Ahhh, I'm doing it...I'm catching up! Time for November's books...
Code Name Verity
I had students reading this book for a book group, so I wanted to read it as well (and it was magically on my kind...Mom, you are the best!). It ended up being one of my favorite books from the past year!
This book is about a female spy during WW2. It's actually told in two parts, Verity and then her friend Maddie. It is witty, funny, heart wrenching, and incredibly sad. I just loved this book (and may have sobbed like a baby at the end...). I'm a sucker for a WW2 book, so I have read a lot. And this one? Definitely near the top of my WW2 list!
Someone Else's Love Story
I mentioned in January's book reviews that I have finally started reading Joshilyn Jackson. This was my second Jackson book to read. This story is about Shandi, a single, college aged mom who ends up in a convenience story hold up with her 3 year old son. It takes place, as all of Jackson's books do, in the South, and deals with a lot of big issues. But someone this author makes everything so relatable and less heavy. I loved this book!
Wolf Hollow
I hae to have a middle grades book on the list! This book is about Annabelle, a girl growing up after WW2 in a rural Pennsylvania town. It deals with bullying and prejudice. This story is just so beautifully written. It is one of those books that is incredible for kids to read, but also so great for adults as well. It's no surprise that this book killed it in the awards category last year! I had a book group read this as well, and they really enjoyed it.
Chocolate War
Yet another middle grades book, and another one that I had a book group reading. I had students pull out text evidence from the books for their assessment, so I needed to read/reread some of these books before scoring their assessments!
I first read this book as a middle school student myself. I ended up becoming a big Robert Cormier fan and devoured pretty much every book he ever wrote. His books are edgy and weird, and I'm not sure my students really enjoyed this book. Sadly, I didn't love it as much when I reread it, but I still think it's an amazing book.
Bury Your Dead
I have always been and will always be a re-reader. Sometimes I just need to open up a familiar book. It's comforting. What's funny is that I am, with the exception of Gilmore Girls and Veronica Mars, rarely a re-watcher.
This was my first re-read of this book, one smack dab in the Louise Penny series. In Bury Your Dead, Gamache is Quebec City, rather than his usual haunts of Three Pines and Montreal. I love reading about this city (only 4 1/2 hours from me!). It's a nice break from Three Pines, but Penny still connects with her little imaginary city on the border of Vermont.
I am a HUGE Louise Penny fan. She is just an incredible writer, and this book is no exception!
Emily of New Moon
Another comfortable re-read. I first read the Emily books last year. They are written by L. M. Montgomery, who also wrote the Anne of Green Gables series. You can read my thoughts on Emily here. Let me just say, this re-read was everything I wanted. I might have even loved this book more the second go-round.
Only four more months to recap!
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