One Chapter

Go With the Flow by Lily Williams & Karen Schneemann

I also found this book while volunteering at the library and I’m glad that I picked this one up. Now, I know graphic novels touch on a variety of subject matter but this subject matter is a first for me in a long while (thank you, Judy Blume). As I read this book, the first thought I had was, where was this graphic novel when I was younger?

In this graphic novel, a small group of high school friends come together to provoke a change. Abby, the artist in the group, is preparing for the chance to have a display in an upcoming exhibit in the library. The show features feminist voices and activism. Abby doesn’t realize it but today, marks the beginning of her display.

The three girls find Sasha, a new student, in the hallway needing assistance. The girls immediately sweep in, take her under their wings like good Samaritans, and usher her into the bathroom. They’re nice and honest with her and they don’t leave Sasha until things are under control. It’s now that Abby discovers the injustice that marks the beginning of her art display and the movement that she leads with her friends. As Sasha tries to cope with what has happened to her, the girls try to resolve the issue(s) that they no longer want to ignore.

The three girls welcomed Sasha to their group immediately and they come together to try to change the way that their school handles an issue that has been ignored for quite some time. While this task is underway, the girls talk freely about menstruation. This talk is not restricted, they are very open and sincere, they cover quite a few important issues surrounding this topic, issues that aren’t just mentioned but provide great detail and meaning. I loved the honesty and the emotions that came through this graphic novel. No one held back as they provided feedback or told their own stories as each topic was discussed.

This is an important graphic novel, one that covers a subject some individuals find hard to talk about. Why, it’s hard to discuss? There are a lot of different reasons but in honesty, it’s a topic that should be discussed more openly and honesty. I know, they show the movies and have the discussions at school, but to have a fictional graphic novel that covers this topic, in detail like this one does, is fantastic! Kiddos, to the author for writing such a great book. I highly recommend it.

Maybe He Just Likes You by Barbara Dee

As Callum bowed, he extended his hand towards Mila and he touched her. He really did. He touched her sweater again; Mila was sure of it. Claiming it was Leo’s birthday, Mila gave him a hug, an innocent hug. It was the words that left his mouth that told her that she had been deceived. Mila feels alone, why was this happening to her and how can she stop it?

Confiding with her closest friends, Mila finds that their reactions are different which then, play a significant role in their friendship. It was the action that a few of Mila friends do, after Mila talked with them, that I couldn’t believe they actually did. What kind of “friends” were they? Trying to find an adult to talk to, was difficult. Oh why, did this have to be so hard?

This is a great book that addresses sexual harassment at the middle school level. If it doesn’t feel right, it isn’t right and it should stop. If you need to talk to someone, find someone, anyone and the sooner the better. Telling someone to stop, doesn’t always work. This book needs to be read by everyone.

Hill Women by Cassie Chambers

Just outside Owsley County, you’ll discover this narrow, gravel road that’ll lead you straight down into a holler, that’s surrounded by trees. That’s Cow Creek. It’s almost hidden, this small community in Kentucky. This is why Cassie Chambers wanted to get the word out about the women in this area before they are forgotten and also, to make this area more visible to the public. This area was home to Cassie before she headed off to college to become a lawyer. I really enjoyed this book as Cassie told us about her family, herself, and this small community.

Cassie decided to practice law in rural Kentucky to make a difference. Wanting to represent women who couldn’t afford an attorney, Cassie headed to her hometown where, she knew that her services were needed.

Cassie’s story is personal as she serves her community. She makes a lot of interesting points in this book but there was one that I remembered reading early, that stayed with me as I read the rest of the book. This comment was about education in this area. She mentioned that the men in this area, don’t see education as important for anyone. Why? Because for one, the men have all the opportunities that are available in the area so why would they need an education? Two: if a woman should get an education, that would change the opportunities that would be available to her (indicating a bad idea). For everyone knows that the only job that a woman should have, is their own home. How interesting is that?

With this way of thinking, the abuse, the seclusion, and the poverty, I felt deeply for these women and grateful that Cassie chose to come home to help them.

This is Cassie’s story, a tribute to the amazing women who raised her. It was an interesting story and I enjoyed reading about Cassie’s life.

The Year We Fell From Space by A.S. King

This is an important novel that addresses divorce and depression for children, that speaks their language. Addressing the promises, the hopes, the disappointments, the stresses, the anger, the blame, and just about every emotion that a child feels as their parents separate and divorce, this book confronts them directly. A.S. King delivers another great book.

The arguing the occurs between Liberty’s parents has reached its limit and now, her dad was moving out. He was making promises to Liberty and her sister, Jilly to smooth out the situation but nothing he could say would ever make this move easy. Liberty and her dad were close. They spent a lot of time together, they loved to unravel the night sky together.

Liberty’s world begins to fall apart when her father moves out of the house yet she keeps everything inside her. She continues to try to find comfort in the night sky but like everything else in her world, it just isn’t there anymore. Wishing upon stars, asking for guidance, Liberty calls upon the night to help restore her balance. Liberty is spiraling.

I liked the difference between the two sisters. Liberty was the older sister and she tried to keep her emotions inside and in-control. Her younger sister, Jilly made me smile and laugh numerous times, as she’s young, carefree and she’d let’s go with what’s on her mind, when given the chance. Liberty couldn’t talk openly so what she really needed was to talk privately with some individuals throughout the book but she just couldn’t.

I enjoyed how the book dealt with all the different emotions that occur during a divorce. Children are a major part of a divorce yet some parents feel that they’re not, forget to include them, or just don’t want to get them involved. Children need to be able to talk about their feelings, ask questions and get a truthful (as truthful as they can handle) response to their questions. Children need to feel valued and respected during this time. I think this book addressed these topics very well.

I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it. Another fantastic book by A.S. King!

Dollbaby: a Novel by Laura Lane McNeal

Ibby discovered she had a grandmother just a few months ago and now, her mother is dropping her at Fannie’s while she figures things out. Clutching her father remains, Ibby arrives in New Orleans, unaware how her arrival will affect the household.

There were many layers to this novel which added to its enjoyment. Just when I thought things were smoothing out, something else would pop up and add to the drama. The novel takes place in New Orleans in the 1960’s where Fannie has settled and she has a few individuals helping her out.

Fannie is an outspoken tough, gambling woman who begins to change slowly when Ibby comes into her life. Queenie came with the house when it was bought many years ago and she arrives every morning with her daughter, Dollbaby to tend to the house. Dollbaby, has her own daily responsibilities in the house, as she works alongside her mother. I noticed right away that there seemed to be a mutual understanding and respect between Queenie, Dollbaby and Fannie as they had a great relationship, considering the region and the time period.

Ibby arrival added to the peaceful flow of this household. It was entertaining to see what this twelve-year-old girl could do as she gets accustomed to the South. A quiet girl when she arrived, Ibby begins to have a voice and she uses it. I feel that Ibby’s experience in the South has given her insight and judgement and that by living with her grandmother, she has been given her some options which some other individuals don’t have. There are family secrets that have been hidden and buried for many years. These secrets of the past have a powerful message for the present.

I don’t want to give too much away for this fantastic book. I really enjoyed this book and I highly recommend it!

Note: I read some reviews that said that this book is a “rip-off of The Help. ” Well, I liked the book a lot and I enjoyed reading it. I read The Help many years ago and I enjoyed that also. I didn’t immediately think of The Help when reading this book. Yes, there are similarities but I think you will have that with many books pertaining to this topic. I really enjoyed the book.

Maus: a Survivor’s Tale- Part 1 by Art Spiegelman

I’ve been meaning to read this graphic novel as I’ve heard many great things about it so when our bookclub announced it for this month’s read, I was pretty excited. This book afterall, was a graphic novel and it pertained to WWII, so what could go wrong?

This graphic novel is presented in black-n-white and written by the son of a Jewish Holocaust survivor. The son, an illustrator, visits his father and inquiries about his life in Poland around the time of WWII. His father’s memory is quite good as he recalls this tragic event in history.

I was amazed at how well Vladek recalls the names of places and individuals as he reaches back in time to relive his life. As the story unfolds, his journey was quite extensive. I have a hard-enough time remembering what I did yesterday and Vladek memories include quite a bit of detail.

This novel provides more than just his father’s flashbacks during this father and son interview, we learn about other individuals who play a role in their lives. We learn about other relationships, past and current, including the relationship between the father and his son. I thought the some of these relationships were quite interesting and I was amazed at the connections that Vladek had.

I do feel that there were times that the language in the book felt stiff and off for me. I think it was how the book was translated that threw it off for me. As I read, during Vladek days of trying to survive, I went through many emotions. A good read will provoke that in a reader.

I appreciate Vladek for sharing his story and for his service. I also appreciate that Art wrote this graphic novel about his father. It’s a momentous piece of history told from one who survived.

Numbers in the reading world

Let’s talk numbers. I like numbers. If I remember back when I was a child, I guess I always have. As an adult, this love of numbers led me into my first college degree, which is accounting. When I received my second college degree, my love of numbers continued, as I was constantly trying to convince my students that math was fun. This feat somedays was more challenging than accounting. Now, as a book reader and a blogger, I noticed that numbers are playing a big role in my life again.

Has anyone else noticed how much numbers play an important part of your reading life? These past few months, I have really noticed this and perhaps it’s because I don’t have a lot of free time anymore. It also might be because some of the numbers I am looking at, are getting larger.

Pattern obtained by superimposing black numbers on multicolored background. This is obtained by multiple colors paint watercolor technique on paper.

Goodreads is one area I am looking at. Have you seen some of the reading goals that some individuals set? I’ve been reading some blog posts and I am amazed that some individuals aim for goals of 300+ books per year! That is almost one book a day! In my mind, I think, how can someone read one book a day? Wow! If I could do that, my TBR shelf might get empty before I die.

Then, there are the Goodreads Giveaways. Have you seen the numbers on some of them? I got a notice yesterday about one that had 100 copies available. That sounds like a lot of books and I might have a chance to win one of them BUT there’s already 16,634 individuals that have already entered! Yeah, this one wasn’t looking good now. A couple other giveaways this week that I received notices for, my odds were not in my favor: 2.2%, .55%, .016%, and .31%. It’s great that there are the giveaways but these numbers are huge!

I noticed today that according to Goodreads, I am “behind 2 books” according to my goal for the year. I hadn’t been paying much attention to that bar on the page but now, I most certainly am.

When writing a review, I try to be honest and fair. I don’t add spoilers and I try to write something that I would like to read, if I were a reader. When posting a review, I always wonder if anyone actually read it or cared. I don’t get hung up on this but having the “like” and/or “comment” button is nice and is another number feature of reading. I like following individuals to see what they have read and how they feel about it. By leaving something on a post, I feel as if I have left a bit of myself there for them. That “like” or “comment” is another number.

Books: The books that I want to read is a continuous growing number that I must constantly maintain. The number grows and I try to weed it down every so often. The number of books in my house is growing and I don’t think this is a problem, yet. I have high hopes of dwindling this down.

So, there are some of the number issues that I have been confronted with lately. I’m sure there are others but these are the ones that come to the top of my head right now. How about you? Does anyone else notice lately or does it not bother you how numbers play into your reading?

The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty

I think I inhaled this book! Intrigued by an approaching storm, Lucy (age 8) and her friend Cecel, climb a metal fence to watch it (I thought to myself, who climbs a metal fence during a storm?). When the storm’s lightning came in contact with that fence, both girls lived to tell their story, but Lucy was left with a gift. Savant Syndrome.

Extremely talented in math, thanks to that severe storm, Lucy has been homeschooled by her grandmother. Currently, she feels that she’s ready for something else. Grandmother however, feels differently and challenges Lucy to a year of public middle school. When the challenge is accepted, Lucy sets the ground rules: she doesn’t want anyone to know about her math abilities. I think that Lucy believes that she knows what her biggest challenges are but when it all played out, I don’t think she really did.

I loved that the author addressed many upper elementary/middle school issues, and that, the story itself felt realistic and valid. These were characters that I felt that I knew; I have heard their stories while I subbed for them and their actions were spot-on. I loved a lot of things about this book: characters, relationships, drama, birthday party and its after-effects, how individuals mature, and the service project. I highly recommend this book.

The Forgotten Room by Karen White, Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig

There are three actual stories in this book but they all have one common thread. That common subject lies in a building, which has had many purposes over the years, if only the walls of that building could talk.

I liked the idea of how this huge building served many purposes over the years. The history that this building contained and how it served others was fascinating. To think, how many people walked and in-and-out of its doors intrigued me. Then, to read how the three women in this novel were also connected to this building, just added more significance to the structure. I had to wonder if there were any standing building today that have these same traits. Hum?

Anyways, back to the book. Following a trio of women, we crisscross over three different time periods (1892, 1920, and 1944) which I found confusing at times as I couldn’t keep everyone straight. These women are all from the same family, just years apart, which made it more confusing to me. I finally wrote everyone’s name down on a piece of paper and drew arrows to keep individuals separated as the romance in this novel adds even more complications.

Somehow over the years, these three women find their way back to New York, to this same building yet they’re there for different reasons. As the novel comes together, you’ll find out what ties them all together.

It’s a mystery that covers many generations. With strong-minded women and a terrific setting this book provided for me an interesting read. 3.5 stars

Two Can Keep a Secret by Karen McManus

My thoughts:

I picked this audio book up because I enjoyed the author’s first book, One of Us is Lying. This book was totally different. I enjoyed this book in the beginning but then, I thought the book dragged on.

The book is about a set of twins that have to live with their grandmother in Echo Ridge, as their mother is sent away for a while. The small town of Echo Ridge might be little, but within its borders, it contains big time drama. With a tragic past that include girls that have either come up missing or dead, this year is no exception. With a history to these crimes, the girls can’t take this year’s case lightly.

I enjoy a novel where an author slowly reveals the mystery to its reader but I thought there was too much other stuff in this novel that didn’t matter. Let’s cut to the chase and give me, what’s important. I also felt so lost with all the individuals in this novel. I was so confused with all the people that I had to keep track of. In short, this book just wasn’t right for me. There are tons of great reviews for it so, perhaps it’s right for you but I will pick-up One of Us is Next and read it. 2.5 stars