Category: 4 Star Books

August Faves, Stats, and Thoughts

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I only read 20 books this month, and a weird range of reads too.

I read 9 picture books, 7 fiction, 2 non-fiction. My favorite being

Wombats are Pretty Weird: A (Not So) Serious Guide by Abi Cushman. There are characters (Gage loved the snake) that will appeal to the littles in your life and just enough information to make those littles smarter! The back pages had photos and facts about the different types of wombats and the page on their cube shaped poop is fun for all.

I managed 5 romances, 2 modern, 2 historical, and 1 teen. My favorite being

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood. Ladies in STEM unite! So much fun! If you have a thing for smart men, are inspired by intelligent women, and love some spice then this is the romance for you! It wasn’t without issues, but reading it felt like I was sitting down to eat a big bowl of M&Ms for dinner. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

I also read 6 non-fiction, 2 photography books, 1 health, 1 inspirational journal, 1 graphic biography, and 1 cartoon collection. Two favorites from this group were

Humans of New York by Brandon Stanton. I’m sure most of you have seen Humans of New York online. Brandon Stanton started taking photos of people in various cities along with a caption or story and his blog gained traction. By the time his camera found the humanity and exuberant essence of NYC, people were paying attention. And still are. This book was originally published in 2013. I loved every bit of it. The people, the quick story, the quote, the photos.

A Wealth of Pigeons: A Cartoon Collection by Harry Bliss and Steve Martin. What a fun book this is! If you love Steve Martin’s humor and New Yorker covers you are going to get many chuckles at the mostly single panel funnies in this collection.

Interspersed amongst the rest is the story of Steve Martin and Harry Bliss, told in comic style, and how they came to put together this book. My favorite is when they were checking each other for ticks. It’s a great 20-30 minute read, sure to make you chuckle.

Now for the rest…

4 stars

Queenie: Godmother of Harlem by Elizabeth Colomba and Aurelie Levy.

I’d never heard of Stephanie St. Claire, a Black woman from the Caribbean who ran the Harlem numbers in the 1920s and 30s. This was not a woman’s game and she did it at the same time and in the same city Lucky Luciano was running the mob.

There are flashbacks to her Martinique childhood where you can see what made her the powerhouse she became. This shows the racism of the day and also the way that powerful men thought they could control her through violence and sex.

I loved the two pages about the Harlem Renaissance and the two pages on the famous players in the story. And can we talk about the arresting cover? Gorgeous. A 155 page graphic biography.

Things You Save in a Fire by Katherine Center.

Firefighter Cassie had closed herself off emotionally until one weak moment changed her life. From Austin to Boston, hero to ‘the girl’, and never been kissed to cherished forever, Cassie’s story hit all the sweet spots. A fun and thoughtful read. I loved Cassie’s confidence in herself and getting a feel for life at the fire station.

The Lady Risks All by Stephanie Laurens. Stephanie Laurens was a new author for me and I really liked the unconventional characters, unique circumstances,and very real dangerous mystery of this one. At over 450+ pages i really got to know the characters and why in the 1820s a Duke could not just become owner of gambling houses without sacrifices being made.

My Indigo World: A True Story of the Color Blue by Rosa Chang. For the older elementary or even early middle schooler. Chang shares her memory of all things blue and there is so much great information. It’s all over the place, jumping from her first trip to the blue ocean to growing indigo to Korean history, but in the best possible way.

Goldie Takes a Stand!: Golda Meir’s First Crusade by Barbara Krasher and Kelsey Garrity-Riley. The story of when the future Prime Minister of Israel was 9 and started a society to raise money for school books for impoverished kids. Perfect for littles.

How Do You Spell Unfair?: MacNolia Cox and the National Spelling Bee by Carole Boston Weatherford and Frank Morrison. The illustrations are phenomenal! Gorgeous. The story of a black girl from Ohio who went to the National Spelling Bee, was segregated onstage and not given a fair shake.

This is Your Do-Over: th 7 Secrets to Losing Weight, Living Longer, and Getting a Second Chance at the Life You Want by Michael Roizen MD. It’s never too late to take care of your health. The 7 steps Roizen covers are a mix of stuff I already knew and new information. I liked the emphasis that he put on mental health.

3.5 stars

Ketanji Brown Jackson: A Justice For All by Tami Charles and Jemma Skidmore. This picture book intertwines Jackson’s life with the civil rights issues of the day. It’s busy and could be a little much for littles, but it would be easier for older elementary age kids.

Immortality: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz.

A few months ago I read Anatomy: A Love Story and liked the young adult book. This is the sequel. In the first book Hazel found a way to make me her surgeon dreams come true in 1800s Edinburgh, but saw her love hanged by a mob.

In Immortality, after being imprisoned for helping a woman who had aborted her pregnancy, she is ordered to London to treat Princess Charlotte, the heir to the throne. She’s invited to the elusive Companions to the Death club, where she learns more about the tincture offering everlasting life. This tincture, which she had given to her love Jack, proves to be the real deal.

So, I liked it well enough for the crazy that it was. It’s brings the story that began in Anatomy to a nice end. Although, I’m speaking as an older woman here, I question her big life decision. And some endings are mind boggling, like that of Marie-Anne.

Present Not Perfect: A Journal for Slowing Down, Letting Go and Loving Who You Are by Aimee Chase. This was a cheerful guided journal with fun art. Some of the inspirational art I’ve even cut out and have placed around the house.

Patchwork by Matt de la Pena and Corinna Luyken. When you were a kid what did you think your life woud look like when you gre up? Sometimes you can see the seeds of who you will be, but sometimes your life will take a different direction.

3 stars

On a Beam of Light: A Story of Albert Einstein by Jenniefer Berne. I’ve read many Einstein books with Gage over the years and this was underwhelming. Neither of us cared for the illustrastions, which is a problem for a picture book.

Reiki: Pure and Simple by Jeanne M. Sands. I was curious enough to bring this childrens picture book home and learned a few things I didm’t already know.

Wilde Child by Eloisa James. I’ve read and enjoyed Eloisa James and her historical romances before, but this ended up being just okay for me. It’s the 8th in a series that I haven’t read and, to be blunt, I just got tired of hearing about Thaddeus’s cock (a word frequently used). A lady who wanted to be an actress, a big no no back then, and a future Duke who loved her adventurous spirit was a good story. Even the shared parental difficulties were engaging. Once the spicy scenes started they didn’t stop. So, if lots of spicy is your scene then this might be for you.

Faces of Cleveland by Laura Wimbels. This book, unlike HONY, is a collection of portraits of Clevelanders with just their name and occupation. At the beginning she has several locals tell how they know the author and what it is that makes Cleveland special.  This is not a comprehensive collection in any way, but it’s always nice to celebrate the good things and people of this fine city. Although I’m a suburbanite, I can be downtown in 20 minutes and love this place I’ve called home for 23 years.

I’d Like to Be the Window for a Wise Old Dog by Philip Stead. The pretty cover was my favorite thing.

What was your favorite August read?

The Yards Between Us by RK Russell

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The Yards Between Us by RK Russell. 4/5 stars. Autobiography. 304 pages. 2023

Do you like football? Do you like poetic memoirs about learning to live your truth? Are you wanting to add to your Pride month reading list? I’ve got just the book for you!

RK Russell grew up in Texas with a single mom and very little money. He was big for his age, but even so didn’t start playing football until high school. He had a steady girlfriend. He went on to play football at Purdue University where he also had a girlfriend but also started questioning his attraction to men.

He went on to play in the NFL and the book has a few games rehashed in great detail for you football lovers. BUT this is more than football. This is about a young man coming to terms and then embracing who he is. I loved his stories of growing up as much as I loved the happy ending he made for himself.

He has a book of poetry published and I’m not surprised. He knows how to turn a phrase.

I received this from TLC Book Tours and was supposed to post my review May 22 😳. I totally forgot about it and once I picked it up it only took two days to read, so the tardiness is mine and no fault of the book.

Homeschool Happenings – New Zealand

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Last week was New Zealand week and we read some fantastic picture books. So many I just had to share. I love to use picture books as a teaching tool, even as I teach my middle schooler. They garner interest for further learning and can be used as a part of the lesson themselves.

Circle by Jeannie Baker. 48 pages.

I am in love with the illustrations in this nonfiction book about the godwits migration from New Zealand (and Australia) to the Arctic and then back again. Great for learning about migration in general.

Inky’s Amazing Escape: How a Very Smart Octopus Found His Way Home by Sy Montgomery and Amy Shimler-Safford. 32 pages

Such a fun and colorful story about a real octopus who was rescued and then freed himself. The story was fantastic as were the end notes. Your kid will learn so much about octopus and will most likely want to know more. This was my favorite book of the week.

Elizabeth, the Queen of the Seas by Lynne Cox and Brian Floca. 48 pages.

Elizabeth was an elephant seal who made her home in the Avon River in Christchurch. She became a problem when she started sleeping in the middle of the road in the afternoon. Three times they captured her and took her far away to live, but each time she came back. The solution they found will make you smile. I loved the picture of the real Elizabeth in the middle of the road at the end of the book.

**For school, Gage had to write a paragraph comparing the two animals and their journeys.

First to the Top: Sir Edmund Hillary’s Amazing Everest Adventure by David Hill and Phoebe Morris. 32 pages.

Why is a book about Mount Everest on this list? Because that’s where Hillary was from! This was full of information, even with a timeline of his life at the end. Don’t let the page count fool you. Excellent resource.

Two at the Top: A Shared Dream of Everest by Uma Krishnaswami and Christopher Corr. 32 pages.

I didn’t love the illustrations, but did love the concept. Sir Edmund Hillary didn’t get to the top of Everest alone and yet he always gets the credit. This book tells the story of Hillary but also the story of his sherpa Tenzig Norgay on each opposing page. By telling their stories side by side, it is giving Norgay the due he deserves.

**For school, Gage made a Venn diagram comparing the information featured in each book.

Anywhere Artist by Nikki Slade Robinson. 40 pages.

This is not a book about New Zealand, but one created by New Zealander. This is most definitely geared toward a younger audience and it was Gage’s favorite. It’s all about making art wherever you are using what nature has provided. The only fictional book (except for Ranger which is only half fiction)

**For school, Gage and I set the timer for 20 minutes and each created art from whatever we found in our yard. His was super cool with big branches sticking out of theground to look like trees and stones making a circle around it. I’m not embarrassed to say it was way better than mine!

Race to the South Pole (Ranger in Tme Series) by Kate Messner. 160 pages.

This was our longer read and I love this series! The journey starts in New Zealand aboard the Terra Nova and, while obviously fiction since it’s based on a time travelling dog, only Ranger and the boy he was there to save were fictional characters. All the other characters were based on real life people and a real life race to the Pole. The end notes were the best part even though they were sad.

**We read this aloud as a family, each taking a chapter each night.

The Series of Unfortunate Events series by Lemony Snicket

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We did it!!! We finally finished the whole series of very, very unfortunate events. We read the first last July and finished the last one in April. The series is perfect for road trips with upper elementary and middle school kids. The audio production is fantastic and how we experienced the series after reading the first book out loud together. The series can get repetitive, especially the first few, but kids will love it.

Three orphans get passed from one cluless adult after another, all the while trying to escape the evil clutches of Count Olaf who is after them for their huge fortune.

I couldn’t tell you who my favorite character was at the beginning (besides poor Uncle Monty), but by the end it was the youngest, Sunny, who could do it all, even as she was just learning to walk and talk.

We’ve started watching the Netflix series, but I confess I’m not a fan so far. We’re only 4 episodes in and they’ve changed some very important things. It’s disappointing.

1 The Very Bad Beginning (Count Olaf shows his intentions)

2 The Reptile Room (Uncle Monty was my favorite of the series!)

3 The Wide Window (Poor Aunt Josephine)

4 The Miserable Mill (the reason unions were formed)

5 The Austere Academy (Sunny makes paper clips fom scratch)

6 The Ersatz Elevator (I had such high hopes for Jerome)

7 The Vile Village (It takes a village to abuse 3 orphans)

8 The Hostile Hospital (the kids realize no adult can help 😦 )

9 The Carnivorous Carnival (Still trying to wrap my head around Violet and Klaus passing as a two headed person and Sunny as a wolfbaby)

10 The Slippery Slope (Violet finds time to fall in love)

11 The Grim Grotto (Horseradish to the recue!)

12 The Penultimate Peril (Are the Baudelaire children blameless? Are any of us?)

13 The End (Needed way more information, but Lemony told the reader repeatedly to stop reading so we have only ourselves to blame.)

Have you read the series? What did you think? I loved that Gage loved every one and was always excited for the next one. That’s NEVER been the case before so for that reason alone this series will always have a place in my heart. And I repeatedly thank my friend who gifted Gage the whole series at once, giving him something to strive to finish.

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray, 4/5 stars, 341 pages, 2021

In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture on the New York society scene and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps build a world-class collection.

But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. Belle’s complexion isn’t dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white—her complexion is dark because she is African American.

The Personal Librarian tells the story of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths to which she must go—for the protection of her family and her legacy—to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives.

I’ve always loved libraries. Since I was young and my mom used to drop me off for a few hours to now as I volunteer with the Friends of the Library, libraries have always been a comforting space. This book of historical fiction is based on Belle da Costa Greene, the woman who became JP Morgan’s personal librarian who curated his collection and looked after it after his death.

Did I mention she was Black but passed for White in high society and to Morgan himself? What an amazing story to tell!

I love Marie Benedict’s stories about overlooked women in history and I especially love that for this one she had a co-writer, Victoria Christopher Murray. In the letters at the end of the book Benedict explains why she wanted a woman of color to help her get this story just right. And I love the friendship that was formed in the writing of this book.

If you like historical fiction and intriguing women don’t miss this one.

Homeschooling Happenings – Mexico

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Today we finish up our time in Mexico. Last week we studied the country as a whole and this week we concentrated on what’s going on at the US-Mexico border and its history. These are a few of the books we liked this week.

The Other Side: Stories of Central American Teen Refugees Who Dream of Crossing the Border by Juan Pablo Villalobos. 160 pages, 2018, 4.5 stars. This is labeled as a teen book, but most could be shared with younger kids. So important for kids(and adults) to understand the why of the kids that are coming.

Hear My Voice: The Testimonies of Children Detained at the Southern Border of the United States compiled by Warren Binford. 96 pages, 2021, 4 stars. So many things I loved about this picture book. I loved that each page was illustrated by a different artist with Mexican ties. I loved that it was told in both English and Spanish. I loved the additional information at the end, along with questions and ways to help.

Between Us and Abuela: A Family Story from the Border by Mitali Perkins and Sara Palacios. 40 pages, 2019, 3 stars. A more upbeat story for younger kids about a one day event between San Diego and Tijuana where families on different sides of the border can come together. Fictional story about a real event.

Travesia: A Migrant Girl’s Cross-Border Journey by Michelle Gerster and Fiona Dunnett. 72 pages, 2021, 3 stars. It’s listed for teens, but I think mature 10-11 year olds could also read it. This was about actually coming across the border, with the afterward telling how it changed their family.

We watched videos, read different viewpoints, and had a writing assignment for the week. I wish we’d had time to delve into it further.

A few excellent reads

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City of Thieves by David Benioff, historical fiction, 4.5/5 stars, 258 pages, pub. 2008

This novel takes place during the Siege of Leningrad during WWII. I probably wouldn’t have picked this up on my own, but I bought it as a blind date book at a fundraiser. I’m so glad I did!

This coming of age story about the friendship between Russians, one a young looter and the other a seasoned soldier, is riveting. Lev and Kolya are sent out in search of a dozen eggs for the wedding of and official’s daughter. I’m not a huge fan of WWII fiction, but the siege of Leningrad books always fascinate me. The inhumanity up against real people and their will to live is always a story worth reading.

It’s at times harsh, crude, and absurd. I wouldn’t have missed a minute of it!

I listened to the audio and picked up the book to read the parts I wanted to think about a little more. The cannibal scene alone will have your heart racing.

The Last Place You Look by Kristen Lepionka, 4.25/5 stars, thriller, 323 pages, pub. 2017

The Last Place You Look is set in the Columbus area, so that was a big draw.

Roxane is a private investigator dealing with grief and a drinking problem. This is not unique in this genre, but the addition of her relationships with both men and women added a new layer to her personal story.

She was hired to get her client’s brother out of jail and she’s pressed for time because he’s set to be executed in two months. When she starts nosing around the problems with the local police begin.

This was a fast paced mystery with a flawed lead character and dysfunctional family and I liked it I see that this is the first of four books (so far) about Roxane so there’s hope for her yet.

Dark and Shallow Lies by Ginny Myers Sain, 4/5 stars. YA, 432 pages, pub. 2021

This was a fun, swampy, mystical thriller. Eleven teens bound together in the Louisiana bayou town known for its seers and those with special powers. When one of them disappears the one who got away, Grey,, comes home to find her.

The audio performance was great and I really liked it. It’s not a planned series, but I can see another book being written about these kids.

A couple of books worth mentioning

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I’ve been so out of sync this summer that I’ve neglected talking about books that should have been mentioned. I’m hoping to get back on track in the next few weeks, but Jason just threw a mini-vacation to NYC for the two of us into the mix, so don’t hold me to that 🙂

The Airship Pirate by Minerva Pendleton, 85 pages, 2022

How fun is it when you know the author of a book before said author writes the book? I’m lucky enough to know Minerva Pendleton, aka someone I know whose name is not really Minerva, and they are fabulous people.

Verity Wheelwright lives a life of luxury but boredom. She is the only daughter to the widowed Lord Wheelwright, and he keeps her in his manor on New Lutetia, where she meets with tutors to learn classical literature and music. Verity craves adventure and often escapes to the pages of livre rouge—cheap, paperback books with crimson covers that contain sordid tales of lust and adventure. When New Lutetia is invaded by the infamous airship pirate Cavalier Eli Callahan, Verity is forced to make a choice. She can run and hide, or surrender herself in exchange for the safety of her city, but at what cost?

Verity is a pampered lady who longs for more excitement in her sheltered life. One day that excitement arrives on her doorstep with the arrival of pirates who whisk her away aboard their airship. Can she trust the captain of the ship, the renowned Eli Callahan, to keep her safe while awaiting the ransom? Does she even want to be kept safe?

I really liked Verity, Eli and his first mate Screw. There were even some spicy bits if you like that sort of thing in your romance (and who doesn’t?).

This was a short read, only 85 pages, and my only complaint was that I wanted more.

The Precious Jules by Shawn Nocher, 350 pages, 2022

This ARC was sent to me months ago and forgotten about and misplaced by no fault of its own. The premise of a daughter who isn’t the norm being shipped off appealed to me. It felt personal.

After nearly two hundred years of housing retardants, as they were once known, the Beechwood Institute is closing the doors on its dark history, and the complicated task of reassigning residents has begun. Ella Jules, having arrived at Beechwood at the tender age of eight, must now rely on the state to decide her future. Ella’s aging parents have requested that she be returned to her childhood home, much to the distress of Ella’s siblings, but more so to Lynetta, her beloved caretaker who has been by her side for decades. The five adult Jules children, haunted by their early memories of their sister, and each dealing with the trauma of her banishment in their own flawed way, are converging on the family home, arriving from the far corners of the country—secrets in tow—to talk some sense into their aging parents and get to the root of this inexplicable change of heart. from Goodreads

Precious Jules is the story of a family. The Jules family is picture perfect, but one of the children has live at Beechwood Institute since she was 8. Now the parents want her back and the girl’s caretaker says no. The rest of the kids, all five of them, come home to convince their parents to leave their sister with the caretaker.

It’s a great examination of what’s good for the family isn’t always the best thing for any one of the individuals. The secret guilt, the alternate realities, the vilifying, and the eventual acceptance make for some thought provoking stuff.

There were a lot of characters. My biggest problem was keeping track of all of the characters and their past and present stories. It was a lot. I think there were 10 characters who each had a chapter from their point of view. I wish there had been less so that I could have been drawn into the story a bit more.

June Stats and Favorites

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I finished 10 books this month, The Bat by Jo Nesbit isn’t pictured because it was an audio. I don’t remember the last time I liked all of my reads so much. 6 of the 10 were sent to me in exchange for a review, so most of these are new and for the first time in forever, no library books!

You can see my 3 favorites, but you really can’t go wrong with any of them! And honestly, from the time I took these pics this morning to the time I’m posting this I already would have changed one of my favorites 😆. Just add them all to your list.

I’ve read 166 books of my 300 goal so I’m on track.

What was your favorite book this month?