Anne (AMQS) Reads in 2024

A favorite place: foggy Halifax, Nova Scotia, visited in 2023.

Happy New Year, dear friends! Thank you for making LT my happy, safe place.

My name is Anne. 53. I live in Lakewood, Colorado with my husband Stelios, daughter Callia, and three kitties. Our two daughters are grown - Callia is home and Marina will graduate from university this year. I am a teacher librarian in a little mountain elementary school, so I read a lot of children's literature, along with adult literary fiction. I adore audiobooks and always have one going for my commutes up to school. This is my 15th year in the group (thank you, Jim/drneutron!)

Now Reading:


Audio:

2023 Favorites:
Just as I struggle to rate or star books as I read them, it's always hard to choose favorites. Here's a go:

Favorite favorite:
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer - read for book club and paired with an incredible light-themed photography exhibit by Native American photographers at the Denver Art Museum, with a tour by one of our book club members who is a volunteer Art Museum docent.

Best of:
Nonfiction - in addition to Braiding Sweetgrass I loved:
The 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives by Dashka Slater
Stamped: Racism, Antiracism and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
Forty Autumns: A Family’s Story of Courage and Survival on Both Sides of the Berlin Wall by Nina Willner

Fiction
A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Stories
Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri

Middle Grade Literature
Ellen Outside the Lines by A.J. Sass
A Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga
Worst-Case Collin by Rebecca Caprara
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhart

Rereads
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Persuasion by Jane Austen
The Murderbot Diaries

Welcome back, Anne!

Hi, Anne! I teach 17-19 year olds so I try to see what they are reading and try to tackle them. That being said, I'm real tired of their fantasy and zombie books! Good luck with your 2024 reading.

January, 2024
1. Thirteen Doorways Wolves Behind Them All by Laura Ruby
2. The No-Show by Beth O'Leary
3. You Are Here: Connecting Flights edited by Ellen Oh
4. Ode to a Nobody by Caroline Brooks DuBois
5. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor
6. A Long Time Coming: A Lyrical Biography of Race in America from Ona Judge to Barack Obama by Ray Anthony Shepard
7. Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan

February, 2024
8. Dinosaurs: A Novel by Lydia Millet
9. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
10. Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson
11. Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen
12. All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle
13. Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh

March, 2024
14. American Mermaid by Julia Langbein
15. The Sea Gate by Jane Johnson
16. An Unfinished Life by Mark Spragg
17. The Liar’s Dictionary by Eley Williams
18. Wandering Star by J. M. G. Le Clézio

April, 2024
19. The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton
20. The Night War by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley
21. Those Kids From Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly
22. Horse by Geraldine Brooks
23. The Skull by Jon Klassen
24. Enemies in the Orchard by Dana Vanderlugt
25. The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Schmidt

May, 2024
26. Daughters of the Lamp by Nedda Lewers
27. Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell
28. Day by Michael Cunningham
29. Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

June, 2024
30. Crying in H Mart: a Memoir by Michelle Zauner
31. Solito by Javier Zamora
32. How to Stay Invisible by Maggie C. Rudd
33. Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
34. Ravenfall by Kalyn Josephson
35. Yellowface by R. F. Kuang
36. Not an Easy Win by Chrystal D. Giles
37. Duel by Jessixa Bagley and Aaron Bagley
38. Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang
39. What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama

>4 drneutron: Thank you, Jim! I am very glad to be here.

>5 Tess_W: Hi there! Thanks for visiting my thread. I do love middle grade literature, but I am trying to prioritize what I love to read, so I feel I didn't read as much of it as I normally do. I would tire of zombies, too.

Happy New Year, Anne! Wishing you another great year of reading pleasure!

Your favorite reads list reminds me I need to reread The Graveyard Book. I think Gaiman is the audiobook narrator, and he’s wonderful.

>9 Storeetllr: Hi Mary! I had been searching for an audiobook version narrated by Neil Gaiman, and finally gave up and listened to a full cast recording (Mr. Gaiman does have a role) and it was AMAZING!

Hmm. I swear I remember listening to him read it, but that was years ago, so maybe that version has been mothballed. I’ll look around and let you know if I find it.

Ok, it’s available at Audible, plus it looks like the Aurora and Arapahoe libraries both have copies of that version.

Happy 2024, Anne!

>3 AMQS: Great list of favourites.

Happy New Year, Anne. Have a safe & healthy 2024.

Happy New Year, Anne! I hope you are having a good break. Having a school in transition is hard and I wish you well.

Happy new year, Anne!

Happy New Year, Anne. What a great list of favorites! I look forward to following your reading this year. I hope 2024 is a good year for you and your family.

Happy reading in 2024, Anne!

Happy new year, Anne!

Happy 2024, Anne! I hope you and all yours have an excellent year this year.

Did you watch the Netflix version of Stamped from the Beginning? If at all possible, that's one to spend some time with this year. The book, and the juvenile version, are good but the film's immediate and accessible in a different way.

Hi, Anne!

I saw Thirteen Doorways Wolves Behind Them All in a list somewhere recently and immediately added it to my wishlist based on that fantastic title alone.

Happy new year, Anne! Looking forward to following your reading and adventures through 2024.

Happy New Year!

Hi Anne, stopping by to wish you a Happy New Year and best wishes for 2024!

Happy New Year and happy new thread!

Happy new year Anne! Got you starred!

>11 Storeetllr:, >12 Storeetllr: Since I just listened to it I think that'll hold me for now:) When I am ready for a reread I may seek out the Gaiman-narrated version, but I really loved it with the full cast.

>13 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita!

>14 msf59: Thank you, Mark - you as well.

>15 ronincats: Thank you, Roni. I have had a good break, and we have done pretty much nothing, which I think is exactly what I needed. Back to school today, kind of. We are lucky enough to get something of a soft start because our district does not heat our buildings over break. It turned on today, and because the building would be so cold we were encouraged to work from home. I'll take it!

>16 katiekrug: Thanks, Katie!

>17 BLBera: Thank you, Beth. It's something of a shock to even say "2024" and we are determined that ti will be a good year! Hope yours is as well.

>18 FAMeulstee: Thank you, Anita!

>19 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura!

>20 richardderus: Thank you, Richard, and the same for you and yours. Thank you for the tip. I don't often watch things, but this one seems like a good exception (I'm not opposed to watching, it's just not my habit. There's already plenty of hockey:)

>21 scaifea: Hi Amber! I am liking the book so far, though I understand I am in for an emotional ride. Ive heard good things about Bone Gap by the same author. Have you read that one?

>22 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba! Enjoy your New Year up in the PNW!

>23 ChelleBearss: Thank you, Chelle! Here's hoping both of us can keep up:)

>24 lkernagh: Thank you, Lori!

>25 foggidawn: Thanks, foggi - I sure do rely on your thread for reading ideas!

>26 curioussquared: Thanks for the star, Natalie!

Hi Anne- lovely to see you back (and me back- after a patchy attendance record in 2023!!).

Happy reading and good tidings for 2024 :)

>3 AMQS: I really need to get to Braiding Sweetgrass soon! Thanks for the reminder, Anne, and thank you for sharing all of your favorites from last year. I love this time of year and all the lists!

Happy New Year! Happy New Thread!

Happy 2024, Anne! I LOVED Thirteen Doorways, hope it's a good read for you too!

Happy New Year Anne! I’ve just found your thread!

>28 AMQS: I have indeed read Bone Gap and loved it. I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't recognize the author's name, but now I'm even more determined to read this one!

>29 LovingLit: Glad to see you, Megan! I had very spotty attendance myself and am determined to be here more. See you around!

>30 alcottacre: I do, too, Stasia, and I find I rely on the lists when it's time to think about gifts, etc. Hope you enjoy Braiding Sweetgrass when you get to it. It's a special book.

>31 bell7: That's great to hear, Mary! So far I am really enjoying it, and it is certainly different from other things I have read.

>32 SandDune: Hi Rhian - glad you found me!

>33 scaifea: Amber, that happened to me recently - a friend was gushing about an author that Stelios and I said we didn't know... except that we do (once he hit on a book we had both read). It happens!

>27 AMQS: Good to know! I just finished a reread, or, to be more accurate, a relisten, to The Graveyard Book, read by Neil Gaiman. At some point, I’ll check out the full cast version.

Hi Anne! I've starred your thread and looking forward to following your reading again this year.

Happy new year! Happy new thread! Star dropped.

Happy New Reading Year, Anne.

I always like when Jane Austen pops up at the year's best reads. Or rereads. Persuasion is probably my favorite novel of hers - at least it's the one I've read the most times.

Finally dropping off a star, Anne. Love your topper photo from Halifax!

Happy 2024, Anne!

>1 AMQS: Lovely photo - I can almost smell the briny sea air. My brother has a small place on Nova Scotia and spends as much time there as he is allowed.

>35 Storeetllr: Like you, Mary, that's a book I will always go back to!

>36 aktakukac: Hi Rachel, I am so glad to see you! Happy New Year!

>37 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! Thanks for coming along.

>38 ctpress: Hi Carsten! I am so happy to see you! I think Persuasion just might be my favorite Austen also.

>39 MickyFine: Hi Micky! I'm pretty sure that photo was taken from our spot at the Bicycle Thief. Thanks again for that recommendation:)

>40 Copperskye: Hi Joanne! I am envious of your brother's place, and totally get staying there as much as he is allowed, lol. Have you been? I hear it is going to get really cold this week - stay warm!

>41 AMQS: I'm delighted you enjoyed it! I still think of my meal there with fondness. :)

I was fairly sure that I had posted here already, Anne, but I am obviously showing my age!

Happy new year dear lady and love to you Stelios and your wonderful young ladies.

Star dropped of course.

>42 MickyFine: I think of our whole week in NS with fondness. I can't wait to go back.

>43 PaulCranswick: Happy New Year, Paul!

Snow, snow, snow. I shoveled probably 3 inches from my driveway, but there is considerably more snow up at school, and no plowing so far once you're off of the main road - including the school parking lots. This would have been an excellent day for a late start, which my district began implementing a couple of years ago, but I wonder how many of those we'll get now that hours have switched, meaning elementary and secondary schools have swapped start times so that elementary is earlier and middle/high school start later. Giving brand new high school drivers more time to get the roads clear was a great benefit to the late start. Now they already start late. We've been told we're not taking attendance for at least 90 minutes after the bell because there will be so many students trickling in.

>45 AMQS: I hope you get dug out soon, Anne!

Hi Anne. We got out of Colorado before the snow hit, thank goodness. Mike and family couldn’t come to us for Christmas so we went to Brighton for a long weekend that got shorter with the weather forecast. Still great to see Hope and get her gifts delivered.

I love that your “favorite favorite” was Braiding Sweetgrass. Very cool that your book club could combine it with a trip to the art museum for a Native American tour. I don’t buy many books these days: however, I made an exception for Sweetgrass. I actually got the young adult version because it had pictures!

Stay safe driving to and from school. Have a wonderful year of reading in 2024.

Found you! We are scheduled for some snow later this week...Winter is here!!

>46 alcottacre: Thanks, Stasia! We didn't get snow cleared at school until today, so it's been a bit mucky. "Down the hill" where I live it was mostly gone the same day!

>47 Donna828: Donna, I was thinking about you and hoping you were ahead of it. The drive up to school was bad yesterday and I hear the eastern plains were bad as well. Glad you're home safe!

Braiding Sweetgrass will be one I will buy as well. I do still buy books, unfortunately, but I rarely buy something I've borrowed from the library, or in this case, listened to. This one is special. Thanks for your visit and your wishes!

>48 Berly: Winter is here, indeed, Kim! Stay warm and dry!

>41 AMQS: Yes, I guess winter is finally here! Stock Show weather for sure. Stay safe and warm!

>50 Copperskye: Oh my goodness my morning duty in the parking lot was FREEZING today! Hope you can stay warm as well.

1. Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All by Laura Ruby

This seems like an auspicious way to begin my reading year. This atmospheric, deeply moving YA historical novel is just masterful storytelling. Set in Chicago over the years at the end of the Great Depression and through WWII, the book features the interwoven stories of Frankie, abandoned with her sister Toni by their father to an orphanage, and Pearl, a ghost who watches over Frankie and follows her own pursuits. Pearl narrates both stories, peeling back layers and observing, through her unique vantage point, the vastly different experiences of men and women; of white people and people of color; of the poor and the well off. And ghosts are keenly attuned to suffering, even if it takes practice to reckon with their own. Amazing book.

>52 AMQS: This sounds great, Anne.

I hope you are safe and snug with shoveling done.

>52 AMQS: I'm glad to hear this was a good one - I need to move it up the list!

>52 AMQS: - I'm going to check my library for that one. Sounds good!

>52 AMQS: I was going to read this one for the title alone. Glad you found it so good!

>53 BLBera: Hi Beth! It seems like the whole country is experiencing extreme weather. We got quite a bit of snow at school but only 4-5 inches at home. It's supposed to snow tonight but the temperatures are so very cold that we probably won't get much. The cold, though! It won't get above single digits for the entire long weekend. Is it extreme where you are also?

>54 scaifea: It was a good one, Amber. I plan to read Bone Gap this year, too. I realized I have one of her books in my library also. Have you read The Shadow Cipher (York series)?

>55 katiekrug: A good one, Katie!

>56 Storeetllr: It really is a terrific title, isn't it, Mary? Would be very disappointing if it was a bad book but fortunately that's not the case:)

2. The No-Show by Beth O'Leary

I never thought I liked the romance genre, but I have really enjoyed Beth O'Leary's books, all of which I learned about on LT (thank you). I also thought I didn't much like sci-fi but then Murderbot. But while Murderbot is a love, this one is still just a like. Told from the alternating perspectives of three different women who were stood up on Valentine's Day by the same man, the women fall in and out of and in love with Joseph Carter. I did see a warning that there was a plot twist that some readers might not like. I thought I was one of those readers, but it comes early enough that the book was redeemed and I can say that I enjoyed the read. Or in my case, the audio, narrated by four different people. It just took me forever, as it was interrupted by my hold coming in on the Meryl Streep-narrated audio of Tom Lake in December, and then winter break itself - when I did quite a bit of reading but not listening.

>57 AMQS: I haven't read that one! Let me know what you think when you get to it.

>57 AMQS: We are having mild temperatures and rain and wind. A thunderstorm went through last night. But we are hearing warnings about cold and snow and ice in February.

Stopping by to say Happy Saturday! Stay safe and warm. Just mentioned on another thread that I need to get back to Murderbots, which I learned about on LT.

Hi Anne - I don't even think it's going to get to zero for the next couple of days.

>59 scaifea: Not sure I will any time soon - so many books on my MG TBR list, and of course, I keep ordering new ones:)

>60 witchyrichy: Glad you are having mild temperatures! Seems like something of an anomaly according to what I'm reading in the news. I hope you enjoy your return to Murderbot.

>61 BLBera: The cold is just unbelievable, isn't it? We've had a mix of single digits and negative temps and it is just so unbelievably bitter cold. We've had some snow, but usually when it's freezing we don't get a lot. We've had to shovel a couple of times but it's not really been a big deal snow-wise.

**************
Like much of the rest of the country, we've had extremely and dangerously cold weather, which happily resulted in a snow/freeze day from school today. This, combined with the Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday on Monday gave is a 4-day weekend, which I am loving. I made two pretty labor-intensive dishes this weekend: a roasted chili and potato chowder that we had Saturday and last night (Monday) and koupepia, which most people know as dolmades, but a traditional baked Cypriot version that is tomato-y and delicious. We hosted some friends for dinner for the koupepia - friends we've been meaning to get together with for a long, long time, but life and kids' activities and Covid got in the way. Very nice to catch up with them. Yesterday I baked orange-cardamom muffins, and made more of the homemade muesli I make for our breakfasts, so busy in the kitchen without the stress of cramming everything into a regular weekend!

>58 AMQS: I used to just dismiss romance out of hand but have changed my mind about them enough to give them a try occasionally. I have The Flatshare on my Kindle and keep intending to start it.

It's warming up today. I hope you get to enjoy your snow day!

3. You Are Here: Connecting Flights edited by Ellen Oh

This book is outstanding. It is a collection of interwoven stories of the experiences of Asian American kids as they travel through the Chicago airport. It's always busy at the airport, and this is a day of extreme weather, delays and cancellations. These conditions, combined with the "normal" stress of international travel does not bring out the best in people, and a delay in the security line brings out ugly words ("those people," "go back where they came from and stay there," "kung flu" and more), along with casual racism that reverberates throughout the stories. There are 12 contributing authors, including Ellen Oh, Grace Lin, Erin Entrada Kelly, Christina Soontornvat, Linda Sue Park, and more. The stories are a compassionate glimpse of the Asian American experience at a fraught time, while also highlighting the diversity of Asia and Asians (of course most fellow passengers assume they are Chinese), and the unique identity kids form when they feel caught between two cultures. Highly recommended.

>63 Copperskye: Same, Joanne. I have also given a few a try that I have set aside - usually on audio. I have found that I do like Beth O'Leary, and The Flatshare in particular.

I do plan to enjoy my snow day, and best of all it gives us some extra time with Marina, who returns to school on Saturday.

The girls have taken the opportunity of the long weekend to stitch up a storm. They both have embroidery/needlepoint projects going. Callia is nearly finished with a sweater she's knitting that included "reducing color work," which is a new-ish skill for her, and Marina dug out her old sewing machine and made herself a dress!

>65 AMQS: How fun for you all! And especially glad for the extra time with Marina.

>62 AMQS: The food sounds delicious! What a great way to spend the day.

Sounds like a fantastic snow day for all in your household. We're cold here but not as frigid as the weekend, so crossing my fingers your temperatures warm up soon.

>66 Copperskye: I was grateful for more time with Marina. She's on her way back now, partway through a Newark layover.

>67 figsfromthistle: Thanks, Anita! It was a fun way to spend the day, and fun to share with friends.

>68 MickyFine: Love those snow days! Though it warmed up after the weekend, it was still a bitterly cold week. It looks like it will be warmer next week (for January). It also looks like Marina is flying back in to bitter cold and snow!

4. Ode to a Nobody by Caroline Brooks DuBois

This was an achingly lovely middle grade novel in verse. Quinn is an 8th grader. Her beloved (and perfect) brother has left for college. Her parents' marriage is falling apart, she can't get it together in school, her relationship with lifelong best friend Jack is changing since Jade started going to their school, and a tornado tears through town, devastating some homes and leaving others untouched. As Quinn navigates these major life changes, a teacher quietly encourages her during their poetry unit, and Quinn begins to find herself and find something to like about herself.

As much as I loved the book, I feel it is a bit high/mature for my students, even though they many of them are also high (gifted and talented). I am planning to send it off to a colleague in a middle school with no library budget.

Hi Anne, I got a little behind here. Your cooking-intensive day sounds wonderful, and I'm glad you've been able to enjoy family time with Marina home on break. I love that both Callia and Marina are so crafty. I'm about to start the "reducing" part of a color work sweater myself -- I hope it's going well for Callia.

>71 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura! My cooking mojo seems to be restored after a few months of it feeling like drudgery. You and Callia are so very talented - I am just in awe of what you create.

School news... I was attending a professional development day last week on Friday when the staff received an email from my principal explaining the "water situation." So it's a small mountain community and a small mountain water system. Something happened with the system (a leak/break) and there was very little water, and the water we did have was gritty and discolored (but we were assured safe to drink... as if). To flush toilets, our facilities manager had to pour buckets of the water that the district trucked up there (only one of him). No water bottle filling possible. I was not sad to be out of the building Friday. Well apparently the issues are still ongoing because we just found out that we will not have school tomorrow due to no water. So it's like a snow day but without shoveling! Pretty excited about that. We were also told to "stay tuned" for information about Tuesday.

>82 Copperskye: I am drooling after reading about your weekend of cookery. It is fun when there is nothing else pressing, isn't it?

Hooray for some "snow" days!

Scout and her mom started reading Pax last week, and Scout told me that it was too sad, that both she and her mom were crying, so they decided to read something else. When I talked to my daughter, she said, Scout was sobbing. So, I guess that is one that will stay on the shelf.

Hi Beth! Pax is very sad. Another super popular book everyone loved but I found too sad was The One and Only Ivan. A teacher read it aloud and it was a big bummer for all. On that note, Scout should probably avoid A Wolf Called Wander.

Poor Scout's tender little heart :( There's sad and then there are animal stories. They get me - and others - is a super tender place.

>75 AMQS: Yes, Pax is very sad. BUT…there is a second book, Pax, Journey Home, that did a lot to heal my heart after reading the first book.

Karen O

Well, you have certainly had some days off! And it sounds like you enjoyed them, so all is well. : ) Beth O'Leary is a pretty good author for romance -- haven't read that one yet though...

Hope you are enjoying your day off!

>75 AMQS: I was never able to read the sad animal stories and had some excuse to avoid the day my English department showed The Red Pony to the 9th graders.

>76 klobrien2: Karen, that's good to know. I don't have the sequel in my library, and since Pax isn't flying off of the shelves anymore, I don't know that I would get it unless there's a Pax resurgence.

>77 Berly: I have, and yes, I have enjoyed them! My only lurking worry is that we may have to start making missed days up so we don't run afoul of state requirements of yearly instructional minutes. Due to budget tightness we don't really have much padding.

>78 witchyrichy: I did enjoy my day off, though I worked for quite a bit of it. I try not to, especially on "gift" days, but because of the snow/freeze day last week and being out of the building at PD on Friday I had a growing list of things to do but couldn't get to.

As for sad animal stories... I really can't either. I read Where the Red Fern Grows for the first time a few years ago when it was a Battle of the Books selection for my district. I had heard SO much about it, and was prepared for... you know what. But I was NOT prepared for when he chopped down that beautiful, giant tree just because there was a raccoon in it. Really????

School update: apparently the water district still has not found the leak that is causing havoc in our small mountain community. Water has been restored to school but the entire community is under a Public Boil Water Notice, which is obviously not possible in a school. So we will have school tomorrow and we can flush toilets, and that's it. No hand washing, no drinking water, no cafeteria services. The district will provide grab-and-go meals and will provide hand washing stations plus hand sanitizer. All drinking water will have to be brought from home (except for kids who live actually in the water district??). This is expected to last for the rest of the week, so... fun.

>62 AMQS: Roasted chili and potato chowder sounds *delicious*! And I do love a dolmade, although your regional variation I have not come across.

Sounds alarming being under a boil-water notice during a cold snap. does everyone have power? Frustrating!

>80 AMQS: Ugh. What a challenge...good luck this week. I hope they find the leak soon. 9News just ran a story on the water issue on the 10pm news.

Well, it sounds like it will be a hard week at school. Good luck!

>80 AMQS: Ugh ... sorry you're having to deal with such "workarounds" to the water issue, Anne. It sounds like the district is doing what they can to ease the hardship. But still ... yuck.

Oh boy, the water issue sounds like a real hassle. Fingers crossed it doesn't mess up the school day too badly this week.

>81 LovingLit: Hi Megan, it's a family favorite for sure. Sometimes I get really organized and roast the chilis ahead of time and freeze them. That makes the actual chowder making go pretty quickly.

Fortunately this water problem is not happening during the bitter cold snap. Temperatures are ranging between 20F and 45F (-6C to 7C), which is pretty normal for January, and while still cold, not the dangerous cold that closed our schools last week. Everyone around here has power, too, so that's a relief!

>82 Copperskye: Hi Joanne, I looked up the story... fortunately a handful of IH colleagues are on wells rather than on IH water. But so many people are affected. Our hand washing stations are leaking like crazy so all the carpets are pretty swampy. We're getting by, but I am ready for a good, long hand wash at home!

>83 BLBera: Thanks, Beth. There are some families here who are showering at a recreation center, and another family with a baby and a toddler who are staying in a hotel. We don't really have hotels nearby, so it's a commute plus an expense!

>84 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura - yuck is right. I am amazed the water district has not identified the leak already. The school district has been supportive, which is good. Sometimes the mountain schools are low on the priority list.

>85 scaifea: Thanks, Amber. So far it's fine, just different. Much better than last week when our facilities manager had to use buckets of water to flush toilets for the whole school!

>80 AMQS: OMG

How nasty! Hopig this just never recurs! *smooch*

>80 AMQS: Oh boy! Hang in there.

>80 AMQS: Hello, I'm new here. Sorry, you're having a bad time there. I hope everything is okay soon.

>87 richardderus: We're making it work. A pleasant surprise yesterday was that the hand washing stations (you have to pump a pedal with your foot) have hot water! Many of our classrooms don't, so that's a bit of a treat. A less welcome surprise: a boy who "problem solved" the issue of the sinks being blocked off by washing his hands in the urinal. Yep.

>88 Berly: Thanks, Kim! I am really glad this is at school and not at home! It is my team's turn (December and January) to clean the staff lounge - meaning to wipe tables and microwaves, do any stray dishes, etc, but with no water there's no way to do it. It will still be my team's turn next week when hopefully things are back to normal:)

>89 hayprincessa: Thank you, Princess, and welcome! It's more unusual than bad, but we will be glad when things are more normal!

>90 AMQS: Credit for creativity, and for knowing the problem needed solving. EEEWWW, though.

Thanks for the chuckle!

>90 AMQS: We would say in Northern England that the boy washing his hands in the urinal was surely taking the piss?!

>91 richardderus: Gotta laugh, right, Richard? It seems that the water district is a real mess and this no water thing might last for some weeks. Ugh.

>92 PaulCranswick: LOL, Paul. Most of us have been teaching long enough we think we won't be surprised, but yet we still get surprised.

>52 AMQS: Into the BlackHole it goes! My local library has a copy so I hope to get to it soon. Thanks for the recommendation, Anne.

>58 AMQS: I have only read one of Beth O'Leary's books, The Flatshare, and enjoyed it, so I will give that one a try. Thanks again.

>64 AMQS: Too bad my local library does not have that one. I have added it to the BlackHole in the hope that one day I can get my hands on it.

>70 AMQS: Another one that I wish my local library had!

>80 AMQS: Wow! Let's hope they getted sorted soon.

Have a fantastic Friday!

I hope the water is sorted now, Anne.

>94 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! I think you'll enjoy Thirteen Doorways. You Are Here; Connecting Flights and Ode to a Nobody are new, so they may appear at some point.

>94 alcottacre:, >95 BLBera: "Soon" does not seem to be in the cards. It's a mess, and I am grateful I can go home to clean and abundant water. There is no estimated time when water may be normal again. Most of the staff members who live in the community are on wells, thank goodness, but a few who are not have had pipes freeze because not enough water is going through them. Fortunately we're expecting very warm weather for the next week. The hand washing stations are so messy that we have to run those big dehumidifying fans every evening.

Here's a news story (probably only US viewers can see) that features our school: https://kdvr.com/video/indian-hills-residents-still-without-clean-water/9359436/

********************************
Other news: warm this weekend and laying low as I recover from my second shingles vaccine. I was told I would be in for a rough time. The silver lining is that Callia and Stelios are handling grocery shopping, which is my not-favorite every-weekend task. Silver linings!

Glad for any silver linings that come along :) I hope you aren't hit too hard by the shingles vaccine (and also that the water gets sorted soon).

>96 AMQS: Oh dear, I'm so sorry to hear the water crisis continues. And that shingles vaccine ... oof. That's no fun, although I've heard shingles is worse. I hope you bounce back quickly.

I hope the shingles shot hasn't totally knocked you out, Anne. I hear it can be rough.

Have a good Sunday!

Thank you >97 RebaRelishesReading:, >98 lauralkeet:, >99 katiekrug: Reba, Laura, and Katie for the well wishes. Oh wow I am glad that is behind me. Saturday was rough. Today was better but I still have really strong stomach pain and a very swollen, red, and tender arm. Better than shingles, I suppose. Still no water at school.

Being knocked flat yesterday allowed me to get to a couple books.



5. Breath: The New Science of a Lost Art by James Nestor

As I've gotten older I've been snoring more, which I understand is common but it is not fun, particularly for my husband. If you google snoring, you will read about this book. It was fascinating and thought provoking, with many things I will try to incorporate ("the ideal breathing", nose breathing, etc) and things I will probably skip (the last part of the book gets really extreme).

6. A Long Time Coming: A Lyrical Biography of Race in America from Ona Judge to Barack Obama by Ray Anthony Shepard

This book is outstanding, and I read it in one sitting. I am a huge fan of novels in verse, particularly for middle grade readers, but nonfiction in verse is particularly effective storytelling that cuts right to the essentials but still conveys poignancy and emotion. I knew quite a bit about Ona Judge, having recently read a MG biography of her, and I knew the essentials of Barack Obama. But I realized how little I knew about Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, and even Dr. Martin Luther King, aside from what they are famous for. I wish everyone would read this. Should be required reading for anyone who says that the US is not a racist country, or that systemic racism is not a thing. This YA biography in verse is a lovely, lovely, important book, and highly recommended.

>100 AMQS: Glad you were able to read in spite of your reaction to the vaccine but sorry you still have no water at school. Here's to a better week!!

>103 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba! It was a good reading weekend. The only thing left of the vaccine is a sore arm, and even that is going away. Our water woes continue. Apparently the leak has been found and repair is in process, but it will take awhile to pressurize the system and get the water safe to use. I've been so thankful this is a work thing and not a home thing.

7. Once Upon a Wardrobe by Patti Callahan, audiobook narrated by Fiona Hardingham

Anita (figsfromthistle) got me with this one right at the end of 2023 because I am a sucker for all things Narnia. Megs is a young maths and physics student at Oxford. Her younger brother George was born with a weak heart and is unlikely to live much longer. George, confined to his bed much of the time, becomes obsessed with the newly published The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe and when he finds out that C.S. Lewis is a tutor and lecturer at Meg's school, he begs Megs to meet the author and find out where Narnia came from. Megs becomes something of a treasured guest at The Kilns, Mr. Lewis's Oxford residence that he shares with his brother Warny. But instead of answering Megs's very direct questions, he shares stories from his life, which she dutifully writes down and retells to George. But Megs finds herself reluctantly transformed by Mr. Lewis's stories, realizing how they are also fundamentally important parts of the human experience, whereas previously they were frivolous and not nearly as important and logical as equations. The book is both beautiful and clunky in places, or maybe it was the inconsistent narration that made it seem so. But I do now want to reread a few of the Narnia books just to be caught in the spell once more as I was when I first read them.

>105 AMQS: You got me with that one.

>105 AMQS: Also a Narnia fan, so this sounds very intriguing! Thanks.

>90 AMQS: Now there's a kid who thinks outside the box!

I'm sorry your shingles shot caused a reaction. I was prepared for feeling under the weather when I got mine a couple years ago but I really didn't have too much of a reaction. On the other hand, Chris (who is only just 30 so no vax available) had shingles in October and was pretty miserable for a long time as it affected his eye. Thank goodness for the vaccine!

Scout will be getting A Long Time Coming: A Lyrical Biography soon, Anne. Thanks for the rec. As always.

I hope your shingles vaccine effects are better and that your school gets its water back soon!

>106 foggidawn: Hope you enjoy it, foggi!

>107 Berly: Kim, there's an afterword from the stepson of C.S. Lewis. Her retelling of events from his life was really lovely.

>108 Copperskye: Indeed, Joanne:) And yes, the pain the vaccine caused only lasted a couple of days, but it's far better than shingles!

>109 BLBera: Oh Beth, I'm so glad! I loved the book so much I put a note inside it for the next reader before I returned it to the library.

Happy Wednesday!

Ssorry to hear about the water issues. Sounds like a nightmare. Hope you are feeling better after getting the shingles vaccine.

>111 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita! Thank you again for your review of Once Upon a Wardrobe. I am feeling back to normal after only a couple of icky days, so that's good. Still no water. Things are getting dirty around here because apparently there are no cleaning protocols that don't involve water. And of course in a public school system, you are not allowed to wing it and go outside of cleaning protocols. The rumor is that the leak has been found, but it will still take time to get the system pressurized and the water safe to use. What a school year it's been!

Sorry to hear about the ongoing water situation!! I hope it's fixed sooner than expected :(

I'm hopeful that by the next time you post the water issues will be resolved, Anne.

>113 curioussquared:, >114 MickyFine: Good news, Natalie & Micky - just received an email stating that we may resume normal water usage tomorrow (Monday).

************
Snow all day yesterday - we measured 14 inches (35.5 cm) of snow, and as it's been so warm, it was extremely wet, heavy snow that was backbreaking to shovel. Beautiful day today, so no chance of a snow day:)

Hooray for resuming normal water usage! Sorry you don't get a snow day, but at least at long last you will have water.

So glad your water is back!! (and, wow!! that's a lot of snow!!)

>116 lauralkeet:, 117 Yes! We're so glad for water. I can't imagine the Indian Hills residents who were without usable water for 2+ weeks. I also appreciate the school district being super cautious - we got the green light for the Indian Hills water district that it was safe to use but the school district also came up and tested.

We got so much snow, and since it had been so warm both before and after, there is a lot of ice. Usually 24+ hours after a big snow the road crews do a pretty good job of clearing, but there were giant ice and snow ruts, and then on a major highway clear and dry road until suddenly it wasn't. Callia and I were caught behind a major accident and were late for school. Good reminder to be careful.

8. Dinosaurs: A Novel by Lydia Millet, audiobook narrated by Paul Heitsch.

I have Beth (BLBera) to thank for this one, which I enjoyed immensely. After a breakup, Gil relocates from NYC to Phoenix, choosing to walk there while his things are shipped. When he arrives he finds himself next door to a house of glass, enabling him to see the goings on of his neighbors, also recently moved in. Eventually he becomes friends with the family and a mentor to their young son Tom. This is not a plot-driven novel - Gil finds ways to fill his days and learn about the local landscape and wildlife, volunteering at a women's shelter and revisiting the past and memories of his family, who are gone, his girlfriend, and his friends. It is lovely, but not necessarily every reader's cup of tea (a few Amazon reviews were along the lines of "OMG nothing happens!!"). But I loved it, and like Beth, will be thinking about it for awhile.

I'm glad to hear that the water situation has resolved! I'm also glad that we didn't get as much snow as you guys. We got about 6" but, OMG, it was so heavy. Like moving blocks of concrete!

I am so glad you loved Dinosaurs; I was just thinking that I would like to read it again. I probably should put a disclaimer about nothing happening on my comments. :)

Great news that your water situation is back to normal.

I hate the heavy spring snow although we could use some. We've had hardly any this winter.

Ello, how art thou today Anne

Glad the school water is OK now but sorry you're dealing with dangerous roads. I like snow...a little, once in a while and that goes politely away after a few days :)

So glad to hear that the water problem has been resolved! Be safe out there.

>119 AMQS: >121 BLBera: I also read this after Beth's recommendation, and I think a lot happens. Gil stops the man murdering birds. He stops the kid bullying the little boy next door. He stops (or at least puts the fear of God into) the man who is abusive toward his son. He starts a new relationship that looks like it will turn into something good and long term, after being relationship shy. And he did a whole bunch of good stuff. He is an all around good guy. Anyway, a very good book despite the naysayers!

>120 Copperskye: Joanne, it seemed like snow totals varies a lot. What have you got today? We had about 8 inches when we went out and shoveled, and it's been snowing heavily ever since then. And no snow days when it snows on the weekend! Hope you have a good, and warm one.

>121 BLBera: Beth, I loved it - so thank you. And you did put that disclaimer in your post! Have you had snow this past week? We are having another major snowstorm today. My dad, who lives up at about 10,000 feet of elevation has had significantly less than we have, and they are starting to worry about it. We need the Goldilocks amount, don't we?

>122 Owltherian: Hello, Owl - glad to see you here.

>123 RebaRelishesReading: Reba, Colorado does typically have snow that goes away quickly - we have so much sunshine that snow doesn't usually stay. This week was an exception though, because we had so much. So much that shoveling our 8 inches (and counting) today was challenging because the snow is already piles up so high there's nowhere to put it!

>124 foggidawn: Thanks, foggi! How was skiing?

>125 arubabookwoman: Hi Deborah! Yes, you're right re: Dinosaurs. Maybe the disgruntled require a Quest? Actual dinosaurs? That reminds me, actually, of a middle grade book I read set in the US Civil War period, only with dinosaurs. It was't a plus, I didn't think:)

Not much new to report around here, except a lot more snow today. We were very glad to have water back at school. The unfortunate mountain school adventure this week was the discovery of a TON of mouse droppings in Callia's (student teaching) classroom. Lots of cleaning and Throwing Away of Things. Never dull! We made our spring break plans (Sarasota, FL, to visit our friend who has hosted us for the past couple of years) and our travel plans for Marina's graduation in May. We tend to choose from one of three airports that are all about equal distance from her school - this time the best flights and prices were to Baltimore. Right now we're watching the snow come down and watching our Avalanche (ice hockey) stinking. Happy weekend, everyone!

Adding: I did a Who Would Win-style voting at school for the Super Bowl. Apparently we're solidly Team Chiefs with the final count 156 to 54.

Oof, you've had a lot of snow, Anne. And that's a lot of shoveling!

The mouse situation is gross, sorry you had to deal with that. We had mouse issues in our house for the first couple of years. Eventually I found some droppings beneath the dog food container, and realized there was a spot where bits of food were leaking out. How the mice managed to get under the container is anybody's guess. We replaced the container and this winter we haven't seen a single mouse, where in the past we had to empty traps on an almost daily basis.

How exciting to be planning for Marina's graduation! I remember when she was making her college decision; I think this stuck with me because Dickinson was one of my Kate's top two choices. It looks like things have worked out very well for Marina.

No snow here, Anne, at least not yet.

I love your call out to the "Who would win" series; those books are so popular in the bookstore. There is one little boy who goes straight to the bin where we put them when we have them in stock.

I can't believe Marina is already graduating!

Ugh, the mouse situation sounds very gross to deal with!! Hope it is resolved soon.

Has anyone had luck with using Bamboo Charcoal? = advertised to deter/prevent mice.

MICE *shriek*

>128 lauralkeet: it was a lot of snow, Laura! We were smarter this storm and shoveled a bit yesterday during the storm so we wouldn't have so much to do when it ended. But it is just piled everywhere!

And mice are everywhere, especially in the country where you are, or in the mountains where my school is. We had a mouse in our house this fall, too. They don't need much to get in.

I can hardly believe she's graduating, either. She really has had wonderful opportunities at Dickinson, so we are grateful for the experience.

>129 BLBera: Beth, I recently put all of our Who Would Win books together in a bin - they're kind of skinny, and with DDC they were shelved in different places depending on what kind of animals were battling. Now that they're all together in a labeled bin they are flying out of the library like crazy!

>130 curioussquared: Me, too, Natalie! Callia, her mentor teacher (whose room is affected), our Facilities Manager, and someone from district environmental services worked together all day Friday, and I know the teacher was planning to be there all weekend. Of course they needed to clean/disinfect, but also with the students not being permitted in the classroom, this disrupted two classes - hers and the other 2nd grade class. We don't have room - or teachers - to spare!

>131 m.belljackson: Hi there! I think the teacher is going to go for steel wool - there is an opening near her exterior classroom door where they can get in. That plus a good cleaning, bleach, and Lysol will hopefully do the trick. The facilities guy wants the built-in bookshelves removed from hers and two other classrooms because there is a gap behind them. We'll see. I'll look up bamboo charcoal, though - thanks.

>132 richardderus: Right?? I had a black widow in the library this year, and a snake a couple of years ago. We had bear poop on our back sidewalk... it's never dull in the mountains!

>127 AMQS: Spring break in Sarasota sounds good. It's a nice city and the weather should be at its best there then. As to mouse droppings....ugh!

Congratulations to Marina (and her parents, of course).

The public library where I work keeps all the "Animal Battle" books together in a bin too. They're really popular and some days I'll walk by and see an empty bin 'cause they're all checked out!

*shudders* re: the black widow spider. I get mice every winter and it's icky to deal with them, but needs must. At least I've never had a repeat of the year they got desperate and ate my hot pads and Keurig coffee pods (I was away dogsitting).

>133 AMQS: The teacher should plug it really tight - I pressed A LOT around the bottom of my siding and the mice just tore it out.

For a few years, a bull snake found its way into one of the hidden mouse openings - this worked well to control the population!

Much better than our two cats...

Ugh, mice. The skiing was fun! And the Who Would Win books go out like crazy at my library, too -- we have them in a spinner on top of our nonfiction shelves along with some other popular series that otherwise would be scattered through the nonfiction.

Yikes! Heavy snows, water problems, and now mice? What next? Poltergeists? Hope all the problems get resolved (can you rent bull snakes?) soon!

>134 RebaRelishesReading: Thanks, Reba! We're looking forward to enjoying some warm weather:)

>135 bell7: Oh wow! That's awful. It's amazing how one tiny creature can wreak so much havoc!

>136 m.belljackson: They are very determined, aren't they? We have three cats and they say that the smell of a cat is a deterrent, but not enough of one!

>137 foggidawn: That's awesome! I did see that you were sore - when I ski (which is rare anymore) I hear from muscles I forgot I had!

>138 Storeetllr: Here's what's next, Mary: we are having a partial power outage. Some classes have light and some don't. Our fire doors close and lock so getting anyplace requires a key. We need flashlights to use the bathroom. Heat off. They've estimated power will be back this morning, but wow it is never dull!

And with the amount of mouse complaints everywhere I think rent-a-bull snake might not be a bad business idea...

9. The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride

I fell in love with this one immediately. There is a crazy cast of characters who come and go throughout the book, and whose backstories provide delightful color, but at its heart this is about maybe not so much Chona, the gentle grocery store owner whose father built the neighborhood shul, but Chona's spirit of love and acceptance and doing the right thing. The book takes place in 1920s Pottsville, PA, and particularly the Chicken Hill neighborhood of Blacks and Jewish immigrants, but whose white residents are slowly leaving for more affluent parts. When the state comes to institutionalize a 12 year old deaf Black boy, the neighborhood channels Chona's goodness to close in to keep him hidden. This is a terrific story.

>139 AMQS: Too bad you can't get a school cat.

>140 AMQS: Nice review, Anne. I loved all the quirky and caring characters by the end. And I loved how it ended. And happy about who the skeleton was.

>140 AMQS: Nice review, Anne. I plan to read The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store either this month or next. My husband bought it a while back (and also enjoyed it), so it's just sitting on the shelf calling my name.

>140 AMQS: - I'm looking forward to this one.

>140 AMQS: I'm ready for a new book and that one is in my #2 stack -- it may just get promoted this afternoon :)

>140 AMQS: I am keeping my eye on the stores to get a paperback version of that one, Anne.

>140 AMQS: You've convinced me! I am sure there's a long wait at the library.

>141 Copperskye: Oh Joanne, I would LOVE a library cat. None of my cats would be good candidates, though, even if I could have one. Ah, well. The classroom next door is now undergoing the same treatment - deep cleaning and lots of purging after similar mouse evidence was found, and an intact lizard skeleton! Our school just turned 60 last year so it's not surprising that the building has surprises...

As for The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, I agree. Very satisfying.

>142 lauralkeet: Laura, I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! He's such a wonderful storyteller.

>143 katiekrug: Katie, it's really god! Hope you enjoy.

>144 RebaRelishesReading: Oh Reba, I think you'll really enjoy it, whether it gets promoted or waits its turn:)

>145 PaulCranswick: Ooh, I hope you find one, soon, Paul. I think it's fairly recent, so it may be a bit before it's in paperback.

>146 BLBera: I think you'll really enjoy it, Beth. It's worth the long wait. I've had some holds come in way faster than I imagined, so I hope you won't have to wait too long.

10. Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson

Jacqueline Woodson just writes like an angel, and I always finish her books with this ache in my chest. This one particularly is the ache of growing up and moving on, while grieving the past and especially the people, and who you were. This is set in 1970s Brooklyn, in the neighborhood the newspapers called "The Matchbox' because there were so many fires. And the fear, the destruction, and the renewal of fires pervades the book. 12 year-old Sage no longer fits in with her circle of girls as they become obsessed with nails and hair. She is a baller, obsessed with basketball, and insanely good at it. A traumatizing incident and her destructive response lead her to isolation - knowing there's no place she truly fits in. The love and the closeness and the poverty of the community are brought to life so vividly by Ms. Woodson - if you have not experienced her writing - I urge you to give her a try. And you'll have a lot to choose from, as she writes everything from picture books to middle grade to YA to adult books just exquisitely. She particularly shines in verse.

I am proud to say that my library now has nine Jacqueline Woodson titles, which I am reading aloud and sharing with colleagues because my local public library system is partnering with my school district to bring Jacqueline Woodson to visit in April. She will be speaking at a high school, but her presentation will be live streamed to all of the schools in my district. I am beyond excited.

A Woodson event! Excellent. I have loved everything I've read by her. Lucky you.

Well, I went to reserve the McBride book and I got a "User has too many reserves" message. We are limited to 30, which I am embarrassed to admit, I already knew from past experience. But, some of the the others will come in soon, I hope, and I will have space for the McBride.

>148 AMQS: - I'll have a look for this one at the library. I've loved the Woodsons I've read (Brown Girl Dreaming, Another Brooklyn, and Red at the Bone).

>148 AMQS: A live streamed event! That's fantastic! And I might be just a wee bit jealous.

>150 katiekrug: I've read the same three books and really enjoyed them. Woodson is an amazing writer.

>100 AMQS: I had shingles 30+ years ago and still suffer from the ramifications. Trust me, the vaccine is much better than the actual disease. I do hope you recovered from the shots by now though!

>102 AMQS: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Thanks for the review and recommendation, Anne!

>105 AMQS: Anita got me with that one too, but I am thinking I will try and track down a copy of the physical book rather than listening to it on audio based on your comments.

>119 AMQS: I have only read one of Millet's books, but it sounds like I need to get to that one too.

>140 AMQS: Already in the BlackHole, I just need to get to it!

>148 AMQS: My local library has a copy of that one. Hopefully I can get to it soon. I am also a Jacqueline Woodson fan.

>149 BLBera: LOL, Beth:) I think that means you should get an award - libraries love patrons who use their services!

We are extraordinarily lucky this year with authors. Often our budget can't support some of the better known authors, even local ones like Andrea Wang. But this year we get Jacqueline Woodson (virtually, and throughout the whole school district) AND Kimberly Brubaker Bradley just a week apart! Ms. Brubaker (The War That Saved My Life) is visiting in person, and a connected parent managed to swing the visit for free in return for ordering a certain number of copies of her new book!

>150 katiekrug: I hope you enjoy it, Katie. Not many people can write so beautifully for all ages.

>151 lauralkeet: She IS amazing, isn't she Laura? I'm really excited for the event, too.

>152 RIMAKARY: Oh, I have no doubt that shingles is worse! In fact, I have been putting off getting the vaccine for awhile. But an acquaintance on FB wrote about having shingles in the fall, and her description was so unbelievably awful I scheduled my appointment the same day!

I'm glad I could get you with a few BBs, Stasia!

11. Two Tribes by Emily Bowen Cohen

This middle grade graphic novel is based on the author's own experience. Young Mia lives in Los Angeles with her mother and stepfather. She attends a Jewish Day school but feels out of place, with some students taunting her that she doesn't look Jewish so she doesn't belong there. When she tries to clarify that she is both Jewish and Native American, the same bully tells her Native Americans don't exist anymore. Mia can't explore that side of her identity at home, as her mother's marriage to her father, a member of the Muscogee Nation in Oklahoma was unhappy and traumatic. Two things happen that convince Mia she needs to spend time with her dad getting to know his side of her story. First, her best friend urges her to look in the school library for a book about Native Americans. What she finds is a horrifically offensive and outdated book chock full of shocking, savage stereotypes. Second, an ill-considered quip about "wild Indians" from her well-meaning Rabbi makes her feel hurt and diminished. Mia decides to use her Bat Mitzvah money to buy a bus ticket to visit her father and stepmother, on the pretext of a school trip preceded by a sleepover with her best friend. While in Oklahoma, Mia is enveloped by her family, attending a powwow and learning more about her heritage. Her parents do not permit her to attend church with them, fearing it might upset her Jewish mother, when in fact, it is church that enables her father to do the work necessary to turn his life around and become a loving family man. Inevitably, her mother finds out, and arrives furious in OK. Mia's punishment and confession lead to something of a family reconciliation, meaningful, healing conversations with her Rabbi, and the recognition that both of her "tribes" are vitally important parts of who she is. Lovely, thought-provoking book.

>154 AMQS: Oh, two exciting author events! I'm a little jealous, as I'd love to hear either of those!

>156 foggidawn: I'm so excited, foggi!

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Mountain school adventures: today our building has no heat. It has been sunny and warm all week and of course the heat has to go out on the one cold and snowy day. Our poor facilities manager. He is new to our school this year and he is absolutely fantastic but he must be questioning his life choices that brought him to a 60 year old building:) Also, the water in our water district is brown. Residents are NOT happy, as there is no word from the water district. So far the water at school looks clear but I'm not drinking it!

In good news: my school is participating in our district Battle of the Books again this year. Last year we won the district competition, so I have high hopes. We had our in-school battles over the past two days. We're very fortunate to have such great participation - some schools only have 4 or 5 competitors but we regularly have close to 40 every year, and have to have two rounds of battles to get to our top two teams who will compete as one team in the district battle in a couple of weeks. Every year we try to choose ten new-ish books from different genres. Students are required to read at least five books (so on a team of three they have all of the books covered) but my most successful competitors read all ten at least twice. I love teaching those readers! Our books this year:
A Rover's Story
Worst-Case Collin
Show us Who You Are
Yonder
Swan Lake Quest for the Kingdoms
Maizy Chen's Last Chance
Alone
Thirst
Amari and the Night Brothers
300 Minutes of Danger

12. All the Lonely People by Mike Gayle, audiobook narrated by Ben Onwukwe

This is a bittersweet story, which reviewers compare to A Man Called Ove. Hubert Bird is 84 years old. He likes his routine and his solitude, thank you very much. Usually if his doorbell rings, it's a delivery service asking him to take a package for a neighbor, but one day a young woman and her toddler are at the door just wanting to meet their neighbors.

Hubert lives for his weekly phone call from his daughter Rose, a professor in Australia. Rose is worried for her dad all alone, and pushes him to take care of himself, eat properly, and engage with friends. After he agrees to go to an over 60 social event, he can't go through with it and not wanting to disappoint Rose, concocts some new friends, whom Rose diligently asks about week after week (to that end, Hubert has to keep detailed notes of their made-up goings ons... whose grandson has football tryouts; whose pet is ailing; where they all took lunch, etc). Some weeks later the young neighbor is back, desperate for an hour of childcare as she is interviewing for a job and the babysitting she lined up fell through. Hubert is incredulous - doesn't she watch the news? Hubert reluctantly agrees and thus begins his journey of being more open to meeting people and having friends, which ramps up when Rose announces she is taking a sabbatical and coming home.

The chapters alternate between Now and Then, with 'Then' beginning when Hubert was a young man with no prospects in Jamaica, joining the Windrush Generation of workers enticed to come to UK to be laborers in the 1950s. He and his West Indian cohorts face open, horrific racism, which becomes even worse when he marries his wife, who is white, and who is cut off by her family. Hubert and Joyce raise children and remain devoted to each other until Joyce's death some years before 'Now.' The book's premise makes it feel like a light read at times, but in truth, it delves into immigration, loneliness, caregiving, drug addiction, grief, and depression along with racism. I really enjoyed the book, though I cried throughout. The narration was excellent, but it is not a perfect book, so my theory holds that if the book has problems then audio amplifies them. It could have used another round of critical editing. But I loved Hubert Bird and everyone who comes into his life, and ached for them, too. I am really glad I read it.

>140 AMQS: Moving the McBride up the TBR list.

I am so sorry for all your troubles at school. And after hearing you stories of driving on icy, snowy roads, I am also glad that I live in a place where everything shuts down, sometimes just with the threat of snow.

I trust you have a big picture of Sarasota posted in your library!

>159 witchyrichy: Hi Karen! I hope you enjoy The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store.

School troubles are just kind of funny at this point. But school marches on and we just work around whatever's going on. Our heat came back on yesterday and though it snowed on and off all day it never amounted to anything. But yes, I am spending time daydreaming about the books I am going to take.

Brubaker has a new book? Scout loved The War That Saved My Life and the sequel. I think she will be all over a new one by her.

>161 BLBera: Beth, I remembered that. I already ordered a copy for Scout. I should receive it at the visit (12 April) and I’ll send it off right after!

>158 AMQS: I may have to put that one on my list.

>158 AMQS: I like the sound of that one, Anne.

>140 AMQS: I have this one on my table beside the couch. Perhaps I will get to it in March. Seems like it was a good read.

>157 AMQS: Battle of the books sounds fun. I wish my school had one of those when I attended ;)

Happy mid week

>158 AMQS: I enjoyed All the Lonely People. A nice gentle book. I keep meaning to read some more by Mike Gayle.

> 163 Hi foggi! It's worth a read, I think. It was heartwarming (and heartbreaking, as sometimes happens:)

>164 PaulCranswick: Hi Paul! I think you would enjoy it.

>165 figsfromthistle: Hi Anita, I hope you enjoy The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store whenever you get to it. I wish I had a Battle of the Books, too as a student. It's really fun, and my top competitors end up knowing the books inside and out and trying genres they might not otherwise. My only complaint is that the books are so rich, and would be so great for meaty discussions, but the BoB format doesn't really allow for that kind of thing - the answers have to be right or wrong, and so the gray areas discussions don't really happen. All of the librarians who participate have been thinking about this - we'd like to find someway that we could add in discussions, if only because they're already reading these wonderful books, but the school day is so packed it's hard to fit anything else in.

>166 SandDune: Hi Rhian! I would think that Mike Gayle is probably better known in the UK than here. I can't remember how I came across the book, but I went looking for more by him in our library. I did find one book, but don't have time in my current reading schedule for it now, so I didn't check it out. I would like to read more also.

I'm another who would have loved a Battle of the Books in my elementary years.

13. Finding Junie Kim by Ellen Oh

Oh wow, this book packs a wallop. Anyone who doubts the gravity and importance of children's literature should read this book. Junie is in 7th grade, which starts off horribly with a racist bully on the bus, and racist graffiti spray painted in the gym. Junie is Korean-American, and her best friends are also students of color and/or Jewish. Her friends want to take action to combat the racism that seems to be pervasive in their school, but Junie feels so discouraged and helpless that she withdraws, creating a serious rift with her friends. As Junie sinks into depression, her worried parents get her into therapy and medication, and have her spend time with her grandparents when no one else can stay with her. An assignment to record the oral history of someone at least two generations older than her leads her to ask about her grandparents' experience in Korea, and particularly what they each experienced during the Korean War and the years that followed Japanese occupation. And oh boy are her eyes opened - not only to the unthinkable circumstances her grandparents experienced at her age, but to to the importance of advocating - in whatever capacity may be available - for doing what is right and standing up to injustice. Amazing book.

>168 foggidawn: Right?? Our elementary BoB (it's for 5th graders) is so popular that middle school librarians have started their own in recent years. My students get so much out of our competition that they are excited for middle school BoB.

>169 AMQS: Wow, that does sound powerful Anne and an important read especially for people in their teens I would think.

>162 AMQS: That is so sweet, Anne. Thanks!

>169 AMQS: This one sounds great. I'll add it to the Scout list. Is it appropriate for a fourth grader?

>171 RebaRelishesReading: Hi Reba, I do think it is a very powerful read for teens and adults alike. I know that the Korean War is often called "The Forgotten War," and even that feels like a very US-centric point of view. It was devastating for Koreans, and was bookended by more devastation both before and after the war. I like how she tied it to racist incidents here and makes it clear that injustice is worth fighting.

>172 BLBera: I hope she enjoys it, Beth!

>173 BLBera: Beth, there are some difficult and gruesome episodes related to war. We have a collection policy in our district that states that a book must be appropriate for two grade levels of a school, so in my K-5 school a book must be recommended for 4th and up. I actually checked our district catalog to make sure that other elementary schools have this title, and they do. I am glad I have it, but there are scenes that can be hard to read. No scenes of sexual assault, though. This is an ideal book for middle school, I think. Middle school is also the time when kids push boundaries - when you really start to hear about racial taunting, for example, and here the book is particularly strong: what can you do when you experience this or witness it?

>173 BLBera: I do think that there has to be some guidance for parents and teachers on subject matter and content suitability especially for younger children - in terms of violence and sexual content - especially when that content is explicit.

Have a great weekend, Anne.

>175 PaulCranswick: I agree, Paul, and there are resources for parents and teachers. I can't just purchase library materials willy-nilly - I have to go off of my district's reviewed books list - books that at least two elementary colleagues have read and rated. Junie Kim was highly rated. If a book has not been reviewed by our select book committee, then I am responsible for selecting books that have two positive professional reviews, and are appropriate for at least two grade levels of the school. The best resources for teachers is asking the librarian - if their school has one. This position is being cut all over the country. Many teachers are not willing to do the work to find newer, appropriate books, and so their collections are old, falling apart, and problematic in their own ways. I have access to professional reviews through our vendor and additionally I subscribe to School Library Journal. Parents can definitely ask me, and many do. They can also go to Common Sense Media, which is a free resource that reviews books, movies, games, and shows. The problem is that appropriateness for children is highly subjective. I have had families who object to Veterans Day (and books about any kind of military) because it glorifies the military and war. And of course, I have many families with an active duty parent. I had a family who was upset that our school discussed 9/11 on 9/11 - too upsetting for children. I have had parents complain about a book that showed a stop sign with bullet holes (I wondered if she had ever been to, say... Denver). One parent yelled at me because "the cat died" in a picture book and now neither she nor her child could trust me ever again. We have many families who don't fit the mold of two heterosexual parents of the same race and those children deserve to see themselves represented in books, but many parents object to "diversity" of all kinds. So, it's complicated :)

14. American Mermaid by Julia Langbein, audiobook narrated by Tara Sands

This book is billed as a funny, feminist, eco-warrior book-within-a-book. If this sounds like your cup of tea, then you should stop reading and check out Beth's review, because she liked it better than I did, I think. Penelope is a high school English teacher who writes a book about a mermaid which becomes an unexpected bestseller after an influencer promotes it. In the aftermath of the hit she sells the rights to her story, quits her job and heads to Los Angeles to collaborate on the screenplay, where her beloved book undergoes fundamental changes in order to be sexed and actioned up for the big screen. Interspersed throughout the narrative are excerpts from the book, whose action seems to sometimes bleed into the real world. It's different, that's for sure, and gives the reader a lot to think about, but I don't think it was the book for me - mostly because I just didn't like any of the characters, particularly Penelope.

>155 AMQS: That sounds like one I need to read. Thank you for the recommendation, Anne! My local library actually has a copy, so I am hoping to get to it sooner rather than later.

>158 AMQS: Adding that one to the BlackHole. Unfortunately my local library does not have that one.

>169 AMQS: OK, if it says "Amazing book" I definitely need to track down a copy!

>177 AMQS: Well, it sounds like I can give that one a pass!

Have a marvelous Monday, Anne!

>177 AMQS: I have hit -- not a streak, but maybe splotches? -- of books with unlikable characters lately, and I am just getting a little tired of them. Sometimes they are enjoyable for the writing or humor or social commentary or whatever, but in my current headspace, I need characters I can like, or at least empathize with.

>177 AMQS: I am sorry this didn't work for you, Anne. I did like Penelope, but she was an English teacher. Still, we can't all like the same books.

>174 AMQS: My daughter is good about talking with Scout about difficult parts of books, so I will tell her about this one. And Scout is very good about asking questions and voicing concerns -- and asking to stop reading if she is uncomfortable. Pax was a no-go; both daughter and Scout were sobbing after the first few pages. Scout told me later that it was "too sad."

>174 AMQS: >176 AMQS: & >180 BLBera:

I don't envy you the task of selecting suitable books for younger children in these thin-skinned days. Personally I don't see this as a diversity issue - I don't have any problem with the sexual orientation of any adult (so long as it isn't forced or foisted on another) but the physical logistics/expression of that sexual orientation are not or should not be childhood/infant concerns - whether straight or gay. The same for all kinds of gratuitous violence - I just don't see why young children should be exposed to that below High School level.

Have a lovely weekend, Anne.

Been away from my laptop and LT but had to comment:

>176 AMQS: I cannot imagine being a school librarian these days when everything seems to be subjective.

Happy Birthday, Anne! I hope you were able to have a good one with family.

Did someone have a birthday? Hope it was a happy one and you have a great year ahead!

Hello, friends. Oof, a month away. This school year is challenging and it's just been super busy! I miss everyone and look forward to catching up with your threads as I can. Here's what's been happening in my life:
-Major snowstorm March 14-15 that left us with about 30 inches of snow, and more than 4 feet up at my school. I wasn't sad about two extra days of spring break!
-Spring break in Florida with our family friend who has hosted us for a couple of years. It wasn't much of a vacation for Stelios, unfortunately, who worked a lot. We still managed a beach day, and I gave in to total sloth (though no computer so no LT).
-my colleague at the Colorado Children's Chorale (I worked for the Chorale for years and years but am now mostly retired) lost her husband unexpectedy so I am volunteering in rehearsals after school for a few weeks
-testing season at school, which is as bad as it sounds
-massive windstorm. We were spared the damage others in our comunity faced, but were without power for about 12 hours and will need to replace our fence.
-I have met two authors in the past week: Jacqueline Woodson and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley!
-reading seems to be feast or famine
-we are expecting beautiful warm weather this weekend (before more snow next week) so I am planning to take my coffee on the patio for the first time this year.
-Marina graduates next month!

All good here but a lot going on!

With Stelios at Casey Key Beach, FL

>185 AMQS: Thanks for updating Anne.

Give my love to all your beautiful family but especially Marina with her graduation coming up. Her doppelganger is closing in on finding work in the UK.

>178 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! Glad I could add so many books to your list - I would hate for you to run out:) Hope what comes your way you enjoy very much!

>179 foggidawn: Hi foggi, yes, I do need to care about my characters, and to root for them, too.

>180 BLBera: Beth, I am always glad for your recommendations, and I know that not every book works for every reader. I think Scout is going to LOVE The Night War! I read the book this weekend and met the author today. I have Scout's signed copy and will mail it soon!

>181 PaulCranswick:, 185 Hi Paul! I'm glad to see you here. I hope you have a lovely weekend.

>182 witchyrichy: Yes, I am lucky that my admin and my community is so supportive, and I absolutely do not take it for granted.

>183 ronincats: Thank you, Roni! I had both school and Chorale rehearsal on my birthday, so it was a long day, but when I came home I arived to flowers, a hand-knit treasure from Callia, and a dinner I did not make, so that made for a lovely day!

>184 Berly: I did, Berly, thank you! Fun fact: my birthday (4/4) also happens to be National School Librarian Day, which I think is a cool cosmic coincidence!

I read a lot over spring break, then practically nothing, then a lot all of a sudden. Here's the roundup:



15. The Sea Gate by Jane Johnson

I think this was recommended by Joanne? Thank you! I gave this to my mom for her birthday last year as she had traveled through Cornwall and loved it. She passed it along to me and I found it the perfect airplane read. A book set in the present day alternating with WWII era where a romance is explored and a mystery unraveled.

16. An Unfinished Life by Mark Spragg

This one was one of the longest tenured books in my TBR pile, and as I often wonder: why did it take me so long? This book is absolutely wonderful. I recommend heartily to the many fans of Kent Haruf. A desolate Wyoming story of bitterness, grief, family, and reconciliation.

17. The Liar's Dictionary by Elly Williams

My mom complained that this book was trying too hard to be clever and I see her point. Still, it was a funny romp through two London time periods 100 years apart. An invisible, overlooked Victorian lexicographer toiling away on a dictionary project begins to invent words and slip them in undetected. 100 years later as the unfinished dictionary, now a pet family project, is being digitized, a young woman is encountering these mountweazels and wondering what to make of them while the digitization project and entire company is being threatend daily by a would-be bomber. Fun for fans of wordplay.

18. Wandering Star by J. M. G. Le Clezio

Another longtime TBR book sufferer. It seemed like the right time to pick up this book told from two perspectives: Esther is a Jewish girl living in a small town in southeast France occupied during WWII by Italian soldiers. When the Italians leave, the Jews must also, and so begins a grueling walk first into hiding in Italy, then to a small port in France with the promise of transport to the newly created state of Israel. After an arduous and fraught journey, Esther and her mother arrive in Israel to begin a new life, but a chance encounter with Nejma, a Palestinian girl on a march on the way to what becomes the Nour Chams camp haunts Esther for the rest of her life. Nejma's story of life in the camps and beyond is harrowing, devastating, and gruesome. who is in the right? Whose suffering, and whose people's historical suffering takes precedent? This is a book than everyone should read.

19. The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton

I loved this book so much. Billed as a forgotten classic, this novel, published in 1962 is a portrait of a rural Missouri family: parents Matthew and Callie, and daughters Jessica, Leonie, Mathie, and Mary Jo. It is wonderful, and that is all.

20. The Night War by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Too early for touchstones? This book was published this week, and my copy was an advanced readers copy. The author (probably best known for Newbery Honor book The War That Saved My Life) returns to WWII Europe. Miriam is a young Jewish girl who flees Berlin with her parents after Kristallnacht and settles in a crowded Jewish neighborhood in Paris. Life resumes as normally as possible until French gendarmes round up Jews, busing them to the Paris Velodrome before deporting them to work camps. Miriam is rounded up with a neighbor, who throws her identity cards out the window, thrusts her baby in Miriam's arms, and tells her to run. Miriam is first taken in by a Parisian nun, then hidden in a boarding school in Chenonceau, directly on the border of occupied France and Vichy France. The heartstopping historical fiction is interspersed with the supernatural, which I think is the perfect combination for middle grade readers. Middle grade historical fiction doesn't get any better than this one. I read it in one sitting.

21. Those Kids From Fawn Creek by Erin Entrada Kelly, audiobook narrated by Ramon de Ocampo

I am a huge fan of Erin Entrada Kelly and her books for middle grade readers. This is like a modern retelling of The Hundred Dresses, and turns a small town story on its head. Rather than quirky and charming, this small Louisiana town is a place where you can't escape the notice and judgment of everyone, where you can't escape any unfortunate grade school nicknames, and where nothing ever happens, until a new girl shows up. Outstanding middle grade fiction about finding your place in the world, about defying expectations, and about kindness for its own sake.

22. Horse by Geraldine Brooks

Multiple story threads come together to tell the story of Lexington, one of America's greatest racehorses, his enslaved handler Jarret, and the people investigating Civil War-era paintings of the great horse, along with his long forgotten misarticulated skeleton. A memorable and searing book.

Welcome back, Anne! I always enjoy your updates.

Good to see you Anne! Thanks for reminding me to put the new Bradley book on hold.

Thanks for the updates, Anne. I am adding several books to my WL, especially The Moonflower Vine and Wandering Star -- and of course the new Bradley book.

You sound crazy busy. I hope you are having a weekend of relaxation.

Wow, Anne, what an update! Love the highlights of your vacation, meeting authors (I greatly admire both - and I see I need to get the new Kimberly Brubaker Bradley), and Marina's upcoming graduation. Looks like you've finished some excellent books, too.

Glad you had a good vacation! I am looking forward to reading The Night War when my library hold comes in.

>196 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura! It's nice to "see you."

>197 curioussquared: Hi Natalie! I thought it was so good. A parent said her 3rd grader read it in one night!

>198 BLBera: Hi Beth, I hope you enjoy the books that caught your eye:) We are in the crazy busy final stretch of school. We wrapped up the makeups of our state testing weeks, so that's done, and now we need the end of year other state testing. It feels like testing never ends. After this week there are 4 more weeks with students and 1 more week after that for me... getting close!

>199 bell7: Hi Mary! It was such a thrill to meet Jacqueline Woodson and Kimberly Brubaker Bradley - we were lucky to have them!

>200 foggidawn: I hope you enjoy it, foggi!

You have been so busy! With fun, and not so fun stuff by the sounds... sheesh, life huh? :)

Marina's graduating already? I feel like it was last week she was overseas studying. I better watch out, time is going so fast these days it won't be long before my kids are both teenagers and then off and away themselves!

>202 LovingLit: Hi Megan! I'm sure you've been busy, too. Life has a way of doing that. And time does go so very fast. You're not too far from teenage-hood, are you?

I've been trying to post photos, but for some reason they go sideways and when I try to save them as png they go wonky. T'will have to wait, I guess!

Life updates: as I said earlier, we only have a few more weeks of school left (four for students, five for me). We go to PA in a couple of weeks to see Marina graduate, and then she comes home! Callia has been student teaching at my school in 2nd grade and applying for jobs like crazy. But Friday she was pretty much hired on the spot at a terrific elementary school close to our house to teach 3rd grade next year! She is beyond excited. She'll be taking classes for her masters this summer and will need to have summer training in her school's math curriculum.

Last weekend the Colorado Children's Chorale celebrated its 50th anniversary season with a performance and gala. Most of you know how important the Chorale has been in my life - I sang with them when I was a child, worked for them all throughout high school, and then was on the artistic staff for nearly 30 years in both a full-time and part-time capacity. The girls both were in the Chorale for their entire childhoods and had absolutely amazing experiences. While I have mostly retired from the Chorale, I have helped out a bit this spring. For the concert, they put together an alumni choir, which ended up being nearly 120 strong from alumns who graduated last year (and are in 9th grade) to some of the earliest alumns from the 1970s who are now in their 60s! It was incredible to sing onstage again and to share the stage with Callia, who also sang in the alumni choir, and with my nephew Tre who is in Tour Choir. And amazing to reconnect with alumni from my era!

Summer plans are still forming. Stelios wants to go to Cyprus, but the only time I can go is the first part of June so if we're going we need to get a wiggle on. He's up to his eyeballs in a big hairy project that is sucking all of his days and nights so he hasn't had time to even look. I am taking a trip with a group of 6 college girfriends at the end of June. Our destination isn't necessarily flash-bang (Boise, Idaho), but it's easy for everyone to get to from CO, CA, MN, and WA, and we're really excited to just be together again. My brother and his family are coming for the month of July from Germany - Falcon will be 5! My brother turns 50 in July and he's asked me to host a party. Then I am back at school August 1. Whew!

23. The Skull: A Tyrolean Folktale by Jon Klassen

A fun and spooky folktale retelling with Klassen's signature illustrations. This story made the rounds on social media some years back:

and The Skull is the book Klassen created out of that encounter.

>204 AMQS: Your summer plans sound like fun, if a little hectic, and the Chorale alumni concert sounds like a great experience.

>205 AMQS: I'll have to read that! I remember when that tweet was making the rounds.

24. Enemies in the Orchard: A World War 2 Novel in Verse by Dana Vanderlugt, audiobook narrated by Andy Ingalls, Elizabeth Klett, & Rachel Leblang.

I feel like I am always learning something new about WWII. For example, I had no idea before I read Enemies in the Orchard that we brought 425,000 German and Italian POWs to the States during the war. The rationale was why bring supply ships back empty when we could bring back labor to help with farm and factory labor shortages? And promote America by treating the POWs with dignity, showing them movies and other great stuff about America, and giving them plenty of food and comfortable beds? This story is based on this, and based on the orchard where the author's family raised apples in the early 20th century. When the men went off to war, the orchard was in crisis with no one to pick the apples. When the family decides to use German POWs it brings a lot of animosity from the town, and fear in the family - after all, their son is overseas fighting - can they really welcome enemy soldiers to their farm? This is told in alternating voices between Claire - a 7th grader on the farm, and Karl, a very young POW coming to terms with the many lies he has been told by the Nazi regime, and how many of the events that have happened in his life have been completely beyond his control.

This is a lovely and heartbreaking story. My only hesitation is the audio. The narrators are terrific for their characters, but the woman who narrates Claire is not good with other voices. This is probably better read in print. Aside from that, wow, what a story. Highly recommended.

>204 AMQS: The Chorale events sounds wonderful! Have fun in Boise. It isn't the location; it's the people. Bob and I escaped to a state park just about two hours away and hung out listening to the birds and exploring small towns.

>206 foggidawn: Hi foggi! Summer is theoretically hectic- we'll see if the trip to Cyprus happens. If not, it may be quite quiet! The Skull is a super quick read - I think you'll enjoy it.

>208 witchyrichy: It is absolutely the people! Plus, I think I'm the only one of us who has actually been to Boise and I remember it being a very cool city:)

25. The Labors of Hercules Beal by Gary D. Shmidt

I really enjoyed this middle grade novel about a Cape Cod boy named Hercules, whose trials and labors do resemble those of his mythological namesake, which is tragic on the one hand, and handy on the other, as his year-long assignment is to recreate each of the labors of Hercules and reflect on them for a retired marine teacher. I love that each day begins with a celebration of the beauty of his home. Many labors stem from the powerful and violent forces of nature that coems from living there also. Laugh out loud funny in places and a tear jerker in others. I recommend this one.

I'm at home now and can properly post the pictures.

This is THE Jacqueline Woodson. I was so excited to hear her and meet her. I cried.


We were allowed one book each for her to sign. I brought Harbor Me because I have a 4th grade teacher who reads it aloud every year. This is her inscription.


The following week I got to meet Kimberly Brubaker Bradley who spoke to our 3rd-5th graders about her new book The Night War which is just wonderful. Ms. Brubaker Bradley is signing and I am behind her with my instructional coach.

From the Chorale 50th anniversary performance - this is all choirs onstage, including the alumni choir in black. If you have the ability to zoom in, Callia is 2 people over from the men to the left and I am just behind her. I am standing next to my friend Jane, who I stood next to in Tour Choir when we were 12.




Stelios, Callia, and me between the performance and the gala in the lobby of the Curtis Hotel. This hotel is a retro trip and worth a look inside if you're ever near the Performing Arts Complex in Denver.

Fabulous photos, Anne! I enjoyed your verbal update and the pics are icing on the cake.

Great photos, Anne. You are so lucky to get such great authors. Scout is preparing a little something for you for the book. :) Good luck with the end-of-the-year craziness. It sounds like your summer will fly! Congrats to Callia on her new job.

>212 AMQS: Lovely to see the pictures, Anne.
You all look so happy at the last one.

So much to catch up on here. You are very busy these days, Anne. I hope you get to squeeze in the trip to Cyprus somehow.

Congrats to Marina on her graduation. My Sadie also graduated (from Kansas State). It seems like just yesterday we were trading toddler stories!

I’m glad you gave such a glowing review on The Moonflower Vine. It is one of my all time favorite books. I buy extra copies from book sales and give them to friends. Doing my best to spread the word!

Great pictures of the Colorado Chorale event. I know you have a special place in your heart for this group. ❤️

Stopping by to thank you for your recommendation of The 57 Bus late last year. I just finished reading it and thought it was excellent!

Hope all is well with you!

>213 lauralkeet: Thanks, Laura! I t was a great event.

>214 BLBera: Thanks, Beth - I was author-lucky this spring. I loved Scout's thank you gift - she is sweet just like her grandmother.

>215 FAMeulstee: Oh, Anita, I am so sad for you and so sad for Frank. You are missed.

>216 Donna828: Thanks, Donna! Yes, it's been busy. Still hoping Cyprus will work out. Things kind of got turned upside down but we're really hoping to make Cyprus work.

I can see how The Moonflower Vine would be a special book for you - I have had it on my list and in my pile for years so I was glad to have finally read it and I enjoyed it very much!

The Chorale is now in Germany on a performance tour that will end with a choral music festival in Prague. I do miss touring sometimes but I am glad to be (mostly) retired from the Chorale. But it remains very special to me, and the 50th anniversary concert and gala were wonderful celebrations.

>217 alcottacre: Stasia, thank you for letting me know, and for stopping by.

Hello friends! It is always a crazy push to the end of the school year, and this year was no different. A high point, though, was Marina's graduation, which was a lovely weekend. We enjoyed a school champagne toast to her class, her Phi Beta Kappa indiction, the many fun graduation events, and the ceremony itself. Here are some photos:






Marina is really enjoying some down time, as she worked so hard in college. She is ultimately planning to get a PhD and is slowly getting ducks in a row deciding where to apply and what she will need to prepare. In the meantime she is applying and interviewing for work, and would love to work in college admissions or DEI, or do DEI work for museums.

Callia is taking courses this summer for her teaching license, as well as house and pet sitting. At the moment she is up at a colleague's house in the mountains looking after their dogs, barn cats, ducks, chickens, geese, turkeys, rabbits, goats, alpacas, horses, and bird. It's a lot of work, but it is a good place to be doing online school. She also once thought she wanted this life. My hope was a housesitting gig at the farm would cure her of this thought, and when she did last year it certainly did. One of the alpacas in particular is her nemesis :) Her exciting news is that she got a job! She will be teaching 3rd grade at an elementary school pretty near (10 minutes) to our house. She is beyond excited. It looks like a very strong team and very strong administration, which is a great thing, and a friend of mine is the librarian there. I think it will be a great fit! The silly thing is that her program, which has been in CO working with Denver Public Schools and other districts for some time (we are not Denver and htis program is new in our district), has it set up so that students can't apply for their teaching licenses with the Colorado Department of Education until August, which is after her contract is supposed to start. After some agonizing questions and info-seeking, she has learned that the program and the district ( and expecially her school) is supporting her, and she has to seek an emergency teaching license to tide her over until her real license can come through. All CO school start in August, so this calendar is stressful!

Callia is having eye surgery next week - the same implant procedure Marina had two years ago that was so life-changing for her. I am excited for Callia!

I have spent my summer so far knocking out appointments and the things that teachers have to take care of over the summer. We've also had big house projects - a huge plumbing issue that has been repaired, repairing drywall, etc where our plumbing had leaked during the last plumbing emergency, and FINALLY getting air conditioning after 22 years in this house. Our house is very hard to cool, we've been told, so we chose to go with the ductless split european-style AC that has room units. It's been in process for a few weeks, and the one in our bedroom and in our family room/kitchen should be ready to go tomorrow. Unfortunately the units for the girls' rooms are backordered and its unclear when they will come in. It used to be there were only a handful of really hot days, but there are far more than a handful now, including many this month already, so it's time.

One of the summer appointments I had to take care of was "get that thing on my leg checked out," which unfortunately turned out to be melanoma, and this has turned my summer upside down a bit, as I will have surgery soon plus lymph node biopsy. I was supposed to take a trip with my college girlfriends next week, and I'm not sure if I can still go. Stelios and Marina planned to go to Cyprus for about 6 weeks and I managed to squeeze about 10 days in July/August, but now all plans will depend on when surgery is scheduled and what the biopsy shows. So we're waiting. I am meeting with a surgeon next week.

Catching up on books:



26. Daughters of the Lamp by Nedda Lewers, audiobook narrated by Gilli Messer.

This is a middle grade fantasy that goes between the 1980s Cairo and the middle east of The Arabian Nights, drawing a connection between Sahara, science-minded Egyptian-American, and the women of her family who are the ancient guardians of Ali Baba's lamp and other treasures. The story goes back and forth in time between Sahara in what feels to me like the present-day (the 1980s may as well be ancient history for the intended audience though, so this seems to be an interesting choice, but I think the author wanted to avoid cellphones and other smart tech) and Morgana, servent of Ali Baba who is charged with safeguaring the treasures as she flees Baghdad. It is intended to be in the style of Percy Jackson, and I hope that kids love it, but it didn't quite work for me. I have discovered that I dislike when characters in children's fantasy persistently refuse to allow the possibility of magic Because Science. Though maybe that's a good thing, since science seems to be under assault in our present day.

27. Mascot by Charles Waters and Traci Sorell

This book is one of our district's Battle of the Books selections for 2025. This explores the timely issue of symbols taken from indiginous cultures to serve as mascots for schools and teams. Proud tradition that brings joy, or grotesque and harmful racism? In this novel in verse, the issue is considered by a group of middle school students and their English teacher, who while keeping her own views private, assigns the students a project of research and persuasion. Predictably, passions run high, school board meetings become contentious, friendships are broken, outside influences weigh in, and the community is turned upside down. While this is such an important topic, I think the book *may* be a little old/high for my students (and it felt a litle heavy-handed to me), and I am curious to see how they receive it.

>223 AMQS: Ooof, here's hoping that's melanoma "in situ" (like my parents' both had, which basically means "in place" and not anywhere else) and that the surgery doesn't mess up all your plans terribly.

Hooray for all the plumbing and air conditioning!

28. Day by Michael Cunningham, audiobook narrated by Julianne Moore

Thank you to Katie for recommending the book and the audiobook narrator! This is a quiet book that takes place on April 5, 2019, 2020, and 2021 and tells the intimate story of a family slowly disintegrating, accelerated by the COVID lockdown. The writing is lovely but the story is very melancholy. I'm glad I read it.

>226 bell7: Thank you, Mary, that's our hope, too. I am usually one to turn to Dr. Google but in this case I can't. I am distracting myself until we know more, and also not canceling any plans just yet. I am glad your parents' melanoma turned out okay for them.

>227 AMQS: It's a very good read indeed. Not cheery or uplifing but well worth the time to me, too.

May "that thing" prove to be an easy fix. Modern medicine is incredible. I'm crossing all crossables for you to have a swift, good result.

29. Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen

This was my book club's selection for June, and I read it on the plane to Pennslvania for Marina's graduation. It was the perfect airplane book, and like other books by this author, a sweet southern story infused with magical realism. 18 year-old Zoey comes to candy-colored Mallow Island, South Carolina to the apartment her mother bequeathed to her. While there she comes to know the other residents of the Dellawisp Apartments. All come with scars and traumas that Zoey good-naturedly moves aside in the interest of community. The Dellawisp's ghosts tell their stories, too, as they consider the living and the ties of family and sorrow that can keep them in this world. The story is charming and wraps up sweetly... the perfect airplane read.

>229 richardderus: Richard, thank you. That's my wish, too, and I am grateful for your support!

30. Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner, audiobook narrated by the author.

This is a book we considered for my book club two years ago that we ultimately did not choose, but that has been on my list ever since. This is a loving and wrenching memoir about the author's relationship with her Korean mother, from her difficult early childhood, desperate-to-please stage, more difficult teen years, and early adulthood nursing her mother through the cancer that killed her too early. And H Mart is a Korean grocery chain that also serves as a restaurant, which brings back such strong memories of her mother and visceral pain of her loss that the author finds herself helplessly crying. It is a love letter to Korean food that had me designing a Korean itinerary for future travel. It is a no holds barred diary of cancer in every ugly, torturous detail (fortunately I listened to this before my discovery of "that thing"). And it is the story of the author finding unlikely stardom (she is the lead singer of the band Japanese Breakfast, which neither my girls nor I had heard of, but a Google search proved to be respectably successful). Michelle Zauner writes beautifully and movingly and I advise readers to keep a hanky nearby - your eyes and your mouth will water. Who wants to go to Korea?

31. Solito by Javier Zamora

This is a beautiful and harrowing memoir of the author's journey from El Salvador to the United States at the age of 9. Javier is separated from his parents, who made the journey some years before. When they finally save enough money to bring him, he begins the dangerous journey that he expects to last two weeks, and instead lasts seven. Traveling alone, he is taken in and watched over by fellow migrants Patricia, her 12 year old daughter Carla, and 19 year-old Chino, to whom he owes his life. This is an extraordinary memoir.

32. How To Stay Invisible by Maggie C. Rudd

My school is blessed with an extraordinary storyteller, who visits every 6 weeks or so to tell stories to 4th and 5th graders. He is elderly, quiet, and absolutely spellbinding. He is also spectacularly well traveled, visiting Indonesian or Caribbean islands I've never heard of to go SCUBA diving. He loves to read new children's and young adult literature and base his stories off of them, and when he does, he often buys a copy of the book to donate to the library. Usually I have to create a drawing to check out the book, and while the list is always long, the demand for this book was something else. So I had to wait until school was out to read it.

12 year-old Raymond moves a lot. His parents follow what little work his father can get, run from authorities, and chase parties and highs. The one time he confessed his circumstances to a teacher he wound up in an awful and abusive children's home, so when his parents disappear for good and he and his dog find a place to camp in the woods behind his middle school, knowing they can never tell anyone. But as fall turns to winter, surviving becomes increasingly difficult and he is forced to seek help. This book is outstanding and heartbreaking and unputdownable. Highly recommended, and I can see why all of my 4th and 5th graders wanted to read it.

Anne - ever since the Mouse episodes, I've been enjoying your teaching challenges
(4th Grade retired teacher here in Token Creek, Wisconsin),
book reviews,
and your adventures
with your Photogenic Family!

Prayers to All of You...

33. Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki

Marina gave this books to Stelios and me, and I am still deciding how I feel about it. It is a genre-bending trip that brings together an abused and outcast transgender girl, a legendary violin teacher who has made a deal with a demon to deliver souls to hell, and a interstellar family of refugees who have taken over a Los Angeles doughnut business while making repairs to high-level space travel technology. It is a tender love story, and a gut-wrenching portrayal of the struggles of transgender teens. It is unlike anything I've ever read, and I am disappointed that I did not find it as transformative as so many readers have. I am thinking about it a lot - the mark of a good book, but I definitely didn't fall in love with it. I'm glad I read it but I can't give it a hearty recommendation.

Nice to see your updates, Anne!

Congrats to Marina on her graduation and PBK induction - I'm glad you could be there for that. No one in my family came to mine (the induction, not the graduation) and it made me sad.

And congrats to Callia on her new job!

I hope your biopsy turns up nothing and the surgery on the melanoma is as easy as possible.

We have central air in our house, but the family room was added later and wasn't plumbed into the central air, so we put in the Euro style one and it's worked a charm.

Glad my recommendation of Day was a success for you :)

I also enjoy Sarah Addison Allen's books to veying degrees. Other Birds fell somewhere in the middle for me, I think.

>235 m.belljackson: Hi Marianne! I am so glad you're here. I know you can relate to the teaching challenges, and teaching in the mountains adds a whole other dimension:) I am very grateful for your prayers. Thank you.

>237 katiekrug: Hi Katie! We cross-posted. We were glad we were there for the full weekend of festivities because Dickinson did a great job. And the stakes felt high because Marina was the class that lost their high school graduations, proms, etc, and COVID prevented us from attending Callia's graduation from Willamette.

Here's my PBK story: the induction was toward the end of the year but not close enough for anyone coming to graduation to attend. My dad is of the generation that jobs are clear-cut and lifetime (he was a pilot). I studied Linguistics and French and he was convinced that my employment lay with either the UN or the CIA, and they would probably come knocking for me. The only other aternative was waitressing. Obviously. And the frantic phone calls about my UN-or-waitressing career weighed on me. My college provost helped me navigate this, and when I received my PBK invitation, he wrote a personal note on the bottom of the letter telling me that maybe waitressing wouldn't be my path after all:) And I never did waitress, though I understand how important and difficult the job is.

Thank you for your good wishes and your AC success story! And thanks again for the Day recommendation.

34. Ravenfall

This is the beginning of a new middle grade fantasy series set at the Ravenfall Inn, in hard-to-find Wick, Oregon, at the border of our world and the Otherworld. Anna's family all have special magical gifts, and Wick is home to witches, fairies, and all manner of magical beings. Guests who stay at the inn are largely unaware - there for spooky fun. When Colin arrives, having been told to find this inn in case of family separation, an ancient Celtic creature comes to terrorize Wick. With the help of Anna's family, Colin comes into his own power for a crucial battle at Samhain, the time when the shield between world is weakest. I loved the magical house and the Jabberwocky in the shape of a mischievious cat. Promising series start.

35. Yellowface by R. F. Kuang, audiobook narrated by Helen Laser

A darkly humerous send up of the publishing industry and social media fever. This book made me acutely uncomfortable, which of course was the point. It inspired some interesting conversations with Marina about publishing issues like who is allowed to tell whose stories. The morally questionable choices made by the protagonist make her downfall inevitable. I don't remember the last time a book made me squirm like this.

36. Not an Easy Win by Chrystal D. Giles

This is terrific middle grade realistic fiction that begins with Lawrence being expelled from a "good" (white) school that never wanted him there. His family has fallen onto hard times. When his father was incarcerated his mom couldn't make rent in Charlotte, and his family was evicted. After a brief, unhappy stint in his uncle's apartment, Lawrence, his mom, and sister Nikko move in with their cranky granny in rural North Carolina, where Lawrence is enrolled in the "good" school. After his explusion, Lawrence winds up with granny's elderly neighbor and together they volunteer at the rec center that hosts the "other" school's after school program. After all, "a man who don't work don't eat."

This is a sensitive portrayal of a family in crisis. Granny cooks the same things on the same days of the week. Lawrence and his siser, who miss their former frequent fast food meals, wonder why. Granny explains that she is on a fixed income, and by cooking the same things she knows exactly how much she will spend each week at Piggly Wiggly and how long the food will last. Granny only has a tiny table for two in the kitchen, so the kids eat on a blanket in the living room in front of the TV. When Lawrence's mom is fired from the diner she takes a night shift job at the chicken plant and so Lawrence can sleep in her bed instead of on the floor. But with patience and empathy Lawrence discovers community and starts to get back on track.
Highly recommended.

37. Duel by Jessixa Bagley

This is a middle grade graphic novel of two sisters trapped in a cycle of bitter rivalry and unkindness following the death of their father and their mother's grief and work. Older sister Gigi cruelly trips younger sister Lucy in the lunch room. Lucy retaliates by seizing her sister's fencing bag and threatening her with her own foil. Both sisters get in trouble - Lucy for threatening her sister with a weapon and Gigi for having the weapon in the cafeteria. In the aftermath, Lucy challenges Gigi to a duel, which ignites the school, which is eager for a takedown or bloodbath. Gigi is the school's best player - Lucy resumes the training she abandoned after her father died. It's easy to dislike the bratty sisters at first, but the book has a poignant and nuanced portrayal of grieving children and the book is infused with love. Recommended.

38. Parachute Kids by Betty C. Tang

Another graphic novel sharing the vicious fighting of siblings in difficult circumstances - in this case, "parachute kids" - kids who are brought to the United States and left to live alone to go to school and fly under the radar in the hopes of a better life while their parents return to their home country (in this case Taiwan) to try to immigrate through legal channels.

Thanks for catching us up on everything going on in your life these days, Anne. Congratulations to both Marina and Callia! I hope the biopsy and surgery are minor events and don't get in the way of your travel plans.

Your reply yesterday to dear Anita was so touching Anne.

I saw the graduation pictures of Marina on FB earlier the doppelganger has done you all proud.

Lovely to see you posting again dear lady.

>223 AMQS: I will keep you in my prayers and I trust that it will be all settled without too much discomfort and worry.

>221 AMQS: Thanks for the lovely pictures, Anne! You all look so happy. Pardon a stupid question, but what is DEI? I probably know somewhere in the back of my brain. . .

>222 AMQS: My sister is a homesteader and raises goats. It is a lot of work all of the time especially during kidding season. I have no romantic notions of how tough that life is and it sounds like Callia is getting disabused of hers.

Congratulations to Callia on the new job!

>223 AMQS: Well, I hope that the surgery on the melanoma goes well and the biopsy does not turn anything up! Congratulations on getting the work around the house done.

>227 AMQS: >233 AMQS: >236 AMQS: Already in the BlackHole or I would be adding it again.

>230 AMQS: It has been a good while since I read anything by SAA despite loving her Garden Spells. I will have to see if I can track that one down. Thanks for the recommendation, Anne!

>232 AMQS: >234 AMQS: Adding those to the BlackHole. My local library has copies of them too, so bonus! Thanks again.

>241 AMQS: Dodging that BB as I have already read it! Whew.

>242 AMQS: Well, my local library has let me down with that one. Adding it to the BlackHole in the hopes that one of these days my library gets a copy.

Have a wonderful weekend!

>245 lauralkeet: Thank you, Laura!

>246 PaulCranswick: Thanks, Paul.

>247 alcottacre: Hi Stasia! DEI is diversity, equity, and inclusion. It raises hackles in some states, and programs are being eliminated in some places, but museums and the like are committed to it still.

I think Callia likes the idea of homesteading. The reality not so much:) But she is getting her fix when she goes to farm sit.

Glad I could get you with a few titles!

>248 AMQS: Callia might well enjoy Ben Logan's beautiful and fun farm memories in a Classic, THE LAND REMEMBERS.

>249 m.belljackson: Ooh, I bet she would (and I think I would as well)! Thanks for the recommendation. We listened to the James Herriot stories on road trips when they were younger and she is rereading them.

>222 AMQS: What a lot of exciting news for your daughters! Congratulations to Marina on graduation and induction to PBK! Also congratulations to Marina on her new job and the great support getting the licensing necessary. Best wishes to all of you!!

Yikes about discovering melanoma -- I can imagine that would be upsetting. Sending good mojo for a clear biopsy and for getting to go to Cyprus.

Lovely photos -- thanks for sharing

Hi Anne. Congrats to Marina.

Sorry to hear about your melanoma. How scary. I hope it is easily removed with no lymph node involvement,

What a lot of great reading you've been doing. Solito is one that caught my eye.

Thanks for the updates: graduation looked wonderful! And, there is no better cure for the homesteading bug than actually doing it.

Meanwhile, I am so sorry to hear about your melanoma! Now, I understand why you may not get to Cyprus. Sending lots of healing energies your way.

>251 RebaRelishesReading: Thank you, Reba. It's a waiting game now. I appreciate your good wishes.

>252 BLBera: Thank you, Beth. I think Solito would be right up your alley. Javier Zamora is a poet and tells his story with a poet's voice and a child's specific memories. I've been thinking about it a lot and I'm glad it is as well recieved as it is - these are stories that everyone should read.

>253 witchyrichy: Thanks, Karen. Homesteading has been particularly difficult this time, so now she is proclaiming CATS ONLY (and maybe ducks). She will be very glad to come home this week - just a day before her eye surgery.

*************
Two of our air conditioning units are backordered, so it is still very hot in the girls' bedrooms, but the units are up and running in our bedroom and the family room/kitchen and it is life changing! Oh wow, what a difference! I dragged my feet on air conditioning for so long (22 years here) but it is undeniable that the unbearably hot days are far more than the handful they used to be. And in early June, too!

>254 AMQS: I couldn't have been a colonialist back in the day, Anne, if only for the reason that I need aircon desperately in tropical climes and they weren't a thing back when we had an Empire!

>254 AMQS: Anne - Hope that surgery is scheduled soon, with more positive thoughts coming toward you and your Family!

>255 PaulCranswick: Same, Paul. And the older I get the less well I do in the heat. We don't even have humidity! I also think similarly when we drive east - my brother in law lives in Kansas and the 8 hour drive between here and there is mostly through mothing but plains. And occasionally you will see the dilapidated ruins of someone's desolate homestead cabin. That was a hard life and I'm glad it's not mine.

>256 m.belljackson: Thank you, Mariane. I homestly have never seen the medical machine move so quickly outside the ER. Surgery is this coming week on Wednesday, and I have the follow up and an oncology consultation scheduled already. I guess it's a blessing that things move quickly when they have to. Unfortunately this means I will be missing the Boise trip with my college friends and I am very disappointed about that.

>221 AMQS: congrats to the grad!

Hi Anne! Congrats to Marina on graduating and PBL and to Callia on the job. I almost missed my own PBK induction because my family was running late and I was waiting for them to walk to the ceremony location. I ended up ditching them and running there myself when my friend called and said they were going to start without me and I wouldn't get to join at all, lol.

Sorry to hear about the melanoma and that you'll miss your Boise trip 😥 I hope it's all good news and an easy procedure.