Showing posts with label Amazing Women. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Amazing Women. Show all posts

#IMWAYR January 24th, 2022

Welcome readers! 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. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next. 


Just a reminder that if you are participating in the #MustRead challenge, Leigh Anne Eck at A Day In the Life is hosting the last update for 2021 here. When you are ready, post your #MustReadIn2022 goals here. The links are open until the end of January.

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.

4 stars

Ducks! by Deborah Underwood & T.L. McBeth (Illustrations) Feb 11, 2020

A young duck gets distracted by a butterfly. When it thinks to go back to it's flock, they have disappeared. As they go in search of them they find lots of clues, but NO DUCKS. I love T.L. McBeth's minimalist illustrations. The expression on the little duckling's face is delightful.


My sons were fans of Richard Scary books. This is a lot like those, except with a whole lot more humour. (Children might not get all the puns, but their parents most likely will!) I imagined reading this with my 4 1/2 year old grandchildren. I’m pretty sure they will love it.
If I was still in the library I would probably get a couple of copies of this to support primary teachers who do community projects with their students.

NONFICTION 


This biography is visually stunning. I adored it. The images, combined with the straight forward, easy to read text make it a model for what nonfiction texts for elementary and middle grade readers should aspire to be. I read it a couple of times and each time I was more impressed by it. "It takes young readers through Anning's many fossil finds and scientific breakthroughs. At the same time it doesn't stint about the hardships Mary and her family endured. It makes clear the challenges she faced because of her poverty, gender and class." 

GRAPHIC NOVELS

These days I'm mostly reading graphic novels for the Cybils awards. I will do a post to share my thoughts on all of them after we pick a winner. From the ones I've finished so far, that's promising to be a daunting task. 

Here's what I read last week. If I previously reviewed the book, I've provided a link to it.



Jukebox by Nidhi Chanani June 22, 2021
    My original review is here. 


Measuring Up by Lily LaMotte &  Ann Xu (Illustrations) October 27, 2020
    My original review is here.


NOVELS


I listened to the audiobook and was mesmerized by the writing, the story, and Dion Graham’s narration.

Washington (Wash) Black was born into slavery on a plantation in Barbados. The brutality he grows up with is horrific. When he was just a boy, Christopher, (Titch) the plantation owner’s brother, takes him on as his assistant. He teaches him to read and introduces him to scientific thinking. It turns out that Washington is a gifted artist.
Wash is present when a cousin of the brothers kills himself. Knowing his brother will blame Wash, Titch and Wash flee the plantation. They travel to America and, fleeing a relentless slave catcher the brother has sent after them, end up in the Arctic where Titch abandons Wash, who is still a child.
There are more journeys in store for Washing Black. To start, he leaves the Arctic and ends up in Nova Scotia.
As he grows up alone, Wash becomes a young man searching to figure out who he is, who he can be, and how he fits in the world. It’s an almost impossible task. He finds some peace, but all the while he’s haunted by Titch’s abandonment and lives in fear of the slaver catching up to him. As a black man with a disfigured face, he’s easy to track down. Even when he connects up with another scientist and his daughter, he’s never really acknowledged as a human being with the right to be recognized for his own work.
The ending left me heartbroken.
There is so much in this novel to unpack. To start there’s the relationship between the captured octopus and Washington. Then in tandem with the author, take a hard look at who Abolitionists were and explore the contradictions between what they said and how they acted. 
I wish I had read this with a book club.

PS - Esi Edugyan has won two Giller prizes (this is one of them) and her books have been nominated for for many more awards.

MEMOIR


Learning how people come to be the people they are is always fascinating. I really appreciated Clayton Thomas-Muller's brutal honesty in this. His life was full of hard things - some are difficult to read about. He didn't always make the kinds of choices people might think are the right ones, but he's come out of it being a staunch environmental activist at the same time as working hard to become the best person he can be. The first part of the book deals with his early years and the second half focuses more on his activism. In many ways his story is the story of Indigenous rejuvenation, reclamation, and celebration.
Reading reviews about this book is interesting. Some readers complain it is too much about his activism. Others say it's too much autobiography. I think the intersection of these two make it just right. 

CURRENTLY

What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad & Dion Graham (Narrator) 

My Last Summer with Cass by Mark Crilley  (Cybil title)

Spílexm: A Weaving of Recovery, Resilience, and Resurgence by Nicola I. Campbell

UP NEXT 

Everyone Knows Your Mother Is a Witch by Rivka Galchen

Nubia: Real One by L.L. McKinney & Robyn Smith (Illustrator) (Cybil title)

I have almost finished reading and rereading the finalists in the graphic novel categories in my role as a round 2 Cybils judge. I'm looking forward to finding time for other books.

READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 2/24 

#MustReadNonFiction 1/18 one in progress

Canadian Authors 5/100 one in progress

Canada Reads Longlist 5/23 one in progress

Indigenous Authors 2/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 26/250
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Fossil Hunter How Mary Anning Changed the Science of Prehistoric Life by Cheryl Blackford


Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this fascinating biography. It will be released January 25, 2022, by Clarion Books.

Mary Anning was born into poverty. The family couldn't afford school fees for their children so their father took Mary, and Joseph, her older brother, with him when he went in search of fossils. They sold their finds to augment the meager earnings he made as a carpenter. The children became expert fossil finders. 

After their father died, the children roamed the coast in search of buried treasure. Joseph found the skull of a huge fossil. Mary searched for a year before a storm exposed the body of the creature. Her mother hired men to remove the rock from the cliff and bring it to their basement. Mary, now twelve years old, painstakingly chipped away at the rock to reveal the bones hidden in it. It was the first complete ichthyosaurus skeleton ever found. Mary had discovered a way to support her family and follow her passion. 

This book takes young readers through Anning's many fossil finds and scientific breakthroughs. At the same time it doesn't stint about the hardships Mary and her family endured.  It makes it clear the challenges she faced because of her poverty, gender and class. 

Not only is the cover artwork drop dead gorgeous, the whole book is visually stunning. 

Gorgeous paintings showing prehistoric creatures in their natural habitat grace the pages. It abounds with nonfiction text features. Captioned photographs and paintings are found on almost every other page. There are labeled drawings and diagrams, and coloured maps. Each Chapter begins with a quote. The back matter includes a note by the author, acknowledgements, and a timeline that puts Anning's life and scientific findings in the context of larger global events. It also includes an illustrated glossary, a list of places where you can find Mary Anning's fossils today, source quotes, a bibliography, and an index. 

Cheryl Blackford, the author,  was born in England. She developed a passion for rocks at an early age and eventually became a geologist. She has been fossil hunting at Lyme Regis, and has studied Anning artifacts and archival materials.  

I can't remember the first time I heard about Mary Anning. Her name was mentioned in some historical novel I read a long time ago. At that time I couldn't find out much about her. Today there are numerous books about this remarkable woman. This one, written for elementary/middle grade readers, is a wonderful addition to them.

I would pair this book up with the picture book, Dinosaur Lady: The Daring Discoveries of Mary Anning, the First Paleontologist by Linda Skeers & Marta Álvarez Miguéns (Illustrator). It will provide readers with background knowledge and get them excited to learn more about this amazing woman. 

This is a must purchase. If I was still in the library I would buy two copies of it.
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#IMWAYR November 22, 2021

Hello everyone. It's #IMWAYR time again, when readers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to in the past week. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. Whatever you are looking forward to in your next great read, these are fabulous places to start your search.

It's been a wild week here in British Columbia and Washington State. BC is now in a state of emergency. Last weekend, from November 13th to November 15th, a level 5 atmospheric river dropped up to 250 millimetres (9.84 inches) of rain in some areas. Areas that didn't get that much, still ended up breaking all previous records for rainfall. This followed what was already one of the wettest months on record. Flooding and landslides have been intense across the province and state. Small towns have been nearly decimated. Vancouver, our largest city, was cut off from the rest of the country for a week because all the highways were closed. In one of the most important agricultural zones, Sumas lake, drained in the 1920's, has returned.

Photograph from Abbotsford News Nov. 17, 2021

The one route that finally opened up is for essential traffic only. Other routes won't be passable for at least a year, if ever. Here in my small town we were unscathed weather wise, but the usual self centred faction stormed grocery stores and cleaned out the produce, dairy, and toilet paper sections. 

In more positive news, the Governor General Literary Awards, "among Canada's oldest and most prestigious prizes for literature," were announced. Philippa Dowding won the Young People's Literature prize in the text category for Firefly, while David A. Robertson and illustrator Julie Flett won the illustrated books category, for their picture book, On the Trapline.

I finished up my advent calendars and mailed them off on Friday. I am keeping my fingers crossed that, now that the mail can get through, they will arrive in Vancouver before December 1st. Now I'm back to working on my second Olivier Dunrea quilt. 

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.


A young Cree boy is hyper sensitive to noise. His Mosom, (grandfather) teaches him an indigenous strategy called mamaskasitawew that involves learning to listen for wonder.
Read my whole review to see some examples of Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley gorgeous artwork. 

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS


Emmy Noether (pronounced NER-ter) solved a problem in Einstein's Theory of Relativity that none of the existing male mathematicians could figure out, but you probably haven't heard of her. She ended up proving a number of other laws of physics, but remained essentially unknown. "She worked in a field of study that didn't welcome women, and her male colleagues didn't even think to give her credit when they used her work or included it in their own."
The back matter includes additional information about this amazing woman. 
Kari Rust's artwork is hand drawn and coloured digitally. 

NOVELS

5 stars

Linked by Gordon Korman July 20, 2021 🍁

I picked this up because Ms Yingling, who is more critical than I am, gave it 5 stars. I knew it had to be good and wasn't disappointed.
A swastika is painted on a school wall in a small town in Colorado. It sets off a series of events that results in students at the school working to create a paper chain 6 million links long, to represent the number of Jews killed during the Holocaust. In spite of this, swastikas continue to show up. 
This novel is told through the perspectives of a number of students at the school. The creation of the chain, uncovering the truth about the communities racist past, and discovery of the swastika painter, transforms them and their community. 
Gordon Korman is proving himself to be a noteworthy author. While this novel contains his characteristic humour, it addresses serious issues in ways that make them approachable for his readers. I adore this quote, "A paper chain can be done when it hits certain number of links. But tolerance is a project you always have to keep working at."


This is an adult novel told through the voice of Swiv, a nine year old. Three generations of women live together. Swiv's pregnant mother, an actress, tries to take care of all of them.
It's a book about intergenerational love. It's full of family stories told to Swiv that bring us close to each member of the family - including Swiv's absent father. It's about the relationship between a girl and her grandmother. In a family full of characters, this grandmother steals the show. She's a role model for all of us aging women.
I laughed. I cried. Sometimes at the same time.
Now that I am a grandmother, I am a sucker for stories of intergenerational relationships. I'm certain I would have loved this book even without that connection.

5 stars

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr with Marin Ireland & Simon Jones (Narrators) September 28, 2021

It took me a bit to really get into this book. Mostly just until I got all the different characters and stories right. Then I could hardly stop listening.
Doerr takes characters from across time - starting with Anna and Omeir during the fall of Constantinople in 1453 and moving forward to the future with 14 year old Konstance, the last of a group of humans travelling across space in search of a new planet. Between them is Zeno, a gay man born in the 1940, and Seymour, from the present day, who doesn't fit in and finds solace in wilderness (he might be on on the autism spectrum).
What ties them all together is a fictional novel about Aethon, a shepherd who is magically transformed into different creatures in his search for Cloud Cuckoo Land. It's credited to Antonius Diogenes, a real author from around 100 CE.
There is a lot going on in this book. At the same time as Anthony Doerr braids together the stories of the different characters, he weaves in multiple themes. He highlights heroes, environmental degradation, our attitudes towards those who are different, the importance of libraries and librarians, and ultimately, the power of story.

I've taken my sweet time reading this eclectic collection of essays because each one is a treasure. Some, like those about Pard, Ursula K. Le Guin's cat, are pure sweetness. Others, like those about the declawed and defanged lynx, broke my heart. Maybe it's because I am getting on in years myself, that I found her essays on aging to be profound. Permeating all of them is tenderness and a wry sense of humour.
These essays are taken from the blog she wrote in the last years of her life. They prove that not only was Le Guin one of the worlds finest science fiction and fantasy authors, she is one of our finest authors.
This is a book I now want to own. It's a book I'm hoping to gift 

CURRENTLY

Living With Viola by Rosena Fung
Foxglove Summer by Ben Aaronovitch
Aristotle and Dante Dive Into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

UP NEXT 

All Boys Aren't Blue by George M. Johnson

& more picture books from my #MustReadList

UPCOMING BLOG POSTS

Living With Viola by Rosena Fung

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2021 29/25 

#MustReadNFIn2021 12/12 

#MustReadPBIn2021 66/100 

Big Book Summer Challenge 9 

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 36/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 108/100

Canada Reads 2021 5/5 

Discworld Series 41/41

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 394/333 


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#IMWAYR October 17, 2021

Hello everyone. It's #IMWAYR time again, when readers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to in the past week. Kathryn hosts the adult version of this meme at Book Date. Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers host the kidlit rendition. Whatever you are looking forward to in your next great read, these are fabulous places to start your search.

It's been three weeks since my last post. Life has been hectic and I am trying to live a reasonable life without taking on too much. (insert hysterical laugh track here)
Also, our house looks like hell.
We are now renovating the main part of the house - the living room, dining room and kitchen area. 
Dust is not one's friend. 
To survive I've been hiding out in my sewing room working on quilts and listening to audiobooks. Most of them have been for adults, although many will appeal to teens.
In the middle of all this, I have misplaced my book review notebook. I am sure it will turn up eventually, but in the meantime, I don't have my notes for books I need to review.

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


On the way to school, Bunny meets Beetle. The two of them then connect up with Martin. Throughout the day, the group of friends grows bigger as they continue to help out more and more animal children. It culminates in "a party of those who cared, those who bothered, who tried, who shared." Ohi's artwork is as charming as usual.

4 stars

Mommy's Khimar by Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow & Ebony Glenn (Illustrator) April 03, 2018

A young muslim girl admires her mother's Khimars. When she gets to wear one, it's like a super hero cape that enables her to shine like the sun and protect her baby brother.
I think all children enjoy trying on their parents clothes, and love that the specifics of the Khimar/hijab, provides both a mirror for muslim children, and a bridge that enables other children to make connections.

4 stars

Old Bear and His Cub by Olivier Dunrea November 11, 2010

You can read this without having read Little Cub first, but the story has more oomph if you have. It's the story of the love an old bear and his adopted cub share for each other. My grandkids and I enjoyed reading it together.


This book has been on my to read list for like forever. George Littlechild's art is spectacular. The text is equally stunning. A boy asks his family the question, What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses? Their responses tell us as much about them as they do about horses. I appreciate how much we learn about Van Camp's family, culture and their relationship to dogs.


This is based on White Currents, a short story written by Emily Carr. It's the fantastical adventure of a young girl coming to appreciate the glory of wild space. 

4 stars

What Can a Citizen Do? by Dave Eggers & Shawn Harris (Illustrator) September 11, 2018

I like the diversity in the children portrayed in this book. I like that even animals are considered citizens. I like all the action happening in the pages. I like that when all the citizens work together they create a magnificent treehouse.
The book is written in ABCB rhyming scheme. It didn't work for me. I ended up reading it out loud to myself to get the flow of it. The problem with this in this book is that in order for the rhyme to work, you need to read it too fast to appreciate the illustrations. If I was going to read this with a group, I would cover all the text. We would spend time unpacking the images and making meaning from them. Only after that would I introduce the words.

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

Gloria Takes a Stand: How Gloria Steinem Listened, Wrote, and Changed the World by Jessica M. Rinker & Daria Peoples-Riley (Illustrator) March 12, 2019

Having read Steinem’s autobiography, I wondered what details from such a remarkable life, would make it into a book for children. The author has done a good job capturing the highlights. I appreciate that Gloria is often shown with diverse groups of women. The colour illustrations are full of joy. Modern feminists might criticize aspects of Steinem’s work, but growing up with her as one of my feminist role models, I never understood feminism to be anything other than intersectional and inclusive.

5 stars

Wangari Maathai: The Woman Who Planted Millions of Trees by Franck Prévot, Aurélia Fronty (Illustrator) & Dominique Clément (Translator) January 1, 2011

Wangari Maathai was a remarkable woman - a hero for girls and boys of all cultures, colours and creeds. Her capacity for standing up to oppression in order to save forests and trees is truly inspiring.
The whole world needs to recognize that “a tree is worth more than it’s wood.”
I only wish this was an own voices book.

5 stars

Mornings with Monet by Barb Rosenstock & Mary GrandPré (Illustrations) March 02, 2021

Based on other biographies of artists by this duo, I expected to read more about Monet's life. Instead, this book focuses on the time when he was painting his river series. Through this we get a rich, in depth look at how Monet worked as he captured light in his paintings. Additional details about his life are in the author's note in the back matter.

4 stars

The Girl with a Mind for Math: The Story of Raye Montague by Julia Finley Mosca & Daniel Rieley (Illustrations) September 04, 2018

This rhyming nonfiction picture book is delightful in that it actually works and doesn't interfere with the story.
Raye Montague was amazing black woman who wasn't deterred from her goal by the racism and misogyny she faced on her way to becoming an engineer.

READERS 

4 stars

What Is Chasing Duck? by Jan Thomas June 06, 2017

The Giggle Gang series is ideal for fans of Elephant and Piggie. Something wild and hairy with big teeth is chasing Duck, Sheep and Donkey. Bear convinces them to stand up to their fears. Who is actually chasing them ends up being a hilarious surprise.
I read this for the second time with my two eldest grandkids. They enjoyed it so much that the next day I caught one of them reading it to one another.

CHAPTER BOOKS


Franklin has a long list of worries. With the help of Eugenia and Baby Lincoln and Mercy Watson, Franklin just might learn how to control them. 
Anytime I get to visit with the literary characters on Deckawoo Drive, I am happy. In theory I know these book are written for children, but I am positive that Kate DiCamillo also writes them for old folks like me. I have started reading Mercy Watson with my grandkids and look forward to reading the whole series with them. 

GRAPHIC NOVELS


After the Rain by Nnedi Okorafor, John Jennings & David Brame (Illustrator) January 05, 2021

I'm struggling with how to evaluate this. This is because I am a hard core Nnedi Okorafor fan, but am confused and conflicted by this transformation to graphic novel. Some of artwork is gorgeous. I think the story all by itself would be riveting. Together it just doesn't work for me.

5 stars

The Secret to Superhuman Strength by Alison Bechdel May 4, 2021

I wasn't sure about this at first, but then I got into it and loved how rich the narrative was. Sure it's about every exercise fad over the past 5 decades or so. At the same time, its a deep look into what it means to be enlightened and have a meaningful intimate relationship with another human being.

SHORT STORIES 

4 stars

Tales from the Folly: A Rivers of London Short Story Collection by Ben Aaronovitch & Ben Elliot, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Penelope Rawlins, et al (Narrators) July 31, 2020

I was delighted to visit one of my favourite fantasy worlds through this collection of short stories. The different narrators made the individual stories shine. I am sad for people who have not yet read any of the Rivers of London collection. I only wish my library had all the graphic novels so I could read those too. I sure hope Ben Aaronovitch writes another book about Peter Grant soon.

NOVELS


This is considered a Canadian classic. It tells the story of four generations of a Chinese Canadian family. It's a complicated, heartbreaking saga that involves betrayal, deception, accidental incest, and plenty of racism. It centres on the women and their relationships with each other and the men in their lives. While the setting is global, it mostly takes place around Vancouver, BC. I was fascinated by the parts about the real murder of Janet Smith, a nursemaid to a wealthy family. The Chinese houseboy was accused of her murder, but was eventually acquitted.

5 stars

What Abigail Did That Summer by Ben Aaronovitch & Kobna Holdbrook-Smith & Shvorne Marks (Narrators) March 18, 2021

I loved this visit to the Rivers of London series so much that I no sooner finished listening to it, I started all over again. Peter Grant's younger cousin, Abigail, ends up tracking down missing teens.
Abigail is now one of my favourite fictional teens. I love that she is smart and courageous. I like that while it's a terrifying, fascinating read, it's also about living with disability. I like how much compassion and understanding she has for her parents and her brother who is wasting away with some kind of disease. I like that Abigail figures out that her new friend, Simon, isn't like other kids, and no matter how much his mother wants it, never will be.

4 stars

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese & Sunil Malhotra (Narrator) February 03, 2009

This is the story of twin boys. Their mother died at their birth and their father abandoned them. They were lucky to be adopted by two other doctors at the clinic they all worked in. This is a beautiful story about love, family, and forgiveness. 

5 stars

The Silence of Bones by June Hur & Greta Jung (Narrator) April 21, 2020 🍁

Set in 1800 in Joseon, Korea, this is an historical murder mystery. A young girl works for the police because of social constraints that limit men's interactions with women - alive or dead. It's a fascinating whodunit that reveals a world of Korean history and culture.

MEMOIR 


Brilliant read. This memoir begins with Tomson Highway’s birth in a snowbank on the Manitoba Nunavut border, and ends with him getting ready to head south to Winnipeg for high school. I desperately hope there is a sequel.
“His memoir offers insights, both hilarious and profound, into the Cree experience of culture, conquest, and survival.”


What a story! Cea Sunrise went from living in a teepee in the Canadian Wilderness to modelling in Europe. It's a riveting narrative that kept me turning page after page.

NON FICTION

5 stars

The (Other) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat and Fierce by Angie Manfredi, Rachelle Abellar, Lily Anderson et al September 24, 2019

I'm not the target audience here, but I loved this book and think teens will too. I read it in bits and pieces to give me more time to absorb the messages. It wasn't an easy read for me. Coming face to face with my own internalized hatred for my body (and others' bodies) and understanding how I might have inadvertently hurt people close to me isn't easy to digest. I wish I could say that this book healed me, but it didn't. It certainly heightened my awareness of what it means to be fat in our culture. It gives me hope that I can eventually acknowledge and ignore all the negative messaging (internalized and others) and come to love myself in a fully human way.

CURRENTLY

Rivers of London by Ben Aaronovitch
Flight of the Puffin by Ann Braden

UP NEXT 

Sugar Falls by David A Robertson
The Leak: For the Love of Truth by Kate Reed Petty
No Time to Spare: Thinking About What Matters by Ursula K. Le Guin

BLOG POSTS PLANNED FOR NEXT WEEK (Hopefully)

The Great Bear by David A. Robertson
Gemma and the Giant Girl by Sara O'Leary

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2021 26/25 

#MustReadNFIn2021 11/12

#MustReadPBIn2021 61/100 

Big Book Summer Challenge 9 

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 33/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 95/100

Canada Reads 2021 5/5 

Discworld Series 41/41

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 355/333 


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Location: Oliver, BC, Canada
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