My Reading Frenzy

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 - 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.***

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 24, 2020

I did some solid reading this week, but liked less of it than I usually do. 

 

 

Read:

I moved quickly through Island of the Mad by Laurie R. King (Library book) the 11^th book (published in 2018) in the Mary Russell series. Mary and Sherlock travel to Venice, Italy to find the missing aunt of a close friend. The story explores the treatment of the mentally ill as well as some women's rights issues. Delightfully, the American composer Cole Porter plays an important role too. While I appreciated the inclusion of music in the story, his appearance represents one of my least favorite elements of historical fiction. I know many writers of historical fiction strive to closely parallel actual events and lives, but they also make changes for dramatic effect or to fit into the plot. This is difficult for me because I want to know the non-modified story. This almost always leads me down a rabbit hole of research. Not necessarily a bad side effect.

 

• During the week I realized listening to the 17 hour and 49 minute The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz by Erik Larson (audio elibrary book) at a leisurely pace was not going to work out well because it is a library book. I waited a few months for it to be available therefore a renewal was not going to happen. I stepped up the pace by going to the gym and listening while doing chores around the house. Thus, I finished this morning on the drive to the VA public library to return books and pick up a hold. As always, Larson's research is impeccable and satisfying. I am inspired to read more about Churchill.
• I also picked up volume 14 of Giant Days at the library last week. I was tempted to read it in the car in the parking lot so I could return it immediately, but I am in a constant rotation of picking up and returning books so there was no real reason to rush through it. In the end, I enjoyed it minimally. This is ostensibly the final volume since Esther and Daisy have graduated and moved onto jobs while Susan is finishing medical school. The action involves Esther's two evil co-workers who follow her to a reunion between the three former roommates. It was bland. I don't know if I will read more if the story moves on.

 

Reading:

• Last week I mentioned starting Midnight Riot by Ben Aaronovitch (elibrary book) While I was drawn in by what I read, I have not read any more of it this week. 
• Playing for the Ashes the 6^th installment in the Inspector Lynley series by Elizabeth George (elibrary book) came through from the library of few weeks ago, but I held off because I just finished the 5^th in the series. But again, haunted by the pressures of finishing to return the book on time, I jumped in. I don't regret it so far.  
• I also began the recently published volume 5 of Monstress (independent bookstore purchase) the comic book by Marjorie Liu and Sana Takeda. Reading comics via trade paperbacks is better for me than reading individual books as they come out each month, but also has the drawback of a significant wait between volumes. I am not sure how much longer this series will continue, but I will need to reread it all at once someday. 

 

Listening:

• During the drive home from the library this morning, I began listening to A Promised Land by President Barack Obama (purchased from Audible). I am only about 40 minutes into it so far, during which he is reviewing early life. He said in the introduction that he felt he needed to set the context for his Presidency. I don't have to worry about rushing through this one since I pre-ordered it in anticipation of its November 17^th release. 

 

 

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 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 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 28, 2020

This week has been less about reading and more about minimizing and organizing in the new place, but I have managed to get in evening reading time just about every day.  

 

Read:

On Wednesday I went out to the Fairfax Public Library where I have a card because I work in Virginia. I picked up two more volumes of Giant Days: Volumes 12 and 13 by John Allison, Lissa Treiman, Max Sarin, Whitney Cogar, and Jim Campbell. This series is fun. The university students are now on the edge of graduation and wondering what will be next for them and how their friendships will fare when they go their separate ways. Every character is delightfully quirky and endearing. Volume 14 is coming in October and includes graduation plus a post-grad adventure. 

I finished, A Suitable Vengeance by Elizabeth George and placed the next one, For the Sake of Elena, on hold at the library. It should be a few weeks before it is available. While I like George's Lynley mysteries, I found this one less satisfying that the others because of one plot hole. Hole might not be quite the right word. There was an element of the mystery that occurred to me long before it did to them, which in itself isn't a problem, but was totally unrealistic given the obvious nature of the clue they should have looked at more closely sooner than they did. 

 

Reading:

I am continuing to read The Empire of Gold by S.A. Chakraborty. There are so many political and strategic twists I can only read this when I am wide awake. 

I have The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver who wrote One Day in December (Yes, another London romance with December in the title, which I thought was cleverly done) and If I Never Met You by Mhairi McFarlane from the library to start reading after I post this. 

 

Listening:

I have 45 more minutes left in Eat a Peach by chef David Chang. I have appreciated the detail he provides into how he made decisions about opening and closing restaurants, making changes based on reviews, and the role his mental health issues played in his interactions and decisions. If you enjoy his shows Ugly Delicious and Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner then you will certainly want to read this since it has a similar mix of food, personal stories, and social commentary. 

 

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?

What I've Read - What I am Reading - September 14, 2020

A week and three quarters after the move, the apartment looks like a home and just about everything has found a place or been given away or donated, which does include some books. This means I was able to spend more time reading than I did last week. 

On Saturday I made a trip to Politics & Prose on Connecticut Ave. to pick up the latest Louise Penny mystery All The Devils are Here that was part of our ticket to the Zoom conversation between she and Hillary Clinton. 

 

 

 

 

Read:

Last week I began reading Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore, which I finished this week. I enjoyed it and thought it was sassy, smart, and swoony. I liked both Annabelle and her love interest Montgomery. Each was layered and flawed as well as believably attracted to each other based on backstory and events in the novel. I appreciated the strong friendships between the women working for women's suffrage in the Victorian age in England. This was a slice of history I knew little about which prompted me to do some research to discover how the movement in England compared to that here in the United States the centenary of which is this year. I intend to read the next in the "A League of Extraordinary Women" series A Rogue of One's Own.

Over the week I also started and finished The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I read Daisy Jones & the Six in November, which prompted me to seek another novel by Reid. The story of Evelyn Hugo is framed around her seven marriages, but the larger frame is that Evelyn commissions a talented but struggling writer, Monique Grant to interview her then write her biography after she passes away. The layers of both women's stories drew me into all the twists and turns of their lives.

I picked up two books in addition to the Louise Penny when I visited the bookstore. The first was the graphic novel, Wonder Woman Tempest Tossed, by Laurie Halse Anderson, illustrated by Leila Del Duca. It came with a signed book plate which was a surprise. I read it on Saturday evening. I want to read it again, but I think my 10 year old niece will like it too. 

I also bought Still Life with Tornado by A.S. King, which was also unexpectedly signed. I have read many of her works, each of which I have found surprising and mind-sparking. This one will go near the top of my TBR. 

 

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. Since it is a library ebook due this week, I started The Borrower by Rebecca Makkai. I will finish it early in the week. 

 

Listening:

I finished The King of Crows by Libba Bray, just in time for the digital audiobook to go back to the library today. The series ended satisfyingly. I am thinking of grabbing the book from my library so I can reread the last few chapters. One of the reasons Bray is one of my favorite YA authors is because she writes a variety of genres. I think my first Bray read was the Gemma Doyle trilogy, which I have read AND listened to and still ranks as my favorite of her work. 

In the car today I started Dreams from My Father, written and read by Barack Obama. 

 

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?

Gabi and David

I had been eyeing Gabi: A Girl in Pieces by Isabel Quintero even before it won the William C. Morris Award for a debut book published by a first-time author writing for teens. I love the cover, which did its job in pushing me to want to know how the cover reflects the story. Metaphorically perhaps we should not judge books by their covers but literally I do and you do and so do all readers. If we did not, publishers would not put any effort in and all books would come in brown paper wrappers. This was the only book I paid for while I was at the ALA Midwinter conference, the award announcements gave me that extra little push to pick it up right away.

Gabi is a wonderful and complicated person, in other words a teen human being. She is confused by the mixed messages she gets from her Mexican/American community, and the media, and her mother, and her father, and her friends. She has a strong sense of self that is derailed when her family tells her she has the wrong friends or is making the wrong choices. One of her healing outlets is her journal and her poetry. The story is told in the form of her journal that begins with her senior year in high school and end just after graduation.

I liked Gabi a lot. She remarkable well with a number of issues in her life, from her father's drug addiction to her best friend's pregnancy. However, on top of all that is another friend coming out to his hostilely un-supportive family, a wayward brother, the arrival of a new sibling, a hypocritically, hypercritical aunt, college application and acceptance stress, school work, and a love life. I felt like all this was unrealistically dramatic. Perhaps one or two fewer wrenches might have given Gabi the opportunity to deal with each in a deeper way. I am not one to believe teens have it easy today, but YA literature plays an important role in helping teens in anguish. Giving Gabi less to contend with would have, I think, made it easier for readers to see themselves.

Dave Smith in Scott McCloud's The Sculptor has a number of issues himself. For one, he is a frustrated sculptor who had some early success, but has lost his muse. This sets him up perfectly in this "deal with the Death" story. There were many times I wanted to shake Dave and maybe even slap him and say "What are you doing?!?" He spends a bit too much time in a "Woe is me" mindset, but this just means I probably wouldn't be friends with him, not that I did not enjoy his story. Had I been paying more attention to the plot and less to the amazing, and detailed art, I might have seen the twist coming at the end, but my immersion in the blue and white drawings left me surprised by how it all turns out. For this I am glad. I dislike a fabulous twist ending that I can see coming.

Two really good books I am glad I spent some time with this cold weekend.

 

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.

Graphic Novels Galore

In addition to my recent experience with Raina Telgemeier, I also read Bryan Lee O'Malley's Seconds, Sailor Twain by Mark Seigel, The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman and Eddie Campbell, and Tomboy by Liz Prince.

I can admit I have not read O'Malley's Scott Pilgrim books (and it is possible I never will) though, I have seen the movie, which I know does not really count because the book is ALWAYS better. Seconds is a stand alone story about Katie who is a chef and restaurant owner. Even without having read Scott Pilgrim I know this is a departure. Katie is dissatisfied with a number of aspects of her life, including her relationship with her ex and the speed at which her new restaurant is being readied to open. Through some plot turns Katie discovers she has a house spirit in her apartment who offers her a way to make changes to her past. One night when a server at the restaurant is badly burned, Katie makes the first of a series of changes.

It should come as no surprise that the changes do not work out quite as Katie hoped. We're not talking "The Monkey's Paw" type changes, but they throw Katie into turmoil. This is definitely not a graphic novel for kids, but certainly teens and adults. I enjoyed it enough to think seriously about picking up the Scott Pilgrim books. (One of my favorite sources for used graphic novels is Second Story Books in Washington, DC - I have only visited the store in Dupont Circle, but they have others. They also have an excellent selection of art books.)

Since I am on a bit of a tear with graphic novels these days, I jumped into The Truth is a Cave in the Black Mountains by Neil Gaiman with illustrations by Eddie Campbell.  This is not strictly a graphic novel, it is more of a mixed media experience with some elements of the story told in a traditional narrative form with illustrations while other segments use panels and speech bubbles. With only two main characters, the story features flashback to tell us more about Calum McInnes and the man (or dwarf) he leads to the cave to find treasure. Like many Gaiman tales this one is not for children. This is a folktale or fairy tale perhaps from the Isle of Skye, but as the subtitle says it is, "A Tale of Travel and Darkness with Pictures of All Kinds." 

Next up is Sailor Twain by Mark Siegel. I did not love this one. I liked it well enough, but there were a few irritating elements. I liked the art quite a bit. On its face, it is the story of a mermaid and a married steamboat captain who helps her when she is injured. But the mermaid is not exactly Ariel and Captain Twain is not as loyal as one might hope. There is a side story about Lafayette who owns the ship and has lost his brother to the mermaid's song and is desperately trying to avoid his own downfall. Weave in a female novelist who has been published as a man and you have an interesting story grappling with some feminine archetypes. All that said, I liked it, I did not love it.

Finally, just yesterday, I finished Tomboy, by Liz Prince. This one I loved. I think it should be in every middle school library everywhere and high schools too! I can't usually love a graphic novel that is not in color, but Prince's artwork is so spot on in capturing the nuances of her younger self that I did not even miss the color. This is a great story about Prince growing up as a tomboy, having to find her own way with friends and boyfriends who are not sure how to relate to someone who so clearly rejects society's gender norms. I think this is an important story for kids of all ages to read (though it is probably most appropriate for middle schoolers and up). The questions Prince raises about the expectations we have for the behavior, dress, look, everything about boys and girls are mind blowing. The graphic novel format is becoming an important tool for starting conversations about topics related to identity and acceptance.  READ IT!

Next up: Understanding Comics by Scott McCloud...it may be a bit late for this, but I am sure I will learn something from this highly regarded guide to comics.

 

Raina Telgemeier - Sisters

This past Saturday the Library of Congress held its annual National Book Festival. Because of some difficulties in negotiations with the National Park Service, the festival was moved from the National Mall to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. I heard mixed reviews throughout the day but more positive about the move than negative. Because of the indoor venue, the festival's hours were expanded to 10pm, but all events were condensed into one day.

One of the evening events was a graphic novels super session. As I had been at the festival since 8:30am and it was my birthday, I only stayed to hear one author. And I am glad I did.

Raina Telgemeier is the author of Smile, Drama, and most recently Sisters. She spoke generally about her books and her start as the illustrator of the Babysister's Club graphic novels. She also brought a few kids up to help her read a chapter from Sisters. This was a really sweet portion of the presentation, as was the question and answer session during which mostly children asked a wide variety of questions about her ideas and topics and even her teeth, a story she tells in Smile.

The answer I found most interesting was about how she picks which stories from her own life to tell. For both Smile and Sisters she chose just one small part of her greater experiences. The difficulties she had with her teeth spanned about 4 years of her life, but she was really focused in the book about her orthodontic adventures. In Drama, the time span was through one musical production during her middle school years. She spoke about wanting to capture the experiences of the behind the scenes kids. (I can tell you from experience that as an adult director, having reliable, creative, and wonderful kids painting the sets and moving them during the production has a tremendous, positive impact on the entire production.)

Sisters, is specifically about a road trip Raina took with her mom, sister, and brother the summer she was 14. More generally it is about Raina's relationship with her sister, told through flashbacks. It is really a well-done story, bringing in Raina's feelings about her now-teenage cousins and younger brother as well.

I highly recommend all three of Telgemeier's books for middle school in particular, but they are not too young for freshmen and sophomores perhaps, and would probably work well in 5th grade too.

Holiday Time Reading

I was able to do quite a bit of reading during my Christmas break along with relaxing and spending time with family and friends.

Not too long ago I read Graceling by Kristin Cashore.   I followed up with Fire the companion novel.  On one hand I was irritated not to get the continuing story of Katsa and Po, but it did not take many pages before I was caught up in the story of Fire and Brigan.  Their story takes place in the same world as that of Katsa and Po, but many years before.  There is also a significant cross-over character who will be important in the third book, Bitterblue, which is at the top of my TBR pile. 

I do like the books I read at holiday time to be generally cheerful.  I chose well with The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion.  It is a love story in which the romantic lead is a man with Aspberger's.  As more and more children and adults are diagnosed we will see more and more literature of this type.  The object of his affection is Rosie, a woman who on paper, or according to Don's questionnaire, is completely wrong for him.  There are few surprises in this love story, but the tale is so sweet and so indicative of the Aspberger's experience that it is informative as well as heart-warming. 

 

Next up was The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg.  This is the first of her books I have read, though I have seen Fried Green Tomatoes, the movie version of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe.  This novel moves back and forth from present day (approximately) to right before World War II.  I enjoyed both segments, which of course intersected, but the WWII were great historical fiction.  Just like in Flygirl, by Sherri L. Smith, which I read last year, this is the story of women pilots, a whole family of them.  I find this topic really interesting and appreciate the incorporation of historical accuracy with the story of women who might really have been there.  

 

For New Year's Eve I read Persepolis by Marjane Patrapi, which made me want to know more about the Iranian people.  All I know pertains to the time after the establishment of the Islamic republic.  I know almost nothing about the rich and ancient culture of Persia.  I also had time to visit my favorite used bookstore in Norfolk, The Book Exchange, where I picked up Lauren Myracle's ttyl and L8r, g8r but not ttfn.  I did not find ttyl as shocking as I expected given the buzz I have heard about the series.  I just found it to be a realistic depiction of teen life.  I look forward to the next two books.   I also started This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen, whose work I always enjoy. 

Big Bloggin' Slacker

Some people might give me the benefit of the doubt over my long posting absence.  Those of you who just leapt right to judging me....well you are in the right.  I have been lazy and not blogging about what I read.  This of course, as I have lamented before, completely goes against the reason I started a blog in the first place, which was to record the books I read because they do not all stick in my mind the way I would like.

In my defense:

1.  I do write a journal every day to record my adventures as the Teacher in Residence at the Library of Congress, so I am doing a lot of writing. 

2.  I also spend a lot of time exploring Washington, DC so my time for blogging is more limited.

Neither of these excuses is strong, but at least they are honest.  So without further ado, here are some of the books I have read since last blogging, with mini-reviews. 

1.  The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness:  I liked this one most especially because it was another re-imagining of a dystopic world, but one totally different from anything before and gladly after.  Next up in my reading pile is the second in the series: The Ask and the Answer.  On one hand I am afraid to read because book 1 ended with our hero and heroine in a very precarious situation, but on the other hand....I MUST find out what happens to them.

2.  The Disenchantments by Nina LeCour: This novel was fabulous because its characters are all artists of one sort or another.  There are lots of sports novels that I think are meant to draw in sporty kids who someone believes do not like to read.  But I love a story about musicians and artists.  This is definitely a high school book, but one I would recommend to any high schooler who likes to read and is perhaps a bit apprehensive about life post-high school.

3 & 4.  Jepp Who Defied the Stars by Katherine Marsh and The Madman's Daughter by Megan Shepherd:  I did not finish either of these books because the first did not really catch my interest and the second because its first 50 pages were filled with ridiculous cliches of plot and metaphor. 

5.  Allegiant by Veronica Roth: WOW!  What an ending!  Roth has done it, she has ended a trilogy in what I felt was a totally satisfying way.  I know there is chatter around the blogs that she broke readers' hearts, but I say, all's fair in dystopic YA fiction.  This is a series I will read again to capture the emotional impact of all three books without a year or more of time between.

6.  The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater:  I have said it before and I will say it again. Maggie Stiefvater and I should be friends.  I will not go so far as to say "we are just alike" and "I totally get her," because those two things are ridiculous, but I think she has an outlook with which I agree and I think I could bring a lot to the friendship.  The books was amazing.  It does not suffer from second book syndrome.  Stuff happened, important stuff happened, the story progressed, there was no treading of water so that the third book can be tumultuous and earth-shattering.  I listened to The Raven Boys before reading this to refresh me on the details, and I am glad I did.  Now I wait for the third installment.  Sigh.

7.  Graceling by Kristin Cashore:  Yes, I am a bit late to this party, but I have wanted to read this trilogy for a while, and just never did.  This is of course good because I can read all three quickly without waiting for the next book to be released.  I realize this is good for book sales in many ways, but it is frustrating to me as a reader who does not often re-read books.  It is difficult for me to remember details from earlier books, but I also dislike when the other front-loads a book with reminders from the previous stories.  Yes, I am very picky!

8.  March by John Lewis:  There is a lot of weight on the shoulders of Congressman John Lewis who is the only surviving speaker from the 1963 March on Washington.  He has handled some of his legacy by writing a graphic novel about his experiences.  While the book is aimed at middle grade readers, I think it is still a great way to look at the Civil Rights movement from the first person perspective.  I look forward to the continuation of the story. 

There may be others I have read, but I cannot remember any right now.  I am part way through Foodist by Darya Pino Rose and The Secret Lives of Codebreakers by Sinclair McKay. 

Holly Black is AWESOME and so is the National Book Festival

So, it has been a woefully long time since I posted a review, or anything at all for that matter, but the good news is I have been reading and have something to talk about.  I reviewed Doll Bones by Holly Black in my previous post.  Since then I have also read The Coldest Girl in Coldtown and bought her graphic novel series The Good Neighbors: Kin, Kith, and Kind.  I am pretty excited to read them.  I picked up a couple of other graphic novels when I went to Politics and Prose to see Rainbow Rowell last Wednesday - more about that in another post. 

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown is a vampire book...I know, I know haven't we all had enough vampire books, but this one is different I promise.  First of all, the heroine is not a ridiculous, swoony girl who can't bear to be without her vampire (I think we all know to whom I am alluding here.)  Tana is remarkably strong-willed in the face of some pretty harrowing stuff.  There is no way around it, this book is not afraid to talk about what vampires do, which is suck the blood out of people and sometimes kill them. 

Tana wakes up after a party to find that only she, a friend who has been bitten, and a vampire have survived a huge and horrific vampire attack.  It is only through guts and some probably unwise behavior that Tana gets the survivors away.  Not knowing their fate, she heads for the nearest coldtown where Aidan (the bitten friend), and Gavriel (the vampire) probably need to be and where she herself may need to be if she has been infected by a slight encounter.  I really do not want to give much away, but this is certainly a vampire novel to redeem YA vampire novels and to realign with the greats of vampire fiction: Dracula and Interview with the Vampire.  I for one would not mind more of Tana and Gavriel.  (My insider info. tells me Holly Black is not done with this world.)  WHAT INSIDER INFO. YOU SAY???

Well, in my previous post I revealed that I would be introducing Holly Black at the National Book Festival. 

This is Holly Black speaking to the crowd after my introduction.  She was funny, and gracious to all those who asked questions and came up to her afterwards for pictures and to ask questions.  She even signed my book before going on.  Now you might be saying that I could have just snuck up by the side of the stage and snapped this shot.....but

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This one is indisputable...this is me WITH Holly Black after her talk.  After this I wandered around the Book Festival in a bit of a daze until I got my act together to go see Patrick Ness give his talk.  His was actually in an interview format with a Washington Post reporter, but he did take questions afterwards.

 

 

 

He is super adorable, and has a husband....I did not know this.  My crush is however unabated.  His newest book More Than This is one at the top of my TBR pile.  I loved A Monster Calls and have been looking forward to reading others for a while now.   I was walking by the fiction tent when I happened across Brad Meltzer and stopped, became entranced by his stories about the Archives, Washington DC, and being invited to the White  House.  As you can see I was quite far away, but had a perfect line right to him.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After that I had to head to the Library of Congress for my presentation that went quite well despite the windyness.  My final author of the day was Paulo Bacigalupi author of Ship Breaker and The Drowned Cities.  In the Q & A he specifically address the idea of sequels which he does not like to do.  But he also said, he does not think he is done with the world he created in those two novels.  The book he spoke about was Zombie Baseball Beatdown, which I bought on the off chance I got to introduce him, but I doubt I will read it now because does not sound like my thing.  I think I'll send it to my favorite nephew who may really enjoy it.                  

I truly appreciated the opportunity to hear all these wonderful authors.  But all that pales in comparison with the experience I had today. I began by being present for the "Book that Changed Me" awards for which I had been a judge in the final round.  The three kids who were the top winners almost brought me to tears with their sweet and wonderful readings.  The essays were not really sad, but to know that these kids were so deeply affected by books is why librarians, teachers, and parents work so hard to get kids to read.  Part of the ceremony was also the "Letters about Literature" national winner who happens to live in DC.  She wrote to Laura Ingalls Wilder and connected her works to the life of her father who had grown up in Eritrea and then back to her own life during which she has not had to struggle to find food, water, or education.  That one made me cry because is was a sweet homage to her father and Little House on the Prairie. 

 

 

I then worked our booth through the afternoon talking to many librarians and teachers from around the nation who are eager to use or already use primary sources with their students.  Near the end of the day, Dr. James H. Billington, Librarian of Congress stopped by, and this happened.   What a day and what a weekend!

Audrey Niffenegger - Graphic Novelist- Whoda thunk it?

Certainly not me.  I enjoyed The Time Traveler's Wife, enough in fact to avoid tainting it by seeing the movie.  And Her Fearful Symmetry was right at my level of weird; just enough to draw me in, keep me reading, and creep me out at the end, but not enough to force me to sleep with the light on.  Now I have read The Night Bookmobile, which should be called "The Reader's Dream."   One evening Lexi encounters the night bookmobile, or more accurately, her night bookmobile, which contains everything she has ever read.  Through the years she encounters the bookmobile and its librarian, Mr. Openshaw, just when she least expects, and each time the collection has grown to include what she has read since her last visit.  It is a wonderful premise.  I do not want to give away the twists of the story, but for a short, graphic story it is chock full.  Loved it!  The whole idea of a library of just what I have read, including all the things I cannot remember having read would be a wonderful stroll through my reading life.  For lifelong readers this would be a time machine.  Loved it!