Tuesday, January 31, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite graphic novels, comics or picture books



This week's Top Ten is all about favorite graphic novels, comics or pictures books.  This isn't an area that I've read a lot of, well except for when my kiddo was really little and we read together at night, but there are quite a few books that we enjoyed.  So this is a list of picture books, graphic novels, and comics that I like to think sparked my child's love of reading and a few that I particularly enjoyed.  

Picture Books:




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Graphic Novels/Comics:  


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Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Top Ten Tuesday Freebie: 2016 Bookish Resolutions recap and 2017's




Top Ten Tuesday is a Meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish  This week's Top Ten Tuesday is a Freebie, or pick whatever topic you want.  I decided that I would review my resolutions from last year and come up with some new ones (in bold).    So in no particular order... here are my resolutions from last year.....



1.  To read more diverse books- I think I met my goal last year thanks to  http://weneeddiversebooks.org/  and my actively looking and putting holds at the library.  One of my favorites last year was Lily and Dunkin by Donna Gephart.  I think this will always be a goal for me to include.   

2.  To read more classics-Last year I was only able to read a handful, Ellen Tebbits, Mary Poppins Comes Back, Ramona The Pest and a new favorite Emily of New Moon.   This year my plans are to re-read Alice in Wonderland and Peter Pan.  

3.  To read at least 100 books- I squeaked past 100, with the help of all my reading for the Cybils.  I came in at 123 in fact.  100 is a nice round number, so I'm going to shoot for that again this year.  Especially since I'm getting off to a slow start.   

4.  Finish some of the books that I own- I did a pretty good job in reading a few books that I received or bought, taking about two books off of the stack (Beneath and Hunters Chaos).  This is always such a hard goal for me.  Mostly cause I keep adding books to the ever leaning tower of books, but now I'm also purchasing books for the kiddo that I want to read.  Things like  A Monster Calls  and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children , but I am going to shoot for reading more again this year.    

5.  Read more YA-  I planned on reading Dumplin and Truthwitch.  I did read Dumplin but also read Six of Crows, Dreamers Often Lie, Crown of Midnight, Nevernight and Blue Lily Lily Blue.  I so missed reading YA and this year have plans to read the sequel to Nevernight (no title yet) and to finally read The Raven King.  

6.  To weed my Goodreads TBR list down to about 300- At the time this seemed reasonable.   I did have quite a few books that I probably wasn't going to read anymore, and did get rid of a few picture books that I had on the list,  but I'm sitting at 596 books and steadily climbing.  Oh well,  I've given up on this one for now.  

7.  To read more science fiction- This is another goal that I didn't really get too last year.  I still want to keep this on the list though.  


8.  To read at least one non-fiction book- I finally found that book I was thinking of,  The Boys Who Challenged Hitler.  It's the only non-fiction book that I read last year, but I really did enjoy it.  I plan to modify this one into reading one Mystery book this year.  It's another genre that I haven't read in a long time and my kiddo has been asking for some good books.  If you have any YA Mystery suggestions, I'm certainly open to any recommendations.     

 9&10.  To finally read the Illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.  (I used to re-read these books each year, but for the past two years I just haven't gotten to it).   And to draw in my Harry Potter Colouring Book  Nope didn't happen, I'm not certain why either.  I did color in an animal coloring book and it was quite enjoyable.  I just couldn't bring myself to mark up my Harry Potter one.   I'm still planning on reading either my Illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone or re-reading The Chamber of Secrets this year.  


Overall, I came in somewhere around 6/10 goals met.  Some I felt like I made progress on but others I'm nowhere near accomplishing (cutting down on my Goodreads TBR).  It's hopeless, or too daunting or  I don't know, maybe it doesn't matter to me that much.   One thing I did notice was that it was nice making out some goals for the year and seeing how I did.  Did you make out any bookish resolutions this year?  Now on to another year of fun reading for me!    

Monday, January 16, 2017

Getting Back into the Swing of Things 2017

Hard to believe it's already the second week of 2017, especially since I spent the beginning of the month recovering from a nasty cold and it feels like everything went by in a haze.  I still have the sniffles, but things are looking up and I'm ready to recap the Cybils and look on to books coming out this year. 

Boy, was it another fun Cybils year of reading Elem./MG Speculative Fiction.  There were something like 115 books nominated and I was able to read 95.  Which roughly translates to about 30, 000 pages.  Not too shabby.  I'm always excited to see what gets nominated but really just love reading the books that were selected.  One of these years I will read all of the nominations.   I'm really happy with the semifinalist's list and can't wait to see who the final winner will be, but here are some of my personal favorites that were nominated this year: 
  

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It should be no surprise then that some of these authors sequels will be on my 2017 list of books that I want to read.  


Middle-Grade books I'm looking forward to in 2017 Books

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Dream Magic  by Joshua Khan
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Disney-Hyperion
Publishing:  April 11th, 2017

Why I want to read Dream Magic:  Shadow Magic was one of my favorite reads from the Cybils this year and I really enjoy the world of Gehenna.  

People throughout Gehenna are disappearing, even the feared executioner Tyburn. Many of the nobles believe the kidnappings to be the work of the northern trolls, raiding south for the winter, and when Baron Sable and others head off to fight them, Castle Gloom is left guarded by only the squires.

Lily is struggling with her growing necromantic powers. The castle fills with ghosts, drawn like moths to a flame by the brightness of her magic. Zombies roam the country, some left over from those raised in SHADOW MAGIC, others awakened by Lily. Families are troubled by the returning dead, so Lily tries to incorporate them into day-to-day life, much to the resentment of the living.

Then Lily is attacked in her own castle by a mysterious sorcerer known as Dreamweaver, a young man determined to conquer Gehenna using jewel-spiders, strange crystalline creatures whose bite doesn’t kill, but sends victims to sleep. Lily soon discovers that Dreamweaver is harvesting dreams to fuel his magic.

Lily enters the realm of sleep known as the Dream Time, in an attempt to awaken all the captive dreamers. Instead she finds herself trapped within a dream, one where her family is still alive. With the help of Thorn and the ever loyal Hades, she must somehow overcome the evil Dreamweaver by using his own magic against him – and reclaim her kingdom.
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Short  by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Dial Books
Number of Pages:  304
Published:  January 31st, 2017

Why I want to read Short:  The cover grabbed me and I really enjoyed Sloan's Counting by 7's. 


Julia is very short for her age, but by the end of the summer run of The Wizard of Oz, she'll realize how big she is inside, where it counts. She hasn't ever thought of herself as a performer, but when the wonderful director of Oz casts her as a Munchkin, she begins to see herself in a new way. As Julia becomes friendly with the poised and wise Olive - one of the adults with dwarfism who've joined the production's motley crew of Munchkins - and with her deeply artistic neighbor, Mrs. Chang, Julia's own sense of self as an artist grows. Soon, she doesn't want to fade into the background and it's a good thing because her director has more big plans for Julia!

30653902Miss Ellicott's School for the Magically Minded by Sage Blackwood
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Katherine Tegan Books
Number of Pages:  368
Publishing: March 21st, 2017

Why I want to read Miss Ellicott's School for the Magically Minded:   I've read and enjoyed Jinx by the author and I love school stories and kids learning magic.  That cover is gorgeous.  


Chantel would much rather focus on her magic than on curtsying, which is why 
she often finds herself in trouble at Miss Ellicott’s School for Magical Maidens. But when Miss Ellicott mysteriously disappears along with all the other sorceresses in the city, Chantel’s behavior becomes the least of her problems.
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Without any magic protecting the city, it is up to Chantel and her friends to save the Kingdom. On a dangerous mission, Chantel will discover a crossbow-wielding boy, a dragon, and a new, fiery magic that burns inside her—but can she find the sorceresses and transform Lightning Pass into the city it was meant to be?
 


The Great Hibernation by Tara Dairman
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Random House/Lamb
Publishing: September 12th, 2017

Why I want to read The Great Hibernation:   I loved Tara Dairman's All Four Stars Series and am excited to read her latest book.   


The most important tradition in tiny St. Polonius-on-the-Fjord is the annual Tasting of the Sacred Bear Liver. Each citizen over twelve must eat one bite of liver to prevent the recurrence of the Great Hibernation, when the town founder's fell asleep for months.

This year is Jean Huddy's first time to taste the liver. It doesn't go well. A few hours later, all the adults fall asleep. And no one can wake them.

The kids are left to run things, and they're having a blast. That is, until the town bullies take over the mayor's office and the police force.

Jean suspects that this "hibernation" was actually engineered by someone in town. She starts to investigate, and inspires other kids to join her in a secret plan to save St. Polonius.


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Midnight Without a Moon by Linda William Jackson
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Published: January 3rd, 2017

Why I want to read Midnight Without A Moon:  Each year I try to read at least one historical fiction and I've been hearing such good things about this book.  

Rose Lee Carter, a 13-year-old African-American girl, dreams of life beyond the Mississippi cotton fields during the summer of 1955. Her world is rocked when a 14-year-old African-American boy, Emmett Till, is killed for allegedly whistling at a white woman. 



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Dragonwatch: A Fablehaven Adventure by Brandon Mull
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Shadow Mountain 
Published: March 14th, 2017

Why I want to read Dragonwatch:  Fablehaven is my child's favorite series and I can't pass up this new installment.  

In the hidden dragon sanctuary of Wyrmroost, Celebrant the Just, King of the Dragons, plots his revenge. He has long seen the sanctuaries as prisons, and he wants nothing more than to overthrow his captors and return the world to the Age of Dragons, when he and his kind ruled and reigned without borders. The time has come to break free and reclaim his power.

No one person is capable of stopping Celebrant and his dragon horde. It will take the ancient order of Dragonwatch to gather again if there is any chance of saving the world from destruction. In ancient times, Dragonwatch was a group of wizards, enchantresses, dragon slayers, and others who originally confined the majority of dragons into sanctuaries. But nearly all of the original Dragonwatch members are gone, and so the wizard Agad reaches out to Grandpa Sorenson for help.

As Kendra and Seth confront this new danger, they must draw upon all their skills, talents, and knowledge as only they have the ability to function together as a powerful dragon tamer. Together they must battle against forces with superior supernatural powers and breathtaking magical abilities.

How will the epic dragon showdown end? Will dragons overthrow humans and change the world as we know it?
 


2017 Must Read YA Books:

32075671The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publishing: February 28th, 2017

Why I want to read The Hate U Give:  I've been seeing this pop-up a lot on Twitter and the premise makes this sound like I book that I wouldn't want to miss. 


Sixteen-year-old Starr lives in two worlds: the poor neighbourhood where she was born and raised and her posh high school in the suburbs. The uneasy balance between them is shattered when Starr is the only witness to the fatal shooting of her unarmed best friend, Khalil, by a police officer. Now what Starr says could destroy her community. It could also get her killed. Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this is a powerful and gripping YA novel about one girl's struggle for justice. 
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The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli
Format: Hardcover
Publisher: Balzer + Bray
Publishing: April 11th, 2017

Why I want to read The Upside:  I have an EArc from Netgalley and this is my most anticipated YA read for this year.   

Seventeen-year-old Molly Peskin-Suso knows all about unrequited love. No matter how many times her twin sister, Cassie, tells her to woman up, Molly can’t stomach the idea of rejection. So she’s careful. Fat girls always have to be careful.

Then a cute new girl enters Cassie’s orbit, and for the first time ever, Molly’s cynical twin is a lovesick mess. Meanwhile, Molly's totally not dying of loneliness—except for the part where she is. Luckily, Cassie's new girlfriend comes with a cute hipster-boy sidekick. If Molly can win him over, she'll get her first kiss and she'll get her twin back. 

There's only one problem: Molly's coworker, Reid. He's a chubby Tolkien superfan with a season pass to the Ren Faire, and there's absolutely no way Molly could fall for him. 

Right?



Untitled or books without a cover or release date yet, but they are on my favorite authors/purchase list:  (links to Goodreads)
Middle-Grade

The Problem Children by Natalie Lloyd  A middle-grade series about seven strange siblings, all born on a different day of the week, and the neighbors who keep trying to tear their family apart. 

Impyrium #2  by Henry Neff   No description yet or title.  

Posted by John David Anderson   In middle school, words aren’t just words. They can be weapons. They can be gifts. The right words can win you friends or make you enemies. They can come back to haunt you. Sometimes they can change things forever.

When cell phones are banned at Branton Middle School, Frost and his friends Deedee, Wolf, and Bench come up with a new way to communicate: leaving sticky notes for each other all around the school. It catches on, and soon all the kids in school are leaving notes—though for every kind and friendly one, there is a cutting and cruel one as well.

In the middle of this, a new girl named Rose arrives at school and sits at Frost’s lunch table. Rose is not like anyone else at Branton Middle School, and it’s clear that the close circle of friends Frost has made for himself won’t easily hold another. As the sticky-note war escalates, and the pressure to choose sides mounts, Frost soon realizes that after this year, nothing will ever be the same.


The Empty Grave (Lockwood & Co. #5) by Jonathan Stroud   Five months after the events in THE CREEPING SHADOW, we join Lockwood, Lucy, George, Holly, and their associate Quill Kips on a perilous night mission: they have broken into the booby-trapped Fittes Mausoleum, where the body of the legendary psychic heroine Marissa Fittes lies. Or does it? This is just one of the many questions to be answered in Book 5 of the Lockwood & Co. series. Will Lockwood ever reveal more about his family's past to Lucy? Will their trip to the Other Side leave Lucy and Lockwood forever changed? Will Penelope Fittes succeed in shutting down their agency forever? The young agents must survive attacks from foes both spectral and human before they can take on their greatest enemy in a climactic and chaotic battle. And to prevail they will have to rely on help from some surprising--and shadowy--allies. Jonathan Stroud once again delivers a rousing adventure full of danger, laughs, twists, and frights. 


Young Adult 

Godsgrave by Jay Kristoff   Young assassin Mia continues her journey for revenge in this new epic fantasy from acclaimed author Jay Kristoff.

Jay Kristoff's masterful ability to create immersive universes continues to impress in this new fantasy, which continues where we left off with assassin Mia in her high-stakes quest for revenge.

Mia has found her place among the Blades, but many in the hierarchy think she hasn’t earned it. She’s no closer to avenging her family; in fact, she’s told directly that Consul Scaeva is off limits. But Mia has her own suspicions about the Red Church’s motives.

When it’s announced that Scaeva will be making a rare public appearance at the conclusion of the gladiatorial games, Mia sells herself into bondage to enter the games. Beneath the arena floor, Mia finds new rivals and allies. But as she is forced to kill those she counted as friends on the arena sands, those she trusts begin to question her cause and she’ll be forced to fight for her life with only the assistance of a mysterious shadowy figure.


Next post I'll be looking at my bookish resolutions from last year and seeing how well I did plus making a few new ones.   Thanks for stopping by and feel free to let me know if there are any books that I just must take a look at.   
Hope you have a great week!



Sunday, January 1, 2017

The 2016 Cybils Finalists for Elementary/Middle Grade Speculative Fiction


Shadow Magicby Joshua Khan
Disney-Hyperion
Nominated by: Sussu Leclerc
13-year-old Thorn was just sold as a slave to the executioner of Gehanna, a kingdom famous for its dark magic. Lillith Shadow, also 13, has just become Gehenna’s queen when her parents and brother were mysteriously killed and must learn to rule the land of the undead. When Thorn and Lily’s path cross in Gehenna, the two join forces to find the killer of Lily’s parents, while also trying to stop an assassin targeting Lily. Shadow Magic is an action-packed fantasy filled with all manner of creepy characters (dead and alive), including an enormous, and rather helpful, bat. It’s a captivating mystery full of magic, with touches of humor and characters to cheer for. It’s perfect for those who like fantasy with a delightfully Gothic twist.
Brenda Tjaden, Log Cabin Library
The Evil Wizard Smallboneby Delia Sherman
Candlewick Press
Nominated by: Lizjonesbooks
In fierce Maine winter, with werewolves on the prowl, 12-year-old Nick runs from him abusive family and finds himself at the bookstore of the Evil Wizard Smallbone. The wizard won’t let him go, but when he’s not being forced to do chores, he secretly learns magic with the help of the bookstore (it offers him just the right books). Nick’s new magical skills are put the test when the evil leader of the werewolves launches an attack on the town Smallbone is sworn to protect. While Nick’s powers have been growing, Smallbone hasn’t been getting any younger, and the werewolves are formidable foes. This is a tremendously fun, imaginative and captivating story. There are lots of enchantments (including some that go wrong), magical dueling, and a beautifully satisfying twist at the end. Though Smallbone might be an “Evil Wizard,” his bookstore and the snowy Maine landscape around it are lovely places to spend some time (if you don’t mind a few hostile werewolves….)
Charlotte Taylor, Charlotte’s Libary
The Firefly Codeby Megan Frazer Blakemore
Bloomsbury USA
Nominated by: Sarah Sammis
The Firefly Code tells the story of five friends and one summer that irrevocably changes all of their lives. Set in the future in a fairly idyllic community protected from the ravages of the outside world, the Firefly Five have reached that age when they are beginning to question their reality and the place each of them has in it. Asking questions about ethics in science, the power of community, when it is appropriate to rebel, and what it means to live, The Firefly Code does what truly good science-fiction does best. A mystery, a friendship story, and a quest story all in one, this book will give readers a wonderful thought-provoking journey where they will meet characters they will love and think about long after they close the pages of the book.
The Goblin’s Puzzle: Being the Adventures of a Boy with No Name and Two Girls Called Aliceby Andrew Chilton
Alfred A. Knopf Books for Young Readers
Nominated by: E.B.
As a kid Mr. Chilton “gobbled up fantasy novels and logic puzzles.” The Goblin’s Puzzle combines these two interests in a delightful story of goblins, girls named Alice, a nameless boy, and dragons. The Boy is running for his life; the goblin, Mennofar, is a tricky sidekick; and the two Alices, one a princess and the other a commoner, are just trying to keep from being mistaken for one another—because one Alice is going to be kidnapped by the dragon, Ludwig. It’s a rollicking good read with loads of humor, a little bit of logic, and some tricky puzzles. Read it and learn why it’s “hard for a goblin and a human to be friends.”
Sherry Early, Semicolon
The Memory Thiefby Bryce Moore
Adaptive Books
Nominated by: Kristen
What if you had the opportunity to erase, add or replace memories? Benji discovers a man named Louis at the fair who can do just that. When Benji gets the power to change memories himself, he tries to “fix” his parents, who have decided to divorce. When things go horribly wrong, Benji tries to find Louis again, only to discover he is missing. Instead, he finds himself in the middle of the schemes of Louis’ old apprentice, a woman who wants to use memories for evil and selfish purposes. Benji must use his new skills as a memory thief and random abilities picked up from other people’s memories to stop her, and save his family. It’s a fascinating premise, and though there are light moments (like Benji’s memories of yoga expertise) the overall tone is suspenseful and chilling. The tension keeps growing as the pages turn, driving home the point of the saying of “be careful what you wish for”.
Kristen Harvey, The Book Monsters
The Voyage to Magical Northby Claire Fayers
Henry Holt
Nominated by: Sheila Ruth
If you want to sail on seas full of magic and monsters, looking for a legendary place that might not exist, take a Voyage to Magical North. Two kids, Brine, servant to a very unpleasant wizard, and Peter, the wizard’s apprentice, are captured by pirates and become part of a harrowing effort to reach Magical North, a place of extraordinary dangers and enchantments. Making things even more exciting (in a bad way) is the seriously evil wizard brought on board the pirate ship because he’s needed to help them get to their destination. It’s not just a story of magical voyaging, but also a more universal story of two young people moving past their intense dislike for each other to work together, and to find truths about who they are and what they are capable of. The vivid descriptions of the places and people encountered are enchanting and haunting, and the brisk pace of the adventure keeps the pages turning very nicely indeed.
Charlotte Taylor, Charlotte’s Libary
When the Sea Turned to Silverby Grace Lin
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Nominated by: PragmaticMom
The final installment in Grace Lin’s loosely connected trio of books based in Chinese folklore, When the Sea Turned to Silver is a beautifully told story that takes the reader on a magical journey through China from mountains to the sea. Told in Lin’s deceptively simple, evocative prose, this is a quest full of adventure and action accompanied by gorgeous, colorful illustrations. The characters come to vivid life and experience friendship, love, community, and power-both good and bad. An excellent read aloud for younger children and equally engrossing as an independent read, When the Sea Turned to Silver is sure to captivate readers of all ages.

It's been another fun year of Cybils reading and book discussions with fellow judges. 

 Each year I wonder how we seem to get through all the books nominated

but somehow we do.   I'm taking off for a bit, but soon I'll be posting my favorites of 2016 

and what I'm planning on reading in the New Year! 

I hope you'll check out the full list of Cybils finalists here.



Happy New Year!
Brenda