Showing posts with label Covid 19. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Covid 19. Show all posts

#IMWAYR September 12, 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.

Our son and his family have come and gone. After a couple of days of rest, we began to try and get the house back in order. One week later, we are still finding bits and pieces of toys hiding in odd places, but the garden is almost under control and I am managing to squeeze in time to actually read with my eyes!

I'm sharing a couple of weeks worth of reading in this post. I hope to get another one in next weekend, but we are heading to Vancouver on Saturday, and it will all depend of how crazy life is there. 

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.

BOARD BOOKS

4 stars

Alligator Pie: The Beloved Canadian Classic by Dennis Lee & Sandy Nichols (Illustrations)  🍁 October 14, 2014

Dennis Lee's collection of poetry, Alligator Pie, first published in 1974, was a favourite of my children when they were growing up, so when I found this board book, I had to purchase a couple of copies for my grandchildren. 
It's a delightful rendition, but to be honest, the meaning depicted in these images, is not what I have had in my imagination across the years. It was pie made from alligators, not pie pilfered from them. 
Still both the grandkids enjoyed this and we read it a number of times while they were here. And just like when my boys were young, we composed additional verses for the poem. 

4 stars

Stanley's Train by William Bee January 1, 2019

This bright and cheerful book delighted my 2 1/2 year old granddaughter, and her 5 year old sister was happy to snuggle in while we were reading it.
Two hamsters, Stanley and Charley take a load of other hamsters to the beach for the day. The riders have as much fun on the train as they do at the beach.

PICTURE BOOKS 

5 stars

The Mitten: An Old Ukrainian Folktale by Alvin Tresselt & Yaroslava (Illustrator) January 1, 1989

The grandkids brought this with them when they came to visit. The youngest, only 2 1/2, wanted it read to her again and again. The story and illustrations are delightful. What surprised me about the book is how engrossed she was in the story given how much text is on a page.
It's a cumulative tale that begins with a mitten dropped by a boy when he is out collecting wood in the wintertime. First a mouse climbs in to keep warm. Next a frog comes along to join him. The number of animals grows in number and size until the mitten splits open.

GRAPHIC NOVEL READERS 

4 stars

Hoggy Went-A-Courtin' by Ethan Long June 14, 2022

Hoggy has a lot to learn about getting along with others, both off and on the basketball court. Luckily he has a smart little sister who isn't afraid to let him know sharing is what it's all about.
Both the 2 1/2 and 5 year olds enjoyed this. 

CHAPTER BOOKS

5 stars

Cornbread & Poppy at the Carnival by Matthew Cordel May 3, 2022

Ada, my five year old granddaughter, and I were delighted by this book. The sweetness, combined with the humour are certain to please all readers.
We learn that Cornbread is full of anxiety about all kinds of things, but that Poppy is always there for him. When Poppy convinces Cornbread to go to the carnival with her, the roles end up being reversed. They are having a wonderful time until the two friends get into a huge argument over a peanut.
The first in the series became available as an ebook from the library and we read it the next day. Then we reread this one. 

3 stars

Azmina the Gold Glitter Dragon by Maddy Mara May 4, 2021

To be honest, if I wasn't reading this book to see if I thought it would work for my five year old grandkids, I'm not sure if I would have finished this. I'm glad I did because I found some redeeming qualities in it.
It's a chapter book that celebrates the power of friendship, working together and raising our voices against evil.
All this happens in a magical world where three girls are transformed into glitter dragons. When this special world is threatened by dark forces, the queen sends them on a quest to find ingredients for a magic potion. Even if they do collect all of it, they still have to figure out what to do with it.

MG NOVELS

4 stars

New from Here by Kelly Yang & Justin Chien (Narrator)

Based on her family's own experiences of moving from Hong Kong back to America at the onset of the Covid 19 pandemic, this novel tells of a family's tribulations once they reach America. Much of this: the fear, the home schooling, the shortages, the price gouging, and the racism, are part and parcel of what we all know happened and continues to happen.
What I appreciated most about this book is how Kelly Yang puts it all into the perspective of one family. I like that she highlights the positive aspects of public education and teachers who teach within the system.
There were times when I cringed at some of the choices Knox, the main protagonist, makes. I also couldn't believe the children's mother wasn't more aware of what they were up to - especially with regards to the garage sale. Letting them make so many choices unsupervised seemed irresponsible. I'm willing to acknowledge that perhaps this is just because she isn't used to being a single parent.


4 stars

Dragons in a Bag by Zetta Elliott (Author and Narrator) & Ron Butler (Narrator) October 23, 2018 🍁

Jaxon, a young black boy, is dropped off at a cranky old woman's place when his mother has to go to court. The woman, who turns out to be a witch, is full of fascinating surprises. When she takes Jaxon with her on a mission to deliver newly hatched dragonlings, all sorts of mishaps occur. Jaxon ends up with the three little creatures, but by the time they are delivered to their rightful owner, one of them is missing. 
If it had been available, I would have started The Dragon Thief right away. 
Zetta Elliott was born and raised in Canada, but now lives in the United States. 

GRAPHIC NOVEL


Cub by Cynthia L. Copeland January 7, 2020

Once I started reading this, I couldn't put it down.
It is a semi fictionalized biography of the year Cynthia Copeland was in grade 7. 
Grade 7 is a tumultuous year. She and her best friend become estranged. She experiences her first romance. With the help of one of her teachers, she ends in a mentorship program with the local newspaper's female reporter.
Maybe her life didn't exactly unfold like it does here, but the essential bits are true.
I was at university at this time and remember clearly the political and cultural reality that she writes about here. It was an exciting time to be a woman. 
While the graphic novel format enables readers to better understand this historic time, it also reveals a world of whiteness. As feminist as this book is, it's good to remember that is only a small slice of what life was like for the rest of the people in her country and mine, especially for BIPOC & LGBTQ people. 

YA & ADULT FICTION

4 stars

The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett & Shayna Small (Narrator) June 2, 2020

Two black sisters from a town of light skinned black people, leave home to head for a better life. One of them abandons her sister and starts a new life passing as a white woman. Not even her husband knows her secret. The other marries a dark skinned man. When he becomes increasingly abusive, she returns to her home town to raise her very black skinned daughter. In time the two cousins connect.
This is a thoughtful look at many complicated aspects of racism.

ADULT NON FICTION 

5 stars

Stories of Métis Women: Tales My Kookum Told Me by Bailey Oster et al August 6, 2021  🍁

I appreciated reading the many stories of these strong, proud women.
It is history told from the perspectives of different Metis women. If you have read anything about Louis Riel and his work for his community, you already know important information about the Metis people. Historically they are a mix of white men and indigenous women, but this alone does not make one Metis. It's predicated on a rich matrilineal heritage with a unique language and culture. The Metis people dealt with much of the same horror as Indigenous people of Canada. Unlike Indigenous people who had some land to call their own, the Metis ended up living on road allowances and squatting on Crown land.
This book is organized into different sections. Each section alternates English text with a translation into Northern Michif, the Metis language. Michif is a combination of Cree, French and occasionally English. There are many different dialects.
This is an important read for all Canadians and people interested in women's issues and justice.

 

CURRENTLY
   
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt May 3, 2022

Barry Squires, Full Tilt by Heather Smith September 22, 2020 🍁


UP NEXT

I've had these books on my up next list for a number of weeks now.  I do mean to get to them but have to admit that they are merely suggestions.

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas May 17, 2022 🍁

A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers July 12, 2022

The Heaviness of Things That Float by Jennifer Manuel April 1, 2016 🍁

READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 20/24 

#MustReadNonFiction 14/18

Canadian Authors 54/100 one in progress

Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 

Indigenous Authors 15/25 one in progress

2022 Big Book Summer Challenge 7

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 212/250


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#IMWAYR September 20, 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.

Today is election day here in Canada. I will get around to reading everyone's posts as soon as the excitement dies down. 

I'm sharing a couple of weeks worth of reading because family events last weekend took precedence. I'm going to be away the next couple of weekends so I figured I better get a post in this week. Next Sunday I will be heading off for a week with women friends. We usually get together on the May long weekend, but the pandemic put it on hold for two years. I am very excited. The following weekend I will be with my grandkids. 

Hope you are all doing well. In spite of getting through a number of books, I am still having a hard time staying focused when reading with my eyes. I appreciate Kelly and Shaye helping me articulate that I've just lost the joy in reading. It feels like work. On Sunday I began sorting through the piles of books from the library. I'm going to return everything that isn't on one of my must read lists or isn't a Canadian author. Thankfully I still enjoy listening to books and I enjoyed the few picture books I did read. 

We had a lovely outdoor birthday tea party for my partner on Thursday. Nobody drank tea, but whatever we imbibed was sipped from fancy teacups and saucers. He enjoyed the home made socks I knit him even if they were not really a surprise. He is now as old as me again. 

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.

RECENT BLOG POSTS


Cary Fagan 

PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

Watercress by Andrea Wang & Jason Chin (Illustrator) March 30, 2021

Right off the bat, this book reminded me of my mother. She also had eyes "as sharp as the tip of a dragon's claw." Wild asparagus was her speciality.
Like this family, when she spied it, we all climbed out of our car and set off picking bags of it. I'm now thankful that our foraging wasn't fraught with the conflict and history of Andrea Wang and her young protagonist. I will now be keeping my eyes peeled for wild watercress growing in ditches around here.
Jason Lin's artwork is an homage to combining cultures as he brings these memories to life.


A hungry young T Rex has to learn that eating your classmates is a bad idea. It's full of humour, but is also a sweet story about learning to get along with other people, no matter how delicious they look.

4 stars

Peter & Ernesto: A Tale of Two Sloths by Graham Annable April 10, 2018  🍁

This is a delightful graphic novel for beginning readers. It's a story about friendship, about opposites attracting, and about moving out of your comfort zone. It's full of humour and sweetness.
It reminds me of Sergio Ruzzer's work.


I had to read this a few times to fully appreciate this board book. I ended up loving both the poem as well as the glorious artwork. It celebrates the different animals found in this part of the world. Poetry doesn't always work in picture books, but this one, with it's repeated refrain of I am Dreaming, the rhythm and rhyme made me want to read it out loud to my grandkids. They aren't here so I read it to myself.


I adore Dena Seiferling's vintage style illustrations almost as much as I appreciate the book's message of accepting who you are without judgement or comparison with others. Check out my full review to find out more and see examples of the art. 

CHAPTER BOOKS

5 stars

Charlie & Mouse Outdoors by Laurel Snyder,  Emily Hughes (Illustrator) March 03, 2020

I'm such a fan of this series. It tells the story of Charlie & Mouse and their parents on a camping trip. It's a celebration of the power of imagination.

SHORT STORIES 


"Set on five continents and spanning nearly a century, We Two Alone traces the long arc and evolution of the Chinese immigrant experience. A young laundry boy risks his life to play organized hockey in Canada in the 1920s. A Canadian couple gets caught in the outbreak of violence in Shanghai during the Second Sino-Japanese War. The consul general of China attempts to save lives following Kristallnacht in Vienna. A family aspires to buy a home in South Africa, during the rise of apartheid. An actor in New York struggles to keep his career alive while yearning to reconcile with his estranged wife."

I loved this collection of short stories. They took me far away from my small town in the middle of nowhere. I followed the Chinese diaspora across a hundred years of time and space. Many of these stories were heartbreakingly uncomfortable to read, (or in my case, listen to.) I am enriched and enlightened by all of them.

NOVELS


A young girl plans for a secret sleepover at her absent grandparent's home. It ends up with her being left behind when her community and the surrounding area are evacuated. The neighbour's dog becomes her companion. As the years stretch on, she deals with looters, wild animals, fires and floods.


Malian, a young Wabanaki girl, is quarantined at her Grandparent's home during the Covid 19 quarantine. A stray dog makes its home with them during her stay there.
I liked a lot about this book. I liked the community that looks after one another and the stories by her grandparents that help Malian become more rooted in her culture. I loved the intergenerational relationship.

ADULT NOVELS

This is an exquisitely written debut novel about a Nigerian family. Kehinde and Taiye are twins who, after a bad thing happened, have grown apart. The story moves back and forth in time unravelling what happened, detailing their lives as they travelled the world. They return to Lagos to be with their mother, Kambirinachi, who believes that she is an Ogbanje, a non human spirit who should have died, but stayed alive out of love for her human family. Together the family finds a way to be at peace with themselves and each other.
The descriptions of food in this book are probably some of the finest I've ever read. I was hungry nearly all the time. #CanadaReads


I picked this from NetGalley because, thanks to my sons, I am a fan of Josh Ritter as a singer/songwriter. I am now an enthusiastic supporter of his work as an author. 
Weldon Applegate could well have been any one of my many uncles who followed their father into the wilderness to cut down ancient trees. I see many of them in his character, but especially my Uncle Harry, who had tears in his eyes when he took my father and our family to see the new technology of helicopter logging. Check out my full review here to find out more.


This might be my favourite of the series. It integrates reality and fiction. Yes, there is a murder mystery, but there is so much more. It's set at an imaginary end of the Covid 19 pandemic when everyone is vaccinated and everyone is safe. It asks the question, can we ever justify killing? It examines how love can be a motivation for murder. It addresses the lack of morality around our treatment of the aged and disabled. Gamache is haunted by the conditions he found in care homes in Quebec during the outbreak. I am wondering if the research he is gathering will be dealt with in a new book. 

CURRENTLY

The (Other) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat and Fierce by Angie Manfredi 
The Great Bear by David A. Robertson
The Silence of Bones by June Hur

UP NEXT

Flight of the Puffin by Ann Braden
A huge pile of picture books

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 25/25 

#MustReadNFIn2021 9/12

#MustReadPBIn2021 54/100 

Big Book Summer Challenge 9 

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 31/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 89/100

Canada Reads 2021 5/5 

Discworld Series 41/41

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 333/333 

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#IMWAYR May 24th, 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 Victoria Day Weekend here in Canada. For the past thirty odd years I have been getting together with a group of close women friends at a large cabin on the ocean. For the last two years it has been cancelled due to Covid 19. We have rescheduled this year for the end of September when we anticipate everyone will have had their second vaccination. I miss the intimacy and joy of being with my cherished friends. I miss the respite of being away from ordinary life. I don't miss long weekend ferry traffic. 

My garden is almost in. We just have to plant the basil seedlings and then it's weed, weed, weed, until harvest begins. It won't be long since the beans and zucchini are flowering and my raspberries and tomato plants have green fruit! 

I have been complaining that it feels very very dry this year. There have been attempts at rain, but it hasn't been much more than pretend. I decided to see how this year compares to previous Mays. The local average for this month is 58 mm (2.3 inches) of precipitation. So far this year we have had 1.9 mm (.074 inches). No wonder the earth is dry as a bone. I was digging in areas we don't water and discovered that there is not a hint of moisture for at least 25 centimetres. I hope we get plenty of rain in June (but not in the cherry season) because as it is, this sets us up for a very nasty fire season. 

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. 

BLOG POSTS LAST WEEK


Barnaby by Andrea Curtis & Kass Reich (Illustrator)

Stunning photographs pair up with poetry in this picture book about fog. Like other books by Sayre, the end papers are full of scientific information that connects to each page in the book. I had a bit of trouble with the poetry in this one. The rhythm and rhyme didn't quite work for me. I kept having to go back searching for a pattern that wasn't really there. I would like to have just read it as a poem.

4 stars

Weekend Dad by Naseem Hrab & Frank Viva (Illustrations) August 1, 2020 🍁

When a young boy’s parents separate, he spends the weekends with his father. This book details his first experience of this. At first it’s uncomfortable and scary, but then he and his Dad do the same things they always do on the weekend. Two achingly sweet bits make this book noteworthy. First, the boy leaves his stuffy behind so his father won’t be lonely. Second, the father gives his son a letter reminding him of his love. The muted artwork by Frank Viva has a graphic novel vibe.

A fox takes a fantastical journey across the world's oceans in search of a rare aquatic plant. The labeled diagrams provide information about real underwater plants. Check out my blog post here to read more and see images of the artwork.

The rhyming poetry works like a charm in this counting picture book. Not only will readers learn numbers, there is also a message here about acknowledging and celebrating the ways in which we are both different and the same. Check out my blog post here to read more and see images of the artwork.

5 stars

Barnaby by Andrea Curtis & Kass Reich (Illustrator) April 15, 2021 🍁

This book has hidden depths that I overlooked initially. At least for me it did. I discovered a kind of darkness beneath my first impression of it being a metaphor for sibling rivalry. If I was still doing critical literacy workshops with picture books I would add this one to my collection of titles. Check out my blog post here to read more and see images of the artwork.

NOVELS


I had a hard time at the beginning of this book when Nala, the protagonist, pretended to be someone she wasn't, just to get a boy's interest. I have known women who do this. So I cheated and read the ending. I liked the way it turned out so I decided to go back and read it all to find out how it got there. Some people think doing this is a travesty, but for me, life is too short to read a book I won't like.

Ok, so this is Renée Watson and I should have known better.

Nala is a character I came to adore. She's got lots to teach all of us at any age about how to love ourselves. I love her positive attitude towards her big body. I love her relationships with her grandmother and the other folks at the center where they live. I liked that this book celebrates being who you are, and that you don't have to be a specific kind of person. I adore the depth Renée Watson gives to all her characters.

This is probably a YA title, but because there is nothing more than kissing in it, I would happily purchase it for grade six and seven students to read.

MEMOIR


I had never heard of Duchess Goldblatt before someone recommended this for our book club title. I doubt I would have picked it up otherwise, but I'm glad to have read it. You know how sometimes, when you finish a book, your heart feels full? This is one of those. 
It integrates the life of the imaginary character of Duchess Goldblatt with the author's own life. 

Ethan Lou, a Canadian journalist, set off to visit his dying grandfather and other family in China for the 2020 Lunar New Year Celebrations. It in was supposed to be the first leg of a vacation that would take him travelling around the world. He got caught up in the beginning of the Covid 19 epidemic. Travelling through Asia and Europe, he writes of the virus' impact at both a personal and societal level. He references previous world pandemics like the Black Plague and the Spanish Flu and shows how each one transformed the world. 
Since Covid has led to a paradigm shift in how diseases are spread, some of the science he writes about has changed, but aside from that, this is a fascinating read. 

DISCWORLD NOVELS


I finally finished this, but I took so long to read it that I decided to start over again and listen it without so many interruptions.

I like that so many characters from across the Discworld (aside from the witches) make an appearance in it. I like that even here at the end of his life, Pratchett introduces a new character, Dick Simnel. Dick is a self taught engineer who  invents the steam locomotive. Sir Harry King, the wealthy sanitary entrepreneur, pairs up with him to develop the railway. The development of it in the Discworld parallels many of the same issues as the development of the railway in the real world. There are difficulties crossing different kinds of terrain. There is even the pounding in of the last golden spike upon completion. There are issues of job losses as one kind of technology supplants another. There are worries about wildlife and farm animals on the tracks. 

At the same time as the railway is being developed, the king of the Dwarves is having problems with a fundamental sect who are trying to stop the rest of the Dwarves from moving forward. The group engages in numerous terrorist attacks culminating in a coup at the Dwarf palace while the king is away. The railway, even though it is unfinished, is enlisted to get him home to deal with the uprising as fast as possible. While this novel is full of adventure, battles, and political intrigue, it highlights the folly and danger inherent in letting any kind of fundamental religious faction have power over ordinary citizens. 

This is the last book published before Pratchett died, and the second to last in the Discworld collection. In it Pratchett shows us how much the Discworld has progressed from the beginning. Immigrants, (trolls, dwarves and goblins) are not just there to do the jobs that the rest of the population don't want to do. They are are considered people integrated into and influence the rest of Ankh Morpork society. 

CURRENTLY 

This is what I have on the go:

Bloom by Kevin Panetta
Harvey Comes Home by Colleen Nelson
Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise by Ruth Reichl

UP NEXT

Kid Gloves by Lucy Knisley
Pine Island Home by Polly Horvath

BLOG POSTS PLANNED FOR NEXT WEEK

Anne's School Days by Kallie George
Lentil Soup by Carole Tremblay, & Maurèen Poignonec
Bad Sister by Cherise Mericle Harper
 
PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2021 14/25

#MustReadNFIn2021 5/12 

#MustReadPBIn2021 32/100 

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 16/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 53/100

Canada Reads 2021 4/5 

Discworld Series 40/41 

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 196/333 

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#IMWAYR May 10, 2021

Hello out there. 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.


Our house got new windows this week. It is glorious! The most important difference is in our living room. We had a huge double pane picture window that water had leaked into so they never looked clean. Our new ones are crisp clear and have two casement windows on each end to let fresh air flow in. Now all we have to do is finish the trim around them. We also have to finish the rest of the renovations, but it is coming along. 

Aside from that, I spent a lot of time working in the garden this week. I didn't cover my seeds when I planted the first batch and the birds got them. I put netting over the last batch and am keeping seedlings in the cold frame until they get a bit bigger. I sure wish the birds would pull out and eat the weeds that are sprouting. 

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. 

BLOG POSTS LAST WEEK

This Is Ruby by Sara O'Leary & Alea Marley

Out into the Big Wide Lake by Paul Harbridge & Josée Bisaillon (Illustrations)


This is a charming story about a young girl and her grandfather. Although the two of them don't speak the same language, they have a delightful day together and end up bonding. 


Remember Sadie? Meet her friend Ruby. Ruby is a curious, innovative, go getter. Ruby is never bored. This book is a celebration of science and creativity. Check out my blog post here to read more and see images of the gorgeous artwork. 

5 stars

Out Into The Big Lake by Paul Harbridge & Josée Bisaillon (Illustrations) May 18, 2021  🍁

You are going to love Kate! She's based on Harbridge's sister who has down syndrome. A pluckier hero is hard to find. Josée Bisaillon's illustrations are award worthy. Check out my blog post here to read more and see images of the gorgeous artwork. 


LeUyen Pham records the events of the past year as the world shut down because of Covid 19. In spite of the heartache and heartbreak, the book is full of optimism and hope.
Such a beautiful and important book.

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

The Case of the Vanishing Little Brown Bats: A Scientific Mystery by Sandra Markle January 1, 2014

This has been on my to read list since 2014. It's a well written book that talks about what causes white nose syndrome (Pd - Pseudogymnoascus destructans) in little brown bats. It details how scientists identified the cause and what they are doing to try and stop the spread and save these helpful creatures from extinction. It's depressing as heck. Some experts consider white-nose syndrome to be one of the deadliest wildlife diseases in modern times. 
Since this was published in 2014, I did a bit of searching to see what the animal's status is now. It turns out that it attacks other kinds of bats as well. It has spread fast and far in the past decade. In areas where Pd has spread, at least 90% of the bat population has been decimated. In some areas 99% was wiped out. It hasn't reached British Columbia yet, but it's just a matter of time before it arrives here.
On a positive note, it looks like some bats might be genetically resistant to the disease. Whether this will make a difference in the long run, only time will tell.
 
NOVELS


Right from the get go I worried about these children. Upon their emotionally remote grandmother's death, with no one to look after them, three children are evacuated from London to avoid the bombing of WW2. Their lawyer instructs them to keep the secret of their wealth to themselves and see if they can find someone to be their permanent guardian. They go through much hardship before finally finding solace with the local librarian.
I admit that my eyes leaked a bit while reading this.

5 stars

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo June 5, 2012

Leigh Bardugo writes fiction that knocks my socks off. Her world building, her characters, and her stories are all compelling. I believe in the reality of her creations.
Shadow and Bone is a story of friendship, love, magic and betrayal. It's about hope, wrenching off the shackles of those who would control you and coming into your own power. I was heartbroken to discover that there is a long line of people ahead of me for the next one in this series.

5 stars

Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin & Adam Lazarre-White (Narrator) May 18, 1953

I had almost forgotten how beautiful Baldwin's writing is.
This semi biographical novel shows readers the good and bad of the pentecostal church. On the one hand is the amoral hypocrisy of the leaders and on the other, the inspiration and support of community.  It's a hard read that made me want to weep and scream. There is little of compassion in this book. John Grimes' step father is a church pastor. He's hypocritical and physically and emotionally abusive. 

NON FICTION MEMOIR 

Alexandra Morton, "the Jane Goodall of Canada", started out studying whale communication with no intention of ever becoming an activist. When salmon farms first showed up on British Columbia's coast she was only concerned with how they would affect the behaviour of the orca pods in the area. It was local fishermen coming to her with their concerns about wild salmon that started her on the course of advocating for their survival. She went from being a scientist to becoming a scientist activist. This pitted her against multinational farming consortiums, provincial, and federal governments. This is her story. It's a story of corruption, misinformation and intimidation. It's a story of resilience and hope.
Did you know that the only places left on the planet with healthy wild salmon runs are Alaska and Russia? They are also the only places who have kept salmon farming from their waters. If you care about wild salmon, please purchase and read this book. Donate money to Alexandra Morton so she can continue to advocate for these endangered fish.

DISCWORLD NOVELS

I'm so close to the end of the collection that I am reading the last few slowly and savouring each word. 

CURRENTLY 

This is what I have on the go:
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 
The Electric War: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse and the Race to Light the World by Mike Winchell
Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett

UP NEXT

Love Is A Revolution by Renee Watson
Too Small Tola by Atinuke
The Glass Hotel by Emily St. John Mandel 

BLOG POSTS NEXT WEEK

Constellation of the Deep by Benjamin Flouw
We Are All Under One Wide Sky by Deborah Wiles

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2021 12/25 one in progress

#MustReadNFIn2021 4/12 one in progress

#MustReadPBIn2021 32/100 

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 16/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 48/100

Canada Reads 2021 4/5 

Discworld Series 39/41 

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 176/333

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