#IMWAYR February 9, 2015

I love Mondays! If you are looking for a good read, come join hosts Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and discover what other readers are blogging about!

From picture books to novels, I read some fabulous books last week! I've been trying to keep up with my book club members at school, so I've dug into the nonfiction bin and read two books from there, as well as finishing up two novels from fiction bins.

Locomotive by Brian Floca (BookClub)

5 stars

This is why books win caldecotts. The illustrations and text come together in exquisite harmony to create a unique and enduring beauty.

Do You Know Porcupines by Alain M Bergeron (BookClub)

2 stars

I can't figure out why this one has an average goodreads rating of 4.2 stars. 

"This is a kind of nonfiction book with information text at the bottom of the page and an illustrated joke at the top half. The information at the bottom of the pages was great. I even appreciated some of the humor at the top of the pages, but I got tired of it pretty soon. On top of this, it didn't always work together. When it did, it added to the readers understanding, but at other times, it is confusing. For example: on page 26, it says that porcupines are nocturnal animals, but then goes on to show a porcupine with coloured leaves sticking all over it. (this is the cover image) It doesn't help the reader come to any kind of understanding of what nocturnal means. (although this word is noted in the glossary)

There are readers who like this kind of book. I'm not one of them."

4.5 stars

Dance of the Banished by Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch (BookClub)

There are few things in life as fine as a book that grabs you by the throat and won't let go until you are done. This is how it was for me with this one. Skrypuch has created fantastic characters set against a riveting historical backdrop. To top it all off, isn't this a beautiful cover?

5 stars

 The Whispering Skull (Lockwood & Co # 2) by Jonathan Stroud

If you haven't read or listened to any of this series, you are living a deprived life. Simply put, these are some of the best adventure yarns it has been my pleasure to read in a very very long time. I long for the next one. The Dagger in the Desk (a novella) is, according to Goodreads, available as an ebook today. I'm getting it. 

Fortunately The Milk written and read by Neil Gaiman (BookClub)

4 stars

"I enjoyed listening to Neil Gaiman narrate this audiobook.  I wandered down to the local grocery store and back while listening. Anyone noticing me might have wondered what I was up to as sometimes I just laughed out loud. When their father goes off to get milk for their breakfast cereal, two children wonder what happened to him as he is gone for ages and ages. Upon his return, he proceeds to tell them a very tall tale that involves; space aliens from outer space, a time machine wielding stegosaurus, pirates, vampires, and an exploding volcano. I'm sure I have left something out, but you should get the picture by now. It is a delightful tale. Unfortunately, because this was an audiobook, I missed out on all the whimsical illustrations created by Scottie Young. I peeked at them using Amazon's Look Inside! feature enough to realize what I missed. I will have to get a copy of the book just to spend some time appreciating them fully."

Currently I'm in the middle of Nanny X by Madelyn Rosenberg. So far it's pretty funny and a good mystery for younger readers to boot!

My partner and I have been out of town for the family day long weekend. I haven't read as much as I thought I would, but we've both really enjoyed this respite from our regular lives. We are heading back to Vancouver tomorrow and I'm still trying to figure out what audiobook I'll put on so I can read and knit at the same time. I'm thinking that once Nanny X is done, I'll start reading with my eyes, how i discovered poetry, by marilyn nelson. Elizabeth Ellington recommended it so I know I'm going to love it.

Tastes Like Music: 17 Quirks of the Brain and Body by Maria Birmingham illustrated by Monika Melnychuk

I'm trying to run an open ended book club at our school. As is usual, many student sign up, but then some drop out. In spite of this, our numbers continue to increase as new students ask to join. The collection of books we are reading is fluid, although we do have a basic collection that includes a bins of information and fiction. 

4 stars

I try to keep up with these voracious readers but it's nearly impossible. I've decided to at least try and read some of the information books. Ever since someone close to me had a traumatic brain injury I've been fascinated by how our brains work, so Tastes Like Music jumped out at me. 

At a structural level it works well. It has a table of contents and an index, although it's missing a glossary. I like how the pages are laid out in chunks of text for readers to peruse. Each colourful page spread deals with a specific ability or trait. There are headings, subheadings, fact boxes, and lots of elucidating illustrations. I especially appreciated the sidebars titled, What's It Like, where we are introduced to individuals with this particular trait, and find out what it is like to live with it.

The easy to read text is loaded with fascinating information. Did you know that there is a condition called prosopagnosia? People with it can't recognize faces, not even their own. Or have you ever heard of Alice In Wonderland Syndrome? Lewis Carroll is thought to have had it, and that is what inspired the book. Did you know that most people tend to think their hands are shorter and wider than they really are?

What's missing? Well, the glossary as I mentioned earlier. I also wish that there were some real photographs and captions.

All that aside, this is a very interesting easy read. It's filled with fascinating information that makes you want to share snippets of it with those around you. Did you know, for example, that there really is such a thing as exploding head syndrome, and it has nothing to do with reading too many books?