My Reading Frenzy

What I've Read - What I am Reading - March 22, 2021

I read quite a few short books this week, but also finished one I have been reading for two weeks and another it took over a week to listen to. More and more I appreciate the intensity offered by middled grade books that cater to an audience that wants a good story in a small package. I think it may be more difficult to write children's books that cannot draw out descriptions and plot lines without losing their audience.

 

Read:

• A Court of Silver Flames (purchased hardback) by Sarah Maas - I finished this one at the end of the week. I am glad to have read it, but I probably don't need to read any more Maas books. I thought I wouldn't read anything else by here after opting not to read The Assassin's Blade or others in the Throne of Glass series, but I liked the A Court of Thorns and Roses series better and am happy to have seen what I think is the end of the story. As much as this installment was one of my favorites, I will not continue even if Maas does. 
• Sunny (elibrary book) by Jason Reynolds - This was definitely my favorite of the four novels, both because of the dairy format, but also because I could see myself in Sunny's introspective nature.
• Lu by Jason Reynolds - I really liked Lucas's story because his family dynamic was different from the others. 
• The Mystery of Black Hollow Lane (purchased) by Julia Nobel - boarding school in England, American girl sent by a too busy parent, missing other parent, secret society - Check, check, check. I enjoyed the heck out of this book.
• Yes, Chef (library eaudiobook) by Marcus Samuelsson - I don't know if it is a phase or a new life-long attraction, but I want to listen to chef memoir after chef memoir with no breaks. Though I am on a "not by choice" break because of what came in next from my library holds. But I'll be back to my food memoirs soon. I wasn't loving this one at first, but as Samuelsson progressed in his career I found the story more interesting. His early days in Ethiopia combined with being raised and first cooking with his Swedish grandmother set him up for a unique cooking profile. I'd like to eat at Red Rooster, his NYC restaurant.

 

Reading:

• The Secret of White Stone Gate (purchased) by Julia Nobel - I wanted to read this second installment right after finishing the first, so I purchased it to be ready. It has many of the positives of the first book, but has not drawn me in as much. I feel like the characters are going around again in the same mystery without making much progress toward a resolution, especially considering there will not be a third installment.

 

 

Listening:

• Truth & Beauty: A Friendship (eaudio library book) by Ann Patchett - I discovered this book while listening to Patchett's book of essays This is the Story of a Happy Marriage. This one is the story of Patchett's friendship with poet Lucy Grealy.

 

 

Up Next:

Some familiar titles here, with a new one at the top.

• You Should See Me in a Crown (elibrary book) by Leah Johnson - This one is open on my Kindle to start after I finish The Secret of White Stone Gate. It came in from my library holds a few days ago so I need to get reading before it is due back.
• The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden - I am eager to read this second installment.
• Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - I read and loved Gideon the Ninth and feel ready for the 2nd book.
• Commonwealth by Ann Patchett - I am making my way through all of Patchett's backlist after being bowled over by The Dutch House. I had previously read Bel Canto at the recommendation of a number of readers, for some reason had not read anything else until recently.
• Four Hundred Souls (purchased hardback) edited by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blair - I think this collection of essays exploring 400 years of the history of African America will be a good companion to read alongside Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Kendi.

 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

 

 

**A note on the picture. I always use an image from the Prints and Photographs collections of the Library of Congress. I like these because they are interesting, and freely available because they are in the public domain. I mainly choose images of people reading. If you click the image in any of my posts you will be able to see the Library's bibliographic record which includes whatever they know about the image including its creator. There are also usually links to other similar items or to the collection the image is a part of.***

What I've Read - What I am Reading - March 15, 2020

I went two weeks again between posts, but have also not been able to carve out as much time for reading, so there are probably as many "reads" and "readings" after 14 days as there usually are after seven. I should have more time this week and am feeling more energetic with the time change. I don't like changing the time twice a year, but I do like sunlight later in the day.

 

 

Read:

• Patina (elibrary book) by Jason Reynolds - I loved seeing the whole track team through Patina's eyes and hearing details about her life that were only ancillary to Ghost's story. I am sorry not to have read this series sooner, but glad to be now. Reynolds has found a really engaging way to draw us into the lives of these four runners. It has taken me some time, but I see how Reynolds likes to explore situations from different perspectives as he did in Look Both Ways. 
• Notes from a Young Black Chef (eaudiobook purchased from Audible) by Kwame Onwuachi - There was so much I did not learn about Onwuachi from watching Top Chef, a point he made in the book, about the way the show is edited to create a persona for each chef that may or may not align with their true personality. His story also caused me to be disappointed that he is no longer a DC chef. 
• I Want to Eat Your Pancreas (purchased Manga) by Yoru Sumino - Think The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and Me, Earl, and the Dying Girl by Jesse Andrews rather than The Walking Dead. I decided it was time to try Manga. Happening upon this book is what made me decide to take the plunge, because the blurb revealed it to be a realistic, almost-romance and the entire story was contained in one volume. I did not want to get myself into an on-going series. I enjoyed the story and appreciated the way manga must be read front to back and each page right to left, then left to right and back again. Once I got the hang of it, it was not an issue and provided an additional layer of mental stimulation.
• Spoiler Alert (egalley) by Olivia Dade - This one takes place in the world of fanfiction and cons (conventions). I purposely chose to read this right after One to Watch because both have been praised for positive portrayal of a plus sized main character. I wanted to compare the approach. I found Dade's characters to be more sophisticated, with more depth. This is in part because there are far fewer characters than the group of bachelors in One to Watch. There were interesting differences in the family dynamic with Bea having a loving family while April's was toxic that added a layer to each woman's expereinces. I also appreciated Dade's clever word play between April and Marcus. This as well as Marcus as a fully fleshed out character made this the novel I liked better, so if you were going to read just one of these I would recommend Spoiler Alert. I am looking forward to Dade's next novel All the Feels, due out in October. I may also look into some of her backlist.

 

Reading:

• A Court of Silver Flames (purchased hardback) by Sarah Maas - I am a bit over halfway finished and enjoying this story immensely. Maas is an excellent storyteller, creating characters I care about and situations that fit well into the sophisticated world she has created.
• Sunny (elibrary book) by Jason Reynolds - Two weeks ago, I was reading Patina, the second in the series, hoping that when it ended, the 3rd book would pick up where it left off. In true Jason Reynolds fashion, he surprised me by revealing what happened in Patina's relay without beginning Sunny's story with hers. This installment may be my favorite so far because I like the use of Sunny's diary entries to tell his story. I also feel more connected to Sunny because the entries show his introspective side which feels familiar to me.

 

Listening:

In order to decide on my next listen, I searched for a list of "best chef memoirs" and found a wonderful list. Many I put on hold at the library or in my Goodreads list, but only found one available when I finished my previous listen. 

• Yes, Chef (library eaudiobook) by Marcus Samuelsson

 

Up Next:

Again, these are at the top of the list, but I have moved books that have come in via library holds as well as new purchases ahead for a few weeks. 

• Lu by Jason Reynolds - This is truly my next read after I finish Sunny because it came in from the library before Sunny and I am in a time crunch.
• The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden - I am eager to read this second installment.
• Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - I read and loved Gideon the Ninth and feel ready for the 2nd book.
• Commonwealth by Ann Patchett - I am making my way through all of Patchett's backlist after being bowled over by The Dutch House. I had previously read Bel Canto at the recommendation of a number of readers, for some reason had not read anything else until recently.
• Four Hundred Souls (purchased hardback) edited by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blair - I think this collection of essays exploring 400 years of the history of African America will be a good companion to read alongside Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Kendi.

 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

 

 

**A note on the picture. I always use an image from the Prints and Photographs collections of the Library of Congress. I like these because they are interesting, and freely available because they are in the public domain. I mainly choose images of people reading. If you click the image in any of my posts you will be able to see the Library's bibliographic record which includes whatever they know about the image including its creator. There are also usually links to other similar items or to the collection the image is a part of.***

What I've Read - What I am Reading - March 1, 2021

Last week I added a new list "Up Next," which includes the titles at the top of my TBR list. You will find, which I already knew about myself" that I may or may not really choose my next reads from those I mentioned. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read:

• Ghost (library ebook) by Jason Reynolds - It is not a surprise that I loved Castle's story. I just started the second book in the series, Patina, which I am glad to say picks up right where Ghost left off, but this time from Patty's perspective. Really an innovative way to tell four different stories (the next two books are Sunny and Lu.)
• Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton -  Even since getting hooked on Top Chef, I have been seeking memoirs by chefs. I have listened to Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential, David Chang's Eat a Peach, Padma Lakshmi's Love, Loss, and What We Ate (She's not a chef, but a judge on Top Chef), two books by Ruth Reichel Save me the Plums and Garlic and Sapphires (She's a home cook and a food writer/restaurant reviewer), and now am listening to Notes from a Young Black Chef by Kwame Onwuachi.
• Amari and the Night Brothers (purchased hardback) by B.B. Alston - This book was fantastic. The magical world Alston has created was a delight to visit. I have to believe there is another book on the way.
• One to Watch (library book) by Kate Stayman-London - This romance was promoted as a body-positive story, which is one of the reasons I chose it. It also has a multi-faceted and well-written main character in plus-size fashion blogger Bea Schumacher. I found the messaging a bit heavy handed at times, but overall I enjoyed Bea's journey.

 

Reading:

• Patina (elibrary book) by Jason Reynolds - Before I even finished Ghost, I put this one on hold at the library and it came through just at the perfect moment to start after finishing One to Watch while I was waiting the required 10 minutes after my 2nd COVID shot! (Thank you SCIENCE!)

 

Listening:

• Notes from a Young Black Chef (eaudiobook purchased from Audible) by Kwame Onwuachi - I am just at the beginning, but so far Onwuachi's early life led him almost inevitably to becoming a chef. 

 

Up Next:

Four of these have been carried over from last week - I ended up reading one from this list this week and then reading a one library book that is due back soon and starting another.

• The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden - I am eager to read this second installment.
• Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - I read and loved Gideon the Ninth and feel ready for the 2nd book.
• Commonwealth by Ann Patchett - I am making my way through all of Patchett's backlist after being bowled over by The Dutch House. I had previously read Bel Canto at the recommendation of a number of readers, for some reason had not read anything else until recently.
• Four Hundred Souls (purchased hardback) edited by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blair - I think this collection of essays exploring 400 years of the history of African America will be a good companion to read alongside Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Kendi.
• A Court of Silver Flames (purchased hardback) by Sarah Maas - I have stuck with Maas's series over the years and people I trust say this one is not to be missed. They also said this was not a book they thought would be appropriate for high school students. I will be interested to see if I agree. I have found that people who do not interact much with teens are more conservative in their outlook than I am.

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

 

**A note on the picture. I always use an image from the Prints and Photographs collections of the Library of Congress. I like these because they are interesting, and freely available because they are in the public domain. I mainly choose images of people reading. If you click the image in any of my posts you will be able to see the Library's bibliographic record which includes whatever they know about the image including its creator. There are also usually links to other similar items or to the collection the image is a part of.***

What I've Read - What I am Reading - February 22, 2021

I have been remiss in posting anything here at all, but I am back with an overview of what I have been reading during these long, cold weeks. In addition to what I have read, am reading, and am listening to, I have added an "Up Next" section to preview what I have at the top of my TBR pile.

 

Read:

• The Best of Me (audiobook purchased from Audible) by David Sedaris I am thoroughly enjoying this one. I listened for hours the other day while working on a jigsaw puzzle while the snow fell.

 

• A Rogue of One's Own (egalley) by Evie Dunmore - Yep, romance is my go-to when I need a comfort read. The assurance that it will all work out in the end gets me through the frustrations every time. If only real life were so predictable.

 

• Riviera Gold by Laurie R. King - This is the most recent Mary Russell mystery to have been published. It takes place mainly in Monte Carlo and brings us back to Mrs. Hudson's story. I like these mysteries when I take a break from Elizabeth George and Louise Penny. The more recent novels have not lived up to the fascination I found in the earlier books, but I will keep reading unless they take another downturn. (Next book in the series is due out in June.)

 

• Over the Top: A Raw Journey to Self-Love by Jonathan Van Ness - (library eaudiobook) I have loved watching the revival of Queer Eye over the past five seasons. Jonathan is a force of nature with his positivity and vision for each of their heroes. His book was personal in tone, as if we were sitting together having a chat. 

 

• The Bear and the Nightingale (purchased paperback at a DC independent bookstore) by Katherine Arden - This was recommended to me by a bookseller when I asked for something to follow the Daevabad trilogy. I loved its fairy tale and folklore roots as well as the magical and fierce Vasya. I am looking forward to the continuation of her story in The Girl in the Tower. 

 

• Dangerous Alliance (library ebook) by Jennieke Cohen - Eh, I finished it. The ending was satisfying, but predictable. The rest was also predictable and just ok. 

 

• Deception on His Mind (library ebook) by Elizabeth George - I am moving through these quickly because I can't get enough of definitive mystery solving. But I can take a break now and read one Louise Penny before the next Lynley mystery. This will be seamless, in part, because I have the next George installment in print having found it in a neighborhood Little Free Library and am not therefore beholden to when my library hold comes in.

 

• Fashionopolis (audiobook purchased from Audible) by Dana Thomas - This is not my first read about the dangerous waste associated with fast fashion, but this is the first to give equal time to designers and companies who are trying to shift the industry to sustainable practices. This is an important read for anyone interested in the the environmental impact of clothing production. 

 

• The Biggest Bluff: How I Learned to Pay Attention, Master Myself, and Win (audiobook purchased from Audible) by Maria Konnikova - I am not sure when I last gave a book 5 stars in Goodreads, but this story earned every star. Wow! I found the mix of poker history, strategies, and play with Konnikova's personal progression to winner to be fascinating. She spends time with poker masters, game theorists, and psychologists as she learns about the world of poker, not only for the book, but also for herself. Some of the most interesting revelations are how what she learns about being successfully at the poker table spills into other areas of her life in positive ways. 

 

• All's Faire in Middle School (purchased paperback) by Victoria Jamieson - While this story does not quite live up to Roller Girl, Jamieson captures the challenges Imogene faces in attending middle school after previously being home schooled, while also exploring the respite the Renaissance Faire provides. This was a fun read.

 

• It Had to Be You (egalley) by Georgia Clark - This was a lovely romance. It could have dived right into some romance tropes, but Clark was able to write the love stories of a new widow, recently out queer woman, and music partners in a way that felt fresh even while the outcomes were expectedly happy.

 

 

Reading:

• Ghost (library ebook) by Jason Reynolds - I realized after watching an online chat between Reynold and Dr. Ibrahim X. Kendi that I have missed a few of Reynolds works, so I am jumping into the Track series with Ghost. I have two others on hold at the library. 

 

 

Listening:

• Blood, Bones, and Butter: The Inadvertent Education of a Reluctant Chef by Gabrielle Hamilton - I am only about 14 minutes into this listen, but settled in easily as Hamilton explores some of the ways food was important to her family as she grew up in New Hope, PA a town I have loved since high school visits during the annual geology trip. 

 

 

Up Next:

• The Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden - see "Read" for my thoughts about the first book in the trilogy. 
• Harrow the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir - I read and loved Gideon the Ninth and feel ready for the 2nd book.
• Commonwealth by Ann Patchett - I am making my way through all of Patchett's backlist after being bowled over by The Dutch House. I had previously read Bel Canto at the recommendation of a number of readers, for some reason had not read anything else until recently.
• Four Hundred Souls (purchased hardback) edited by Dr. Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blair - I think this collection of essays exploring 400 years of the history of African America will be a good companion to read alongside Stamped: Racism, Anti-Racism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Dr. Kendi.
• Amari and the Night Brothers (purchased hardback) by B.B. Alston - I admit it, sometimes I buy books for their covers. While the cover is spectacular, as soon as I read that Amari would be dealing with a ticking briefcase from the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs, I was in for the premise too. 

 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

 

**A note on the picture. I always use an image from the Prints and Photographs collections of the Library of Congress. I like these because they are interesting, and freely available because they are in the public domain. I mainly choose images of people reading. If you click the image in any of my posts you will be able to see the Library's bibliographic record which includes whatever they know about the image including its creator. There are also usually links to other similar items or to the collection the image is a part of.***

What I've Read - What I am Reading - February 1, 2021

Not currently possible with the fences up, but maybe someday.

I am not sure if January was long or short. It feels fast for it to be February already, but on the other hand, looking back, the holidays feel long ago. In other news, I have secured a part time job as a bookseller. Long ago I worked at the B. Dalton in the Ocean County Mall one summer and then over the holidays. Bookselling has a lot in common with being a librarian, so I am looking forward to the opportunity to engage people in chat about books. 

 

 

 

Read:

• Gideon the Ninth (purchased book) by Tamsyn Muir - I finished. What a book! Now that I have finished, I would definately put it in horror in my own library, mainly so that students would know there are some graphic segments, but for me, it was manageable and I do not usually read horror at all. I was drawn in by the relationships, particularly between Harrow and Gideon. I am looking forward to jumping into the second book. (And trying to be calm about when the 3rd might be available.)
• In the Presence of the Enemy (elibrary book) by Elizabeth George - I flashed through this one, neglecting Gideon in order to find out whodunit. A really satisfying read. I am not sure I can adequately verbalize how important mysteries have been to my mental health during these COVID months. I will be a lifelong George fan because of the way her work has carried me through. 

 

Reading:

• Angel Mage (library ebook) by Garth Nix - I may give it another go, but I think this one may be destined for the DNF list. I just haven't found it engaging enough to go back to. 
• A Rogue of One's Own (egalley) by Evie Dunmore - Yep, romance is my go-to when I need a comfort read. The assurance that it will all work out in the end gets me through the frustrations every time. If only real life were so predictable.

 

Listening:

• The Best of Me (audiobook purchased from Audible) by David Sedaris I am thoroughly enjoying this one. I listened for hours the other day while working on a jigsaw puzzle while the snow fell.

 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

 

 

**A note on the picture. I always use an image from the Prints and Photographs collections of the Library of Congress. I like these because they are interesting, and freely available because they are in the public domain. I mainly choose images of people reading. If you click the image in any of my posts you will be able to see the Library's bibliographic record which includes whatever they know about the image including its creator. There are also usually links to other similar items or to the collection the image is a part of.***

What I've Read - What I am Reading - January 18, 2021

Hanging poems on a cherry tree

The weather this week wavered from gloriously warm and sunny to less warm, but still sunny to cloudy and chilly. Each day that it was sunny, whatever the temperature, I went for a 5K walk. I'd like to work up to a mostly 5K run to prep for the race I might be able to participate in in April, in Richmond, VA. This means lots of audiobook time. 

I am looking forward to Wednesday's Inauguration, which I will watch with a celebratory glass of something bubbly. Probably the lemon-cucumber sparkling water I have been saving for a special occasion. While I am thrilled about the change in leadership, I am also looking forward to the return of the Inaugural poem. Amanda Gorman, former National Youth Poet Laureate, will perform a poem at the ceremony. And rumor is that it will be an original poem, composed for the occasion. 

 

 

Read:

• 500 Miles From You (elibrary book) by Jenny Colgan  - This is Colgan's most recent book, and the 3rd in the Scottish Bookshop series. While much of it is set in Kirrinfeif, Scotland each of the main characters also spends time in London. Their differing points of view about London life are especially interesting to me after having spent a few days there in 2019. This story is heavier than some of Colgan's work, but I think she found a good balance between the realistic and romantic elements of the book.
• Year of the Monkey (audiobook purchase from Audible) by Patti Smith. I saw her live when this book was released. I have listened to her read both Just Kids and M Train finding that I love her laid back style. This one is a short 4.5 hour listen in Smith's unmistakable, poetic voice.
• Brave, Not Perfect (library eaudiobook) by Reshma Saujani - While I appreciated the author's observations about how striving for perfection sometimes holds women back from taking brave steps in both the personal and professional realm, there wasn't much here that was new for me. I felt the segments about how this affects young girls and teens was more informative. I would have like more of this and how parents and educators can counteract the negativity. 
• On Account of the Gum (purchased book) by Adam Rex  - This was a sweet picture book, with delightful illustrations depicting the story of a wayward piece of gum and the family's attempt to remove it. 

 

 

Reading:

• Gideon the Ninth (purchased book) by Tamsyn Muir - While talking about how much I was enjoying this read, I did lament that if we were to purchase it for our library we would have a tough time deciding where to shelve it. It has fantasy elements since half the characters are necromancers, but since they were brought to Canaan House via spaceship and the story is set in a futuristic galactic empire it also leans to science fiction, BUT the animated skeletons and deaths certainly fit into horror. As I was typing this, I convinced myself it would go in horror, but then I talked myself out of it. Maybe it will be easier to decide once I have finished. I am looking forward to how the story turns out for Gideon and eager to move to the 2nd book with its focus on Harrow. 
• Angel Mage (library ebook) by Garth Nix - This is the second of Nix's stand alone novels I am reading after loving The Left-Handed Booksellers of London. The first was Newt's Emerald. I did not really know what this book would be about, but so far there are characters who use icons to call on the powers of a variety of angel to do their bidding. Not everyone uses this ability for good. That's about all I have so far. 
• Just Last Night (egalley) by Mhairi McFarlane - I have read all of McFarlane's work. I will continue to do so. I cried a bit during this one already, but I don't think overall it will be a sad book. Disappointingly though, since this is not even out until May, I will have to wait for another book. I am open to suggestions for similar authors and titles.

 

 

Listening:

• Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan - After years of checking this book out to AP Psychology students I thought it was time to find out more. I've listened to just over an hour and the Susannah does not seem to have yet reached the apex of her illness, but she is devolving quickly into someone suffering from extreme paranoia, auditory hallucinations, and a mix of defiant and ego-centric behaviors. I am fascinated to keep listening to find out more.

 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

**A note on the picture. I always use an image from the Prints and Photographs collections of the Library of Congress. I like these because they are interesting, and freely available because they are in the public domain. I mainly choose images of people reading. If you click the image in any of my posts you will be able to see the Library's bibliographic record which includes whatever they know about the image including its creator. There are also usually links to other similar items or to the collection the image is a part of.***Wht

2020 Reading Reflections and Favorites

Wanting to write a post about everything I read in 2020 made me grateful for my diligence in logging everything I read on Goodreads. I was able to pull up my 2020 challenge and look at all the books I read this year, including dates and a look at the cover. I have always told my students the phrase "Don't judge a book by its cover" applies in many situations as a metaphor, but not when talking about books. Artists, marketers, and salespeople count on book covers being engaging in order to sell them to us. I am highly visual, and almost never buy a book simply for its cover, but the cover does imprint in my brain and help me remember reading it and at least a bit about it, making a walk down book-memory lane much easier. 

 

 

 

 

Here they are - My 2020 favorite reads:

In roughly in the order I read them.

• Happier at Home (eaudiobook from the library) by Gretchen Rubin - I have found valuable takeaways in all of Rubin's books, but this one hit exactly where I needed it to, when I needed it to. It was particularly prescient because I was isolated at home starting in March, not too long after finishing this listen. I was able to incorporate some of her ideas that in turn helped make staying at home less fraught with anxiety.
• Almost American Girl (purchased book) by Robin Ha - While I read this one as soon as it arrived in our library in February, it was not until August that I had the opportunity to watch an online discussion between Ha and Malaka Gharib, author of the graphic memoir I Was Their American Dream hosted by One More Page Books, an independent bookstore in Arlington, VA.
• City of Girls (egalley) by Elizabeth Gilbert - This is a work of historical fiction that takes place in 1940s New York City in the glamourous-ish theatre world. It reminded me very much of Herman Wouk's Marjorie Morningstar with a young hero who longs to be New York theatre star. This year I also read Gilbert's Big Magic (non-fiction) about living a creative life. It just barely missed being on this list, though here it is I suppose. Ha!
• New Kid and Class Act (purchased books then gifted to my niece) by Jerry Craft - New Kid was the 2020 Newbery winner, the first for a graphic novel. Class Act is an equally thought provoking companion.
• Maybe You Should Talk to Someone (purchased audiobook from Audible) by Lori Gottlieb - Gottlieb chronicles her therapy journey after a sudden break up, while also sharing details of therapy patients she is seeing. And interesting look at therapy from both perspectives.
• The House in the Cerulean Sea (purchased book) by TJ Klune. This might be my favorite read of the year. It is one of the books I specifically sought at the beginning pandemic related isolation. The story of Linus Baker and the magical children he is seeking to help was a perfect mix of humor, heartbreak, and fantasy. I want to read it again to savor all the delights of the family they all become.  
• Buzz Saw: The Improbable Story of How the Washington Nationals Won the World Series (purchased book) by Jesse Dougherty - One of my most missed 2020 activities was baseball. We are and have been Washington Nationals fans, which made 2019 the culmination of 14 years of hopes with our first World Series win. It was tremendously disappointing to be deprived of all the celebrations that should have come at the beginning of the 2020 season. Dougherty's book came to me just when teams were cancelling spring training and the season was put on hold indefinitely. I derived great comfort from reliving the triumphant season through this book. I also had the opportunity to hear Dougherty discuss writing the book in  a live Twitter talk.
• Kingdom of the Blind (purchased book) by Louise Penny - Penny's mysteries get better and more sophisticated with every book. This one was particularly satisfying because it finished out a significant story arc. There are two books after this one, which I have not read. I try to stay a bit behind her publications so I do not run out. I have one with me in FL to read soon.
• A Banquet of Consequences (elibrary book) by Elizabeth George - I have found mysteries a great comfort during the pandemic, perhaps for the way they end with the solving of the crime. I read 8 Lynley mysteries this year, but this was my favorite.
• The Goldfinch (eaudiobook from the library) by Donna Tartt - I loved Tartt's The Secret History, I was less enamored of The Little Friend. The Goldfinch was wonderful. I listened to it because I balked at sitting with such a long book. In retrospect I would have torn through it, probably faster than I was able to listen. I had to pause twice because the audiobook was due back at the library before I could finish. In the end, I was on edge for most of it after the initial disaster, always waiting for the other shoe to drop. It did, in spectacular fashion. I loved it.
• Magic Lessons (egalley) by Alice Hoffman - I saw the movie Practical Magic when it came out in 1998, having no idea it was based on a book, which I just read in 2019. I followed in 2020 with the others in the family of books, but this was my favorite, with its overtones of The Scarlet Letter.
• Untamed (eaudiobook from the library) by Glennon Doyle - This was my favorite non-fiction read/listen of the year. Doyle is amazing. She shares her own story in all her books, but somehow is also able to tap into the ways we all feel weak and not enough in our own situations, but then she offers badass wisdom to build us up. I like this one so much I also purchased this book to re-read and re-visit.
• Daevabad Trilogy (purchased books) by SA Chakraborty - Like I sometimes do, I rejected these books because they were too popular, everyone was reading them, I was going to be different. I am a fool because I LOVED them all. The benefit however of my stubborness is having been able to read all three books in a row without waiting. 
• The Year of Living Danishly (eaudiobook from the library) by Helen Russell - Having never lived outside the United States, I appreciated Russell's thorough exploration of her temporary (or so she thought) country. The book is organized by months, beginning when she arrives in January. She explores, in depth, 12 different facets of life in Denmark from work to motherhood to eating to winter to traditions. This detailed look at moving and living in another country was intriguing.
• The Left-Handed Booksellers of London (purchased book) by Garth Nix - I have raved about this one more than once. It was definitely ending up on this list.
• Return of the Thief (purchased book) by Megan Whalen Turner - While I really liked how Turner wrapped up this six book series, reading it was an important reminder that sometimes it is a good idea to re-read earlier books.
• The Witches are Coming (eaudiobook from the library) by Lindy West - I recently listened to Shit, Actually, West's most recent publication, but this one is so far my favorite of hers. I need regular feminist commentary in my life so I do not get complacent. 
• A Promised Land (purchased audiobook from Audible) by Barack Obama - I was so eager for this one, I pre-ordered the audiobook. I spent much of the book lamenting the loss of dignity and integrity in the White House. (I am looking forward to their return next week.) But I also learned about aspects of law making and running for office I had not known. 

 

What were your 2020 favorite reads?

 

Some 2020 Reading Reflections (based on all my reading, not just my favorites)

1. I need more diversity in authors, particularly in non-fiction. I don't feel I need to diversify in genre as I read:

• fantasy
• science fiction
• literary fiction
• historical fiction
• romance
• mystery
• non-fiction 

In all of the above I read adult as well as YA and some middle grade (mostly realistic). There were also MANY graphic novels and comics in my reading year. These tended to be memoirs, realistic, and fantasy. I will admit I avoid horror, thrillers, crime. They just take the intensity of a mystery up a notch too far for me. 

2. I want to try to tackle more of my TBR this year rather than jumping immediately to new publications. I make no promises about this one. If I decide however that I am most satisfied when I read newer releases, I need to cull my physical shelves of older books I may never get to. They should find a home with someone else.

 

What reflections do you have on your 2020 reading life? What are you looking forward to in 2021?

 

What I've Read - What I am Reading - January 11, 2021

The Beautiful Capitol Building in more peaceful times

I disappeared for a while. Between prepping to be away from home for the next few months and the holidays, I let the blog posts languish. But I am back with renewed inspiration and reading goals.

In my previous reading update, I was nearing my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal of 185 books, I ended 2020 having read 189. That last week of the year, the time between Christmas and New Year's is a reading heavy time for me. My next post will review my favorite 10-15 reads of 2020. 

I have relocated from DC to FL for some time, no firm plans at this point, but one goal is to avoid seeing live snow this year. I do love being inside and cozy, watching snow falling. (I dislike when it hangs around making walking the sidewalks a slushy obstacle course.) One of my most favorite walks is around the Capitol Building while it is snowing or just after it stops when the whole world is quiet. (The events of the past week, the desecration of this temple of democracy is heart breaking. I shed copious tears watching and reading about the invasion and attempts by some to thwart the democratic process with terroristic methods. I make no apologies for these strong words.) 

 

Read:

December 2020

• Holly Black's How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (purchased book) - I have not read anything by Holly Black that wasn't fantastic. If you are just starting her work, I would recommend The Curse Workers series that begins with White Cat or her most recent The Folk of the Air series that begins with The Cruel Prince. The stand-alone The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is also a favorite of mine.
• I finished A Promised Land by President Barack Obama (purchased from Audible) before driving to FL. I find Obama's voice pleasant to listen to. Add to this, my preference for non-fiction read by the author and this was a 5 star read for me. This is the first of two books about his Presidency. This volume ends with the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011. With this installment coming in at 768 pages and ending before the end of his first term, I wonder if he will move more quickly through 2012-2016. I anticipate a fair bit of reflection on his entire presidency at the end of the 2nd book. Whatever the case, I will again purchase and listen.
• Super Fake Love Song (purchased book) by David Yoon - I almost stopped reading this around chapter 3. Early in the novel, Yoon uses some stereotypes of students who play sports, students who prioritize their academics, and musical students that I disliked. I was also turned off by the portrayal of teachers as indifferent at best and hostile at worst. As a high school educator I can speak from experience when I say these types have been a minority in schools where I have worked. But, I chalked Sunny's attitude up to self-absorption and moved on. I am glad to say my faith in Yoon was well placed as Sunny's story progressed. 
• Christmas at the Island Hotel (elibrary book) by Jenny Colgan - This was a well-timed read just before Christmas. Colgan's novels are not without conflict and angst, but the characters are engaging, the settings serve as integral to the characters and their relationships, and the resolutions are satisfying.
• The City Baker's Guide to Country Living (elibrary book) by Louise Miller - I can't rave about this one because of some unrealistic coincidences that served to move the plot along. But I read the whole book and did not feel like I wasted my time. 
• Carry On Warrior (library audiobook) by Glennon Doyle - I have read Doyle's books in reverse chronological order after starting with Untamed (I bought this audiobook and WILL listen to it again now I have finished all her books.)
• Second First Impressions (egalley) by Sally Thorne - This is the 3rd and final book I will read by Thorne. My first was The Hating Game, which I gave 3 stars. Next was 99 Percent Mine, which I did not finish. This one was a 2 star read. The dialogue is unrealistic and choppy. The story was boring and the characters only prompted indifference. 
• For Everyone (library audiobook) by Jason Reynolds - This isn't really a book, but a long poem. It is self-reflective for Reynolds but contains nuggets of wisdom for everyone about living a creative life. I listened to his reading but am planning to buy the print version to reread and reference. 
• The Cold Millions (ebook purchase) by Jess Walter - I agreed to read this novel in order to participate in a small book club with two friends. I read Beautiful Ruins a few years ago, but was unsure about this one because of references to violence in the book's description. I am happy to have given it a try. I don't always like novels that switch from character to character, but these interwoven stories in early 1900s Spokane, Washington were well-balanced and paced. I am looking forward to our Zoom meet up to discuss. The history was also intriguing enough to push me to further research, which is not always the case.

 

January 2021

• Act Your Age, Eve Brown (egalley) by Talia Hibbert - I am disappointed there are no more sisters in the Brown family. I hope Hibbert will discover some cousins whose stories need to be told. Funny, romantic, and satisfyingly realistic are three ways I would describe all three of Hibbert's stories of the Brown sisters. [Get a Life, Chloe Brown (#1) and Take a Hint, Dani Brown (#2) - Though there is no need to read these in order.]
• The Lost Love Song (egalley) by Minnie Darke - I read Darke's debut Star-Crossed last January and liked it enough to recommend and send through the mail to a friend. I don't read too many books that take place in Australia, so I appreciate the change of scenery. This one has a number of settings including Edinburgh, which are an element of the story of the lost love song. I liked this one better than the first in part because of the larger cast of characters who are caught up in the story of the song. (An interesting companion read would be Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano.) 
• "The Prince and the Troll" by Rainbow Rowell and "Hazel and Gray" by Nic Stone. These are part of a series of five short stories by YA authors that reimagine classic fairy tales. The other three are "The Princess Game" by Soman Chainani, "The Cleaners" by Ken Liu, and "The Wickeds" by Gayle Forman. I purchased all five stories before their release and am looking forward to finishing the series in the next few weeks. So far I like the innovative twists on tales many of us know well.
• Ready Player Two (library audiobook) by Ernest Cline. Like many others, I LOVED Ready Player One, which I listened to early in my re-discovery of audiobooks after a year or two hiatus. Wil Wheaton, King of the Nerds, was well chosen to read both books and a primary reason I chose to wait for the audiobook from the library. Having just finished listening to this over the weekend, I am still not sure how I feel about it. It was slow to get going with lots of review. I needed it, having read the book when it was released in 2011 and have not seen the movie, but this means it took almost 4 hours into the book before the inciting incident. The action section of the novel was the strongest for me. The ending is where I just cannot decide. I don't think I liked it, but that does not mean it wasn't an appropriate end. 
• Fangirl Manga volume 1 - by Rainbow Rowell, adapted by Sam Maggs, illustrated by Gabi Nam - This is the 1^st of 4 planned volumes and so far I am enjoying the visual adaptation, which I wasn't sure would work...but it does. The story line and dialogue align with the novel so unless a reader is a big fan as I am, there is no need to read both. 
• The Good, The Bad, and the Dumped by Jenny Colgan (elibrary book) - This was an early book by Colgan that seems to have been re-released. I finished the read, but was tempted more than once to stop. This is an example of an author growing and improving with each book. If you are interested in Colgan's work I would recommend staring with the Little Beach Street books or the Scottish Bookshop books.
• Let Your Mind Run: A Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory by Deena Kastor. I am just finishing this while I am polishing up this post. I started listening on the drive to FL a few weeks ago and have continued both in the car and at home. I was attracted to Kastor's story after listening to What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. I ran my first 5K in October of 2019 in Baltimore after taking up running more seriously at the beginning of 2019 to support a friend who was planning a 10K for her 60^th birthday. The 10K was meant to take place in Richmond in April 2020, which happened only as a virtual event. I chose to defer my registration to the April 2021 event, but depending on vaccine distribution, it may be October 2021 before I participate in another race. Whatever happens I have found inspiration in listening to others talk about their running lives. I doubt I will move past a 10K, but who knows what my running future holds.

 

 

Reading:

• I read The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow when I was in Florida in April. I think many of the books I read back when I naively believed the COVID isolation period would be short will stick with me because they were of comfort or engagement when we were trying to figure out how to modify our lives to be safe. I began reading Harrow's recently published The Once and Future Witches (egalley) a few weeks ago, but took a break to read other books from the library. I have not gone back yet because it did not draw me in strongly. I am intrigued enough that I will try again before I forget the part I have already read.
• After resisting the call of a book I had decided NOT to read for any good reason at all, I started Gideon the Ninth by Tamsyn Muir. There's no reason to dwell on regrets for having not picked it up sooner. But I am glad to be reading now. The banter between Gideon and her life-long enemy Harrow is a perfect mix of snarky and mean. Rich with detail the descriptions still fly by as Muir builds this world. 
• Angel Mage (library ebook) by Garth Nix - This is the second of Nix's stand alone novels I am reading after loving The Left-Handed Booksellers of London. The first was Newt's Emerald. I have his The Old Kingdom series on deck for later in the winter, which begins with Sabriel.

 

Listening:

• Since I just finished my previous listen, I have not started another yet. I will need to decide soon for my planned afternoon walk. I am wavering between two. 1. Year of the Monkey by Patti Smith. I saw her live when this book was released. I have listened to her read both Just Kids and M Train finding that I love her laid back style. This one is a short 4.5 hour listen. Might be perfect for a week of walking. 2. The Best of Me by David Sedaris. His work is always hilarious and also read by him but hard to listen to at the gym with other people around since it is only ever a matter of time before I snort laugh aloud. 

 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

**A note on the picture. I always use an image from the Prints and Photographs collections of the Library of Congress. I like these because they are interesting, and freely available because they are in the public domain. I mainly choose images of people reading. If you click the image in any of my posts you will be able to see the Library's bibliographic record which includes whatever they know about the image including its creator. There are also usually links to other similar items or to the collection the image is a part of.***

What I've Read - What I am Reading - December 7, 2020

The year is coming to a close and I am nearing my Goodreads Reading Challenge goal number of 185 books read this year. (I am at 179.) I don't set a goal to push myself or compete with previous year's numbers, but as one way of noting my reading habits. When a goal is set, Goodreads keeps track of both the number of books and the specific titles read for the year. If I were just to mark books "read" as I finish, it would not be as straightforward to revisit the year's reading. I find this to be the most valuable feature of Goodreads for my reading life. 

 

It has been two weeks since one of these posts because the holiday and some reading ennui kept me from making progress or jumping into anything new. 

 

 

Read:

• I finished Playing for the Ashes the 6^th installment in the Inspector Lynley series by Elizabeth George (elibrary book). I do need to take a break on these for a bit as I think I met my limited of intrigue for a while with this one. I will say that I don't think the quality of this book was less than others I have read, but I did enjoy it less. Perhaps because I am just burned out on murder mysteries. But I found it difficult to care as much as I have with others. I'll wait until after the new year to read another of hers.
• 25 Days 'Til Christmas by Poppy Alexander is a 2019 Christmas novel. There were zero surprises in this story, but I didn't mind. I needed something to get my reading muscles moving again and this worked. This was not a saccharine romance without strife or sadness, but it had a predictably happy ending after the usual ups and downs of romance. My favorite character was Kate's son Jack, a quirky 6 year old who was a realistically drawn kid with issues and challenges separate from his mother.
• I mentioned a few weeks back, after being delighted by Garth Nix's The Left-Handed Booksellers of London that I was seeking more of his work via the public library. The first of my holds came through this week, Newt's Emerald. Its initial attraction for me was as a stand-alone work. I am saving Nix's The Old Kingdom series for cozy winter reading. (It has only just recently turned winter cold in Washington, DC and I am looking forward to using the gas fireplace in this new apartment. It has been 7 years since I had regular access to fire.) Reading this after the previous romance was probably just the formula I needed to get out of my reading funk. I was reminded of the Regency romances à la Georgette Heyer and by golly I was right. The author's note verified her works had been some of his inspiration. A lovely heiress whose magical emerald is stolen, mixed with a masquerade ball, and a passel of well-meaning but mainly ineffective cousins and I was charmed. I am 4th on the holds list for Angel Mage.

 

Reading:

• Way back, two weeks ago I started Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch (elibrary book) I have stalled in my reading just a few pages in. This one may just have to wait while I read titles I feel more drawn to. 
• I also began the recently published volume 5 of Monstress (independent bookstore purchase) the comic book by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda. I have read about half of this and am savoring it.
• I read The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix E. Harrow when I was in Florida in April. I think many of the books I read back when I naively believed the COVID isolation period would be short will stick with me because they were of comfort or engagement when we were trying to figure out how to modify our lives to be safe. I began reading Harrow's recently published The Once and Future Witches (egalley) last evening. I am so far intrigued by the three witch sisters who have been reunited after years of separation. 
• I am planning to read Holly Black's How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories this week too.

 

Listening:

• I have been listening to A Promised Land by President Barack Obama (purchased from Audible) for the past two weeks. It is taking time because I did not listen at all over the Thanksgiving weekend and because it is a loooooong audiobook. 29 hours and 10 minutes. I have about 16 hours left. I like listening to President Obama read his own work. He has a soothing voice that keeps my irritation levels down when he talks about how slowly decisions are made and the reasons why some of his legislation met with opposition. The book is detailed and thorough as he explores the many different elements of his Presidency from lawmaking to family life to overseas travel. In the segment I just heard on a morning errand he discussed his nomination of Justice Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court.

 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

 

**A note on the picture. I always use an image from the Prints and Photographs collections of the Library of Congress. I like these because they are interesting, and freely available because they are in the public domain. I mainly choose images of people reading. If you click the image in any of my posts you will be able to see the Library's bibliographic record which includes whatever they know about the image including its creator. There are also usually links to other similar items or to the collection the image is a part of.***

What I've Read - What I am Reading - November 16, 2020

This was a light reading week. I traveled to visit M. in rural MA for a few days. We generally isolated ourselves because while there are small towns in the Berkshires, the weather was dreary and rainy and it was nice to stay warm with wine and take-out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Read:

Over the course of the week I finished both the books I had been reading in the last update.

• The Left-Handed Booksellers of London by Garth Nix - As I anticipated, this book should be the beginning of a series, but no announcement to that effect has yet been made. The title is a misnomer because there are both left-handed and right-handed booksellers in London, as well as other magical entities. In a phrase the whole book was "right up my alley." I went ahead and put two of his other stand alone books on hold: Angel Mage and Newt's Emerald.
  • The good news: Nix has an extensive backlist of books to keep me busy until the second (Who do I talk to to make sure this happens?) in the Booksellers series comes out. 
  • The bad news: This means I am adding another author whose works I want to read in their entirety to my TBR list, which knowing how I can put pressure on myself to read, means some stress. 
• Don't You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane - This means I have read all of McFarlane's available work, including a short story, After Hello, which I also read this week. 

Reading:

• On my Kindle, I started Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch (elibrary book -  I am only on page 6, but the world building has begun with a police officer gathering eye-witness information from a ghost about a recent murder. I'll keep reading for sure. Some of the atmosphere and jaunty tone remind me of the Jackaby series by William Ritter. 
• Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King (Library book) - This is the 11^th book (published in 2018) in the Mary Russell series. When I wrote my post about mystery series I have loved, I realized I hadn't read one of these in a while. This is the first of only two I have not read. Since these are both mysteries and historical fiction, I look forward to the jump back in time, and that the mystery is not always a murder. The current story takes place in the early and mid 1920s. While Mary and husband and sleuthing partner Sherlock Holmes have not yet left England, the blurb and helpful map tell me at least some of the story will take place in Venice, Italy. 

 

Listening:

Since The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson (audio elibrary book) is 17 hours and 49 minutes long, I anticipate a few more weeks of updates before I finish. BUT, I did pre-order A Promised Land by President Barack Obama, which will be released tomorrow. I will be torn even though the logical thing to do is finish the Larson first because it is a library book for which I waited quite long time and I will own the Obama book through Audible. 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

 

**A note on the picture. I always use an image from the Prints and Photographs collections of the Library of Congress. I like these because they are interesting, and freely available because they are in the public domain. I mainly choose images of people reading. If you click the image in any of my posts you will be able to see the Library's bibliographic record which includes whatever they know about the image including its creator. There are also usually links to other similar items or to the collection the image is a part of.***

What I've Read - What I am Reading - November 9, 2020

Despite the distractions of last week, I managed to read quite a lot. I definitely indulged in some of the graphic novel reading I did on Tuesday night while refreshing the election results. I knew we would not have an answer until much later in the week, but I did not want to try to go to sleep with dread in my heart like I did in 2016. All that to say that I am calmer now and had a weekend of lovely weather, celebration, and reading!

 

A note on the picture. I always use an image from the Prints and Photographs collections of the Library of Congress. I like these because they are interesting, and freely available because they are in the public domain. I like to pick images of people reading, but this week I looked for something patriotic and found the image I used. I though it represented a nice mix of patriotism and books. If you click the image in any of my posts you will be able to see the Library's bibliographic record which includes whatever they know about the image including its creator. There are also usually links to other similar items or to the collection the image is a part of. Happy exploring!

 

 

 

 

Read:

Over the course of the week I finished a few books I had been reading in last week's update.

• Missing Joseph by Elizabeth George (I have the next one in this series lined up on my Kindle, but I am going to take a quick murder mystery break.)
• Shit, Actually by Lindy West was hilarious all the way through. I got a kick out of her irreverent look at so many popular movies, ALL of which I have seen. That made it even more fun because I knew exactly what she was talking about every time. Her take-down of American Pie was my favorite. 
• Drawing the Vote by Tommy Jenkins illustrated by Kati Lacker - This was not a light, easy graphic read at all, but I think it could be a great addition to studying the history of elections in the United States. It was well-researched and chock full of important information. I would use it in chunks though as it is dense.
• Class Act by Jerry Craft - This is a follow-up to the 2020 Newbery winning New Kid. While Jordan and Liam play a prominent role in the novel, this is Drew's story. I appreciated his perspective. I wonder if Craft will continue to show us these young people as they move through middle and high school.
• Apparently it was a week for Newbery winners because I also read Meg Medina's 2019 award winner Mercy Suárez Changes Gears. I think it was last week that I said I might need to read fewer middle grade novels....this book is a clear exception. While 6th grader Mercy is the main character, we are invited into her family in a way that makes this feel like the story of the Suárez family and how Mercy sees herself in relation to her brother, cousins, aunt, grandparents, and parents as well as her classmates. So deserving of bountiful honors. 
• Mooncakes by Suzanne Walker and illustrated by Wendy Xu. I like witch books. This one was not for me. 

 

Reading:

A few weeks ago I watched a Zoom chat between Garth Nix and Maggie Stiefvater. I signed up for it because of Maggie, but ended up being intrigued by the newly published Nix book The Left-Handed Booksellers of London. This is the first of his works I have read and am happy to have given it a chance. I am not quite at the half-way point and already feel that this is likely to be the first in a trilogy or series. 

Don't You Forget About Me by Mhairi McFarlane - I like McFarlane's romances. The heroines are smart and capable, but they choose partners poorly sometimes, but as in all good romances, they get it together for a happy, but not necessarily perfect, ending. I like the mix of reality and fun of her novels. 

 

Listening:

I have made the decision to go back to the gym. Because DC is currently in Phase II of reopening, gyms can be open but members must be masked at all times and equipment is constantly being cleaned by staff and there are sprays and wipes for exercisers to use as well. It has been quite empty each time I have been there. AND since the weather has been so nice the windows have been open for extra ventilation. So far, I feel confident they are doing everything they can to keep the space safe and I am doing my part as well. 

As I knew it would be, The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson is dense with facts about Churchill, Great Britain, and the war before and during the Blitz of 1940-41. That, along with the reading by John Lee, is keeping me engaged as I run on the treadmill. 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

What I've Read - What I am Reading - November 2, 2020

It has been two weeks since posting one of these updates, and I would never have guessed I had read so much. This is why I use Goodreads to keep track of my reading. 

 

Read:

I finished The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. The main character is given the opportunity to explore the books that tell her life story had she made different decisions at various points. It was interesting to think about my own decisions and how life might be different had I chosen differently. I also appreciated the perspective that it is not just the "big" choices that may lead to an alternative outcome, but all the day to day variances that can have a ripple effect.

The next few titles are those I listened to over the two weeks. I did more driving than I have in recent months, but also tackled home projects both here and at M's house that offered opportunities to listen.

•  Meaty by Samantha Irby - I am not sorry to have traveled to Irby's earlier work since I discovered just as much insight as in her more recent work. Hilarious and worth every minute of my time.
• Love Warrior by Glennon Doyle - I debated with myself about listening to this one since I had already listened to the next book, Untamed and therefore know "what happened." But there was so much insight into how she made the decisions she explored in Untamed that I am glad I listened. She also revisits her childhood, teen years, and pre-wedding 20s in ways that also connect to her most recent stories.
• Break Shot by James Taylor - This was an Audible special production that was just an hour and a half of Taylor revisiting his own childhood years up to age 21 interspersed with singing pieces of songs written during that time. I really wanted this to be a full length book.

 

I also read a bunch of graphic novels:

• You Brought Me the Ocean by Alex Sánchez
• If I Go Missing by Brianna Jonnie  - I did not know what this one was all about when I ordered it and then brought it home after it arrived in our library, but I think it is an important story. It is a mix of fiction and non-fiction based on a letter written to the Winnipeg Chief of Police by fourteen-year-old Jonnie as a protest against the way the disappearance of indigenous people is handled.
• We'll Soon Be Home Again by Jessica Bab Bonde, illustrated by Peter Bergting and Kathryn Renta, and translated by Sunshine Barbito - The book is a series of six first person accounts from Holocaust survivors. With the passage of time and the loss of survivors to old age, it is even more important to continue to publish stories about the Holocaust and other genocide so we never forget the dangers of fascism and complacency.
• The Midwinter Witch by Molly Knox Ostertag - I think I may need to read fewer middle grade graphic novels. I read both this and All Together Now by Hope Larson. I will continue to bring these graphic works into my library and send them to my niece as gifts, but I think I am going to rely on reviews and recommendations rather than reading. I am so far removed from the worries and ordeals of this age group that I find myself growing irritated. These are stories that are important for my students and readers because they do speak to their experiences, so I do not want my judgement about the quality of the book to be clouded.
• Dancing at the Pity Party by Tyler Feder - This memoir is Feder's love note to her mother who died from cancer when Feder was only 19. The emotions surrounding her mother's illness and death are tied up with Feder's loving memories in a way that show that her story is so much more than "my mom died when I was young." 

 

I love picture books, but usually read them in bulk each time we receive a shipment at the library, but this was a personal purchase that will be a gift to a dear friend the next time we have a distanced front porch hangout. Julia's House Moves On by Ben Hatke is lovely and a nice continuation of Julia's House of Lost Creatures and Nobody Likes a Goblin. 

 

This fortnight's COVID reading days are rounded out with my two favorites for escaping the reality of this pandemic and election year as well as bolstering my mental health - murder mystery and fantasy: 

For the Sake of Elena is the 5th book in Elizabeth George's Inspector Thomas Lynley series. I was ready for another of her books and found it exciting as usual. I probably need to slow down so I do not run out, but as you will see below, I haven't. 

Over two nights last week, I finished The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty. This has been a long time coming, but not because I did not want to read. I devoured the first two of the series in a few days and moved just as quickly through the first 2/3 of the third, but then I took a break. In part because I was saturated in the story and needed to step back and in part because my brain had wandered to home improvement projects, work, and other distractions that I wanted to get past before savoring the end of the story. I was right to have waited. Chakraborty did not disappoint in bringing Nahri, Ali, Dara, Jamshid, Muntadhir, and Zaynab back together in Daevabad to work toward healing the city and the relationships between their peoples and the other tribes of djinn. Now that I have finished I feel confident in recommending the trilogy to all types of fantasy readers. Based on a bookseller recommendation (Yes, I do ask when I visit bookstores.) my next fantasy read is likely to be The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. 

 

 

Reading:

Missing Joseph by Elizabeth George - Even though I just finished the 5th book, when this one popped up from the library I downloaded it and started reading. I really do not know what it is that I find comforting about reading murder mysteries - maybe it is that the ones I read have a solution. They always find out "whodunit" and there is a satisfaction in that even if justice is not necessarily served or there are more victims before they figure it out. If there is more to my attraction, I don't know what it is. Any ideas?

Drawing the Vote by Tommy Jenkins illustrated by Kati Lacker - I was wary about reading a book about elections just before one of the most stressful elections I have experienced, but this book is well done because it is broken down into chapters that are both chronological and topical. He takes one topic related to voting, such as women's suffrage and explores its full history before moving to another point of view. I especially appreciated his look at the electoral college. I probably will not finish this before tomorrow night when the returns start coming in, but I will finish. This is a great addition to our collection.

 

 

Listening:

I am currently listening to Shit, Actually by Lindy West, which is hilarious. This book is a bit of a departure for West because it is not overtly political like both Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman (which was made into a Netflix series that I binged over the summer) and The Witches are Coming. Instead, in these essays, West revisits movies she liked from the 90s and early 2000s. Her rating system is based on what she considers the most perfect movie: The Fugitive. She rates a wide variety of films from action to comedy to angsty teen flicks. And it is hilarious! You won't be able to think of these movies in the same way ever again. (And don't worry, the essays are not totally devoid of political commentary.)

Today, The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson came through from the public library. I have been waiting for this one since I put it on hold in March. Many of my favorite books of historical fiction and time travel take place in this time period so I appreciate a non-fiction perspective as well. 

I have listened to everything I have read by Larson. His books are brimming with splendidly researched information (makes my librarian heart go pitty pat) that I don't think I would have the patience to read myself. I listened to a sample before putting it on hold and think I am going to like being read to by John Lee. The hold came up at a perfect time because I went to the gym today for the first time since March and like the added motivation of a good book to get me there 3-5 times a week. 

 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

What I've Read - What I am Reading - October 19, 2020

This was not a great week for reading as we spent a ton of time at the house painting, fixing, scrubbing, sweeping, trashing, and recycling to get it ready to sell.  

 

Read:

I read Megan Whalen Turner's 6th book in The Thief series, Return of the Thief, a book, among others, which I have been looking forward to seeing published. While this was certainly worth the wait, 3 years is too long for me to go between series books. My only dissatisfaction with this final in the series is that there were too many details it would have been helpful to have remembered from the previous book. My own fault of course. I could have reread or tried to find a detailed summary filled with spoilers, but I didn't, so I went into this one without enough recollection and therefore felt a little lost at times. I'd like to reread all six books sometime because I loved them all individually and think the continuity would make them even more powerful.

I also read Serpentine by Philip Pullman, which I thought was a novella. It was a short story in a lovely little illustrated book. I read it twice. The author's note at the end indicated that the ideas just kept pushing at him so he went ahead and wrote it. The story is about Lyra and Pan after The Subtle Knife during which (spoiler ahead) they separate without dying, though it is painful. This new characteristic of their relationship will change the way they experience the world. 

I also finished listening to The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell. I did quite a bit of listening while I was painting.

 

Reading:

I found myself with a few down moments over the past week, with only my Kindle on hand so I started The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. I sought this book on NetGalley after having read How to Stop Time. I would have discussed this one in my post on time-travel books if it had not been focused on two of my favorite authors of the sub-genre rather than all the time-travel works I have read.

Tonight I will leap back in to The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty to finish this week.

 

Listening:

I started Meaty by Samantha Irby. This is one of her earlier titles, but she says in a forward that the essays have been re-edited and polished up for this re-release. So far it is just as hilarious as I had expected. M. asked a few times why my painting was so funny. I think he might like her work.

I am not sure what is up next after this listen. Any suggestions?

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

What I've Read - What I am Reading - October 12, 2020

This was a random reading week. At first I had NO time, then we arrived in Florida and I had TIME.   

 

Read:

Between the plane and beach morning, I finished If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane. I appreciated the main characters progression from someone who tied her identity to her male partner to seeing her value as an independent person. 

I started and finished The Geometry of Holding Hands by Alexander McCall Smith on the beach on Tuesday. This is Smith's 13^th Isabel Dalhousie novel. I have read them all. The descriptions of old Edinburgh, Scotland in these books are the main reason I wanted to visit there on our trip to the UK in June 2019. I think I remember this series being touted as mysteries at first, but the mysteries were generally of a domestic nature as in people trying to find lost relatives or Isabel getting involved in solving someone else's problems. The content of the stories has not changed, but I don't see them in the mystery genre any longer. 

Next I started and then finished Beach Read by Emily Henry. I thought this was going to be a lighter read than it turned out to be, but it was also more of a romance than I was expecting. I am not sure who commissions the design of book covers, but this one was misleading. I am not mad about it, but I don't feel like the cover did credit to the important work the two main characters did as they wrote books unlike those they had written previously. (I don't think the title is quite right either. I might have called it The Writing Bet or Two Authors: Two Lives, or something with more gravitas.) I embraced the meta nature of a novel about two novelists trying to approach new genres and topics that turned out to be personally therapeutic. This book spoke to the ways that writing about challenges in our lives can help us to confront them in realistic and healthy ways. 

Reading:

Now that I am home for a good long time, probably until Christmas time, I will finish The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty. I also started Megan Whalen Turner's 6th book in The Thief series, Return of the Thief, a book, among others, which I have been looking forward to seeing published. 

 

Listening:

In the past week I have not listened to much at all. During the time I did spend driving, I continued The Year of Living Danishly by Helen Russell.

When I finish this, I will move to Meaty by Samantha Irby. This is one of her earlier titles, but I loved both We are Never Meeting in Real Life and Wow, No Thank You to the point that I cried tears of laughter, so I think it will be an excellent investment of time. 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

What I am Looking Forward to Being Published in 2020 and 2021

Because I have a NetGalley account, I have the opportunity to read books before they are released. Access to NetGalley is available to librarians, educators, booksellers, and bloggers as a way to offer e-gallies to those who are in a position to purchase and recommend books to others. As a librarian and blogger I both buy books for my collection and talk to students about new books I think they will like. And write about what I have read and am reading here.  

NetGalley offers many books, I cannot read everything I have access to. I try to prioritize by reading those I am thinking about purchasing for the collection followed by books in which I have a personal interest. Often new books fit both categories. The site asks members to give feedback by answering a few quick questions with the option to link to an online review or comment directly.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Books I am looking forward to in 2020:

• Return of the Thief by Megan Whalen Turner (October 6): (Ok, so I am three days late on this one, but I wanted to include it anyway because - Eugenides! If you know him from the other books you know why this matters. If not, I suggest starting with the first book. This new one is the 6th in The Thief series that started in 1996. 
• Swamp Thing: Twin Branches by Maggie Stiefvater, illustrated by Morgan Beem (October 13): This is Stiefvater's first graphic novel. I am looking forward to how she handles a different format. Stiefvater is another author whose work I will always buy because I want to revisit and remember regularly.
• His Dark Materials: Serpentine by Philip Pullman (October 15- Yes, a Thursday.): In this novella, Pullman brings us the story of Lyra and her daemon Pan after the events of The Amber Spyglass during which their relationship was fundamentally changed. (No spoilers here.) I am excited for any return to Lyra's Oxford and it is nice to have this while waiting for the 3rd installment in the Book of Dust trilogy (for which there is currently no release date) AND it is illustrated by Tom Duxbury.
• Giant Days - Volume 14 by John Allison and Max Sarin (October 27): Graduation time is here so this will be the last volume of adventures for Esther, Daisy, and Susan (though she still has a few more years of medical school to go). This volume contains a post-graduation story. I wonder if they are experimenting to see if readers want more or if a graceful end is better.
• Super Fake Love Song by David Yoon (November 17): I am happy that Frankly in Love was well received so Yoon could publish another novel. This is also a rom-com in which Sunny tells a lie to impress a girl and hi-jinx ensue.
• How the King of Elfhame Learned to Hate Stories (The Folk of the Air) by Holly Black (November 24): This is a prequel to The Cruel Prince, exploring Cardan's days as child in Elfhame. Black is one of my "always" authors. As in, I will always purchase her work because I want to keep her books on my shelf AND this one is illustrated by Covina Rai.
• Ready Player Two by Ernest Cline (November 24): I loved Ready Player One, therefore I am apprehensive about this one. I don't envy any author who publishes a book that is loved by so many since the pressure to produce an equally fantastic sequel is massive. I did not like his second book Armada, but am hopeful that a return to the world of Ready Player One is better. 

 

 

Books I am looking forward to in 2021:

• Act Your Age, Eve Brown by Talia Hibbert (March 9): This is the 3rd in trilogy about three sisters. I read the second book Take a Hint, Dani Brown before the first Get a Life, Chloe Brown. There were a few details from the first book in the second, but that did not prevent me from understanding and enjoying the story. I just went back and read the first and everything was cleared up.
• A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload by Cal Newport (March 2): Newport is the author of Deep Work and Digital Minimalism along with a regular blog and now a podcast.
• Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid (May 25)- I started with Daisy Jones and the Six then found The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and I may jump into more of her back list while waiting for May. I don't know too much about this one, but the blurb says it starts at a party thrown by four siblings.
• Broken (in the best possible way) by Jenny Lawson (April 6)- Lawson's books are hilarious and healing and a reminder that so many are living with chronic illness or mental health concerns AND she just opened an independent bookstore the Nowhere Bookshop. Both Let's Pretend This Never Happened and Furiously Happy were fabulous to listen to as Lawson reads them. I am so looking forward to this one I will probably use an Audible credit for it.
• The Box in the Woods (Truly Devious) by Maureen Johnson (April 27): Stevie Bell solved the mystery of the century in the Truly Devious trilogy but now there is strange goings-ons at Camp Wonder Falls and the owner asks Stevie for help. I like the idea of an on-going YA mystery series since I read so many of these sorts of books.
• The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang (August 17): I like to read romance for the happy ending. The challenges in getting there are what make the reading interesting. Both The Kiss Quotient and The Bride Test took the romance tropes and mixed them up with diverse characters and unexpected twists for two charming, unpredictable stories. I think this one will be just as satisfying.

 

What new books are you looking forward to?

What I've Read - What I am Reading - October 5, 2020

I had much more time this week to read and listen than last week.   

 

Read:

I finished The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver. Overall I liked the story and was attracted to the magical realism elements of Lydia's experience with grief at the loss of her fiancé to a car accident. 

 

I read two graphic novels:

I Was Their American Dream - by Malaka Gharib. I ordered this title for my library back in the Spring, but with the delivery delays since we were not in school, I did not get my hands on it until just a few weeks ago. I was reminded to look for it after I watched an "In conversation" between Gharib and Robin Ha (author of Almost American Girl) through One More Page Books. Gharib's story explores her early life as a Filipino Egyptian American, while Ha's story is about her move to the US from South Korea as a teen. Reading the novels side by side offers the reader the opportunity to observe the varied experiences of young people who were not born in the US. 

AND

Go with the Flow by Karen Schneemann and Lily Williams. A quartet of sophomore friends start a movement in their school to eradicate stigmas associated with periods. Their fight revolves around the lack of pads and tampons in the school bathrooms while there seems to be no lack of funding for new football uniforms. The book makes many excellent points about the shame that is thrust upon women and in this case particularly teen girls for a natural, bodily function. 

I finished Eat a Peach by chef David Chang. I gave it 4.5 stars (out of 5) because I appreciated his honesty and insights into the restaurant world from his perspective.

 

Reading:

I am continuing to read The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty. Now I am getting to be embarrassed not to have finished. And I won't in the next week either since I am traveling and the book is too big to carry when I can just take one paperback and my Kindle. 

I am about 1/8 of the way into If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane. This is the paperback I am taking for the plane and the beach. 

 

Listening:

I started The Year of Living Danishly, by Helen Russell. Though she has not mentioned her or the book by name, I think Russell owes a structural and inspirational debt to Gretchen Rubin's The Happiness Project. Russell's husband is offered a position at Lego headquarters in Denmark for a year. They agree to relocate and Russell uses the experience to study life in Denmark, which is allegedly the happiest country in the world. The book is organized by month starting when they arrive in January. In each month Russell, a journalist, explored one aspect of Danish life from gender equality to leisure pursuits to work-life satisfaction. I am most of the way through July, fast approaching August. 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

What I've Read - What I am Reading - September 21, 2020

This week was more busy than I was expecting, but I had some satisfying reading time anyway.

 

Read:

Late in the week I finished The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai. It was a relatively quick read, but one I almost did not finish. Had it been more difficult to read or longer I might have abandoned it, but I persevered and ended up finding it to be just ho hum. The main character is a children's librarian in Hannibal, MO. She is the weak link in the story. She just wasn't interesting to me. This is why I don't like to do traditional reviews. A character who was difficult for me might not be an issue for another reader. The other main character was Ian who I liked quite a bit. Finding out how the story ended for him is why I stuck with it. 

On Wednesday I picked up a bag of books from school from the carts of new arrivals. I jumped in right away to the graphic novels and read Giant Days: Volumes 10 and 11 by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, Max Sarin, Whitney Cogar, and Jim Campbell. Also in my bag was The Phantom Twin by Lisa Brown. It is the story of Isabel and Jane, conjoined twins in the 1920s whose parents sell them to a "freak" show where they perform as the Extraordinary Peabody Sisters until a doctor, looking for fame tries to separate them and only one survives. The details about the traveling side show life were well researched and the art was simple but effective for the story being told.          

When I signed into my DC public library account early in the week, I discovered a book that was about to be due that I had not even cracked yet. Eep!  So I read We Met in December by Rosie Curtis over the past two days. It was a fairly standard London romance. My favorite parts were when the two main characters Jess and Alex would amble around London seeing sites and visiting nooks and coffee shops. It was nice to revisit places I have been with them and note down new places for another visit. 

 

Reading:

I am continuing to read The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty because I want to savor this last book in the trilogy. 

I also started A Suitable Vengeance by Elizabeth George, the next in the Inspector Lynley series. I don't usually read the same author's mysteries so close together, but this one came up from the library more quickly than I was expecting and is due back in about a week. 

 

Listening:

I finished Dreams from My Father, written and read by Barack Obama. I voted for and supported Obama as president but this book revealed many things about his early life that I had not known. His early commitment to racial equality is impressive. I also learned a lot about his family, which is diverse and spread around the world. 

My next listen is Eat a Peach by chef David Chang. So far it is an interesting hop and skip through his early life. Since he is from northern Virginia he references many places and characteristics of the area that are spot on about local food, schools, and towns. He has just started describing how and why he started his first restaurant. I have no interest in going into the restaurant business, but I am fascinated by its inner workings from having watched every season of Top Chef and listened previously to Anthony Bourdain's Kitchen Confidential. 

 

What have you read? What are you reading and listening to?

Yes, comics and graphic novels are REAL reading.

I am not the first writer, nor will I be the last to make the case for the legitimacy of comics and graphic novels as "real" reading.

• "Raising Super Readers: Benefits of Comic Books & Graphic Novels" from Scholastic 
• "The Power of Comics" from the International Literacy Association

The reason I am writing about a topic that has been addressed by experts in reading and the ways our brains get involved in different types of reading is because even colleagues of my own, high school English teachers AND librarians sometimes still want to debate if students are really benefiting when they read comics and other graphic works, which leads them to forbid graphic stories as choice or free reading in the classroom. I believe this is harmful to students who need opportunities to read what they choose rather than what has been assigned.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Let's start with the difference between comics and graphic novels:

from "The Power of Comics" -

"Stylistically, comics and graphic novels are very similar. Comic books are usually about 24 pages and are released in single issues usually once or twice a month. These individual books often form an ongoing story that spans several issues. Like TV shows, they are published regularly and collected in what are called trades. Batman, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and Bone are all popular examples of comics.

Graphic novels are basically longer versions of comics. Usually, graphic novels tell one full story and can be a couple hundred pages long. Examples include Amulet, The Witch Boy, and Smile."

 

There is also a fabulous book called Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud, who is a graphic novelist, in which he covers in great detail how visual communication works and the ways in which artists use pictures and words to convey meaning.

When I began reading comics, my first was the Sandman series by Neil Gaiman. The series was published between 1989-1996, but I did not read any of them until they were complete and I could get them in trade paperback form. I like reading comics this way because I am not usually able to acquire the next installment every month and fall behind. I would prefer to read them quickly to remember the story line. The books tell the story of Dream and his fellow Endless: Destiny, Death, Desire, Despair, Delirium, and Destruction. 

I am glad I began here because these are considered a triumph in cartooning. The series won more than 26 Eisner Awards among many others. Gaiman wrote the story but a variety of artists were brought in for the visuals. This means that each comic book or chapter in the story has a different look. This makes it vital for the reader to closely engage with the art to see and "read" details important to the story. 

While visual literacy is one of the reasons comics are good for the brain, it is also where I stumbled when I first began reading. I start by reading just the words and skipping the pictures, assuming I was getting the gist of it, but I wasn't. Facial expressions, gestures, and other body language as well as background details were telling parts of the story that I was missing. It took little time for me to slow down and modify my reading style to engage fully with the story. 

I have continued to read the work of Gaiman, but have added other comics. Some of my favorites have been 

• Saga by Brian K. Vaughn and Fiona Staples
• Monstress by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda
• Giant Days by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, Max Sarin, Whitney Cogar, and Jim Campbell
• Ms. Marvel by G. Willow Wilson and Adrian Alphona with a changing group of additional authors
• Rat Queens by Kurtis J. Wiebe, Roc Upchurch, and John Upchurch

Some of these are teen friendly but most are for an adult audience. 

 

When choosing graphic novels to read, I focus on those I have or will order for my high school library.

Some of my favorite authors are:

Raina Telgemeier 

Lucy Knisley

Gene Luen Yang

 

Some recent favorite books are:

Hey Kiddo by Jarrett J. Krosoczka, which is a graphic memoir and was a National Book Award finalist

The March Trilogy by Rep. John Lewis, Andrew Aydin, and Nate Powell, which has won Coretta Scott King awards as well as a Robert F. Kennedy book award among others. The idea for Lewis to write about his experiences at the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was prompted by "Martin Luther King and the Montgomery Story," a comic published in 1957. 

Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson, a book I enjoyed but is beloved by my 10-year-old niece

New Kid by Jerry Craft, which was the winner of the Newbery Medal, Coretta Scott King Author Award, and Kirkus Prize for Young Readers’ Literature

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson and Emily Carroll, which is a graphic version of Anderson's 1999 novel of the same name. It is powerful reading for any teen. 

 

It would take a novella for me to list and discuss all of the graphic novels I have read over the years, but I believe it is an important format for readers because of the need to visual literacy skills when we are surrounded by images in the news and social media. 

 

What are your favorite comics or graphic novels?

 

Double, Double Toil and Trouble - So many books about witches

Recently, after having finished reading Magic Lessons (October 6, 2020) by Alice Hoffman, I sat down to start drafting this post, part of which is a list of other books I have read by Hoffman as well as books about witches. I discovered in listing them, that I have read MANY books featuring witches, which means that many books about witches are out there in the world, which made me ask "Why?" To answer this, I am starting with myself. Why do I like to read books about witches enough to seek them out regularly?

1. Many of these books include the history of witch hunts in both the US and around the world

2. For the same reason I read fantasy books in general - the possibility of magic and the supernatural being real leads to exciting day dreams (I have my three wishes all ready to go should I ever encounter a being that would like to grant them.)

3. Maybe it is a cliche, but powerful women are of interest to me. 

The first Hoffman novel I read was Practical Magic. While it was published in 1995, I did not read it until last year and I only did that because a second book had been released and I thought I should read this one first. And though I should have known better, I had seen the movie, and don't often read a book AFTER I have seen the movie, but of course it was far better than the movie, which I liked. This was the first novel Hoffman wrote about the Owens women, but it is not the first chronologically. Magic Lessons takes place first and tells the story of the beginning of the Owens family starting with Maria who is found abandoned in the woods by Hannah Owens who is herself a witch who can "see" that Maria is as well. The Rules of Magic, published in 2017 is a direct prequel to Practical Magic and features Frances and Jet who are aunts to Gillian and Sally. 

While those are three of the most recent witch books I have read, I have also read a surprising number of others that I liked:

The All Souls Series

1. A Discovery of Witches (2011)
2. Shadow of Night (2012)
3. The Book of Life (2014)
4. Time's Convert (2018)

There's just something about witches and vampires that is irresistible entertainment.The first book has been made into a television series and I have heard they are making two more seasons that will correspond to the second and third books.

If you want your witch books to be hilarious, you can't miss with the Tiffany Aching novels by Terry Pratchett. I have read other books by Pratchett, but when I found out he had a young witch character i zoomed through them.

• The Wee Free Men – 2003
• A Hat Full of Sky – 2004
• Wintersmith – 2006
• I Shall Wear Midnight – 2010
• The Shepherd's Crown – 2015

One I read back when it was first published, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane (2009) by Katherine Howe, has a companion novel, The Daughters of Temperance Hobbs that I have had in my TBR since it was published a year ago.

There are others on my TBR I am looking forward to. I am on a witch roll.

• The Once and Future Witches by Alix E. Harrow (October 13, 2020). The Ten Thousand Doors of January by the same author was one of my recent reads. 
• The Age of Witches by Louisa Morgan - This one is witches and historical fiction that takes place in Gilded Age New York and London. 

In case you are looking for a different format, I have read two witchy graphic novels in the past few months as well:

• The Okay Witch by Emma Steinkellner
• The Witch Boy and The Hidden Witch by Molly Knox Ostertag

 

Why are books about magic and witches in particular so popular? What are your favorites?

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab

As I said in my first blog post back from a hiatus, I do not intend to write traditional book reviews. Instead I want to talk about what a story means to me, in particular what it makes me think about. I'd also like to include a section of additional books that are similar or by the same author. When it makes sense to do so, I will also explore whether or not I intend to purchase the book for the high school library where I work and why or why not. 

My first book is a novel, The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab (who also publishes as Victoria Schwab), which is due to be released on October 6, 2020. I received an e-copy from the publisher through NetGalley. As a librarian, who has money to spend on books, NetGalley is a wonderful resource for reading in order to make ordering decisions. You should keep reading this post to find out why, but I have already placed this book on a list to purchase when it is released.

If you have read many fantasy novels you know that making a deal with a supernatural being almost always causes unfortunate consequences for the mortal. Such is the case for Addie LaRue. Addie's story begins when her parents deem it time for her to marry a much older man who has been widowed with three children. Atypically at age 23 in France in 1714, Addie is not yet married. Having observed others of her age, Addie believes this marriage will result in a loss of autonomy in a life she would not choose for herself. On the day of her marriage, Addie calls upon the dark gods to help her. One answers. The novel tells Addie's story alternating between her day to day life in 2014 and skipping through the years after July 29, 1714. 

As in many books in which a character lives for hundreds of years Addie has mastered a number of languages, traveled the world, and met a series of historically significant people. However, Addie's experiences differ from those in other books in one important way. This difference has serious implications both positive and negative for the way she moves through history. The "long life" trope is not new, but I appreciate the way that Schwab has set things up differently for Addie. 

I spent the most time while reading this novel thinking about:

1. the nature of human connections. This is something I believe every novel is about in some way, but Addie's experiences across time and special circumstances (sorry to be vague, trying to avoid spoilers) force her to be creative in the way she keeps herself connected, which in turn gives her strength. 
2. what I would do with the years if I were granted long life. I'd love to learn languages, travel, write, read, and meet people. All that thinking and wishing made me realize that I don't need 300 years. I can do all those things with joy and passion in the time I have. 

I believe my students will like this story for a number of reasons:

• The story begins in 1714 when Addie is 23, an age which may seem far distant to a 14 year old, but an age at which most teens feel they will be on the path they have set for themselves. I think one lesson they may observe is that a well-lived life is going to have twists and turns, some joyful, some not.
• Addie is fully the agent in her own life. After making the deal that will allow her choose the life she wants works out differently than planned, she adjusts and lives.This will appeal to teens, many of whom are working to free themselves from the constraints of expectations they have not set for themselves.  
• Addie's unnaturally long life takes her through some significant historical moments that may interest readers who have only seen these events in a history class. This is by no means a work of historical fiction, but there are some nice tidbits mixed with Addie's personal experiences. 

Other books by Schwab I have read and would recommend:

 

Which of Schwab's have you read or are planning to read?

One "New to Me" Author and One Old Favorite

This week I read both The Duff by Kody Keplinger, a "new to me" author and The Darkest Part of the Forest, by Holly Black, a perennial favorite.

I got The Duff for my Kindle because it was super inexpensive and there has been quite a bit of hype related to the release of the movie. I was pleasantly surprised by the depth of the story. "DUFF" stands for "Designated Ugly Fat Friend." Early in the story, Wesley Rush, a womanizing type, tells our heroine Bianca that she is the DUFF for her friends and he is going to chat her up so her gorgeous friends will like and sleep with him. I was concerned that Bianca would fall for this guy who would cause her to seek a makeover and wham, bam: no more DUFF.

This is not what happens. While Bianca and Wesley do become involved, their relationship is more sophisticated than this. One of its strengths is they each accept the other as is. This is also the book's strength. While Bianca and Wesley struggle with family issues they become a support for each other in a sweet and completely un-saccharine way. It is lucky I had a snow day from work today because I stayed up much too late reading this.

Another powerful element is that Bianca's two best friends Casey and Jessica are true friends who do nothing but support each other. Nice to see a realistic portrayal of female friendships that do not involve trying to tear each other down.

I will hold off on seeing the movie until I hear how close it sticks to the book, but I am thinking I want to read both Midsummer's Nightmare and Lying out Loud to see if Keplinger's later efforts live up to her early promise.

It should be no surprise that I loved The Darkest Part of the Forest. I have met Holly Black and raved about her Curse workers series, and have only good thoughts about Doll Bones, The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and The Iron Trial, which she wrote with Cassandra Clare. Again we have a story featuring a strong heroine who is flawed and real. In this case, she must work to save her town from the Folk who would destroy Fairfold in a power struggle. There's also a nice side of romance for Hazel and her brother Ben. This story really embraces what we mean when we talking about needing diverse books. The characters both human and faerie are not all white and straight, but the story is not about their differences, but rather about their experiences. And given my strong, sometimes negative feelings about trilogies, specifically the second book in trilogies, I am happy to say the end of this story makes me think this is a stand alone.

Stiefvater does it again!!

I have raved about The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves  by Maggie Stiefvater and feel the same about the third installment, Blue Lily, Lily Blue.  Given my feelings about trilogies, I am glad this is a four book series. The two middle books in a quartology (I think I may have made up this word and I like it!) do not seem to suffer from the same weaknesses as the middle book in a trilogy. While I love Stiefvater's stories, it is the beauty of the writing that draws me in most. Her descriptions are haunting or mesmerizing, or peaceful. Whatever she is going for, she achieves.

Sigh, feel like waiting for the 4th is taking an eternity.

Three on a Theme - Wonder, Wings, and Wow

Recently I read three books with a similar premise. In each book the main character has a characteristic that sets him or her apart from others. The three books, in the order I read them are:

1.  Wonder by R.J Palacio

2.  El Deafo by Cece Bell

3. The Strange and Beautiful Lives of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

Both El Deafo and The Strange and Beautiful Lives of Ava Lavender were honored yesterday at the American Library Association Youth Media Awards. El Deafo was recognized as a Newbery Honor Book and The Strange and Beautiful Lives of Ava Lavender was a finalist for the William C. Morris YA Debut Award. I was there in the audience when all the awards were announced. It was invigorating to be in a huge room surrounded by people who love and celebrate books. Wonder was published in 2012 and therefore not included in this years awards (I am just a bit behind on my TBR pile.)

I liked Wonder, but did not sob as so many others I know did. Maybe I was ready and resisted. Auggie is a great kid who was born with a "craniofacial difference" caused by an anomaly in his DNA. He has endured numerous operations and always felt his differences keenly. The book begins with the decision for  him to attend public school for the first time. As one might anticipate, some of his experiences are uplifting and others are not. Some kids bully him and others befriend him. In fact a great deal of what Auggie experiences is fairly typical for anyone in a new school in 5th grade. What I liked best about the story is the avoidance of saccharine, contrived feel-goodness. I think the other kids' initial reactions to Auggie are realistic. Some are horrified by him and others get to know him and cease to be put off by what makes him different.

What I did not like, was the ending. I felt like the change in some kids' attitudes and behaviors toward Auggie was to see him as a mascot rather than really embracing him. Practically speaking this is better than being cruel to him, but it still makes him an object rather than a person.

El Deafo was fabulous. Hands down, no ifs, ands, or buts this was a really interesting look into life as a kid with a difference. This is really more of a graphic memoir ala Tomboy by Liz Prince than a novel. At age 4 Cece contracts meningitis and loses most of her hearing. She now has to adapt to life as someone with hearing impairments that affect every day interactions including those with family, friends, and teachers. El Deafo is the superhero name Cece gives herself and later shares with friends. This is again a story about someone who is starting in a new school which is difficult enough without hearing impairment. This one reminded me a bit of Smile by Raina Telgemeier because of the detailed attention to day to day life. 

AND then there is Ava Lavender, who is born with wings. This is definitely magical realism in all its glory. I really liked it, and am still thinking about it. Probably too much like a former English teacher, looking for the symbolism. I will say, after reading, the title is haunting. I am almost at a loss to say what this story is about, but like most YA novels it is about the search for self, but in this case that self has wings. I did feel like there were some overtones of Chocolat by Joanne Harris and Like Water For Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. These similarities are mostly connected to the experiences of Ava's mother and grandmother who get a fair amount of page time, which I enjoyed as an adult reader of YA.

Overall I appreciated the experience of reading about those different from myself. Certainly one of the benefits of reading diverse books!

Graphic novels vs. illustrated stories vs. comic books

I am sure there is an official definition that differentiates between graphic novels, illustrated books, and and comic books. I do not intend to refer to one of those definitions, instead I will provide my own based on recent reading.

Here in Washington, DC there is an excellent comic book store called Fantom Comics. They used to be located in Union Station, which made me happy because it was easy to get to, but then one day, they were not there any more. I was sad. I went home to look for information on-line and discovered they had moved to Dupont Circle, not as convenient, but when I visited the first time, I understood. The new store is probably four times as big as the old one giving them space to have a wide variety of stock like:

• a whole wall of current and new release comic books
• almost a whole wall of trade paper backs
• a big chunk of the same wall devoted to graphic novels
• a section of children's books, mainly graphic easy readers and novels
• and a variety of special interest displays that change

The place is amazing. I was already moving toward reading comic books more regularly. I am doing so even more now, but also exploring books that have been around for years that I am just discovering. In the area of comic books I am reading Saga by Brian K. Vaughn, The Runaways also by Brian K. Vaughn, and of course Neil Gaiman's newest, Sandman Overtures. This is just a short list but will serve to illustrate what I think a comic book is. Comic books are generally released episodically or serially, meaning the reader only gets a part of the story each month, or every few months in the case of Gaiman. The books do not stand alone, but usually make up one part of a larger story. They tend to have a large array of characters who each step forward to be the focus in one or more books. It seems to me, that like TV shows comic books last as long as there is demand and until then the writer does not necessarily have an ending in mind.

Graphic novels on the other hand have a full story arc just like a non-graphic novel. They are    stories that are told  textually and visually. One recent read is Mercury by Hope Larson that I enjoyed immensely. A little bit historical fiction, a little bit fantasy, and really unique art. I also picked up This One Summer by cousins Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki. The story revolves around friends who meet up each summer when their families visit Awago Beach. They grapple with the issues that appear in many YA books: Who am I? And where will be my place in the world?  (Really versions of the same "search for self" theme.)

What these two types, comic books and graphic novels, have in common is that visually the story takes place in panels, or squares that move across the page in a pattern. This is also what makes them different from illustrated books in which the story is told in standard text format, supplemented by pictures on the same page or on a separate page. A gorgeous recent example is Neil Gaiman's The Sleeper and the Spindle, a version of the Sleeping Beauty story. The illustrations are all black and white with gold and simply amazing.

I've read lots of other graphic novels and comic books recently and with so many amazing choices these days I don't see myself giving up this genre any time soon.

Queen of the Tearling

These days there is lots of flutter around Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen, especially now it is going to be made into a movie starring Emma Watson as Kelsea. I liked the book, but I have already read it, in the form of The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson. Sure, some of the details are different, but the essentials are the same. 

 

 

 

1.  Teen girl is the "chosen one." 

• Kelsea is the Queen of the Tearling, which she knows and trains for her entire life.
• Elisa becomes queen through marriage; her husband dies and she is thrust into power, but her belly jewel (more on that later) designates her as the "chosen one."

2. In order to claim her power teen must prove herself to the nobles and people of her land.

• Kelsea stops the lottery that selects tributes to be given to the Red Queen, thus winning over the people and earning the respect of important people who will protect her.
• Elisa destroys the invading sorcerers then journeys to face her enemy directly winning over the people and earning the respect of important people who will protect her.

3.  Teen starts out a bit overweight and out of shape. 

• Kelsea's sword training and sensible eating whip her into better shape.
• Elisa's hard travel and physical exertion whip her into shape.

4.  A jewel is essential to her supernatural power.

• Kelsea's jewel hangs on a necklace and resists removal by any but her. (She even has a twin jewel she must earn.)
• Elisa's jewel is embedded in her bellybutton. It falls out when she has claimed her power through her own strength.

Key significant differences:

• Kelsea's transformation is thus far limited to one book. (Looks like there will be a second book...Invasion of the Tearling, and no second book is happy without a third so I have to anticipate that.)
• Elisa's transformation takes three.

A bit of a wake up to adults who believe adults should not read YA...if you have read this, you have read YA. Apart from a few shallow attempts to "adult-it-up" (a few expletives, references to slavery, rape, pedophilia) and the adult fiction price, Queen of the Tearling is indistinguishable from a YA story.

I enjoyed Queen of the Tearling, but I don't think there was anything new there. I may be interested enough to see the movie, but I doubt I will read subsequent books. I liked Girl of Fire and Thorns more.

• Elisa is a more engaging hero. 
• The bad guys are badder.
• A bellybutton stone is more interesting than a magic necklace.
• The world building is more thorough. Too much is left out of Queen of the Tearling about how they all ended up in this land thrown back to a more primitive society than what they left. (Presumably this is meant to lure me to the next books, instead it just irritated me.)
• While the books are shorter, this forces a quicker pace. I could have enjoyed the slower pace of Kelsea's story if there were some internal growth requiring the slow down...but there wasn't.

My overall recommendation is to go with Carson's books, but if you are a school librarian looking for something similar to engage your readers, Queen of the Tearling is a fine choice, especially with the promise of more books. There is no reason not to put this in a high school library and maybe even a middle school.