Read-at-Home Kids Report, June 2019

Summer Reading So Far 

Though we no longer participate in the public library's summer reading program, I still wanted to keep track of what the girls are reading this summer. So I printed out a bunch of copies of this reading log from Real Life at Home, and I've been keeping a list for each of them since June 3rd. As June winds down, Little Miss Muffet (age 5 years, 7 months) has read or listened to about 80 different books (including audiobooks and books we're using for homeschool), Little Bo Peep (3 years, 9 months) has heard around 50, and Little Jumping Joan (20 months) is approaching 40. Considering the public library's "bonus level" asks for kids to read 12 books for the entire summer,  it's clear that doing our own thing is definitely the right choice. Miss Muffet and Bo Peep are also rating their books with stars on a scale from 1 to 5, which has been really fun. It's especially interesting to see which books they give one or two stars. 

The other thing we're doing this summer is hosting some friends for a story time in our living room on Friday mornings. The girls are enjoying have friends around to listen to books with them, and it's been fun for me to get back into performing story time after a 2-year hiatus.

Family Read-Alouds

Our first lunchtime read-aloud this month was Babe The Gallant Pig by Dick King-Smith. This was an excellent choice for both of the older two girls, and it was a pleasure to read aloud. I even got a little choked up at the end! I'm planning to find some more Dick King-Smith books at the library for Miss Muffet to read on her own, since she is a big fan of talking animal stories. My husband also finished reading aloud The Little Circus by Jeanette C. Shirk, and then proposed that we get rid of the book, as it was not that impressive. He also selected the audiobooks for our road trip to North Carolina: Heidi (which I did not enjoy, but which the girls seemed to like) and Mary Poppins (which I enjoyed, but most of which the girls slept through.) At lunch, we are now reading The Happy Hollisters and the Sea Turtle Mystery, and my husband just started reading Wolf Story by William McCleery at dinner.

Little Miss Muffet (5 years, 7 months)

This month, Miss Muffet has gotten really into the Something Queer series by Elizabeth Levy and Mordecai Gerstein. These are mysteries in picture book format for early elementary readers that I loved when I was just a little bit older than she is now, and I'm thrilled to see her enjoying them. She also liked reading Two Times the Fun by Beverly Cleary on Open Library, 

During school time, we've been reading ebooks about materials and their properties as well as How to Build a House and How to Build a Car by Martin Sodomka and Saskia Lacey. We also finally finished reading about all the paintings in Famous Paintings: An Introduction to Art by Alice Elizabeth Chase and now we're working on finishing up The Caves of the Great Hunters and Grammarland. Her assigned independent read at the moment is The Phoenix and the Carpet by E. Nesbit, and on deck is Schoolhouse in the Woods by Rebecca Caudill. She also read a biography of Nathan Hale, and, of her own volition, researched cannibalism (of all things) in the Golden Encyclopedia. 

Little Bo Peep (3 years, 9 months)

Bo Peep continues to make progress on her letter sounds, and she even read a couple of words ("bad" and "mad") the other day!  She's enjoying her first foray into The Happy Hollisters series, and she's also enjoyed listening to the entire Beatrix Potter collection on audio (though she did make me skip any stories that mentioned Peter Rabbit for some unknown reason). I also introduced her to a few of the Mr. Putter and Tabby books (also on audio) and I'm hoping to get a few of those from the library for her. There were also a couple of Alfie books by Shirley Hughes on Open Library that she hadn't heard, so we read through those, and she loves our unbound review copy of One Fox: A Counting Book Thriller by Kate Read, which comes out in October. 

Little Jumping Joan (20 months)

The closer she gets to her second birthday, the more Jumping Joan loves books. Now that she's really starting to talk, she frequently says, "Books. Read." and then plops down and waits for a story. I've started introducing her to the Gossie series, and she's also been interested in B is for Baby by Atinuke and in our collection of Babylit books. Other favorites this month were the Hairy Maclary books by Lynley Dodd and the Big Box of Books by Natalie Marshall. 

Book Review: Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson (1977)

Jess Aarons, the only boy sandwiched between two pairs of sisters, is about to start fifth grade, and, after training all summer, he hopes to be the fastest runner at Lark Creek Elementary School. When Leslie Burke moves in, however, she quickly proves that she is the fastest - and also that she is the ideal best friend for Jess. Though Leslie is different in many ways - she doesn't have a television, she calls her parents by their first names, she doesn't have to worry about money - she has a wonderful imagination, and together, she and Jess create the fantastical kingdom of Terabithia. Jess and Leslie spend hours in the woods imagining their lives as king and queen of their magical land and talking over the events of their lives at home and school. One day, though, after a lot of rain, Jess is not really interested in going to Terabithia, and when he gets an offer to do something else, he jumps on it. While he is gone, a tragedy strikes that guarantees Jess - and Terabithia - will never be the same.

I can't remember a time when I didn't know of this as a sad book, so I never read it as a kid, and I only got brave enough to finally power through it for the first time in 2013. During that reading, I was focused solely on getting through the moments of tragedy as quickly as possible. When I re-read the book this month for a Newbery read-along on Instagram, I was finally able to focus more on the details of the story as a whole, and on the way Paterson crafts a tale not just of loss and sadness, but also of friendship, imagination, and coming of age.

Paterson is one of my favorite middle grade authors, largely because of the economy of her writing. This novel is only 128 pages, but it covers a lot of emotional and thematic ground in just thirteen chapters, and yet never feels rushed or incomplete. Paterson knows how to get many miles out of a few words. Though the tragic event at the novel's climax is in many ways a shock on the first reading, this re-reading helped me to see the little details that foreshadow what happens. Snippets of dialogue and seemingly throw-away lines of description read more like sign posts once you know what's coming, and the arc of the story has an effortless beauty to it that makes it feel satisfying even as it brings the reader to tears.

I stand by my decision not to read this book as a kid. I was definitely too sensitive to handle the sadness of the tragedy, and I needed much more life experience before I was ready to take on the subject matter. That said, it is a wonderfully written book for helping young people to understand and work through grief, and based on her temperament so far, I think at least one of my daughters will probably be able to handle it as she approaches the upper elementary years.

Book Review: Anne of Avonlea by L.M. Montgomery (1909)

In this second novel of the Anne Shirley series, Anne is set to begin teaching at Avonlea School. At the same time, an ornery neighbor moves in next door and Marilla unexpectedly takes in a pair of orphaned twins, one of whom (Dora) is extremely well-behaved and the other of whom (Davy) has trouble controlling his impulses. As she settles into her new role in the classroom, Anne also joins with her friends Diana, Gilbert, and Fred to form a society dedicated to making improvements to the community, which leads her to meet Miss Lavender and learn of the lonely woman's long-lost romance with the father of one of her students.

This book was just delightful from beginning to end. Switching back and forth between the audiobook and the hardcover, I read the entire novel in a single afternoon. Anne is as charming as ever, and the entire story has a refreshingly innocent feel to it, even during moments of difficulty and conflict. The anecdotes of Anne's interactions with her students, as well as her dealings with the twins, were especially fun to read, along with Anne's usual comical missteps and mistakes. The warmth of Anne's relationship with Marilla is also very sweet, as is the hopeful note on which the book leaves Marilla after Anne takes the first step toward leaving home.

As the mother of a very early reader who is already zipping through middle grade novels before the age of 6, I am so thankful for the works of L.M. Montgomery which, because of their tame content and hopeful outlook, will give my daughter something to read in her tween years. I'm also excited to be participating in a challenge on Instagram for which I will be reading four more Anne books. Watch for my reviews of Anne of the Island and Anne of Windy Poplars in July, and Anne's House of Dreams and Anne of Ingleside in August.

#YearOfHarryPotter: Goblet of Fire, Chapters 35-37

I have finished Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire! The final three chapters were Chapter 35 ("Veritaserum"), Chapter 36 ("The Parting of the Ways"), and Chapter 37 ("The Beginning).  Spoilers beyond this point.

I don't know why I have never re-read this book until now because as it went on, it became my clear favorite of the books I've re-read so far this year, and I am skeptical that another book is going to surpass it before this project ends.

The writing seems much stronger and deeper than in the first three books. I read one review that said this book needed a lot more editing than it received, but I actually liked that it was so thick and covered so much ground. There really is a lot going on plot-wise, but all of it is interesting and highly engaging and comes together so well.

This book runs the emotional gamut, too, from fear, to sadness, to anger, to indignation, to hope. As Harry, Ron, and Hermione enter further into their teen years, new aspects and layers of their personalities are revealed which also helped me invest further into this book than I did the ones preceding it.

This book is really the turning point in this series, and though some series drag in the middle, this one really just seems to come into its own as this fourth volume progresses. The ending, especially, sets up the main conflicts that inform the rest of Harry's story: the division between those who believe Voldemort is back and those who don't, the parting of the ways of Dumbledore and the Ministry of Magic, the question of who might be a Death Eater, and the problem of how Voldemort is to be defeated.

I have always said that book five, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, is my favorite of the series. I'm looking forward to revisiting it and finding out if that is still true!

My Most-Anticipated New Releases, July-December 2019

I've read all but one of the books I put on my list of most-anticipated releases for the first half of this year, so I'm ready to make my list for the second half for today's Top Ten Tuesday topic. 

Clause and Effect

by Kaitlyn Dunnett
Publication date: 6/25/19
[Add this book on Goodreads.]

I loved the first book in this series, and I'm thrilled that the publisher was willing to send me an ARC. The spine of the copy they sent me says the book is released in July, so even though the official release date is June 25th, I'm including it here. 

Let's Fake a Deal 

by Sherry Harris

Publication date: 7/30/19

[Add this book on Goodreads.]

I started this cozy series in the middle, but haven't had any trouble keeping up with it. Kensington also sent me an ARC of this one, and I'm excited to check in on Sarah and my other favorite characters.  

Dwell 

by Hallie Lord

Publication date: 8/6/19

[Add this book on Goodreads.]

Hallie Lord is a Catholic author and radio personality, and she is good friends with one of my favorite Catholic authors, Jennifer Fulwiler. This book explores the concept of home from a Christian perspective, and I'm curious to see what her writing is like. 

Wonton Terror 

by Vivien Chien

Publication date: 8/27/19

[Add this book on Goodreads.]

Another favorite cozy series is getting a new installment at the end of the summer. This is the fourth book in the Noodle Shop Mysteries series. 

How to Raise a Reader

by Pamela Paul and Maria Russo

Publication date: 9/3/19

[Add this book on Goodreads.]

I have been making it a point to read every book on this subject, so I requested this from NetGalley. I hope it offers something new to this genre. 

 

Anthem

by Deborah Wiles

Publication date: 9/3/19

[Add this book on Goodreads.]

I was starting to wonder whether this conclusion to the Sixties Trilogy was ever going to be written. I loved the first two books, and I'm really looking forward to seeing the series to the end.

Word to the Wise

by Jenn McKinlay 

Publication date:  9/3/19

[Add this book on Goodreads.]

When my mom asks me what I want for my birthday (in November), I will be mentioning this book. It's become kind of a tradition that she gets me a book from this series at the end of each year, and I usually read it near the beginning of the new year. I'm always excited to read more about the happenings at the Briar Creek Public Library. 

The Vanderbeekers to the Rescue

by Karina Yan Glaser 

Publication date: 9/17/19

[Add this book on Goodreads.]

I'm glad to see this series continue. I don't know much about this one, but I have enjoyed the previous titles and plan to read the new one as soon as I can!

Beverly, Right Here 

by Kate DiCamillo

Publication date: 9/24/19

[Add this book on Goodreads.]

I didn't care for Raymie Nightingale, but I loved Louisiana's Way Home, and I'm hoping maybe this final book in the trilogy will be the best of the three. Candlewick generously sent me an ARC, which I'm saving to read near the end of the summer.   

Karen's Witch

by Ann M. Martin and Katy Farina

Publication date: 12/26/19

[Add this book on Goodreads.]

Graphic novel adaptations of Baby-sitters Club books are a guilty pleasure for me. I loved this book when I was six, and I'm excited to see how the artist portrays each of the characters. 

#YearOfHarryPotter: Goblet of Fire, Chapters 31-34

This week's chapters (Chapter 31, "The Third Task," Chapter 32, "Flesh, Blood and Bone," Chapter 33, "The Death Eaters," and Chapter 34, "Priori Incantatem") represent the turning point in this series where things begin to get dark, sad, and scary. (Spoilers begin in the next sentence.) Unforgivable curses are performed, Cedric Diggory is killed, and Voldemort rises once more. From here on, the series shifts from enjoying the novelties of the magical world to fighting the dangers dark magic represents, and the suspense and drama will only increase in the last three books.

My big issue with the way the third task ends is that the whole thing seems like way too much of an elaborate set-up. Voldemort doesn't strike me as particularly patient, and I can't imagine he couldn't have come up with some other way to get to Harry without having to wait for the entire tri-wizard tournament to be completed. Surely, "Moody" (whose true identity will be revealed in the final installment next week) could have turned anything into a portkey and sent Harry to the graveyard on any night of the week without having to involve any of the other champions. I've also always felt that Voldemort's victims coming out of his wand to protect Harry is too easy a way for Harry to escape death. I'll be curious to see whether Dumbledore's explanation at the end of the book makes better sense to me on this reading.

It did strike me, though, how scary Voldemort is. Rowling really does a nice job creating a believably terrifying villain. I always forget that he's supposed to have red eyes, and something about that just makes him really intimidating. Until this book, we have only had vague notions of the evilness of this character, but now he comes fully into focus as a truly formidable bad guy. There is something to be said for Harry standing up to face him.  I was pretty sure Harry was going to die in the graveyard scene, despite the fact that I've read the book before and knew he would survive! Voldemort's long rambling speech explaining to the Death Eaters where he's been all this time felt a little bit like an awkward info dump, but we needed to get that information somehow, and overall, even with that speech, he's scary to read about alone at night.

Despite the darkness, there are some really nice and fun moments in these chapters: Mrs. Weasley and Bill coming to stand in for Harry's family before the third task; Mrs. Weasley recalling her days at Hogwarts; Harry and Cedric setting aside their differences to claim victory for Hogwarts together; Harry laughing off Rita Skeeter's latest article about him, and Mrs. Weasley warming to Hermione only after confirming that she wasn't dating Harry. (Does she want Hermione for Ron, or Harry for Ginny? I wonder what her objection was...)

Chapter 34 ends on a cliffhanger (complete with an ellipsis!) and it's somewhat unsettling to know I'll have to wait a week for everyone to find out what has happened to Cedric. I'm not looking forward to Amos Diggory's reaction of grief, but I am eagerly anticipating Hermione's big reveal about Rita Skeeter and the unveiling of Barty Crouch, Jr. as the impostor masquerading as Alastor Moody. And then it's on to book five already!

#YearOfHarryPotter: Goblet of Fire, Chapters 28-30

I read three chapters last week: Chapter 28 ("The Madness of Mr Crouch"), Chapter 29 ("The Dream"), and Chapter 30 ("The Pensieve"). There are spoilers in this post for this book and the entire series.

These chapters were completely lost to my memory, and I may as well have been reading them for the first time. I had no recollection whatsoever of the hate mail Hermione receives after Rita Skeeter publishes lies about her in the newspaper. I had also forgotten the mystery surrounding Skeeter's ability to gain access to inside information at Hogwarts. I remember, of course, that she is an animagus, and I know that comes out before the end of this book. I just didn't remember that the question of how she got into Hogwarts went unanswered for so long. I also find myself really appreciating the role of poor journalism in this story. It resonates with a lot of what happens with the media in our current culture, and it also sets us up for the questions about who to trust and when that will come up in the last three books of the series. 

I also didn't remember Krum and Harry coming upon a deranged Barty Crouch, nor did I remember Harry letting himself into Dumbledore's office by guessing the password. I did remember Harry using the Pensieve, but what was in my mind was the movie version of events which somehow seemed more dramatic than the memories he experiences in the book, and I'd also forgotten that this is when we first learn exactly what has happened to Neville's parents. Similarly, I remembered Harry's vision of Voldemort and Wormtail, but not the fact that he passed out during Divination class. I was surprised too, that Harry actually did what an adult told him to do when he had this vision; so many times in this series, Harry does not go to Dumbledore when he should, so the fact that he heeds Sirius's warnings is encouraging.

The one plot line I am finding really superfluous at this point is the question of whether house elves should be freed. I recall liking Dobby well enough on my first read through the series, but this time, he is annoying to me in a very Jar Jar Binks-esque way. It definitely makes sense for Hermione to take up such a cause; it's just not that interesting to read about anymore, and it seems like the elves are mostly being used as a narrative device to add more tension and suspicion surrounding Barty Crouch.

Only two more sets of chapters before the end of this book! Though I definitely remember what happens in broad strokes, I'm really looking forward to discovering all the little details that have escaped me over the last 15+ years.

My Unpopular Bookish Opinions

This week's Top Ten Tuesday topic is unpopular bookish opinions. I probably have more, but I stopped at ten for the purposes of this post.

I don't like fantasy.

There are a lot of fantasy books I have liked (Harry Potter, Narnia, Lord of the Rings, Tom's Midnight Garden, The Little White Horse, The Owl Service, The Dark is Rising, etc.), so this is not true in all cases, but in general, given a choice between fantasy and any other genre, I will take the other genre. It takes me a lot of time to settle into a fantasy world, and often I have to read and re-read world-building details before they sink in. I feel much more comfortable in reality-based stories.

I'm not interested in the Read-Aloud Revival.

I think I might be the only homeschooling mom in America who doesn't think this podcast/brand has anything to offer. My review of The Read-Aloud Family pretty much explains why.

I hate sexual content in books.

Basically, if there are a lot of sex scenes in a book, I will either a) not pick it up (if I can find out ahead of time), b) skip over those scenes, or c) abandon the book. I especially hate sex in YA because a lot of adults read it, and adults reading about kids in sexual situations is just plain creepy. I wrote a more in-depth post about this last year.

Wonder undermines its own message. 

It's hard to explain why I hate Wonder without spoiling the ending of the book. But if the point of the story is that Auggie is a human being with inherit dignity despite his atypical outward appearance, then it is just as patronizing to be kind to him solely because he has some differences as it is to be cruel to him for that reason.

I don't think kids should just read whatever they want. 

This is the popular opinion among librarians and many parents, but it is not the policy in my household. My kids are still little, but they don't read anything that I haven't approved. They read whatever they want from the shelves to which they have access, and from among the library titles I borrow for them, but they do not blindly select their own reading materials. I largely read whatever I wanted as a kid, and that meant I got to college with a brain equipped for reading the Baby-sitters Club and not much else. 

I don't care for (most of) Brian Selznick's books.

I think Brian Selznick's illustrations for The Doll People series are brilliant, and I loved Baby Monkey, Private Eye. But I was not at all impressed by The Invention of Hugo Cabret or Wonderstruck. After a while, his technique of dramatically zooming in on scenes, characters, and objects just gets repetitive.

The Inquisitor's Tale is offensive. 

Every time I see a glowing review of this book, I have to hold myself back from writing a comment ranting about how grossly offensive it is to Catholics. I'm still so disappointed in the Newbery committee for giving it an honor. My essay-length review of the book is here.

I don't think it matters if you read to your kids every single day.

There are many memes and infographics out there about the benefits of reading to your kids for at least 20 minutes every single day, and I ignore every single one. I read to my kids when it suits us. Some weeks that's every day. Some weeks it's every other day. Some weeks it might be once. And all three of my kids love books, and the oldest one was a very early reader. It matters that you read to your kids regularly but there is no magic schedule that makes it more beneficial.

I enjoyed The Catcher in the Rye. 

I read this in college for an Independent Study course on young adult literature, and I really liked it. I didn't always like Holden, but Salinger is such a distinctive writer and his style really appealed to me. I think I like his works about the Glass family better than this book, but I don't have the deep-seated feelings of hatred toward it that I see a lot of people expressing online.

It doesn't bother me to own unread books.

The concept of trying to read everything I own would never have crossed my mind if not for seeing so many other people posting their goals related to getting through their unread stacks. I have read a good number of the books we own, but I love that I am also forever surrounded by unread options. Having too many unread books will never be a reason that I don't buy more.

Do you share any of my unpopular opinions?

#YearOfHarryPotter: Goblet of Fire, Chapters 24-27

For this week's reading assignment, I read Chapter 24 ("Rita Skeeter's Scoop"), Chapter 25 ("The Egg and the Eye"), Chapter 26 ("The Second Task") and Chapter 27 ("Padfoot Returns") . This section of the book continues to solidify my estimation that this is the best book of the series so far. There are so many important things going on in these chapters.

First, everyone is still trying to help Harry cheat. While Harry rejects assistance from Bagman, however, his desire not to receive help comes from an aversion to taking help from Bagman specifically, not an aversion to cheating in general. Most of the people helping him cheat are doing it because they fear for his life, which does make sense, but the fact that Harry doesn't categorically oppose cheating bothers me a little bit. Personally, I still think the best way to help Harry is for the adults to figure out a way to get him out of the magical contract he didn't choose to enter into in the first place. But what kind of story would that be? There's a reason I'm not the author of this series.

I really love the scene where everyone tries to cheer up Hagrid after Rita Skeeter outs him as a giant. I especially enjoyed Dumbledore's line: "Really, Hagrid, if you are holding out for universal popularity, I'm afraid you will be in this cabin for a very long time." I love how loyal Dumbledore is to all the unusual people he allows to teach at Hogwarts, and his little one-liners of wisdom always contain such truth. For all the flaws in his actions surrounding Harry throughout the series, Dumbledore does understand a lot about life.

Another thing that caught my attention and surprised me was that a scene I remembered from the movie - Neville giving Harry the gillyweed - does not appear in the book. It is Dobby, not Neville, who provides the gillyweed, and he does so at the absolute last minute. I think I actually like the movie's approach better in this instance, but because of Hermione's interest in justice for the house elves, it does make sense to involve Dobby.

I also really appreciate the way Rowling sets us up to feel deeply betrayed when Moody turns out to be an imposter. Throughout this series, it always feels safer for Harry when powerful and brave wizards are around. I always breathe a sigh of relief when Dumbledore appears, for example, and I have been having that same feeling about "Moody" in this book. The fact that I feel this way even knowing who he turns out to be really drives home just how shocking it is when his true identity is revealed. I had also forgotten that "Moody" managed to get the Marauders Map away from Harry, but that does make it more plausible for Harry not to realize that the Barty Crouch on the map is actually the man he knows as Moody.

Another little detail I noted struck me as a bit of subtle foreshadowing. When Ron suggests that Snape might be the one who put Harry's name in the Goblet of Fire, Hermione says, "we thought Snape was trying to kill Harry before, and it turns out he was saving Harry's life, remember?" This seems to be a reminder from Rowling not to over-simplify Snape's character and not to take his behavior at face value all the time. This mindset becomes very important in the last two books of the series. I like that Rowling is starting to set up the ambiguity surrounding him by having Hermione voice the possibility that he isn't purely evil.

The Read-at-Home-Mom Report: May 2019

May went by so quickly, but I did squeeze in quite a bit of reading. In addition to all the books listed below, I also read half of Middlemarch by George Eliot, which I'm looking forward to finishing in June, along with my re-read of Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I slowed down quite a bit on picture books this month, too, which was a nice change of pace. Here's my report.

Books Read 

A Dream Within a Dream

by Patricia Maclachlan
Format: Digital ARC
Genre: Realistic fiction (middle grade)
Source: Edelweiss+
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐)

A Is for Elizabeth

by Rachel Vail
Format: Digital ARC
Genre: Realistic fiction (beginning chapter book)
Source: Edelweiss+
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Doll People

by Ann M. Martin & Laura Godwin, illustrated by Brian Selznick
Format: Paperback
Genre: Fantasy (middle grade)
Source: Gift from my mom
Review: On the blog (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Last Cruise

by Kate Christensen
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Literary fiction
Source: Public library
Review: On Instagram (⭐⭐⭐)

The Meanest Doll in the World

by Ann M. Martin & Laura Godwin, illustrated by Brian Selznick

Format: Paperback
Genre: Fantasy (middle grade)
Source: Gift from my mom
Review: On the blog (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Something Other Than God: How I Passionately Sought Happiness and Accidentally Found It

by Jennifer Fulwiler

Format: Hardcover
Genre: Catholic memoir
Source: Personal collection
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Vile Bodies

by Evelyn Waugh
Format: Paperback
Genre: Literary fiction
Source: Public library
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐)

Q's Legacy: A Delightful Account of a Lifelong Love Affair with Books

by Helene Hanff
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Memoir
Source: Inter-library loan
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Be Brave in the Scared: How I Learned to Trust God during the Most Difficult Days of My Life

by Mary Lenaburg
Format: Paperback
Genre: Catholic memoir
Source: Purchased from Amazon
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers

by Maxwell King
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Biography
Source: Public library
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐)

The Nest

by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Literary fiction
Source: Public library (Libby app)
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Deadly Vows

by Jody Holford
Format: Digital ARC
Genre: Cozy mystery
Source: Netgalley
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐)

Life of Fred: Butterflies

by Stanley F. Schmidt
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Math textbook
Source: Inter-library loan
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The World We Live In

by Lincoln Barnett
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Nonficton
Source: Personal collection
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Meet Me at the Museum

by Anne Youngson
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Literary fiction
Source: Public library
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐)

The Runaway Dolls

by Ann M. Martin & Laura Godwin, illustrated by Brian Selznick

Format: Paperback
Genre: Fantasy (middle grade)
Source: Gift from my mom
Review: On the blog (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Doll People Set Sail

by Ann M. Martin & Laura Godwin, illustrated by Brett Helquist 

Format: Paperback

Genre: Fantasy (middle grade)
Source: Gift from my mom
Review: On the blog (⭐⭐⭐)

Filippo's Dome

by Anne Rockwell
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Nonfiction (juvenile chapter book)
Source: Personal collection
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street

by Helene Hanff
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Memoir/diary
Source: Inter-library loan
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐) 

Revenge of the Wrought-Iron Flamingos

by Donna Andrews
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Cozy mystery
Source: Scribd
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Scent of Water

by Elizabeth Goudge
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Literary fiction
Source: Inter-library loan
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Friday's Tunnel

by John Verney

Format: Paperback review copy
Genre: Mystery/adventure
Source: Paul Dry Books, Inc.
Review: On the blog (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Little Fires Everywhere

by Celeste Ng
Format: Audiobook
Genre: Literary fiction
Source: Public library
Review: On Goodreads  (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

The Master Puppeteer

by Katherine Paterson
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Historical fiction (middle grade)
Source: Personal collection
Review: On the blog (⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Inside the Ark

by Caryll Houselander
Format: Hardcover
Genre: Catholic short stories for kids
Source: Inter-library loan
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐)

Crazy Rich Asians

Format: Paperback
Genre: Realistic fiction
Source: Public library
Review: On Goodreads (⭐⭐⭐)

Picture Books (with links to Goodreads reviews)

• You Can't Make a Move Without Your Muscles by Paul Showers
• The Long Lost Coelacanth by Aliki
• Sea Glass Summer by Michelle Houts, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
• The Doll People's Christmas by Ann M. Martin & Laura Godwin, illustrated by Brett Helquist
• A Baby Starts to Grow by Paul Showers, illustrated by Rosalind Fry
• Before You Were a Baby by Paul Showers
• Madam and Nun and 1001: What Is a Palindrome? by Brian P. Cleary
• Materials by Steffi Clarke-Cavell
• Wood by Andrea Rivera
• Wood by Harriet Brundle
• The Good Son by Pierre-Jacques Ober, illustrated by Jules Ober and Felicity Coonan
• Rock by Harriet Brundle
• Joan of Arc by Josephine Poole, illustrated by Angela Barrett 

Blog Posts Published

• Making the Most of Read-a-thons
• Books My Children Have Destroyed
• My Favorite Books Released in the Last Ten Years

Challenge Progress

• Alphabet Soup: 2 read in May, 21 of 26 read total
• Alphabet Soup Author Edition: 2 read in May, 21 of 26 read total
• #CathLit: 0 read in May, 11 of 19 read total
• Cloak and Dagger: 2 read in May, 26 of 55 read total
• Craving for Cozies: 2 read in May, 18 of 51 read total
• Library Love: 7 read in May, 39 of 60 read total
• RMFAO Audiobooks: 3 read in May, 28 of 25 read total
• Goodreads Goal: 39 read in May, 202 of 425 read total

I'll be linking up this post for It's Monday! What Are You Reading? with The Book Date and Unleashing Readers/Teach Mentor Texts and for the May 2019 Monthly Wrap-Up Round-Up Link-Up at Feed Your Fiction Addiction.