It’s a very snowy day here and I’m sorting boxes and putting my holiday decorations away. We walked in the snow with the dogs, one of my favorite winter activities. Dogs are like small children; the snow brings out their pure JOY!
I’ve had an amazing amount of work to do for school recently and just haven’t had a spare moment to write. I am participating with Adriene Mishler’s January 30-day yoga journey which has gently pushed me back into daily practice, something I’ve missed through November & December. She has a way of pulling you in and making it personal.
Completing my best of list for last year’s reading I was lucky to read or finish quite a few great young adult books.
Deathless Divide by Justina Ireland -The sequel to Dread Nation where Jane McKeene travels to the Wild West and connects with some old friends. This two-part series is so much fun with underlying serious truth telling.
Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi - the second in the Legend of Orisha series that brings the magic back but Zelie and Amari have also unleashed other unknown powers in this fantastical world of legends and fairy tale. The author offers writing classes on her website.
Shadow and Bone- series by Leigh Bardugo - Reading friends that are former students brought this author to my attention and I spent a good portion of quarantine reading through this amazingly fun series. I am slowly watching the Netflix series but it is always difficult to pair up what was in my head with what is now on screen. (2) Siege and Storm (3) Ruin and Rising And this year I'm launching into the King of Scars series. Wow, she is a prolific and creative writer!
Six of Crows series - This is a different cast of characters with a little intermingling. This is probably my favorite book out of the whole series just because I find Kaz Brekker such an original character. (2) Crooked Kingdom
Nonfiction:
Neither Wolf nor Dog by Kent Nerburn - My friend Sue loaned me this one, asking me to be careful because it is a signed copy! I was careful as I turned the pages, never read it in the bathtub, and got it back to her in one piece. I felt such a connection to his writing and how he shared his time with Dan. This won the MN Book Award for 1996.
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson-I liked her writing style which made this book read faster than expected for a long nonfiction book. Her shared stories made it personal and within reach. Yes, I did the book club rounds on this one during the pandemic.
Elementary Fiction:
Becoming Muhammad Ali by Kwame Alexander and James Patterson - told through alternating chapters of prose and poetry we learn about the early life of Cassius Clay and how he began his boxing career.
The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm - Bell lives on a Mars space station, that's all his ever known and he enjoys all of it until some odd things begin to happen and the adults get sick.
A Whale of the Wild by Rosanne Parry- This was a surprise win for me, told through a young Orca whale in a very emotional way of their family pod traveling together and how our world affects their underwater lives.
Before the Ever After by Jacqueline Woodson - ZJ's relationship with his star football father has always been good but suddenly his dad is different and no one knows why yet...
Fighting Words by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley -realistic fiction about two young sisters fending for themselves after their mother's arrest. They find themselves adopted by a woman who lives by her own set of rules. Tough love mixed with tears.
When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller - magical realism mixed with Korean Grandmother lore mixed in with a really good family story.
Ground Zero by Alan Gratz - 9-11 story, well told from two different perspectives. The end will amaze you
Our Friend Hedghog by Lauren Castillo - a new Winnie-the-Pooh style story, perfect to read with little ones.
Honorable Mentions:
Sweetest sexy book: Dear Pink by Michelle Angelle
Sad (yet profound) story: Okay, Mr. Field by Katherine Kilalea
Scariest story: Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
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