#IMWAYR January 9, 2021


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. 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.

Aside from attending important meetings connected to the quilt guid I am part of, I worked four days this week in high school. Well it was two half days and two full days, but it was still four days. I am not a high school teacher. 

I had no energy for reading much of anything: with my eyes or my ears. Two days later and I am still exhausted.

I am back to my maximum two days subbing from here on in! 

On a positive note, I did read and respond to almost everyone's posts last week. I also got two book reviews posted. 
 
Aside from planning to read 200 books, (50 down from last year) I still haven't gotten my reading challenges sorted out. I will do my best to have it under control by next 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 LAST WEEK


A Green Velvet Secret by Vicki Grant

PICTURE BOOKS


The Song that Called them Home by David Alexander Robertson & Maya McKibbin (Illustrator) April 4th 2023 🍁

Two children go on a trip to the land with their moshom (grandfather). While Moshom naps, the children, Lauren and James, take the canoe out onto the lake to go fishing. They end up in the land of the Memekwesewak, dancing around a huge fire and lose sense of time and purpose. It is the sound of their moshom's drum that calls them home. 
Click on the link here to read my full review. 

NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS


The Universe in You by Jason Chin December 13th 2022


This book is where cell biology, chemistry, and physics come together and become one science. It's mind boggling in it's complexity and beauty. High school and university teachers working in any of these areas should have a copy in their classrooms. 

NON FICTION GRAPHIC



My 20 month old granddaughter is crazy about dinosaurs, so I decided I better reacquaint myself with what we know about them now. It's been close to 35 years since her father was a fanatic and the world has changed a lot since then. I continue to be impressed with this series. While this one doesn't have the humour of Crows: Genius Birds, it sure is thorough. 
It takes us across the history of palaeontology showing readers how the science has transformed as new knowledge has become available. We learn about the egos of some men, the mistakes that were made, the misinformation that was spread. In the introduction, Leonard Finkelman, Assistant professor in Philosophy of Science at Linfield College, talks about how our restrained imaginations limit what we can learn. Our understanding of what dinosaurs might have looked like is very different these days. Alas this book is beyond my granddaughter's cognitive ability, but when she next visits, I might have to invest in the series, Prehistoric Planet. If her dad is here, I'm sure he will appreciate it too.

Did you ever imagine a dinosaur could look like this?


MG NOVELS



The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune July 14th 2020

Part of the reason I didn't get much reading done is that I have been listening to this. I adored the two other TJ Klune books I read. This one isn't working for me so I keep avoiding it. To be honest, I'm not much of a superhero fan to begin with. So there's that. 
Once I predicted what was going on between Seth and Nick, two queer best friends, it made waiting for Nick to figure out what was happening cringeworthy. It becomes obvious to the reader that Seth and another friend, Owen, are extraordinaries (super heroes) - although figuring out which one was hero and which was the villain was still up for grabs for me when I abandoned this. Nick seems to be over the top clueless and so scattered that I couldn't connect to him. Because he's neurodiverse I kept reading to try and figure him out. It must be exhausting being in his head. In the end, he's a character I felt sorry for, but didn't really like. His relationship with his father, even though it had it's loving moments, made me uncomfortable. His father disturbed me. Honestly, I wanted to smack him across the head. 
What I did like about this book is how, like David Levithan's novels, being queer is ordinary. I loved that Nick is accepted by his friends just for being who he is, ADHD and all. I adored his two lesbian friends, Jazz and Gibby. The book also has some screamingly hilarious bits. 
After I gave up on this book I went and read a bunch of reviews. I wish I had picked up more on some of the nuances that triggered Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour readers. I really appreciated TJ Klune's response to these criticisms. It is an example of how we all should react when we make mistakes. From one review of the second in the series, it seems like these issues have been addressed there.

CURRENTLY

Amari and the Great Game (Supernatural Investigations #2) by B.B. Alston

Blackmail and Bibinka by Mia P Manansala

Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao

UP NEXT 

I've got a pile of Graphic Novels to read for Cybils so I'll be working on those.

The Big Sting by Rachelle Delaney

READING GOALS 

#MustReadFiction 

#MustReadNonFiction 

Canadian Authors 1

Indigenous Authors 1

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 4/200



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The Song that Called them Home by David Alexander Robertson & Maya McKibbin (Illustrator)

Thanks to NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this picture book. It will be released April 4, 2023, by Tundra Books.

Two children go on a trip to the land with their moshom (grandfather). Getting there tires him out. While Moshom naps, the hungry children, Lauren and James, take the canoe out onto the lake to go fishing. 

Lauren has never paddled a canoe before. It capsizes and as she comes to the surface, she sees Memekwesewak taking James away. She follows after them and ends up in a portal to another place. Going through it in search of James, she arrives at an island where he is dancing around a huge fire with Memekwesewak. As she tries to pull him away, she too is caught up in the dance. They lose all sense of time. They forget why they are there. 

A sound, thum thump, thum thump, brings them out of their trance. It is Moshom, beating his drum, calling them home. And so they dance again, this time following the same route in reverse. 


Maya McKibbin's illustrations give this a Disney feel. I can imagine this tale, using her artwork, told in a short animated video.
 
In the author's note in the back matter, Robertson talks about the Memekwesewak: these little people are a humanoid race of people here on earth. We are the other. According to him, "Memekwesewak live between rocks, in the rapids, amid the trees of the land that provides us with life. They are mischievous. It is said that one of their favorite things to do is to crawl out of the rocks and capsize canoes. Children are far more likely to see them. Memekwesewak have a soft spot for children, and will help them out when they are in trouble or sad."

These Memekwesewak are interesting creatures. I wish my Menominee grandmother was still here so I could ask her about them. I remember her talking about the little people. I thought she was referring to the fairies and elves I grew up believing lived in the world around us. I like this idea better. 
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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 January 2, 2023


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. 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.

Happy New Year Everyone!

Hope you all had a wonderful winter break. We had the whole family here over Christmas. It was gloriously exhausting. I read a lot of Christmas picture books with my grandkids, but am not sharing those today. 


I'm working on all kinds of projects these days, but not finishing much. 
I haven't started a final update for my MustRead read challenges last year. 
I'm beginning to think about what might go on my MustRead lists for this year. 
I managed to get holds on just about all the books I will need for my job as a round two Cybil's Awards Judge. 

Today I'm just trying to get caught sharing what I've read since my last post December 12th. 

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

Poppy's House by Karla Courtney & Madeline Kloepper (Illustrator) June 7th 2022 🍁

A young girl spends time with her Poppy (grandfather) at his house on top of a hill in Newfoundland. This collaboration between Karla Courtney and Madeline Kloepper brims over with the love between the two of them as they go about their days together doing ordinary things. Thanks to Linda Bai for the introduction to this. 


Thanks to my friend Linda B for reminding me about this book. A boy notes one snowflake, then another and another. Still, the adults around him, the radio station and the TV report no snow. Fortunately for the boy, snow pays them no mind and continues to fall. The boy and his dog cavort in the falling snow along with characters who have escaped from the Mother Goose book shop. In the end the world is covered in white.


Wow!
Boy and dog and grandfather with beard walk to the river to watch the sun go down. On their way home boy and dog notice the darkening sky and the lighting of the windows. Three slightly maniacal rhyming poems of shoppers interrupt the dreamy lyrical prose portraying a magical world where the lights of Christmas, Kwanza, and Hanukkah shine in shop windows.

5 stars

Patchwork by Matt de la Peña & Corinna Luyken (Illustrator) August 30th 2022

I read this twice. This beautiful book affirms our complex humanity. Everyone, no matter their age, should read this book.

5 stars

The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Mac Barnett & Jon Klassen (Illustrations) October 18th 2022 🍁

This is a brilliant retelling of one of my all time favourite fairy tales.

5 stars

A Very Mercy Christmas by Kate DiCamillo & Chris Van Dusen (Illustrator) September 27th 2022

I purchased two copies of this to give to my sons and their families. As I was wrapping them I figured I should read it first.
I'm so glad I did.
I'm sure it will become one of my favourite Christmas stories. How can it not when it shows how one person, in this case Stella Endicott, manages to bring joy to the her world by heading off carolling all by herself. All kinds of ordinary miracles occur and in the end, as is always the case in a Mercy Watson tale, there is toast.

NONFICTION PICTURE BOOKS

I knew next to nothing about Maya Angelou’s life before reading this picture book biography. Watson’s poems and Collier’s emotional artwork surpassed the brilliance I expected from them. Through their collaboration we come to know more about Angelou’s life: not only the events that formed her, but the emotional consequences of them.
Five stars is not enough.

4 stars

Finding My Dance by Ria Thundercloud & Kalila J. Fuller (Illustrator) September 13th 2022

Ria Thundercloud began jingle dancing when she was only four years old. She moved onto fancy dancing and from there on into tap, jazz, modern, contemporary and ballet. She travelled the world before returning home. She is an inspiration for all children who, like her, have dance in their souls.

I am enchanted by this chapter book. It's the story of an oddball witch who travels with her mother to the city of New Warts to shop at Broomingdales.
If you haven't figured out that this book is full of delightful puns, mostly there, I am sure, to entertain parents, then read that second sentence again.
The main message of this little story is to be yourself, help out when you can, and enjoy making new friends. Those are pretty good guidelines for witches of all ages.


MG NOVELS



Three different children from different parts of North America have to deal with the immediate consequences of the climate crisis. Their experiences are revealed in alternating chapters. A girl in Florida deals with a category 5 hurricane. Another girl in California is trapped inside a massive forest fire. In Churchill Ontario, two boys are stalked by polar bears.
This is similar in format to Gratz's Refugee.

I'll be publishing a full review of this book tomorrow. It's a lovely story about the relationship between a young girl and her grandmother. When the grandmother dies, the girl begins to believe that she has been reincarnated into someone else's body. 

MG NON FICTION

4 stars

Meet David Suzuki (Scholastic Canada Biography) by Elizabeth MacLeod & Mike Deas (Illustrator) September 2021  🍁

David Suzuki is one of Canada's most respected Canadians. In 2004 he came fifth in The Greatest Canadian Contest. Since 2006, David Suzuki has scored at or near the top of the Reader’s Digest Most Trusted Canadian poll. I really appreciated learning so much about him in this short biography.
He was born in Vancouver BC, in 1936 and in 1942 his family was one of 22,000 Japanese Canadians forced into internment (prison camps) in the interior of the province.
After the war Suzuki's family moved to Ontario. He went to university in the USA and became a world renowned geneticist. Back in Canada he taught at different universities, and established radio and television programs about science. His focus on the environment was always part of what drove him. These days he actively works to get the rest of us aware of and involved in dealing with the climate crisis.

4 stars

Meet J. Armand Bombardier (Scholastic Canada Biography) by Elizabeth MacLeod & Mike Deas (Illustrator) September 6th 2022  🍁

If you are a Canadian, you have most probably heard the word Bombardier - especially in the context of jet manufacturing. This delightful biography lets us know more about J. Armand Bombardier and his amazing inventions. His first inventions were vehicles that let people travel on top of the snow. They were used for delivering groceries and milk. There was even a school bus snow mobile that could carry 25 children. He developed special carriers to move men and equipment during world war two. Eventually he created the first small machine for personal use, the Ski-Doo, that became a recreational success.

YA & ADULT FICTION


This was a delightful post Christmas read. It's a feel good, joyful novel about coming home to a place you've never been before. It's about finding family in people around you and letting go of the past. It's about growing up and finding love in yourself and others. It's got just enough romance to make your heart sigh. It is exactly what I expect from this author.
It's been seven years since Sarah Addison Allen's last novel. It was worth the wait.


A missing son, a mysterious murdered man, and a gang of thieves lead Inspector Darling, Lane Winslow, and Ames into all kinds of territory. From Nelson's high society to the dark underbelly of corrupt immigration workers and a white supremacist cult, they do what they can to bring justice to their part of the world.


A Russian operative with plans to retire and move to England is betrayed. On his way to a gulag he escapes and makes his way to Canada to connect with Lane Winslow, the only person he feels he can trust.
In the meantime, a elderly Russian woman has come to Nelson in search of her missing brother. She ends up staying with Lane until a better home is found for her. She seems to be a harmless painter.
While Ames is in Vancouver taking a course to become a sergeant, his replacement is proving to be less than satisfactory.
Out in the forest a hunter is found with his throat cut.  
Are any of these people who they claim to be?
Will Inspector Darling and Lane Winslow finally tie the knot?  
I especially appreciated learning more about Russian history in this book.

CURRENTLY

The Extraordinaries by TJ Klune
The Universe in You by Jason Chin

UP NEXT 

Blackmail and Bibinka by Mia P Manansala
Messy Roots: A Graphic Memoir of a Wuhanese American by Laura Gao
Whatever other Graphic Novels become available
READING GOALS FROM 2022

#MustReadFiction 24/24

#MustReadNonFiction 17/18

Canadian Authors 86/100 three in progress

Indigenous Authors 20/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 288/250



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#IMWAYR December 12th, 2022


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. 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 didn't get a chance to respond to everyone's blog posts last week, but I did read almost all of them! I will try to do better this week. 

Although I am still fighting an infection, we are starting to get into the winter festival spirit. My partner and I are excited that our boys and their families are planning to be here for Christmas. We have picked out our tree and will probably collect it the end of this week or the beginning of next. I am also beginning to panic a wee bit thinking about everything that I think needs to be accomplished before then. On my agenda for this week is making a master list. Once I've got this under control I will feel better. 

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

Forever Home: A Dog and Boy Love Story by Henry Cole August 16th 2022

This wordless book will steal your heart. 
First we see a stray dog no one wants. Then we are introduced to a boy who wants a dog. While we might anticipate the ending where the two are united, the boy has a lot to go through to prove to his fathers that he can be responsible enough to look after a pet. This entails keeping his room clean and going on regular walks with an empty leash. He even makes a connection to the stray dog while out and about. Eventually there is a happy ending for both of them.
Henry Cole's detailed black and white artwork is just stunning. I really appreciate that the the boy's gay parents are incidental to the story.

MG NOVELS


Four children, (one of them a ghost) end up in a battle with a massive, monster ghost who's ultimate goal is control over both the worlds of the living and the dead.
This is a little bit ghostbusters and a lot Lockwood & Co. It's chock full of action, chunks of hair raising terror, and a bit of romance. The friendship between them, especially the two boys, is delightful.
I'm hoping there will be a sequel.


Answers in the Pages by David Levithan, Christopher Gebauer (Narrator),
Vikas Adam (Narrator) & Oliver Wyman (Narrator) May 10th 2022

Donovan's mother gets her knickers in a knot when she reads the end of The Adventurers, a novel Donovan is reading with his class. One boy acknowledges that he loves another boy, but whether or not this means the boys are gay is never made explicit. His mother claims that it is not appropriate for grade five students. Donovan disagrees with her, but she never even talks to him about it.
On the one hand the book takes us through the process of what happens when a book is challenged and how different people react to it.
On the other hand we see Donovan becoming friends with, and developing a romantic relationship with a new boy in his class.
I have been a fan of Levithan's work since reading Boy Meets Boy. I fell in love with the world of possibility and acceptance he creates.
Listening to the Author's Note in the back matter of this book brought back lots of memories for me about how I went about introducing books with queer characters into our school library. David Levithan's book, Boy Meets Boy, and James Howe's Totally Joe, are two of them. Luckily, I got no flack from parents or administration.
Thanks to Jennifer Sniadeck for the heads up about this book.

MG NON FICTION


This illustrated short memoir tells of the author's life before he was taken from his home and community to attend residential school. In his last summer of freedom we see a boy learning to become a man within an extended loving family. There is no doubt that he belongs here.
Heather D. Holmlund's artwork is absolutely stunning. https://www.hdholmlund.com/new-page-1
An epilogue in the back matter talks more about Lawrence's and other children's experiences in these so called schools. Many could not read or write when they left. This section also includes photographs of the authors family and his time at the institution.

I wish I had this book when I was introducing readers to The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate.
Until I read this biography, other than that she had worked with primates, I knew very little about Dian Fossey. I was fascinated to learn more about her work to save mountain gorillas. I loved reading about the relationships she formed with many of them. At times I was brought near to tears. 
Dian Fossey was a complex, difficult, and at times troubled soul. She made a lot of enemies including people who also wanted to protect these magnificent creatures. The list of suspects for who might have murdered her is very long.  
I am especially impressed by the caliber of this nonfiction book. It is chock full of all kinds of text features: a table of contents, captioned photographs, maps, headings, bold words, sidebars, glossary, index, and where to go for additional information. 
This is really a book for people of all ages. If I was working in a high school library I would make sure I had all of Anita Silvey books in this series. I'll try to find the rest of them to read. 

I adore this series. The Thursday Murder Club is made of four aging pensioners, Elizabeth, Joyce, Ron, and Ibrahim, who meet at least once a week to try and solve cold case murders. In this book they try to find out who murdered Bethany Waites, a TV journalist. At the same time, Elizabeth is coerced into murdering an old friend or Joyce will get killed. 
Not only are these books full of adventure and suspense, they are absolutely hilarious. I appreciate how much Richard Osman, in creating such rich characters, shatters stereotypes of older people. In this case we see that Stephen, Elizabeth's partner, might have some kind of dementia, but that doesn't mean that he still isn't capable of some brilliant deduction of his own. I like the bits of romance too. 

CURRENTLY

A Green Velvet Secret by Vicki Grant 🍁
A Sorrowful Sanctuary (Lane Winslow #5) by Iona Whishaw 🍁
Narwhalicorn and Jelly (A Narwhal and Jelly Book #7) by Ben Clanton 🍁
Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

UP NEXT - HOPEFULLY/MAYBE?

The Line in the Sand by Thao Lam 🍁
The Song That Called Them Home by David Alexander Robertson & Maya McKibbin (Illustrations) 🍁
A Snake Falls to Earth by Darcie Little Badger
On Animals by Susan Orlean
READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 24/24

#MustReadNonFiction 17/18

Canadian Authors 78/100 three in progress

Indigenous Authors 19/25

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 272/250

2022 Big Book Summer Challenge 7
Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 

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#IMWAYR December 5, 2022


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. 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 have been sick. I hate being sick. 
I ended up with influenza. That morphed into a secondary bacterial infection in my lungs. It's been about a month, and even after a mess of prednisone, my asthma is still out of control. 
I hate being sick, but I'm starting to feel human again. 

I have a specialist appointment in Vancouver, BC on Monday. We will be staying with friends so I will just post this whenever I get a chance and link up as connections become available. 
I will start reading your posts as soon as I get home on Tuesday. 

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.

MG NOVELS

This is a book with a lot of heart. It's the story of two brothers. Cedar, the eldest, is a basketball star, and hopes to garner TikTok fame with his home movies. His younger brother, Green, is neurodivergent and pretty much happy with his life as it is. Cedar is sure that Green can make the basketball team, become popular, and have a normal life. Green agrees to try out. After a debacle on the practise court, Green leaves early. When the coach realizes his dead wife's wedding ring is missing, he accuses Green of stealing it. Everyone at the school believes it. Cedar is sure Coach is wrong and he and Green become detectives to find out who really took it. Along the way they come to understand other students and staff, Green makes his first friend, and they even drag their Opa along on a stakeout.
What's really obvious in this book is that these two brothers love each other. It's also clear that they are just right being who they are.
While reading this I couldn't help but wonder if these two brothers will solve any more mysteries.
In the back matter King talks about how the story is based on his younger brother, who, now an adult, is doing just fine. He also discusses the diagnostic term Aspergers. It's no longer used in the USA because of Hans Asperger's work with the NAZI's, but unfortunately, is still used here in Canada.

This might not be my favourite, but I really like this series.
In this one we see two girls trying to come up with a viable business plan in order to win a contest. As with the other books, the characters have much to learn about themselves and others. In the end, the winning or losing is secondary.

This collection of short stories focus around a group of medical students, Fitz, Ming, Chen, and Sri, and follows them once they are doctors. It's brilliant look into the profession. It's full of romance, plenty of dark humour, and a few terrifying moments.
 
LANE WINSLOW SERIES by by Iona Whishaw & Marilla Wex (Narrator) 🍁 4 stars average

I really appreciated learning more about the Doukhobor history of the Kootenays. I wish there was more explicit details about how their successful way of life was destroyed by the government. Unfortunately what we see here is the after effects of it.
I admit though that I am getting tired of the conflicted romantic relationship.


I am addicted to this series. I love the integration of Canadian history and place. I'm thankful to see something positive come out of the romantic piece.
Marilla Wex does a brilliant job as narrator.

This was a great read. Readers are returned to England where Inspector Darling has been framed for murder. Lane is ready to do almost anything to get him released. At the same time, Ames is on his own to figure out who murdered an elderly woman.




5+ stars

The Stone Sky (The Broken Earth, #3) by N.K. Jemisin & Robin Miles (Narrator) August 15, 2017

This was as brilliant an ending to this trilogy as could be imagined. I would give it more stars if I could.
I'm not sure I can ever read fantasy again after finishing this book. I  suspect nothing will compare. It's the holy grail of fantasy writing. It might just be the pinnacle of all writing. 

ADULT & YA GRAPHIC NOVELS

5 stars

Ducks by Kate Beaton September 13, 2022 🍁

Kate Beaton is brilliant. When I finally sat down to read this, I didn't stop till it was done. This memoir spans the years she spent working in Northern Alberta in the Oil Sands. Being one of the few women there made for emotionally exhausting and even traumatic experiences. 


This reminded me of Joan Didion's Year of Magical Thinking.
The raw pain of loss resonates equally. It took me back over three decades ago to the death of my own father and opened old wounds. It isn't full of global cultural and historical connections like Didion's is, but it does address the ones specific to Nigeria. 

CURRENTLY

Ghostlight by Kenneth Oppel September 6th 2022  🍁

As Long as the Rivers Flow by Larry Loyie, Constance Brissenden, & Heather D. Holmlund (Illustrator) 🍁

No Vacancy by Tziporah Cohen  🍁

A Green Velvet Secret by Vicki Grant  🍁

UP NEXT - MAYBE

Narwhalicorn and Jelly (A Narwhal and Jelly Book #7) by Ben Clanton

READING GOALS

#MustReadFiction 24/24 one in progress

#MustReadNonFiction 16/18

Canadian Authors 76/100 four in progress

Indigenous Authors 18/25 one in progress

Goodreads Reading Challenge: 266/250

2022 Big Book Summer Challenge 7
Canada Reads shortlist 5/5 

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