November's reads were splendid and incredibly varied. I spent the entire month reading Mary Oliver's latest collection, Devotions, and thoroughly enjoyed it. I also read the first two books of the Paris Time Capsule series and am
And as always, I read a handful of delightful children's books, and even discovered something very exciting! I was pulling holds one morning with one of my favorite librarians (send item!) and I scoffed at the title of one, Plankton is Pushy. My coworker admonished me, took the book from me, and began reading it aloud (she is a children's librarian). As she read the book to me, my shame consumed me. I vowed never to make fun of a silly looking plankton again. Later, I took the book home and I read it aloud. After reading it aloud a few times, I did something very exciting! I created a Storytimes list on Goodreads. Plankton is Pushy is the first book to go on the list. It just goes to show that you really can't judge a book by a cover. It also shows just how much impact a single plankton can have on one human being.
Here are my favorite November books. Enjoy!
That New Animal by Emily Jenkins and illustrated by Pierre Pratt
I really think Jenkins may be part dog because of how accurately she portrays the dogs' confusion about the new baby. The dogs' reaction to grandpa is priceless and adorable. And I can't forget the moment where the dogs think about eating the baby. I thought it was pretty funny, and I definitely think kids will get a kick out of that.
Love, Santa by Martha Brockenbrough and illustrated by Lee White
The illustrations were decent and the ending very gooey sweet. But the overall message about the spirit of Santa Claus and the correspondence between Lucy and Santa, complete with adorable envelopes with letters that can be pulled out, made me so very happy. I loved pulling out the letter and putting it back in the envelope. I think any book that encourages a child to write letters and "mail them" is a gem to be treasured. My only wish is that the mom's letter at the end could have been condensed and accordion folded in an envelope for consistency and one more envelope to open. But overall, I loved this book, and currently it's my favorite holiday book of the year.
Plankton is Pushy by Jonathan Fenske
Whether you relate to Plankton or Mussel or both, you will find your voice in this book. Plankton is a little loud and unabashedly friendly. Mussel doesn't have anything to say (or perhaps doesn't speak English, which Plankton does). But I think it's pretty obvious that Mussel warms up to Plankton in the end.
Devotions by Mary Oliver
This is a superb collection of Mary Oliver's poetry. I believe there's a poem for every person in this volume. Interestingly enough, in the collections I like least (Thirst and Felicity for example) I thought the chosen poems were strong and really resonated with me. I plan on reading those collections again thanks to this book. But on the flip side, my favorite books by Mary Oliver (Owls and Other Fantasies and Blue Iris for example) were represented by my least favorite poems. I still found an abundance of magic and beauty in this collection, a staggering amount really, and I feel most pleasantly satiated and inspired after savoring each and every page.
My favorite moments:
From The World I Live In - "only if there are angels in your head will you ever, possibly, see one."
A note before the next line - Percy was one of Mary Oliver's dogs. This is one of my all-time favorite poems by her.
From Percy (Nine) - "and he runs to the door, his wide mouth in its laugh-shape, and waves, since he has one, his tail."
From How I Go to the Woods - "If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love you very much."
From Mysteries, Yes - "How people come, from delight or the scars of damage, to the comfort of a poem."
A note before the next line - this is one of my favorite poems to hear Mary Oliver read aloud. Look it up!
From Mornings at Blackwater - "For years, every morning, I drank from Blackwater Pond. It was flavored with oak leaves and also, no doubt, the feet of ducks."
From Praying - "this isn't a contest, but the doorway into thanks"
From At Blackwater Pond (once again, drinking its waters) - "It falls cold into my body, waking the bones. I hear them deep inside of me, whispering oh what is that beautiful thing that just happened?"
Paris Time Capsule by Ella Carey
Who wouldn’t love the story of an abandoned Paris apartment and the mysterious women who lived in it before fleeing Paris the night before the Nazi invasion? I couldn’t put this book down. There were so many twists, turns, and surprises, not to mention many delicious details about the abandoned apartment. I do have gripes, or warnings for future readers, however. The protagonist, Cat, is a total wimpy female. You will root for her self-empowerment for much of the way through the book, but sadly, she ends up a total dud in the character development department. But I loved this book despite my inability to connect with Cat. I enjoyed other characters immensely, and thought the author did a better job fleshing out the deceased and mysterious inhabitants of the abandoned apartment than the living descendants. I also must admit I wasn’t thrilled with the conclusion of the book. The last sentence still makes me simultaneously gag, roll my eyes, and giggle hysterically. But do not despair – the mystery of Isabelle is resolved. In my opinion, the author can do whatever she wants with the wimpy female protagonist because she resolved the Isabelle mystery. But overall my gripes are small and do not outweigh the marvelous, edge-of-your-seat, cannot-put-down (not even for dessert) story. Possibly the most intriguing part of this book is that it’s the fictionalized portrayal of the real-life Marthe de Florian, whose apartment was abandoned for seventy years.
Also, I started out listening to this, and it was an excellent audiobook, but I struggled with both the French and switched to the ebook version about halfway through. If you struggle with French and/or French accents I recommend the book version.
This is a picture from Marthe de Florian's actual apartment!
Plankton is Pushy by Jonathan Fenske
Whether you relate to Plankton or Mussel or both, you will find your voice in this book. Plankton is a little loud and unabashedly friendly. Mussel doesn't have anything to say (or perhaps doesn't speak English, which Plankton does). But I think it's pretty obvious that Mussel warms up to Plankton in the end.
Devotions by Mary Oliver
This is a superb collection of Mary Oliver's poetry. I believe there's a poem for every person in this volume. Interestingly enough, in the collections I like least (Thirst and Felicity for example) I thought the chosen poems were strong and really resonated with me. I plan on reading those collections again thanks to this book. But on the flip side, my favorite books by Mary Oliver (Owls and Other Fantasies and Blue Iris for example) were represented by my least favorite poems. I still found an abundance of magic and beauty in this collection, a staggering amount really, and I feel most pleasantly satiated and inspired after savoring each and every page.
My favorite moments:
From The World I Live In - "only if there are angels in your head will you ever, possibly, see one."
A note before the next line - Percy was one of Mary Oliver's dogs. This is one of my all-time favorite poems by her.
From Percy (Nine) - "and he runs to the door, his wide mouth in its laugh-shape, and waves, since he has one, his tail."
From How I Go to the Woods - "If you have ever gone to the woods with me, I must love you very much."
From Mysteries, Yes - "How people come, from delight or the scars of damage, to the comfort of a poem."
A note before the next line - this is one of my favorite poems to hear Mary Oliver read aloud. Look it up!
From Mornings at Blackwater - "For years, every morning, I drank from Blackwater Pond. It was flavored with oak leaves and also, no doubt, the feet of ducks."
From Praying - "this isn't a contest, but the doorway into thanks"
From At Blackwater Pond (once again, drinking its waters) - "It falls cold into my body, waking the bones. I hear them deep inside of me, whispering oh what is that beautiful thing that just happened?"
Paris Time Capsule by Ella Carey
Who wouldn’t love the story of an abandoned Paris apartment and the mysterious women who lived in it before fleeing Paris the night before the Nazi invasion? I couldn’t put this book down. There were so many twists, turns, and surprises, not to mention many delicious details about the abandoned apartment. I do have gripes, or warnings for future readers, however. The protagonist, Cat, is a total wimpy female. You will root for her self-empowerment for much of the way through the book, but sadly, she ends up a total dud in the character development department. But I loved this book despite my inability to connect with Cat. I enjoyed other characters immensely, and thought the author did a better job fleshing out the deceased and mysterious inhabitants of the abandoned apartment than the living descendants. I also must admit I wasn’t thrilled with the conclusion of the book. The last sentence still makes me simultaneously gag, roll my eyes, and giggle hysterically. But do not despair – the mystery of Isabelle is resolved. In my opinion, the author can do whatever she wants with the wimpy female protagonist because she resolved the Isabelle mystery. But overall my gripes are small and do not outweigh the marvelous, edge-of-your-seat, cannot-put-down (not even for dessert) story. Possibly the most intriguing part of this book is that it’s the fictionalized portrayal of the real-life Marthe de Florian, whose apartment was abandoned for seventy years.
Also, I started out listening to this, and it was an excellent audiobook, but I struggled with both the French and switched to the ebook version about halfway through. If you struggle with French and/or French accents I recommend the book version.
This is a picture from Marthe de Florian's actual apartment!
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