My reading this week was hindered by my habit of going to bed, playing silly games until very late, and then oversleeping. Or just wandering around like a zombie until it was time to repeat. I finally forced myself into bed at a reasonable time and I hope it sticks. This meant that exercise was mostly a no-go, and anyway it got cold! I'm a wimp! I'm a wimp currently using street parking, and ice is forming on my car. I have suddenly become much more interested in clearing out my garage (full of stuff since we had to empty my mom's apartment and move all my stuff around early this year).
Although, looking at the time as I finish this blog, maybe not. How does everyone else get their reading reported on time?
Anyway, it was a week full of book clubs, of which I only finished the books for the elementary book clubs I am hosting. Once a month I head up to the local elementary school with some treats and talk books with first the fourth graders and then the fifth graders. This week the fourth graders were so excited about the book that I forgot to hand out the cookies. Oops. Double rations next time!
My emergency training class went well -- we discussed the psychology of trauma and how to look out for ourselves and the people we are trying to help, and then went over terrorism scenarios. Also we had a pot luck dinner during the lecture, which really helped me maintain my attention throughout the lecture-heavy class. More food for the last Thursday class, and then it is time for our final exam!
My resident chef delivered a delicious Brie pasta and feta/spinach sandwiches for his turns at dinner, and was much applauded. I forgot to make bread for the pasta dish but managed some nice focaccia rolls for the sandwiches, and demanded some applause of my own.
I'm still at 3 pages of currently-reading on goodreads. I'm up to 54 physical books checked out which includes some picture books and then there are a pile of ebooks. There are 10 books waiting for me on the hold shelf and 10 more en route. Gotta read faster!
This post is very late so I'm not posting at The Bookdate's It's Monday, What Are You Reading headquarters as well as the kidlit version at Unleashing Readers.
Completed
Just a Pinch of Magic, Alechia Dow. Cybils nominee. A friendship book with two kids making magic in a town cursed by a supposedly wicked witch. The friendship of the two kids is sweetly done (heh heh, that's a joke because they do a lot of cooking together), although the pace does seem dictated by plot a lot when they decide to share things or keep secrets. It's also interesting to watch their dad's dancing around each other; one girl is all for the match but the other is a bit leery about losing more of his attention. There are complications afoot -- the curse and the wicked witch are both more complicated than they appear, and of course our protagonists are caught in the middle. Cooking and magic are a natural fit, and I liked seeing how the kids matched up together.
The Cursed Moon, Angela Cervantes. Cybils nominee.This is a great example of a fantasy where the fantasy works to explore the themes in the mundane story. The kids have some problems -- they live with their grandparents, and their mom is about to come back from prison and wants to try again. One kid is ready, but the other has been burned too often by failed promises. But when they accidentally awaken the devil of the cursed moon, they have to confront what happens when scary stories come true, and how to regain control of the story of their own life. The author doesn't draw attention to this; the kids are just set in their world before the curse hits, and return to it after the defeat. Cool.
Alice's Shooting Star, Tim Kennemore. 2009 Cybils Short Chapter book finalist. I really liked this family book, with Alice as the middle child who observes a lot even as she tends to get overlooked. I felt a bit bad for the older brother, but really appreciated how Alice looked out for and also admired her whirlwind of a little sister. Wild enough to be fun but not quite fantasy. Glad I made the effort to ILL it, and glad I have an awesome library that makes this possible.
Who Was First, Russell Freedman. 2007 Cybils Middle Grade and YA finalist. Interesting review of the various immigrations to America, including some that are possible (such as the theory that a Chinese fleet made it across). The Chinese story was new to me, as were some of the details of Viking landings, and the summary of various evidence for which waves came over thousands of years ago was also full of some surprises, although I should check whether that's because the theories have been updated in the past decade and half. Good illustrations as well.
The Clackity, Lora Senf. 2022 Cybils Elementary Middle Grade Speculative Fiction finalist. I really liked the resonances of the various houses the protagonist must win through to rescue her parent, although the adults really didn't seem to be much help in this battle. I liked how her anxiety was acknowledged and handled; it was something she carried with her and had to account for. The dual villains were both very spooky and creepy in different ways, and it was good to see how the girl outwitted them. I like it when kids in kidlit handle their climaxes using their own powers.
Nic Blake and the Remarkables, Angie Thomas. Cybils nominee. I think expectations matter a lot. I was expecting this one to follow the standard "raised on Harry Potter" playbook -- secret world of magic, unusual special child, two sidekicks (bookish and loyal). But then it started playing a lot of differences on that -- I really liked the relationship between the brother and the best friend, and how insecure that made Nic. I liked how the dad had a very dark secret, but the mom also trusted the wrong people. I liked the connections to history (underground railroad) and I was amused by the author of the popular kid books.
Ghost Dog Secrets, Peg Kehret. For Talbot Hill Elementary book club. I had fun arguing with the kids about whether this counted as a fantasy or realistic fiction (to decide what our next book should be -- we wanted a contrast). We also talked about brothers and sisters, good apologies, what to do if you see a mistreated dog, and who got a good ending (everyone but the bully).
Worst Broommate Ever!, Wanda Coven. Cybils nominee. This was a sweet story, just shy of being a graphic novel (lots of illustrations and font changes). It's the start of a series of a middle schooler starting at a magic boarding school, and how she handles being away from home, navigating new friendships, and making peace with her roommate who is also her local nemesis. It's more like what elementary school kids think middle school will be like than a realistic portrayal, but with the added pleasure of magic and a boarding school.
Coraline, Neil Gaiman. For Talbot Hill Elementary book club. This was a lively discussion! Kids divided between the movie and the book, with a few kids knowing about both (I haven't seen the movie). We talked a bit about why things would be different -- how visual mediums need different ways to engage imagination and interest. We talked about what was the scariest part of both/either, and whether Coraline was making good decisions, and how to trust a cat.
The Great Texas Dragon Race, Kacy Ritter. Cybils nominee. Yee haw! This was a great title and the book lived up to it. Our heroine was a true Texican, ready to brag you out of the campfire, but also willing to stand up for her friends (even the human ones) and her principles. There's a lot of implausibility, but it's all part of the fun. Evil oil companies, desperate family ranches, famous dead mom, all add up to a true adventure.
Started
Nic Blake and the Remarkables, Angie Thomas. Cybils nominee.
The Mirrorwood, Diva Fagin. Cybils finalist from previous year.
The Great Texas Dragon Race, Kacy Ritter. Cybils nominee.
Ghost Dog Secrets, Peg Kehret. For Talbot Hill Elementary book club.
Mrs Pollifax, Unveiled, Dorothy Gilman. I think this is on a bookclub list, but really I just wanted to listen to Mrs Pollifax kick some butt.
Coraline, Neil Gaiman. For Talbot Hill Elementary book club.
Worst Broommate Ever!, Wanda Coven. Cybils nominee.
Picture Books & Short Stories
The Book From Far Away, Bruce Handy. Another lovely wordless picture book, where a boy sees strangers and trades books with a fellow bibliophile. I like the way it merges imagination and reality, leaving the reader to decide where the line falls.
Bookmarks Moved (Or Languished) In:
While still ridiculous, this is not much worse than last week. Slow regression!
Ascendance of a Bookworm, Miya Kazuki. Abandoning my reread of Part 3 now since the new one just dropped. I'll get back to it, don't worry!
Ascendance of a Bookworm, Part 5, Vol 6, Miya Kazuki. Correspondence with Ferdinand is a special blessing.
Cobra, Timothy Zahn. Part 51. It's next on my queue!
Sammy Keyes and the Power of Justice Jack, Wendelin Van Draanen. Reading My Library Quest book, Renton Highlands J Audio. I'm making excellent progress.
Warcross, Marie Lu. No progress.
Priory of the Orange Tree, Samantha Shannon.
The Wine-Dark Sea, Patrick O'Brian.
Fourth Wing, Rebecca Yarros.
Last Night at the Telegraph Club, Malinda Lo. Cybils finalist.
Into the Broken Lands, Tanya Huff.
Maybe You Should Talk to Someone, Lori Gottlieb.
Resurgence, C.J. Cherryh.
A Shadow in Summer, Daniel Abraham.
40-Love, Olivia Dade.
Borderland, Anna Reid.
Going Postal, Terry Pratchett. For my Tuesday book club (they've all finished it). Enjoying the tiny pieces I manage.
Allegiance, Kermit Roosevelt. For Torchers and Pitchforks. I did not finish in time for the meeting, and now it has fallen down the priorities list.
Marie Curie, Kathleen Krull. Cybils finalist. Made progress. In World War I heroics now.
Playing With Fire, R.J. Blain. For my Friday book club. Didn't finish in time.
Lavender's Blue, Jennifer Crusie & Bob Mayer. For Romance Book club (mystery theme). Didn't finish in time.
The Angel of the Crows, Katherine Addison. Didn't finish in time.
Palate Cleansers
I'm slowly marching through these books.
50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane (no picture). Milton. Andrew Marvell.
Dragon's Breath, E.D. Baker.
The Writer's Stance: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines, Dorothy U. Seyler. (no picture).
The Road to Mars, Eric Idle.
The Dark Fantastic, Ebony Elizabeth Thomas.
Year of Wonder, Clemency Burton-Hill. Enjoying starting my day with a song. And dealing with my mail in a timely way.
Reading Challenges
- Cybils 2022: Working on middle grade SF.
- Early Cybils: Working on some nonfiction. Also an Early Chapter book.
- Reading My Library. Enjoying an audio.
- Libraries: Working on the 10 to Try for 2023. Need an artist and a summer book.
Future Plans
I'm putting this at the end because I suspect it's complete fiction, but I feel I should attempt some structure. Also, really I'm just reading Cybils so I'll be lucky to get 20 pages a day of these other books.I am reading:
- Book I own: Into the Broken Lands
- Library Book: Lavender's Blue
- Ebook I own: The Wine Dark Sea
- Library Ebook: Borderland
- Book Club Book: Dinners With Ruth
- Tuesday Book Club Book: Going Postal
- Review Book: Back Home
- Rereading: Chalet School books
- Audio: Mrs Pollifax Unveiled
2 comments:
I'm late, too, Beth, & don't see how you keep up at all. As usual, I found a few interesting titles & put them on my growing list! Happy Halloween!
I'm thinking I should do Coraline as my Spooky Reads next year and watch the movie.
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