It’s always been my intent to have every book I read on here on the blog. When I started this way back in 2008 it was for the fun of the bookish community, but mainly I wanted to use it as an online book journal. As I read more and more, I haven’t been able to keep up here or on Instagram and I’m going to try and make that happen while acknowledging that living life is more important š
With that said I read 38 books this month (117 for the year) and have continued by book a day goal. Here are my 5 adult favorites…
Jason and I have never told Gage he was diagnosed with PDD-nos when he was 2. Weāve discussed the different challenges he faces, but never the label as a whole. Heās 11 and it was time. Being me, I requested every book our library system had and Jason and I spent a few hours going through them, both of us shocked at how bad some of them were. Iām still a little miffed that some parent will read some of them to their typical kid and think that thatās what autism is. A post for another day. The ones pictured are the ones that pass the sniff test for Gage to read. We didn’t introduce all of these, but I have them on hand for when questions come. So far he’s only read one. He took the news better than we’d hoped and hasn’t seem to care too much. I hate labels because I find them a much too simple way to judge an individual and so far the apple hasn’t fallen far from the tree š
How was your reading month? Anything I need to read?
I’ve been in a bit of a blogging slump lately. I’m still reading a book a day, 107 total for the year so far, but haven’t had the time (or energy) to take pics for IG or post here. So, I thought participating in Top Ten Tuesday was a perfect way to spend some time š
Top Ten Books with Adjectives in the Title is the prompt and here are the ten I chose, all women for Womenās History Month. Do you see a favorite in the stack? My favorite so far has been The Starless Sea, but there are still several I need to read.
šAmerican Wife by Curtis Settenfeld
šThe Paris Wife by Paula McLain – liked it
šAmerican Duchess by Karen Harper
šAn American Marriage by Tayari Jones – really liked it
šThe Bitter Season by Tami Hoag
šThe Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman
šThe Rooftop Party by Ellen Meister
šThe Lost Apothecary by Sarah Penner – loved it
šShallow Waters by Anita Kopacz – really liked it
šThe Starless Sea by Erin Morganstern – loved it
I wish I had time to log in all of my February books, but this will have to do. You can see on the right the stack of picture books Gage and I read for Black History Month (plus 2 Van Gogh books). The back row were standouts for me.
ā¤ļø The Other Side by Jacqueline Woodson and EB White ā¤ļøHarlemās Little Blackbird: The Story of Florence Mills by Renee Watson and Christian Robinson ā¤ļøA Childrenās Introduction to African American History by Jabari Asim and Lynn Gaines šš» we used this 96 pager as our textbook for the month
You can see my list of adult reads on the left is considerably smaller. Still managed to have ones I loved just a little bit more. ā¤ļøWake: The Hidden History of Women-Led Slave Revolts by Rebecca Hall and Hugo Martinez š graphic novel ā¤ļøRock Paper Scissors by Alice Feeney ā¤ļøThe Inheritance of Orquidea Divina by Zoraida Cordova
I’ve read 90 books this year and I’m in my 15th month of reading a book a day.
Technically, I’ve read 13 more for Cybils Award judging, but since I can’t talk about them until judging is done and winners are announced, I’ll count them next month š
My favorites
The Comfort Book by Mark Haig. I talked about it here.The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews. I talked about it here.Kelley Armstong’s Darkness Rising trilogy. I talked about it here.Just Haven’t Met You Yet by Sophie Cousens. I haven’t even done any kind of review and to preserve my sanity this will have to serve as a recommendation. It’s a quirky, modern British romcom. I listened to this one and thought the meet cute aspect of it really worked. It delved into serious parent issues without ever feeling weighed down or losing its spark.Of Thee I Sing by Barack Obama. Since I read so many picture books I should share my favorite one! I talked about it here. Last February I read a book by an African American author every day for Black History Month. I found new authors I fell in love with, Jesmyn Ward, August Wilson, Beverly Jenkins, Octavia Butlerā¦the list goes on.
So, I chose books from last year discoveries, plus a Toni Morrison, that Iām going to try and get to this month. In January I read 6 of the 8 I selected at the beginning of the month so weāll see how I do with this 9.
I started by reading Jesmyn Wardās Tulane graduation speech turned into the book Navigate Your Stars. Itās an inspirational story of her growing up believing that college meant success. What she found was that hard work and persistence led to success and that a college degree was no golden ticket. There was also personal reflection on how we often judge people and the circumstances they find themselves in and how this view can change over time if we make the effort to continue to grow. The illustrations were gorgeous. A great gift for graduates at any level.
So, todayās Top Ten Tuesday prompt is 2021 books that you still need to read and I NEED YOUR HELP!
The two books on top were both given to me last year and I started and then abandoned them fairly early on.
šAre either Honey Girl or Once There Were Wolves must reads? š. Should I try again or give them away?
Other books that were published last year waiting to be readā¦
šThe Ex Hex (picked up from the local Buy Nothing group) šEverything We Didnāt Say (given to me by my mom) šThe Actual Star (won in a Goodreads giveaway) šFox and I (library cast off that I brought home) šThe Mystery of Mrs. Christie (impulse buy when I was doing holiday shopping at Barnes & Noble) šThe Presidents Daughter (picked up at the library sale) šThe Duchess Countess (sent by publisher) šSharing Annās Story (purchased because the Ann in the title is one of Jasonās extended family)
Top Ten Tuesday is a feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Be sure to check out her weekly post to find other participants.
I’m not going to lie, this wasn’t the best movie year for us. We didn’t get to the movie theater (although we did get to the drive-in for a double feature) and our choices were more of ‘what’s on Netflix that we can agree on in 5 minutes?’ than intentional viewing. We did binge lots of shows, but I wasn’t great about keeping track of those. Maybe next year.
49 movies (same as last year)
2021 was our most watched year with 12 movies, followed by 2020 with 8.
Gigi (1958) was the oldest movie we watched.
We watched the most movies in the month of May with 8.
My book a day challenge officially ends tomorrow since I started last year on the 31st. I’ll be including the two books I’m reading today and tomorrow in these stats š I honestly cannot believe I completed this challenge. It seemed crazy at the beginning of the year, but thanks to my new love of non-fiction kids picture books I was able to get through the more challenging days! On to the numbers…
I read 415 books.
73 books published in 2021 and 40 published in 2020.
The oldest book I read was Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie published in 1934.
249 were fiction and 166 were non-fiction. (this non-fiction is highly unusual for me and due, in part, to the 99 kids non-fiction books I read this year)
280 were written by authors new to me.
Favorite Cover
I visited France 25 times and the UK 17 times through my reading. I also read books set in 16 other countries.
I continued with 11 series ( Jack Reacher, Lady Sherlock, Kinsey Milhone, Dublin Murder Squad, Mrs. Pollifax, Inspector Rebus, Hathaways, Lucas Davenport, Amos Decker, In Death, Ravenels),
started 6 others (Fiona Figg, Runaway Train, Brigertons, Hugo Marston, Jeremy Logan, Seven Sisters)
and read 1 series from beginning to end (Lucy Valentine series by Heather Webber books 1-5).
The longest book I read was The President is Missing by James Patterson and Bill Clinton at 528 pages.
Most read authors – adults – Lee Child with 8, kids – Virginia Hamilton with 5, and illustrator Jerry Pinkney with 8.
I already posted the longlist of my favorite kids books here and my favorite adult books here, but…
I love this book so much! Gage and I read one letter every day, some letters have a few words, some only one. Thereās a poem, an explanation of what type of poem it is, a quote, a paragraph about the word written by Charles or Irene, and then an action.
This was the beautiful way weāve started our learning everyday. We read, we discussed, and used the poems as cursive practice. The book and pages are gorgeous and Iāve already ordered our own copy, since this was a library book. We finished up with Zest and pages of further reading recommendations which I plan on using! This the second collaboration between these authors and I definitely need to get their first book.
Do yourself a favor and get your hands on this book! It’s a wonderful first hand account of his time in the war with a little of his life before and after. Scroll through the pics. Each the drawings were sketches he made during his days in the military. He would send the hundreds of sketches home when he could and just brought them out for public consumption a few years ago. In addition to the sketches, photos, and commentary, heās included some of the letters he sent home.
He was there on Omaha Beach working as a stevedore to get cargo from ship to Allied forces. His home was a foxhole he dug himself on the beach.
Itās a story of war, hope, prejudice, and perseverance. If your child needs a firsthand account of someone in WWII or of racial inequality in the war this is a must read. Itās laid out so beautifully itās sure to hold their attention. And, as an adult, I fell in love with it myself.
The Push was our book club choice for April and it generated some very strong feelings. Personally, disturbing as it was, this was a great book. Itās a complicated story about motherhood, all of the ugly parts no one talks about and the absolute highs when you are exactly the mother you thought youād be.
Blythe comes from generations of bad mothers. The stories of her mother and grandmother are interspersed throughout the novel. Blythe falls in love, gets married and is nervous to start a family of her own. Motherhood comes and Iāll tell you no more.
This debut novel is well written, perfectly paced, and hard to put down. But itās not an easy read. Itās difficult at times to take in whatās happening and I think a lot of women could be upset by much of what happens. Itās a love or hate book for most and Iām standing on the love side.
What if every choice you made led to a different life, a different you and it was happening simultaneously to your life right now. What if you were able to visit The Midnight Library and try on each of these lives to see if you preferred them to the one youāre currently living. So goes the story of Nora Seed.
Loved this book. Not only did I love the endless possibilities, I loved the attention to great philosophers, especially Thoreau, who is a favorite of mine. Highly recommend this one for discussion and contemplation.Ā
This book was definitely elevated by the excellent narration by Adam Lazarre-White. His rich voice made the story of two fathers, one white, one black, coming to terms with the deaths of their gay sons come alive. There was more violence and also more soul searching than I anticipated going in. Give this one a listen.
This lived up to ALL of the hype! Itās so different from her other two books. Itās a thriller. One day a child knocks on Hannahās door with a note, itās from her husband and all it says is PROTECT HER. Bailey, the daughter, comes home from school with a duffel bag full of cash that her dad had stuffed in her locker. Owen himself was missing.
Thatās all you get. If you like thrillers this is a must read!Ā
This is an unflinching story of poverty, family, and life. Esch is 14 and has just found out sheās pregnant. Sheās had sex with lots of her brothers friends because it easier to say yes than to upset them, but she knows who the father is, her oldest brotherās best friend. Another brother, Skeetah, has bred his prized pit bull China so that he could sell the puppies. The youngest brotherās birth cost her motherās life and left the four of them with a drunk and rough father.
This book takes place in the 12 days leading up to Hurricane Katrina. There is such a richness to the unapologetic language and story. I still feel like a little bit of me is stuck on the coast. There is a brutal dog fighting scene. I had to close the book and sit with my visceral reaction to it. This book takes its time, but at some point it will completely draw you into the Baptiste family and their world.
Itās a National Book Award Winner published in 2011.
āEverything happens for a reason. This is a thing people say. My mom says it a lot. āThings happen for a reason, Tasha.ā Usually people say it when something goes wrong, but not too wrong. A non fatal car accident. A sprained ankle instead of a broken one.
Tellingly, my mom has not said it in reference to our deportation. What reason could there be for this awful thing happening? My dad, whose fault this whole thing is, says, āYou canāt always see Godās plan.ā I want to tell him that maybe he shouldnāt leave everything up to God and that hoping against hope is not a life strategy, but that would mean I would have to talk to him, and I donāt want to talk to him.ā
What a great way to start the month. I loved the romantic and scientific back and forth on the meaning of life and love. Almost the entire book takes place during one day, the day of deportation and the day Natasha and Daniel meet and fall in love. Jamaica and Korean cultures fill up the pages of this teen American Dream romance.
A graphic memoir by the great-granddaughter of one of Iranās last emperors. She tells the story of her childhood during the Islamic Revolution and Iranās war with Iraq. And then later as she is sent away to live on her own in Vienna at the age of 14.
The black and white illustrations are full of horror, history, and heartwarming and heartbreaking stories. Iām late to the game, but this is a must read.Ā
Two outstanding graphic books by Art Spieglman (the first winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1992).
Itās the story of the Holocaust based on Spiegelmanās interviews with his survivor father and also of his life with his father as he got older. He, his father, and the other Jewish people are depicted as mice and the Nazis as cats.
So moving, both as a Holocaust history, but also a relationship story between father and son. One Iām not going to forget anytime soon.
You are welcome to check out my end of the year list of books on Goodreads here. You will have to go to the bottom and click on See More Books a few times to see them all.
I read my first manga! At 428 pages it was quite a fun trip. Reading the book backward was challenging at first, but it didnāt take long to get into the flow. It was confusing at times and yet, it all came together in the end.
There are cats living in the attic of the most famous (and my favorite) museum in the world, The Louvre. The only one who knows about them is the night guard. There are people and cats who can escape into the pairtings. Add a few characters, a long lost sister, and a cat who doesnāt fit in and you get an idea of what youāll find.
It took a bit to grow on me, but by the end I was charmed by Cats of the Louvre by Taino Matsumoto.
Jason and I are both museum lovers and we spent the better part of a day at the Louvre on our visit. A magical place.A Walk in Paris is a kids picture book with lovely illustrations. I loved seeing the neighborhoods of Paris, but thought there was too much information on each page for any kind of story flow. Itās okay to browse through for the illustrations and to pick up random information like āSteak-frites, or steak with French fries, is a popular bistro choice.ā
Gage loves The Who Is book series, so I was excited to sign him up for an online book club on Outschool. They read a Where Is book and meet every two weeks. As they discuss the book the teacher also includes other activities, like drawing a Wanted poster. This is a great book group and if youāre interested in it for your kid DM me and Iāll send you the link. The next book is Where is the Serengeti? The week of July 18. We read Where is Alcatraz and he loved it.
We watched Gigi last night, the 1958 musical romantic comedy that won 9 out of the 9 Oscars for which it was nominated. Leslie Caron and Louis Jourdan play the destined to fall in love couple, but it was the uncle Maurice Chevalier that stole the show for me.
In 1900 France famous playboy Gaston ends yet another romantic affair. Teen Gigi is being groomed as a courtesan, but still retains her youthful innocence. The end was inevitable and the songs were good. Iām glad I watched this for my Paris in July project, but canāt say I loved it.
Have you seen it? Do you like old movies?
Iāve been sending and receiving postcards through @postcrossing for years. These are five that Iāve received from France over the last several years and the fun stamps. Two of them were from Nantes, and the rest spread around the country. It was fun to read them again yesterday, even if sometimes the handwriting challenged me!Letās start with the French wine. This beautiful glass of white wine was more than I had our whole 10 days in France. After weād made our plans to go and visit our friends in Lyon I found out I was pregnant. A few things about this were stressful, Iād miscarried a few years before, I was 38 not 20, and I was still puking my guts out daily. AND I was going to a wine loverās paradise but not able to drink the wine!
Somehow I still managed to have a fantastic trip even if I was still sick every morning š.
Now about the book, The Little French Bistro. I loved this quirky little book about an older woman who decides to kill herself by jumping into the Seine on a trip to Paris with her husband. Sheās fished out of the water, of course, but now she has to figure out what to do with the rest of a life she doesnāt want.
She makes her way to Brittany, also called the end by of the world, and lives each day as if itās her last, until one day, she doesnāt. There are lots of characters with their own stories and they fit neatly into the story of this seaside village.
I love stories about women finding their way and reinventing themselves to match the life they want, especially if thereās a little magic. And to do it in France? Even better.
And head over to Thyme for Tea for more Paris in July fun!
Stacy's Books 