My Reading Frenzy

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

Hanging poems on a cherry tree

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

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

 

 

Read:

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

 

 

Reading:

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

 

 

Listening:

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

 

 

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

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

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?

To picture books, with love

Many of us begin our reading lives by being read to. This is one important step in becoming a life-long reader, as is having access to books. Dolly Parton is such a strong advocate for getting books into the hands of children that she founded Dolly Parton's Imagination Library to gift books to children from birth to five years old. According to the site, 143 million books have been gifted as of August 2020. This is not the only program of this kind because being read to and having books is crucial for child development as well as future success. Reading is Fundamental is another organization that seeks to get books into the hands of all children. 

Each night before bed my brother and I were treated to a story. Sometimes two. Those times with my brother are the earliest memories I have, but I know I was being read to before he came along. I also know that having books and hearing books is what started my love of books and reading. 

We both liked the Dr. Seuss books, in particular One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and Fox in Socks, both of which my father claims he can still recite. While neither of these is truly a story, they both feature rhyme and word play that I appreciate as an adult reader. In my favorite part of One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish a "nook has a hook on which is a book about how to cook" and in Fox in Socks I am partial to the segment about the "tweetle beetle battle." 

There were others I favored because I enjoyed the story. One I loved and still do is Christina Katerina and the Box by Patricia Lee Gauch. It is the story of Christina and her friend Fats Watson and the days following a new refrigerator and its box coming into Christina's home. The two friends turn the box into all manner of fantastic things including a castle and a race car. 

Others I remember are The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats and Best Friends for Frances by Russell Hoban. We were fortunate to have many books in our home to choose from and read on our own, once we could. (Being able to choose ones own books is an important element to becoming a lover of books and reading.) I was excited to learn to read and was able to do so quickly. 

When I got to school and had access to the school library I branched out. An early favorite was The Girl who Loved Wild Horses by Paul Goble, which won the 1978 Caldecott Medal and depicts the story of a girl of the Plains Indians of North America. [Goble's work is generally accepted as a respectful and accurate depiction of the Plains Indians as he was "adopted into the Yakima and Sioux tribes (with the name Wakinyan Chikala, “Little Thunder”) by Chief Edgar Red Cloud" in 1959.] I checked out this beautiful story as many times in a row as I was allowed then checked it out again once other students had had a chance. I own a number of copies today.  

Another book I have fond memories of and still own is The Star Wars Storybook that I woke up early on weekend mornings to read in bed before breakfast. 

As a high school librarian I am rarely asked for picture book recommendations, but as a school librarian it is important for me to be familiar with books for all levels of readers, because not all high school students read at a high school level and I might not always be a high school librarian. I have also over the years shopped for books for friends as they became parents.

My most reliable sources for knowing what is being published are:

• School Library Journal and Booklist reviews
• Awards lists 
• Browsing in bookstores 

I try to buy books that are current and not just fall back on old favorites. I like to explore new authors when possible knowing as this post from Book Riot reasons, many of the favorites of the parents as well as those buying the books are outdated without a broad or diverse viewpoint, and more practically may be purchased many times over for a new reader. 

Some recent books I have purchased either for my library or as gifts:

	The Undefeated	Kwame Alexander & Kadir Nelson
	Hello Lighthouse	Sophie Blackall
	Maybe Something Beautiful	F. Isabel Campoy & Theresa Howell
	Stellaluna	Janell Cannon
	Last Stop on Market Street	Matt de la Peña
	Henry Hikes to Fitchburg	D.B. Johnson
	The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore	William Joyce & Joe Bluhm
	Drawn Together	Minh Lê & Dan Santat
	Julián is a Mermaid	Jessica Love
	The Word Collector	Peter H. Reynolds
	And Tango Makes Three	Justin Richardson, Peter Parnell, & Henry Cole
	Parrots Over Puerto Rico	Susan L. Roth & Cindy Trumbore
	The House in the Night	Susan Marie Swanson & Beth Krommes
	The Insomniacs	Karina Wolf & Brothers Hilts
	What Do You Do With an Idea? What Do You Do With a Problem?What Do You Do With a Chance?	Kobi Yamada & Mae Besom

 

What are some of your favorite picture books to read and gift?

 

 

 

 

A Sweet Read - Happy Birthday Madame Chapeau

While browsing the book buying area (this year run by an independent book store, DC's Politics and Prose) I ran across a delightful picture book: Happy Birthday Madame Chapeau, written by Andrea Beaty and illustrated by David Roberts. It was drawn to it for three reasons:

1.  The book festival took place on my birthday

2.  It was about hats/fashion

3.  Madame Chapeau is French!

It turned out to be a wonderful story. It is all about Madame Chapeau, who somewhat unsurprisingly is a milliner. She goes out for dinner by herself on her birthday and her hat is stolen by a crow. As she chases it, she makes a number of friends, one of whom is able to give her a perfect replacement hat.

Things that make this a great story:

1.  The illustrations are lovely, with a wide-variety of fabulous hats, some of which are recognizable and others that are satisfyingly unique.

2. The characters are diverse. The "We Need Diverse Books" movement is all over the internets these days and this book is a refreshing look a wide variety of people without diversity being the stated topic of the book.

3.  I seriously dislike the idea of "girl books" and "boy books," as I believe good stories are for everyone. This is a good story!

 

Additional: After writing and sceduling this post, I read Iggy Peck, Architect by the same authors.  Also wonderful.  I love the drawings, the diversity, and the story.  Moving to Rosie Revere, Engineer next.