It's Monday! What are you reading? Is a wonderful community of readers, teachers, and librarians. Hosted by Jen over at Teach Mentor Texts along with Kellee and Ricki at Unleashing Readers, participants share their reading adventures from the past week along with their reading plans for the week ahead.
My Monday posts are generally just a highlight of what I've been reading during the week so if you'd like to see all that I've been reading, follow my Goodreads page.
Check out my current blog tour post and giveaway:
Twenty Yawns by Jane Smiley, illustrated by Lauren Castillo
Last week I finished reading:
My Friend Dahmer by Derf Backderf
A compulsively readable graphic memoir of Backderf's half-hearted friendship with serial killer Jeffery Dahmer in high school. It is a book that one almost feels ashamed to read (and enjoy) as your morbid curiosity keeps you turning the pages. What I found so tragic about this book is how the adults in Dahmer's life failed him in such an epic way. It makes you wonder if someone had noticed and got him help if things could have ended differently.
I finished reading with my ears:
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera
Heartbreaking and hopeful. This is a book that will involve more than one reading to fully comprehend its magnitude.
Pax by Sara Pennypacker My head knows this is a great work of children's literature. My heart just wasn't into it. I know I'm the minority, but I can live with that.
Favorite picture book from last week:
Museum Trip by Barbara Lehman
A wonderful wordless picture book that immediately put me in mind of Journey by Aaron Reynolds.
Still reading:
Hour of the Bees by Lindsay Eagar
Currently reading with my ears:
The Cage by Megan Shepherd
Oh my goodness. This book is so addicting! I can't wait to see how this sci-fi thriller plays out. If you liked The Maze Runner, give this book a try!
I absolutely adore Lehman's wordless titles - I think I've reviewed most of them for our wordless reading theme a few years ago - not sure though if she has new titles. I'm intrigued by Dahmer. Will put that in my to-read list in Goodreads.
ReplyDeleteWill look for The Cage, Beth, new to me. I loved Museum Trip too, so enticing. Can't wait to read Twenty Yawns! Thanks for all!
ReplyDeleteThere have been a lot of people who weren't into Pax. I loved it and my daughter, who really likes realistic middle grade fiction (read between the lines there), loved Pax. I feel like you either love that book or your feelings are eh towards it. I wouldn't say you're in the minority!
ReplyDeleteMy thoughts exactly on Dahmer. I am still thinking about that book more than a year after I read it, and I also still kind of wish I hadn't read it!
ReplyDeleteI may have mentioned it before but I feel I'm currently on any fox-book hiatus. My Friend Dahmer looks interesting too. My friend Robin had raved about it.
ReplyDeleteI really appreciate it when people are honest about the books they enjoy and don't enjoy. Sometimes when a book is getting so much hype it can feel awkward to admit you weren't in to it. As a children's librarian I used to be too embarrassed to admit I didn't like Harry Potter....! ;)
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading Twenty Yawns - Sounds amazing!
ReplyDeleteI've heard good things about the Dahmer book, but I haven't been brave enough to read it myself.
ReplyDeleteMy library doesn't have More Happy Than Not on audio. I requested it, but it isn't likely they will get it, so it looks like I'll have to read it (which is fine).
ReplyDeleteI had the same reaction about My Friend Dahmer. There were so many signs!
Happy reading this week :)
I agree with you on Pax - it took awhile before I was interested. I just finished Maybe a Fox and they would be great partner books. I wrote about that today.
ReplyDeleteWe just started Pax - with my family so we'll see how it ends up. More Happy than Not has a lot of sad. Whoa.
ReplyDeleteI felt conflicted about My Friend Dahmer. I hated that I was reading it, but it was fascinating.
ReplyDeleteI want to see Museum Trip. It looks great.