Reading Through Life: 2019

Monday, December 30, 2019

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 go to my Goodreads account, you can see what I have read recently & click on the books to learn more.

On the Blogs:

#MustReadin2019 Final Update

Last week in books:

This was the pile I had at the beginning of winter break. I haven't read all of them in the past week, but I have made added a few and ultimately have made a big dent in the pile. Several of them I shared last Monday and here are the others I finished over this week:

Feel Free was on of my #MustReadin2019 books. It is a great collection of Zadie Smiths' essays

Dear Sweet Pea is a nice middle grade book about a girl who is dealing with the aftermath of a divorce while navigating changing friendships.

Children of Virtue and Vengeance is a sequel to Children of Blood and Bone that I was eagerly awaiting. It wasn't exactly what I was expecting, but it was certainly full of excitement and adventure.

Gender Queer was shelved in the adult graphic novel section at our library, but could very well be in the YA. It is a memoir that shares the author's search for gender identity. I found it to be very helpful. I know someone who had shared many of these same experiences so it was interesting to see that on the page.

White Fragility was as I expected. I've seen videos and have read some of the essays written by the author. It's a good book to really get white people thinking. It provides some vocabulary for things I have experienced. I appreciate this call to action. She points to us to do the work within and we might not be able to talk others into it, but by seeing the change in us, others may follow.

Trust Exercise - this is a very unique novel that one the National Book Award. I wrote a review of it on Goodreads, but summed up, if you like to admire technique and construction of fiction, you may want to read it. Otherwise, it may annoy or even bore you as I've noticed in other reviews. I appreciated some aspects of it and that was mostly in the craft.

One Day We'll All Be Dead and None of This Will Matter - this is a humorous collection of essays that shape a memoir.

The Coming Week:

Up next I have Indian Horse, The Nickel Boys and a few other novels sitting around. I will see how much more I can fit into the last three days of vacation. Happy reading!

Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge 2019 - 915/550

Diversity on the Shelf 2019 - 345/275

#MustReadin2019 - 27/30

Year of the Asian 2019 - 55/30

Sunday, December 29, 2019

#MustReadin2019 Final Update

#MustReadin2019 is a wonderful book community activity hosted by Carrie Gelson at There's a Book for That. I love this group of people who are setting goals and reading through some awesome books.

For 2019, I chose this fun group of books:

I've managed to finish 27 of the 30 books and most have been a treat to read so I'm glad I picked them. I read 20 of them in the spring and summer and here are the titles I read this fall:

Apple in the Middle by Dawn Quigley - an upper middle grade book about a young girl learning more about her family history while visiting with them on the Turtle Mountain Indian Reservation.

Feel Free: Essays by Zadie Smith - an interesting collection of essays by Smith featuring a wide range of topics. I read part of it with my eyes, and part with my ears. The audio is excellent.

If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim - great historical fiction set in South Korea.

Everyday People ed by Jennifer Baker - excellent collection of short stories by a wide variety of authors.

All You Can Ever Know: A Memoir by Niciole Chung - a memoir that really focuses on adoptions and the complications that come with it.

Undocumented: A Worker's Fight by Duncan Tonatiuh - a picture book for older readers about issues surrounding undocumented workers.

Breakout by Kate Messner - a middle grade novel about a community where a jail breakout has occurred. It delves into inequities in the criminal justice system and just in general. There are a lot of opportunities for thought and discussion.

Still to Read
Coyote Tales by Thomas King
Go Home! ed by Rowan Hisayo Buchanan
Make Space by David

These three are books that I wasn't able to obtain. They aren't in our library system and are also not available for interlibrary loan so I'm not sure if I will try harder to get to them. We'll see. I am not sure what my plan is for 2020, but it's fun to start thinking about what I might want to choose. Have a great end of the year.

Other Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge 2019 - 915/550

Diversity on the Shelf 2019 - 345/275

#MustReadin2019 - 27/30

Year of the Asian 2019 - 55/30

Monday, December 23, 2019

It's Monday! What are you reading?

On the Blogs:

My favorites of 2019 at Rich in Color

End of the Year Giveaway at Rich in Color (enter by midnight Dec. 24)

Standouts from the past few weeks in books:

All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung - excellent memoir about Chung's family and transracial adoption and the complicated nature of that part of their lives.

Say Her Name by Zetta Elliott - powerful poetry collection inspired by the #SayHerName campaign. (I'll be reviewing it on Rich in Color in January)

Mindful of Race by Ruth King - King offers excellent suggestions for how to talk about race with one another in ways that can bring about change in ourselves. This was a book I was reading with a Racial Affinity Group (one of her suggestions).

If You Leave Me by Crystal Hana Kim - while I did enjoy this historical fiction book set in Korea, what actually made it most memorable is the recipe I found while reading. The family was making hotteok. The ingredients sounded similar to the walnut cakes I ate in Korea which is a lovely combination of flavors. I sought out and found a wonderful recipe and enjoyed eating these sweet pancakes while I finished reading.

Akissi by Marguerite Abouet - a delightful romp with Akissi in and through her community in Ivory Coast.

The Coming Week:

Right now I'm reading Feel Free by Zadie Smith on audio, White Fragility by Robin DiAngelo and Starting a Movement by Ken Williams. I also have a significant pile of books checked out from the public library to read over school vacation. Most likely I will read the majority of those. Have a great week filled with reading and much joy.

Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge 2019 - 907/550

Diversity on the Shelf 2019 - 341/275

#MustReadin2019 - 25/30

Year of the Asian 2019 - 51/30

Monday, December 2, 2019

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Last week in books:

What I enjoyed in the past few weeks:
Max Loves Muñecas by Zetta Elliott - lovely early chapter book
Everyday People ed by Jennifer Baker - anthology of short stories (not Kidlit)
Ordinary Hazards by Nikki Grimes - YA memoir in verse
My Fate According to the Butterfly by Gail D Villanueva - middle grade contemporary novel
Waking Up White by Debby Irving - adult memoir
My Furry Foster Family by Debbi Michiko Florence
The (Other) F Word: A Celebration of the Fat & Fierce ed by Angie Manfredi

The Coming Week:

These are the books I'm currently reading. I'd like to get to at least one or two of the books on my #MustReadin2019 list too. Happy reading!

Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge 2019 - 868/550

Diversity on the Shelf 2019 - 316/275

#MustReadin2019 - 22/30

Year of the Asian 2019 - 38/30

Monday, November 25, 2019

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Most recent blog posts:

Review: We Hunt the Flame

Adapted for Young People

Last week in books:

I haven't done a post for a few weeks. I have been extremely busy. I was teaching on online class, taking an online class, teaching every day and getting ready for an author visit. Everything has calmed down a bit. I finished my class which was super fun. Here was our reading list and my syllabus for a continuing ed class What's New in Children's Books through UW Madison. It was a really great experience for me and it seemed that many of the resources and titles were new to people so it was helpful to them.

Me with Author Art Coulson

What I enjoyed in the past few weeks:
Middle Grade - All the Ways Home by Elsie Chapman
Young Adult - Frankly in Love by David Yoon, Pet, A River of Royal Blood, and Aya: Life in Yop City (graphic novel)
Picture Books - The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read by Lorraine Hubbard illustrated by Oge Mora, Parker Looks Up: An Extraordinary Moment by Parker Curry & Jessica Curry illustrated by Brittany Jackson

The Coming Week:

I'm still reading several books at a time because a few are for chapter or a section at a time book clubs - Waking Up White, Mindful of Race, & Starting a Movement. I just started The Other F Word today and it's really great. I need to work on some of my #MustReadin2019 books. I have 30 on my list and I still have 9 to go.

I have Everyday People checked out from the library right now so will likely start that soon. I wish you some great reading this week.

Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge 2019 - 856/550

Diversity on the Shelf 2019 - 308/275

#MustReadin2019 - 21/30

Year of the Asian 2019 - 36/30

** Updated to add author photo

Monday, November 4, 2019

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Most recent blog post:

Review: The Downstairs Girl

Last week in books:

I read about 30 books in the past week, but these are the ones that stood out for me. I was excited to finally sit down and read the second book in the Dactyl Hill series. Freedom Fire was just as action packed and enthralling as the first book.

Here and Now is a book that reminds the reader to be present and would be a nice meditation.

More to the Story is not a remake of Little Women, but it is inspired by it and for those who've read Little Women, there are similarities and little moments throughout that call back to the first book. It's a complete and lovely story about an American Muslim family and having that background isn't necessary.

My Shoes and I is the story of a child and parent making the journey from El Salvador to the US.

If possible, I think I enjoyed The Crossover more as a graphic novel.

Some Places More Than Others is about a family making new connections and attempting to repair some. The characters are feel so real and true. A large portion of the story takes place in New York City. This is another time when I was grateful to have finally visited NYC this past summer. So much of our media has it as a setting and the books come to life more now that I've been there.

The Faithful Spy: Dietrich Boenhoffer and the Plot to Kill Hitler made me wonder what I am even doing with my life. Truly. He and so many others lived out their faith. This book had tons of graphics and interesting uses of fonts (that were sometimes hard for my old eyes), but it also just really made clear that this man believed that one must act on faith or it doesn't mean much.

Full Disclosure got me. I was so excited for Camryn Garrett's debut book. Simone is HIV-positive and is navigating her feelings about what that means for her future and honestly, what it means for her love life. I loved Simone and felt that the book could really help readers understand the myths and truths about HIV.

The Coming Week:
I'm not quite sure what I'll pick up this week, but wish you wonderful reading.

Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge 2019 - 832/550

Diversity on the Shelf 2019 - 294/275

#MustReadin2019 - 21/30

Year of the Asian 2019 - 36/30

Monday, October 21, 2019

It's Monday! What are you reading?

Last week on the blogs:

Review: The Dragon Thief by Zetta Elliott

Review: When You Ask Me Where I'm Going by Jasmin Kaur

Last week in books:

My favorites of the week were YA: When You Ask Me Where I'm Going by Jasmin Kaur (see review above) and The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee (I'll review that on Friday at Rich in Color). Stacey Lee has done it again with a great historical novel that had me in thrall. Slay was fun and we'll have a discussion about it soon over at Rich in Color. I enjoy books that involve gaming and tech once in a while. This one was certainly intriguing.

The Coming Week:

I'm about to start the youth edition of Trevor Noah's book. I also started Troublemakers by Shalaby. I'm still reading Mindful of Race and Waking Up White. Have a great week!

Reading Challenge Updates:

Goodreads Challenge 2019 - 769/550

Diversity on the Shelf 2019 - 273/275

#MustReadin2019 - 21/30

Year of the Asian 2019 - 32/30

Sunday, October 20, 2019

Review: The Dragon Thief

Title: The Dragon Thief
Author: Zetta Elliott
Publisher: Random House Books for Young Readers
Pages: 176
Genre: Fantasy
Availability: Oct. 22, 2019
Review copy: Digital ARC via Netgalley

Summary: Stealing a baby dragon was easy! Hiding it is a little more complicated, in this sequel to reviewer favorite Dragons in a Bag.

Jaxon had just one job–to return three baby dragons to the realm of magic. But when he got there, only two dragons were left in the bag. His best friend’s sister, Kavita, is a dragon thief!

Kavita only wanted what was best for the baby dragon. But now every time she feeds it, the dragon grows and grows! How can she possibly keep it secret? Even worse, stealing it has upset the balance between the worlds. The gates to the other realm have shut tight! Jaxon needs all the help he can get to find Kavita, outsmart a trickster named Blue, and return the baby dragon to its true home.

Review: I was so excited to get my hands on this sequel to the wonderful Dragons in a Bag. There simply aren't enough dragon fantasies for the early chapter book readers. And it is truly awesome to see more Black magic and Black history on our shelves.

These children are young and get themselves into all kinds of difficult situations, but they work together to solve their problems. So much of the book is about being in community with one another, building bridges, and redemption too. Humans are complicated and make mistakes, but when we love each other, we stick together.

I appreciate that the children have caring adults in their lives. So many authors try to write the adults out so the children can have agency, but that's not necessary. Children can still have adventures, make their own choices, and solve problems with adults as part of their story. The intergenerational relationships are really a strong point here. Respect is shown to elders and readers can see that everyone wants to feel needed and valued regardless of age. We can all be part of solutions no matter how young or old.

Another interesting part of the book is the historical aspect. Early in the story, Kavita's aunt shares about her ancestry and why her skin is so dark. I had not known of the Siddis in India or that the slave trade had been active in that part of the world. This is a piece of history that many children and likely many adults in the U.S. do not know. It's one more reminder that there is so much that we don't know we don't know.

Recommendation: I will definitely be including this in our elementary school library. Children will love the adventure and magic and may even learn a few things along the way. Don't miss out.