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.

If you want to know more about what I am reading, visit me at my Goodreads shelf. Images via Goodreads unless otherwise noted. 

The Past Week: 

I reviewed The Missing Chancleta

The Princess in Black is a very fun and cute adventure. The Princess has ninja skills and uses them to help keep monsters in check despite the expectation that Princesses are ladylike and only wear pink. It's great that it is in an early chapter book format. 

Foreign Gods, Inc was quite unique. I read it for the Africa Challenge and for the Diversity on the Shelf Challenge. It's an adult title and deals with a man who is contemplating stealing a deity from his hometown in Nigeria. He is rather desperate for money and believes that he could sell it for a high price in the U.S. It was a slow start for me, but ultimately I found it fascinating in a grim way.

Grim was also a good word for The Key that Swallowed Joey Pigza. Joey is once again in a tough situation. His homelife is such a challenge. His mother has sunk into depression and his father has run away. He is left to take care of his baby brother. Joey is determined to be positive though and is using all kinds of coping skills. It's a hard book to read, cue sound of cockroaches crunching, but has humor and all kinds of heart.

I will be reviewing Tea Party later in the week. I got an ARC from the publisher. It's a cute picture book and how can I resist something about tea parties? I drink tea multiple times a day.

Winter Bees and Other Poems of the Cold is a fantastic collection of shivery poems about winter animals and plants. I loved the combination of poetry and non-fiction text.

In preparation for the final edition of The Hobbit in theaters this month, I listened to a radio version. We also watched the first two movies this weekend. I am eager for the movie, but not for the tears I will shed.

The Coming Week: 

I've started listening to Anne Lamott's fiction title Blue Shoe, but am between books otherwise. I have a lengthy list planned for my winter break. I've been putting a bunch of books on hold so I will have many choices. A few of them may get read ahead of time because I just can't wait. *eyes The Family Romanov sitting on the floor* I think I will finally get to Dreaming in Indian this week and maybe Escaping the Tiger. 

Have a wonderful week full of reading adventures.