*Read for Librarian Book Group. Favorites are bolded.
Picture Books
*A Walk in the Woods by Nikki Grimes, Jerry Pinkney, Brian Pinkney
*Autumn Peltier, Water Warrior by Carole Lindstrom and Bridget George
*The Truth About Dragons by Julie Leung and Hanna Cha
*The Artivist by Nikkolas Smith
*Afikomen by Tziporah Cohen and Yaara Eshet
Chapter Books
*The Puppets of Spelhorst by Kate DiCamillo and Julie Morstad
Young Adult Fiction
Fairest by Gail Carson Levine
One of my reading quirks is that I find song lyrics rendered in novels incredibly cringey. I usually skip them, though I couldn’t do that for this story because there is a lot of singing that advances the plot.
Unnecessary Drama by Nina Kenwood
Sometimes an overly anxious main character makes for an overly anxious reading experience. Kenwood is great at constructing awkward and funny scenes that kept me chortling.
Children of Ragnarok by Cinda Williams Chima
This book has been the best part of my January. I could have used an ending that was an ending (even if another book is coming) but otherwise this was an adventure of the best sort. The world building was just right, and I loved Reigann’s practicality throughout.
This Town is On Fire by Pamela Harris
Harris captured that point in friendship where the friendship has died, but the residual feelings are still swirling around.
And now, because I’m me, the following things didn’t work for me. I didn’t understand the band/dance team setup. Is the band not a marching band? Wouldn’t they do a halftime marching band show at the football game? Also, it seems weird to start the halftime dance routine in the stands because the home team audience can’t see what’s going on in the stands next to them very well. Then the dancers and the band transition to the field to finish the routine. But again, this isn’t marching band?
Also, perhaps in rural Virginia bowling is still popular, but anywhere else, the bowling alley owners seem to do their best to stay in business, rather than roll in the dough.
This Winter by Alice Oseman
I’ll Tell You No Lies by Amanda McCrena
*Where You See Yourself by Claire Forrest
Grownup Fiction
One Day I Shall Astonish the World by Nina Stibbe
A furious torrent of words. I understood why her stepdaughter covered her ears upon first meeting. Like enjoying tea with a very chatty and long winded companion.
Prophet by Sin Blaché and Helen Macdonald
Size 12 is Not Fat by Meg Cabot
Duplicate Keys by Jane Smiley
It’s a book about the girlfriend and friend of a band that had a record deal once upon a time, and it is entirely uninterested in the music of the band or anything to do with the recording industry. The kind of detailed writing about the minutia of life that I love. Plus a double homicide.
A great Little Free Library find!
Young Nonfiction
*How Old is a Whale?: Animal Life Spans from the Mayfly to the Immortal Jellyfish by Lily Murray and Jesse Hodgson
*Good Books for Bad Children: The Genius of Ursula Nordstrom by Beth Kephart and Chloe Bristol
*Hidden Hope: How a Toy and a Hero Saved Lives During the Holocaust by Elisa Boxer and Amy June Bates
Grownup Nonfiction
Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
January 22, 2024:
“Typical First Year Professor” is still a great essay. Gay spent a lot of time laminating the state of women’s access to birth control and abortion. Things are much worse now.
The Imagineering Field Guide to Disneyland by Alex Wright and the Imagineers