IMWAYR September 23, 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.

I did eventually get my husband's birthday present finished, and less than a week late! I've made these kitchen mats for other people in my family and he has been complaining, so....

I am so happy that Autumn has arrived. The cooler weather makes working outside easier, and the nights much more pleasant for sleeping. We got our tomato juice made without mishap last week and from here on, I just have to deal with the tomatoes, carrots, beets, and cucumbers that are ripening in the garden. 

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.

YA/ADULT GRAPHIC NOVELS

5 stars

Age 16 by Rosena Fung July 2, 2024 🍁

This profound, coming of age, graphic novel is about three generation of women experiencing intergenerational trauma connected to gender, body image, race, and self worth. It highlights how their individual experiences and hardships are connected. Ultimately each of these three wanted and needed love and acceptance, but received primarily criticism. 

"Told in alternating perspectives, Age 16 shifts seamlessly between time and place, exploring how this pivotal year in adolescence affects three women in the same family, from Guangdong in 1954 to Hong Kong in 1972, and Toronto in 2000."

The book focuses on Roz, the present day teen, but cycles into the back stories of her mother and grandmother. Roz has internalized cultural and familial norms of fat shaming and is certain that if only she was thinner, her life would be ideal. 

When her estranged por por, (grandmother) makes an unexpected visit, Roz and her mother's lived are disrupted by her constant criticism. As long buried secrets become unburied, we are left feeling hopeful for the three women's relationships. 

I adored this book! Of course, I have been a fan of Rosena Fung since I read Living with Viola.

ADULT/YA FICTION

4.5 stars

A Meditation on Murder (Helen Thorpe #2) by Susan Juby & Lisa Larsen (Narrator)  February 6, 2024 🍁

The only thing better than discovering a new literary detective to love, is having that sleuth live in your part of the world. 

Helen Thorpe, previously a buddhist nun, is smart, preternaturally calm, deeply insightful and a trained butler. When her present employers ask her to temporarily take Cartier Hightower, a wealthy, young adult, internet influencer, in hand, she reluctantly agrees to take on the task of preparing her to living responsibly in a world without her father.

What ensues is a frenzy of influencer events where neither of them are really wanted. Hightower is part of a group of content creators. Two of them have already died under suspicious circumstances, but when they nearly get trampled in a nightclub fire and Cartier is wrongfully blamed, they head off to a ranch in the interior of BC. After a few internet free days, Cartier is making progress, but then the rest of her crew arrive. It turns out that they have brought the murderer with them. 

Part of what I love about this series is that while some truly scary things happen, Helen always manages to remain calm. Because she does, I don't get terrified for her. That it's loaded with humour makes it even better. 

I hate that we have to wait for the next in the series, Contemplation of a Crime until May, 2025.

ADULT/YA NON FICTION

5+ stars

Blood: The Science, Medicine, and Mythology of Menstruation by Jen Gunter (Author and Narrator) 🍁 January 23, 2024

"Jennifer Gunter is a Canadian-American gynecologist, a New York Times columnist covering women's health, an author, and a specialist in chronic pain medicine and vulvovaginal disorders."

This book is about women and our reproductive systems. Primarily it's about menstruation and different ways to deal with it. It's also about birth control. The information is sometimes funny, sometimes heartfelt, but always unflinchingly full of facts. Much of what Gunter does is debunk myths and take on those actors in the health and wellness industry who are trying to sell snake oil and take women's money for products that are at best, useless, and at worst, harmful and maybe even dangerous. I learned a lot that I wish I had known when I first started my menses. 

If I had a daughter, this book would be a Christmas present. I'm contemplating getting it for my sons since both of them have daughters. I would do it as a family gift, because I have three granddaughters. However, the oldest is only 7, and the science could change before they need this book, so I'll wait. I'm definitely recommending it to my nieces and daughter in laws. 

5 stars

The Book of Delights by Ross Gay (Author & Narrator) February 12, 2019

"The Book of Delights is about our connection to the world, to each other, and the rewards that come from a life closely observed. Gay’s pieces serve as a powerful and necessary reminder that we can, and should, stake out a space in our lives for delight." 

Thank you Elizabeth Ellington @ The Dirigible Plum for introducing me to Ross Gay and his wonder filled essayettes.  

They made me grateful to be alive. I feel deep kinship with Gay's connection to his garden and the world around him. I fell in love with him while listening to these. As soon as I finished, I put holds on two more of his books. 

CURRENTLY 

A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver 

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters 🍁

Wendy by Walter Scott November 11, 2014 🍁

I Am Woman: A Native Perspective on Sociology and Feminism by Lee Maracle (2nd edition September 1, 1996) 🍁

Weyward by Emilia Hart, Aysha Kala (Narrator), Helen Keeley (Narrator) & Nell Barlow (Narrator)

UP NEXT (MAYBE)

Cougar Annie's Garden by Margaret Horsfield August 1, 1999  🍁

READING GOALS 

#MustRead2024 15/25 one on the go

NonFiction 23/24 one on the go

Canadian Authors 51/50 three on the go

Indigenous Authors 24/25 two on the go

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 160/200