August Reflections

Stand-Out Books Read in August 2016

1. Paper Wishes. Lois Sepahban. 2016. FSG. 192 pages. [Source: Library]
2. The Night Gardener. Jonathan Auxier. 2014. Abrams. 350 pages. [Source: Bought] 
3. Salt to the Sea. Ruta Sepetys. 2016. 391 pages. [Source: Library] 
4. Unhooked. Lisa Maxwell. 2016. Simon & Schuster. 342 pages. [Source: Library]
5. The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf. Ambelin Kwaymullina. 2014. Candlewick. 383 pages. [Source: Library]
6. Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood. (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #4) Nathan Hale. 2014. Abrams. 128 pages. [Source: Library]

5 Decades "Visited" in August 2016:

• 1950s
• 1960s
• 1970s 
• 1780s
• 1910s

Picture books:

1. The Day You Were Born. Evelyn Swetnam. Illustrated by Muriel Wood. 1971. 30 pages. [Source: Bought]
2. My Cat Copies Me. Yoon-duck Kwon. 2007. Kane/Miller. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]
3. God Loves Me. Mary Alice Jones. Illustrated by Elizabeth Webbe. 1961. 30 pages. [Source: Bought]
4. God Is Good. Mary Alice Jones. Illustrated by Elizabeth Webbe. 1955. 30 pages. [Source: Bought]
5. My Little Golden Book About God. Jane Werner Watson. Illustrated by Eloise Wilkin. 1956. 24 pages. [Source: Gift]
6. The Wildest Race Ever. Meghan McCarthy. 2016. Simon & Schuster. 48 pages. [Source: Library]
7. The Hole Story of the Doughnut. Pat Miller. Illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch. 2016. HMH. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]
8. Shrunken Treasures. Scott Nash. 2016. Candlewick. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Early readers and early chapter books:

1. The Crate Train. Dorothy Z. Seymour. 1966. 25 pages. [Source: Bought]
2. Ballerina Bess. Dorothy Jane Mills and Dorothy Z. Seymour. 1965. 25 pages. [Source: Bought] 
3. The Thank You Book. Mo Willems. 2016. Disney-Hyperion. 64 pages. [Source: Library]
4. Daisy the Kitten. (Dr. KittyCat #3) Jane Clarke. 2016. Scholastic. 96 pages. [Source: Review copy]
5. Mango & Bambang: The Not a Pig. Polly Faber. Illustrated by Clara Vulliamy. 2016. Candlewick. 144 pages. [Source: Review copy]
6. Brave Like My Brother. Marc Tyler Nobleman. 2016. Scholastic. 112 pages. [Source: Review copy]
7. What Are The Summer Olympics?  Gail Herman. Illustrated by Stephen Marchesi. 2016. 112 pages. [Source: Library] 
8. Amigo. Byrd Baylor. Illustrated by Garth Williams. 1963. 48 pages. [Source: Bought]

Contemporary (general, realistic) fiction, all ages:

1. Weekends with Max and His Dad. Linda Urban. 2016. HMH. 160 pages. [Source: Review copy]
2. Ms. Bixby's Last Day. John David Anderson. 2016. 320 pages. [Source: Library]
3. 23 Minutes. Vivian Vande Velde. 2016. Boyds Mills Press. 176 pages. [Source: Library]
   

Speculative fiction (fantasy, science fiction, etc.) all ages:

1. The Night Gardener. Jonathan Auxier. 2014. Abrams. 350 pages. [Source: Bought] 
2. 23 Minutes. Vivian Vande Velde. 2016. Boyds Mills Press. 176 pages. [Source: Library] 
3. Unhooked. Lisa Maxwell. 2016. Simon & Schuster. 342 pages. [Source: Library]
4. The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf. Ambelin Kwaymullina. 2014. Candlewick. 383 pages. [Source: Library]
5. The Disappearance of Ember Crow. Ambelin Kwaymullina. 2016. Candlewick. 432 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Historical fiction, all ages:

1. Salt to the Sea. Ruta Sepetys. 2016. 391 pages. [Source: Library] 
2. Paper Wishes. Lois Sepahban. 2016. FSG. 192 pages. [Source: Library]
3. Treaties, Trenches, Mud, and Blood. (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #4) Nathan Hale. 2014. Abrams. 128 pages. [Source: Library]
4. The Underground Abductor. (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #5) Nathan Hale. 2015. Abrams. 128 pages. [Source: Library]
5. Alamo All-Stars (Nathan Hale's Hazardous Tales #6) 2016. Abrams. 128 pages. [Source: Library]

Mysteries, all ages:

1. The Circus Mystery (The Whodunit Detective Agency #3) Martin Widmark. Illustrated by Helena Willis. 2003/2015. 80 pages. [Source: Library]
2. The Cafe Mystery (The Whodunit Detective Agency #4) Martin Widmark. Illustrated by Helena Willis. 2003/2015. 80 pages. [Source: Library]

Classics, all ages:

1. Testament of Youth. Vera Brittain. 1933. 688 pages. [Source: Library]

Nonfiction, all ages:

1. Let Your Voice Be Heard: The Life and Times of Pete Seeger. Anita Silvey. 2016. HMH. 112 pages. [Source: Review copy]
2. The Monopolists. Mary Pilon. 2015. Bloomsbury. 320 pages. [Source: Library]
3. Testament of Youth. Vera Brittain. 1933. 688 pages. [Source: Library] 
4. LEGO Knights & Castles. 2016. Scholastic. 64 pages. [Source: Review copy]
5. Lego Planets: A Lego Adventure in the Real World. 2016. Scholastic. 64 pages. [Source: Review copy]
6. The Hole Story of the Doughnut. Pat Miller. Illustrated by Vincent X. Kirsch. 2016. HMH. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]
7. The Wildest Race Ever. Meghan McCarthy. 2016. Simon & Schuster. 48 pages. [Source: Library]
8. What Are The Summer Olympics?  Gail Herman. Illustrated by Stephen Marchesi. 2016. 112 pages. [Source: Library]

Christian fiction:

1. Where Hope Prevails (Return to the Canadian West #3). Janette Oke and Laurel Oke Logan. 2016. Bethany House. 320 pages. [Source: Review copy]
2. A Changed Agent. Tracey J. Lyons. 2016. 229 pages. [Source: Library] 
3. To Follow Her Heart. Rebecca DeMarino. 2016. Revell. 352 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Christian nonfiction:  

1. Stressed Out. Todd Friel. 2016. New Leaf Press. 205 pages. [Source: Borrowed]
2. Being There. Dave Furman. 2016. Crossway. 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]
3. "Free Grace" Theology. Wayne Grudem. 2016. Crossway. 160 pages. [Source: Review copy] 
4. The Life We Never Expected. Andrew and Rachel Wilson. 2016. Crossway. 160 pages. [Source: Review copy]
5. My Little Golden Book About God. Jane Werner Watson. Illustrated by Eloise Wilkin. 1956. 24 pages. [Source: Gift]
6. God Is Good. Mary Alice Jones. Illustrated by Elizabeth Webbe. 1955. 30 pages. [Source: Bought]
7. God Loves Me. Mary Alice Jones. Illustrated by Elizabeth Webbe. 1961. 30 pages. [Source: Bought] 
8. Exalting Jesus in Ecclesiastes. Daniel L. Akin and Jonathan Akin. 2016. B&H. 288 pages. [Source: Review copy]
9. Exalting Jesus in Leviticus. Allan Moseley. 2015. B&H. 288 pages. [Source: Bought] 
10. When Trouble Comes. Philip Graham Ryken. 2016. Crossway. 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]
11. Messiah: Fifty Expository Discourses Preached in the Years 1784 and 1785. John Newton. 432 pages. [Source: Bought]

© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Amigo

Amigo. Byrd Baylor. Illustrated by Garth Williams. 1963. 48 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: His mother said, "Come Francisco, my son. Tell me why your eyes are sad, my little one."

Premise/plot: Amigo is written in verse. It is historical fiction--about a boy longing for a dog. His family can't afford an actual dog, but, his parents encourage him to tame something wild, something that can take care of itself, something like a prairie dog. So Francisco sets out to tame a prairie dog, and, he knows just what he'll call it: Amigo. That's half the story. Amigo is a prairie dog that is curious and longs for adventures. He's drawn to humans, and he longs to tame a boy. Amigo picks out just the boy to tame, and, surprise, surprise, it's Francisco. Readers in on both sides of the stories can predict where this one is heading. It's cute.

My thoughts: I'll be honest: I bought it for the art. The illustrations are by Garth Williams. I thought if the text was nice, it would be an extra bonus. But really, I was just happy to see more of Garth Williams' work. I did enjoy the text. Do I think it's the most wonderful, amazing story ever? Probably not. I would have enjoyed more prose and less verse. But it's not awful.



© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

The Day You Were Born

The Day You Were Born. Evelyn Swetnam. Illustrated by Muriel Wood. 1971. 30 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: Do you remember the day you were born? Do you remember how you felt? First, you were safe and small, growing in a special place inside your mother, and getting ready for the world. You could stand on your head in there and kick and turn and never be afraid. Sometimes you heard noises from the outside world--music, voices, a bang, or a bell. You wondered about them. But you had some more growing to do before you could find out for yourself. Soon you were ready to be born.

Premise/plot: The book chronicles a baby's first day. For the most part, I'd say it has a hospital setting. Baby is introduced to doctors, nurses, a mother, a father, etc. So many "firsts."

The nurse took you to your mother. Your mother reached out her arms and held you close. She was very happy. She undressed you, and looked at you, and played with your fingers and your toes. She hugged you and gave you a kiss. It was your first kiss. You liked it. You liked her, too.

My thoughts: I definitely had this one. I really like it. It reminds me of the beginning of Inside Out.

Text: 4 out of 5
Illustrations: 3 out of 5
Total: 7 out of 10


© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

My Cat Copies Me

My Cat Copies Me. Yoon-duck Kwon. 2007. Kane/Miller. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: My cat copies me. We tunnel under newspapers, and crouch behind doors. If I hide under the desk, or in the closet, she hides with me.

Premise/plot: A young girl loves, loves, loves her cat. The book shows the two interacting with each other--copying each other. It's a sweet, must-have for cat-lovers.

My thoughts: I absolutely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this one. It's one of my favorite picture books that I've discovered since I began blogging ten years ago. I love the writing. I love the illustrations. I love that the first half shows the cat copying the girl, and that the second half shows the girl copying the cat.

Text: 5 out of 5
Illustrations: 5 out of 5
Total: 10 out of 10


© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Ten Year Blogoversary

Becky's Book Reviews turns ten today! Can you believe it?! In some ways, 2006 feels like yesterday, and, in other ways it feels like it's ages ago.

I'd love to hear from you. Are you new to the site? How long have you been coming around? I'd also really, really, really love to hear if you've picked up a book to read because of one of my reviews. I'd always love to know your opinions on books!!!

Your guess is as good as mine in terms of HOW many books I've reviewed over the past ten years. But definitely in the thousands. I wonder how many of them were rereads? Probably a third of them!!! I can't help myself when it comes to rereading favorites!!!

First book reviewed on the blog: New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Last book reviewed on the blog: The Crate Train by Dorothy Z. Seymour
The year I was out of control with posts: 2008! (1144 posts in a single year?!?!)
Favorite author ten years ago: Orson Scott Card
Favorite author now: Could never pick. Really. I've discovered at least fifty favorite authors since 2006. Georgette Heyer. Anthony Trollope. Wilkie Collins. Anne Perry. Connie Willis. Ray Bradbury. Rex Stout. Agatha Christie. Josephine Tey. Dorothy Sayers. E. Nesbit. I mean I could go on and on all day.
Best thing to come out of blogging: My dear, dear, dear, dear bestest friend who introduced herself to me as "Anonymous L."

Favorite author that I've connected with online? ROBIN BRANDE is all kinds of WONDERFUL!!!!! And I still can't believe that Candice F. Ransom knows who I am. The Sunfire Romances from the 80s were my LIFE. I really got quite bonded with Winchester, her cat.

One thing I didn't realize when I started blogging was how quickly books go out of print. Some of my 'favorite, favorite' books I read in my early years are no longer available, and, the library has discarded some as well. I do have a tendency to take books for granted and book availability for granted and I shouldn't! (Another thing I have a tendency to do is--in the quickness of my typing--misspell library as LIBARY. I have to fix this often!!!)

A handful of publishers have been really, really good to me through the years:

Scholastic
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Candlewick

Other publishers have been nice as well:

Penguin Random House (I get RANDOM surprises but don't have an email contact)
Harry N. Abrams (got reconnected this past year!!!!)
Simon & Schuster (sadly lost touch)
Bloomsbury USA

One publisher that I sadly lost touch with years ago was Kane/Miller. I miss my Travel the World Wednesday posts.


© 2016 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews