Another week of family life (the boys made an icebox cake!), volunteering at the historical society, talking with Ukranians, and going to book clubs. We’re still in the family birthday season which keeps things interesting.
Goodreads thinks I am currently (in July) reading 62 books. It’s a little high. The library says I have 48 books checked out. That’s under my age.
Books Completed February 27 - March
Lasagna Means I Love You, Kate O’Shaughnessy. This was a fun book and a nice excuse to eat lasagna. I thought it did a good job of showing adults who meant well but were too selfish to be good parents, letting the kid involved be hurt but not demonizing the foster parents. I liked the kids and the adults.
Speculative Whiteness, Jordan S. Carroll. Hugo nominee. I had skimmed this earlier but took the time to read it.it was a bit disheartening to see how many of the tropes developed in a beloved genre either stemmed from racist thought or were co-opted by racists movements, often by men with poor reading skills.
Hurricane Heist, James Ponti. A worthy sequel, with a good use of flashback and a good balance of kid appropriate (and some adult enabled) sleuthing, kid social dynamics between friends and families, and Florida hurricane adventures.
Pokémon Journeys, Vol 4, Machito Gomo. Honestly I have so much nostalgia for my kids’ Pokémon days and these go by so quickly I’ll probably enjoy them forever. But the plots are not gripping.
How To Help a Hungry Werewolf, Charlotte Stein. I liked the wish-fulfillment nature of how he was always supportive and respectful and into her, although it made the flashbacks to their breakup less gripping. I didn’t think the action and the romance bits were balanced.
Books Started
Pokémon Journeys, Vol 4, Machito Gomo. Talbot Hill recommendation.
Miss Martin’s Incomparable Adventure, Courtney Milan. Great author, romance club topic.
Hemlock & Silver, T. Kingfisher. I like this author.
Sunbringer, Hannah Kaner. Sequel and Hugo nominee.
Someplace to be Flying, Charles De Lint. Sword and Laser pick.
The Headless Ghost, R.L. Stine. Goosebumps.
Partly Cloudy, Gary Soto. Poetry book about junior high romance.
Bookmarks Moved
Promise the Night, Michaela MacColl
Ascendance of a Bookworm Short Story Collection, Volume 2, Miya Kazuki
Testimony of Mute Things, Lois McMaster Bujold
King of Elfland’s Daughter, Lord Dunsany
Josephine Against the Sea, Shakira’s Bourne
The Luminaries, Eleanor Catton
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet, David Mitchell
Inventing the Renaissance, Ada Palmer
An Exchange of Hostages, Susan R. Matthews
Champion of Fate, Kendare Blake
The Gilded Crown, Marianne Gordon
River of Fire, Mary Jo Putney
Bookmarks Languished
I have given up on a few of these, actually.
The Hunger and the Dusk, G. Willow Wilson
Bourne Supremacy, Robert Ludlum
Death in the Spires, K.J. Charles
Read Dangerously, Azar Nifisi
The Last Witchfinder, James K. Morrow
So Let Them Burn, Kamilah Cole
Wolf Hall, Hilary Mantel
Lepunia: Kingdom of the Gallopers, Kevin Ford
The Morgaine Chronicles, C.J. Cherryh
Ariel, Sylvia Plath
Fair Trade, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
One Jump Ahead, Mark L Von Name
Blood at the Root, LaDarrion Williams
Calypso, Oliver K Langmead
Simply Unforgettable, Mary Balogh
Picture Books, Poems, and Short Stories
Truth About Mrs Claus, Meena Harris. Recommended by the Even the Trunchbull podcast. I liked the Christmas setting, the elvish society, and demonstration of executive power.
Books on Slow Mode
Home Comforts, Cheryl Mendleson. I read one section a day. Laundry and fabric stains is our current concern.
50 Great Poets, ed. Milton Crane. Mail bribe. Hopkins is hard core.
The Writer's Stance: Reading and Writing in the Disciplines, Dorothy U. Seyler. Mail bribe.
Black Leopard, Red Wolf, Marlon James. The ending moves back to the personal.
War Cross, Marie Lu. Mail bribe. My gaming is not on this level.
Teaching With Caldecott Books, Scholastic books. Mail bribe. Good chapters about things to do after and while reading the books.
Books Acquired
I only notice when I’m caught up.
Future Plans
This is for the actual future, so weeks beyond the books in this post. It is also probably wrong.
I am reading:
- Book I own: Everybody’s Perfect
- Library Book: Language as Liberation
- Friend Book Club: What Fresh Hell Is This
- Foolscap Book Club Book: The Fifth Season
- Sword and Laser Club Book: A Midnight Pastry Shop
- Hugo Reading: Incandescent
- Talbot Hill School:
- Scintillation Book Club: Telling
- Cloudy Book Club: An Ocean Apart
- Torches and Pitchfork Book: All We Want Is Everything
- Romance Book Club: New authors: Love at First Sighting
- River Runs Under It Book Club: The Return of Ellie Black
