12.31.17

Jesus and I don't really have NYE traditions yet - we've done different things each year of our relationship. I guess that's our tradition: switching it up. This year we're celebrating with my parents, which means plenty of snacks, board games, fireworks on TV, and potentially falling asleep before midnight. :)



Extra: last year, the year before, and the year before that

2017 By the Books

I read 196 books in 2017...thanks to library school and my job at a children's literature center (helloooo, picture books!). A Land of Permanent Goodbyes will be #197 if I finish it this weekend, but all stats are pre-completion. Here's a breakdown of what I read (using my Goodreads account as my source):

Total Number of Books Read: 196
Total Pages Read: 35,603
Shortest Book: Ghost Poems by Daisy Wallace (30 pages)
Longest Book: The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood (637 pages)
Average Rating: 3.8 stars
Most Popular (according to Goodreads): The Help by Kathryn Stockett (read by over 2 million)
Least Popular (according to Goodreads): The Long Island by Drew Beckmeyer (it doesn't actually come out until 2018...)
Highest Rated (by Goodreads): Refugee by Alan Gratz (4.66 stars)
Highest Rated (by me): There were a lot of 5-star books this year, I'm happy to say!
Re-reads: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (very excited for the film adaptation), Hatchet by Gary Paulsen (doesn't quite hold up), Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (definitely holds up), The Cat in the Hat by Dr. Seuss (it's complicated)
Series I Finally Finished: The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
Women Authors: 55% (108/196)
Authors of Color/Minority Authors: 40% (78/196)
Translations/Bilingual: After a very brief scroll through my list, I think about 12 of the books were either translated into English, included bilingual text, or were foreign language titles altogether. Several others were written by non-American writers in English.
Most Popular Author (according to my list): Margarita Engle (Forest World, Drum Dream Girl, Bravo!, and Miguel's Brave Knight). Jason Reynolds and Carole Boston Weatherford tied for second with three books each.
Audiobooks: 11, and I can pretty safely say that I am not a good listener...I much prefer reading text. If I have to listen, please let it be a comedy book (Yes Please was delightful) or a book featuring music (Solo and Echo had several musical moments).
Fantasy: 18
Horror: 3
Comedy: 9
Mystery: 10
Non-fiction: 53
Non-fiction for adults: 27
Biggest Surprise: All These Wonders (a collection of stories told on various Moth stages) gave me life. Miles Morales is hilarious and important. Out of Wonder is unbelievably beautiful. Greenglass House (and the follow-up, Ghosts of Greenglass House) is so. much. fun.
Biggest Letdown: On the whole, I was disappointed by self-help books this year (lesson learned, I guess?), but the biggest letdown was The Arrow Finds Its Mark (a collection of "found" poetry). It had extreme potential to be innovative and original, sure to be beloved by this found poet, but it lacked creativity and design.
Still Thinking About: the beauty of some of the picture books and graphic novels I read this year. It was an amazing year for illustrators! Also, lots of WOW moments in YA fiction, novelizations of comic books, and historical fiction with plenty of heart.
Something I Learned (about reading): Something I've known, but that was reaffirmed for me this year is that representation matters. I read a lot of "window" books this year (as opposed to "mirrors"), and I loved it. I can only imagine how affirming it is for non white/straight/English-speaking/etc kids and adults to see their lives in the books they read, and I'm excited to continue exploring a wide range of narratives from a wide range of authors.
Goal For 2018: Keep on keeping on.

Extra: 2016 By the Books

Take Me Away: Seven Mystery & Adventure Titles to Capture Your Attention

The Case of the Time-Capsule Bandit by Octavia Spencer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Randi Rhodes is exactly the girl detective I wanted to be growing up - I tore through Nancy Drew, Harriet the Spy, and other similar books in elementary school. Randi is tough and headstrong, but she has heart too. The tension of moving away from Brooklyn is compounded by the mystery of the time capsule, and there’s no break from the action as Randi meets D.C. and they team up to solve the mystery. Of course, as an adult, I wondered about the believability of some of their adventures, but nothing strayed too far from reality, and most kids will be too focused on trying to solve the mystery along with the protagonists to care about small details. I finished this book in an afternoon at the airport and felt fully immersed in the story!

Maximilian & the Mystery of the Guardian Angel: A Bilingual Lucha Libre Thriller by Xavier Garza

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a fun read! I loved that it was bilingual, and that the translations matched up so well. The direct, simple language made it easy for even this beginning Spanish reader to compare the pages. The actual story was also fun, and I enjoyed solving the mystery along with Max, cheering for heroes and booing the villains all along. Max develops slightly as a character, becoming more confident in himself and the action was paced nicely. I’ll definitely be recommending this book!

Escape from Mr. Lemoncello's Library by Chris Grabenstein

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book gave me major Willy Wonka vibes, as Grabenstein intended, which had me guessing the whole way through - How will kids start being eliminated? What’s Lemoncello’s actual intent? Where are the Oompa Loompas? A fun ode to libraries with plenty of solvable puzzles, this bookworm was happy to read Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library all afternoon. I was invested and curious the whole way through!

Hatchet by Gary Paulsen

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I enjoyed reading Hatchet in elementary school. Growing up in north/central Wisconsin, winter survival was a popular topic and kids would build elaborate forts during recess as if we’d be out there longer than 20 minutes. We read Hatchet in class, and I remember both boys and girls getting into the story. When I tried to read more Gary Paulsen on my own though, I wasn’t as interested, and I definitely wasn’t as into the action this read through. Yes, Brian goes through a “coming of age” in the wilderness, learning about himself and the world around him, but I wasn’t as into the action as I remember being as a 10 year old. I think the plot was interesting, especially considering the age of this book, and most kids reading are able to guess at what Brian needs to do next, or at least think about what they would do in his situation.

Heart of a Samurai by Margi Preus

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was an interesting book to read one week after a trip to Japan. Preus did her research, though some details of the book felt forced (ie, “I did my research on this can’t you tell?!”). Manjiro’s adventure moves right along, and he grows and changes as he experiences new things. I felt invested in his story, wanting to know if he made it back home, and what happened if/when he did. There were a few problematic bits, details that were glossed over (though explained more in the epilogue/glossary), but nothing that a child reader would care much about, or need to appreciate the story. Preus is clear about the things she created for the story, and the inclusion of Majiro’s drawings adds context.

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I listened to the audiobook version of this book, which I hesitate to recommend - the added music was a nice touch, but the actual narration left something to be desired. Also, I personally am not a great audiobook listener so I know I missed some things. I want to reread this in print to get the “full” story because I’m pretty sure I liked it. I know I liked each individual story, learning about the characters and their motivations. I didn’t read anything about the book before listening, so it took me a bit to realize Echo is 4 different/connected stories. The connections at the end were sweet, if convenient.

Thriller by Jon Scieszka

My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Besides the unnecessary gendering of this collection, I found the stories inside to be fun and interesting. As in any book of short stories, some resonated more than others, but altogether I found they worked well at keeping my attention with good pacing and just enough tension throughout. I felt involved in reading most of the stories, especially “Believing in Brooklyn” and “Nate Macavoy, Monster Hunter” (which felt like a Junior X-Files). Snakes aren’t my jam, so I checked out while reading “The Snake Mafia” and “Boys Will Be Boys” felt too simplistic (and that title, ugh).

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Winter Solstice Check-In

Winter Break is so close!

• Finals: finished (one paper, two projects - one being a new page on this blog)
• Presents: four left to wrap
• Thank You Notes: we're down to co-workers & friends!
• Travel Journal: one day left to recap

Of course, I've already sort of started the relaxing & celebrating...

• Reading: ARCs that I've been saving up all semester
• Dipping: into my winter wine stash
• Watching: all the Harry Potter movies
• Vacuuming: hey, it calms me, okay?

Extras: last year's Winter Solstice thoughts (feeling similarly this year - cautiously grateful)

Using Children's Fantasy to Talk About Family, Memory, and the Power of Knowledge: Two Reviews

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

There is a lot going on in The Girl Who Drank the Moon, but it is beautifully written. While I had to reread a few passages to make sure I understood what was happening, I was engrossed in this story, its characters, and in learning the mystery of magic and the power of stories. The setting is familiar, though unique in its particularities. The themes of family and the power of memory and knowledge in this story repeat themselves, like refrains, and and are woven into each character’s actions, so that each page enforces the universal truths explored in the book as a whole.


Jinx by Sage Blackwood
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Sage Blackwood creates a magical world with dynamic characters in Jinx. While an intriguing conflict and plenty of mystery kept me reading, the fantasy itself was also compelling. Jinx is set in a fictional time and place, but aspects of the world are recognizable. The magic used along with other imaginative characteristics follow the “rules” of the world, lending credibility to the fantasy. Similarly to The Girl Who Drank the Moon, family, memory, and the power of knowledge are key themes, and the reader learns from both the mistakes and the victories of the characters. The setting of Jinx is similar to ones I’ve read elsewhere, but shows originality in its treatment of nature and the concept of a “Listener” along with not revealing all the details of the world (you have to keep reading the series to find out more!). I enjoyed trying to figure out each character’s motivations, and wondering who could be trusted as I read.


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Finding Their Way Home: A Review of Refugee by Alan Gratz

Refugee by Alan Gratz
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Told in three separate yet connected stories, Refugee is a historical novel of perseverance and commitment to one’s identity in the face of persecution. It will resonate with middle grade readers of today.

Josef flees from 1930s Nazi Germany and the threat of concentration camps with his parents and sister. He struggles with the responsibility of taking care of his family when he still feels like a child.

Isabel, her parents, and her neighbors use a makeshift raft to escape Cuba in 1994, during the unrest of Castro’s regime. Though never one to retreat from a challenge, Isabel worries for her pregnant mother during the dangerous journey.

Mahmoud, along with his parents and younger siblings, leave the violence of war in Syria in 2015, traveling through Europe as they search for a safer place to live. Unsure of the future of his country, Mahmoud wonders if his family will feel at home if they make it to Austria.

Though the details of their stories are unique, Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud share more similarities than just their situations. Gratz gives attention to creating characters with heart and conviction, while the conflicts they face ensure none of their stories muddle in the emotions of the book as a whole. Refugee tells an important story without preaching or sensationalizing the experiences of refugees past and present. Maps and an author’s note highlight the reality of Josef, Isabel, and Mahmoud’s stories and show the readers how they can help with relief efforts.


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