Library Matters: January 2024

#IMWAYR January 29th, 2024

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. Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.

Winter finally arrived and for two weeks we had snow and unusually cold weather. Then it warmed up. One day we had snow all over the ground and by the next afternoon it was almost gone. Now we have low cloud, fog, and rain. I'm not complaining. We need the moisture.

According to Goodreads, I am two books behind schedule. I figure it's a small miracle that I'm only this far behind. Between having a houseguest for a week, and then coming down with a sinus infection, it's amazing I managed to read at all.

Because of the sinus infection I missed a quilting workshop, but luckily had all the information already so I just sewed on my own at home. The workshop taught a relatively easy strategy for creating bargello quilts. I made two cushion covers instead of a quilt. Now that they are finished, it looks like we need a new sofa.

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

5 stars

NO! Said Custard the Squirrel by Sergio Ruzzier September 6, 2022

Don't ask me what this book is all about because I'm still trying to figure it out. I really wish my grandkids were here so I could read it to them and we could talk about what they think.

Custard the Squirrel looks a lot like a duck, but when asked all kinds of questions about his identity by a little rat in a diaper, he consistently replies no.

Is this a celebration of being who you truly are? Maybe.

MIDDLE GRADE NOVELS

4 stars

The Portal Keeper The Misewa Saga #4 by David Alexander Robertson October 10, 2023 🍁

"Morgan and Eli are Indigenous children who discover a portal at their foster home to another world, Askī; there they discover talking animal beings who connect them to traditional ways, as well as help them deal with the challenges in the real world. A fantasy for readers aged ten and up, the Misewa Saga (“misewa” is Cree for “all that is”) series reflects stories of the sky and the constellations held within its great canvas."

Eli, Morgan, and her friend, Emily have located another portal into Aski. They end up in World's End, a different place than usual, and discover that something terrible is happening to the animal people there. Back in their own world they are horrified to discover what is going on and must come up with a way to save them.

This is my favourite series by Robertson. I like that we have two queer characters, but it's not all there is. I like the closeness of the two foster children. I like that Eli is coming into his own kind of super power.

4 stars

The Oceans Between Stars Chronicle of the Dark Star #2 by Kevin Emerson & Kevin T. Collins (Narrator) February 13, 2018

I read the first in this series ages ago and finally got around to reading the next one.
Liam and Phoebe are two teens who barely escaped with their lives when Mars, the planet they were living on, exploded. They are travelling in stasis with JEFF, their panda shaped robotic assistant, as they try to catch up to the main ship and reunite with their parents. When they finally arrive, they discover their family's starliner has been destroyed.
Phoebe has secrets of her own. In the prelude we learn that her real name is Xela and her family ended up on Mars when their planet of Telos was destroyed in a ball of fire by humans. She and her people want vengeance. At the same time, she and Liam have become close friends. He accepts her when she finally reveals her true self. Unfortunately she is still keeping some dangerous secrets.
I liked so much about this book. I appreciate that nothing about space and time travel is dumbed down for younger readers. I appreciate the connection between what happened on Telos and colonialism here on our real world. It feels realistic that the two children who want to end the conflict between their two peoples, are mostly ignored by the adults around them.

If I didn't already have so many books to read, I would probably have started on the final book in the trilogy right away.

MIDDLE GRADE GRAPHIC NOVELS

5 stars

Dear Rosie by Meghan Boehman & Rachael Briner July 11, 2023

This is a profound novel about losing a friend. When a member of close knit group of girls dies suddenly, the remaining girls deal with grief in different ways.
The story is based on the death of one of the authors’ friends. It’s set in the same town as where they grew up. I like that each character is based on one of the local animals of the area.

YA/ADULT GRAPHIC NOVELS

5 stars

In Limbo by Deb J.J. Lee March 7, 2023

In this gorgeous, debut graphic memoir, Lee shares her story of growing up Korean in America. It's a painful story of trying to fit into a world where you are an outsider. While her mother was supportive of her desire to create art, she was prone to violence and physically abused Lee. Her father let it happen. As her close friend began to distance herself she became increasingly insecure and depressed. By the time she graduated from high school, she had attempted suicide twice.

ADULT/YA FICTION

4 stars

Shut Up You're Pretty by Téa Mutonji & Jemeni (Narrator) April 1, 2019 🍁

For me, this Canada Reads title was a window into a world I scarcely new existed. It's a compelling narrative that reads like a collection of short stories with the same main character. It starts with a young Congolese girl, Loli, shaving her head in order to pass a boy so she can get into Canada. This sets the stage for a gritty exploration of gender, sexualization of girls and women, mental health, and poverty. It's also a story of resilience and overcoming. It isn't for the faint of heart.

4 stars

The Catch by Mick Herron January 28, 2020

This continues the story of John Bachelor, a character first introduced in the novella, The List. His many screwups have left him in financial straights. When a couple of Dogs (the service's internal security division) from MI5 rough him up and tell him to find one of the retired spies he's supposed to be minding, he thinks he might be able to find his way back into the good graces of the agencies leader. He's wrong of course, but the machinations of all the actors makes for a great read.

CURRENTLY

Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon

Almost Brown: A Mixed-Race Family Memoir by Charlotte Gill

UP NEXT (MAYBE)

Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice

READING GOALS

#MustRead2024 2/25 one on the go

NonFiction 1/25 one on the go

Canadian Authors 3/50

Indigenous Authors 1/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 13/200

#IMWAYR January 15, 2024

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.

FIRST FRIDAY POETRY JANUARY 2024

NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS

A Tulip in Winter: A Story about Folk Artist Maud Lewis by Kathy Stinson & Lauren Soloy 🍁

Maud Lewis was a painter from Nova Scotia, Canada. The most important thing about her is that she found and brought joy into the world. Her life was hard, yet her art celebrates the beauty of the world around her. Her paintings might represent earlier times, but they inspire us to find the glory in our own everyday lives today.
I really appreciate that in the two pages of additional information in the back matter, Stinson addresses the complexity of Maud's relationship with her husband, Everett Lewin. She questions whether his insistence on continuing to live in poverty, even when they had enough money to make life easier for Maud, was with malicious intent, or if he was just one of those people who, for whatever reasons, couldn't handle change.
Lauren Soloy's art is so beautiful and true to Maud's own work, you would be forgiven for thinking she is channeling Maud's spirit.

MIDDLE GRADE NOVELS

5 stars

Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson (Author and Narrator) October 10, 2023

I am a hard core fan of Jacqueline Woodson. When I get a book of hers I stop reading everything else until I'm finished it. This was extra special to listen to because she narrated it.

Sage and her mother live in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn in the mid 1970's. It's the time of fires. Tenement houses were being burned by owners for the insurance money and the local newspaper referred to their community as the matchbook. But they are much more than this. Sage likes to hang out with friends (boys) playing basketball. Her father, a firefighter who died on the job, taught her how to play. She's better than all of them.

It's a time of transition for Sage in multiple ways. She has become aware of being different from her other girl friends. Then, when she is alone on the court, a bully steals the ball her father gave her, and accuses her of not being a real girl. It's a traumatic event that sends her into a tail spin and she stops basketball.

Eventually she and her mom move to a brick house far from their neighbourhood. Over time she builds a new life and starts a group of girls who play basketball together.

What I liked most of this book is how it is a window for me. It's a look into the reality of students growing up about the same time as I was, but far away from me and dealing with different experiences.

Eva Evergreen, Semi-Magical Witch (Eva Evergreen, #1) by Julie Abe & Caitlin Kelly (Narrator) August 4, 2020

This was delightfully entertaining even if I have a few quibbles with parts of it.
Eva Evergreen came into her magic late. Her mother is a high ranking witch with influence in high places. She is very supportive of Eva. Once the problem with her apprenticeship is sorted out, Eva ends up in a small town by the sea. She manages to get a guardian, but the local mayor won't sign her official papers unless she can find a way to protect the town from The Culling, a mysterious, cursed weather phenomenon. This is something that even the strongest witches in the country haven't been able to do.
I liked that this is set in Japan. I liked that Eva had such supportive parents. I liked that she made good friends in the town of Auteri and it's largely because of this friendship that she is able to achieve the rank of Novice Witch. Eva herself is a charming character.
I could have done without the conflict between Eva and the other witch candidate. I don't understand why the adults didn't address his bullying. The nastiness of his father, a witch equal to her mother, makes more sense to the plot, and especially with the tease at the end about his role in the bigger picture of the book's world, and what's coming up in the sequel.

MIDDLE GRADE GRAPHIC NOVELS

5 stars

Frizzy by Claribel A. Ortega, Rose Bousamra (Illustrator) October 18, 2022

This is a novel about hair. Through Marlene's struggles to learn how to deal with her seriously curly hair, a whole world of cultural norms, and their impact on individuals is opened up. I loved how supportive Marlene's best friend and aunt are. I appreciated that her mother truly cares for her and does what she does out of love, even if it a large part of Marlene's struggle.

As someone with straight hair, I always envied people who have naturally curly hair. I had no idea about the racist connections to curly hair like Marlene's or how much work goes into looking after it.

ADULT/YA FICTION

Joe Country (Slough House #6) by Mick Herron & Gerard Doyle (Narrator) June 20, 2019

I am completely taken with Mick Herron's writing. Seriously, how can you not want to read more with an introduction like this:

“The owl flew screaming from the barn, its wingtips bright with flame. For a moment, silhouetted against the blank sky, it was a dying angel, scorched by its own divinity, and then it was just a city husk, dropping like an anvil into the nearby trees.”

The misfit crew of spies end up in Wales in the middle of snowstorm. Some of them die. There are evil machinations going on at MI5 headquarters that bode nothing but ill for the residents at Slough House. I can't wait to find out what Jackson Lamb will do about it.

I've already put the next one on reserve. In the meantime, I've downloaded The Catch - a novella that follows this title.

ADULT/YA NONFICTION

Determined: A Science of Life without Free Will by Robert M. Sapolsky & Kaleo Griffith (Narrator)

This book is brilliant. I say this even though, honestly, I'm not sure I really understood it all. I listened to some parts more than twice trying to figure it out. In spite of all that, my critical takeaway is this:"We are nothing more or less than the cumulative biological and environmental luck, over which we had no control, that has brought us to any moment."
If we accept that there is no such thing as free will, then we have to look at the real issues that cause people to do the things they do. We might not be able to predict exactly who will commit a certain crime, but we know that there are certain conditions that lead to antisocial behaviour. Belief in the concept of free will is just an excuse to not address the societal problems that influence who we become and the choices we make.
When a crime is committed, it's turtles all the way down.

I started listening to Behave: The Biology of Humans at Our Best and Worst by Robert M. Sapolsky but at 790 pages (24 hours of listening), decided to save it for the Big Book Challenge this summer.

CURRENTLY

Dear Rosie by Meghan Boehman & Rachael Briner

The Portal Keeper by David Alexander Robertson

UP NEXT (MAYBE)

In Limbo by Deb JJ Lee

The Catch by Mick Herron

READING GOALS

#MustRead2024 2/25

NonFiction 1/25

Canadian Authors 1/50

Indigenous Authors /25 one in progress

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 7/200

FIRST FRIDAY POETRY JANUARY 2024

Last January, I joined Beverly A Baird & Linda Schueler in a "year long poetry practice – on the first Friday of each Month," when they, and anyone else who joined, wrote a poem based on the theme of the month and a photo taken relating to that theme.

I've decided to join them again this year, even though there is no theme. I was given a Mary Oliver collection for Christmas and this first poem was inspired by her.

This photograph is mine. Perhaps next month I will convince my partner and friend to join in with their artwork.

inspired by The Pond by Mary Oliver

january of another winter
and once again,
i long for snow

fog locks us into
another overcast sky

one
dreary
day
drags on
after
another

meanwhile
weeds flourish
in the still green grass

snap dragons
bloom bright pink
against the south facing
wall of the house

their cheerful stamina
warns:
too warm! too warm!
foretelling of
what’s to come

parched spring seedlings
early forest fires
smoke filled summer days
and barren autumn baskets

It's been a very mild winter here so far. The last time we had snap dragons blooming in January, we ended up with a heat dome in June that killed hundreds of people here in BC. We desperately need a snow pack so that there will be water come summer.

#IMWAYR January 1, 2023

Happy New Year Everyone!

Christmas was chaotic around here with a house full of guests that included four grandkids. Whew!
On a positive note, the grandkids all loved their little mice! I have continued to sew and knit little outfits for them. I have one adult who wants to purchase one. I'm just not sure I want to go there. How much would I charge? They might be small, but they are still a lot of work!

As I write this on New Year's Eve day, I'm looking forward to a quiet evening with crab cakes, oyster stew and a couple of glasses of bubbly.

I'm now contemplating what I want to have on my 2024 Must Read lists. I'm even contemplating having no list at all. On the other hand, the Canada Reads Longlist has been published and I will be trying to read as many of those as I can.

I ended up reading a lot with the grandkids while they were here, but am only writing about books that were new to us.

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.

BOARD BOOKS

5 stars

I Am Scary by Elise Gravel March 17, 2020 🍁

This is part of Gravel's Funny Little Book series. They are perfect for 3 year olds (and their cool older siblings end up enjoying them too)

In this one, a monster tries to frighten a girl and her little dog. Not only is she not afraid, she thinks the monster is cute.

4 stars

A Potato on a Bike by Elise Gravel March 17, 2020 🍁

This is the first in Gravel's Funny Little Book series. Each two page spread begins with an inane question and matching illustration. The first page starts with the question, Have you ever seen a Carrot taking a Bath? On the responding page in large letters the answer is No Way! This pattern continues with zanier and zanier questions.

READERS

Hi! Fly Guy (September 1, 2005) & Buzz Boy And Fly Guy (September 1, 2010) by Tedd Arnold - 4 stars each

Earl @ THE CHRONICLES OF A CHILDREN'S BOOK WRITER recommended this series for my sweet grandson. Thank you Earl, they were a huge hit! We read them numerous times.

PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

Dasher Can't Wait for Christmas by Matt Tavares September 5, 2023

Matt Tavares' artwork will make having to read this again and again worthwhile. I read it a couple of times with the grandkids. It wasn't a favourite, but that's probably because we have so many seasonal books to read.

5 stars

Do You Remember? by Sydney Smith October 3, 2023 🍁

A boy and his mother lie on a bed and share poignant memories of other times. We don't know how it happened that just the two of them are now living in an apartment in a city, but those memories are of a time in the country with a father who no longer there.
As usual, Sydney Smith blows me away with this intimate glimpse into these character's lives. Of course the dreamy artwork is just stunning!

Just Like Grandma by Kim Rogers & Julie Flett (Illustrations) January 24, 2023 🍁

I had two strong grandmothers who I was close to when I was growing up. Now that I am a grandmother myself, I hope my grandkids feel as close to me as I did to them.
In this gorgeously illustrated picture book, we see a young girl learn many different things from her grandmother. In turn, the grandmother ends up learning from her.
I loved this book, so this little quibble I have is nothing in the great scheme of things, but it irks me. There is a part where the focus is on the grandmother winning against women half her age. It feels superfluous to me, but that just be because at this time in my life, I'm finally coming to understand that it's the doing and participating that is most important.

CHAPTER BOOKS

4 stars

Merry Christmas Anna Hibiscus by Atinuke & Lauren Tobia (Illustrator) September 26, 2023

I've been wanting to read an Anna Hisbiscus chapter book for a very long time. I downloaded this one to read to my two oldest grandkids in the evening when the little siblings had gone to bed. I knew it would take a few days, but we never got it finished. I hope it has inspired them to read more Anna Hibiscus books.

Anna is about to leave the family compound in Nigeria to head off to visit her Canadian grandmother, Granny Canada.

Canada is very different from Nigeria - especially at Christmas time when the land is full of snow. Anna has to learn to deal with this new culture - waking up in her own bed in her own room, befriending a dog, and making new friends.

I'm thinking I should zoom with my grandkids to finish reading this. It is just delightful.

I love the comparison between cultures. I love Anna's spirit and energy. If you haven't met Anna Hibiscus yet, you should remedy that ASAP.

NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

Jumper: A Day in the Life of a Backyard Jumping Spider by Jessica Lanan April 11, 2023

I wanted more from this book, but it is still wonderful just as it is. One of my granddaughters got a stuffed spider for Christmas so it was opportune that I got myself this as a gift. All of the kids enjoyed learning about the life of a jumping spider. It does a great job of showing the differences between a spider's life and ours - especially with regards to perspective.

5 stars

The Street Beneath My Feet by Charlotte Guillain & Yuval Zommer (Illustrator) March 1, 2017

This wasn't available in my local library to preview, but I ordered it for my grandson because it had such high praise on Goodreads. When it arrived I discovered why it's not a common library book. The pages don't fold over, but rather open up into a long - very long tapestry that reveals the layers of the earth. It begins with under a city block, goes deep into the earth's core and then, on the other side of this tapestry, travels back up until it emerges in a country side on the other side of the planet. Not only did he love it, he and his cousin spent hours poring over it.

Yuval Zommer's detailed illustrations are a brilliant complement to Charlotte Guillain's spare text.

4 stars

More than Words: So Many Ways to Say What We Mean by Roz Maclean September 5, 2023 🍁

This is an important book that shows readers that there are many different ways to make meaning and communicate with each other and the world.
I appreciate the diversity in this book. There are two pages full of additional information in the back matter.

MIDDLE GRADE NOVELS

5 stars

What Happened to Rachel Riley? by Claire Swinarski & various narrators January 10, 2023

I'm certain I read positive reviews of this book because rather than just adding it to my want to read list, I actually put my name on a list for it at my local library. Thank you to whoever wrote about it.
Anna Hunthas just moved from the city to a smaller community. She want to be a podcast journalist more than anything. At her new school, the current events teacher gives the class an assignment to do a project on some kind of social issue. Anna decides she decides she wants to find out how and why Rachel Riley became a pariah. Even after she is told her idea is inappropriate, she continues since Rachel Riley herself gave her permission to find out what happened.
It turns out to be all about a toxic game the boys at her school have been playing. It isn't until she herself becomes a victim and tells her parents, that cultural change at the school becomes possible.
To be honest, I don't know if this kind of behaviour is going on in schools today, but I remember this kind of stuff when I was Anna's age. If I was still working in the library I would give this to grade 7 teachers and recommend they do it as a read aloud. It's a book that's important for girls and boys.

4 stars

Dogtown (Dogtown, #1) by Katherine Applegate, Gennifer Choldenko, Wallace West (Illustrator) & Cassandra Morris (Narrator) September 19, 2023

Dogtown is a shelter for dogs. What makes this one unique is that it includes ordinary dogs and robotic ones.
Chance is a three legged mutt who has the run of the place. The shelter has a reading buddies program that brings students into the shelter to read to the dogs. Quentin, a young boy who seems to have some kind of issues, bonds with one of the robotic pets who is able to help him learn to read.
I adored this book. It's full of tenderness and humour. I'm not really a dog person, but I would have taken Chance home in a heartbeat.
There is a lot happening here. It's a story about friendship between these different kinds of beings. It's about the important roles dogs play in children's lives. It's about abuse, loss, and finding a place to belong.

ADULT/YA FICTION

4 stars

Nobody Walks by Mick Herron & Gerard Doyle (Narrator) February 17, 2015

When Tom Bettany's son dies from a fall from a window, the retired spy returns home to say the final goodbye and find out what really happened and who, if anyone, is behind his son's death.
This book takes us behind the scenes of the gaming industry and into the higher echelons of MI5. It's a dismal story where the puppet manages to turn against the puppeteer, but at a gruesome price.

In the Lives of Puppets by T.J. Klune & Daniel Henning (Narrator) April 25, 2023

This book just gobsmacked me. (Honestly, just about every T.J. Klune novel does.)

I loved this book so much, as soon as I finished it, I started listening to it all over again.

It's a story of hope, of found family, of love, loss and starting over again. It's kind of a cross between Pinocchio and Wizard of Oz, but it's oh so much more!

As usual, Klune crafts unforgettable characters. You really have to read this tale for yourself to fully appreciate their sweetness and laugh out loud hilarity. The book is loaded with both.

When his father is kidnapped, Victor Lawson and his collection of AI friends: Rambo, an anxiety ridden robotic vacuum cleaner; Nurse Ratchet, an AI health practitioner: and Hap, a refurbished killing machine with amnesia, set off to get him back. Their journey is fraught with terrifying and at the same time, madcap adventures.