One Chapter

The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles

The year is 1939, WWII is on everyone’s mind as the war is moving closer to home. Impressed with the American’s Dewey Decimal System, Odile decides that an American library is where she wants to works and lands a position at the American Library in Paris. Odile loves her new position: being surrounded by individuals who care and enjoy reading. This truly becomes her second home and her refuge.

We move to the year 1983. Lily has heard that this woman in her neighborhood was a war bride yet to Lily, she didn’t match what Lily envisioned. For school, Lily interviews this neighbor and discovers what a treasure Odile really is. While Lily feels like her own life is crumbling apart, she finds a true friend in Odile and someone that she can confine in. Although they are generations apart, Odile finds that being with Lily, she’s able to share the story of her life and her talents, which brings her tremendous joy.

I enjoyed how the author alternated the stories throughout the book. As I read, I had to keep reminding myself that this was a true account, that this story actually took place. Although at times, I didn’t want one story to end, I was excited to get back into the lives of all the characters. I had a hard time in the beginning chapters getting settled into the book but after those few chapters, I enjoyed it. I loved how everyone who was a part of the library tried so desperately to make sure their subscribers had access to the materials that they wanted. It wasn’t just making sure that the books were safe during the war but getting them out and into the hands of the individuals who really needed them, during this difficult time. Doesn’t this sound like what we are going through now, to a point? Is your own library meeting the needs of the people that it serves during this uncertain period in our history?

By Plemasson – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=36874402

Odile’s relationships had me up at 3:30 in the morning as I couldn’t sleep thinking how things were going to work out. Between her father, her brother, her girlfriends and her romance, it’s a wonder I slept at all the past couple nights. I appreciate the author’s research in putting this book together as it was a fantastic read and one that I highly enjoyed.

Thank you Atria Books and NetGalley for providing me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

2021 Planner

I decided to get organized this year since I thought last year, I was so disorganized and I feel that my NetGalley list reflects that. I have in the past relied on a separate calendar on my wall to keep my books organized but last year, I just couldn’t get it to work for me. I felt that I was constantly taking it off the wall, marking it up and then, forgetting to put it back up. I’d then miss a book date and this would just escalate.

I looked at a few different planners and when I came across this one, it had all the bells and whistles plus more. I really liked this one and I knew that I needed this one in my life, this year. I knew that there might be pages in this planner that I might not use but it was going to be better than not having what I wanted and having to add something else later in the year. So, I ordered it. Coming from Canada, I should have ordered this earlier as I missed almost 3/4 the month of January before I ended up receiving it. I live in the U.S. and with Covid, it took longer than usual but now I know.

This planner is huge (340 pages) and very nice! I mean, it’s fancy! I love it and I hope that I can fully enjoy it this year as there’s is so many great things about it! (Sorry about all the exclamation points). It’s a heavy planner but its well-made, so that explains it.

I’m just going to tell you a few things about the planner and then, you can check out my pictures. At the beginning of the planner there are book challenges that you can fill in during the year. These challenges are some of the popular ones that I’ve seen online. There is also a page for goals, a nice 2-page spread of blank books where you can enter the book titles on the spine of the books that you have read this year. There’s also pages that you can list out the books that you’ve read this year and there’s some fun pages about books too. Every month you get: a calendar that you can write in and also the option of a daily calendar with three slots that you can use, if you track minutes. There are also monthly pages in the book for: books you want to read, new releases, your book hauls, your monthly wrap-ups, notes for the month and a quote for the month. There are also a few quarterly pages to mark your thoughts about how things are going. At the back of the book, there is space for some book reviews, some yearly wrap-ups including graphs, and place for some notes.

The book is beautifully done and I loved the graphics. It’s definitely a keeper for me and I’m going to see about placing an order earlier next year, if I decide to buy it again next year. I bought the planner from Little Inklings Design which carries a variety of products for book lovers. Has anyone bought anything from Little Inklings Design before? Has anyone used this planner before? Is there a planner that you really like? Here are some pictures I took of my planner:

Sugar in Milk by Thrity Umrigar

Let me tell you a story….and with that, she saw herself and tried to change. I like it when a story says it all and for this young girl, she heard the story and understood.

She had arrived to this country, alone. Her family, friends and her cats were still back home and she misses them so much. Her Auntie and Uncle were thrilled to have her with them and they showered her with love and presents. She wanted to make some friends, but how?

Her Auntie notices the young girl’s quietness and she asks her if she would like to take a walk together. As they walk, the aunt unleashes a story filled with adventure which draws the girl in. It begins with a group of Persia refuges who were traveling via boat, who had finally arrived on the shores of India. The local king was refusing to let the Persia refuges stay. The refuges were begging the king but unfortunately, they couldn’t understand what each of them were saying to each other. The king decided to visually show them what he meant. The refuges saw what the king was doing and they too, responded to the king in a visual way. Now, they both understood each other.

What a clever story and a clever technique! What a surprise to both parties. I thought the ending was great! I loved the illustrations in this book too! I enjoyed how the edges on each page of the Auntie’s story were artistly created. These fancy edges, framed each picture and made it a notable journey. The relationship between the girl and her Auntie was special and I liked how the couple tried to make the girl feel comfortable in their home. A great story!

Bowwow Powwow by Brenda Child

Windy Girl likes to hang out in her Uncle’s pickup truck. She hears the best stories while sitting in his truck. Her uncle can remember when he was a young child but Windy Girl’s favorite stories are when he talks about the powwow. I thought this was so sweet that she sits with her uncle in his truck and that they have some bonding time. Without any outside forces, with just the two of them together, they can focus on each other. As her Uncle talks about the powwow, this story reminds her of her own dog, Itchy Boy.

Windy Girl and Itchy Boy loved their days at the powwow. Everyone was happy at the powwow as they sang, danced and spent time with each other. Typically, the celebration would last until late into the night and the night sky would dance with the Northern Lights. The children and the dogs would fall asleep to the beating of the drums. Windy recalls a time when she had a weird yet wonderful dream about a powwow. Windy explains her dream and I do have to agree that this dream was weird and the illustrations make her dream, even more unusual. It was after she had this dream that Windy made some observations about powwows.

I liked how the story was written in two different languages, I thought that was interesting. I liked looking at the Ojibwa language that was written out below the English language. It seemed the language had longer words and it was hard to pronounce, at least I thought so. I was disappointed in the illustrations. I would have liked the illustrations to have been more realistic and softer to create a more secure feeling. I did enjoy reading the Author’s notes at the back of the book yet I wanted more of them. 3 stars

Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice by Mahogany Browne

Beautiful, amazing pieces of poetry! Each work of poetry is unique and brilliant as it enlists each of us to look at the world around us and embrace it. After reading this book, the message is strong and empowering: 5 stars

We are all unique in our own ways but
we are all united. We all have the power.

We all should feel secure in our environment,
being able to be ourselves without ridicule,
lifting up our voice, without fear of harassment, just for being who we are.

Throughout history, individuals have tried: some success and some not.
Those that have fought, have not fought in vain.

What can I do? I cannot move bridges. I cannot lead a march.
I can be awake. I can support you. I can encourage you.
All voices don’t need to be loud to be felt.
They just need to be woke.

We Are Water Protectors by Carole Lindstrom

We all should know how important our water supply is. It’s not something that we should take for granted, ask anyone who doesn’t have water or has had to go without their water for an extended amount of time and they will tell you, water is precious. I really enjoyed how the author makes us look at water and how valuable it really is.

“It nourished us inside our mother’s body.

As it nourished us her on Mother Earth.

Water is sacred, she said. (Nokomis)”

I have to tell you that I went into this book blindly. I knew that it was a popular book and that it was up for some awards but I didn’t know its subject matter. For me, going into this book blindly was ideal as I had to guess what the author was referring to as she spoke of the black snake tainting the waters. Something has to be done to stop the black snake but what? She stepped forward, hoping to rally her people together to stop the black snake, but can they? They march as many, to also carry the torch for those without a voice, to fight those who wear blinders.

You definitely have to read the 2- page section at the back of the book, as I thought these notes and information gave the book more depth and force. The illustrations were fabulous with striking colors and images. Definitely a book that you have to read more than once. 5 stars.

A Day With Yayah by Nicola Campbell

This was a nice picture book that is also an educational book as a Yayah (grandmother) spends time alone with her grandchildren, passing down the traditional natural world of their culture. Although the scmem’i?t (children) don’t like to eat everything Yayah gathers, they love to be with her, when she collects her harvest and I understand why. Yayah’s patience and knowledge flows freely from her and just being with her and learning from her is a wonderful day.

Yayah teaches the scmem’i?t new words every day and she reinforces those words as she speaks to them throughout the day. Teaching them the Indigenous language, Yayah speaks to them calmly and in a gentle tone as she mixes this language with the English language, as they look and gather for the first spring crop. Yayah teaches them, she educates them not in just the harvest but in the environment around them so that in the future, they will be able to gather their own harvest successfully. There’s a Glossary of Words at the back of the book that helps. I would love to hear this book being read. A wonderful, good feeling book. 5 stars

How Sweet the Sound: The Story of Amazing Grace by Carole Boston Weatherford

This wasn’t what I thought this book would be like, but it’s a start. This song was a favorite of my grandmothers and it’s also one of my mother’s favorite songs, when I saw the cover, I knew I had to read it. I wondered what the song’s words came from and what they meant as it’s sang a lot at funerals and religious services.

The song began with John Newton aboard a slave ship. He’s a passenger as the ships being tossed about, during a stormy night. John hears the crew complaining as he worries about the ship going down with the storm. As the storm whips around him, John reflects back on his life.

John’s father was a sea captain and his mother stayed home and took care of him. She took him to church and John was a good Christian boy. When she died, John put on his sea legs and went with his father to the sea, where he got into trouble and he became a wild fellow. This was the time that he also met his wife, Mary.

The storm grabs John’s attention as the boat is being torn apart. Everyone fears the worse and hopes the best. The illustrations capture the fear that these individuals felt. Fortunately, they do eventually find land and John later retires. Once an individual who transported slaves, John now preaches to end slavery. I had a few questions about things that were happening here as it seemed rather choppy. John now writes the first lines to this famous song. Those lines travel across sea and land where other individuals sing them and add their own words to them until ……..we have a song. What? Yep! There are Author Notes at the back (which I highly recommend you read), Additional Reading and Info, and Amazing Grace (the song).

I feel that the illustrations captured the energy of this book. They were bold, colorful, and the individuals presented were nicely done. I was surprised at how much of the book was devoted to the life of John and how much of the book was devoted to the song, itself. Then, to find out that he only wrote the first lines to the song. That was a huge surprise to me! The Author’s Notes at the back of the book need to be read as I found them very informative. They helped answer some of my questions and put the book together for me. I also liked having all the verses of the song together in the back, with the nice illustration in the background, that was a nice touch. I was disappointed that not more was written about the rest of the song though.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant

I never would have picked up this book had it not been for bookclub. I almost didn’t read it because it really didn’t look or sound like something I would like YET, wow, what a story! It was a wonderful story built on strong female relationships and determined individuals.

Jacob was the one we all know about, the one whose name rang a bell with me. Anita writes that Jacob has 4 wives and 10 sons. Jacob is mentioned just a bit i

n this story but it’s the women’s lives who take over the pages.

Rachel was one of Jacob’s wife who was a midwife. She gives birth to Jacob’s only daughter, Dinah. The Red Tent which is the book’s title refers to the structure where women would go when they’re menstruating or when they’re having a baby. Dinah though, was able to go into the Red Tent anytime, to learn from the women who were inside there.

I liked how the women went inside the Red Tent monthly, for just a few days, to rejuvenate themselves. The outside world would continue on, while she held herself up, inside that structure with the other women, until she opened up the door and walked out. I thought this was powerful but then, this also had to do with their religion.

Reading this book was interesting but later, I located a guide to use with this book and that was an eye-opener. It had me analyzing situations and yes, I could see what they were addressing but I hadn’t thought of it that way. Had I not read this guide; this concept never would have crossed my mind. I hadn’t thought this much about historical or biblical times. Wow, this was a lot to think about and it started to make this reading material, deep. I was starting to see that there were some complex issues going on. One of my issues with this story had to do with keeping track of all the names of the characters as they made their journey.

I’m glad that I read this story. 4 stars.

April Bookclub

This is my April’s bookclub book that I picked up today. I belong to my local library’s bookclub, which is in Iowa and we meet once a month, usually at the library but lately we’ve been meeting online. We read the author’s, The Home For the Friendless: Finding Hope, Love and Family back in November 2020 and our group’s leader connected with the author, since the author lives in Iowa. We’d looked at her other books and some of our questions surrounded this book, Living with Twelve Men….a mother in training, it sounded interesting.

Today, when I picked up my copy at the library, imagine my surprise when I opened my sack and I found all these extra goodies. Yeah! A library coffee mug, tea, popcorn, candy, bookmark, and the book.