Here's what I read this past month, including what I've been reading to my son!
The Collected Schizophrenias by Esmé Weijun Wang: This was the first time, to my knowledge, that I'd read a first-person narrative of living with schizoaffective disorder (one of "the schizophrenias"). There are lots of important ideas here to chew on, and I'll definitely be thinking about it into the future.
Nothing to See Here by Kevin Wilson: I thought this was primarily going to be a book about kids who catch on fire, but it's more importantly about kids who have experienced trauma and find themselves with an unprepared caregiver. I'm glad to have met these characters.
The Buried Bones Mystery by Sharon M. Draper: I read this aloud to my 6-year-old and we both enjoyed it. The mystery wasn't exactly Sherlock Holmes-worthy, but I thought the resolution was satisfying. We were happy to continue with the series.
Weapons of Math Destruction: How Big Data Increases Inequality and Threatens Democracy by Cathy O'Neill: This was a succinct yet wide-ranging book on Big Data, covering everything from bank loans to college rankings to political polling. For a relatively quick read I thought she included a lot of valuable information and made her points well.
Lost in the Tunnel of Time by Sharon M. Draper: This ended up being more intense than I expected! My 6 1/2-year old did surprisingly well with the ghost stories, the extended discussion of slavery and the Underground Railroad, and the life-threatening situation the boys find themselves in at the climax of the book. It was great to have the opportunity to have conversations with him.
Mister Impossible by Maggie Stiefvater: This definitely felt like the middle book in a trilogy, though I'm not saying that's necessarily a bad thing. The developments in this book were big ones and kept the plot racing along. I'm impatiently looking forward to the third book!
The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon: This was an enjoyable read! It didn't go where I was expecting, but it manages to be hopeful even if everything doesn't work out perfectly. I see why this book has been recommended forever and am glad I finally got around to reading it!
4:50 from Paddington by Agatha Christie: She got me again! I definitely fell for the red herrings in this one and never saw the solution coming. I look forward to continuing with the Miss Marple books.
Shadows of Caesar's Creek by Sharon M. Draper: This was another suspenseful adventure with the Black Dinosaurs, though it took a while to get to the adventure part. However, my son is now invested enough in these characters that he was eager to listen to multiple chapters of them walking through the woods, setting up tents, fishing, and learning about the history of the area. This book brought up conversations about Native American history that were valuable to have with him.
Womanist Midrash: A Reintroduction to the Women of the Torah and the Throne by Wilda Gafney: In this eye-opening read, Gafney painstakingly goes through every place that women are explicitly or implicitly mentioned in the Torah and the books that include the royal women of Israel and Judah. Although it is incredibly thorough and goes into detail about the specifics of translations and the culture of the time being described, it's very readable and absolutely fascinating.
Looking back:
One year ago I was reading: The Autobiography of Martin Luther King, Jr., Looking for Mr. Goodbar, and Rebecca
Five years ago I was reading: The Lovely Bones, The Master and Margarita, and The Guns of August
Ten years ago I was reading: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince and The Emperor of All Maladies
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