Showing posts with label WW2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label WW2. Show all posts

#IMWAYR July 18, 2022

Welcome readers! It's #IMWAYR time again, when bloggers share what they have been reading and find out what others have beouten 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. 

Life is as back to normal as it gets around here. The living room has been cleaned of all grandchildren related clutter. It has been replaced by wood flooring. My partner is refurbishing the stairwell to the front door and basement. The carpet was removed a while ago and now he has replaced the banisters and is putting hardwood flooring on the steps and foyer entrance to the house. It looks gorgeous. 


I finished adding a few inches to the sleeves of this sweater and will post it this week. I made four matching ones but didn't take a picture of them before sending them off.

My neighbour gave me some chartreuse patterned fabric she had planned to sew up for her granddaughters (who are now in their late teens.) So I am working on matching dresses for the granddaughters. I have some similar fabric in a teal green that I will use to make something for the grandson. 

So far I have harvested about 25 pounds of raspberries from the patch and there are probably another 5 pounds left before I cut out those canes. Meanwhile the new canes are flowering in anticipation for the late summer harvest. Aside from making raspberry wine, I'm not sure what I will do with all these berries. Maybe I will just make more wine. 

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

Mommy's Hometown by Hope Lim & Jaime Kim (Illustrator) April 12, 2022

After listening to his mothers stories about growing up in a rural countryside, a young boy is surprised by the large city that has replaced it. What I found most fascinating about this book is that other than the Korean characters on the buildings, this could be a large city anywhere in the world.
The digitally created illustrations are rich in colour and light. While the differences between the two landscapes are vast, the river continues to run through it all, and the boy and his mother are still able to explore it and find treasures.

MG NOVELS


I wish Marsha Skrypuch had been around when I was a youngster learning about the history of the world. Traitors Among Us is part of her WW2 series and a sequel to her books, Don't Tell the Nazis & Trapped in Hitler's Web. I am always invested in her characters and this one is no different. 
Two Ukrainian sisters, Krystia and Maria, have managed to survive the war, and wait in a refugee camp in the American zone. Then some Red Army soldiers arrive and take them and a few other of their roommates back to a house in the Russian zone. They are to be interrogated for their activities during the war.
Right from the get go this book is hair raising. A young mother and her baby are shot by soldiers when they try to escape. The group are subject to horrifying conditions. Then they are tortured to force them to sign false confessions.
A few of them are released and helped by Brigid, who cooks for the Red Army. They manage to incapacitate the soldiers at the house with drug laced linzer cookies, and rescue the remaining captives.
A note by the author at the end of the book reveals more information about the people this book is based on, and more about the actual death camps created by the Russians after the war.


A clan of four inch nomes is forced to leave their dangerous forest home before they all end up dead. One of them, Masklin, devises a plan to try and save them. They sneak aboard a truck and end up in a department store where they are introduced to a colony of other nomes. These other nomes have developed a rich and layered society based on the goings on of the store. They believe it was created especially for them. The nomes from outside bring a sacred 'thing.' When it is surrounded by electricity, it begins to talk to them. They discover that the store is soon to be demolished. Masklin comes up with a plan for how to save them all. It just depends on a crew of nomes figuring out how to drive a delivery truck. 

Pratchett's writing goal was “to take that which is familiar and everyday and therefore no more seen, and pick it up and turn it around and show it to the reader from a new point of view, so that once again they see it for the first time.”
I think that ten year olds will enjoy this novel, but it is older readers who will truly appreciate the satire and humour and once again see the world for the first time.

YA NOVELS


Set in Joseon Dynasty Korea in 1758, this is based on the true story of Crown Prince Sado, an untouchable serial killer. 
"There are few options available to illegitimate daughters in the capital city, but through hard work and study, eighteen-year-old Hyeon has earned a position as a palace nurse. All she wants is to keep her head down, do a good job, and perhaps finally win her estranged father's approval."
Then four women are brutally murdered. Hyeon's friend and mentor is accused of the crime. To clear her name Hyeon ends up involved in a clandestine investigation with Eojin, a young police inspector. 
Their questioning sets them against a corrupt legal system that protects the royal family at all costs. The unravelling of the mystery is fascinating. The slow build up of the romantic aspect of the story is brilliantly done. 
I have become a fan of June Hur's writing and read everything she has published so far. She integrates brilliant characters into complex mysteries set against a backdrop of Korean history, religion, culture and class structure. 
The worst thing about finishing this book is that June Hur's next novel isn’t scheduled for release until 2024.

I liked this well enough. It's just that after finishing up a couple of nonfiction titles that went deep into their subjects (An Elegant Defence by Mat Richtel and Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake) I wanted more. I suspect I would have appreciated this better if I had read it first. It is a very readable, fairly comprehensive, overview of how our body works and the history behind how we have come to know what we do about it.

CURRENTLY

Three Women and A Boat by Anne Younson
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner
Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett

UP NEXT

I'm hoping to get to these two next week. Other than that, I brought a lot of books home from the library this week!
The Jane Austen Society by Natalie Jenner  🍁
Macy Mcmillan And The Rainbow Goddess by Shari Green  🍁


READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 15/24

#MustReadNonFiction 11/18 one in progress

Canadian Authors 43/100 

Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 

Indigenous Authors 12/25

2022 Big Book Summer Challenge 5 

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 167 /250
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#IMWAYR May 10, 2021

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


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

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

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

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

BLOG POSTS LAST WEEK

This Is Ruby by Sara O'Leary & Alea Marley

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


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


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

5 stars

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

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


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

NON FICTION PICTURE BOOKS

5 stars

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

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


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

5 stars

Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo June 5, 2012

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

5 stars

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

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

NON FICTION MEMOIR 

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

DISCWORLD NOVELS

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

CURRENTLY 

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

UP NEXT

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

BLOG POSTS NEXT WEEK

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

PROGRESS ON MY READING GOALS

#MustReadIn2021 12/25 one in progress

#MustReadNFIn2021 4/12 one in progress

#MustReadPBIn2021 32/100 

Books by Canadian Indigenous Authors 16/25

Books by Canadian Authors: 48/100

Canada Reads 2021 4/5 

Discworld Series 39/41 

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 176/333

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