Reading Through Life

Sunday, June 25, 2017

It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you Reading? is a meme hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It's a great way to recap what you read and/or reviewed the previous week and to plan out your reading and reviews for the upcoming week. It's also a great chance to see what others are reading right now...you just might discover your next “must-read” book!

Kellee Moye, of Unleashing Readers, and Jen Vincent, of Teach Mentor Texts decided to give It's Monday! What Are You Reading? a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children's literature - picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels, anything in the world of kidlit - join us! We love this meme and think you will, too. We encourage everyone who participates to visit at least three of the other kidlit book bloggers that link up and leave comments for them.

If you want to know more about what I've been reading, visit my Goodreads shelf.

Last Week on the Blog:

Muslim Voices #2

Last Week in Books:

I was fortunate to see advanced copies of several picture books while I was at the ALA annual conference. Family Poems for Every Day of the Week is a gorgeous book of poems illustrated by Maya Christina Gonzalez. It is also the final book written by Francisco X. Alarcón before his death last year. I have always enjoyed his bilingual poetry and this book is no exception. Each poem is about the unique aspects of one of the days of the week and it incorporates family moments. I am looking forward to having a copy in the fall. Draw the Line is a beautiful wordless book that plays with the phrase "draw the line." There is more going on here than drawing. Like Otoshi's previous books, this one deals with how people interact with each other and how we can creatively solve problems. Before She Was Harriet is a lovely poem that shares many aspects of who Harriet Tubman was because over her lifetime she had many roles. Yo Soy Muslim is a stunning book. The colors are rich and lush and it oozes love.

Where Are You? is a cute book with one snake looking for the other all through the book. It's basically a look and find book and it's written by someone from Wisconsin. Yay!

The Playbook by Kwame Alexander is a collection of advice, quotes and photos is inspirational and easy to read in small bites. It has a sports theme, but the advice is for both sports and life in general.

Boat of Dreams is a very imaginative wordless picture book that's difficult to explain, but well worth reading.

The final two books were for the Ramadan Readathon I wrote about last week. That Thing We Call a Heart is about a teen girl who is falling for someone. She is also learning about Persian poetry from her father along the way. Her family has some Muslim roots, but they are not really practicing Muslims. Her best friend is though. What was interesting was that the book showed that there are multiple ways to be Muslim. Some Muslims may even be offended by some of the things the characters do or say. This is kind of a romance, but is more about a young woman figuring things out about herself and others. I enjoyed the inclusion of the poetry. Ten Things I Hate About Me is about a young Muslim girl who has been hiding her heritage at school so she can fit in with her peers. She is trying to figure out if it is worth it to hide or if she needs to be honest with herself and the people at school. It's also a little comedic.

The Coming Week:

During my drive to Chicago, I got about halfway through the audio book The Noodle Road. I am still reading Miles Morales and want to get back to #NotYourPrincess. I have quite a few ARCs and books from ALA like Boundless and Solo so that's what I will likely be readng this week.

Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge 2017 - 295/550

Diversity on the Shelf 2017 - 140/225 (goal = 50% of my books by and/or about POC)

LGBTQIA Challenge - 14/30

#OwnVoices Challenge - 83/125

#MustReadin2017 - 18/24

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge - 51/100

Sunday, June 18, 2017

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Jane Steele was my first book of the week. It's written with a dry and sometimes morbid humor. I laughed many times throughout this tale of a Jane who kills many men and even a boy over the span of her life. Next, I read Dog Songs. Mary Oliver clearly dotes on her dogs. She devotes the entire book to poetry starring dogs in general and specific dogs. It made me look at my dog in a new way.

I also read a couple of middle grade graphic novels. Fred Korematsu Speaks Up is a great way to learn about the incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. It's wonderful to learn about the way Fred Korematsu stood up against unjust laws. The other one was the third book in the Secret Coders series, Secrets & Sequences.

Last week I found out about the #RamadanReadathon on Twitter. This reminded me about Laughing All the Way to the Mosque, a book I had put on my #MustReadin2017 list after seeing it on the #MuslimShelfSpace tag at the beginning of the year. I got it from the library and it was a humorous memoir written by a Muslim woman in Canada. After that, I started looking at the #RamadanReadathon suggestions and picked up Alif the Unseen. It's a fabulous contemporary book that had me on the edge of my seat with jinns, cyber attacks, love, and intrigue. The final book I finished for this challenge is Saints and Misfits. This was a great book though not quite what I was expecting. I thought it would be more about the photography based on the cover, but I really enjoyed the story anyway.

The Coming Week:

Currently Reading

I'm still making my way through a few ARCs and hope to finish those this week. I started the audio book about noodles last week and will keep listening. I'm loving Ten Things I Hate About Me which also works for #RamadanReadathon. I have a whole pile of library books checked out and I'm likely to read That Thing We Call a Heart and Star Crossed next. I wish you an amazing week filled with tons of reading.

Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge 2017 - 286/550

Diversity on the Shelf 2017 - 132/225 (goal = 50% of my books by and/or about POC)

LGBTQIA Challenge - 14/30

#OwnVoices Challenge - 77/125

#MustReadin2017 - 18/24

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge - 50/100

Sunday, June 11, 2017

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Keep a Pocket in Your Poem will be a great mentor text for poetry. It reminds me of the way Sharon Creech used models of famous poems along with students then creating poems inspired by those poets. It would be great to use with Love that Dog and even the new collection Out of Wonder though those poems "in the style of..." tend to be a little more serious and aren't really parodies. That just reminded me though that there are several collections surrounding William Carlos Williams' poem "This is Just to Say." Those are This is Just to Say by Sidman and Forgive Me, I Meant to Do It: False Apology Poems by Levine. It would be fun to use a combination of poems from all of these texts in a poetry unit.

I also found the poem Tony this week. It's a lovely and quiet poem about the horse Tony. It made me smile.

Another one that brought smiles was Ossiri and the Bala Mengro. I had to laugh at the humor of this one. It has one of those twisty slightly dark endings. It's a great way to counter some of the beliefs about the Romani people who are also called Travellers.

Still Life with Tornado is another slightly bizarre book by A.S. King. I enjoy her books, but they are generally a little outside the norm. That's part of what I like about them, but this one wasn't my favorite. It was just okay.

I adore Jacqueline Woodson's writing and found The House You Pass on the Way to be another lovely look into the heart and mind of a young girl coming of age. My only major complaint is that it ended too soon. It is more like a novella than a novel and I wanted to stay with the character a little longer.

The Coming Week:

I'm still reading two ARCs: Miles Morales (really good so far) and #NotYourPrincess (also fantastic). I'm taking my time since my official reviews won't be posted until August. I am also still reading a book about digital photography. I finished school on Friday and so it was a pretty busy week and had a fair amount of stress. I have just about recovered and have a busy week coming up with an outing to a farm tomorrow with my exchange student followed by dinner out with friends. On Tuesday I am finally getting to see Hamilton in Chicago. We got the tickets in November so this has been quite a wait. I'm pretty much beside myself. I'll likely do some reading on the bus on that trip. I just started Jane Steele and can't hardly put it down. Another book I've got is Laughing All the Way to the Mosque. I also started listening to On the Noodle Road. I hope you have a great week filled with wonderful reading.

Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge 2017 - 279/550

Diversity on the Shelf 2017 - 127/225 (goal = 50% of my books by and/or about POC)

LGBTQIA Challenge - 14/30

#OwnVoices Challenge - 73/125

#MustReadin2017 - 16/24

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge - 50/100

Sunday, June 4, 2017

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Recent Blog Posts:

Review at Rich in Color: Radius of Us

Art in YA Lit

Last Week in Books:

When Dimple Met Rishi (a #MustReadin2017 book) was released this week. I've been anxiously awaiting it since last year and was not disappointed. I really appreciated this sweet romantic comedy about two Indian American teens whose parents are trying to arrange a marriage between them. We'll be discussing it over at Rich in Color later this month. I may read it once more before then just for fun.

Flame in the Mist was intense with bandits, a dangerous forest, revenge & romance. I am not sure about the Japanese representation, but it was definitely a page turner.

I read many picture books this past week and these are some of the best. I enjoyed The Neighborhood Sing-Along and it made me want to sing more in my library classes. What's Your Favorite Color? is a lovely book filled with answers from some of the best illustrators out there including two of my favorites Lauren Castillo and Yuyi Morales. Town is by the Sea is a beautiful book about a family in a coal mining town. It is a peaceful and honest kind of book. The Book of Mistakes is a imaginative story that highlights mistakes as something to learn from and/or something to celebrate. The Story Orchestra: Four Seasons in One Day is a great introduction to Vivaldi's Four Seasons. There are spots in the book to press to hear parts of the piece.

It was Wonder Woman Day this weekend so the comic store was giving away free copies of a great comic. I got it when I picked up America #2. Both were wonderful ways to celebrate women. That brings my personal comic collection total to four. They weren't something I read as a child aside from the Sunday comics which is not the same animal, but I'm beginning to love them.

The Coming Week: I'm still reading two ARCs: Miles Morales (really good so far), #NotYourPrincess (also fantastic). I am also reading a book about digital photography. In addition, I've started Still Life with Tornado. This is my last week of school so I will likely read quite a bit at the end of the week in celebration and to really kick off #Bookaday. I just checked out Jane Steele and it's one of my #MustReadin2017 books so I will try to get to that one too. Happy reading!

Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge 2017 - 274/550

Diversity on the Shelf 2017 - 125/225 (goal = 50% of my books by and/or about POC)

LGBTQIA Challenge - 13/30

#OwnVoices Challenge - 71/125

#MustReadin2017 - 15/24

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge - 50/100

Monday, May 29, 2017

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Last Week in Books:

The Radius of Us will likely be the book I review for Rich in Color later this week, so I won't say much except that I read through it in one sitting for the most part. It was compelling.

The Inexplicable Logic of My Life was a gorgeously written book. I loved the characters and wanted to stay in that space with them. Benjamin Alire Saenz is such a fabulous author. His characters are living and breathing and above all his writing can be so incredibly beautiful.

Stand Up and Sing! is a great picture book bio of Pete Seeger. It gives readers a sense of the man and his motivations.

The Coming Week: I recently got an ARC of #NotYourPrincess by the editors of Dreaming in Indian and Urban Tribes. I will read it slowly so it may take more than a week. It's a collection of essays, artwork, and other submissions so it's nice to take it a bit at a time. I'm still reading Miles Morales in fits and starts. It's on my phone so it's my emergency book right now. I'm enjoying it, but I hate reading on my phone for long periods of time so it's slow going. I am likely to start When Dimple Met Rishi because it finally comes out this week!!! We have two more weeks of school, but I am getting super excited for Summer #Bookaday. Here's a great post about it from Debbie Ridpath Ohi. I'm getting my list of books ready for some great reading this summer. I hope you have a great week!

Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge 2017 - 255/550

Diversity on the Shelf 2017 - 117/225 (goal = 50% of my books by and/or about POC)

LGBTQIA Challenge - 13/30

#OwnVoices Challenge - 67/125

#MustReadin2017 - 14/24

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge - 48/100

Sunday, May 21, 2017

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Last Week in Books:

The book that made me smile the most this week was Not Your Sidekick. Give Bees a Chance was also quite fun. It's by the same person who did the book about nonfiction picture book I'm Trying to Like Spiders. Not quite as hilarious this time, but I felt like I learned more and still enjoyed it. Loving vs. Virginia was nicely done. I'm glad their story has been told in ways accessible to many different ages lately.

I finally finished Afterworlds. The beginning really sucked me in, but my interest waned and it took me a long time to finish.

I read a few books by Charlotte Zolotow. I had never read William's Doll or if I had it was too long ago to remember it. What a great book!

I'm looking forward to reading Prince Ribbit with some of my students. It definitely teaches you to question what you read on the Internet and in print and it made me laugh too.

Both Wolf in the Snow and You and Me were heart warmers for me. Quackers is a cute one and I read it because it will be the Read for the Record book in October.

BOOM!: Big, Big Thunder and One Small Dog was a book I used for another spine poem in honor of my dog and our sleepless night during a storm. After I made the poem, I had to read the book.

I started making a spine poem every day in April (inspired by Kelly Jensen) and have made several in May too. It's so much fun to hunt for titles that create something new.

The Coming Week:

I'm really not sure what I'm going to be reading this week. We are getting our wood floors refinished this week and the house is in disarray so life will be a little more serendipitous than normal for a while I think. Have a great week filled with reading!

Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge 2017 - 250/550

Diversity on the Shelf 2017 - 114/225 (goal = 50% of my books by and/or about POC)

LGBTQIA Challenge - 12/30

#OwnVoices Challenge - 65/125

#MustReadin2017 - 14/24

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge - 47/100

Sunday, May 14, 2017

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Last Week in Books:

I really enjoyed The Sound Jazz Makes. Carole Boston Weatherford did a great history of jazz in simple text. Frankie is super funny and is about a foster dog settling in with another dog. They don't get along at first. Chavela and the Magic Bubble is fun and takes place partially in the rain forest so it will work well for our first grade unit about rain forests. I'm excited to read it this week along with making bubbles. I also really appreciated Girl Rising.

The Coming Week:

I still have 2 CDs of 12 to listen to this week with Afterworlds. I also had to pause the Spider-Man book for a bit. I hope to finish both this week. I'm not sure what else I'll be reading though. Have a great week!

Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge 2017 - 227/550

Diversity on the Shelf 2017 - 108/225 (goal = 50% of my books by and/or about POC)

LGBTQIA Challenge - 9/30

#OwnVoices Challenge - 63/125

#MustReadin2017 - 14/24

Nonfiction Picture Book Challenge - 46/100