Sunday, March 27, 2016

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.

I didn't participate last Monday because I was out on the road visiting this lovely lady.

Me and My Gram - Photo credit Bobie Williams
So here are the highlights from the last two weeks rather than a listing of everything I read.

Last 2 Weeks on the Blogs: 

**I didn't write the post, but don't miss this  
in honor of our three year anniversary.


The Past 2 Weeks in Books:
 
 

What I notice here is a lot of nonfiction. The Langston Hughes memoir, I Wonder as I Wander, was interesting though not what I expected. It's a travel memoir and I always like those, but somehow I thought there would be poetry. I enjoyed it anyway and the reader (it was audio) was wonderful.  

Solving the Puzzle Under the Sea reminded me about how much I used to love filling in blank maps. It's a picture book biography about scientist Marie Tharp and how she made maps of the ocean floor.

I read two cute weather books, When Spring Comes and Ling & Ting: Together in All Weather. It was funny to read When Spring Comes this week and see this page when we had about 6 inches of snow on the ground.


Reading Ling & Ting was also coincidental since I saw a TedTalk by Grace Lin. Her topic was "The Windows and Mirrors of Your Child's Bookshelf." It's excellent. If you haven't watched it yet, take the 12 minutes to listen if you can.


Whose Hands are These is a wonderful inclusive look at careers. Pink is a Blobfish was hilarious and just gross enough to be fabulous. Hillary Rodham Clinton: Some Girls are Born to Lead is a picture book biography. There are quite a few on the market at this point, but this one seems to me the best for young readers. The illustrations are engaging and so is the text.

Sex is a Funny Word was a Stonewall Book Award honor book for 2015. The book seems to be aimed at upper elementary students. From my goodreads review, "This book explains a lot of things, but what I appreciated the most was all of the questions at the end of the sections. Families reading it together would have lots of opportunities to discuss things that many kids are wondering and might be afraid to ask. Children reading it on their own would also understand that if they are wondering these things, they are obviously not alone and might actually venture to talk to someone they trust."

I had fun reading Lola Levine Drama Queen. Lola Levine is a great early chapter book series. Don't Throw it to Mo! is another book including some humor. I liked this early reader and loved that we get to see a youngster playing football. There aren't a ton of books for my young football fans that they can read independently.

Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing is one I'm reading to prepare for the author panels I'll be moderating at the WEMTA conference next month. I didn't know much about Joplin, but found this to be a well done biography. I loved the many images and the design of the book was eye-catching.

The Coming Week:
Currently reading
I'm still working on these history books. These are not light books, but are definitely very interesting. I am listening to the Let's Get Busy Podcast featuring Philip Stead. They're discussing Ideas Are All Around. I have it at school and now I am eager to read it. I may even stop by tomorrow on my day off to pick it up. Beyond that, I am not sure which books I will pick up. I am eager to read something YA that's light and fluffy. If you have an idea, let me know. Thanks!

8 comments:

  1. I love the weather book pairing! And that is my favorite picture from When Spring Comes - so true for the midwest! I took a picture of the snow invading my tulips this past week!
    I really need to watch the TED video. Thanks for posting it.

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  2. Interesting about the Langston Hughes memoir & no poetry, but will look for it to learn more about him. I have the 2 weather books on my list, will try to watch the Grace Lin talk later. So many good books shared, Crystal. Thank you. And I love seeing your picture with your Gram!

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  3. There are a lot of good looking books here. I'm really intrigued by Janis Joplin: Rise Up Singing. I used to put her on the stereo when I was cleaning the house.

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  4. I REALLY enjoyed this Grace Lin talk - I watched it a few days ago and have been sharing it widely. So lovely to see this picture of you and your Gran! I am now on the lookout for Solving the Puzzle under the Sea.

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  5. I super love the look of that Janis Joplin book - I will have to find that one. Lots of great reads here. I have a copy of Ibn Sina - we invited the author Fatima Sharafeddine here in Singapore for the Asian Festival of Children's Content as one of our keynote speakers - very illuminating talk. Thank you for that Grace Lin link - I will be sharing that with my class tomorrow evening - perfect end to our semester. And yes, lovely photo of you with your grandmother!

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  6. So many fantastic books, wonderful to see them all shared year. I really appreciated Sex is a Funny Word, such a great, inclusive, positive book for children and their caregivers.

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  7. Thanks for sharing the Grace Lin Ted talk. I'd found it via Twitter and think she did such a great job of sharing a powerful message!

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  8. I loved the Grace Lin talk--thank you for sharing!
    I just got Burn Baby Burn--I cannot wait to read it!

    Happy reading this week :)

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