It's Monday! What are you reading?

It's Monday! What are you reading? is a meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journeys. Jen Vincent over at Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee Moye from Unleashing Readers decided to put a children's and YA spin on it and they invite anyone with an interest to join in. You can participate by creating your post then visit one of their sites to add your site. Finally, visit at least three participant blogs and comment to spread the love.

I get the cover images from Goodreads and if you would like to see my ratings, you may visit me there.

The Past Week:

Graphic Novels

I am participating in #bookbootcamp and the assignment this month is to read one graphic novel from three different lists. While at the library to get those books, I found some distractions. Ponyo is a cute introduction to manga. It is laid out in the Japanese right to left format, but the content is for young audiences. Dr. Who is a new obsession that I have. I usually prefer the book, but in this case, I do prefer the show. It's not a bad representation, but I would rather watch David Tennant than read about him. 

Non-Fiction

I am trying to read more non-fiction. This week I found some excellent examples. Demi again did a beautiful job with biography. I also appreciate that we get to read about a non-European explorer. My only quibble is that it was told in such a way as to make him seem so perfect he isn't quite believable. I wanted at least one flaw - even a tiny one. It was also fun to find out about Mr. Ives. I didn't realize that he was ahead of his time in music. He heard music in everyday sounds. This book would work wonderfully with the Wynton Marsalis book Squeak, Rumble, Whomp! Whomp! Whomp! The Eagles are Back is a great explanation of how humans can affect wildlife in positive and negative ways. Bad Girls was entertaining and I liked the format of brief bios with even shorter graphic clips of interchanges between the authors. Growing up Muslim was an excellent and informative book that helped me understand things about Islam that I hadn't known. The author really did a good job of explaining that Muslims are as varied in their practice and lifestyles as those in any religion.

Young Adult

Please Ignore Vera Dietz came out on top for me this week. It was quite a powerful book and I will be thinking about it for a long time. It really made me think about the baggage I am carting around with me. Vera has a lot to deal with after the death of her ex-best friend. I was completely sucked into this book. I am finally working on my Printz challenge again. Since You Asked is a funny look into the life of a snarky high school girl with a talent for writing. It is so cool to have a book about a Koran American teen that is actually written by a Korean American. Miss Fortune Cookie was in some ways similar. It was about a high school girl who was not Chinese, but had lived in China. She loves the culture and her best friends are Chinese Americans. She is also a writer with an advice column and the book has humor. I liked both, but Since You Asked edged out Miss Fortune Cookie for me. Fat Angie has quite a unique storyline. I read it in one sitting. There were some believability issues for me, but overall I was invested in this emotional story.

The Coming Week:

I will be traveling this week to nErDCampBC *jumping up and down doing a happy dance*, so I may not get to all of the books I plan to read. For #bookbootcamp I am planning to read Foiled & it's sequel, The Storm in the Barn, Big Bad Ironclad and Yummy: The Last Days of a Southside Shorty. I will read at least one non-fiction book, Hope and Tears: Ellis Island Voices. I am planning to read an ARC of The Boy on the Porch. I will also try to throw in a few picture books too since any book counts for #summerthrowdown. :)  What will you be reading this week?