What My Kids Are Reading
Winter picture books and nonfiction titles about history and evolution are featured in this week's Read-at-Home Kids Report.
What I Finished Reading
- Bookman Dead Style by Paige Shelton
I didn't like this book quite as much as the first of the series, but I did enjoy the involvement of Hollywood actors in the plot, and the subplot involving The Rescued Word itself. My review is on Goodreads. - Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs
This wasn't bad, but it is my least favorite of the Temperance Brennan books so far. I wasn't that interested in the plot, and Tempe did a few things that seemed out-of-character. I mentined these issues in my Goodreads review. - Witness by Karen Hesse
I usually like novels in verse and Karen Hesse's writing, but this book about the KKK infiltrating a Vermont town in 1924 just didn't work for me. My 2-star review on Goodreads explains why. - A Girl Called Al by Constance C. Greene
I remember seeing this book in the public library a lot as a kid, but for some reason I never read it. I enjoyed quirky Al and her friendship with the unnamed narrator, even if some events of the story were a bit predictable.
Did Not Finish
- Check Me Out by Becca Wilhite
Though I did not finish this book, I wrote an extensive review on Goodreads explaining what it gets wrong about working in libraries (which is, sadly, nearly everything.) - The Journey of Little Charlie by Christopher Paul Curtis
After reading one chapter of this book, I determined that the dialect was too much for me. I'm going to wait for an audiobook edition and try again.
What I'm Currently Reading
- The Boy Most Likely To by Huntley Fitzpatrick
Last week, I thought I'd finish this book in a day or two, but it's proven to be a lot more complex than I was expecting. The teens in this story have so many problems that reading about them actually feels a bit stressful. I have to finish the book by Friday because that's when my library ebook expires, but I'm rationing it so that I don't have to spend long stretches of time dwelling on the characters' problems. - Does Anybody Care About Lou Emma Miller? by Alberta Wilson Constant
I received a signed copy of this hard-to-find book from my husband for Christmas. It's the third book of a series, and I've only read the first book, but it seems to stand on its own pretty well so far. I have no doubt I will finish this one quickly. - Advent of Dying by Sister Carol Anne O'Marie
I was having trouble deciding on a mystery to read next, and it has been a while since I started this series so I decided to come back to it. So far, I'm finding it even more engaging than the first book.
Challenge Progress
- Both Bookman Dead Style and Devil Bones count for the Cloak and Dagger Challenge and for the Writing Reviews challenge. Bookman Dead Style also counts toward Craving for Cozies, the Family Tree Reading Challenge (for the year 2017, when my youngest was born), and the Linz the Bookworm Reading Challenge (for the cozy mystery category). Devil Bones also fulfills letter D for the Alphabet Soup Challenge.
- Witness and A Girl Called Al both fulfill letters for the A to Z Challenge. Witness also counts for the Linz the Bookworm Reading Challenge (for book with a one-word title) and the Writing Reviews Challenge, while A Girl Called Al counts toward Old School Kidlit. My review of Box of Delights was also published this week, which adds it to my list of books reviewed for the Writing Reviews Challenge.
Looks like you got a lot of reading done this past week. Have a nice week.
ReplyDeleteI have major problems with dialect in a book. Too much and it's a DNF for me too. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteHow frustrating about Check Me Out. I hate when the research is so lacking it ruins the book. I read the 3rd book in the Paige Shelton series and enjoyed it but haven't read the first 2. I'm intrigued by the Hollywood actors even if wasn't as enjoyable as book 1.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like you got a lot of reading done! I probably would have DNFed the dialect book. Too much dialect gets on my nerves.
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
Karen Hesse's Safekeeping also didn't work for me. Just didn't feel right, somehow. I think I rated it one star on Goodreads. I absolutely adore her Out of the Dust, though.
ReplyDeleteIt's been a while, but I remember loving Out of the Dust too. Somehow the verse format worked better in that book than this one.
DeleteLike Myra, I enjoyed Out of the Dust.
ReplyDeleteWhen I like a novel by Christopher Paul Curtis, I really end up loving it, otherwise I am left unimpressed. My favourite is still The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963. Have you read it?
I read it a couple of years ago and really loved it. I also enjoyed Bud, Not Buddy and Elijah of Buxton.
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