June Reflections

In June, I challenged myself to read 30 books. I actually read.... 41 books!!!!

Books read for Becky's Book Reviews

67. The Peach Rebellion. Wendelin Van Draanen. 2022. 416 pages. [Source: Library]
68. The Bachelor and the Bride. (The Dread Penny Society #4) Sarah M. Eden. 2022. [September] 368 pages. [Source: Review copy]
69. Summer of the Gypsy Moths. Sara Pennypacker. 2012. 275 pages. [Source: Library]
70. Lines of Courage. Jennifer A. Nielsen. 2022. 400 pages. [Source: Library]
71. A Gambling Man. (Archer #2) David Baldacci. 2021. 432 pages. [Source: Library]
72. And We Rise. Erica Martin. 2022. 160 pages. [Source: Library]
73. Two Truths and a Lie. April Henry. 2022. [May] 275 pages. [Source: Review copy]
74. With and Without You. Emily Wibberley and Austin Siegemund-Broka. 2022. 384 pages. [Source: Library]
75. The Siren of Sussex. (Belles of London #1) Mimi Matthews. 2022. [January] 400 pages. [Source: Review copy]
76. See You Yesterday. Rachel Lynn Solomon. 2022. 432 pages. [Source: Library]
77. Garvey's Choice. Nikki Grimes. 2016. 120 pages. [Source: Library]
78. Garvey in the Dark. Nikki Grimes. 2022. [October] 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]
79. Smaller Sister. Maggie Edkins Willis. 2022. 320 pages. [Source: Library]
80. It's the End of the World in My Bathing Suit. Justin A. Reynolds. 2022. 304 pages. [Source: Library]

Books read for Young Readers

62. Endlessly Ever After: Pick Your Path to Countless Fairy Tale Endings. Laurel Snyder. Illustrated by Dan Santat. 2022. 92 pages. [Source: Library]
63. The Pigeon Will Ride the Roller Coaster. Mo Willems. 2022. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]
64. Board book: Yellow Like a Submarine, Purple Like the Rain: A Rocking Book of Colors. Duopress Labs. Art by John Coulter. 2022. April. 20 pages. [Source: Library]
65. Before Music: Where Instruments Come From. Annette Bay Pimentel. Illustrated by Madison Safer. 2022. [June] 88 pages. [Source: Review copy]
66. If You Go Down to the Woods Today. Rachel Piercey. Illustrated by Freya Hartas. 2021. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]
67. Wednesday and Woof: Catastrophe (Wednesday and Woof #1) Sherri Winston. Illustrated by Gladys Jose. 2022. 96 pages. [Source: Library]
68. New Pup on the Block (Wednesday and Woof #2) Sherri Winston. Illustrated by Gladys Jose. 2022. 96 pages. [Source: Library]
69. The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza. Mac Barnett. Illustrated by Shawn Harris. 2022. 320 pages. [Source: Library]
70. Tiny Tales: A Feast for Friends. Steph Waldo. 2022. 32 pages. [Source: Library]
71. Flipping Forward Twisting Backward. Alma Fullerton. 2022. [July] 144 pages. [Source: Review copy]
72. A Cat About Town. Lea Decan. 2022. 44 pages. [Source: Review copy]
73. The Sweetest Scoop: Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream Revolution. Lisa Robinson. Illustrated by Stacy Innerst. 2022. 40 pages. [Source: Review copy]
74. Who Was Johnny Cash? Jim Gigliotti. Illustrated by Gregory Copeland. 2022. [June] 112 pages. [Source: Library]
75. Inspector Flytrap (Inspector Flytrap #1) Tom Angleberger. Illustrated by Cece Bell. 2016. 112 pages. [Source: Library]
76. Recipe for Disaster (Didi Dodo, Future Spy #1) Tom Angleberger. Illustrated by Jared Chapman. 2019. 128 pages. [Source: Library]
77. Leave It to Plum! Matt Phelan. 2022. 128 pages. [Source: Library]
78. Oh, Sal. Kevin Henkes. 2022. [September] 144 pages. [Source: Review copy] 

Books read for Operation Actually Read Bible

21. He Is Not Ashamed. Erik Raymond. 2022. 160 pages. [Source: Review copy]
22. Where the Road Bends. Rachel Fordham. 2022. 336 pages. [Source: Review copy]
23. A Time to Bloom (Leah's Garden #2) Lauraine Snelling. 2022. 352 pages. [Source: Review copy]
24. Laura's Shadow (Doors to the Past) Allison Pittman. 2022. [August] 256 pages. [Source: Review copy]
25. Long Way Home. Lynn Austin. 2022. [June] 391 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Bibles read for Operation Actually Read Bible

7. The Great Bible 1539. Myles Coverdale. 2017. 4355 pages. [Source: Bought]
8. NKJV Single-Column Reference Bible, Premium Goatskin Leather, Premier Collection. 2018. 2144 pages. [Source: Bought]
9. Holman Rainbow Study Bible KJV Edition (New, Improved User-Friendly Design) 2013. B&H Publishing Group. 1632 pages. [Source: Review copy]
10. New English Bible. God. 1972. Cambridge University. 1407 pages. [Source: Bought]
11. Holy Bible: (English) Revised Version 1885. God. 1963 pages. [Source: Bought]

 

June Totals

June reads
# of books	41
# of pages	19122

2022 yearly totals

2022 Totals
# of books	194
# of pages	65357

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

80. It's the End of the World And I'm In My Bathing Suit

It's the End of the World in My Bathing Suit. Justin A. Reynolds. 2022. 304 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: On the third day of summer vacation, I devised THEE perfect three month plan.*

Premise/plot: Eddie Gordon Holloway is having the worst day ever...well...it depends on your perspective, I suppose. Eddie gets grounded from participating in Beach Bash with his family. Forced to stay home and do laundry because literally EVERY item of clothing he owns (minus one bathing suit) is dirty, he's angry and anxious. (Because the laundry room is in the basement). But when the power goes out, his anxiety, well, shifts and accelerates. He finds other neighborhood kids missing out on Beach Bash (Xavier, Sonia, Trey, and Sage) and they hang out together. All are hoping the power can come on soon so they can resume life as usual...some are VERY anxious to return to their video games. 

My thoughts: NOTHING HAPPENS. 300 pages of nothing happening. I was so annoyed. Don't tease THE END OF THE WORLD if the climax of the novel is either a) when the lights initially go out and he might have stumbled while in the basement or b) when the kids decided to eat sugary snacks. It is just all kinds of wrong to promise an actual END OF THE WORLD mystery but spend 45% of the book on a kid complaining about having to do laundry. The book ends before it even begins with literally no satisfaction and only slightly humorous moments strung together. 

It isn't that I hated these characters. I just wanted the story to actually move forward and for the characters to actually do something. Not "something" in the sense of moving to another room and eating candy. But, you know, beginning to figure out WHAT was going on and why their families never came back from Beach Bash. Perhaps the author couldn't decide WHAT the calamity would be and he's postponing that until book two??? Will there be a book two???? 

*I personally think it should be THE instead of THEE but I am copying it straight from the book.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

79. Smaller Sister

Smaller Sister. Maggie Edkins Willis. 2022. 320 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Olivia, darling, meet your new baby sister. This is Lucy. 

Premise/plot: Smaller Sister is a new graphic novel by Maggie Edkins Willis. Lucy and Olivia (aka Livy) are close in age and sometimes close in spirit. (They even have their own secret code for writing notes back and forth). Smaller Sister is both a coming of age (graphic) novel and a "problem" novel. Though perhaps the phrase "problem novel" is out of fashion??? Olivia, the older sister, has a problem, a big problem. She develops an eating disorder that shakes up the whole family. It isn't just Olivia's problem, it is everyone's. Lucy doesn't know how to process this--to put it mildly. Her *old* familiar Livy seems to have vanished literally and figuratively. Her sister is changing in dozens of ways including physically. But it is the emotional lost-ness that haunts Lucy. 

So the book is about the sibling relationship. The book spans perhaps three years give or take. We see glimpses of several grades at two different schools. (Plus one flashback scene at a previous school, I believe). But the book is also about friendship in general. In particular, how TOXIC friendships can be. One can desire a best friend or a good friend so much that one is able to overlook a dozen red flags as to why the relationship may be unhealthy or toxic. Such is the case with these siblings. In particular, Lucy, since we see this through her point of view. There is no quick or easy shortcuts on making and keeping best-best-best friends that will stick with you through thick and thin for better or worse. Lucy's realizations are slow but sure in coming. (Probably VERY realistic. One pep talk probably not going to solve a girl's problems in middle school.)

Plenty of scenes depicting life at home, at school, at the mall, and at camp.

My thoughts: This book tackles a real problem realistically. Eating disorders. Body image issues. Low self-esteem. How so called friends--close "best" friends at that--can pick, pick, pick, pick, pick, pick on you, namely your physical appearance. If a person only can feel good about themselves by putting you down and keeping you down, they aren't really a friend worth keeping. Friendships in middle school especially can lead to DRAMA, drama, and more drama. 

But what I loved especially about it was the focus on the relationship between two sisters. We see them at their best, their worst. Highs, lows, twists, turns. The relationship has its tense moments. Words are said that can't be unsaid, but that can be forgiven. The relationship between sisters can be ever-changing, but a solid foundation can be relied upon on the darkest of days. I love all the little, tiny details depicting this relationship. The development of both sisters is so well done. I liked both sisters very much.

Lucy is heading into fifth grade when the graphic novel begins, and by the end of the novel she's in seventh grade, I believe, or heading into seventh grade. Her sister is a grade above her--so sixth grade through eighth grade. 

The subject of eating disorders may be triggering for some readers. But I also want to point out that in one panel, Lucy discovers her sister's diary and she reads that her sister has thought about swallowing poison because she doesn't want to live. This could certainly be triggering for some readers. The book warns of one but not the other? 

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

78. Garvey in the Dark

Garvey in the Dark. Nikki Grimes. 2022. [October] 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: Different. The same... That's my answer if you ask how I am after the Invisible Beast broke into our house, and our world.

Premise/plot: Garvey (from Garvey's Choice) returns for a second book in Garvey in the Dark. Garvey's life has been looking up, up, and up. Things are good, really good. He's playing music; he's singing; he's got good, solid friends; he's beginning to have a strong, solid relationship with his father; he's comfortable in his own skin. But life is about to be turned upside down because of COVID-19. The book is set in the spring and summer of 2020. The poems process his experiences and emotions. 

My thoughts: I wonder if this was a book that *needed* to be written. In other words, did Nikki Grimes need to write this book in order to help process the messy-messy-mess that was 2020? Between COVID-19 and the murder of George Floyd and the subsequent protests, 2020 was just...there aren't even words. There are ten billion memes but no words. Garvey, our protagonist, seems an authentic narrator who is trying day by day to survive 2020 and make sense of it all. He's got questions, doubts, worries, concerns. The poems are very straight-forward and honest. Like when his dad has COVID and he's standing outside his dad's bedroom door just listening to make sure he's still breathing. The pain is almost touchable, if that makes any sense at all. 

It was not an easy read. I'm being fair, I think. I don't mean the poetry isn't wonderful. I don't. I mean reading these poems takes you right back in time and it's like you're living through 2020 a second time. Which has its pros and cons. On the one hand, I do think it's a time capsule of sorts. I also imagine that writing the poetry had its healing moments. A way to put into words your thoughts, emotions, etc. Also I think it could be a reminder that you can share your emotions and talk through your stuff. There's no reason that you *have* to keep it bottled up inside, hiding your pain and worries. Another point is that this will be an authentic way to share what it was like to future generations. On the other hand, it's like living through 2020 a second time. It took me RIGHT BACK.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

77. Garvey's Choice

Garvey's Choice. Nikki Grimes. 2016. 120 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: When I was seven/ and crazy for Mr. Spock,/ a Star Trek lunch box/ was all I craved. Instead, Dad/ bought one blaring the logo/ of some football team/ I'd never heard of./ I shoved that thing in/ the coal black of my closet,/ then celebrated with cake.

Premise/plot: Garvey's Choice is a verse novel. (The verse is written in tanka.) Garvey is an overweight teen who'd much rather sing or read than play sports. There exists between father and son a gap that nothing seems to fill. At least at first. Garvey tries--unsuccessfully--to fill this gap with food. Garvey's dad may talk about sports--a lot--but I don't get the impression that he's actually cruel to his son. The two just aren't speaking the same love languages. 

In the novel, Garvey makes several choices. Will he choose to try out for chorus and risk rejection or humiliation? He ultimately decides that he has nothing to lose and everything to gain. After all, he's already being teased by his classmates; he's already hating lunch time. What he finds out is that he's really talented at singing; and his singing not only makes him happy in the process, but makes others happy too. That and he makes a second friend. Another choice he makes regards his weight. Will he try to lose weight? Should he try to lose weight? How should he go about it? What can he change in his life to be healthier and happier?

This aspect of the verse novel was a bit iffier for me. I hated to see him get in the cycle of dieting in unhealthy ways, ways that are doomed to fail. I was yelling DON'T DO IT. JUST DON'T. 

My thoughts: I think the verses are authentic in that many, many, many, many people turn to food as a way to deal with emotions they don't know how to handle any other way. It's not the best way perhaps, but it is the easy way. I liked how singing took the place of food in some ways as a way to cope with the ups and downs of life.

One of the songs mentioned throughout the book is "Dance with My Father." I encourage you to give it a listen if you pick this one up.

One of my favorite poems: "Summer Lost and Found"

Stories are breadcrumbs.
Just follow the trail of books
and you will find me
lost among the galaxies
of scorched stars and ships to Mars. (4)

And here's another: "Alien"

Over breakfast, Dad
eyes me like an alien
never seen before.
Sometimes, I could swear that he's
hoping to make first contact. (17)

 My new thoughts: I first read this one in February 2017. I reread it in June 2022 because a sequel is coming!!! I am so excited to get another book starring Garvey!!! The poems still resonate. SO much can be communicated in just a few lines.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews