The Harper Hall trilogy by Anne McCaffrey (part of the Dragon Riders of Pern)

 When I was in middle school, these were my favorite books (specifically the first two.) I read them over and over again. I think I identified strongly with Menolly, the main character of the first two books. Not the specifics of course, but more the sense of isolation that she felt. It's a common enough feeling for an adolescent but nevertheless the books really spoke to me. Ultimately, I think I can pin the idea I had to be a musician on these books too. 

When I discovered Mercedes Lackey, I practically forgot about Anne McCaffrey and as a result I hadn't reread them in about 25 years. I was over due and they really held up.

Dragonsong opens with Menolly leading the death singing for her mentor Harper Petiron. He was the only harper stationed at Half-Circle Seahold and the only person, aside from her older brother, who really got her. Menolly's dearest dream is to be a harper and study at Harper Hall. However, Half-Circle follows traditions and traditions say that girls can't be Harpers. Yet, with Petrion dead there's no one to take up the teaching of the hold's young and it could be months before a new harper arrives. So, tradition bows to necessity and Menolly undertakes the teaching songs and ballads while they wait for a replacement with a fierce injunction against "twiddling" (composing new tunes). Of course something goes wrong with disasterous consequences and before long she's living holdless and surviving on her own. 

Dragonsinger picks up Menolly's story after she arrives at Harper Hall. It should be a dream come true but all the other girls hate her and her obscene number of fire lizards set her apart and incites envy. All Menolly wants to do is immerse herself in music but a harper is more than just a musician. A harper is a politician, a spy, a teacher, and an influencer of public opinion. As such, a harper can wield an incredable amount of power. That's not what Menolly is concerned with though. Instead she finds herself concerned with the hostility of her peers and even some of the masters who object to her gender, her talent, and her luck.

Menolly is determined to live a life of music and that determination coupled with her talent paves her way to acceptance.

Dragondrums is a bit of a break from the previous two. It actually follows Piemur which first appears in Dragonsinger as one of Menolly's new friends. He's mischevious and a scamp - a troublemaker. He's also possessed of a transcendent soprano voice. That is he does, until his voice cracks in the middle of choral rehearsal for the upcoming festival. Piemur is devistated that his voice chose the worst of all times to change. 

He's slightly mollified, however, when he's selected by the Masterharper himself as his new apprentice provided that he can prove his discretion. Of course, he sets out to do just that despite the other apprentices that have it in for him and journeymen who expect the worst of him.

All these books are excellent for young readers. I don't think thats what McCaffrey intended when she wrote them, but they are each wonderful for middle school readers on up and I still enjoy them as an adult. 

The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna

 I was oddly hesitant to dive into this one, but I really should just trust my TBR recommender at this point. Back in September when the last round of recommendations was scheduled to come out, I was in a bit of a hectic bind. I knew some things were likely to come to a head at the school and that I needed comfort more than challenge in my reading, so that's what I asked for. Amanda, my recommender, delivered and this was one of that batch.

This is a silly book. Very silly, but also very sweet. It's a kind of paranormal romance centered around witches. In the world of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches all witches are orphans. Because of a miscast spell in the 1700's, all witches lose their parents soon after birth. As a result, modern witches all seem to be traumatized women living by a series of restrictive rules to avoid notice by the larger mundane world. 

Magic in this world is an almost living power that likes to gather around witches. The more witches present, the more magic that gathers, and the more unruly it is. As a result one, of the super restrictive rules is that witches cannot live with other witches and, outside of a few secret meetings per year, they shouldn't even have contact with each other. This is the world that Mika Moon was raised in and it left her with a deep sense of loneliness.

Mika doesn't like the rules. She wants something more out of life than a never ending secret and lonely existence. So, when an unexpected and mysterious message arrives in her inbox looking to hire a "witch" to tutor three young girls at Nowhere House, Mika is intrigued. What she discovers is three young witches being raised in the care of four normal human adults. It breaks all the rules, but maybe this is her chance to find a different way to be a witch. 

There is a fun little mystery running in the background of the story, but the story is really much more about relationships. The three girls are all just as isolated in their way as Mika was despite having each other, and the adults are a diverse and quirky bunch. There is, of course, a grumpy yet dashingly handsome romantic candidate for Mika to be distracted by.

It's a fun book and it looks like it's set up well to turn into a series. 

Planetary by Warren Ellis (Series)

 When I talk to people about graphic novels, I find that I have a tendency to get defensive. I like graphic novels and I think that they are, in their own way, every bit as worthwhile as any bit of fiction on a bestseller list. (More, in some cases) Yet, somehow I always end up almost apologetic for my obvious enjoyment. 

It's probably me just showing my age but somehow I just can't shake the attitude that there is something frivolous about graphic novels and comics. Certainly, there was a time when many comic book plot lines were more than a little silly, but that isn't generally the case any more.

Something happened in the 80's and 90's. Comic books became something more complex. The stories became more involved, the characters became more complex and interesting. When someone asks me why I like graphic novels, I have a handful of favorites that I can hand them, but maybe the best example I can give that shows the validity of the form without having to downplay the shortcomings is Planetary by Warren Ellis. 

I'm a big fan of Ellis in general (he has a couple novels which are quite good too.) The original 4 volume run of planetary though takes the idea of a super hero and elevates it. If you stop to think about it, super-heroes are really just the inheritors of the epic hero architype. Looking at super heroes can tell you a lot about the culture that enjoys them. They speak to what we value and what we worry about or fear just as the old epic heros did. Because comics and graphic novels are marketed at a younger audience, it can be a good indicator of how the culture is shifting and developing. 

Coming out originally in the 90's, Planetary speaks very much to my generation. The super-heroes follow the older forms like comic book versions of Victorian hero explorers. A whole batch of them were born specifically on January 1st, 1900. They are century babies which makes sense as my generation felt the millenium hurtling towards us. These heros  (and villians) are all in some way confronting the rapidly changing world represented by the idea of a multiverse controlled and influence by large corporations running out of control. A generation raised venerating classical values confronting rapid change - yeah that's my generation in a nutshell.

So if you're curious what the graphic novel craze is all about, I recommend giving Planetary a try.

The Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo

 It's a sad reality that cover art has a lot to do with a book's success. It's awful when a book with enticing cover art doesn't live up to the promise of its wrapper, but then, why should it? It's not like anyone is going to deliberately put a bad design around a book as a quality statement. Generally, if it gets published than somebody must of thought it was a worthwhile read. 

This is a little off point. I bring up cover art because Bardugo's books have excellent cover art and long before the Netflix show I was enticed to pick up some book in the series over and over again. I'd read the back and note the price and put it back down. I put it down because even used the prices tended to be up over $10 which certainly indicates an enduring demand. As a general rule, I try to keep my book purchases under $10. With a reading habit like mine, it can add up quick and I don't tend to splurge on a book unless I have a compelling reason to suspect that I will like it.

It wasn't until Netflix release their adaptation that I finally relented and bought them. I'm glad I did. The whole trilogy is excellent.

Most fantasy worlds are built around a vaguely European model, usually quasi British to be specific. The Grishaverse is interesting partly because it's built around a Russian base. The rulers are modeled after the tsars and tsarinas and the religion is reminiscent of the Eastern Orthodox church with it's saints and icons. There's even a crazy political mystic that is vaguely reminiscent of Rasputin in the character of the Apparat. 

The story follows Alina Starkov, a mousey military cartographer in the Ravkan first army. She discovers in book one that she's a grisha, specifically a Sun Summoner. Grisha all have magic-type powers. Some of them have elemental abilities, some can affect the human body, and some can manipulate materials. There are many grisha and their powers are uncommon but not rare. Except for the darkling who can summon shadows and the sun summoner who can summon the light - in each case there's only theoretically one of each of those which makes Alina very, very special.

Additionally, Ravka is divided into two by the fold, a magical accident that cuts across the entire country. It's a magical darkness inhabited by the nightmare volcra that prey on humans who venture into the darkness. The only way to cross is on a sand skiff powered by Squallers (grisha who control air currents).

In Shadow and Bone, Alina's power is discovered while crossing the fold. She's whisked away to the small palace for training where the story quickly turns into a court intrigue. Alina pines for her childhood friend Mal, and she struggles to access her power. The most powerful grisha in Ravka, the Darkling, seems to be making overtures. Something is wrong however, and Alina is not destined for a romance.

By the Siege and Storm, the second book, Alina and Mal are on the run. All they want is a simple life away from the politics of the Ravkan court and Second Army (the Grisha army). The Darkling can't let Alina's power go though and when he finds her, she is forced back into the fray. 

By the Ruin and Rising, the people are calling Alina a saint. It's not how she views herself, but she'll do just about anything to consolidate her power and confront the Darkling. The price will be high though. Everyone has an agenda, everyone wants to make use of the Living Saint. 

I don't want to give too many spoilers so the reviews are skimpy but its a fascinating, richly imagined world and I'll looking forward to hunting down the spin-off duology. (They also have really compelling cover art :-P )

December List

 November went by too quickly. While the amount of my reading was about average, my enjoyment was up. I need 25 books in December to meet my goal and I don't really think that I will make it, however, there's no use giving up so I'm going to plow on forward with a continuation of last month. I managed to finish off 5 series last month and finished 5 off of my urgent list. This month's list is primarily the same. I'm only adding in two series. The first is a graphic novel series that has been lingering for a while which I'm adding with an eye to getting my numbers up. The second is really just a continuation of one from last month. I'm putting on the next three Pern books by Ann McCaffrey. Ultimately, there are 16 of the books to read, but the beginning of the series falls into two neat little trilogies. 

1. Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo (Series YA)
1. Ruin and Rising (Finished 12/3/2022)
2. The Inheritance Games Series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (YA)
1. The Inheritance Games 
2. The Hawthorne Legacy
3. The Final Gambit
3. Flavia de Luce Series by Alan Bradley
1. A Red Herring Without Mustard
2. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows
3. Speaking from Among the Bones
4. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches
5. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust
6. Thrice the Brindled Cat Hath Mew'd
7. The Grave's a Fine and Private Place
8. The Golden Tresses of the Dead
4. The Bone Witch Series by Rin Chupeco (YA)
1. The Heart Forger (Finished 12/20/2022)
2. The Shadowglass (Finished 12/27/2022)
5. Remembrance of Earth's Past Series by Liu Cixin
1. The Dark Forest
2. Death's End
6. The Expanse Series by James S.A. Corey
1. Abaddon's Gate
2. Cibola Burn
3. Nemesis Games
4. Babylon's Ashes
5. Persepolis Rising
6. Tiamat's Wrath
7. Leviathan Falls
7. The Ropemaker Series by Peter Dickinson (YA)
1. The Rope Maker
2. Angel Isle
8. Planetary by Warren Ellis 
1. All Over the World and Other Stories (Finished 12/3/2022)
2. The Fourth Man (Finished 12/3/2022)
3. Leaving the 20th Century (Finished 12/4/2022)
4. Spacetime Archaeology (Finished 12/4/2022)
5. Crossing Worlds (Finished 12/5/2022)
9. Kingsbridge by Ken Follett
1. The Pillars of the Earth
2. World Without End
3. A Column of Fire
10. The Silver Arrow Series by Lev Grossman (YA)
1. The Silver Arrow 
2. The Golden Swift
11. Doctor Dolittle Vol 1 by Hugh Lofting
1. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
2. The Story of Doctor Dolittle
3. Doctor Dolittle's Post Office
12. Harpers of Pern by Ann McCaffery
1. Dragonsong (Finished 12/6/2022)
2. Dragonsinger (Finished 12/7/2022)
3. Dragondrums (Finished 12/11/2022)
13. Ghost Roads by Seanan McGuire (YA)
1. Sparrow Hill Road
2. The Girl in the Green Silk Gown
3. Angel of the Overpass
14. Dragonwatch Series by Brandon Mull (YA)
1. Dragonwatch
2. Wrath of the Dragon King
3. Master of the Phantom Isle
4. Champion of the Titan Games
5. Return of the Dragon Slayers
15. The Borrowers by Mary Norton (series YA)
1. The Borrowers (Finished 12/16/2022)
2. The Borrowers Afield (Dropped - Keeping books for Thomas)
3. The Borrowers Afloat (Dropped - Keeping books for Thomas)
4. The Borrowers Aloft (Dropped - Keeping books for Thomas)
5. The Borrowers Avenged (Dropped - Keeping books for Thomas)
16. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Series by Louise Penny
1. The Cruelest Month
2. A Rule Against Murder
3. The Brutal Telling
4. Bury Your Dead
5. A Trick of the Light
6. The Beautiful Mystery
7. How the Light Gets In
8. The Long Way Home
17. Villians by V.E. Schwab
1. Vicious 
2. Vengeful 
18. What Goes Around by Courtney Summers (Series YA)
1. Cracked Up to Be
2. Some Girls Are

The Urgent List:

1. Kill All Happies by Rachel Cohn (YA, Library)
2. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (borrowed from Dad)
3. Circuit of Heaven by Dennis Danvers (Ryan Pick, because he really wants me to read it)
4. Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas (Classic, finishing up)
5. The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu (Finished 12/12/2022)
6. Monstrous Devices by Damien Love (Finished 12/15/2022)
7. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (Finished 12/9/2022)
8. Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri (Finished 12/31/2022))
9. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (YA, borrowed from Amanda)
10. Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (YA, Library)
11. The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade (old TBR)
12. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (borrowed from Stephanie)
13. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (Because I am insanely curious)
14. Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventure's Guide by Cecily Wong and Dylan Thuras (NF, finishing it up)

The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill

 The Girl Who Drank the Moon made a splash when it came out. Not a big one, mind you, but a little one. The kind of splash where the ripples grow as they move into great waves. Winning the Newberry helped. A few years back it seemed like everyone I knew was reading it. I wanted to read it, but I had a hard time getting a hold of a copy. It was that popular. 

And then, I forgot about it for a time until a battered water-stained copy showed up on a clearance shelf at Half Price Books. Once I got ahold of it, it didn't take me long to read it.

I can see why everyone was excited by this one. The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a deceptively light read. One the surface, it's something akin to an expanded fairy tale. There's witches, dragons, bog monsters, villages, and magic towers. The story opens with a bedtime story about a witch in the woods and a baby being left as a sacrifice. However, the witch in the woods is quickly recast as the good guy when she rescues the babe and the baby becomes something very special indeed.

The mystery driving the story is why do the villagers think they have to sacrifice a baby every year to witch who has no idea why they are abandoning their babies. There is something sinister going on, but it's not in the forest.

The narrative switches view points and styles. The challenge is in putting the scattered pieces together in a story where half the characters have some form of memory loss. It all comes together in the end.

There were several themes that I really liked in this. First, I like that the ugly old witch isn't evil even though she ugly, and old, and in fact a witch. In fact almost all the fairy tale expectations are turned on their heads. The bog monster is benevolent too. I like that decisions, even when made for the right reasons, have negative consequences and that the characters acknowledge and deal with that fact. I really like the message about death and how sometimes it is just time. Given the target age range, those are all tough ideas and they are handled with a deft touch.

I really liked this one and recommend it. I just have to find a better copy for my classroom library

November List

 Life continues to be. . . interesting and I'm in need for a slightly different approach. More than anything I need engrossing easy reads for a little while. So, here's the deal. I'm closing out series. I'm in the middles of something like 35 series which is ridiculous... even for me. I've listed out 21 of them, it's not all of them, but it's a good start. 

Series literature is great. It lets an author explore a world and it lets the readers wallow in a familiar setting. Instead of doing random picks, I'm knocking out the fewest volumes first. The idea is to just get things off the list.

I also have 20 books on my urgent list which are all pressing in some way. Weirdly though, I'm in the middle of 6 of them which is odd. I will often have a couple books going at a time, but six is unusual.

November List:

1. Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo (Series YA)
1. Siege and Storm (Finished 11/29/2022)
2. Ruin and Rising (YA)
2. The Inheritance Games Series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (YA)
1. The Inheritance Games 
2. The Hawthorne Legacy
3. The Final Gambit
3. Flavia de Luce Series by Alan Bradley
1. A Red Herring Without Mustard
2. I Am Half-Sick of Shadows
3. Speaking from Among the Bones
4. The Dead in Their Vaulted Arches
5. As Chimney Sweepers Come to Dust
6. Thrice the Brindled Cat Hath Mew'd
7. The Grave's a Fine and Private Place
8. The Golden Tresses of the Dead
4. The Bone Witch Series by Rin Chupeco (YA)
1. The Heart Forger
2. The Shadowglass
5. Remembrance of Earth's Past Series by Liu Cixin
1. The Dark Forest
2. Death's End
6. The Expanse Series by James S.A. Corey
1. Abaddon's Gate
2. Cibola Burn
3. Nemesis Games
4. Babylon's Ashes
5. Persepolis Rising
6. Tiamat's Wrath
7. Leviathan Falls
7. The Ropemaker Series by Peter Dickinson (YA)
1. The Rope Maker
2. Angel Isle
8. The Thorne Chronicles Series by K. Eason 
1. How the Multiverse Got Its Revenge (Finished 11/15/2022)
9. Kingsbridge by Ken Follett
1. The Pillars of the Earth
2. World Without End
3. A Column of Fire
10. The Silver Arrow Series by Lev Grossman (YA)
1. The Silver Arrow 
2. The Golden Swift
11. Doctor Dolittle Vol 1 by Hugh Lofting
1. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
2. The Story of Doctor Dolittle
3. Doctor Dolittle's Post Office
12. The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
1. The White Dragon (Finished 11/7/2022)
13. Ghost Roads by Seanan McGuire (YA)
1. Sparrow Hill Road
2. The Girl in the Green Silk Gown
3. Angel of the Overpass
14. Dragonwatch Series by Brandon Mull (YA)
1. Dragonwatch
2. Wrath of the Dragon King
3. Master of the Phantom Isle
4. Champion of the Titan Games
5. Return of the Dragon Slayers
15. The Borrowers by Mary Norton (series YA)
1. The Borrowers
2. The Borrowers Afield
3. The Borrowers Afloat
4. The Borrowers Aloft
5. The Borrowers Avenged
16. Chief Inspector Armand Gamache Series by Louise Penny
1. The Cruelest Month
2. A Rule Against Murder
3. The Brutal Telling
4. Bury Your Dead
5. A Trick of the Light
6. The Beautiful Mystery
7. How the Light Gets In
8. The Long Way Home
17. Brigertons by Julia Quinn
1. It's in His Kiss (Finished 11/21/2022)
2. On the Way to the Wedding (Finished 11/27/202)
18. Villians by V.E. Schwab
1. Vicious 
2. Vengeful 
19. What Goes Around by Courtney Summers (Series YA)
1. Cracked Up to Be
2. Some Girls Are
20. Phantom Dream by Natsuki Takaya (Series YA)
1. Vol 4 (Finished 11/16/2022)
2. Vol 5 (Finished 11/16/2022)
21. Tsubasa by Natsuki Takaya(Series YA)
1. Vol 3 (Finished 11/8/2022)

The Urgent List:

1. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (Finished 11/3/2022)
2. The Carnival of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge (had to return it to the library)
3. How to Cook Everything Fast by Mark Bittman (Finished 11/18/2022)
4. Kill All Happies by Rachel Cohn (YA, Library)
5. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (borrowed from Dad)
6. Circuit of Heaven by Dennis Danvers (Ryan Pick, because he really wants me to read it)
7. Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Duymas (Classic, finishing up)
8. Nevermore by Neil Gaiman (Finished 11/30/2022)
9. The Chef's Secret by Crystal King (Finished 11/25/2022)
10. The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu (finishing it up)
11. Monstrous Devices by Damien Love (borrowed from a student)
12. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (TBR)
13. Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri (YA, Library)
14. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (YA, borrowed from Amanda)
15. Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (YA, Library)
16. The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade (old TBR)
17. The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid (borrowed from Stephanie)
18. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (Because I am insanely curious)
19. The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White (Finished 11/9/2022)
20. Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventure's Guide by Cecily Wong and Dylan Thuras (NF, finishing it up)

bold means that I don't actually own the thing.

October List

Ok, so remember when I said August was busy and stressful and September just about had to be better?  Turns out that was deeply and ironically wrong. Strangely I read tremendously more which just shows that reading is not actually impeded by my stress. Who knew. 

Anyway, let's cross our fingers for October. October's always been my favorite month anyway. The list has gotten quite large. On the one hand, I'm pretty excited about every one of these books. On the other, I'm probably not going to make much of a dent. Does that really matter? No idea. I might look at doing a complete shake up on the list for November though. 

My urgency list is a bit deep at the moment. Part of this is that we've been going to the library with Thomas so those books are on a clock, but it also includes my TBR.co books and books that have been lent to me. My students have started lending me books again which is both cool and kind of time sensitive. I might add to the urgency books to cover library visits or more lent books. The system needs to be flexible after all.

October List:

1. Shadow and Bone Trilogy by Leigh Bardugo (Series YA)
1. Siege and Storm (YA)
2. Ruin and Rising (YA)
2. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (YA)
3. The Girl Who Drank the Moon by Kelly Barnhill (YA)
4. The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls by James Bird (YA)
5. How to Cook Everything Fast by Mark Bittman (NF)
6. The Bone Witch Series by Rin Chupeco
1. The Heart Forger
2. The Shadowglass
7. Abaddon's Gate by James S. A. Corey 
8. Circuit of Heaven by Dennis Danvers (Ryan Pick)
9. The Rope Maker by Peter Dickinson (YA)
10. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow (YA)
11. Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Duymas (Classic)
12. How the Multiverse Got Its Revenge by K. Eason (Book 2)
13. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
14. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke (YA)
15. The Devil & Sherlock Holmes by David Grann (NF)
16. The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman (YA)
17. The Fireman by Joe Hill
18. The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu
19. Doctor Dolittle Vol 1 by Hugh Lofting
1. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
2. The Story of Doctor Dolittle
3. Doctor Dolittle's Post Office
20. The Casket of Time by Andri Snaer Magnason (YA)
21. The Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey
1. Dragonflight (Finished 10/23/2022)
2. Dragonquest (Finished 10/25/2022)
3. The White Dragon
22. Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire (YA)
23. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
24. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (YA?)
25. Dragonwatch by Brandon Mull (YA)
26. The Borrowers by Mary Norton (series YA)
1. The Borrowers
2. The Borrowers Afield
3. The Borrowers Afloat
4. The Borrowers Aloft
5. The Borrowers Avenged
27. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (YA)
28. The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
29. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez (YA) 
30. Vicious by V.E. Schwab 
31. The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti  (YA)
32. What Goes Around by Courtney Summers (Series YA)
1. Cracked Up to Be
2. Some Girls Are
33. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
34. Phantom Dream by Natsuki Takaya (Series YA)
1. Vol 4
2. Vol 5
35. Tsubasa by Natsuki Takaya Vol 3(Series YA)
36. Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci (NF)
37. The Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie by Carla Valentine (NF)
38. The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson (YA)
39. Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventure's Guide by Cecily Wong and Dylan Thuras (NF)
40. Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon (YA)

The Urgent List:

1. The Carnival of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge (Library)
2. Kill All Happies by Rachel Cohn (YA, Library)
3. Several People Are Typing by Calvin Kasulke (Finished 10/8/2022)
4. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (borrowed from Dad)
5. The Chef's Secret by Crystal King (TBR)
6. Monstrous Devices by Damien Love (borrowed from a student)
7. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna (TBR)
8. Ranger in Time in Kate Messner (Finished 10/10/2022)
9. From the Rooftops by Grant D Muller (Couldn't finish - not really appropriate for High School)
10. Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri (YA, Library)
11. Kingdom of Ink & Paper by Matthew Newman (Didn't finish - fine for school but not very well written)
12. Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (YA, Library)
13. The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade (old TBR)
14. No Gods, No Monster by Cadwell Turnbull (Finished 10/5/2022)
15. The Sword in the Stone by T.H. White (reread for fantasy Lit)

September List

Well, I didn't make my goal. I didn't really expect to, but I didn't think I would have such a hard time in August getting in time for reading. However August ended up being much more brutal than usual. The start of school is always a busy time but it also tends to be one of my better months for reading. Not this year as it turns out. It's a rough time for teachers.

Nevertheless, I did manage 14 books last month and all of them YA, so I made up some ground. I'm now only a month and a half behind on YA lol.

Ok, so this month is a long, long list. There's about 30 YA on there so I can keep working on my YA deficit. There's also a 10 deep urgency list tacked on to the end. I'm very behind on my library and TBR reads. I'm going to need to take a break to finish out my TBR reads before the next cycle comes up. I'm hoping the stress rating on September is going to be a little more reasonable than August was.

 September List:

1. Kids of Appetite by David Arnold (Finished 9/15/2022)
2. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (Finished 9/8/2022)
3. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (YA)
4. The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls by James Bird (YA)
5. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (Finished 9/19/2022)
6. Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink (Finished 9/5/2022)
7. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (borrowed)
8. Abaddon's Gate by James S. A. Corey 
9. Circuit of Heaven by Dennis Danvers (Ryan Pick)
10. The Rope Maker by Peter Dickinson (YA)
11. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow (YA)
12. Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Duymas (Classic)
13. The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
14. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke (YA)
15. The Devil & Sherlock Holmes by David Grann (NF)
16. The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman (YA)
17. The Fireman by Joe Hill
18. The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu
19. Doctor Dolittle Vol 1 by Hugh Lofting
1. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
2. The Story of Doctor Dolittle
3. Doctor Dolittle's Post Office
20. The Casket of Time by Andri Snaer Magnason (YA)
21. Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire (YA)
22. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
23. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (YA?)
24. Dragonwatch by Brandon Mull (YA)
25. The Borrowers by Mary Norton (series YA)
1. The Borrowers
2. The Borrowers Afield
3. The Borrowers Afloat
4. The Borrowers Aloft
5. The Borrowers Avenged
26. Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (YA)
27. Hilda by Luke Pearson (Series YA)
1. Hilda and the Troll (Finished 9/2/2022)
2. Hilda and the Midnight Giant (Finished 9/3/2022)
3. Hilda and the Bird Parade (Finished 9/3/2022)
4. Hilda and the Black Hound (Finished 9/3/2022)
5. Hilda and the Stone Forest (Finished 9/4/2022)
6. Hilda and the Mountain King (Finished 9/4/2022)
28. The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
29. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez (YA) 
30. The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti  (YA)
31. What Goes Around by Courtney Summers (Series YA)
1. Cracked Up to Be
2. Some Girls Are
32. Battle Royale by Koushun Takami
33. Liselotte & Witch's Forest by Natsuki Takaya (Series YA)
1. Vol 2 (Finished 9/7/2022)
2. Vol 3 (Finished 9/7/2022)
3. Vol 4 (Finished 9/7/2022)
34. Phantom Dream by Natsuki Takaya (Series YA)
1. Vol 3 (Finished 9/27/2022)
2. Vol 4
3. Vol 5
35. Tsubasa by Natsuki Takaya Vol 3(Series YA)
36. Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci (NF)
37. The Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie by Carla Valentine (NF)
38. The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson (YA)
39. Gastro Obscura: A Food Adventure's Guide by Cecily Wong and Dylan Thuras (NF)
40. Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon (YA)

The Urgent List:

1. The Carnival of Ash by Tom Beckerlegge (Library)
2. Kill All Happies by Rachel Cohn (YA, Library)
3. Star Mother by Charlie N. Holmberg (Finished 9/20/2022)
4. Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li (Finished 9/3/2022)
5. Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri (YA, Library)
6. Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (YA, Library)
7. The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade (TBR)
8. Maximillian Fly by Angie Sage (Finished 9/24/2022)
9. No Gods, No Monster by Cadwell Turnbull (Library)
10. The Sword in the Stone by T.H.White (reread for fantasy Lit)

Mid Year Assessment and August List

Usually, I do a kind of informal assessment at the halfway point of the year to see how I'm doing and make plans to catch up if I'm behind. That should have been at the beginning of July, however I was a bit busy at the time trekking across the country and back. As a result, I'm assessing now. 

It's not a surprise to find that I'm a little over a month behind overall and about three months behind in my YA goals. It sounds dire, but it actually works out great for a catch up month of reading. It works out that I need to read about 30 books in August to get entirely back on track. Coincidently, I need about 30 books to get back on track in my YA sub-goal.  This is great. I tend to read YA at a much faster clip than other things and while 30 books in a month is still a pretty steep order, it's not impossible either. Even if I don't quite make it, I'm sure I can certainly make up ground by focusing on YA. Anything over 15 means that I'm catching up. (I will worry about my other sub goals in September). 

As a result, I have here a list of 35 YA books and series to work through. I'll be using my random number selection to keep motivated with a bit of a twist. There's a second list of 15 books that are not YA to use to cut the YA with. I love YA, but after a while it gets a little mind numbing. That second list is only open after every 5 YA books read. I don't have to pick from the second list, but it's there if I need it to cut the YA with.

Cross your fingers for me.

1. Kids of Appetite by David Arnold (YA)
2. Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo (YA)
3. The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (YA)
4. The Second Chance of Benjamin Waterfalls by James Bird (YA)
5. The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall (YA)
6. Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink (Classic, YA)
7. The Bone Witch by Rin Chupeco (Finished 8/21/2022)
8. Kill All Happies by Rachel Cohn (YA, Library)
9. The Rope Maker by Peter Dickinson (YA)
10. Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom by Cory Doctorow (YA)
11. The Thief Lord by Cornelia Funke (YA)
12. The Silver Arrow by Lev Grossman (YA)
13. Quest For A Kelpie by Frances Hendry (Finished 8/16/2022)
14. The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani (Finished 8/27/2022)
15. Doctor Dolittle Vol 1 by Hugh Lofting
1. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
2. The Story of Doctor Dolittle
3. Doctor Dolittle's Post Office
16. The Casket of Time by Andri Snaer Magnason (YA)
17. Sparrow Hill Road by Seanan McGuire (YA)
18. The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (YA?)
19. Dragonwatch by Brandon Mull (YA)
20. Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri (YA, Library)
21. Avatar the Last Airbender: Smoke and Shadow by Nickelodeon (Finished 8/2/2022)
22. The Borrowers by Mary Norton (series YA)
1. The Borrowers
2. The Borrowers Afield
3. The Borrowers Afloat
4. The Borrowers Aloft
5. The Borrowers Avenged
23. Life as We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer (YA, Library)
24. The End and Other Beginnings by Veronica Roth (Finished 8/25/2022)
25. The Midnight Lie by Marie Rutkoski (Finished 8/11/2022)
26. Maximillian Fly by Angie Sage (YA, Library)
27. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sanchez (YA) 
28. The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett by Chelsea Sedoti  (YA)
29. What Goes Around by Courtney Summers (Series YA)
1. Cracked Up to Be
2. Some Girls Are
30. Fruits Basket Another by Natsuki  Takaya (Series YA)
1. Vol 1 (Finished 8/2/2022)
2. Vol 2 (Finished 8/13/2022)
3. Vol 3 (Finished 8/17/2022)
31. Songs to Make You Smile by Natsuki Takaya  (finish 8/3/2022)
32. Tsubasa by Natsuki Takaya
1. Vol 1  (Finished 8/09/2022)
2. Vol 2 (Finished 8/30/2022)
3. Vol 3
33. Twinkle Stars Vol 1 by Natsuki Takaya  (Finished 8/19/2022)
34. The Gap of Time by Jeanette Winterson (YA)
35. The Magic Three of Solatia by Jane Yolen (Finished 8/5/2022)

Non YA for Sanity's Sake Cut List:

1. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie (borrowed)
2. Abaddon's Gate by James S. A. Corey 
3. Circuit of Heaven by Dennis Danvers (Ryan Pick)
4. Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
5. The Devil & Sherlock Holmes by David Grann (NF)
6. The Fireman by Joe Hill
7. Star Mother by Charlie N. Holmberg (Library)
8. Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li (TBR)
9. The Paper Menagerie and Other Stories by Ken Liu
10. Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
11. The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny
12. The Five Wounds by Kirstin Valdez Quade (TBR)
13. Taste: My Life Through Food by Stanley Tucci (NF)
14. No Gods, No Monster by Cadwell Turnbull (Library)
15. The Science of Murder: The Forensics of Agatha Christie by Carla Valentine (NF)