Showing posts with label Death. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Death. Show all posts

#IMWAYR January 29th, 2024

 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. These are fabulous places to start your search for what to read next.

Winter finally arrived and for two weeks we had snow and unusually cold weather. Then it warmed up. One day we had snow all over the ground and by the next afternoon it was almost gone. Now we have low cloud, fog, and rain. I'm not complaining. We need the moisture.
According to Goodreads, I am two books behind schedule. I figure it's a small miracle that I'm only this far behind. Between having a houseguest for a week, and then coming down with a sinus infection, it's amazing I managed to read at all.
Because of the sinus infection I missed a quilting workshop, but luckily had all the information already so I just sewed on my own at home. The workshop taught a relatively easy strategy for creating bargello quilts. I made two cushion covers instead of a quilt. Now that they are finished, it looks like we need a new sofa. 


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

NO! Said Custard the Squirrel by Sergio Ruzzier September 6, 2022

Don't ask me what this book is all about because I'm still trying to figure it out. I really wish my grandkids were here so I could read it to them and we could talk about what they think. 
Custard the Squirrel looks a lot like a duck, but when asked all kinds of questions about his identity by a little rat in a diaper, he consistently replies no. 
Is this a celebration of being who you truly are? Maybe. 

MIDDLE GRADE NOVELS

4 stars

The Portal Keeper The Misewa Saga #4 by David Alexander Robertson October 10, 2023  🍁

"Morgan and Eli are Indigenous children who discover a portal at their foster home to another world, Askī; there they discover talking animal beings who connect them to traditional ways, as well as help them deal with the challenges in the real world. A fantasy for readers aged ten and up, the Misewa Saga (“misewa” is Cree for “all that is”) series reflects stories of the sky and the constellations held within its great canvas."
 Eli, Morgan, and her friend, Emily have located another portal into Aski. They end up in World's End,  a different place than usual, and discover that something terrible is happening to the animal people there. Back in their own world they are horrified to discover what is going on and must come up with a way to save them. 
This is my favourite series by Robertson. I like that we have two queer characters, but it's not all there is. I like the closeness of the two foster children. I like that Eli is coming into his own kind of super power. 

4 stars

The Oceans Between Stars Chronicle of the Dark Star #2 by Kevin Emerson & Kevin T. Collins (Narrator) February 13, 2018

I read the first in this series ages ago and finally got around to reading the next one.
Liam and Phoebe are two teens who barely escaped with their lives when Mars, the planet they were living on, exploded. They are travelling in stasis with JEFF, their panda shaped robotic  assistant, as they try to catch up to the main ship and reunite with their parents. When they finally arrive, they discover their family's starliner has been destroyed.
Phoebe has secrets of her own. In the prelude we learn that her real name is Xela and her family ended up on Mars when their planet of Telos was destroyed in a ball of fire by humans. She and her people want vengeance. At the same time, she and Liam have become close friends. He accepts her when she finally reveals her true self. Unfortunately she is still keeping some dangerous secrets.
I liked so much about this book. I appreciate that nothing about space and time travel is dumbed down for younger readers. I appreciate the connection between what happened on Telos and colonialism here on our real world. It feels realistic that the two children who want to end the conflict between their two peoples, are mostly ignored by the adults around them. 
If I didn't already have so many books to read, I would probably have started on the final book in the trilogy right away. 

MIDDLE GRADE GRAPHIC NOVELS


This is a profound novel about losing a friend. When a member of close knit group of girls dies suddenly, the remaining girls deal with grief in different ways.
The story is based on the death of one of the authors’ friends. It’s set in the same town as where they grew up. I like that each character is based on one of the local animals of the area. 

YA/ADULT GRAPHIC NOVELS

5 stars

In Limbo by Deb J.J. Lee March 7, 2023

In this gorgeous, debut graphic memoir, Lee shares her story of growing up Korean in America. It's a painful story of trying to fit into a world where you are an outsider.  While her mother was supportive of her desire to create art, she was prone to violence and physically abused Lee. Her father let it happen. As her close friend began to distance herself she became increasingly insecure and depressed. By the time she graduated from high school, she had attempted suicide twice. 


For me, this Canada Reads title was a window into a world I scarcely new existed. It's a compelling narrative that reads like a collection of short stories with the same main character. It starts with a young Congolese  girl, Loli, shaving her head in order to pass a boy so she can get into Canada. This sets the stage for a gritty exploration of gender, sexualization of girls and women, mental health, and poverty. It's also a story of resilience and overcoming. It isn't for the faint of heart. 


This continues the story of John Bachelor, a character first introduced in the novella, The List. His many screwups have left him in financial straights. When a couple of Dogs (the service's internal security division) from MI5 rough him up and tell him to find one of the retired spies he's supposed to be minding, he thinks he might be able to find his way back into the good graces of the agencies leader. He's wrong of course, but the machinations of all the actors makes for a great read.

CURRENTLY

Eve: How the Female Body Drove 200 Million Years of Human Evolution by Cat Bohannon

Almost Brown: A Mixed-Race Family Memoir by Charlotte Gill

UP NEXT (MAYBE)

Moon of the Turning Leaves by Waubgeshig Rice

READING GOALS 

#MustRead2024 2/25 one on the go

NonFiction 1/25 one on the go

Canadian Authors 3/50

Indigenous Authors 1/25 

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 13/200 
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A Green Velvet Secret by Vicki Grant



Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this novel. It will be released March 07, 2023, by Tundra Books.

Yardley (Ya Ya) and her grandmother, Gidge, a retired teacher and costume designer, are as close as two best friends could ever be. Gidge is flamboyant, outgoing, and deals with problems straight on, so when she receives a terminal cancer diagnosis, she lets her family know with helium filled silver balloons and a champagne breakfast. 

As she begins to get her affairs in order, Grandmother and granddaughter continue to be inseparable. Gidge works on her Karma, by sitting in the garden writing letters to people in her past who she has wronged while Yardley weeds. The two of them go through a life time of Gidge's clothing to take to a consignment shop to sell. The best place is owned by Conrad Kim (Connie) one of Gidge's former students. After a joyful reunion Gidge and Yardley spend a lot of time at the store. Connie's nephew, Harris, is always there working on his puzzle books. Gidge and Connie encourage a friendship between the two twelve year olds, but Harris wants nothing to do with her. 

As Yardley and Gidge spend more time together readers become aware of Gidge's failing health. Eventually she decides to stop chemotherapy and makes arrangements for a medically assisted death at home. Ya Ya is not ready for this, but the date arrives and her family is there with her as Gidge breathes her last breath. I'm not going to lie, I pretty much bawled my eyes out along with Yardley, her father and mother. 

Yardley continues to spend time at the shop, organizing clothes and helping set up displays. Harris remains aloof. Then one day she receives a letter from Gidge. Yardley gets it in her head that Gidge has been reincarnated. One day an older women comes into the shop claiming she is there to pick up a parcel she won. When she opens it up in the shop, it's Gidge's green velvet dress. Yardley becomes certain the woman is Gidge. As she sinks into magical thinking, Harris begins to take note of what's going on and tries to help her out. His actions are somewhat misguided at times, but it all turns out well by the end of the book.  

I loved so much about this book. The characters are brilliant. Yardley's quirkiness and unique fashion flair reminded me of one of my students. I liked that while the parents, both actors in a small theatre company, are also a bit odd, they have their daughters best interests at heart. 

I adored the glorious descriptions of vintage clothing!

It’s interesting to be reading this book at the ripe old age of almost 70. I can connect with Yardley, a young girl losing her grandmother, because I had two dearest grandmas I loved to spend time with. One of them lived with us at the end of her life. Now I have grandchildren of my own, so I am able to connect with Gidge, a grandmother having to say that final goodbye to her beloved granddaughter. I'm pretty sure that people will connect to both these fabulous characters even without this kind of background knowledge. 

In spite of the fact that this book is about grief and the magical thinking that accompanies the death of someone important, it’s chock full of laughter too. Be prepared for joy, laugh out loud humour, and tears. 

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#IMWAYR October 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.

I sit here on the Monday morning of Canadian Thanksgiving weekend midst the detritus and chaos that can only mean that the grandchildren have been visiting. After a few minutes pondering whether I should clean up, go back to bed, or write a blog post, I realized it's been a month since my last one. Either we have been away, or we have had company. Considering that for the next two weekends our house will be full of guests again, and the mess can wait, here I am. 

I wish I had done more reading, but being around people so much seriously cuts into my reading life. At least what I have read has been worth it! I'm not going to share everything I read in the last while, just what I think is important or exceptional. 

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.
I was lucky to grow up in the same small town as both my grandmothers. My sons were lucky that it was only a 5 hour drive to visit their grandparents in the same small town. My grandchildren are not so lucky. One set have grandparents in Korea.
I loved the parallels between the two grandmothers who might live on opposite sides of the world from each other, but fit into the child's life in the same ways.

5 stars

The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig Eugene Trivizas &  Helen Oxenbury January 1, 1993

The five year olds were fascinated by this take on the traditional story - so much so that I was requested to read it more than once. The grandson especially liked it. It was a reminder to me how important it is to interrupt traditional narratives.  Next time they visit I will share The True Story of the 3 Little Pigs by Jon Scieszka.

I wasn't sure how this one was going over when I first read it to my five and two and a half year old granddaughters. The eldest left when I was still reading, but it turned out that the youngest truly enjoyed it. I had to read it to her twice. Then she managed to convince her father and grandfather to read it to her at least two other times. 
I would definitely have purchased this for our school library. It makes a brilliant addition to lifecycle collection. I appreciated the additional information in the back matter, the glossary and the index. Fiona Fogg's illustrations make this a fascinating and creepy read.  

READERS

I picked up this book because I was off to visit my grandkids. The 2 1/2 year old is a hardcore Bruce fan. Unfortunately, this was over her head and she really didn't get the humour. I enjoyed it, but not as much as Peek a Bruce, both of our favourite titles.

I dug these two The Old Witch titles out from my personal collection to read with my grandkids while they visited this weekend. When I was working I would put as many in the series as we had in our school library on display for Halloween. They were always popular, even if I did have to push a bit to get them started. 

They delighted both my five year old grandkids. I encourage you to read them if you can find any copies. They are humorous readers full of interesting plot twists. At their heart is a delightful sweetness. The two we read have different illustrators. This led to an interesting conversation about which books we liked best based on the artwork. I checked the series out and discovered that almost all the books have different illustrators. I don't think you would find this in a series today. If I was still teaching I would dig out as many different copies as I could and do a critical literacy lesson looking at how the different kinds of artwork influence our perceptions of character. 
I went looking for more information about Ida DeLage and could find nothing. If you have any knowledge about her, please let me know. 
  

The Old Witch goes to a Halloween ball dressed as herself. She is mistaken for an elderly lady who usually dressed up as an old witch. When she doesn't win first prize for her outfit, Old Witch is very angry. She has plans for retribution but luckily, the farmer's wife has a plan to stop her.  


The Old Wizzard invites the Old Witch over to show her his newest invention, a hot air balloon gondola. He tells her that she won't need her broom. Luckily, she sneaks it in when he isn't looking. It ends up being a good thing. 
I preferred the illustrations in this to the previous one because Old Witch is more human and less of a caricature. 

MG NOVELS

5 stars

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

This book is full of humour, love, and heartache. I adored it. While I was reading it with my eyes, I kept imagining it read by Mary Walsh, or other members of the cast of This Hour has 22 Minutes.

It’s 1995 and 14 year old Barry Squires is full of bravado and piss and vinegar. His life is complicated. He has a port wine birthmark on his face that makes him a target for bullies. His mother is going through baby blues after a surprise child later on in life. Barry adores his baby brother Gord.

After watching the Full Tilt dancers perform, Barry desperately wants to become a member of this troupe of Irish dancers. He watches Riverdance twice and does nothing but practice all the moves. He figures he’s a shoe in. He plans to dazzle Father O'Flaherty with his skill and finds all kinds of ways to practice. Part of this is entertaining the residents of the old folks home.

The problem is that Barry has a temper that he can’t control. He’s also a bit of a prima donna.

The book is loaded with unique and colourful characters. Almost all of them are on Barry's side. When he meets Saibal, a brown skinned lad his own age whose family are long time Newfies, they become instant best friends. Together they do their best to get up to no good. A lot of that involves taking Gord out in his stroller for long walks around the town. When tragedy strikes, Saibal is there for him.

4 stars

Dragon Thief  (Dragons in a Bag #2) by Zetta Elliott, Ron Butler (Narrator) & Soneela Nankani (Narrator) October 22, 2019 🍁

I ended up enjoying the second in Zetta Elliots fantasy series even more than the first. Kavita, who stole one of the baby dragons Jaxon was supposed to deliver, is having trouble as the little rascal continues to grow and has now learned to escape from her room. She confides in Aunty, the elderly woman who lives with her. The two of them head out to see if they can find someone who will help them return the dragon to it's own world. They end up in serious trouble. 
After their return from the magical world, Ma, Jaxson's mentor, fell into a coma. Jaxson, along with Kavita's brother, Vikram, and their new friend, Kenny, set off to find a gate to the other realm in hopes of finding a cure for her. In the process they meet with Kavita and have to work together to keep the baby dragon safe, and return it to where it belongs.
Like the prequel, this is full of adventure and excitement. I liked that Kenny and Aunty proved to be much more than they first seemed to be. I appreciated learning about the history of black people in India. 
I enjoyed this so much that as soon as it was finished, I downloaded the next in the series. 
Zetta Elliott was born and raised in Canada, but now lives in the United States.
 
5 stars

Hummingbird by Natalie Lloyd (Author and Narrator) May 3, 2022

As soon as I started reading Hummingbird, I fell in love with Natalie Lloyd's writing all over again. She reminds us of what is really important: that what we need and what we think we need, might not be the same things.
She does this by creating characters so real and heartfelt that we can't help but root for them. Perhaps I'm drawn to twelve-year-old Olive, who because she has osteogenesis imperfecta, must use a wheelchair. I grew up with a parent who used a wheelchair and am always happy to see characters of any age wheeling around. Of course, Olive's spunk and optimism makes it impossible not to admire her. I like that it's her athletic stepbrother who has insecurity issues while Olive almost spills over with confidence and determination.

5 stars

Last Day on Mars by Kevin Emerson & Kevin T. Collins (Narrator) February 14, 2017

Thanks to Aaron @ Wriggling Bookworms for the introduction to this one. Now that I finally finished it I have to wonder, what took me so long?
I was drawn into this world right from the get go. I remained entranced throughout.
It's the story of a couple of teens, Liam and Phoebe, who, because of their parents research work, are scheduled to leave on the last airship from Mars just before the sun goes supernova.
It's full of suspense, action, and mystery. It involves time travel, the discovery of aliens, and for the two teens, a whole new way of looking at the universe.

Bree and her single parent father are moving to Florida. She is worried, but ends up meeting Clara, a girl from her new school, in the lobby of their building. Bree looks forward to joining the Math club, but it turns out to be full. So are all the other clubs. Well, all except for Swimming. Not only can Bree not swim, she's afraid of the water. The only good thing is that Clara is also a member. After cutting swim club enough times, her father finds out and hires Etta, an older swimmer, to teach her to swim.
No one is more surprised than Bree when she makes it on the school swim team, the Mighty Manatees. The worst thing about swim meets is the group of mean girls at Holyoke Prep, a private school with top of the line amenities. They go our of their way to harass the swimmers from the public school. Things start looking up when their coach enlists Etta's help with the team, but the team itself still can't seem to come together to support one another.
I liked this book a lot. I like how it introduces readers to the history of segregation with respect to swimming and pool access. I like the relationship between Bree and her father. He works too much, but still does his best to support his daughter. I also really liked the intergenerational friendship between Etta and Bree. I appreciated that when Bree went out of her way to locate the members of Etta's swimming team, her own team began to coalesce.
I liked the bright colourful artwork. I especially admired the yellow of the Mighty Manatees compared to the other teams. On top of all the history and drama, Johnnie Christmas has added strong character development. I loved that ending with Bree and her father.
I hope there is a sequel, and expect the target audience will too.

YA & ADULT FICTION

5+ stars

The Obelisk Gate (The Broken Earth #2) N.K. Jemisin & Robin Miles (Narrator)

My God but I absolutely adore this series. If you haven't read it, I highly encourage you to get started. The world building and characters are frigging brilliant. I read it twice. 
It is set on a supercontinent facing a fifth season (what could turn out to be millennia of winter). The tale is told through the perspectives of Essun, a mother and gifted orogene (person with magical ability,) and Nassun, her adolescent daughter. Essun is hunkered down in the Castrima Comm where she is learning more about her powers from Alabaster, a previous lover, who is near death. Nassun's story begins with her discovery of the murder of her younger brother by their father. They embark upon a journey to a place where he thinks Nassun can be cured of her orogene. 
The only bad thing about finishing this book is having to wait for the last in the series to become available. 

This book made my heart sing. 
There are three different stories all coming together.
Tova Sullivan, 70 years old and recently widowed works cleaning the local aquarium at night. She works to take her mind off the loss of her husband and Eric, her 18 year old son who went missing many years earlier. She bonds with Marcellus McSquiddles, a pacific octopus, after rescuing him from being tangled up in cords on one of his nightly escapes from his tank.
Cameron, raised by a loving aunt, is a an aging garage band rocker with no goal or focus in life. When he is given a box of his mothers, he thinks he has a line on who his father is and sets out to find him. He ends up working in the same aquarium as Tova.
Marcellus McSquiddles, a pacific octopus, narrates this story. He deduces what happened to Eric and sees things in these two that they can't see for themselves. In his nightly excursions he does what he can to help them realize it.


The Littlest Library by Poppy Alexander & Karen Cass (Narrator)

This is an ideal feel good novel. Not only does it have romance, it's got lots of conversations about books for people of all ages.


A Prayer for the Crown-Shy by Becky Chambers & Em Grosland  (Narrator) July 12, 2022

I loved this continuation of the story of Sibling Dex and Mosscap. I loved the deepening friendship between these two characters. But when it ended, I screamed, "No, No! this can't be all there is!"
It continues the conversation about what it is that we humans need. It provides a model for living together in healthy communities where people look after each other and their environments.
While I wait for the next one in this series, I suppose I should start reading Becky Chambers other work. 

CURRENTLY
   
The Merciless Ones (The Gilded Ones, #2) by by Namina Forna
Invisible by Christina Diaz Gonzalez
The Project by Courtney Summers 🍁

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 must admit that they are merely suggestions.

UpGrade by Blake Crouch
We, Jane by Aimee Wall April 27, 2021  🍁
Batter Royale by Leisl Adams June 7, 2022  🍁

READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 21/24 

#MustReadNonFiction 14/18

Canadian Authors 57/100 one in progress

Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 

Indigenous Authors 15/25 one in progress

2022 Big Book Summer Challenge 7

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 227/250

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#IMWAYR May 23, 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. 

How are you all doing? In spite of the miserable cold weather, I managed to get the vegetable garden planted. When I was at the nursery I also picked up a few flowering plants for the other gardens too. You can never have too much colour in the yard. 
It was a strange reading week for me. I finished a brilliant novel by TJ Klune, and then couldn't get into anything after that. I started listening to a number of books and gave up. I started reading a few titles with my eyes, but couldn't get into them either. Thank goodness I finally found a book that I could connect too. 
Here in Canada we are celebrating the Victoria Day Weekend. It's been quiet since we stayed home and our children did the same. I'm off on Tuesday to Vancouver where I will visit my grandchildren for a couple of sleeps before heading off to my annual Women's Weekend. 

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.

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS 

Shortly after Sundar Paliwal became leader of his village in India, he lost one of his daughters. He decided to honour her by planting 111 trees. Then he convinced the villagers to plant 111 trees every time a girl child was born into the village. He brought in engineers from the city to organize an irrigation system to keep the trees alive in the desert climate. Aloe Vera was planted to protect the trees from termites and other pests. From these plants women created health products to sell. Within a short period of time the community's health and wealth grew. Today more than 25000 trees have been planted. The landscape and lives of girls have been radically altered. 
In addition, through a shared community investment strategy, Sundar Paliwal ensured that each girl would go to school and not be married off until she was 18. 
Rendered in watercolor, gouache, and graphite, Marianne Ferrer's illustrations are just gorgeous. 
Our world needs more people like Sundar Paliwal. 

GRAPHIC

4 stars

Roll With It by Lee Durfey-Lavoie & Veronica Agarwal October 5, 2021

Thanks to Max at Completely Full Bookshelf for introducing me to this title. 
It is a story about a young girl with anxiety/OCD issues. In spite of this, her new year in middle school starts out well. She makes a new friend, joins an after school club, and seems to be settling in well. Things at home are mostly good. 
On the down side, one of her sisters might be leaving home, and there seems to be some kind of low crawling creature/monster lurking outside the school. As her anxiety increases, she starts to have trouble finishing homework. 
Maggie is controlled by a kind of magical thinking. Upon arriving home from school she engages in a ritual of switching the lights on and off. She carries a 20 sided die with her and rolls it continuously to help her make decisions. Her parents suggest she see a therapist, but despite the evidence, Maggie insists she is fine. By the end of the book, she realizes she needs help and goes to see one 
I liked a lot about this book. I liked that we see how therapy helped Maggie. I liked the inclusion of the role playing game. It took me back to the days when my sons were engrossed in Dungeons and Dragons. (They still play, but now that they are fathers, less often.) I appreciated the incidental diversity in the characters. I also liked the information in the back matter about how the book was developed. 

ADULT NOVELS 


What happens when a not very nice man dies unexpectedly and doesn't want to move on into the afterlife? Read this and discover one possibility: a possibility full of hilarity, sweetness, rehabilitation and romance. 
I did not want this book to end.
I am now an unapologetic fan of T.J. Klune. 
While this is an adult novel, I would happily include it in a high school library. 

I have long been a fan of Joan Didion, but until listening to this collection of essays from her earlier life, had almost forgotten why. That woman could write! Didion made everything she wrote about seem fascinating. She challenges her readers to reexamine our own perceptions of subjects she addressed. Her essay on the media (written in 1968) feels scarily prescient for where we are today. 
Also, the introduction by Hilton Als is a brilliant overview of her life.

4 stars

Okanagan Geology South by Murray A. Roed and Robert J. Fulton (Editors) October 2017  🍁

I asked my partner a question about what mountain range we are part of, and he handed me this book. I finished it in one sitting. I suspect that people not acquainted with the area would not be as fascinated as I was to read about the area's geological history and existing features. Being able to make personal connections to the different areas written about made it all come alive. My one quibble about this book is that it was difficult to keep track of all the figures mentioned in the text. I also wish the index was more detailed. 

CURRENTLY

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro & Sara Siu (Narrator)
Cress Watercress by Gregory Maguire

UP NEXT 

Cold by Mariko Tamaki
An Elegant Defense: The Extraordinary New Science of the Immune System: A Tale in Four Lives by Matt Richtel

READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 11/24 

#MustReadNonFiction 8/18 

Canadian Authors 29/100

Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 

Indigenous Authors 11/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 120 /250
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#IMWAYR April 11, 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 to everyone participating in #MustReadIn2022,  I will host an (entirely optional) update at the end of the month. How are you doing? My goal is to have a post ready April 25th for you to connect to.

How have you all been? I've been fighting a sinus infection for the past week or so. My head feels like it's full of cotton and it's been hard to focus on my reading. Luckily I had a stack of graphic novels and picture books to while away the time. 

In spite of the foggy head I have managed to do some poetry writing every day so far this month. I shared a poem about my mother with my family, but other than that, I'm just enjoying the writing. 

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 

4 stars

Everybody in the Red Brick Building by Anne Wynter, Oge Mora (Illustrator) October 12, 2021

Loved this cumulative story that begins with a baby waking in the middle of the night. The baby wakes up others and the sounds build up until everyone goes back to sleep to the cumulative quiet noises of night.

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

Stacey's Extraordinary Words by Stacey Abrams & Kitt Thomas (Illustrator) December 28, 2021

As a person who is not a brilliant speller, I am not a huge fan of spelling bees. That said, I am a huge fan of Stacey Abrams and was delighted to read this picture book memoir about her early life as a spelling bee contestant.
I suspect that if I had grown up thinking about words the way Stacey did, my spelling might have been at least slightly better. I hope this book inspires readers to be as persistent as Stacey about all of their goals. I also hope it encourages teachers to teach language with this kind of joy and creativity.


At first I thought this was going to be a take on the ant and grasshopper story. Initially it seems like this, but then ends up in an exciting adventure.
Two mice, Cornbread and Poppy, might be best friends, but they are as different as chalk and cheese. As winter approaches Poppy is not ready, but Cornbread is prepared to go with her into danger to help her find enough food to get her through the winter. They are forced to journey up the high mountain where danger and delightful surprises await them.
I'm getting this one for my grandkids for their fifth birthdays.
This book reminded me of Avi's Poppy series. I'll be suggesting my sons do it as a read aloud.

YA GRAPHIC


This book is about growing up and coming into your own power. The tension between Mandy and her superhero mom, StarFire, represents the separation of all children from their parents. It’s more challenging for Mandy because her mother seems to be the exact opposite of her. It’s only by distancing herself, and facing true danger, that she discovers how much they have in common.


Keum Suk Gendry-Kim calls this autobiographical fiction. It's loaded with truth about her mother's life growing up and fleeing North Korea when the communists took control. It introduces readers to the lotteries where a few hundred separated families are able to see one another for a short time. The tale is harrowing and heartbreaking.
This week I'll be picking up Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, a story about the Korean Comfort Women.

5 stars

Shadow Life by Hiromi Goto  🍁 & Ann Xu (Illustrations) March 30, 2021

Death might be stalking Kumiko, but she is not ready for it just yet.
This book is profound. It reminded me of my mother and mother in law who were not ready to give up their independence when circumstances forced them to. I'm no spring chicken myself and see hints of those dark shadows that follow Kumiko around.
I love that while this book centres on Kumiko now, we are also introduced to the strong young woman she once was.


Things heave been pretty much the same at Fawn Creek school until the exotic new girl, Orchid Mason arrives. She's got her own secrets, but that doesn't stop her from changing her classmates lives. She introduces them to a new way of looking at themselves and accepting who they are. Before she leaves she also shows them how brave and genuinely good they can be to one another.

ADULT NOVELS 

5 stars

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman & Martin Jarvis (Narrator)

I just refinished listening to this in preparation for season 2 on Amazon Prime. 
This book is so much fun to read (or listen to.) It's easy to imagine how much fun Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman had writing it.
Two children are born. Another, the antichrist, arrives at the hospital and his planned substitution goes awry.
Consequently his strategic upbringing is meted out to the wrong child. This really screws things up, as nothing takes. Meanwhile, the real antichrist grows up in a small village with loving parents and a cohort of close friends.
Considerable celestial and satanic energy have been put into preparing for Armageddon. As the time draws near, the armies of good and evil are ready and waiting for the antichrist to take over the world and destroy it.
But what if the main actor decides to change plans?
This novel is peopled by a delightful cast of characters, including The Gang of Them, a 'fussy angel and a fast living demon', witches and witch finders, and the four Horsemen of the apocalypse.
It's also full of rich ruminations on religion, life, and what it means to be human.

CURRENTLY

Audiobook - Darius the Great Is Not Okay by Adib Khorram

All the Quiet Places by Brian Thomas Isaac 🍁

UP NEXT 

Stuntboy, in the Meantime by Jason Reynolds & Raúl the Third (Illustrations)

The Dawn of Everything: A New History of Humanity by David Graeber & David Wengrow

Golden Gate (City Spies 2) by James Ponti

A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger

READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 8/24 one in progress

#MustReadNonFiction 5/18

Canadian Authors 24/100

Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 

Indigenous Authors 9/25 one in progress

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 89/250
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