Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts

#IMWAYR June 5, 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. 



Well, it finally happened. My cousin and I, even though we wore our N95 masks, picked Covid up at a celebration of life last weekend.  My sister, who was with us, managed to escape the bullet. Six days in and I am still testing positive. The worst of it is that it has triggered my asthma which will take some time to get back under control. I sure am glad I have had all my vaccinations. I shudder to imagine what this would be like without them. 

Aside from that I had a wonderful time with my women friends in our three bedroom cabin on the beach. I got no reading accomplished while with them except for listening to a bit of Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett before going to sleep.

I was visiting with the grandkids for a couple of sleeps before the weekend and enjoyed reading with them. I did nothing for the first few days of Covid, but I've managed to read a bit with my eyes and my ears since then.

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 

3 stars

The Blur by Minh Lê & Dan Santat (Illustrations) May 03, 2022

I get why this might be a popular giveaway at graduation. However, unlike Oh, the Places You Go! by Dr Seuss, which I have read to children of many ages, this one feels focused on adults and older readers. My five year old granddaughter wasn’t interested at all.

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS 

This book provides a vignette from Yo-Yo Ma's Bach Project, a two year endeavour to connect people through music. In this instance we see him playing at the Mexican/United States border in Texas. It is beautifully written and beautifully illustrated. 
Extra material in the back matter tells us more about Yo-Yo Ma, the project, and Petunia, his cello. If you are like me, you will want to go and listen to the music as soon as you are done reading. 




My granddaughter and I are huge fans of Mercy Watson. I had to explain about drive in movie theatres back in the day when I was young. Aside from that we both laughed and laughed at Mercy's exploits. Alas there was no hot buttered popcorn waiting for us when we finished.

My granddaughter and I enjoyed this third adventure at The Fabled Stables. It's a story about belonging and attachment. With Fen claiming that caretakers don't stay forever, Auggie is worried that he might have to leave. The two of them end up chasing after a new beast, a Shibboleth. It leads them to the lair of the nasty Rooks. After the Shibboleth swallows Auggie whole, it's up to Fen to save the day.


This is a lovely tale about community. Cress, her mother, and younger brother have to leave their warren and move into an apartment in an old tree. There is much going on: grief for the father who went out one night and didn't return, wild precarious adventures, making new friends, and becoming part of a loving community. David Litchfield's artwork is glorious.

NOVELS


Once I started this book, I couldn't stop. It's a coming of age tale that includes a murder mystery. It's told from the perspectives of Todd, the ghost of the murdered young boy, and Georgia, a girl who becomes fascinated with the case. Both are queer kids finding it almost impossible to fit in. Georgia is sure she has seen Todd somewhere before. I found it interesting that while it's a murder mystery, Georgia does not try to be a detective. She still ends up discovering what happened to Todd and why. 
Tamaki's depictions of winter will have you going and putting a jacket on.


I'm always excited when Ms. Yingling gives a book 5 stars because I know it will be brilliant. 
This is the kind of historical MG novel I love best. While set in modern times, it educates readers, through the story telling of the grandfather, about what it was like to be Chinese American across the span of the last 100 years or so. There is also a solid story line relevant to the characters experiences today. Lisa Yee's characters deal with just the right amount of conflict that ends up getting resolved in a healthy manner. There is a bit of a mystery to solve. I appreciate how it shows us both overt and covert racism across all eras.

Klara is a highly observant artificial friend. The story is told from her perspective. In the first part of the novel, she waits in the shop taking in the world around her while waiting to be picked by a girl or boy. Then she is chosen by Josie, a young girl with a strange sickness. Being solar powered, Klara sees the sun as a kind of mystical being who can be convinced to heal her.
I was completely mesmerized by this book. It's a book that examines relationships, childhood, love, and what it means to be human. Yet that ending was brutal. Klara is a character I won't be able to forget.

CURRENTLY

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

Satellite Love by Genki Ferguson  🍁

The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn

The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett

UP NEXT 

Rez Rules by Chief Clarence Louie

Worser by Jennifer Ziegler

READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 12/24 

#MustReadNonFiction 8/18 one in progress

Canadian Authors 31/100

Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 

Indigenous Authors 11/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 128 /250
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#IMWAYR July 19, 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.

I'm trying hard to get on top of my picture book reading these days. I should be more than half way through my #MustReadPBIn2021 reading goal but I'm not. It's not a hardship to read these book, in fact it's mostly pure joy. I intend to do better. 

I'm also continue trying to get my garden under control. I fear is a losing battle, but one I'm not prepared to concede quite yet. We have been enjoying feasting on all the fruits of our labour. Nothing tastes as good as a bacon and tomato sandwich made with home made bacon, bread, and freshly picked tomatoes. It tastes delicious even without the bacon. 

We got our second jab last week. I am happy to report that other than a sore arm neither my partner or I experienced any side effects. 

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


PICTURE BOOKS

 
4 stars

And Then It's Spring by Julie Fogliano & Erin E. Stead (Illustrator) January 1, 2012

A young boy and his dog plant seeds at the end of winter and wait for them to finally grow. I love the vintage feel of Stead's illustrations.

3.5 stars

Little Wolf by Teoni Spathelfer & Natassia Davies (Illustrator) May 19 2021 🍁

This tells of a young Indigenous girl growing up in a city while holding fast to her roots and culture. She spends summers on her grandfather’s fishing boat. She looks for animals wherever she is. The highlight of her younger years is getting a dog. While she endures some racism, she stays strong. The library becomes her favourite place. She spends hours there reading about other cultures and the leadership of MLK.
This doesn’t have a plot or story arc. It just highlights the ordinary life of this young urban Indigenous girl.
Natassia Davis’ art is glorious.

5 stars

Because by Mo Willems & Amber Ren (Illustrator) March 5, 2019

Because this book is a celebration of music and happenstance. Because this book gave me shivers while I read it. Because I’m encouraging everyone to pick it up and give it a chance. 

4 stars

Julián at the Wedding by Jessica Love October 6, 2020

I absolutely adore the art work in this picture book. I love that it celebrates love itself. I appreciate that it captures the acceptance and joy of childhood. 

5 stars

Almost Time by Gary D. Schmidt, Elizabeth Stickney & G. Brian Karas (Illustrator) January 14, 2020

When there is no more maple syrup for his pancakes, a young boy knows that sugaring off time will be soon. When his tooth becomes loose, his father says it will come out when it’s time to collect maple syrup. I loved the hints of how the season is progressing. It’s there in the increasing amount of daylight and in the gradual warming of the air. In spite of this, from the boy’s perspective, it still seams take ages and ages.
“But the days were still cold. And the nights were still long.”

4 stars

I Promise by Catherine Hernandez & Syrus Marcus Ware (Illustrations) October 15, 2019 🍁

This book made me happy. A young girl asks her mother where her different friends come from. Her mother responds that each one comes from a promise. Sometimes it’s a promise that every child deserves a safe home. Sometimes it’s a promise to share and take turns because different people are good at different kinds of things.
While this book might be a celebration of queer families, these promises resonate for all of us.

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

Terry Fox and Me by Mary Beth Leatherdale & Milan Pavlović (Illustrator) August 4, 2020 🍁

People outside of Canada hardly know of Terry Fox. In Canada he has more than once been voted our number one hero.
He was always an athlete. When he was at university, bone cancer was discovered in his leg. 80% was amputated. A year or so later, using a prosthetic leg, he set off on the Marathon Of Hope. He planned to run across Canada to raise money for cancer research. This narrative, told from the perspective of his best friend, Doug Alvarado, gives us additional insight into the kind of person Terry was. Doug helped him train for the daily marathon and was with him everyday until Terry was forced to stop. His cancer had returned.
Each year people take up Terry’s challenge and participate in the annual Marathon of Hope. To date $800 million dollars have been raised. In 2020 three million students participated in the run.

5 stars

She Caught the Light: Williamina Stevens Fleming: Astronomer by Kathryn Lasky & Julianna Swaney (Illustrations) January 1, 2021

Williamina (Mina) Flemming was a bright child who ended up having to leave school and go to work when her father died.
When her husband disappeared, Mina, then pregnant, found a job working as a maid for the Director of the Harvard college observatory, Professor Pickering, and his wife Elizabeth. Both of them recognized her intelligence and eventually Mrs. Pickering urged her husband to hire Mina. Because she was a woman, Mina wasn’t allowed to look through a telescope. What she saw were the glass plates that recorded what men saw through them. She was one of a team of women known as the "human computers."
Eventually William Mina Patton Stevens Fleming was the first woman to be appointed to a titled position at Harvard University: the curator of astronomical photographs. In her lifetime she classified the spectra of over 10,000 stars and created the classification system that helped map the universe.
Julianna Swaney used watercolor, gouache, colour pencil and Photoshop to create these illustrations.
The back matter contains a timeline, a glossary, a biography, and author's note, and a bibliography. 
Many thanks to Jeanne Walker at True Tales & A Cherry On Top for introducing me to this book.

NON FICTION GRAPHIC

5 stars

Fred & Marjorie: A Doctor, a Dog, and the Discovery of Insulin by Deborah Kerbel & Angela Yoon (Illustrations) 🍁

They didn't wear capes, but Banting and Best were superheroes. The two scientists worked with stray dogs to find a cure for diabetes. This exciting graphic novel shows how insulin was discovered and created.
We need more inspirational stories like this one.
These scientists sold their rights for the treatment for $1 each. None of them were rich. In fact, Banting barely made ends meet until he was finally given a salary.
Today, disaster capitalists manufacture and sell insulin at prices so high that individuals with the disease die because they can't afford their medication.
You can read my full blog post here.


Sila’s mother, Oya, had to return to Turkey to get some documents signed to sort out her immigration status. Almost a year later, she is still there. Sila and her father’s despair are almost overwhelming.
One day Sila’s father takes her with him to do some repairs on an old truck. The two of them make friends with Gino, its owner. He lives on a wild expanse of land surrounded by an eight foot high stone wall that he purchased with lottery winnings. One day they meet at a donut shop to celebrate Gino’s birthday. A disbanding circus group arrives and before the day is done, Gino has purchased himself an elephant named Veda and a very cranky bear. He soon finds a suitable place for the bear, but sets out on a steep learning curve for how to look after an elephant.
At school Silas has been paired up in a special project with Mateo, an autistic boy. Eventually the two of them become friends. That summer they work together at Gino’s helping out with Veda. Mateo’s mother is a lawyer and when she finds out what has happened to Oya, works with another lawyer in the firm pro bono to bring her home.
This book is beautifully written. Goldberg Sloan writes authentic, emotionally engaging characters readers can’t help but care about. The multiple storylines come together in a fairytale ending. I loved it.
I wondered about this not being an own voices novel. On the book jacket it says that Holly Goldberg Sloan spent part of her childhood growing up in Istanbul. It feels authentic to me, but I wonder what a Turkish reader would think.

5 stars

Fugitive Telemetry by Martha Wells April 27, 2021

I am of the opinion that if you haven't read any Murderbot Diaries, then you are living a deprived life. Murderbot just might be my favourite fictional character. They are definitely my favourite sci fi character. In this story Murderbot works with the security team on Preservation Station to solve a murder.
This one might not have had quite as much humour as some of the others, but it was pure joy to be reading about this character again. I've also got the audiobook on reserve and am looking forward to listening to it. Kevin R. Free has nailed this character in the other books. 

NON FICTION


I listened to this, but plan to read the print version. Sometimes I sink into despair when I think about the lack of progress being made towards dealing with the climate crisis. Seth Klein managed to fill me with hope. He outlines a plan for how a New Green Deal can be implemented. He bases it on the strategies implemented during the second world war, with the proviso that we leave out the racist aspects of those times. I might end up purchasing copies for everyone I know. 

4 stars

Fred Korematsu Speaks up by Laura Atkins, Stan Yogi & Yutaka Houlette (Illustrator) January 30, 2017

The unfair story of Japanese internment here in Canada and in the United States isn’t new to me. However, Fred Korematsu’s story is. Fred grew up wanting to be like any other American teen. When Pearl Harbour was bombed and Japanese Americans were forced to leave their homes on the west coast, he pretended to be someone from Hawaii. He got caught and thrown in jail. A lawyer from the ACLU took in his case for free. They took his case to the Supreme Court where they lost. Forty years later another lawyer approached Fred. New evidence showed that government had lied in the evidence presented to the original judges. Fred was exonerated. Until his death, he continued to fight for fair treatment of all people who were imprisoned because of what they looked like.
I like the formate of this book. Part of the story is told in poetry. There are plenty of more traditional nonfiction text features including photographs, text boxes, and plain text. Cartoons and other artwork capture the personal experiences of other internees.
I like that at the same time as the book highlights Fred’s experiences, it articulated the important role of allies when prejudice and injustice take place.

CURRENTLY 

If I Tell You The Truth by Jasmin Kaur
Under a White Sky: The Nature of the Future by Elizabeth Kolbert & Rebecca Lowman (Narrator)
Ways to Grow Love by Renée Watson, 

UP NEXT

The Disability Experience: Working Toward Belonging by Hannalora Leavitt
I'll continue to work at getting the picture book pile under control.

BLOG POSTS PLANNED FOR NEXT WEEK

A Kid Is a Kid Is a Kid by Sara O'Leary

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2021 20/25 

#MustReadNFIn2021 8/12

#MustReadPBIn2021 45/100 

Big Book Summer Challenge 4 one in progress

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 24/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 76/100 - one in progress

Canada Reads 2021 4/5 

Discworld Series 41/41

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 265 /333 

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