedition across the USA with his dog Charlie. He muses on the countryside, the people he sees, and the state of country. The last section written about New Orleans was horrific. I know my audiobook will expire soon, but no sooner did I finish this, than I started listening all over again.
CURRENTLY
The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green
Freewater by Amina Luqman-Dawson
The Mountain in the Sea by Ray NaylerUP NEXT
READING GOALS
#MustReadFiction 15/24
#MustReadNonFiction 11/20 1 in progress
Canadian Authors 27/75
Indigenous Authors 11/20
Big Books Summer 2023 - 11 - 3 in progress
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 112/200
Great selection of books. The only one I have read is The Tree and the River, it was so good! I should really check out the Lane Winslow series, just for the setting alone. I was really sad to see the pictures of Osoyoos and area. I hope the weather cooperates and the crews can get a handle on that one. Hopefully, it will not interfere with your reunion plans. I decided not to drive down to Cawston for a fruit stand/wine tour today due to the travel advisory. Another time, soon, I hope. Thanks for the post this week.
ReplyDeleteI handed off The Tree and the River to my husband after I had pored over it a number of times. It is a definitely a book for readers of all ages.
DeleteWhen/if you are in this part of the world, let me know and maybe we can meet up!
Lovely assortment of books! I envy you for you upcoming family reunion. My family is so small and so scattered that we haven't managed to get together for more than 20 years now. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteI grew up surrounded by extended family (Mom was the youngest of 17 and Dad was the middle child of 12) Some of my best friends are also my cousins. My parents are both gone, and this get together is just the siblings and our children and grandkids.
DeleteI hope you have a wonderful time at your family reunion, Cheriee—it sounds like quite a lot to coordinate, but fun in the end! The dinner party also sounds like fun, but I'm so sorry to hear about the wildfire so close to where you live—that is startling and definitely unpleasant.
ReplyDeleteIn terms of books, I just added The Tree and the River and A Shell Is Cozy to my TBR list—the former sounds quite powerful, and the latter looks lovely as well. And I've heard great things about N.K. Jemisin's work, so I'm so glad you enjoyed The City We Became!
Good luck with prep for the reunion, and thanks so much for the thoughtful post!
Thanks Max. The reunion prep is coming along as well as it can. The forest fire smoke makes working outside difficult, but the yard is starting to look almost presentable!
DeleteThis Jemisin book was as good as her Broken Earth Trilogy, but then, nothing could be.
Hope you have a great reunion. The forest fires are scary! So much interesting information in A Shell is Cozy.
ReplyDeleteHave fun at the reunion, Cheriee, sounds marvelous. I loved The Tree and The River, too. Aaron Becker always offers something to ponder. I think I told you last week that Travels With Charley is a long-time favorite of mine. A Shell is Cozy is on my list. I love the series. And thanks for more mysteries to have on my list. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about the fire. We in Colorado have a new one going, too, but Canada has really been hit this year!
DeleteI agree about Aaron Becker. I can see why Travels With Charley would be a favourite. Every time I read Steinbeck I fall in love with his writing all over again. He seems to write about hard truths with such amazing insight and tenderness.
DeleteI hope the family reunion goes well. Enjoy the weeks ahead.
ReplyDeleteThanks Earl. I'm sure it will be wonderful.
Delete“A Shell is Cozy” sounds like a great read with some interesting facts, and the cover is beautiful! Sorry about the forest fire. It seems like there’s been so many more this year.
ReplyDelete