Showing posts with label Nature. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Nature. Show all posts

#IMWAYR August 1st, 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.

Last week I forgot to thank Jen at Introverted Reader for the heads up about the Chrome Library Extension. I love being able to check if any of my libraries have copies of the books when I search for titles on Goodreads. 

Our son and his family left Sunday morning to return home to Vancouver. After a bit of clean up, a bazillion loads of laundry, and a long nap, the missing of them started. 

Before they arrived I managed to almost finish sewing these matching dresses for my granddaughters. Late at night I binge watched Call the Midwife and finished them so they could take them back to Vancouver with them.


We will be away at a wedding next weekend so I won't get a post in for a couple of weeks. 

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


Lydia, my almost two year old granddaughter and I enjoyed a lot of classic picture books this week. Her favourite was Peek a Zoo, but the others were a hit as well. 

4 stars

Apple and Magnolia by Laura Gehl & Patricia Metola (Illustrator) February 8, 2022

A young girl is convinced the two trees in her yard are friends. When one seems to languish, she is certain that the other one helps it out. 
There is ample evidence showing that trees communicate with each other through fungal networks. This book is a delightful introduction to the process.


This is a collection of poetry that connects to different animals that live in, on, or around a pond. They didn't all work for me, but I adored this one about frogs. 
Amy Schimler-Safford's illustrations really make this book for me. They are created with mixed media and finished digitally. The back matter contains additional information about the plants and animals honoured in the book.
Thanks to Linda B at Teacher Dance for introducing this book to me. 

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

When the Schools Shut Down: A Young Girl's Story of Virginia's Lost Generation and the Brown V. Board of Education of Topeka Decision byTamara Pizzoli, Yolanda Gladden & Keisha Morris (Illustrations) January 11, 2022

The caliber of nonfiction picture books available these days is exemplary. This book is the proof. 
Tamara Pizzoli relates how she and other African American children managed to get an education when schools were shut down to avoid integration. The power of this book is that is shows the consequences of the ruling and the aftermath from a personal perspective. 
Thanks to Linda B at Teacher Dance for the heads up about this one too. 

READERS


My five year old grandson and I read the Charlie and Mouse series while he was here. He ended up enjoying them as much as my granddaughter did. If you are not acquainted with this series, you don't need to read them with children. They are delightful on their own. Make sure you read them as hardcopies. The formatting of the ebooks sucks.
 
4 stars

Blippo and Beep by Sarah Weeks & Joey Ellis (Illustrations) May 17, 2022

Everett enjoyed this one too. He grinned the whole way through it. Blippo and Beep, a couple of robotic friends tell jokes to each other. Beep seems to have a better handle on what a joke is. Blippo gets it eventually though. Everett told me he liked the rhyming joke best. 

MG NOVELS


4 stars

The Summer We Saved the Bees by Robin Stevenson September 1, 2015 🍁

Wolf had no idea that his project on bees would end up with his mother becoming passionate about saving them. He had no idea she would create a website and have the whole family involved in raising awareness of colony collapse. Now they are leaving school before the end of the school year. He's expected to wear an ill fitting bee suit and, along with his twin five year old sisters, hand out flyers while his mother entertains crowds. His older step sister, Violet, is angry about having to leave her boyfriend Ty and abandon school before finishing grade ten. But it's Whisper, one of their little sisters who worries him the most. She has always been anxious and worried, but now her stomach aches have gotten worse and she's stopped talking altogether. How can Wolf and Violet get their mother to focus on what's going on with her children now, instead of panicking about their future?
I was much more invested in Wolf's story than I expected to be. I was so angry at his mother that I had to take a break from reading a couple of times. 


You might think that Blue Jasper and his mother would be safe in The Overwood, the Fairie name for our world. Unfortunately, the evil Faerie queen, Olea, stripped of her magic, now lives here. When Blue's mother goes missing, Olea, and a coven of witches, have something to do with it. Blue and his Fairie friends have to rescue her within 24 hours or she will be killed and Olea will get her power back.
While the first two in Prendergast's Orca Currents Faerie Woods series are full of action packed escapes, this one ratchets up the tension. It felt a lot creepier, but maybe that is because the dangers Blue and his friends face are more tangible. I don't even like heights, never mind almost falling off the CN Tower in Toronto.
(The Orca Currents collection are "are short, high-interest novels with contemporary themes written specifically for middle-school students reading below grade level. Reading levels from grade 2.0 to 5.0. Interest level ages 9-12")


I think I liked this book even more than The Jane Austen Society. I was delighted to get to know Evie Stone better, but loved making the acquaintance of Vivien Lowry and Grace Perkins. Reading about the hardships these women faced in academia and in the workplace left me both thankful for the progress we've made, and hoping for more for the working women of today. I loved the literary connections - especially all the women authors and publishers. The romantic bits were delightful. 

CURRENTLY

Diggers by Terry Pratchet
Kim Jiyoung, Born 1983 by Cho Nam-Joo
Forbidden City by James Ponti February 1, 2022

UP NEXT

The Lucky Ones by Linda Williams Jackson
Barry Squires, Full Tilt by Heather Smith  🍁
Cub by Cynthia L. Copeland, 

READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 15/24

#MustReadNonFiction 12/18

Canadian Authors 49/100 

Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 

Indigenous Authors 12/25

2022 Big Book Summer Challenge 6 one in progress

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 181/250


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#IMWAYR June 13, 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. 



This summer I'm once again joining Sue Jackson and others to participate in the 2022 Big Book Summer Challenge. Click on the link if you want to know more about this fun event. I have a list of sixteen books that I may or may not get to this summer. You can have a look at it here.

As I write this on Sunday, it is day thirteen, and I'm still dealing with Covid. The line on the test that confirms positive is fading, so I'm optimistic that it won't last forever. I am feeling better, but my respiratory tract system is out of control and small bits of work exhaust me. These days, while napping is my favourite pastime, I do sneak out into the garden to pull weeds for short intervals and do the odd bit of housework. Thankfully my partner is the main cook around here. 

I did manage to find the time and energy to make an apron for my daughter in law whose birthday was last week. I will send it off to her as soon as I can leave the house. 


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 

A special thanks and shoutout to Max @ Completely Full Bookshelf for introducing these first two book to me.

4 stars

Every Little Kindness by Marta Bartolj (Illustrations) October 12, 2021

This wordless book gobsmacked me from the get go. The art work is brilliant. It's mostly sepia toned with significant bits in red. Following these bright splashes of colour is important because it provides clues for where an act of kindness has been and where it will go next. I like how acts of kindness are inspired not just by being on the receiving end, but also by watching kindness in others. 

Making new friends is challenging for most of us - even in the best of times. For Violet, it's even harder. She is infatuated with Mira, a popular girl in her class. As friendly as Mira is with her, Violet can't get over her own anxiety and shyness to invite Mira to have adventures with her. Even when she crafts a special valentine for Mira, it's not certain that Mira will ever get it.
I love the sweetness in this book. It's a perfect mirror for queer children and any of us experiencing our first crush.

Thanks to Beth Shaum @ A Foodie Bibliophile for the introduction to this one.

Gibberish is the perfect picture book to read at the beginning of a new school year: especially if you have new language speakers in your class. As someone who once taught English as a Second Language, I highly recommend it for all teachers. If I was still working, I would read it to the staff at our first group meeting.
Dat, a young boy, heads off to school in a place where he doesn't know the language. Everything sounds like gibberish to him. On top of that, People can't seem to get his name straight. It's all overwhelming for the young boy. Then a young girl takes him in hand. She invites him to play with her and, as she befriends him, ends up helping him learn this new language.
The imagery in this book is absolutely brilliant. Vo reveals Dat's experience by portraying the speakers of gibberish as black and white cartoonish characters, while Dat himself is shown more realistically in colour. While his emotions are shown clearly, the reader has to work a bit harder to unpack those of the rest of his cartoonish classmates. As Dat's comprehension of this new language increases, we see glorious colour and realism emerge all over the pages.
Young Vo shows Dat's world transform across the span of one day. It is really my only quibble with this book. I know it's only a metaphorical day, but I worry that children might think that learning a new language is easier than it really is.


This is a lovely story about a girl (Jyoti) and her grandmother (Sita Pati). They live in different countries and speak different languages, but the love between them overcomes those barriers. At first Jyoti and her family visit with Sita Pati in India. Then Sita Pati visits Jyoti in United States.
The title of the book comes from Tamil words of parting the author's grandmother taught her to say, instead of goodbye. Enjoy this book trailer. 

Each night before I go to sleep I set the timer and listen to an audiobook. Focusing on the book while I nod off keeps my brain from getting caught up in worrying about the things that otherwise keep me awake.
The book has to be one I have already read, and one without any terrifying bits in it. I've discovered that many of Pratchett's Discworld novels are perfect. Some nonfiction works too.
In The Wee Free Men, Tiffany Aching manages to rescue Wentworth, her little bother, and Roland, the Baron’s son, from the Queen of the Elves. It is a gripping adventure wherein a talking toad, the Nac Mac Feegles, and a frying pan play important roles in the rescue. The remarkable thing about Wee Free Men is that I have now read or listened to it more times than I can remember, and with each read, even when I'm half asleep, I find more to marvel at.   

ADULT NOVELS 


Kate Quinn pretty much had me from the first paragraph of this book. I was fascinated by her fictionalized portrayal of the life of Mila Pavlichenko. Pavlichenko was a Russian Sniper during WW2. After recording at least 311 official kills, she was part of a congregation of Russian students who were sent to the United States to try and encourage that country to engage in a second front against the Germans. Once there she was taken under the wing of Eleanor Roosevelt.
I got so caught up in her story I forgot about what is now happening in the Ukraine. Upon reflection I can't help but acknowledge that how we see stories of war and the participants, really depends upon whose side we are on.

ADULT NON FICTION

5 stars

Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake May 12, 2020

Merlin Sheldrake is frigging brilliant.
Not only is this book full of fascinating information about fungi, it is a delightfully entertaining read that's easy to digest. (pun intended) Listening to it read by the author is an absolute treat. He fills the narrative with nuances of emotion, especially wry humour and excitement.
This book is mind bending in multiple ways. (again, pun intended) The scope of what he takes on in this book is almost overwhelming. Even though I knew a bit about systems theory and fungal networks, my head nearly exploded trying to rid myself of old notions of how the world works and fit a new world view into it.

If you are only going to read one nonfiction title this year, make sure it's this one.

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  🍁

Rez Rules by Chief Clarence Louie 🍁

UP NEXT 

Worser by Jennifer Ziegler

The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune

READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 12/24 

#MustReadNonFiction 9/18 one in progress

Canadian Authors 31/100 two in progress

Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 

Indigenous Authors 11/25 one in progress

2022 Big Book Summer Challenge 1  one in progress

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 135 /250
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Thunder and the Noise Storms by Jeffrey Ansloos , Shezza Ansloos & Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley (Illustrator)


Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this picture book. It was released October 12, 2021, by Annick Press.

Thunder is a young boy who is hypersensitive to sound. When there is too much of it, it creates a noise storm in his head. When he gets overwhelmed by these storms he gets "that funny feeling in my body and my brain feels woozy." 

Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley's illustrations, like this one in the music room, made me feel overwhelmed by noise! 

By recess time, poor Thunder is so frustrated he has a meltdown and the principal calls his Mosom (Grandfather). The rest of the children go inside school while Mosom takes him on a nature walk. 

On their walk, Mosom teaches Thunder about mamaskasitawew, listening with wonder. Thunder learns to focus on the quiet sounds of wind, trees, squirrels, birds and other noises in nature.  

Eventually he is able to focus on the sound of his own heart. When they return to the noisy classroom, Thunder remembers his Mosom's words, "Thunder Thunder, listen with wonder," and finds that listening to his own heart helps him remain calm. 

I liked a lot about this picture book. I loved that Thunder is accepted for who he is and when it's obvious he needs help, the principal gets that one person who can help him. I appreciate that while the story is told in small chunks of text, sounds are integrated into the illustrations in large colourful font. This is sure to make it easier for readers to empathize with Thunder's problem. Not only will it help other students to understand peers like Thunder, it can reinforce the need for using quiet inside voices. I see using mamaskasitawew as a model for helping all students learn to listen, not just those with similar issues. 

While I think that mamaskasitawew is a brilliant strategy for learning how to deal with noisy situations, I found the timeline for Thunder's sudden ability to use it unreasonable. I can't imagine learning this skill in one walk, and worry that younger readers might think it's that easy. Of course this issue can easily be dealt with in a classroom conversation about the book. 

I admire Joshua Mangeshig Pawis-Steckley's artwork - especially the touches of woodland style throughout the book. It's more obvious when you look at the animals, but hints of it are integrated across the book. He works mainly in acrylics, digital illustration and screen-printing. If you've read Sharice's Big Voice, then you already know his work.


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#IMWAYR May 3, 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.

#CCBCBookWeek2021 began on Sunday. Canadian Children’s Book Week is a celebration of Canadian authors of children's literature. 
"From May 2 to May 8, Canadian children’s authors, illustrators and storytellers will embark on our first-ever virtual tour, reaching 17,205 kids and teens across the country. Hosted on digital platforms, our goal is the same as it has always been: to share stories and captivate the imaginations of children and teens. Throughout the week, 45 authors, illustrators and storytellers will visit hundreds of schools, public libraries, bookstores and community centres across Canada to read from their books and share with children the magic of reading, writing, illustrating and storytelling. Touring participants will be visiting students all across Canada, including remote communities like BC’s Salt Spring Island, Fort Simpson in the Northwest Territories, and Lennox Island First Nation, PEI."
I've tried to focus on sharing books by Canadian authors this week and will try to read #CanKidLit books this week.

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 FROM LAST WEEK



PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

My Family, Your Family! by Kathryn Cole & Cornelia Li (Illustrations) September 8, 2020  🍁

I love that this features so much diversity in families. I've ordered copies of this board book for my youngest grandbabies.

4 stars

Blue Rider by Geraldo Valério March 1, 2018  🍁

In this wordless story, A young girl finds a picture book on a busy street and brings it home. When she opens it, she is taken from her drab city existence into a world of nature. Pages explode with colour as she reads it. When she finished the book, her bedroom has been transformed.

5 stars

At the Pond by Geraldo Valério March 1, 2020  🍁

A boy visits a pond with his dog and ends up discovering a new way to be in relationship with the animals, plants, and world around him. 


This wordless book is stunningly gorgeous. 

5 stars

Cora Cooks Pancit by Dorina K. Lazo Gilmore & Kristi Valiant (Illustrator) May 1, 2014

I connected with this book right from the first page. I remember being a child watching my slightly older aunts and uncles cooking with my grandparents. Just like Cora, I longed to be a part of that crowd. When her older siblings go out to the mall, Cora and her mother cook pancit together for the rest of her family.
I appreciate that there is a glossary and recipe for pancit at the end of the book. I had to adapt it for only the two of us, but it was delicious.

There is so much to love about this book. I ordered two copies - one for each of my almost four year old grandkids to help prepare them for kindergarten. The 'Richard Scary' format will keep them entertained and ensure they go to the book back again and again. You can read my full review here. 

3 stars

Skunk on a String by Thao Lam March 15, 2016  🍁

Somehow a skunk has been tied to a helium balloon and, unable to untie himself, is floating across a city sky.
The art in this is gorgeous, but at times I had a bit of difficulty making sense of the story.
 
CHAPTER BOOKS

This graphic novel style picture book packs an overload of sweetness and humour. Read my whole review here. 

NOVELS

5 stars


This book is for everyone who has had that defining moment, that episode of utter humiliation that changes their lives for at least part of their life. I've got at least one of my own and bet you do too. This is about how, with a little humour and help from friends, you can rise above it.
This is about the power of friendship. It’s about being friends across ages and cultures. It’s a little bit about finding romance when you least expect it. Ultimately it's about becoming the best kind of person you can be. You can read more about this book here. 


Hiram Walker was born a slave. His father was the plantation owner. He was much smarter and more responsible than his white half brother. It doesn't matter. He will always be a slave. It turns out that Hiram has the special power of conductivity. Eventually he is freed from slavery from an unexpected person and ends up joining the Underground Railway. This is an odd book to review because it's a mixture of magical realism, fantasy, and historical fiction. While there were places where the narrative got a bit bogged down, I was compelled to finish listening to Hiram's story. 

NON FICTION

This memoir reminds me that Indigenous people on Turtle Island lived here long before it was separated into different countries. The history of Gansworth's family showed me a history similar to those I've read of Indigenous people here in Canada. 
I was struck by the many references to Canadian place names and pop culture. I was reminded that the Sylix here where I live have close family on both sides of the border. There is one particular section when he writes about sharing a Tragically Hip tune with his niece that says it all. "The Canadian side of her DNA wakes up, and since we don’t consider it another country, the Canadian side of my DNA wakes up as well, as we listen to Gordon Downie singing of poets and hockey and ice storms and hockey and Toronto and hockey and penguins and hockey and fireworks and the power of phantoms, or fleeting, phantom power, and in return she walks into the house and returns, offering me slices of cornbread, buttered and salted, on a paper towel." 
That's big picture stuff.
In the minutia of one family, this is a story of tragedy, determination, resilience, and love. It's a story of redemption, reconciliation, and rejuvenation.
Some of these poems made me weep. Others made me laugh. I was always in awe.


Wab Kinew is a well educated, former CBC reporter who is now the leader of the NDP party in Manitoba. This memoir was written by him as his father neared the end of his life. It's the story of his father's experiences and how these in turn influenced his own. Kinew's father was a residential school survivor who became an accomplished academic and politician. He was often away from home and emotionally distant from his family. Kinew's mother is a white woman. He is comfortable in both worlds. 
This book is full of what reconciliation means. The official apology for residential schools was just the beginning, not as many people might think, the end. 
It was fascinating to be listening to this book at the same time as I was reading Gansworth's memoir with my eyes. There are many similarities in their family's experiences. Just as Gansworth's family stretches into Canada, Kinew's stretches into the United States. Unfortunately, The Reason You Walk lacks the emotional intimacy of Apple: Skin to the Core

DISCWORLD NOVELS


I finished listening to this more than a week ago, and then started it all over again. I have so much love for this book and this mini series inside the Discworld collection. In this, the second to last book, Tiffany is now the fully-fledged witch of the chalk. The baron dies and Roland, his son, takes over. Roland has gotten himself engaged to a weepy, but beautiful, princess with a tartar for a mother. Tiffany's conflicted feelings about his engagement are compounded by his no longer seeming to be her friend. On top of this, a powerful demonic spirit, the Cunning Man, is stalking her. The Cunning Man despises all witches and uses his powers to fill minds with suspicion and hate towards them. Tiffany must defeat him, because if she doesn’t, and he manages to take over her body, the other witches will have to destroy her. Thankfully Tiffany has many allies, including new witches, a promising young man, and the fearless Nac Mac Feegles to help her.

CURRENTLY 

This is what I have on the go:

Not On My Watch by Alexandra Morton
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel 
Raising Steam by Terry Pratchett
A Place to Hang the Moon by Kate Albus

UP NEXT

The Electric War: Edison, Tesla, Westinghouse and the Race to Light the World by Mike Winchell
Love Is A Revolution by Renee Watson

BLOG POSTS NEXT WEEK

This Is Ruby by Sara O'Leary

Out into the Big Wide Lake by Paul Harbridge

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2021 11/25 one in progress

#MustReadNFIn2021 4/12 

#MustReadPBIn2021 29/100 

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 16/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 44/100

Canada Reads 2021 4/5 

Discworld Series 39/41 

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 168/333

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#IMWAYR February 8, 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.

I continued working on my Olivier Dunrea quilt this week. I'm almost finished with the 13 characters (each one 2 times) and their bits and pieces. I'll post a picture next week. I ended up watching/listening to Rebus, a new to me mystery series.

I was also working on some posts about Canadian authors for different ages of readers. I will have those ready Monday or Tuesday of this week! 

Titles with a 🍁 indicate this is a Canadian Author and or Illustrator. 

Clicking on the title will take you to the Goodreads page of the book. 

PICTURE BOOKS


A young Metis girl who thinks she isn't good at anything, learns to jig from her grandmother. When her grandmother enters her into a dance contest, she is terrified. A gift of a new pair of new shoes to dance in, gives her enough courage to continue.
I liked that readers get to know more about Metis culture through ordinary everyday events in the life of the family, as well as learning a bit about Metis culture through the stories the Grandmother tells.
This is like an illustrated short story rather than a traditional picture book. One side of each two page spread is full of text. There were pages where the illustrations filled me up with joy, but at other times felt jarring.

5 stars

Sir Simon: Super Scarer by Cale Atkinson 🍁

I revisited this picture book to put Atkinson's new book, Super Detectives, into perspective. I liked this even more the second time, and I liked it a lot the first go round! 
If you haven't read it, here is my original review. 
Sir Simon, a ghost, gets transferred around a lot. When the house he is in becomes occupied by a grandmother and her grandson, Simon tricks the grandson, Chester into doing his ghost chores for him. Chester is not very good at it. The next day Sir Simon, filled with remorse ends up helping Chester with his daily chores. Sir Simon is not very good at it. But they are good at is being friends with each other.
I loved this one! It’s full of gorgeous art and a delightfully humorous story that will make readers feel good.

GRAPHIC NOVEL


Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book. It will be released February 9, 2021, by Tundra Books.
Super Detectives continues on from Atkinson's Sir Simon Super Scarer, where the two protagonists, Simon and Chester, met and became friends. 
The comedic duo now star in their own graphic novel series. This is the first. 
Simon is busy working on his detective novel when Chester, bored as can be, begins bugging him. Simon remains focused so Chester digs into boxes in the attic He ends up discovering a Sherlock Holmes style hat. This excites Simon who decides they should become detectives. After finding proper attire for both of them and setting up their 'office,' they wait for clients to show up. Eventually they head off in search of a mystery to solve. They end up finding a dog in the house and set off to find the owner. Well, Chester comes up with a plan while Sir Simon gets carried away speculating about the poor pup. 
The book is chock full of humour. Chester plays straight man to Simon's outlandishness. The images are a treasure trove of wit. To fully appreciate all the bits of fun, you almost need to pore over the pages. Children might not get the hints of film noir, but as a fan of the classic detective genre, I enjoyed them. 
This charming little graphic novel is ideal for young students ready to move on to graphic novels. It will also make a fun read aloud between parent and child. 

This short book packs a wallop! It might be targeted towards youth, but is an important book for adults as well. In only 88 pages it provides plenty of information to help readers understand how stereotypes and bias work. Not only that, it includes ideas and strategies individuals can implement to try and deal with their own prejudices.
While the book doesn't go deeply into many of the topics, I think the way it's dealt with is appropriate for the intended age. Additionally, the backmatter contains a detailed bibliography for readers who want to explore the ideas more fully.
I ended up writing out so many quotes and flagging so many passages I finally went and ordered my own copy of this. If I was still working in the library, I would order 4 copies.

NOVELS

This was intense on many different levels. I had to stop listening and read it with my eyes.
Following the death of his cousin, a Filipino-American teenager heads off to the Philippines to find out what happened. He's met with an uncle steeped in toxic masculinity and a family that refuses to acknowledge they ever had a son and brother.
As a reader from Canada, this book provided me with a window into Filipino history and sociopolitical culture. I was deeply engaged with the characters and terrified for them.
There are many gorgeous chunks of writing. I collected this quote “If we are to be more than what we have been, there's so much that we need to say. Salvation through honesty, I guess.”


This was an enjoyable audiobook narrated by the author. Alan Doyle is a musician who played in Great Big Sea, a Canadian folk band. I enjoyed hearing about his early years, his time with the band and his budding career as an actor. He is a gifted storyteller and the the book is full of entertaining reminiscences. I came to like Alan Doyle the man. I liked his self deprecating humour, his kindness towards others, and his humanity. 


Ever since Wolk's novel, Wolf Hollow, terrified the bejesus out of me, I've been nervous about starting a new book by her. Even though I liked Beyond the Bright Sea, that nervousness hadn't abated. I think this book might have fixed that. 
This is an exquisitely written coming of age story. It's full of hardship, persistence, friendship and understanding. It's tense, but not terrifying. It deserves every bit of love it's received.
Having lost everything indirectly because of the market crash in 1929, Ellie and her family end up starting all over from scratch on Echo Mountain. After a couple of years, her father was hurt by a falling tree and ended up in an extended coma. Her mother and older sister think that she was responsible. While it's not true, Ellie carries the burden so that those who are responsible don't have to. Her decision to use more drastic methods to wake up their father estranges her even more from them.
Following a dog up the mountain, she discovers that the hag who lives there is very ill from an infected injury. Meeting her ends up changing Ellie's life in all kinds of positive ways.
Ellie is the kind of protagonist I love. She's got all kinds of spunk and isn't afraid to listen to herself and follow that inner voice. She's a fabulous role model for young girls.

The auditors are at it again - trying to stop the unpredictability of humans. This time they have a plot to stop time. One of them takes on human form to facilitate this. Unfortunately for her, a body has its own rational, and she ends up siding with humans. When the rest of them take on human forms, the results are a comical, if somewhat ominous, disaster.
I was happy to see Susan (Death's granddaughter) in one of novels again, even though it is dominated by predominantly male characters. But then, this is true of all the novels except the ones with the witches and Tiffany Aching.
This novel includes a lot of parodying of action films, but the most hilarious part is the use of chocolate as a deadly weapon.
Rule One, "Do not act incautiously when confronting a little bald wrinkly smiling man," is a good lesson to learn, although I might add or woman.

CURRENTLY 

I'm still savouring This Wound Is A World, a collection of poetry by Billy-Ray Belcourt. I've started Crossing Home Ground by David Pitt-Brooke. I'm also reading How to Change Everything: The Young Human's Guide to Protecting the Planet and Each Other by Naomi Klein & Rebecca Stefoff. I'm listening to The Last Hero by Terry Pratchett. 

UP NEXT 

I want to start reading Our Corner Store by Robert Heidbreder, but two Canada Reads titles have just become available. I hope another comes available as an audiobook soon, but otherwise, I've got Navigate Your Stars by Jesmyn Ward queued up. 

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS 

#MustReadIn2021 4/25 

#MustReadNFIn2021 2/12 

#MustReadPBIn2021 8/100

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors: 5/25 one in progress

Books by Canadian Authors: 13/100

Canada Reads 2021 1/5

Discworld Series 26/41 

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 55/333 

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