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.
I started out trying to write a poem a day for April. I'm settling for achieving at least one line I like.
I'm also working on a new sewing challenge these days. The focus is circles and the criteria is that we have to do something we have never done before. I'll post a picture when it's finished (or abandoned.)
Otherwise, it's been a busy couple of weeks trying to get the yard under control. My pea plants are finally up. It's gotten a bit cold recently so I haven't stayed outside for long. I usually plant primula in pots this time of year, but the growers plants were frozen and not many survivors made it to our part of the world. I planted pansies instead and am hoping it doesn't get really cold and kill them off.
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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| 4 stars |
What Your Ribbon Skirt Means to Me: Deb Haaland's Historic Inauguration by Alexis C. Bunten, Nicole Neidhardt July 25, 2023
I chose to read this book because here in Canada, January 4th is National Ribbon Skirt Day. This came about in honour of Isabella Kulak, who was shamed by an ignorant staff member for wearing a ribbon skirt to school.
Bunten's book is mostly about Native American Indians, but the meaning behind the skirts (and shirts) is the same across Turtle Island.
The first part of it is a fictionalized account of a family watching Deb Haaland's inauguration. They have a celebratory feast that looks and sounds delicious! It ends with the extended family making ribbon skirts and shirts together.
The back matter includes additional information about Deb Haaland, the history and meaning of ribbon skirts, and a two page spread about how to take action to protect our world.
I had been thinking about ribbon skirts for a while. Mostly I've been wondering if it would be appropriate for me to make one for myself. I like to think it's to honour my Menominee grandmother, but honestly, I really don't know much about Menominee culture. I'm still questioning what my true rational for wanting one is.
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| 4 stars |
Winter: A Solstice Story Kelsey E. Gross & Renata Liwska (Illustrator)
This is a sweet story about collaboration and inclusion. A group of animals gather together around a tree in a forest to celebrate the longest night. Each one contributes something towards the benefit of the others. When an unexpected guest appears, they too are welcomed.
CHAPTER BOOKS
I wrote about Salma Makes a Home a couple of weeks ago. This sequel is equally impressive.
This book focuses on siblings. Salma's uncle, Khalou Daawood, has moved to Vancouver, but there is tension between him and her mother because of his marriage to another man. At the same time Salma's mother is expecting a baby.
Salma is determined to be the best big sister ever. When she can't find anything at the local library to help her figure out how to do this, she decides to write her own book. Salma interviews her school friends about being an older sibling and begins her book.
But how can Salma become the best big sister when her mother can't accept her little brother? How do siblings fight and deal with strife?
After she and her best friend do something terrible, Salma destroys her book. Then she gets into a huge argument with her mother.
A long conversation with Khalou Daawood helps put her worries into perspective and fix the terrible thing she did with her friend. Even her mother learns a few things about being a better big sister.
CHAPTER BOOKS
This book focuses on siblings. Salma's uncle, Khalou Daawood, has moved to Vancouver, but there is tension between him and her mother because of his marriage to another man. At the same time Salma's mother is expecting a baby.
Salma is determined to be the best big sister ever. When she can't find anything at the local library to help her figure out how to do this, she decides to write her own book. Salma interviews her school friends about being an older sibling and begins her book.
But how can Salma become the best big sister when her mother can't accept her little brother? How do siblings fight and deal with strife?
After she and her best friend do something terrible, Salma destroys her book. Then she gets into a huge argument with her mother.
A long conversation with Khalou Daawood helps put her worries into perspective and fix the terrible thing she did with her friend. Even her mother learns a few things about being a better big sister.
Thanks to Linda Bai who talked about this book a couple of weeks ago. I immediately downloaded the audiobook version and began listening.
I fell instantly in love. From the beginning first lines of "I turn I turn I turn before I lie to sleep and I rise before the Sun. I sleep inside and sleep outside and have slept in the hollow of a thousand-year-old tree,” the writing is bloody brilliant. Ethan Hawke's narration is exceptional. The last time I loved a book with animal characters this much was The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt with Lyle Lovett as narrator. (Also, E.B. White reading Charlotte's Web is pretty spectacular)
I suspect that the only problem with listening to this book, is missing the artwork by Shawn Harris.
Dave Eggers characters are unforgettable. I adore Johannes, the free dog who lives in a park. He is the eyes for the park's three resident bison. When changes come to their park home, Johannes and the rest of park's animal inhabitants have to figure out how to deal with them. If you think you might want to read this book aloud to some children, don't bother, just listen to the audiobook together.
I on the other hand, now plan to read this book with my eyes.
The summer before 5th grade turns out to be chaotic for Ferris Wilkey. Her beloved grandmother, Charisse, has been diagnosed with congestive heart failure. Her six year old sister gets arrested for trying to rob a bank. Uncle Ted has left Aunt Shirley and moved into their basement to paint the history of the world. Aunt Shirley has given Ferris a disastrous perm. There is a ghost to be dealt with.
Luckily Ferris has her best friend, Billy Jackson, renowned pianist, to help her get through it all. (I admit to taking a break from reading to listen to Mysterious Barricades)
Even though this book is often hilarious, I ended up worrying a lot. Mostly I worried about Pinky. Thankfully, by the end of the book we figure her out a bit. More importantly, Ferris and Pinky become close.
This book reminded me of DiCamillo's Tales From Deckawoo Drive series - a whimsical world populated by children, adults and animals, whose lives intersect in delightful ways.
DiCamillo's books might be labelled children or MG, but adults will probably get more from them.
ADULT/YA FICTION
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| 4.5 stars |
Bad Cree by Jessica Jones & Tanis Parenteau (Narrator) January 10, 2023 🍁
Calling this horror (a genre I can't handle) is a misnomer. While reading this, I felt uncomfortable on occasion, but never felt the need to stop reading because I was terrified.
Real life for indigenous people has already been, and in many ways, continues to be, a dystopian nightmare. It was full of monsters like the wheetigo. Some were dressed up representatives of the crown negotiating treaties, some as Indian agents, others as Christian priests and nuns. Today they might look like a white men working in the field of resource extraction.
When Dallas Soonias defended this book on Canada Reads, he claimed this book was all about residential schools. Some people denied this. Now that I've read the book, I understand his meaning. This is brilliant story telling on multiple levels. I see Mackenzie, the protagonist, as dealing with decades of generational trauma. The only way she can heal is by returning home, speaking honestly about what she is going through, and working with her family to address the evil that surrounds them. Thankfully she's got some kick ass Aunties to help her.
Real life for indigenous people has already been, and in many ways, continues to be, a dystopian nightmare. It was full of monsters like the wheetigo. Some were dressed up representatives of the crown negotiating treaties, some as Indian agents, others as Christian priests and nuns. Today they might look like a white men working in the field of resource extraction.
When Dallas Soonias defended this book on Canada Reads, he claimed this book was all about residential schools. Some people denied this. Now that I've read the book, I understand his meaning. This is brilliant story telling on multiple levels. I see Mackenzie, the protagonist, as dealing with decades of generational trauma. The only way she can heal is by returning home, speaking honestly about what she is going through, and working with her family to address the evil that surrounds them. Thankfully she's got some kick ass Aunties to help her.
If you like cosy mysteries with a lot of wit, then you must give Thomas King's DreadfulWater series a try.
The series is set in a small town somewhere in the American West. Native American Thumps DreadfulWater is an ex-cop turned photographer, who, after personal tragedy, relocated to the small town of Chinook, adjacent to a Blackfoot reservation.
Reading one of these novels is like hanging out with old friends. There's Al, the owner of the local breakfast diner, Archie Kousolas, bookstore owner and chef, Claire Merchant, Chief of the local Blackfoot, and Sheriff Duke Hockney.
There is a lot going on in this novel. Should Thumps and Claire, his long time girlfriend and her six year old daughter move in together? Does he really want to take on the job of deputy sheriff? Can he get used to working with a digital camera and living in the modern age of wifi and smartphones? Why have so many heavyweights shown up at a low key coin exhibition?
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| 5 stars |
Let Us Descend by Jesmyn Ward (Author and Narrator) October 24, 2023
If Jesmyn Ward writes it, I will read it even if, often, her work is hard to read. It's loaded with truth about trauma experienced by black people. It's also beautiful. The beauty and the ugly truths are woven together into unparalleled literature.
The history of slavery before the civil war is told through the eyes of Annis, a young girl whose sire was the owner of the house where her mother worked. Her mother is ripped from her and sold. Eventually she too is sold and makes the long walk from the rice fields of Carolina to New Orleans. There she is sold and ends up in a sugar plantation in Louisiana. On that long trek Annis connects to African spirits who guide and use her on this journey through hell.
I wasn't as emotionally invested in Annis as I have been in the characters of Ward's other books. That doesn't mean I wasn't on the edge of my seat desperately wanting for Annis to survive and be free.
The history of slavery before the civil war is told through the eyes of Annis, a young girl whose sire was the owner of the house where her mother worked. Her mother is ripped from her and sold. Eventually she too is sold and makes the long walk from the rice fields of Carolina to New Orleans. There she is sold and ends up in a sugar plantation in Louisiana. On that long trek Annis connects to African spirits who guide and use her on this journey through hell.
I wasn't as emotionally invested in Annis as I have been in the characters of Ward's other books. That doesn't mean I wasn't on the edge of my seat desperately wanting for Annis to survive and be free.
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| 5 stars |
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna & Samara MacLaren (Narrator) August 23, 2022
The book blurb calls this a warm and uplifting novel. It is. It left me with the same satisfied gush of warm feeling I got when I finished The House In The Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune.
I'm not really a big romance fan, but I've been gushing about this one to friends and family. Mika is a witch of practical magic. It's a lonely existence. She has to hide who she really is, and can't spend time with other witches because of the danger inherent when too much magic is in one place.
When she ends up accepting a job tutoring three young witches, her life is transformed. She becomes part of a found family and is accepted for who she is. She learns to overcome adversity, to trust, love, and be loved. Romance plays a part in this book. There are even a few spicy bits. Yet, while it's a significant part of the plot, it's not the most important.
I am almost gobsmacked by Mandanna's authentic characters. Mika is rich and layered, but so are the rest of the cast.
The most important takeaway from this book is that things don't always have to be the way they now are.
I'm looking forward to reading more of Sangu Mandanna
ADULT/YA NONFICTION
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| 5 stars |
Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson September 26, 2023
A country that once stood as the global symbol of democracy, has been teetering on the brink of authoritarianism."
So begins Richardson's look at the history of democracy in the USA. She writes about a nation more or less divided from the get go. The ideal of 'equality' was always a loaded word. The same 'men' who wrote the constitution, owned slaves. She shows us a country that has flirted with fascism and authoritarianism a number of times across the decades.
I wish I could say that reading this left me hopeful that the country will come together again. Yet I fear the divisiveness is even more pronounced today than it has ever been.
I feel the same way about Canada, the country I live in.
I really struggled with this book.
Maggie Smith is a brilliant wordsmith. The beauty of her words kept me reading long after I just wanted the whole thing to be over.
Here's the thing, Maggie met her husband in a creative writing class. They both dreamed of writing being their career choices. He even had one of his plays performed. Then he gave his dream up to become a lawyer to provide for the family they had together. Of course he wasn't perfect. Neither was she. In the eight hours or so listening to this audiobook, I would have liked for her to really have acknowledged what he gave up. So much of what fell apart for them, especially his wanting her to give up her writing, makes sense in the context of that.
Maybe it's because I've been married for close to a fifty years. Perhaps it's because I'm much older than the author. Anyway, as I listened to this, I couldn't help but think that perhaps if there had been more honest communication, more collaborative parenting and less traditional roles between the two of them, maybe divorce wouldn't have been inevitable. Maybe they would have understood how flawed we all are.
Smith talks a number of times about forgiveness. I suspect this is the wrong goal. Perhaps she should be looking for acceptance: acceptance of herself and her former husband.
CURRENTLY
Mexikid by Pedro Martín
Doppelganger by Naoimi Klein 🍁
Winter's Gifts by Ben Aaronovitch
UP NEXT (MAYBE)
Lulu Sinagtala and the City of Noble Warriors by Gail D. Villanueva
Naked: Not Your Average Sex Encyclopedia by Myriam Daguzan Bernier & Cécile Gariépy (Illustrator) 🍁
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
READING GOALS
#MustRead2024 6/25 one on the go
NonFiction 10/24
Canadian Authors 15/50 two on the go
Indigenous Authors 7/25
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 67/200
So many amazing books this week! I just finished The Eyes & the Impossible last week and LOVED it. So good. And definitely worth peeking at when you're at a bookstore so you can enjoy Shawn Harris's work. It really looks like Johannes belongs in all of those paintings. I appreciated reading your thoughts on Ferris. I just bought it and read the first two pages but then got distracted by other books. I need to get back to it. I often think DiCamillo has to be as valuable for the adult reader as the child reader!
ReplyDeleteI ended up downloading the ebook and am stunned by how seamlessly Johannes fits into the paintings!
DeleteNice looking assortment of books. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteThanks Kathy
DeleteSo, Cheriee, I bookmarked so many of your books that I absolutely need no more! I'm so glad you loved The Eyes. . . but now I need to find the audio book to 'hear' it, too! Yes, Ferris was delightful & full of family where we all know things happen for good and not so good. I especially will look for Bad Cree & the Double Eagle book, both new to me, though I almost hate to start another great mystery series. It's a rabbit hole, for sure. Thanks for every book!
ReplyDeleteI listened to it based on your comments. You really do have to listen to it - although I did download a digital copy to look at the picture. I was gobsmacked by them and discovered that the text is magical when read with one's eyes.
DeleteWow! So many books that sound like must reads. I need to look into The Salma series. Bad Cree and Let Us Descend sounds amazing. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and The House in the Cerulean Sea are both in my TBR Pile.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing all these and for visiting my blog today. Hope you enjoy your week.
Both The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and The House in the Cerulean Sea are the kind of books to read when you need an uplifting experience. I've just started reading Klune's Wolfsong.
DeleteI read Ferris this week, too. It's a sweet story, but the thought you expressed about adults enjoying it more did cross my mind, as well. I read the first few pages of Let Us Descend, but it didn't hook me so I ended up moving on to something else. I hope to go back to it at some point.
ReplyDeleteI listened to Let Us Descend. Her voice had me hooked.
DeleteThis comment is going to be dissertation-length, I can already tell as I start drafting it:
ReplyDeleteI had no idea Salma the Syrian Chef (which is SUCH a good picture book) is being adapted into an early reader series, and they sound so incredibly deep and thoughtful but also accessible for young readers—gosh. I love to see that, even if I don't get the chance to try them.
I cannot wait to read Ferris, and just bought a copy a few days ago. It's funny, there are Kate DiCamillo books that were a major part of my childhood—I read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane in two hours in middle school. But I do get what you mean that the richness of her writing might be easier for adults to articulate—I hope it comes through for kids subconsciously.
Let Us Descend and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches both sound excellent in entirely different ways!
And thank you for your review of You Could Make This Place Beautiful. There is a poetry collection by Maggie Smith that I *love* called Goldenrod, and I suppose it's both reassuring and difficult to hear that people as wise and insightful as her can also be messy and make mistakes. (Hopefully that means when I'm messy and making mistakes, I can also be wise and insightful!) I spent some time thinking after reading what you wrote—I appreciate it a lot.
And I saw your post with your love poem and your discussion of you and your husband's 47th anniversary—I admire so much what you wrote and thought about and shared with us.
Thank you for the wonderful post, Cheriee, as always, and have a wonderful week!!
Max, the Salma the Syrian Chef chapter book series is just brilliant. It's full of authentic issues that spark real conversations. My six year old granddaughter and I had some profound talks while reading them.
DeleteKate DiCamillo books were a significant part of my teaching career. I've lost track of how many books I've read aloud to groups of students, and how many copies I purchased for literature circles.
The one thing I am sure of is that we are all messy and make mistakes. The important thing I think, is to continue to learn from all the mistakes we will make. I suspect that this memoir by Maggie Smith was written when the failure of her relationship was still raw. It takes a lot of courage to share this, and her pain resonates with a lot of people. I think it's hard to see the world from other people's perspective when we are hurting this much.
Thanks so much for your kind words about my poem. I look forward to reading about your books next week!
I love the idea of writing a poem or at least one line you like a day in April. That's a great way to celebrate National Poetry Month. Let Us Descend does sound really good. Ward is am amazing writer. I loved The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and am glad you enjoyed it too! It makes me so happy just thinking about it. I am really curious about Heather Cox Richardson's book. I read her newsletter from time to time and have so much respect for her as a historian. Thank you for sharing your thoughts on all of these books, Cheriee. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteHeather Cox Richardson is the person I go to when I want to understand what is happening in America. She is a voice of sanity in the middle of chaos. If she is worried, then I am worried. She is worried.
DeleteHappy National Poetry Month! Have a great rest of your week! :)
ReplyDeleteInteresting take on "You Could Make this Place Beautiful". Made me rethink it.
ReplyDelete