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.
Here in Canada the Canada Reads longlist was announced. Canada Reads is hosted by CBC (our national broadcaster.) While it's an adult challenge, many high school classes also participate. The theme this year is books that “inspire readers to reflect on community.” I immediately went to my library and put all the books (except the three I've already read) on hold. I will read from the longlist until the shortlist is announced on January 26. Then I try to read those before the debate in March.
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 |
When Langston Dances by Kaija Langley & Keith Mallett (Illustrator) September 07, 2021
The art in this just gobsmacked me. It's drop dead gorgeous. Langston is such an adorable boy you will want to scoop him off the pages and hug him.
But wait, there is so much more to adore about this book. It's in the beauty of the bodies, the relationship between mother and child, the joy in the child's face, the challenging of gender norms.
The first time his mother takes him to see a ballet, Langston falls in love with dance. He practices in front of his mirror. On the way to his first class he shows off his moves to everyone he meets. The end of the book moves us into the future where we see Langston as a young man dancing on a stage.
This book is so beautiful I had to read it twice.
We follow a young girl and her father as they travel through their city on the way to a violin recital. The illustrations provide us with a rich backdrop that highlights the sensory experiences of the young girl, who is blind.
Ashley Barron's artwork was rendered in cut-paper collage, watercolour, acrylic and pencil crayon, with some digital assembly.
Unspeakable: The Tulsa Race Massacre by Carole Boston Weatherford & Floyd Cooper (Illustrations) February 02, 2021
This is an essential book. That it's beautifully written and illustrated underscores the unspeakable horror of the event. In 1921 a white mob attacked and destroyed the thriving black community of Tulsa, Oklahoma. This picture book is an important introduction to this episode in history and a lead into doing more research.
I checked this out of my library to read again to compare it to one of the graphic novels I have been reading. If you haven't read this one, you must.
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, 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.
Cranky Chicken by Katherine Battersby September 07, 2021 🍁
Across the Tracks: Remembering Greenwood, Black Wall Street, and the Tulsa Race Massacre by Alverne Ball, Stacey Robinson (Illustrations) et al May 04, 2021
In the Shadow of the Fallen Towers: The Seconds, Minutes, Hours, Days, Weeks, Months, and Years after the 9/11 Attacks by Don Brown August 10, 2021
NOVELS
This was a hard book to read. It is a story about the pain and rage felt by indigenous women. It's about unconditional love - or the lack of it.
It's the story of four generations of women. We see how the actions of one generation reverberate, directly or indirectly, through the following ones. In spite of the terrible things that happened to her, I ended up so angry with Margaret, the grandmother. My heart ached most for the recent generation of women. The foster care system leaves much to be desired.
What I liked most about the end of this book is that it leaves us with a glimmer of hope for their futures.
CURRENTLY
Washington Black by by Esi Edugyan (audiobook) 🍁
Fossil Hunter: How Mary Anning Changed the Science of Prehistoric Life by Cheryl Blackford (review coming next week)
What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad will be my next audiobook.
UP NEXT
Since I'm a round 2 Cybils judge, I am busy reading and rereading the finalists in the graphic novel categories. Hopefully I will find time for other books.
READING GOALS
#MustReadFiction 2/24
#MustReadNonFiction 1/18 one in progress
Canadian Authors 5/100
Canada Reads Finalists /5 one in progress
Indigenous Authors 1/25