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 am happy to say that our neck of the woods is almost completely smoke free. A couple of fires are burning to the north but they are mostly contained.
Thank goodness for audio books! It's the time of year for canning and preserving. At the same time as I am slogging away, I am living in alternative realities. As a bonus, the shelves in our cool room are filling up with jars full of glorious colours.
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.
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FREE VERSE FRIDAY #8 SEPTEMBER - AUTUMN
CHILDREN'S NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS
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| 4 stars |
The Queen of Chess: How Judit Polgár Changed the Game by Laurie Wallmark & Stevie Lewis (Illustrator) July 25, 2023
I confess that I wanted to read this book because I adored the TV series, Queen's Gambit. I just had to learn more about a real woman chess grand master.
Judit Polgár is at least as fascinating (even if the wardrobe isn't as exciting) as her fictional counterpart a couple of decades earlier.
Judit Polgár was a chess prodigy who at five years old, played against and defeated players older and more experienced than she was. At age nine she was winning international tournaments.
If you don't have this book in your library, you should purchase it now! I really wish it had been around when my school library hosted the school chess club.
MIDDLE GRADE GRAPHIC NOVELS
Two children from completely different parts of the planet are dealing with the consequences of climate change. While reading this I couldn't help but make a connection to Two Degrees by Alan Gatz. In that book he focuses on children in North America. Eoin Colfer shows us the reality for Sami, a boy who lives somewhere in the Indian Ocean and depends on fishing to make a living. His other protagonist, Yuki, lives in northern Canada where the polar ice is melting. She is doing her best to protect the polar bears around her community.
What I really liked about this book is that, just like in Alan Gatz's book, it shows the consequences of the climate crisis at a personal level. In this case, the images make it profoundly real.
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| 4 stars |
From the Roots Up by Tasha Spillett, Natasha Donovan (Illustrator) & Donovan Yaciuk (Illustrator) 🍁
I could have sworn I wrote a review for this book just after reading it, but if I did, I have no idea where it went.
This continues the story of Dez, and Miikwan, two indigenous friends. Dez' grandmother has died and she is living in a group home. Her social worker is a bit of a nightmare, but the woman at the home seems to be a supportive person who understands that Dez is grieving.
At school the two friends attend an after school group that focuses on indigenous teachings. Linda, the elder who runs the group, doesn't question the gendered protocols she has grown up with. With the help of Miikwan's boyfriend's mother, she starts to change her thinking and comes to accept Dez being two spirit.
I like that both girls are in positive relationships with others, but their friendship is what really matters.
I adore Natasha Donovan's artwork!
ADULT/YA GRAPHIC NOVELS
This graphic novel is spectacular. I went into it expecting something entirely different: something fictional or myth. I was gobsmacked by what I experienced. This book is a time travel. It's a portal that opens a passage into the history of the Haida Gwai, an island of the coast of British Columbia.
It begins with Indigenous life before contact with Europeans. In spectacular illustrations it reveals the horrors wrought by white colonialists, including the deliberate spreading of small pox.
At the same time it's the story of Johan Adrian Jacobsen (JAJ), who came to the Haida village of Masset to collect specimens for a German museum.
The artwork is spectacular, a blend of traditional and modern art. It's not organized like an ordinary graphic novel. There is a brilliantly chaotic quality to how it all comes together. I learned at the end of the book that if all the panels are put together it becomes a huge mural that is on display at the Berlin Humboldt Forum.
The following video, taken during a showing of the mural in East Vancouver, gives you a sense of the piece.
ADULT/YA FICTION
I was deeply invested in these characters: especially the young man, Yale. I wanted so much for him to be a survivor of the carnage around him. One by one his friends get the disease and die.
The latter part of the book focuses on Fiona and her estranged daughter. The book begins with the funeral of her brother. It ends with her acknowledging how deeply the epidemic scarred her.
The latter part of the book focuses on Fiona and her estranged daughter. The book begins with the funeral of her brother. It ends with her acknowledging how deeply the epidemic scarred her.
It takes a while before Lucky realizes that Jay Christos, a truly evil witch hunter is chasing after her.
On the surface this is a simple paranormal thriller. At the same time it's a deeply feminist book about friendship - about the power of women when we come together to support each other. Lucky's grandmother, Stella, is one of my favourite characters in the book. She is one spunky old woman!
The book highlights the evils of the patriarchal system. Fortunately, Lucky St. James' mother equipped her with all kinds of indigenous magic for how to deal with it and the men who try to run it.
I am looking forward to the sequel that I'm sure is coming!
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| 5 stars |
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus & Miranda Raison (Narrator) March 31 2022
It took me a bit to get into this book, but when it finally grabbed me, I was totally hooked. Part of the reason for this is that someone had compared it to When Women Were Dragons by Kelly Barnhill, and thought this was better. I do get the connection between the two novels, but wouldn't say either was better. Both are set primarily in the 1960's and both feature women in STEM. The anger in Lessons in Chemistry is more of a slow burn, while in When Women Were Dragons, it's a screaming rage. To be honest, this was much easier to read because of that.
It's the story of Elizabeth Zott, a scientist, who never manages to finish her degree because of being sexually assaulted. It's about not being able to pursue your career because you are a woman. It's a bit of a love story between two brilliant and odd individuals. When she is no longer able to work at her chosen profession, Elizabeth ends up working as a TV star on a cooking show where she teaches her watchers about chemistry.
I like the relationships between the women here. I like that even the one that starts out antagonistic becomes supportive. I like that there are some sympathetic men, even if they are not really effectual. I like the weird humour in this. I adored Six-Thirty, who might be one of the best dogs in fiction.
CURRENTLY
We are Still Here by Nahid Shahalimi (Editor)
The Song of the Cell: An Exploration of Medicine and the New Human by Siddhartha Mukherjee
Witch King by Martha Wells
UP NEXT
READING GOALS
#MustReadFiction 16/24
#MustReadNonFiction 12/20
Canadian Authors 32/75
Indigenous Authors 15/20
Big Books Summer 2023 - 15 - one in progress
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 134/200
I enjoyed Global very much, will be sure to get a copy of The Queen of Chess for one of my granddaughters who plays & has won a few trophies. She is very invested in improving! Thanks for all the rest, too, Cheriee, especially JAJ - so intriguing to read about. Enjoy your preserving! I know it's a lot of work but so rewarding, too!
ReplyDeleteThe Queen of Chess sounds really interesting. I've come across it, but wasn't on my tbr list so I'll have to add it.
ReplyDeleteJAJ seems intriguing indeed. Will have to read more about it!
ReplyDeleteI'm glad you liked my THE QUEEN OF CHESS.
ReplyDelete