Category Archives: books

A Tiger for Malgudi and The Man-Eater of Malgudi by R. K. Narayan

Back in February, my friend Maureen at By Singing Light interviewed a blogger I’d not yet run across – Deepika at Worn Corners.  I started following Deepika, too.  And in April when Deepika proposed a readalong for one of her … Continue reading →

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The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo

I’m always game for a good organizing book, and I figured that this one, still with a months-long hold list at my library over a year after we got it, was a good candidate. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up … Continue reading →

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Diversity on the Shelf – April Update

I am participating in the Diversity on the Shelf Reading Challenge hosted by the Englishist. I read 14 books in April. For the first time ever, I tried planning ahead what I was going to read, with limited success: I did … Continue reading →

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My Two Blankets

My Two Blankets by Irena Kobald & Freya Blackwood. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015. Our young narrator loved her life at home in Africa, until war came and they had to leave.  Now she lives in a place where everything is … Continue reading →

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The Exiles by Hilary McKay (series)

It was almost exactly three years ago that Charlotte, commenting on my review of Saffy’s Angel, suggested that I try The Exiles as well.  I thought at the time that this book might be fantasy, thus explaining why so many … Continue reading →

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Secrets of the Dragon Tomb

I’m sure I first heard about this book through Stephanie Burgis’s Livejournal page – and I’m glad I did, because steampunk on Mars is right up my alley.  This book made it to my Top 10 Middle Grade Fantasies That … Continue reading →

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Newt’s Emerald

I’m very fond of Garth Nix – but this is very much a break from the weighty feeling of his Old Kingdom and Keys to the Kingdom books. It would fit very nicely on my hypothetical list of teen fantasies … Continue reading →

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Top 10 Middle Grade Fantasies That Make Me Laugh out Loud

It’s Tuesday! And once again, those friends to book lovers everywhere over at the Broke and the Bookish have come up with another great theme, perhaps in honor of April being National Humor month. There is nothing like a funny … Continue reading →

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Book Bingo – Free Printable

A few months ago, the members of the Literacy Committee at my kids’ school were asking ourselves, “What can we give the kids to take home to help make them more excited about reading? Maybe something with a little competitive … Continue reading →

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Top 12 Middle Grade Fantasies for Diverse Readers

Top 10 Tuesday is hosted by the good folk at the Broke and the Bookish.  The theme this week is “Top 10 Books for X”. It’s been two years since the start of the #WeNeedDiverseBooks campaign brought everyone’s attention to … Continue reading →

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