February 2016 reads

February might be a short month, but I still managed to get a lot of reading accomplished!  I finished 32 books - mostly teen and adult.  

I started listening to books for my committee in February, but haven't completed any yet. I can't share the titles I read for the committee, so those will not be reflected in my monthly total. 

As always, titles in bold have been rated five stars on my Goodreads account.

Screwdrivered by Alice Clayton

Lumberjanes, Vol. 2: Friendship to the Max by Noelle Stevenson

Rusty Nailed by Alice Clayton

Consider the Fork: A History of How We Cook and Eat by Bee Wilson

Lumberjanes, Vol. 1: Beware the Kitten Holy by Noelle Stevenson

Princeless Book 1: Save Yourself by Jeremy Whitley      

Wallbanger by Alice Clayton      

Worm Loves Worm by J.J. Austrian

Nuts by Alice Clayton   

Ms. Marvel, Vol. 4: Last Days by G. Willow Wilson

Alanna: The First Adventure by Tamora Pierce

I Was Told There'd Be Cake by Sloane Crosley

Bone Gap by Laura Ruby

Playing With Fire by Katie MacAlister

Bug in a Vacuum by Mélanie Watt

I Really Like Slop! by Mo Willems

Happy Birthday, Cupcake! by Terry Border

Grumbles from the Forest: Fairy-Tale Voices with a Twist by Jane Yolen  

Most Dangerous: Daniel Ellsberg and the Secret History of the Vietnam War by Steve Sheinkin

Holy Smokes by Katie MacAlister          

I Lived on Butterfly Hill by Marjorie Agosín         

The Shepherd's Crown by Terry Pratchett

Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music by Margarita Engle

The Old Brown Suitcase: A Teenager's Story of War and Peace by Lillian Boraks-Nemetz 

Oedipus the King by Sophocles

The War that Saved My Life by Kimberly Brubaker Bradley

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

How Mirka Caught a Fish by Barry Deutsch        

X by Ilyasah Shabazz and Kekla Magoon

Lady Alexandra's Excellent Adventure: A Summersby Tale by Sophie Barnes

Rose Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein        

My Brother Sam is Dead by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

January 2016 reads

In January I managed to read 54 books (19 novels, 29 picture books, and 6 graphic novels).  Not too shabby, if I do say so.  

As usual, the titles in bold are ones I rated 5 stars on my Goodreads account.

Feverborn by Karen Marie Moning

Written in My Own Heart's Blood by Diana Gabaldon      

Echo by Pam Muñoz Ryan

George by Alex Gino

Annie and the Old One by Miska Miles

The Hundred Penny Box by Sharon Bell Mathis  

Mixed Me! by Taye Diggs         

Red: A Crayon's Story by Michael Hall

Sequoyah: The Cherokee Man Who Gave His People Writing by James Rumford

Librarian's Night Before Christmas by David Davis

Your Baby's First Word Will Be DADA by Jimmy Fallon

Everyone Loves Bacon by Kelly DiPucchio

Blow Me Down by Katie MacAlister

Goodnight Already! by Jory John

Thankful by Eileen Spinelli

Good Night Yoga: A Pose-By-Pose Bedtime Story by Mariam Gates

Lenny & Lucy by Philip C. Stead

15 Things Not to Do with a Baby by Margaret McAllister

My Tata's Remedies / Los remedios de mi Tata by Roni Ashford

A Pig, a Fox, and a Box by Jonathan Fenske

Little Big by Jonathan Bentley

Unicorn Thinks He's Pretty Great by Bob Shea

Blueberry Girl by Neil Gaiman

Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras by Duncan Tonatiuh

Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood

Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear by Lindsay Mattick

Defending Hearts by Shannon Stacey

Nimona by Noelle Stevenson

Sex is a Funny Word: A Book about Bodies, Feelings, and YOU by Cory Silverberg

Under the Lights by Shannon Stacey

Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli

Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford

Written and Drawn by Henrietta by Liniers

Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena

Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir by Margarita Engle

The End of the Affair by Graham Greene

The Wonderful Fluffy Little Squishy by Beatrice Alemagna

Mango, Abuela, and Me by Meg Medina

Trombone Shorty by Troy Andrews

Supertruck by Stephen Savage

Don't Throw It to Mo! by David A. Adler

Without Me by Chelle Bliss

Miracle in a Dry Season by Sarah Loudin Thomas

The Brands Who Came For Christmas by Maggie Shayne

The Littlest Cowboy by Maggie Shayne

Winter by Marissa Meyer

Light My Fire by Katie MacAlister

This Is Sadie by Sara O'Leary

The City of Dreaming Books by Walter Moers

The Fangirl's Guide to the Galaxy: A Handbook for Girl Geeks by Sam Maggs

How to Date a Werewolf by Rose Pressey

The Unbeatable Squirrel Girl, Vol. 1: Squirrel Power by Ryan North

Baba Yaga's Assistant by Marika McCoola

Sunny Side Up by Jennifer L Holm

December 2015 Reads

With the hustle and bustle of the holidays, I wasn't able to read as much as I would have liked.  I did finish 17 books in December, for a final yearly toll of 373 books.
  Here's the list of the books I read in November.  As usual, the titles that are in bold are ones I have rated five stars on Goodreads.

Fire Me Up by Katie MacAlister

Bound by Grace by Amber Stockton

One Came Home by Amy Timberlake

Love Finds You in Folly Beach, South Carolina by Loree Lough     

Everything I Need To Know I Learned From a Little Golden Book by Diane Muldrow        

Dakota Born by Debbie Macomber  

Bluestone Homecoming by M. J. Fredrick    

Challenger Deep by Neal Shusterman      

Exclusively Yours by Shannon Stacey

Almost a Bride by Patricia McLinn    

Share the Moon by Sharon Struth

Naughty Mabel by Nathan Lane

An Echo in the Bone by Diana Gabaldon

Queen of Diamonds by Barbara Metzger

A Fine Dessert: Four Centuries, Four Families, One Delicious Treat by Emily Jenkins

Uncover Me by Chelle Bliss

Her Heart's Desire by Ruth Ann Nordin

November 2015 reads

I had a few reading challenges I wanted to finish in November.  Mostly I succeeded, thanks to the 29 books I read that month.  One I finished on the final day! (Those will be in another post)

Here's the list of the books I read in November.  As usual, the titles that are in bold are ones I have rated five stars on Goodreads.

Resist Me by Chelle Bliss

Resisting by Chelle Bliss

Jack of Clubs by Barbara Metzger   

Throttled by Chelle Bliss

Hook Me by Chelle Bliss

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Her Dakota Man by Lisa Mondello

Throttle Me by Chelle Bliss

Wretched Chastity by Carré White

A Mail Order Bride For Charlie by Carré White

Ace of Hearts by Barbara Metzger

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

Rudy's Windy Christmas by Helen Baugh

The Not Very Merry Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen

Dying to Read by Lorena McCourtney

Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton

Bargaining With a Rake by Julie Johnstone

Fangs for the Memories by Molly Harper

The Single Undead Moms Club by Molly Harper

The World's Strongest Librarian: A Memoir of Tourette's, Faith, Strength, and the Power of Family by Josh Hanagarne

If... by Sarah Perry

Brain Camp by Susan Kim

After Alice by Gregory Maguire

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency  by Alexander McCall Smith

Rat Queens, Vol. 2: The Far Reaching Tentacles of N'rygoth by Kurtis J. Wiebe

Monster on the Hill by Rob Harrell

A Birthday for Cow! by Jan Thomas

The Birthday Box by Leslie Patricelli

Public Displays of Affection by Susan Donovan

2015 Reading Resolutions - December update

The year is nearly over.  How about another update on my 2015 Reading Resolutions?

1. Participate in at least one 48-hour Reading Challenge.  If not done by June 30, 2015, organize my own. One day I will do this!  Dewey’s  24-hour Read-a-thon is slated for April 25, 2015!  I did it!  I did it!  I participated in the Dewey 24-hour Read-a-thon in April.  The fall Dewey 24-hour Read-a-thon was scheduled for October 17.  I participated in that one as well. 

2. Read more books from the below lists.

·         Read 2015 winners/honors for Caldecott, Belpre illustrator, Coretta Scott King (CSK) illustrator, Odyssey(read 31/attempted 4) YALSA non-fiction , and Geisel  (a.k.a. the awards I finished reading in 2013 and again in 2014).  The 2015 winners/honors will be announced on February 2, 2015, adding several titles to my TBR list. Finished all!

·         Schneider Family Book Awards - 36 total books 15 read/1 abandoned

·         Stonewall Book Award - Mike Morgan and Larry Romans Children's Young Adult Literature Award –30 total books 23 read/1 abandoned

·         Morris – 35 total books 24 read (Finalists announced in December 2014; winner announced February 2, 2015)

·         Read at least six honors/winners from: Newbery (400 total books 102 read/1 abandoned), Printz (77 total books 41 read and 7 abandoned), and CSK author (161 total books. 38 read. 1 abandoned).   Thanks to the spring Dewey 24-hour Read-a-thon, I finished the CSK titles. And thanks to the fall Dewey 24-hour Read-a-thon I finished both Newbery and Printz!

Newbery 1.     Our Only May Amelia by Jennifer L. Holm 2.     The Crossover by Kwame Alexander 3.     Penny from Heaven by Jennifer L. Holm 4.     Pictures of Hollis Woods by Patricia Reilly Giff 5.     The Year of Billy Miller by Kevin Henkes 6.     Paperboy by Vince Vawter 7.     Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night by Joyce Sidman 8.     Show Way by Jaqueline Woodson 9.     The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate

Printz 1.     I’ll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson 2.     Grasshopper Jungle by Andrew Smith 3.     Hole in My Life by Jack Gantos 4.     And We Stay by Jenny Hubbard 5.     Your Own, Sylvia: A Verse Portrait of Sylvia Plath by Stephanie Hemphill 6.     Keesha's House by Frost, Helen

CSK author 1. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 2. Remember: The Journey to School Integration by Toni Morrison 3. The Crossover by Kwame Alexander 4. The Other Side: Shorter Poems by Angela Johnson 5. I Hadn’t Meant to Tell You This by Jacqueline Woodson 6. From the Notebooks of Melanin Sun by Jacqueline Woodson

3. I’ve decided that 2015 is going to be the Year of Non-Fiction.  This means I plan to focus on reading non-fiction titles - not just those on award lists such as YALSA Non-Fiction (25/30 read as of December 15, 2014) and Sibert  (39/53 read as of December 15, 2014) – but non-fiction in general for a variety of ages.  This will include biographies. YALSA Non-fiction finalists were announced in December, but the winner for that award – and the winners and honors for most of the other Youth Media Awards won’t be announced until February 2, 2015. (UPDATED TOTALS: YALSA Non-Fiction (30/30 read) and Sibert (46/59 read).  It has become more the Year of Graphic Novels than the Year of Non-Fiction.  I need to get on the ball!

4. Read the Harry Potter and the Outlander series again. Both are favorites of mine.  After recently watching all of the Harry Potter movies, I realized how many details I had forgotten (that are missing from the movies as well).  I think it is time to revisit the stories.  I’ve listened to the Outlander series twice.  It takes quite some time!  Hopefully by starting them again this month I will finish in time for the next book to be published. (Please be soon.  Please be soon. Please be soon.) I was participating in a Buddy Read of the Harry Potter series through one of the Goodreads groups I belonged to, and had read books 1, 2, 3, and 4, and 5 for it. Since then I dropped that group (too many changes through the year).  It took me a while, but I did read HP6 over June and July. In November I read book 7 as a read along with a friend who had not previously read all of them. 

I finished Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, Voyager, Drums of Autumn, The Fiery Cross, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, and An Echo in the Bone. I’ll likely not start the final book until January, as I have a few other audiobooks to finish first.

5. Set aside time each week to read the libraryland blogs, journals and other news sources. This really needs to be a part of my regular workweek.  Ever since Google’s blog reader bit the dust, I’ve fallen behind on reading blogs.  I’m trying Feedly, but need to get in the habit of checking it on a regular basis. I give up on this.

6. Keep up with tracking books read!  I read over 775 books in 2013.  My goal for 2014 was 1000, and I ended up reading just over that amount. In 2015 I am going to go with a less hectic goal of 500. I have been using Goodreads for years, and plan to continue. I lowered my goal to 250 and feel so much less stressed. I’ve hit my revised goal!  My new goal was to read 350, which I also hit.  I’m now over 360 books.