Well, it’s Saturday and this was supposed to go out last Sunday, so I’m doing better! While reading these books I also celebrated my nephew’s birthday, saw the movies Dogman and Love Hurts, and gave blood.

I think I am currently reading 65 books, according to goodreads.

Books Completed Feb 7-13

The Stonekeeper: Amulet 1, Kazu Kibuishi. Talbot book club. Attendance was low for this club (it was the first nice day after a week of lost recesses) but we appreciated the rich illustrations and talked about whether graphic novels were more like books or movies in terms of scariness for young kids. I also noticed that my reading skills for graphic novels has increased since I first read this as I’m better at differentiating characters and following action scenes; I’m probably at almost a third grade level!

The Truth About Stacey (Babysitters Club 3), Ann M. Martin. Talbot book club. A good introduction to this series for me! I was surprised it was a chapter book as I thought these were all graphic novels but now I understand the history. It felt very 80s in the treatment of divorce and the acceptance of young babysitters and more independent kids in general. I liked the diabetes stuff and how the club handled it given Stacey’s anxiety. My book club was huge and we talked about how realistic these were and what were the worst things that could happen on babysitting jobs and how mature babysitters should be (one kid suggested a minimum age of 30).

Down Deep, Catherine Asaro. I enjoy these stories with future societies and mental powers and a language represented by monosyllabic words, and having gotten to talk with the author at the last world con I appreciated seeing some of the aspects she talked about. I like how the characters move realistically between competent and emotionally clueless. The pandemic scenes were harrowing.

Babysitters Club Graphic Novel: Mary Anne’s Bad Luck Mystery, Cynthia Yuan Cheng. Ok, I liked the art and the writing, but the premise was hard to swallow. These kids are really changing their behavior in any way based in a chain letter curse? I don’t buy it. Humph.

A Scatter of Light, Malinda Lo. The thoughtful discussions with the Scintillation crowd are good for bringing out themes and structure bits that I might miss, as well as an appreciation of language. And it was interesting to see the different reactions to the protagonist’s decision to go after a woman in a committed relationship, which ranged from “well, she’s young” to “I couldn’t get over how much I disliked her.”

Babysitters Club Little Sister Graphic Novel: Karen’s Sleepover, Katy Farina. Wow, this blended family worked out better than the Brady Bunch! Karen now accepts shared custody as an unmitigated positive. The sleepover drama seemed forced, and I was glad nobody took the kids’ emotional storms seriously. It’s interesting that this series looks at babysitting from both sides.

Babysitters Club Graphic Novel: Claudia and the Bad Joke, Arley Nopra. My first takeaway is shock that Claudia owed dues from her time in the hospital with an injury incurred on a club sponsored babysitting job. Workers rights education needed! Also I completely sympathized with Claudia’s reluctance to go back to babysitting and I found the tone more focused on the irrational nature of that fear rather than its absolute fitness as a trauma response. That said, Claudia was so awesome in her handling of the accident that I will admire her forever. And possible read the text version of this story.

Babysitters Club: Kristy’s Great Idea, Ann M. Martin. Hey look, I read the first in the series! It’s fun to see Kristy’s reluctance to get to know her mom’s boyfriend’s family, and how little said boyfriend’s vast wealth impresses her. And the stuff with Stacey was hilarious. This is a case where I think slipping around makes things even more fun than reading sequentially.

Amulet 4:The Last Council, Kazu Kibuishi. So, many of the people we want to trust aren’t actually trustworthy, moms don’t always know best, and prejudice is wrong. Also, I’m definitely better are reading graphic novels, or at least at rereading them.

Amulet 8: Supernova, Kazu Kibuishi. So, the problem is bigger than the planet, Emily may have been subsumed by the evil entity, but if everyone does their best and has faith in each other things might work out! Also, motorcycles are cool. I’m ready to go get the last one!

The Secret Garden on 81st Street: A Modern Retelling of The Secret Garden, Ivy Noelle Weir. I loved the original so I’m checking out the graphic novel retelling. It’s also part of my Quest to read a book from every shelf at the Renton Highlands Library. Sadly I did not like this retelling. Mary was far too nice. She had a couple moments of being grouchy while jet-lagged and that was it. Colin also went from being a pill to having anxiety. Even the surly gardener is now an helpful bodega owner with a gardening section. Also, all the woo-woo nature magic stuff is gone. So my favorite parts (people who aren’t all sweet and nice and bonkers magical religiosity) are gone. As a stand alone story it’s probably fine, but for me it’s a disappointment as a retelling, a fix-it that breaks it.

Books Started

The Year We Disappeared, Cylin Busby & John Busby. Cybils finalist.

Babysitters Club Graphic Novel: Mary Anne’s Bad Luck Mystery, Cynthia Yuan Cheng. I’m enjoying these babysitters club books for the kids book club.

Robopocalypse, Daniel H. Wilson. For Torches and Pitchforks club, Apocalypse Year.

Babysitters Club Little Sister Graphic Novel: Karen’s Sleepover, Katy Farina.

Babysitters Club Graphic Novel: Claudia and the Bad Joke, Arley Nopra.

Babysitters Club: Kristy’s Great Idea, Ann M. Martin.

Amulet 4:The Last Council, Kazu Kibuishi. Catching up in steps so I can read the last one.

Amulet 8: Supernova, Kazu Kibuishi.

The Golden Lord, Mary Jo Putney. I like this author.

Bookmarks Moved

Ascendancy of a Bookworm: Short Story Collection Volume 2, Miya Kazuki.

Lamplighters, D. M. Cornish.

Rescue, Jennifer Nielsen.

The Shadow of the Gods, John Gwynne.

Akata Witch, Nnedi Okorafor. Sword and Laser club pick. (Audio)

Notes From the Air, John Ashbery. Poetry.

Airs Above the Ground, Mary Stewart.

Spirit Level, Richy Craven. Friday friends book club.

Parable of the Talents, Octavia Butler.

Tinker, Wen Spencer. Audio.

Long Live Evil, Sarah Rees Brennan.

Bookmarks Languished

I have not given up on these! Ignore all evidence.

Poppy and Marigold, Meg Welch Dendler.

Serpent Rider, Yxavel Magno Diño.

Wow, No Thank You, Samantha Irby.

Into the Broken Lands, Tanya Huff

Poems, R. Hawley Truax. I’m back to the library poems.

Samantha Smee: A Pirate’s Life, M.C. Dingman.

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell.

Into the Vast Nothing, J. Bruno.

Marry Me By Midnight, Felicia Grossmann.

True Colors, Abby Cooper.

Picture Books and Short Stories

“Legend Has It”, Azusa Noir. I liked the picture of the community and the idea of the friend returning but didn’t get much beyond that.

“Parthenogenesis,” by Stephen Graham Jones. A spooky campfire tale. It kind of seemed to warn about making up stories which is always fun in a horror story.

Books on Slow Mode

Home Comforts, Cheryl Mendleson. I read one section a day. This week I learned that my mom was right about wine.

The Adventures of Amina Al-Serafi, Shannon Chakraborty. She’s back!

At the Feet of the Sun, Victoria Goddard. The friend of a friend might make things awkward.

50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane (no picture). Mail bribe.

The Writer's Stance: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines, Dorothy U. Seyler. (no picture). Mail bribe.

The Road to Mars, Eric Idle. Mail bribe.

Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Marlon. Mail bribe.

War Cross, Marie Lu. Mail bribe. I’m getting too curmudgeonly for YA.

Teaching With Caldecott Books, Scholastic books. Mail bribe.

Year of Wonder, Clemency Burton-Hill. Mail bribe.