#IMWAYR January 9, 2017

#IMWAYR time again, when readers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to in the past week. The adult version of this meme is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. The kidlit rendition is hosted by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers. Whatever you are looking forward to in your next great read, these are fabulous places to start your search.

My partner and I remain ensconced in the winter wonderland of Oliver, a small town in the Southern Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. It's been bitter cold. I planned to walk every day here. The best I've accomplished is every other day, and mostly for only a half hour or so. 

Still, I've had a stellar reading life. And I've been writing too. 

BLOG POSTS THIS WEEK

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale

Nobody Cries at Bingo by Dawn Dumont

#MustReadIn2017

The Best Of The Best Of My Reading Life In 2016

PICTURE BOOKS

4 stars

The Last Tree by Ingrid Chabbert & Raúl Nieto Guridi (Illustrations)(Netalley)

I've gone through this a couple of times and am still kind of wondering what to write about it. Guridi's illustrations are paradoxically dark and joyful. Chabbert's text is similarly contrary, being a combination of despair and hope. I'll get a proper review done this week some time.

NOVELS

Falling Over Sideways by Jordan Sonnenblick

5 stars

This was the first book I finished this year and the first book from my #MustReadIn2017 list.

I've never read a Sonnenblick title that wasn't superb. He creates characters so authentic, you can see them living next door to you. 
In this novel, a young teen, Claire, is hanging out with her father one Saturday morning when he has a stroke. She manages to do everything she needs to do to make sure he gets the necessary treatment to mitigate its effects. This punctuates the start of a painful and challenging year. Sonnenblick shows us the family as it attempts to cope with the ramifications of this event. While each member reacts differently, ultimately they manage to discover more about each other, and pull together to support the father and one other.

I read this title more critically than I might otherwise because I have lived with having to support a damaged parent, both as a child and as an adult. As I read the sections about the father recovering from his brain damage, I couldn't help but measure it against the reality of my mother's trauma and the experiences of all the TBI patients I met at our support group.

I should never have doubted Sonnenblick's ability to get it right.

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl: Squirrel Meets World by Shannon Hale & Dean Hale (Netgalley)

3 stars

I wanted to like this because it's written by the Hales for heaven's sake! I have loved everything else this dynamic duo write. Maybe my expectations were too high. I take personal responsibility for some of my problems with this book, since I have no background knowledge of Ryan North's Squirrel Girl Comics, don't read Marvel comics at all, and acknowledge that I am not the target audience. It's just, I had a such a hard time actually getting into it. There is a frenetic, scattered, squirrely quality that interrupted my ability to focus on the narrative. Lisa Maucione's comments last week encouraged me to persevere so I didn't abandon it. Eventually I became engaged and wanted to find out how the story would end.

Steeplejack (Alternative Detective #1) by A.J. Hartley

4 stars

I stayed up late in bed one night to finish reading this. (FYI, I don't do this very often because I've learned that reading in bed is guaranteed to leave me with little sleep.) I just absolutely had to find out how it all ended. Hartley's world of Bar-Selehm is a brilliant combination of medieval and modern. It's both dystopian and Dickensian in how it mirrors the present day life of squalor and poverty found around the world today. I am impressed by the cast of complex and diverse characters. Anglet Sutonga is a strong young woman who comes from a very humble background. Coalescing events force her into taking on dangerous foes within the existing establishment, as she tries to solve the murder of her new climbing apprentice. This is a book loaded with suspense, action and all kinds of plot convolutions.

Nobody Cries at Bingo by Dawn Dumont

5 stars

The power in family and community acceptance and love are the most important elements I took from this brilliant, semi autobiographical, first novel by Cree author, Dawn Dumont. 
It doesn't hurt that it is screamingly funny. 
Her narrative is imbued with such abundant tenderness, that it's one of those profound coming of age books I want everyone to read. 

It's the first book I finished from my goal of reading 50 books by Indigenous Canadian authors this year. I will most definitely read more of Dumont's work. 
Fans of The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and If I Ever Get Out of Here by Eric Gansworth will enjoy this.

CURRENTLY

I'm working on Spin: How Politics has the Power to Turn Marketing On Its Head by Clive Veroni. I forgot my reading glasses in Vancouver and the font is very small so I'm not making much progress. I'm still listening to The Charmed Children of Rookskill Castle by Janet Fox. I can't believe I haven't finished even one audiobook this week! We've had much company around the house and with us on our walks. I finally started (again) The Bitter Side of Sweet by Tara Sullivan. 

UP NEXT

I plan on beginning The Break by Katherena Vermette. Other than that, I'm hoping to listen to Fans of the Impossible Life by Kate Scelsa before it expires from my device. That's not looking good given my progress this week so far. 

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MUSTREADIN2017 1/36

#MUSTREADNFIN2017 1 in progress

50 Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 1/50

Goodreads Reading Challenge 5/333

#IMWAYR November 21, 2016

Hurrah! #IMWAYR time again, when readers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to in the past week. The adult version of this meme is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. The kidlit rendition is hosted by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers. Whatever you are looking forward to in your next great read, these are fabulous places to start your search.

I didn't get so much quilting in this week, but the reading was divine. I wish my house would clean itself though. 

REVIEWS POSTED

Cloud and Wallfish by Anne Nesbit

NOVELS

Waylon! One Awesome Thing by Sara Pennypacker, Marla Frazee (Illustrations)

4 stars

I'm adding Waylon to my list of boys in literature who I love. Sarah Pennypacker knows how to create loveable, complex characters. When all the boys in his grade four class end up on a team except Waylon, it isn't easy. Ultimately though, with support from family (including his gothic teen age sister) and a geographical epiphany, Waylon finds friendship in an unlikely person.

This would make a great read aloud in younger classrooms. I can imagine, Be An Isthmus, becoming as a class motto as a result.

4 stars

The Secret Life of Lincoln Jones by Wendelin Van Draanen (netgalley)

I'm in the middle of writing a review for this one so all I'm going to tell you is that I really liked this story of a young boy and his relationships with the old people at the home where his mother works, the other students in his class, and his mother.

Stars of Summer by Tara Dairman

4 stars

Gladys heads off to summer camp where she ends up working in the camp kitchen. She's learning to swim and master archery. However, something is wonky with her new reviewing assignment where Gladys has to find the best hotdog in New York. On top of that, Hamilton Herbertson, kid author, seems to be stalking her.

What I liked in the previous books is what I like here; great adults who have their children's best interests at heart, loads of humor, compelling characters and delicious descriptions of food.
Now that I've finished this, I have to wait for Dairman to release the next in the series. In the meantime I'll have to see what kinds of hotdogs are available here in Vancouver, BC

3 stars

Imprudence by Gail Carriger, narrated by Moira Quirk (YA)

This is another fun, steampunk, paranormal novel. Prudence ends up taking her parents on an emergency trip to Egypt in The Spotted Custard. She has a devil of a time trying to figure out who keeps attacking the ship and why. 
I appreciated that we get to know Prudence a bit better and I enjoyed the adventure and action in this one. Some of the minor characters are delightful. I could have done without the romance. In fact that aspect felt a bit to harlequin for my tastes, though I suspect that in my younger days I would have be happier with it.

ADULT NOVELS

Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach

3 stars

This book club book turned out to be a relatively easy read. It's told through the points of view of numerous characters. I appreciated how multidimensional Moggach reveals them to be.

The plot trajectory wasn't a surprise except at the very end.

What I found fascinating was reading how the author was inspired to write the book. I also enjoyed looking at the images of the paintings throughout the book and looking them up on my device to get an enlarged view of them. There is a list of them at the back of the book, but I wish each image was accompanied by a caption.

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson, narrated by Robin Miles

4 stars

I was riveted by these characters and their lives. It's the story of the power of friendship and how, even if it can't protect these young girls from the horrors in their everyday lives, at least provides an anchor for them to hold on to.

I'm pretty much a hard core fan of Woodson, and wasn't disappointed in this one. One of our book club members just started reading A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I would love to go back and read it again after reading this.

CURRENTLY

I'm listening to The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken and just started Playing for the Devil's Fire by Phillippe Diederich.

UP NEXT

Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley has just become available so I'll be listening to that next. Then I have four more books from the library to get to. 

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#IMWAYR November 14, 2016

Hurrah! #IMWAYR time again, when readers share what they have been reading and find out what others have been up to in the past week. The adult version of this meme is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. The kidlit rendition is hosted by Jen at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers. Whatever you are looking forward to in your next great read, these are fabulous places to start your search.

Aside from reading obsessively about the American election, I managed to get in a bit of reading with my eyes. I've also been listening to audiobooks and working on That Quilt. I've finished the A arcs and am working on the B side. I've got another 144 more to go before I move onto the next phase. Here's a picture of what I've completed so far.

PICTURE BOOKS

At the library last week, while dropping off some unread books, I wandered over to the picture book area to see what was new. Here is what I found.

Some Birds by Matt Spink

  

3.5 stars

This simple, patterned rhyming book has gorgeous zentangle illustrations. The text will be easy for new readers to memorize and the illustrations will keep them engaged. I can imagine art projects for readers of all ages spinning off from this book. If I were still working I would hand this off to Blake and David, some teachers who teach their students to zentangle.

3 stars

Aberdeen by Stacey Previn

This is a sweetly illustrated story about a mouse who gets distracted by a floating balloon. As he chases after it, his tail gets tangled up in the string and takes him on an adventure. He ends up getting very lost.

NOVELS

Full of Beans by Jennifer L. Holm

5 stars

Sometimes, all you need is a really good middle grade novel. If it teaches you something and makes you laugh at the same time, it's just divine. This is one of those. It's also the perfect antidote for too much politics.

Full of Beans is a prequel to Turtle in Paradise, a book I adored. The story is set in Key West during the depression. We learn a lot about Roosevelt's new deal and what a change it made in people's lives.

There are many quotes to share. Here is one of my favourites:

"Nana Philly was notorious. She made grown man cry. She chased three pastors out of town. Folks whispered that she was so mean, she must be related to the devil himself. Black cats cross the road just to get away from her."

It also doesn't hurt that Holmes gives us a link to a recipe for chocolate divinity fudge in the end notes. By the time you finish reading, you're going to want some.

Summerlost by Ally Condie

3 stars

This is a sweet story of friendship, family, and loss. These characters are ones I wish I could have known when I was younger. Cedar and her family are recovering from the loss of a father and brother in a fatal car crash. While on summer holidays she ends up working at a Shakespeare festival.

These last lines are going to resonate for a while.

"I have been in the presence of a lot of greatness. And people I love who loved me back. It might be the same thing."

5 stars

When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin, narrated by Kim Mai Guest

I am infatuated by this collection of companion novels. Through them I get to visit a world and reality I've never entered before. This is a story that shows us that story tellers, just by telling stories, can have powerful influence over their worlds. Grace Lin masterfully weaves all the threads of the different stories into a satisfying conclusion. If you haven't read any of these books, you need to remedy this.

This week while I am working on That Quilt, I'm going to be listening to Starry River of the Sky.

3 stars

Prudence by Gail Carriger, narrated by Moira Quirk

I actually finished this a couple of weeks ago, but forgot to mention it. I am a fan of Carriger's world building and sense of humor. If you haven't read any of her work, here is a quote from Goodreads describing her work:

"Gail Carriger writes steampunk comedies of manners mixed with paranormal romance. Her books include the Parasol Protectorate, Custard Protocol, Supernatural Society, and Delightfully Deadly series for adults, and the Finishing School series for young adults."

While I finished up her Finishing School series, I have only read Soulless, the first in the Parasol Protectorate collection. I was looking forward to Prudence, because she is the daughter of the two main characters in that one. I was not disappointed.

ADULT NOVELS

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, narrated by Jon Lindstrom

5 stars

I really don't know where to begin with this roller coaster of a read. It is the story of a physics teacher who leaves his home one evening and wakes up in a dangerously different world. When he finally figures out what is going on, he has to figure out how to get home to his real wife and son. This science fiction title will have you thinking about the choices you've taken and what might have been.

I know some people will complain about the science in this book, but I don't have the capacity to respond to that. What I can confirm is that this is a gripping read filled with sympathetic characters and a wickedly twisting plot. I did not anticipate where this book was going at all for a while. It kept me on the edge of my seat until the end.

I'm contemplating getting this for my partner for Christmas.

OTHER STUFF

I abandoned March of the Suffragettes last week. I wanted to love it because the topic fascinates me, but it was dry and not engaging. I just didn't feel as connected to these important characters as I should have. I agree with Karen Yinling "this was not formatted in a way that will be appealing to my students. It was very wordy, had few pictures, and had some odd turns of phrase."

CURRENTLY

I'm into Imprudence, the next of the Custard Protocol series. I've started Waylon! One Awesome Thing by Sara Pennypacker.

UP NEXT

Starry River of the Sky by Grace Lin and The Darkest Minds by Alexandra Bracken. I just realized that I'm supposed to have Tulip Fever by Deborah Moggach finished by Tuesday for book club. I haven't started it yet.