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. I'm also connecting up with the Sunday Salon. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.
Hurrah Hurrah! Spring break is here. I have plans for getting a lot accomplished in the next couple of weeks. Tomorrow, right after reading and responding to blog posts, I plan to get my tomato seeds potted! I've already got the dirt and the pots are clean. I also plan to clean out the garden and cut back the raspberry canes. In addition to that I hope to get caught up on my reading with my eyes and finishing up a couple of sewing/quilting projects I've started. I can't help but wonder how successful I will be. Probably not very.
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 |
Noodles on a Bicycle by Kyo Maclear 🍁 & Gracey Zhang (illustrator) August 27, 2024
This gorgeous picture book takes readers back in time to Tokyo in the early 1970's. The lyrical prose shows us demae (deliverymen) on bikes carrying towering trays of ceramic bowls filled with soba noodles to different places around the city.
 |
| 4 stars |
My Sister, Daisy by Adria Karlsson & Linus Curci (Illustrator) September 1, 2021
This book is written from the perspective of a loving older brother. When his younger brother informs the family she is a girl, he does his best to accept this change in their family. In spite of the many positive things that happen, he still experiences jealousy and anger at the special treatment she receives.
I suspect this kind of reaction is probably common in any family with a child who, for whatever reason, requires extra parental attention.
In the author's note in the back matter she explains that this book was written for her older child who went through this experience without the support of a book like this.
"This beautifully illustrated graphic novel is an exploration of grief, love, and finding magic in the wilderness – and in ourselves."
Kiela and her assistant, Caz, a sentient talking spider plant, are forced to flee the Great Library of Alyssium when revolutionary forces set the building on fire. After escaping with a few crate loads of precious spellbooks, they end up on a remote island where Kiela was born and raised.
In the world of this novel, magic has been hoarded by the elite and the rest of the inhabitants suffer. When she settles into her family home, Kiela discovers this means crop failures, record breaking storms, and a decline in magical species.
With the help of a good looking neighbour and a few spells purloined from the books, she sets up a Jam and Remedy shop. Her new life is suddenly endangered when the person rescued during the last storm claims to be a government inspector searching for illegal magic.
I'm not really a huge romance fan, but this book had enough other stuff going on to delight me.
This book is a cross between hard boiled detective novel and noir thriller. I added it to my reading list because Sam Wiebe is a Canadian author, and his protagonist, Dave Wakeland, is a twenty nine year old former cop turned PI who lives and works in Vancouver BC. It's an intimate reading experience when my home, or even a place I know well, is the setting for the novel I'm into. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.
Dancing Cockatoos and the Dead Man Test: How Behavior Evolves and Why It Matters by Marlene Zuk August 9, 2022
In the author's note in the back matter she explains that this book was written for her older child who went through this experience without the support of a book like this.
"This beautifully illustrated graphic novel is an exploration of grief, love, and finding magic in the wilderness – and in ourselves."
Poppy and her mother are grieving the loss of grandmother and mother. While her mother remains almost immobilized by grief, Poppy is forced to leave the house to take their dog, Pepper, for walks. On one of these outings, Pepper drags her through a hole in a fence into a forest. In the forest she makes a new friend who helps her discover the healing power of wild spaces. It takes a while, but eventually she persuades her mother to join her.
I especially appreciate that Poppy starts out completely glued to her phone, but eventually doesn't even bother to bring it with her. (I confess that I bring mine with me on hikes, but only to take photos and identify plants.)
The black and white illustrations in this book are jawdroppingly gorgeous.
It was my mother who introduced me to the beauty and magical power of wilderness. I wish she was still here so I could share this book with her.
Kiela and her assistant, Caz, a sentient talking spider plant, are forced to flee the Great Library of Alyssium when revolutionary forces set the building on fire. After escaping with a few crate loads of precious spellbooks, they end up on a remote island where Kiela was born and raised.
In the world of this novel, magic has been hoarded by the elite and the rest of the inhabitants suffer. When she settles into her family home, Kiela discovers this means crop failures, record breaking storms, and a decline in magical species.
With the help of a good looking neighbour and a few spells purloined from the books, she sets up a Jam and Remedy shop. Her new life is suddenly endangered when the person rescued during the last storm claims to be a government inspector searching for illegal magic.
I'm not really a huge romance fan, but this book had enough other stuff going on to delight me.
This book is a cross between hard boiled detective novel and noir thriller. I added it to my reading list because Sam Wiebe is a Canadian author, and his protagonist, Dave Wakeland, is a twenty nine year old former cop turned PI who lives and works in Vancouver BC. It's an intimate reading experience when my home, or even a place I know well, is the setting for the novel I'm into. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who feels this way.
In this debut novel, Wakeland takes on the eleven year old case of a missing woman, Chelsea Loam. Chelsea's dying mother wants to know what happened to her adopted daughter.
Here in Canada the issue of murdered and missing Indigenous women and girls is a huge problem. This book is a fictional exploration into the life of one of them.
Fans of Dashiell Hammett and Ross MacDonald will enjoy it.
Even though I'm much more of a cosy mystery fan, I liked this so much that I immediately downloaded the next in the series.
CURRENTLY
The Menopause Manifesto: Own Your Health with Facts and Feminism by Jen Gunter May 25, 2021 🍁
#MustRead2025 10/25
NonFiction 11/30 two on the go
UP NEXT (MAYBE)
Dandelion by Jamie Chai Yun Liew 🍁
The Devotion of Suspect X by Keigo Higashino
2025 READING GOALS
NonFiction 11/30 two on the go
Poetry 1/12
Canadian Authors 21/50 one on the go
Indigenous Authors 6/25
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 43/200
Canadian Authors 21/50 one on the go
Indigenous Authors 6/25
Goodreads Reading Challenge: 43/200
My Sister, Daisy, reminded me how I would scan the library looking for books that would prepare my kids for whatever stage of life they were in – and I usually found it!
ReplyDeleteWildful…I will be purchasing at least one copy of the book as my dad is now out of treatment options for his cancer. Thank you so much for sharing this particular book. My deepest condolences on the loss of your mother.
I found and checked the audio of Invisible Dead. In the United States, we also have the same issue of missing indigenous women. Angeline Boulley addresses this in her novel, Firekeeper’s Daughter. Hence, my interest in Invisible Dead.
I thoroughly enjoyed your post!
I hope Wildful brings comfort to you and your family. When my mother neared the end of her life she really wanted to see the orchard trees of her hometown in bloom. I couldn't give her than, but my daughter in law and I took her out of the hospital for one afternoon and drove around the city looking at the ornamental cherry, and star magnolia in bloom. It brought her great joy to see the world coming alive like that.
DeleteI loved Firekeeper's Daughter and Warrior Girl Unearthed. I'm looking forward to her new book coming out this year.
That’s a lot to do, good luck!
ReplyDeleteWishing you a happy reading week
Well, I did manage to get the seeds into pots today, so that's one thing off the list!
DeleteI thought Spellshop was lovely and like you I am not a big romance reader, I tend to use them when I need a break or am in a bit of a slump
ReplyDeleteSpellshop reminded me a bit of books by Travis Baldree, Becky Chambers, and Heather Fawcett. I love cosy - mysteries or fantasies.
DeleteI shall look for Spellshop and Wildful. Thank you so much for sharing these and all your books with us.
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. I hope you enjoy both of those.
DeleteNice looking assortment of books. I enjoyed The Spellshop when I read it. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteKathy, I think it's you who turns me onto all these cosy fantasies that I end up loving!
DeleteI had not heard of Wildful, but I fully love the theme of the healing power of wild spaces. I will definitely look for this one!
ReplyDeleteNicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction
Having experienced it myself, I was already a believer in the almost magical power of nature. Wildful reminded me so much of those times and why I love gardening. I hope you enjoy the book.
DeleteWildful looks like one I will need to read. I also marked Dandelion. Noodles on a Bicycle really is an amazing book.
ReplyDelete