KateKintail's July Reading Log

[katekintailbc]

This is a recap of my July reading, for a swap-bot swap I signed up for. I chose to post it here so that I can format it the way I want. See below for a very brief recap of what I thought of the books along with a link to read more about my thoughts, if you so desire.

Here's a list of books I read during the month but didn't finish (or haven't finished yet):

• The Sherlockian by Graham Moore


• The Maze Runnber by James Dashner


• The International Bank of Bob by Bob Harris


• 29 Gifts by Cami Walker


• The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Here are the books I finished this month:

1. Journey by Aaron Becker
   http://katekintailbc.livejournal.com/186758.html
   A beautiful picture book about a girl whose imagination comes alive thanks to her crayon (more than just an homage to Harold and the Purple Crayon)


2. Each Little Bird that Sings by Deborah Wiles
   http://katekintailbc.livejournal.com/186149.html
   I'm not sure what I expected from this book, but I really liked where it went, even though that surprised me. I can see what it was a National Book Award finalist. I was totally on the side of the main character the whole time, as she showed me her life as a young girl whose family runs the local funeral home.


3. Breakaway by Deirdre Martin
   http://katekintailbc.livejournal.com/183542.html
   I love this author's hockey romance series--they're pretty much the only romances I have liked over the years. However, this one left me wanting. There was too much hate and not enough believable love in their love-hate relationship. There was also pretty much no romance or hockey in this hockey romance. Disappointing.


4. Hip Check by Deirdre Martin
   http://katekintailbc.livejournal.com/186023.html
   Loved this one. Playboy hockey player + niece he suddenly has custody of + sensible nanny = unexpected but satisfying romance. I liked the complications the little girl brought to this romance. Plus, there was a great amount of hockey. Loved this book.


5. Picasso and Minou by P.I. Maltbie
   http://katekintailbc.livejournal.com/185484.html
   Sweet story about the artist, Picasso, and his cat. Showed lots of different scenes that beautifully echoed Picasso's works. Also, elements of the story were true!


6. A Pillow for my Mom by Charissa Sgouros
   http://katekintailbc.livejournal.com/185315.html
   With soft colors and gentle words, we follow a little girl who creates a pillow for her mother who is in the hospital, and then has the pillow to remember her mother by after her mother's death. I'm so glad this book exists for little kids.


7. Little Elephants by Graeme Base
   http://katekintailbc.livejournal.com/185026.html
   A struggling farm family is saved by a horn that brings them... little elephants! Strange and fantastic.


8. Chasing Vermeer by Blue Balliett
   http://katekintailbc.livejournal.com/184592.html
   Two kids solve a mystery to recover a stolen piece of art. The characters were good, but the puzzles and the way the mystery unfolded were good examples of what I don't like from mysteries (i.e. characters jumping to the correct conclusions out of the blue). I was really hoping to like this one more; I won't be reading the rest of the series.


9. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
   http://katekintailbc.livejournal.com/184509.html
   It's up to young little Ender to fight aliens and save the world. I really liked the world and Battle School. I liked following Ender's decisions and adventures. But I didn't find some of the analysis his character was able to do to be believable. I saw the big twist coming, but not the final outcome. I don't think I'll continue reading any of this author's books.


10. The Followers (Star Wars: Jedi Apprentice Special Edition 2 by Jude Watson
    http://katekintailbc.livejournal.com/183926.html
    Great book to finish with. This one involved the Sith and the way they go from legend to reality throughout this dozen years or so as Obi-Wan goes from apprentice to Master. I'm sad to see it end.


11. The Journey that Saved Curious George by Louise Borden
    http://katekintailbc.livejournal.com/183765.html
    Neat story about the authors of the Curious George books and what they had to go through to escape the Nazi occupation of France during World War II. They escaped to save their Curious George manuscript... but the manuscript heped save their lives as well! This book was written for kids, so it's simple and full of illustrations accompanying the story, but it's still powerful and engrossing.


12. Drawing from Memory by Allen Say
    http://katekintailbc.livejournal.com/183247.html
    This autobiography of a comic/artist is filled with as many images as words. We follow him through his childhood and see his skills and opportunities evolve. A good story.


13. The Rockaways by Gilles Peress
    http://katekintailbc.livejournal.com/185779.html
    Photographs and short essays about this part of New York in the aftermath of Sandy. Eye-opening and moving. A light read with heavy content.

Here are the books I re-read this month:

1. The Tales of Beedle the Bard by J.K. Rowling- I re-read this for a Harry Potter meetup group book discussion. I read it in little bits and pieces, a few pages a day during my lunch break. I really like that this book exists, adding to the culture of the wizarding world with its fairy tales. Some are interesting, some are heart-warming, one is pretty creepy and dark. But I like them and I love that they make the world richer by being in it.

I also started re-reading a novel-length fanfic, "Two Wolves" by Xanthe. That's a lot of reading in one month, and a variety of picture books, nonfiction, juvie/young adult fiction, and more.

Happy reading, everyone!

Comments

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