September’s Result Nevermind that this post is two months late😬Though I don’t remember how many votes it got, The Map Thief by Michael Blanding was the winner. The subtitle on the front of the book purports it to be “the gripping story of one esteemed rare-map dealer who made millions stealing priceless maps”. Gripping is quite an overstatement. A lengthy section on early exploration and map-making near the beginning just […]
![3 Own Voices Picture Books [Review]](https://i0.wp.com/fallingletters.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/princess-and-the-peas.jpg?resize=245%2C150&ssl=1)
Princess and the Peas by Rachel Himes In Princess and the Peas, Rachel Himes puts her own twist on Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Princess and the Pea”. This book is #ownvoices for African-American representation. It’s the 1950s in South Carolina, and Ma Sally has begun to worry about her son John marrying a girl who can’t cook as well as Ma. She decides to host a cooking competition – whoever […]
![Reacting to Convenience Store Woman [Review]](https://i0.wp.com/fallingletters.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/convenience-store-woman.jpg?resize=245%2C150&ssl=1)
Format/source: Hardcover/LibraryPublished: June 2018Publisher: Grove PressLength: 163 pages Genre: Literary fictionTranslator: Ginny Tapley Takemori★★★★ I’m going to try something new in this post. As I was typing up my notes on this book, I realized that there were so many specific bits of the novel that prompted me to think and respond to Keiko, the protagonist. So this is a ‘reaction’ style review, with most of my comments directed to Keiko. Spoilers abound (if you want […]
Ah, the time of the year when there’s suddenly only two months left but still so many books to read! Actually, I’m pleased with my reading progress this year. I think for the first time in my life I will complete all my yearly reading goals?? Well, I don’t want to jinx it so let’s talk about something else…October was a bit of a weird month for me. I was […]
![Spooky Sequels: The Island of Monsters + A Festival Of Ghosts [Review]](https://i0.wp.com/fallingletters.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/island-of-monsters.jpg?resize=245%2C150&ssl=1)
The Island of Monsters by Ellen Oh The follow up to 2017’s Spirit Hunters, The Island of Monsters takes Harper and her multiracial family on a Halloween vacation to a tropical island with a gruesome past. Harper must use her newly developed skills in Korean shamanism to resolve the island’s mysteries and protect her little brother. New friends – ghosts and humans alike – help her with this task. I […]