Fahula's bookshelf: all en-US Mon, 12 May 2025 20:39:48 -0700 60 Fahula's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Giving Tree: A Retelling of a Traditional MĂ©tis Story]]> 10112953 42 Leah Dorion 0920915906 Fahula 4 4.40 2009 The Giving Tree: A Retelling of a Traditional MĂ©tis Story
author: Leah Dorion
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.40
book published: 2009
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/12
date added: 2025/05/12
shelves: indigenous, picture-book-read-alouds, canadian
review:
This vibrant and beautifully illustrated picture book does a wonderful job of highlighting many aspects of MĂ©tis culture including art, core values, traditions, and language. The back matter of the book includes additional ideas to spark further discussion for those who want to dig deeper.
]]> Stand Like a Cedar 53597869
Award-winning storyteller Nicola I. Campbell shows what it means “to stand like a cedar� on this beautiful journey of discovery through the wilderness. Learn the names of animals in the Nłe7kepmxcín or Halq’emeylem languages as well as the teachings they have for us. Experience a celebration of sustainability and connection to the land through lyrical storytelling and Carrielynn Victor’s breathtaking art in this children’s illustrated book.

Discover new sights and sounds with every read.Ěý]]> 40 Nicola I. Campbell 1553799216 Fahula 4 4.09 2021 Stand Like a Cedar
author: Nicola I. Campbell
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.09
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2025/05/12
date added: 2025/05/12
shelves: indigenous, picture-book-read-alouds, canadian, environment
review:
This is a beautiful picture book that promotes the beauty and wonder of the forest and our connection to the earth. Children will appreciate the pattern of the onomatopoeia followed by description of the various elements of forest life. The inclusion of Indigenous language words is supported with a pronunciation guide.
]]> <![CDATA[Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies]]> 5237639 32 Howard Binkow 0971539030 Fahula 5 3.95 2008 Howard B. Wigglebottom Learns About Bullies
author: Howard Binkow
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at: 2025/05/08
date added: 2025/05/08
shelves: bullying, picture-book-read-alouds
review:
This is a great book to show how children can use a number of strategies before seeking help from bullying behaviour. The back matter of the book has good discussion points, as well.
]]> Mixed Up 61780002 256 Gordon Korman 1338826727 Fahula 4 middle-school, read-alouds 3.82 Mixed Up
author: Gordon Korman
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.82
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/18
date added: 2025/04/19
shelves: middle-school, read-alouds
review:
This story is another one of Gordon Korman’s novels that mixes his trademark humour with thoughtful, tender moments related to family dynamic struggles, friendship, and grief and loss. The premise of the memory switches is intriguing, but it is the lessons the boys learn about themselves and their families that linger with me.
]]> <![CDATA[There Are Moms Way Worse Than You: Irrefutable Proof That You Are Indeed a Fantastic Parent]]> 58506211
A mom giraffe is pretty nice until the fetus drops.
She’ll birth a newborn baby calf, then kick him ’til he walks.
Ěý
Whenever you feel guilty that you haven’t cleaned the
Sexton beetles raise their kids in a decomposing mouse.
Ěý
A koala mom will feed her kids her own poop. Yes, poop. Panda moms will abandon one twin because raising two is, well, just too much. And every now and then a cuddly little hamster mom will —yup� eat her newborn pups.
These and other true facts from the animal kingdom offer a hilarious reality check on what constitutes “good parenting.� So, human mother, time to stop worrying about the job you're doing —because you’re a great mom.
Ěý]]> 64 Glenn Boozan 1523515643 Fahula 3 adult-humour, picture-books 4.38 2022 There Are Moms Way Worse Than You: Irrefutable Proof That You Are Indeed a Fantastic Parent
author: Glenn Boozan
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.38
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/15
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: adult-humour, picture-books
review:
Raunchy rhymes, complete with curse words, offer reassurance for moms by describing animal moms who display a wild sense of nurturing behaviour towards their babies. It’s worth some chuckling.
]]> <![CDATA[The Totally Appropriate Shirt Alphabet (Definitely Not Dirty Word Books)]]> 137243304
Fun for kids. Even more fun for parents.]]> 30 Joe Lampe Fahula 4 adult-humour, picture-books 4.13 The Totally Appropriate Shirt Alphabet (Definitely Not Dirty Word Books)
author: Joe Lampe
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.13
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/15
date added: 2025/04/17
shelves: adult-humour, picture-books
review:
This picture book is for adults who may enjoy a little double entendre humour and sassy cheer to get them through a long day or tough journey.
]]> Not Nothing 207294337 "The book we all need at the time we all need it.� —Katherine Applegate, Newbery Award–winning author of The One and Only Ivan In this middle grade novel from #1 New York Times bestselling author Gayle Forman, a boy who has been assigned to spend his summer volunteering at a senior living facility learns unexpected lessons that change the trajectory of his life.To say Alex has had it rough is an understatement. His father’s gone, his mother is struggling with mental health issues, and he’s now living with an aunt and uncle who are less than excited to have him. Almost everyone treats him as though he doesn’t matter at all, like he’s nothing. So when a kid at school actually tells him he’s nothing, Alex snaps, and gets violent. Fortunately, his social worker pulls some strings and gets him a job at a nursing home for the summer rather than being sent to juvie. There, he meets Josey, the 107-year-old Holocaust survivor who stopped bothering to talk years ago, and Maya-Jade, the granddaughter of one of the residents with an overblown sense of importance. Unlike Alex, Maya-Jade believes that people care about what she thinks, and that she can make a difference. And when Alex and Josey form an unlikely bond, with Josey confiding in him, Alex starts to believe he can make a difference—a good difference—in the world. If he can truly feel he matters, Alex may be able to finally rise to the occasion of his own life.]]> 288 Gayle Forman 1665943270 Fahula 5
I see that other reviewers disliked the “political overtones � in the story. There is no mention of politics in the book. Instead, there are endearing relationships and opportunities to show grace to others, regardless of race, religion, or gender identity. It’s a simple and powerful message.
]]> 4.43 Not Nothing
author: Gayle Forman
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.43
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2025/04/15
date added: 2025/04/15
shelves:
review:
This is a beautiful story about regret, self-doubt, and inner strength. It highlights the power of friendship, community, and championing others. There are tender moments and insights presented in thoughtful prose. As juvenile fiction, there are moments of humour to balance out both the tragic and the sweet moments.

I see that other reviewers disliked the “political overtones � in the story. There is no mention of politics in the book. Instead, there are endearing relationships and opportunities to show grace to others, regardless of race, religion, or gender identity. It’s a simple and powerful message.

]]> Foster 8143909
Winner of the Davy Byrnes Memorial Prize, Foster is now published in a revised and expanded version. Beautiful, sad and eerie, it is a story of astonishing emotional depth, showcasing Claire Keegan's great accomplishment and talent.]]> 89 Claire Keegan 0571255655 Fahula 3 4.32 2010 Foster
author: Claire Keegan
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.32
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2025/04/09
date added: 2025/04/12
shelves: adult-family-and-relationships
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Maid's Secret (Molly the Maid, #3)]]> 216783411 When a daring art heist takes place at the Regency Grand, Molly’s life is threatened. The question is who’s out to get her, and why? Long-buried secrets will be revealed in this intriguing and heartwarming novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Maid and The Mystery Guest

Molly Gray’s life is about to change in ways she could never have imagined. As the esteemed Head Maid and recently promoted Special Events Manager of the Regency Grand Hotel, good things are just around the corner, including her marriage to her beloved fiancĂ©, Juan Manuel, only two months away.Ěý

But Molly’s entire existence is upended when a film crew descends upon the hotel to shoot the hit reality TV show Hidden Treasures, starring popular art appraisers Brown and Beagle. On a whim, Molly brings in a shoebox containing a few of her gran’s old things for appraisal, and much to everyone's surprise, one item turns out to be a rare and priceless treasure. Instantly, Molly is both a multi-millionaire and a media sensation—the world’s rags-to-riches darling—until the priceless piece vanishes from the hotel in the boldest, brashest antiquities heist in recent memory.

The key to the mystery lies in the past, in a long-forgotten diary written by Molly’s gran. For the first time ever, Molly learns about Gran’s true-to-life fairytale, a young girl to the manor born, the only child of a wealthy magnate. But when Gran falls head over heels in love with a young man her parents deem below her station, her life is thrown into turmoil. As fate would have it, the greatest love of Gran’s life is someone Molly knows quite well�.

Together with her friends, Molly combs the past and the present to catch the thief before looming threats against her become real.

A spirited heist caper and an epic love story, The Maid’s Secret is a spellbinding whodunnit that will capture and warm your heart.]]> 304 Nita Prose 0735250553 Fahula 0 to-read 3.99 2025 The Maid's Secret (Molly the Maid, #3)
author: Nita Prose
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/04/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire: The Guide to Being Glorious You]]> 50899276 No more hiding or people-pleasing up in here, sisters. No more being sidelined in your own life. It is time for us to be brave, to claim our gifts and quirks and emotions. You are set free and set up and set on fire.

NOW you can get busy doing what you were placed on this planet to do. NOW you can be honest, honest, honest about all of it, even the hard stuff, even the humiliating stuff, even the secret stuff. NOW you can walk in your convictions of faith and ask new questions unafraid. NOW you can be so free, because you are not searching for value from any source other than your own beautiful soul made piece by piece by God who adores you and is ready to get on with the business of unleashing you into this world.

In this book, I break it down into five self-reflective categories—who I am, what I need, what I want, what I believe, and how I connect—and by working your way through them, you will learn to:
own your space, ground, and gifts (they are YOURS, sister);
be strong in your relationships and lay down passive aggression, resentment, drama, and compliance;
say GUILT-FREE what you want and what you need; and
welcome spiritual curiosity and all the fantastic change that doing so creates.

You with me, beloveds? If we do this work on our own selves now, not only will we discover a life truly worth living, but we will free our daughters to rise up behind us, with spines straight, heads up, and coated in our strength.]]> 224 Jen Hatmaker 071808814X Fahula 4 4.21 Fierce, Free, and Full of Fire: The Guide to Being Glorious You
author: Jen Hatmaker
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.21
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2025/04/05
date added: 2025/04/06
shelves: adult-christian-nonfiction, adult-family-and-relationships
review:
Jen Hatmaker’s honesty, enthusiasm for showing love to others in practical ways, and sarcastic wit make this an enjoyable read, especially with her added narration bits meant just for audiobook listeners. I appreciated her podcast interview bits at the end of chapters.
]]> <![CDATA[Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight Out of This Wild and Glorious Life]]> 33027965 New York Times bestselling author Jen Hatmaker, with playful hilarity, shameless honesty, and refreshing insight, assures readers they have all the pluck they need for vibrant, courageous, grace-filled lives.

Jen Hatmaker believes backbone is the birthright of every woman. Women have been demonstrating resiliency and resolve since forever. They have incredibly strong shoulders to bear loss, hope, grief, and vision. She laughs at the days to come is how the ancient wisdom writings put it.

But somehow women have gotten the message that pain and failure mean they must be doing things wrong, that they messed up the rules or tricks for a seamless life. As it turns out, every last woman faces confusion and loss, missteps and catastrophic malfunctions, no matter how much she is doing "right." Struggle doesn't mean they're weak; it means they're alive.

Jen Hatmaker, beloved author, Big Sister Emeritus, and Chief BFF, offers another round of hilarious tales, frank honesty, and hope for the woman who has forgotten her moxie. Whether discussing the grapple with change ("Everyone, be into this thing I'm into! Except when I'm not. Then everyone be cool.") or the time she drove to the wrong city for a fourth-grade field trip ("Why are we in San Antonio?"), Jen parlays her own triumphs and tragedies into a sigh of relief for all normal, fierce women everywhere who, like her, sometimes hide in the car eating crackers but also want to get back up and get back out, to live undaunted "in the moment" no matter what the moments hold.]]> 224 Jen Hatmaker 0718031865 Fahula 3 3.97 2017 Of Mess and Moxie: Wrangling Delight Out of This Wild and Glorious Life
author: Jen Hatmaker
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.97
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/31
date added: 2025/03/31
shelves: adult-family-and-relationships, adult-humour, adult-christian-nonfiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear]]> 6436732 221 Max Lucado 0849921392 Fahula 4 inspirational 4.15 2000 Fearless: Imagine Your Life Without Fear
author: Max Lucado
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2000
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/03/29
shelves: inspirational
review:

]]> The Third Rule of Time Travel 215748787 Rule One: Travel can only occur to a point within your lifetime.
Rule Two: You can only travel for ninety seconds.
Rule Three: You can only observe.
The rules cannot be broken.

In this riveting science fiction novel from acclaimed author Philip Fracassi, a scientist has unlocked the mysteries of time travel. This is not the story you think you know. And the rules are only the beginning.

Scientist Beth Darlow has discovered the unimaginable. She's built a machine that allows human consciousness to travel through time—to any point in the traveler's lifetime—and relive moments of their life. An impossible breakthrough, but it's not perfect: the traveler has no way to interact with the past. They can only observe.

After Beth's husband, Colson, the co-creator of the machine, dies in a tragic car accident, Beth is left to raise Isabella—their only daughter—and continue the work they started. Mired in grief and threatened by her ruthless CEO, Beth pushes herself to the limit to prove the value of her technology.

Then the impossible happens. Simply viewing personal history should not alter the present, but with each new observation she makes, her own timeline begins to warp.

As her reality constantly shifts, Beth must solve the puzzles of her past, even if it means forsaking her future.]]> 325 Philip Fracassi 0316572519 Fahula 2 adult-sci-fi 3.63 2025 The Third Rule of Time Travel
author: Philip Fracassi
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.63
book published: 2025
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/27
date added: 2025/03/27
shelves: adult-sci-fi
review:
I enjoyed this book but felt that the ending tarnished my enjoyment of the story as a whole.
]]> The Dream Hotel 218695937 A novel about one woman’s fight for freedom, set in a near future where even dreams are under surveillance.

Sara has just landed at LAX, returning home from a conference abroad, when agents from the Risk Assessment Administration pull her aside and inform her that she will soon commit a crime. Using data from her dreams, the RAA’s algorithm has determined that she is at imminent risk of harming the person she loves most: her husband. For his safety, she must be kept under observation for twenty-one days.

The agents transfer Sara to a retention center, where she is held with other dreamers, all of them women trying to prove their innocence from different crimes. With every deviation from the strict and ever-shifting rules of the facility, their stay is extended. Months pass and Sara seems no closer to release. Then one day, a new resident arrives, disrupting the order of the facility and leading Sara on a collision course with the very companies that have deprived her of her freedom.

Eerie, urgent, and ceaselessly clear-eyed, The Dream Hotel artfully explores the seductive nature of technology, which puts us in shackles even as it makes our lives easier. Lalami asks how much of ourselves must remain private if we are to remain free, and whether even the most invasive forms of surveillance can ever capture who we really are.]]> 336 Laila Lalami 0593317602 Fahula 3 adult-dystopian-political 3.64 2025 The Dream Hotel
author: Laila Lalami
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2025
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/24
date added: 2025/03/24
shelves: adult-dystopian-political
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God]]> 3206011 187 Francis Chan 1434768511 Fahula 2 faith
There is quite a bit of focus on giving of your time and possessions, so if you feel that is something you’re ready to do, you will be inspired by his stories.

I was troubled by how Chan’s words may be received by someone living with stress or anxiety, either in their own lives or in the lives of their loved ones. When speaking about stress and worry, Chan says, “� these two behaviors communicate that it’s okay to sin and not trust God because the stuff in my life is somehow exceptional. Both worry and stress.reek of arrogance. They declare our tendency to forget that we’ve been forgiven, that our lives here, are brief, that we are headed to a place where we won’t be lonely, afraid, or hurt ever again, and that, in the context of God’s s strength, our problems are small, indeed. Why are we so quick to forget God? Who do we think we are?� though I glimpse, God’s holiness, I am still dumb enough to forget that life is all about God and not all about me at all.� This seems very harsh. It doesn’t acknowledge so many burdensome factors that may be involved in the lives of those people, and I’d hate to see guilt added onto their burden.

To experience stress and anxiety is to be human. Even the Israelites who saw God lead them through the desert on a daily basis struggled with these emotions. In the stressful times of our day, Jesus offers us his unflinching love and grace. He loves us as we are, and He invites us into His “crazy love� and a new life. That new life may still involve stress and anxiety, but with Jesus, and in community with other Jesus-followers, it transforms. That word transforms is full of meaning, too much to express here.

If you’ve read this book, and it didn’t feel like the right fit for you, try Brant Hansen’s Blessed Are The Misfits. It’s a fun read. Bring a highlighter.

]]> 4.16 Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God
author: Francis Chan
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.16
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/03/18
date added: 2025/03/18
shelves: faith
review:
This is an okay book that encourages us to really grasp the immensity of God’s great love for us. There is a link to a great, encouraging video on crazylovebook.com.

There is quite a bit of focus on giving of your time and possessions, so if you feel that is something you’re ready to do, you will be inspired by his stories.

I was troubled by how Chan’s words may be received by someone living with stress or anxiety, either in their own lives or in the lives of their loved ones. When speaking about stress and worry, Chan says, “� these two behaviors communicate that it’s okay to sin and not trust God because the stuff in my life is somehow exceptional. Both worry and stress.reek of arrogance. They declare our tendency to forget that we’ve been forgiven, that our lives here, are brief, that we are headed to a place where we won’t be lonely, afraid, or hurt ever again, and that, in the context of God’s s strength, our problems are small, indeed. Why are we so quick to forget God? Who do we think we are?� though I glimpse, God’s holiness, I am still dumb enough to forget that life is all about God and not all about me at all.� This seems very harsh. It doesn’t acknowledge so many burdensome factors that may be involved in the lives of those people, and I’d hate to see guilt added onto their burden.

To experience stress and anxiety is to be human. Even the Israelites who saw God lead them through the desert on a daily basis struggled with these emotions. In the stressful times of our day, Jesus offers us his unflinching love and grace. He loves us as we are, and He invites us into His “crazy love� and a new life. That new life may still involve stress and anxiety, but with Jesus, and in community with other Jesus-followers, it transforms. That word transforms is full of meaning, too much to express here.

If you’ve read this book, and it didn’t feel like the right fit for you, try Brant Hansen’s Blessed Are The Misfits. It’s a fun read. Bring a highlighter.


]]> <![CDATA[If I Knew Then: Finding Wisdom in Failure and Power in Aging]]> 51233671 Jann Arden--bestselling author, recording artist and late-blooming TV star--is back with this funny, heartfelt and fierce memoir on becoming a woman of a certain age. The power, gravity and freedom she's found at fifty-seven are superpowers she believes all of us can unleash.

Digging deep into her strengths, her failures and her losses, Jann Arden brings us an inspiring account of how she has surprised herself, in her fifties, by at last becoming completely her own person. Like many women, it took Jann a long time to realize that trying to be pleasing and likeable and beautiful in the eyes of others was a loser's game. Letting it rip, and damning the consequences, is not only liberating, it's a hell of a lot of fun: "Being the age I am--that so many women are--is just the best time of my life."

ĚýĚýĚýĚý Jann weaves her own story together with tales of her mother, grandmother, and great grandmother, and the father she came close to hating, to show her younger self--and all of us--that fear and avoidance is no way to live. "What I'm thinking about now aren't all the ways I can try to hang on to my youth or all the seconds ticking by in some kind of morbid countdown to death," she writes, "but rather how I keep becoming someone I always hoped I could be. If I'm lucky one day a very old face will look back at me from the mirror, a face I once shied away from. I will love that old woman ferociously, because she has finally figured out how to live a life of purpose--not in spite of but because of all her mistakes and failures."]]> 121 Jann Arden 0735279985 Fahula 3 4.02 2020 If I Knew Then: Finding Wisdom in Failure and Power in Aging
author: Jann Arden
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/17
date added: 2025/03/17
shelves: adult-family-and-relationships, biographies, canadian
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Here Is the Arctic Winter (Web of Life, #5)]]> 3299139
The Arctic winter is cold, snowy, and dark. The barren landscape is covered by a layer of snow that stretches to the horizon, with nothing to disrupt it but jagged rocks. There are only a few plants and no sunlight. And yet, there are animals that live in this harsh environment. With lyrical text and glowing paintings that capture this mystically beautiful environment with stunning realism, this unusual book fascinates and inspires children of all ages

Other Books in the HERE IS ANTARCTICA, HERE IS THE AFRICAN SAVANNA, HERE IS THE CORAL REEF, HERE IS THE SOUTHWESTERN DESERT, HERE IS THE TROPICAL RAIN FOREST, and HERE IS THE WETLAND.]]> 32 Madeleine Dunphy 0977753905 Fahula 3 3.86 1993 Here Is the Arctic Winter (Web of Life, #5)
author: Madeleine Dunphy
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1993
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/16
shelves: environment, picture-book-read-alouds
review:
The repetition in this picture book makes for a good choral reading with parts for each Arctic animal and natural element.
]]> The Marriage Act 62967873 What if marriage was the law? Dare you disobey?

Britain. The near-future. A right-wing government believes it has the answer to society’s ills � the Sanctity of Marriage Act, which actively encourages marriage as the norm, punishing those who choose to remain single.

But four couples are about to discover just how impossible relationships can be when the government is monitoring every aspect of our personal lives � monitoring every word, every minor disagreement � and will use every tool in its arsenal to ensure everyone will love, honor and obey.]]> 432 John Marrs 1335005935 Fahula 1 adult-dystopian-political
Trigger warnings:

suicides, serial killings, pedophilia, voyeurism]]> 3.73 2023 The Marriage Act
author: John Marrs
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.73
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at: 2025/03/13
date added: 2025/03/13
shelves: adult-dystopian-political
review:
Maybe I need to give up on dystopian fiction. Again, I wish there were ratings and trigger warnings for books. This was an interesting premise, but so, so much darker than I’d anticipated. The premise presents a sufficient injustice all on its own. There was no need to focus in on a psychopath and a pedophile to prove the problematic nature of such a program.

Trigger warnings:

suicides, serial killings, pedophilia, voyeurism
]]> <![CDATA[Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them]]> 30199426
In 1518, in a small town in Alsace, Frau Troffea began dancing and didn’t stop. She danced until she was carried away six days later, and soon thirty-four more villagers joined her. Then more. In a month more than 400 people had been stricken by the mysterious dancing plague. In late-seventeenth-century England an eccentric gentleman founded the No Nose Club in his gracious townhome―a social club for those who had lost their noses, and other body parts, to the plague of syphilis for which there was then no cure. And in turn-of-the-century New York, an Irish cook caused two lethal outbreaks of typhoid fever, a case that transformed her into the notorious Typhoid Mary.

Throughout time, humans have been terrified and fascinated by the diseases history and circumstance have dropped on them. Some of their responses to those outbreaks are almost too strange to believe in hindsight. Get Well Soon delivers the gruesome, morbid details of some of the worst plagues we’ve suffered as a species, as well as stories of the heroic figures who selflessly fought to ease the suffering of their fellow man. With her signature mix of in-depth research and storytelling, and not a little dark humor, Jennifer Wright explores history’s most gripping and deadly outbreaks, and ultimately looks at the surprising ways they’ve shaped history and humanity for almost as long as anyone can remember.]]> 336 Jennifer Wright 1627797467 Fahula 4 adult-nonfiction 4.27 2017 Get Well Soon: History's Worst Plagues and the Heroes Who Fought Them
author: Jennifer Wright
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.27
book published: 2017
rating: 4
read at: 2025/03/04
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: adult-nonfiction
review:
Amusing. Sassy. Horrifying. Fascinating. Cautionary Tales.
]]> A Stranger's Game 57468098 A gripping new stand-alone novel from USA TODAY bestselling romantic suspense author Colleen Coble.

A wealthy hotel heiress.

Torie Bergstrom hasn’t been back to Georgia since she was ten, but she’s happy to arrange a job for her best friend at one of the family properties on Jekyll Island.

A suspicious death.

When Torie learns that her best friend has drowned, she knows this is more than a tragic accident: Lisbeth was terrified of water and wouldn’t have gone swimming by choice.

A fight for the truth.

Torie goes to the hotel under an alias, trying to find answers. When she meets Joe Abbott and his daughter rescuing baby turtles, she finds a tentative ally.

But the more they dig, the more ties they find to Torie’s mother’s death twenty years before. Someone will risk anything—even more murder—to hide the truth.]]> 352 Colleen Coble 0785228578 Fahula 3 3.77 2022 A Stranger's Game
author: Colleen Coble
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/03/02
date added: 2025/03/04
shelves: adult-mysteries, christian-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Making a Whole Person: Traditional Inuit Education (Qinuisaarniq)]]> 50917794 26 Monica Ittusardjuat 022870409X Fahula 4 4.40 Making a Whole Person: Traditional Inuit Education (Qinuisaarniq)
author: Monica Ittusardjuat
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2025/02/28
shelves: canadian, indigenous, picture-book-read-alouds
review:
This picture book does a beautiful job of setting the scene so that children can imagine what it would be like to grow up with a traditional Inuit education. It takes them though the day to day experiences, games, expectations, chores, cultural practices, and values that were a part of the traditional ways to prepare the children for adult life. These activities book’s back matter includes a glossary of terms, including pronunciation guides, as well as some photographs. The description of the games and toys invite children to experiment with these activities on their own.
]]> <![CDATA[The Tale of Sir Dragon: Dealing with Bullies for Kids {and Dragons}]]> 150741 32 Jean E. Pendziwol 1554531365 Fahula 3 3.57 2007 The Tale of Sir Dragon: Dealing with Bullies for Kids {and Dragons}
author: Jean E. Pendziwol
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.57
book published: 2007
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/25
date added: 2025/02/25
shelves: bullying, kindness, picture-book-read-alouds, social-responsibility
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Chosen: I Have Called You By Name (The Chosen, #1)]]> 55459480 Based on the acclaimed video series The Chosen, the most amazing story ever told—the life of Jesus—gets a fresh, new telling from New York Times bestselling author Jerry B. Jenkins.

What was it like to encounter Jesus face-to-face? How would he have made you feel, changed your way of thinking about God? Would he have turned your world upside down? Journey to Galilee in the first century. See the difference he made in the lives of those he called to follow him and how they were forever transformed. Experience the life and power of the perfect Son of God as never before—through the eyes of everyday people just like you.

SPECIAL FEATURES

� The official and only novelization of the immensely popular TV series, which has been seen in every country in the world, with over 55 million views.
� The latest fiction from Jerry Jenkins, perhaps the bestselling Christian novelist of recent times
� Pearlescent hardcover with special debossing and spot gloss]]> 320 Jerry B. Jenkins 1646070208 Fahula 0 to-read 4.57 2021 The Chosen: I Have Called You By Name (The Chosen, #1)
author: Jerry B. Jenkins
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.57
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/02/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Best Foot Forward 114897487 0 Tanvi Bhat Fahula 2 2.50 Best Foot Forward
author: Tanvi Bhat
name: Fahula
average rating: 2.50
book published:
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: picture-books, science-picture-books
review:

]]> Centipede's 100 Shoes 2130217 32 Tony Ross 184270284X Fahula 5 3.68 2002 Centipede's 100 Shoes
author: Tony Ross
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: holidays, math, picture-book-read-alouds
review:
This is a cute book, great for the 100th day of school. So many mathematical reasoning possibilities! I love the way Centipede shows perseverance, and there are several humorous turn of events to make us chuckle.
]]> <![CDATA[One Hundred Shoes: A Math Reader (Step-Into-Reading, Step 2)]]> 1098803 32 Charles Ghigna 0375821783 Fahula 3 4.02 2002 One Hundred Shoes: A Math Reader (Step-Into-Reading, Step 2)
author: Charles Ghigna
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at: 2025/02/20
date added: 2025/02/20
shelves: holidays, math, picture-book-read-alouds
review:
This is a cute book that is useful for the 100th day of school. The shopping portion of the story can be used for problem solving sets of shoes needed for the centipede. The book may inspire a buddies art project where students make a centipede mural with various shoe styles.
]]> The Minders 50001665 Everyone has secrets. They know yours...

In the 21st century information is king. But computers can be hacked, files can be broken into. So a unique government initiative has been borne. Five ordinary people have been selected to become the latest weapon in thwarting cyber terrorism. A revolutionary medical procedure has turned them into the ultimate secret keepers - the country's most secretive information has been taken offline and turned into genetic code implanted inside their heads.

Together, the five know every secret � the truth behind every Government lie, conspiracy theory and cover up. Only somebody has discovered who the secret keepers are. And one by one, they are being hunted down...

'One of the most exciting, original thriller writers out there. I never miss one of his book' � SIMON KERNICK]]> 433 John Marrs 1473572207 Fahula 1 adult-sci-fi 3.68 2020 The Minders
author: John Marrs
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2020
rating: 1
read at: 2025/02/17
date added: 2025/02/18
shelves: adult-sci-fi
review:
Too dark, violent, and cold for my liking.
]]> Family Pictures 14759321 NY Times bestseller Jane Green delivers a riveting novel about two women whose lives intersect when a shocking secret is revealed.

From the author of Another Piece of My Heart comes the gripping story of two women who live on opposite coasts but whose lives are connected in ways they never could have imagined. Both women are wives and mothers to children who are about to leave the nest for school. They're both in their forties and have husbands who travel more than either of them would like. They are both feeling an emptiness neither had expected. But when a shocking secret is exposed, their lives are blown apart. As dark truths from the past reveal themselves, will these two women be able to learn to forgive, for the sake of their children, if not for themselves?]]> 344 Jane Green 0312591837 Fahula 2 3.64 2013 Family Pictures
author: Jane Green
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2013
rating: 2
read at: 2025/02/08
date added: 2025/02/08
shelves: adult-family-and-relationships
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Ocean at the End of the Lane]]> 18505792
A groundbreaking work as delicate as a butterfly's wing and as menacing as a knife in the dark, The Ocean at the End of the Lane is told with a rare understanding of all that makes us human, and shows the power of stories to reveal and shelter us from the darkness inside and out.

Includes bonus features: a meet with Neil Gaiman, a reading group guide, and an interview with Gaiman.]]> 195 Neil Gaiman 0062255665 Fahula 1 fantasy-adult 4.06 2013 The Ocean at the End of the Lane
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2013
rating: 1
read at: 2025/02/01
date added: 2025/02/03
shelves: fantasy-adult
review:
I recognize good writing here, but this was so disturbing for me to read about a young child experiencing these strange and horrific events. The events surrounding his father are so traumatic. I work with children of this age. Big no for me.
]]> Be Kind (Be Kind, 1) 34506910
When Tanisha spills grape juice all over her new dress, her classmate contemplates how to make her feel better and what it means to be kind. From asking the new girl to play to standing up for someone being bullied, this moving and thoughtful story explores what a child can do to be kind, and how each act, big or small, can make a difference--or at least help a friend.]]> 32 Pat Zietlow Miller 1626723214 Fahula 5 4.46 2018 Be Kind (Be Kind, 1)
author: Pat Zietlow Miller
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2018
rating: 5
read at: 2021/11/21
date added: 2025/01/28
shelves: picture-book-read-alouds, diversity
review:
This is a fabulous look at so many different ways that we can show kindness to others - well beyond the typical examples. I love the empathy that the main character shows her peer. In such an honest way, we see her self doubts about how to help. I love the way the author shows how connected we become as citizens within our communities and across nations, when when we show kindness. The sweet illustrations provide loads of opportunities for discussions around each little kindness scenario. This is not a read aloud to rush!
]]> <![CDATA[Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone (Ernest Cunningham, #1)]]> 60879779
I'm Ernest Cunningham. Call me Ern or Ernie. I wish I'd killed whoever decided our family reunion should be at a ski resort, but it's a little more complicated than that.

Have I killed someone? Yes. I have.

Who was it?

Let's get started.

EVERYONE IN MY FAMILY HAS KILLED SOMEONE

My brother

My stepsister

My wife

My father

My mother

My sister-in-law

My uncle

My stepfather

My aunt

Me]]> 371 Benjamin Stevenson 0063279029 Fahula 3 adult-mysteries 3.75 2022 Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone (Ernest Cunningham, #1)
author: Benjamin Stevenson
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: adult-mysteries
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Meet Me at Emotional Baggage Claim]]> 13538797 272 Lisa Scottoline 0312640080 Fahula 2 biographies 3.71 2012 Meet Me at Emotional Baggage Claim
author: Lisa Scottoline
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/22
date added: 2025/01/22
shelves: biographies
review:

]]> Willodeen 55780537
Eleven-year-old Willodeen adores creatures of all kinds, but her favorites are the most unlovable beasts in the land: strange beasts known as “screechers.� The villagers of Perchance call them pests, even monsters, but Willodeen believes the animals serve a vital role in the complicated web of nature.

Lately, though, nature has seemed angry indeed. Perchance has been cursed with fires and mudslides, droughts and fevers, and even the annual migration of hummingbears, a source of local pride and income, has dwindled. For as long as anyone can remember, the tiny animals have overwintered in shimmering bubble nests perched atop blue willow trees, drawing tourists from far and wide. This year, however, not a single hummingbear has returned to Perchance, and no one knows why.

When a handmade birthday gift brings unexpected magic to Willodeen and her new friend, Connor, she’s determined to speak up for the animals she loves, and perhaps even uncover the answer to the mystery of the missing hummingbears.]]> 272 Katherine Applegate 1250147409 Fahula 3 environment, read-alouds 4.18 2021 Willodeen
author: Katherine Applegate
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2021
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/19
date added: 2025/01/19
shelves: environment, read-alouds
review:
This is a sweet story that highlights environmental themes such as the importance of our interconnectedness and the significant impact of maintaining the delicate balance in our environment.
]]> Sea of Tranquility 58446227 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER - The award-winning, best-selling author of Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel returns with a novel of art, time travel, love, and plague that takes the reader from Vancouver Island in 1912 to a dark colony on the moon five hundred years later, unfurling a story of humanity across centuries and space.

One of the Best Books of the Year: The New York Times, NPR, GoodReads

"One of [Mandel's] finest novels and one of her most satisfying forays into the arena of speculative fiction yet." --The New York Times

Edwin St. Andrew is eighteen years old when he crosses the Atlantic by steamship, exiled from polite society following an ill-conceived diatribe at a dinner party. He enters the forest, spellbound by the beauty of the Canadian wilderness, and suddenly hears the notes of a violin echoing in an airship terminal--an experience that shocks him to his core.

Two centuries later a famous writer named Olive Llewellyn is on a book tour. She's traveling all over Earth, but her home is the second moon colony, a place of white stone, spired towers, and artificial beauty. Within the text of Olive's best-selling pandemic novel lies a strange passage: a man plays his violin for change in the echoing corridor of an airship terminal as the trees of a forest rise around him.

When Gaspery-Jacques Roberts, a detective in the black-skied Night City, is hired to investigate an anomaly in the North American wilderness, he uncovers a series of lives upended: The exiled son of an earl driven to madness, a writer trapped far from home as a pandemic ravages Earth, and a childhood friend from the Night City who, like Gaspery himself, has glimpsed the chance to do something extraordinary that will disrupt the timeline of the universe.

A virtuoso performance that is as human and tender as it is intellectually playful, Sea of Tranquility is a novel of time travel and metaphysics that precisely captures the reality of our current moment.]]> 259 Emily St. John Mandel 0593321448 Fahula 3 adult-sci-fi, canadian 4.04 2022 Sea of Tranquility
author: Emily St. John Mandel
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/14
date added: 2025/01/14
shelves: adult-sci-fi, canadian
review:

]]> Greenlights 52838315 From the Academy Award®–winning actor, an unconventional memoir filled with raucous stories, outlaw wisdom, and lessons learned the hard way about living with greater satisfaction.

I’ve been in this life for fifty years, been trying to work out its riddle for forty-two, and been keeping diaries of clues to that riddle for the last thirty-five. Notes about successes and failures, joys and sorrows, things that made me marvel, and things that made me laugh out loud. How to be fair. How to have less stress. How to have fun. How to hurt people less. How to get hurt less. How to be a good man. How to have meaning in life. How to be more me.

Recently, I worked up the courage to sit down with those diaries. I found stories I experienced, lessons I learned and forgot, poems, prayers, prescriptions, beliefs about what matters, some great photographs, and a whole bunch of bumper stickers. I found a reliable theme, an approach to living that gave me more satisfaction, at the time, and still: If you know how, and when, to deal with life’s challenges - how to get relative with the inevitable - you can enjoy a state of success I call “catching greenlights.�

So I took a one-way ticket to the desert and wrote this book: an album, a record, a story of my life so far. This is fifty years of my sights and seens, felts and figured-outs, cools and shamefuls. Graces, truths, and beauties of brutality. Getting away withs, getting caughts, and getting wets while trying to dance between the raindrops.

Hopefully, it’s medicine that tastes good, a couple of aspirin instead of the infirmary, a spaceship to Mars without needing your pilot’s license, going to church without having to be born again, and laughing through the tears.

It’s a love letter. To life.

It’s also a guide to catching more greenlights - and to realizing that the yellows and reds eventually turn green too.

Good luck.]]> 289 Matthew McConaughey 0593139135 Fahula 1 biographies 4.21 2020 Greenlights
author: Matthew McConaughey
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2020
rating: 1
read at: 2025/01/11
date added: 2025/01/11
shelves: biographies
review:
Matthew McConaughey does an amazing job of bringing his stories to life, with great gusto and varied styles.. His poems show that he has a way with words, and his syncopated reading of them brings meaning to them. While he has many interesting stories to tell, his tendency towards hyperbole is off-putting. The tell-all aspect of his writing made me wish he told less. Although I enjoyed parts of the book, I found much of it unsettling. I’m clearly not his intended audience.
]]> The Love Scribe 60795078 From the bestselling author ofĚý The Bookshop of Yesterdays Ěýcomes a charming novel about a woman with a special giftâ€�her stories help people fall in love.

When Alice’s best friend, Gabby, is reeling from a breakup, Alice writes her a heartfelt story to cheer her up. While reading it in a cafĂ©, Gabby, as if by magic, meets the man of her dreams. Thinking the story might have some special power to it, Gabby shares it with her sister and other friends, who all find instant love.ĚýWord of mouth spreads, and Alice stumbles uponĚýa new calling—to be a love scribe.

But not all the love stories she writes unfold as expected. And while Alice tries to harness her extraordinary gift,Ěýshe is summoned to a mansion in the woods where she encounters the reclusiveĚýMadelineĚýAlger and her mysterious library. AsĚýAlice struggles to write a story forĚýMadeline, her most challenging assignment yet, she’s forced to confront her own guarded heart. Because maybe—just maybe—there’s a love story waiting to be written for her, too.

Emotional, deeply imaginative and brimming with valuable life lessons,ĚýThe Love ScribeĚýexplores love, fate and the power of stories when we choose to believe in them.]]> 352 Amy Meyerson 0778387089 Fahula 1 adult-fantasy 3.58 2023 The Love Scribe
author: Amy Meyerson
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.58
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/10
shelves: adult-fantasy
review:

]]> The Unmapping 216601229 Intimate and spellbinding, The Unmapping is a character-driven, literary speculative exploration of a city’s descent into chaos and confusion, perfect for fans of Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel and Exit West by Mohsin Hamid.Ěý

4 a.m., New York City. A silent disaster.Ěý

There is no flash of light, no crumbling, no quaking. Each person in New York wakes up on an unfamiliar block when the buildings all switch locations overnight. The power grid has snapped, thousands of residents are missing, and the Empire State Building is on Coney Island—for now. The next night, it happens again.Ěý

Esme Green and Arjun Varma work for the City of New York’s Emergency Management team and are tasked with disaster response for the Unmapping. As Esme tries to wade through the bureaucratic nightmare of an endlessly shuffling city, she’s distracted by the ongoing search for her missing fiancĂ©. Meanwhile, Arjun focuses on the ground-level rescue of disoriented New Yorkers, hoping to become the hero the city needs.ĚýĚý


While scientists scramble to find a solution—or at least a means to cope—and mysterious “red cloakâ€� cults crop up in the disaster’s wake, New York begins to reckon with a new reality no one recognizes. For Esme and Arjun, the fight to hold the city together will mean tackling questions about themselves that they were too afraid to ask—and facing answers they never expected. With themes of climate change, political unrest, and life in a state of emergency, The Unmapping is a timely and captivating debut.Ěý]]> 408 Denise S. Robbins 1964721067 Fahula 0 to-read 3.75 2025 The Unmapping
author: Denise S. Robbins
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2025
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2025/01/09
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> How to Stop Time 45152372 "She smiled a soft, troubled smile and I felt the whole world slipping away, and I wanted to slip with it, to go wherever she was going... I had existed whole years without her, but that was all it had been. An existence. A book with no words."

Tom Hazard has just moved back to London, his old home, to settle down and become a high school history teacher. And on his first day at school, he meets a captivating French teacher at his school who seems fascinated by him. But Tom has a dangerous secret. He may look like an ordinary 41-year-old, but owing to a rare condition, he's been alive for centuries. Tom has lived history--performing with Shakespeare, exploring the high seas with Captain Cook, and sharing cocktails with Fitzgerald. Now, he just wants an ordinary life.

Unfortunately for Tom, the Albatross Society, the secretive group which protects people like Tom, has one rule: Never fall in love. As painful memories of his past and the erratic behavior of the Society's watchful leader threaten to derail his new life and romance, the one thing he can't have just happens to be the one thing that might save him. Tom will have to decide once and for all whether to remain stuck in the past, or finally begin living in the present.

How to Stop Time tells a love story across the ages--and for the ages--about a man lost in time, the woman who could save him, and the lifetimes it can take to learn how to live. It is a bighearted, wildly original novel about losing and finding yourself, the inevitability of change, and how with enough time to learn, we just might find happiness.

Soon to be a major motion picture starring Benedict Cumberbatch.]]> 339 Matt Haig 0525522891 Fahula 2 adult-fantasy 3.78 2018 How to Stop Time
author: Matt Haig
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2018
rating: 2
read at: 2025/01/07
date added: 2025/01/07
shelves: adult-fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[P. Bear's New Year's Party: A Counting Book]]> 921598 32 Paul Owen Lewis 1883672996 Fahula 3 3.61 1990 P. Bear's New Year's Party: A Counting Book
author: Paul Owen Lewis
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.61
book published: 1990
rating: 3
read at: 2025/01/03
date added: 2025/01/03
shelves: math, picture-book-read-alouds
review:
This makes a good read-aloud for the first day back after New Year’s. It challenges readers to calculate the total number of party guests. The clock faces signal the count for each new set of animal arrivals.
]]> <![CDATA[The 49th Mystic (Beyond the Circle, #1)]]> 36548233
They are wrong. In the small town of Eden, Utah, a blind girl named Rachelle Matthews is about to find out just how wrong.

When a procedure meant to restore Rachelle's sight goes awry, she begins to dream of another world so real that she wonders if Earth might only be a dream experienced when she falls asleep in that reality. Who is a simple blind girl to have such strange and fantastic dreams?

She's the prophesied one who must find and recover five ancient seals--in both worlds--before powerful enemies destroy her. If Rachelle succeeds in her quest, peace will reign. If she fails, both worlds will forever be locked in darkness.

So begins a two-volume saga of high stakes and a mind-bending quest to find an ancient path that will save humanity. The clock is ticking; the end rushes forward.

Ready? Set?

Dream.]]> 409 Ted Dekker 0800729781 Fahula 3 adult-fantasy 4.15 2018 The 49th Mystic (Beyond the Circle, #1)
author: Ted Dekker
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: adult-fantasy
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Rise of the Mystics (Beyond the Circle, #2)]]> 38502449
Rachelle Matthews, who grew up in the small town of Eden, Utah, discovered just how wrong when she dreamed and awoke in another world. There she learned that she was the 49th Mystic, the prophesied one, tasked with finding five ancient seals before powerful enemies destroy her. If Rachelle succeeds in her quest, peace will reign. If she fails, the world will forever be locked in darkness.

In The 49th Mystic, Rachelle found the first three of those five seals through great peril and mind-altering adventure. But two seals remain hidden and the fate of both worlds hangs in their balance.

As Rachelle Matthews sits deep in a dungeon, Vlad Smith is just getting started. Thomas Hunter's world is about to be turned inside out. The mystics say that there is no defense against the Fifth Seal--but finding it will cost Rachelle everything.

So begins the final volume of high stakes in one girl's quest to find an ancient path that will save humanity. The clock is ticking; the end rushes forward.

Ready? Set?

Dream.]]> 399 Ted Dekker 080072979X Fahula 1 adult-fantasy 4.22 2018 Rise of the Mystics (Beyond the Circle, #2)
author: Ted Dekker
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2018
rating: 1
read at: 2024/12/31
date added: 2024/12/31
shelves: adult-fantasy
review:

]]> Butt or Face? 63386805 Butt or Face? is a hilarious nonfiction picture book that teaches fascinating facts about animals! Are YOU ready to play?

Move over, Jeopardy, Family Feud, and The Price Is Right—this book will be your new favorite laugh-until-your-stomach-hurts family game! In Butt or Face, weird animals are introduced with a close-up photo. Kids must guess: are they seeing seeing...um...err... the bottom or the top?

Readers will learn about animals like Cuban Dwarf Frogs, whose backsides look like a pair of eyes, and the Mary River Turtle, which not only has a unique face, but even breathes through its butt! On every reveal page, kids can enjoy the animals' complete photos and fascinating scientific facts, which explain how the critters' camouflage and trickery help them to engage with their habitats.

Can YOU tell a butt from a face?]]> 40 Kari Lavelle Fahula 5 4.46 Butt or Face?
author: Kari Lavelle
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.46
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/29
date added: 2024/12/29
shelves: science-picture-books, nonfiction-reading-strategies
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future...]]> 7558692
Michael J. Fox abandoned high school to pursue an acting career, but went on to receive honorary degrees from several universities and garner the highest accolades for his acting, as well as for his writing. In his new book, he inspires and motivates graduates to recognize opportunities, maximize their abilities, and roll with the punches--all with his trademark optimism, warmth, and humor.

In A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future , Michael draws on his own life experiences to make a case that real learning happens when "life goes skidding sideways." He writes of coming to Los Angeles from Canada at age eighteen and attempting to make his way as an actor. Fox offers up a comically skewed take on how, in his own way, he fulfilled the requirements of a college syllabus. He learned Economics as a starving artist; an unexpected turn as a neophyte activist schooled him in Political Science; and his approach to Comparative Literature involved stacking books up against their movie versions.]]> 100 Michael J. Fox 1401323863 Fahula 3 biographies 3.59 2010 A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Future...
author: Michael J. Fox
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.59
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: biographies
review:

]]> Lucky Man 133729
Combining his trademark ironic sensibility, and keen sense of the absurd, he recounts his life -- from his childhood in a small town in western Canada, to his meteoric rise in film and television which made him a worldwide celebrity. Most importantly however, he writes of the last 10 years, during which -- with the unswerving support of his wife, family, and friends -- he has dealt with his illness. He talks about what Parkinson's has given him: the chance to appreciate a wonderful life and career, and the opportunity to help search for a cure, and spread public awareness of the disease. He is a very lucky man, indeed.]]> 260 Michael J. Fox 0091889545 Fahula 3 biographies 4.05 2002 Lucky Man
author: Michael J. Fox
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2002
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: biographies
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I See Life Through Rosé-Colored Glasses (The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman, #9)]]> 36261280 I See Life Through Rosé Colored-Glasses, the bestselling mother/daughter pair is back with another hilarious and heartfelt collection of essays about the possibilities and pitfalls of everyday life.

Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella’s delightful essays are sure to strike a chord with every woman. Their nine book series is among the best reviewed humor books published today, and has been compared to the late greats Erma Bombeck and Nora Ephron.

Can you hear me now --
Please put the lid down --
Trick question --
Do me a favor --
Christmas with the flying Scottolines --
Ad that stole Christmas --
Very Happy New Year --
Lost and found --
Happy birthday to me --
To boldly go]]> 352 Lisa Scottoline 1250163056 Fahula 3 poetry-and-essays 3.78 2018 I See Life Through Rosé-Colored Glasses (The Amazing Adventures of an Ordinary Woman, #9)
author: Lisa Scottoline
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2018
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/26
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: poetry-and-essays
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer]]> 13203
Celebrations is a collection of timely and timeless poems that are an integral part of the global fabric. Several works have become nearly as iconic as Angelou herself: the inspiring “On the Pulse of Morning,� read at President William Jefferson Clinton’s 1993 inauguration; the heartening “Amazing Peace,� presented at the 2005 lighting of the National Christmas Tree at the White House; “A Brave and Startling Truth,� which marked the fiftieth anniversary of the United Nations; and “Mother,� which beautifully honors the first woman in our lives. Angelou writes of celebrations public and private, a bar mitzvah wish to her nephew, a birthday greeting to Oprah Winfrey, and a memorial tribute to the late Luther Vandross and Barry White.

More than a writer, Angelou is a chronicler of history, an advocate for peace, and a champion for the planet, as well as a patriot, a mentor, and a friend. To be shared and cherished, the wisdom and poetry of Maya Angelou proves there is always cause for celebration.]]> 128 Maya Angelou 1400066107 Fahula 4 poetry-and-essays 4.18 2006 Celebrations: Rituals of Peace and Prayer
author: Maya Angelou
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/27
date added: 2024/12/27
shelves: poetry-and-essays
review:

]]> The Shape of Thunder 54870170
Despite living next door to each other, they exist in separate worlds of grief. Cora is still grappling with the death of her beloved sister in a school shooting, and Quinn is carrying the guilt of what her brother did.

On the day of Cora’s twelfth birthday, Quinn leaves a box on her doorstep with a note. She has decided that the only way to fix things is to go back in time to the moment before her brother changed all their lives forever—and stop him.

In spite of herself, Cora wants to believe. And so the two former friends begin working together to open a wormhole in the fabric of the universe. But as they attempt to unravel the mysteries of time travel to save their siblings, they learn that the magic of their friendship may actually be the key to saving themselves.]]> 275 Jasmine Warga 0062956671 Fahula 4
Topics include gun violence, a school shooting, racism, grief, guilt, and neurodivergence. ]]> 4.14 2021 The Shape of Thunder
author: Jasmine Warga
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/23
date added: 2024/12/23
shelves: diversity, family-and-relationships, middle-school
review:
This story deals with some very serious topics in a sensitive, thought-provoking way. It is less about time travel, and more about the rift between two friends who cautiously come together in an attempt to change the painful past that has affected them and their families so deeply.

Topics include gun violence, a school shooting, racism, grief, guilt, and neurodivergence.
]]> <![CDATA[Family Tree (Switchback, Vermont, #1)]]> 27213227 New York Times bestselling author comes a powerful, emotionally complex story of love, loss, the pain of the past—and the promise of the future.

Sometimes the greatest dream starts with the smallest element. A single cell, joining with another. And then dividing. And just like that, the world changes. Annie Harlow knows how lucky she is. The producer of a popular television cooking show, she loves her handsome husband and the beautiful Los Angeles home they share. And now, she’s pregnant with their first child. But in an instant, her life is shattered. And when Annie awakes from a yearlong coma, she discovers that time isn’t the only thing she’s lost.

Grieving and wounded, Annie retreats to her old family home in Switchback, Vermont, a maple farm generations old. There, surrounded by her free-spirited brother, their divorced mother, and four young nieces and nephews, Annie slowly emerges into a world she left behind years ago: the town where she grew up, the people she knew before, the high-school boyfriend turned judge. And with the discovery of a cookbook her grandmother wrote in the distant past, Annie unearths an age-old mystery that might prove the salvation of the family farm.

Family Tree is the story of one woman’s triumph over betrayal, and how she eventually comes to terms with her past. It is the story of joys unrealized and opportunities regained. Complex, clear-eyed and big-hearted, funny, sad, and wise, it is a novel to cherish and to remember.Ěý]]> 368 Susan Wiggs 0062425439 Fahula 2 3.87 2016 Family Tree (Switchback, Vermont, #1)
author: Susan Wiggs
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2016
rating: 2
read at: 2024/12/22
date added: 2024/12/22
shelves: adult-family-and-relationships
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect (Ernest Cunningham, #2)]]> 167006698
The program is a who’s who of crime writing royalty:

the debut writer (me!)

the forensic science writer

the blockbuster writer

the legal thriller writer

the literary writer

the psychological suspense writer

But when one of us is murdered, the remaining authors quickly turn into five detectives. Together, we should know how to solve a crime.

Of course, we should also know how to commit one.

How can you find a killer when all the suspects know how to get away with murder?]]> 320 Benjamin Stevenson 006327907X Fahula 4 adult-mysteries 3.81 2023 Everyone on This Train Is a Suspect (Ernest Cunningham, #2)
author: Benjamin Stevenson
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.81
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/16
date added: 2024/12/21
shelves: adult-mysteries
review:
This series presents a unique spin on a writer solving a mystery. I like the “breaking the fourth wall� style. With its humour and the straight-up hints, it’s fun to try to solve the mystery along with the main character. The narration on the audiobook is enjoyable, and the unexpected entry in the end was a fun surprise.
]]> The Family Experiment 197108968 From the acclaimed author of The One and The Marriage Act, The Family Experiment is a dark and brilliant speculative thriller about families: real and virtual.

Some families are virtually perfect�

The world's population is soaring, creating overcrowded cities and an economic crisis. And in the UK, the breaking point has arrived. A growing number of people can no longer afford to start families, let alone raise them.

But for those desperate to experience parenthood, there is an alternative. For a monthly subscription fee, clients can create a virtual child from scratch who they can access via the metaverse and a VR headset. To launch this new initiative, the company behind Virtual Children has created a reality TV show called The Substitute. It will follow ten couples as they raise a Virtual Child from birth to the age of eighteen but in a condensed nine-month time period. The prize: the right to keep their virtual child, or risk it all for the chance of a real baby�

Set in the same universe as John Marrs's bestselling novel The One and The Marriage Act, The Family Experiment is a dark and twisted thriller about the ultimate Tamagotchi—a virtual baby.]]> 384 John Marrs 1335000364 Fahula 4 adult-sci-fi 4.00 2024 The Family Experiment
author: John Marrs
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/13
date added: 2024/12/13
shelves: adult-sci-fi
review:
This book is well-suited to an audiobook format. The varied voices and media-related intros help the story play out in a natural way. We imagine ourselves watching the reality show, watching the news and browsing social media references about the events as they unfold. The story presents us with a not so distant future where reality TV, technology (particularly A.I.), criminal activity, drug use, and broken systems of justice continue to push ethical boundaries and chip away at our humanity, with dark results. Lots of warnings here. Despite the creepy factor, I found the story engaging in a can’t-look-away kind of way.
]]> Big Al 606373 What can he do? He tries everything he can think of -- from disguising himself with seaweed to burrowing under the ocean floor so he'll look smaller. But something always goes wrong, and lonely Big Al wonders if he'll ever have a single friend. Then one frightening day, when a fishing net captures the other fish, Big Al gets the chance to prove what a wonderful friend he can be!]]> 32 Andrew Clements 0689817223 Fahula 4 4.09 1988 Big Al
author: Andrew Clements
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.09
book published: 1988
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/11
date added: 2024/12/12
shelves: kindness, picture-book-read-alouds
review:
This is a beautifully illustrated picture book with an endearing main character. My students were rooting for Big Al throughout his different attempts at making friends. His failed attempts highlight some of the challenges involved when we aren’t true to ourselves.
]]> <![CDATA[Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage]]> 55115150 "Anne Lamott is my Oprah." -Chicago Tribune

From the bestselling author of Help, Thanks, Wow comes an inspiring guide to restoring hope and joy in our lives.

In Dusk Night Dawn, Anne Lamott explores the tough questions that many of us grapple with. How can we recapture the confidence we once had as we stumble through the dark times that seem increasingly bleak? As bad news piles up--from climate crises to daily assaults on civility--how can we cope? Where, she asks, "do we start to our world and joy and hope and our faith in life itself back . . . with our sore feet, hearing loss, stiff fingers, poor digestion, stunned minds, broken hearts?"

We begin, Lamott says, by accepting our flaws and embracing our humanity.

Drawing from her own experiences, Lamott shows us the intimate and human ways we can adopt to move through life's dark places and toward the light of hope that still burns ahead for all of us.

As she does in Help, Thanks, Wow and her other bestselling books, Lamott explores the thorny issues of life and faith by breaking them down into manageable, human-sized questions for readers to ponder, in the process showing us how we can amplify life's small moments of joy by staying open to love and connection. As Lamott notes in Dusk Night Dawn, "I got Medicare three days before I got hitched, which sounds like something an old person might do, which does not describe adorably ageless me." Marrying for the first time with a grown son and a grandson, Lamott explains that finding happiness with a partner isn't a function of age or beauty but of outlook and perspective.

Full of the honesty, humor, and humanity that have made Lamott beloved by millions of readers, Dusk Night Dawn is classic Anne Lamott--thoughtful and comic, warm and wise--and further proof that Lamott truly speaks to the better angels in all of us.]]> 224 Anne Lamott 0593189698 Fahula 4 faith 3.95 2021 Dusk, Night, Dawn: On Revival and Courage
author: Anne Lamott
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.95
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/08
date added: 2024/12/10
shelves: faith
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret (Ernest Cunningham, #3)]]> 206005312
My name’s Ernest Cunningham. I used to be a fan of reading Golden Age murder mysteries, until I found myself with a haphazard career getting stuck in the middle of real-life ones. I’d hoped, this Christmas, that any self-respecting murderer would kick their feet up and take it easy over the holidays. I was wrong.

So here I am, backstage at the show of world-famous magician Rylan Blaze, whose benefactor has just been murdered. My suspects are all professional tricksters: masters of the art of misdirection.

THE MAGICIAN

THE ASSISTANT

THE EXECUTIVE

THE HYPNOTIST

THE IDENTICAL TWIN

THE COUNSELLOR

THE TECH

My clues are even more abstract: A suspect covered in blood, without a memory of how it got there. A murder committed without setting foot inside the room where it happens. And an advent calendar. Because, you know, it’s Christmas.

If I can see through the illusions, I know I can solve it.

After all, a good murder is just like a magic trick, isn’t it?]]> 175 Benjamin Stevenson 0063412861 Fahula 4 adult-mysteries, holidays 3.70 2024 Everyone This Christmas Has a Secret (Ernest Cunningham, #3)
author: Benjamin Stevenson
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/07
date added: 2024/12/07
shelves: adult-mysteries, holidays
review:

]]> <![CDATA[My Dear Bessie: A Love Story in Letters: A BBC Radio 4 Adaptation]]> 36203408
A small blue box opened in 2008 revealed a wartime world of love, longing and frustration.

On September 5th 1943, Chris Barker, a signalman stationed near Tobruk in North Africa, decided to write to a former work colleague, Bessie Moore, a Morse code interpreter at the Foreign Office back in London. The unexpected warmth of Bessie's reply changed their lives forever.

Chris and Bessie's love letters first appeared in Simon Garfield's book To The Letter. They have toured literary festivals as part of Letters Live before being published in a book, My Dear Bessie.

Duration: 45 mins]]> 1 Chris Barker 1787530639 Fahula 3 4.15 2015 My Dear Bessie: A Love Story in Letters: A BBC Radio 4 Adaptation
author: Chris Barker
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2015
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves: adult-family-and-relationships, adult-nonfiction
review:

]]> Big Tree 60758237 The fate of all life on Earth may depend on the bravery of two little seeds in this epic adventure from the #1 New York Times bestselling creator and Caldecott Medalist of The Invention of Hugo Cabret.

"The tale of the natural world is the greatest story we have to tell, and Brian delivers a brilliant chapter of that tale throughout the pages of Big Tree." - STEVEN SPIELBERG

"We need brave, big stories like [Big Tree]." -The New York Times Book Review

"Has the power to intrigue...affecting." - The Wall Street Journal

* "An enthralling and expansive meditation on what it means to be alive on this planet." - Booklist, starred review

* "A balanced and rich book. . . . Powerful."-The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, starred and recommended review

* "In evocative prose and peppery dialogue . . . the cinematic story journeys across time and space, contemplating the power of life to heal." -Publishers Weekly, starred review

* "A special, one-of-a-kind book for the whole family that readers won't soon forget." - School Library Journal, starred review

* "Masterful." - The Horn Book, starred review

"Inspirational, important, and beautiful. A fable for our times." - Alan Gratz, bestselling author of Refugee and Ground Zero

"Hello, stars. I thought I heard you calling me."

A mysterious voice has been speaking to Louise in her dreams. She and her brother Merwin are Sycamore seeds, who hope to one day set down roots and become big trees. But when a fire forces them to leave their mama tree prematurely, they find themselves catapulted into the unknown, far from home. Alone and unprepared, they must use their wits and imagination to navigate a dangerous world-filled with dinosaurs, meteors, and volcanoes!-and the fear of never finding a safe place to grow up. As the mysterious voice gets louder, Louise comes to realize their mission in life may be much bigger than either of them ever could have imagined!

Brimming with humor, wonder, mystery, and a profound sense of hope, Big Tree is a trailblazing adventure, illustrated with nearly 300 pages of breathtaking pictures. It is Selznick's most imaginative and far-reaching work to date and a singular reading experience for the whole family.

The audiobook edition of BIG TREE is brought magnificently to life by Meryl Streep and features music composed by Ernest Troost.]]> 528 Brian Selznick 1338180630 Fahula 4
Double page spreads of beautifully detailed pencil drawings often take turns with the text, rather than competing with the text for attention at the same time. They perfectly complement the text. I imagine children will love the page-turning process in this book, moving from stark white pages of minimal text one minute, then stunning, close-up views like a dinosaur’s eye, and expansive wide-angle views of the universe. The seeds themselves are drawn with just a hint of personification amidst the wonder of the forest, skies, and oceans.

I think this story is a lovely way to approach the topic of our dire need to care for our environment. Also, it could easily spark interest in further study into the science highlighted in this journey. ]]> 4.05 2023 Big Tree
author: Brian Selznick
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2023
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/04
date added: 2024/12/04
shelves: environment, picture-book-read-alouds, picture-books
review:
Meryl Streep does a lovely job of bringing this story to life in the audiobook version of this story. As expected, she brings a charm to the narration, giving each character its own unique voice. Music and sound effects also help set the tone for this brother-sister seed journey.

Double page spreads of beautifully detailed pencil drawings often take turns with the text, rather than competing with the text for attention at the same time. They perfectly complement the text. I imagine children will love the page-turning process in this book, moving from stark white pages of minimal text one minute, then stunning, close-up views like a dinosaur’s eye, and expansive wide-angle views of the universe. The seeds themselves are drawn with just a hint of personification amidst the wonder of the forest, skies, and oceans.

I think this story is a lovely way to approach the topic of our dire need to care for our environment. Also, it could easily spark interest in further study into the science highlighted in this journey.
]]> Somehow: Thoughts on Love 186872335
“Love is our only hope,� Anne Lamott writes in this perceptive new book. “It is not always the easiest choice, but it is always the right one, the noble path, the way home to safety, no matter how bleak the future looks.�

In Thoughts on Love , Lamott explores the transformative power that love has in our how it surprises us, forces us to confront uncomfortable truths, reminds us of our humanity, and guides us forward. “Love just won't be pinned down,� she says. “It is in our very atmosphere� and lies at the heart of who we are. We are, Lamott says, creatures of love.

In each chapter of Somehow ,ĚýLamott refracts all the colors of the spectrum. She explores the unexpected love for a partner later in life. The bruised (and bruising) love for a child who disappoints, even frightens. The sustaining love among a group of sinners, for a community in transition, in the wider world. The lessons she underscores are that love enlightens as it educates, comforts as it energizes, sustains as it surprises.Ěý

Somehow is Anne Lamott’sĚýtwentieth book, and in it she draws from her own life and experience to delineate the intimate and elemental ways that love buttresses us in the face of despair as it galvanizes us to believe that tomorrow will be better than today. Full of the compassion and humanity that have made Lamott beloved by millions of readers, Somehow is classic Anne funny, warm, and wise.]]> 204 Anne Lamott 0593714415 Fahula 5 3.91 2024 Somehow: Thoughts on Love
author: Anne Lamott
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: faith, family-and-relationships
review:

]]> Fishing with Grandma 27133437 29 Maren Vsetula 1772270849 Fahula 4 3.87 2016 Fishing with Grandma
author: Maren Vsetula
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2024/12/03
date added: 2024/12/03
shelves: canadian, indigenous, picture-book-read-alouds
review:

]]> How to Catch an Elf 30095483 You've been waiting all year long, and now it's finally Christmas Eve! Is this the year you'll finally catch an elf? Start a new Christmas tradition with this hilarious children's book from the creators of the New York Times best-seller How to Catch a Leprechaun!

"It's Christmas Eve! Hip hip, hooray!
Yes, Santa's coming 'round.
He's bringing toys to girls and boys
in every house in town."

"Some kids have tried to catch him,
but Santa's fast, you see!
So they've set their eyes on a smaller prize,
and now they're after me!"]]> 32 Adam Wallace 1492646318 Fahula 3 holidays, picture-books 3.75 2016 How to Catch an Elf
author: Adam Wallace
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2016
rating: 3
read at: 2024/12/02
date added: 2024/12/02
shelves: holidays, picture-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope, and Repair]]> 18079659 “Lamott’s …most insightful book yet,ĚýStitchesĚýoffers plenty of her characteristic witty wisdom…this slim, readable volume [is] a lens on life, widening and narrowing, encouraging each reader to reflect on what it is, after all, that really matters.”â€�People

What do we do when life lurches out of balance? How can we reconnect to one other and to what’s sustaining, when evil and catastrophe seem inescapable?

These questions lie at the heart of Stitches, Lamott’s profound follow-up to her New York Times–b±đ˛őłŮ˛ő±đ±ô±ôľ±˛Ô˛µ Help, Thanks, Wow. In this book Lamott explores how we find meaning and peace in these loud and frantic times; where we start again after personal and public devastation; how we recapture wholeness after loss; and how we locate our true identities in this frazzled age. We begin, Lamott says, by collecting the ripped shreds of our emotional and spiritual fabric and sewing them back together, one stitch at a time.

It’s in these stitches that the quilt of life begins, and embedded in them are strength, warmth, humor, and humanity.
Ěý]]> 112 Anne Lamott 1594632588 Fahula 3 faith 3.84 2013 Stitches: A Handbook on Meaning, Hope, and Repair
author: Anne Lamott
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2013
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/30
date added: 2024/11/30
shelves: faith
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The One and Only Bob (The One and Only #2)]]> 48613333 342 Katherine Applegate 0062991310 Fahula 4 4.18 2020 The One and Only Bob (The One and Only #2)
author: Katherine Applegate
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.18
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/29
date added: 2024/11/30
shelves: intermediate-read-aloud, read-alouds
review:
This is cute follow up to the previous novel. The audiobook is a treat to listen to with Danny DeVito narrating. His accent and the pronunciation of some of his words are amusing. The chapters are super short like a dog’s flittering attention span, so it would make for a good read aloud that allows for quick stops and starts. The glossary of Bob speak in the beginning of the book is another favourite.
]]> A Man Called Ove 18774964
Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon, the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him the bitter neighbor from hell, but must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations.]]> 337 Fredrik Backman 1476738017 Fahula 4 4.35 2012 A Man Called Ove
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.35
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/27
date added: 2024/11/27
shelves: adult-family-and-relationships
review:

]]> Abuelita and Me 59118214 In this poignant, empowering picture book debut, a girl and her beloved abuelita lean on each other as they contend with racism while running errands in the city.

Spending time at home with Abuelita means pancakes, puddle-jumping, and nail-painting. But venturing out into the city is not always as fun. On the bus and at the grocery store, people are impatient and suspicious—sometimes they even yell. Sad, angry, and scared, the story’s young narrator decides not to leave home again...until a moment of empowerment helps her see the strength she and Abuelita share when they face the world together. Warm, expressive illustrations by Rafael Mayani highlight the tenderness in Abuelita and the narrator’s relationship.]]> 32 Leonarda Carranza 1773216104 Fahula 4 4.18 Abuelita and Me
author: Leonarda Carranza
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.18
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/26
date added: 2024/11/26
shelves: canadian, diversity, picture-book-read-alouds
review:
This picture book encourages the reader to question various forms of racism, from the more subtle to the more overt. Unfortunately, some of our students face such shameful stereotyping and mistreatment. This story provides opportunities for discussion, to encourage both empathy and resilience.
]]> A Friend for Henry 40537334 too close and too loud, when nothing seems to go right, will Henry ever find a friend—or will a friend find him? A story from the perspective of a boy on the autism spectrum.]]> 36 Jenn Bailey 1452167915 Fahula 5 3.91 2019 A Friend for Henry
author: Jenn Bailey
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2019
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/26
date added: 2024/11/26
shelves: diversity, picture-book-read-alouds
review:
This is a great picture book to use to foster discussions about neurodiversity, especially as seen in the classroom. It is a soft introduction, without ever putting a name to these differences. Those who may find themselves connecting with Henry will enjoy seeing him navigate his way classroom activities and friendship building . Those who may recognize these behaviours in their peers will gain additional insight and perspective through watching Henry’s interactions with his classmates.
]]> The Winners (Beartown, #3) 60318890
As the locals of Beartown struggle to overcome the past, great change is on the horizon. Someone is coming home after a long time away. Someone will be laid to rest. Someone will fall in love, someone will try to fix their marriage, and someone will do anything to save their children. Someone will submit to hate, someone will fight, and someone will grab a gun and walk towards the ice rink.

So what are the residents of Beartown willing to sacrifice for their home?]]> 671 Fredrik Backman Fahula 1 4.45 2022 The Winners (Beartown, #3)
author: Fredrik Backman
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2022
rating: 1
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves: adult-family-and-relationships
review:
The author’s ability to create suspense with foreshadowing at the end of chapters is what kept me reading my way through a trilogy of very troubled characters. These characters were a test to my empathy skills.
]]> <![CDATA[My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story]]> 198748095
February 19, 1942. George Takei is four years old when his world changes forever. Two months after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. RooseveltĚýdeclares anyone of Japanese descent an enemy of the United States.

George and his family were American in every way. They had done nothing wrong. But because of their Japanese ancestry, they were removed from their home in California and forced into camps with thousands of other families who looked likeĚýtheirs .

Over the next three years, George had three different “homes�: the Santa Anita racetrack, swampy Camp Rohwer, and infamous Tule Lake. But even though they were now living behind barbed wire fences and surrounded by armed soldiers, his mother and father did everything they could to keep the family safe.

In My Lost Freedom , George Takei looks back at his own memories to help children today understand what it feels like to be treated as an enemy by your own country. Featuring powerful meticulously researched watercolor paintings, this is a story of a family’s courage, a young boy’s resilience, and the importance of staying true to yourself in the face of injustice.]]> 48 George Takei 0593566351 Fahula 5 4.51 2024 My Lost Freedom: A Japanese American World War II Story
author: George Takei
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.51
book published: 2024
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/24
date added: 2024/11/24
shelves: biographies, diversity, nonfiction-picture-books, picture-book-read-alouds, social-responsibility
review:
I listened to the audiobook to enjoy George Takei’s narration, then examined the picture book, as well. The back matter of the book includes more details and photos from his childhood. He manages to write about this difficult part of history in a way that educates, without being heavy on blame or despair for what he had lost. I think his story is an important one to be told in a time where people distance themselves from those they see and fear as others.
]]> <![CDATA[The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate: Discoveries from a Secret World]]> 28256439 The Hidden Life of Trees, Peter Wohlleben shares his deep love of woods and forests and explains the amazing processes of life, death, and regeneration he has observed in the woodland and the amazing scientific processes behind the wonders of which we are blissfully unaware. Much like human families, tree parents live together with their children, communicate with them, and support them as they grow, sharing nutrients with those who are sick or struggling and creating an ecosystem that mitigates the impact of extremes of heat and cold for the whole group. As a result of such interactions, trees in a family or community are protected and can live to be very old. In contrast, solitary trees, like street kids, have a tough time of it and in most cases die much earlier than those in a group.

Drawing on groundbreaking new discoveries, Wohlleben presents the science behind the secret and previously unknown life of trees and their communication abilities; he describes how these discoveries have informed his own practices in the forest around him. As he says, a happy forest is a healthy forest, and he believes that eco-friendly practices not only are economically sustainable but also benefit the health of our planet and the mental and physical health of all who live on Earth.]]> 272 Peter Wohlleben 1771642483 Fahula 4 adult-nonfiction, environment 4.06 2015 The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate: Discoveries from a Secret World
author: Peter Wohlleben
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2015
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/15
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: adult-nonfiction, environment
review:
Immersing ourselves in this book, into the world of trees, inspires us to change the relationship we have with the myriad of life that surrounds us.
]]> Landline 18081809
Maybe that was always beside the point.

Two days before they’re supposed to visit Neal’s family in Omaha for Christmas, Georgie tells Neal that she can’t go. She’s a TV writer, and something’s come up on her show; she has to stay in Los Angeles. She knows that Neal will be upset with her � Neal is always a little upset with Georgie � but she doesn't expect him to pack up the kids and go home without her.

When her husband and the kids leave for the airport, Georgie wonders if she’s finally done it. If she’s ruined everything.

That night, Georgie discovers a way to communicate with Neal in the past. It’s not time travel, not exactly, but she feels like she’s been given an opportunity to fix her marriage before it starts...

Is that what she’s supposed to do?

Or would Georgie and Neal be better off if their marriage never happened?]]> 320 Rainbow Rowell 1250049377 Fahula 4 3.54 2014 Landline
author: Rainbow Rowell
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.54
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/22
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: adult-family-and-relationships
review:
This story had more flashbacks and romance than mystical phone and time travel mystique, but I appreciated the theme of recognizing what we may take for granted in our relationships.
]]> <![CDATA[Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers]]> 15737147 A New York Times bestseller from the author of Hallelujah Anyway, Bird by Bird, and Almost Everything

Author Anne Lamott writes about the three simple prayers essential to coming through tough times, difficult days and the hardships of daily life

Readers of all ages have followed and cherished Anne Lamott’s funny and perceptive writing about her own faith through decades of trial and error. And in her new book, Help, Thanks, Wow, she has coalesced everything she knows about prayer to these fundamentals.

It is these three prayers � asking for assistance from a higher power, appreciating what we have that is good, and feeling awe at the world around us � that can get us through the day and can show us the way forward. In Help, Thanks, Wow, Lamott recounts how she came to these insights, explains what they mean to her and how they have helped, and explores how others have embraced these same ideas.]]> 102 Anne Lamott Fahula 5 faith 3.98 2012 Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers
author: Anne Lamott
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.98
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2024/11/23
date added: 2024/11/23
shelves: faith
review:
Anne Lamott’s book about prayer is anything but typical. She has a wry sense of humour. Her self-reflections are raw and visceral. Some are sad, some are amusing, and some are irreverent, complete with curse words. At the heart of it, she gives us ample quote-worthy truths that inspire us to be honest with God and to experience the depth of His love through prayer.
]]> The Younger Wife 57693338 THE HUSBAND
A heart surgeon at the top of his field, Stephen Aston is getting married again. But first he must divorce his current wife, even though she can no longer speak for herself.

THE DAUGHTERS
Tully and Rachel Aston look upon their father’s fiancée, Heather, as nothing but an interloper. Heather is younger than both of them. Clearly, she’s after their father’s money.

THE FORMER WIFE
With their mother in a precarious position, Tully and Rachel are determined to get to the truth about their family’s secrets, the new wife closing in, and who their father really is.

THE YOUNGER WIFE
Heather has secrets of her own. Will getting to the truth unleash the most dangerous impulses in all of them?]]> 346 Sally Hepworth 1250229618 Fahula 2
Spoilers:

Trigger warnings for sexual abuse, gaslighting, alcoholism, cleptomania, poor handling of Alzheimer’s, frequent body image references, and eating disorders. ]]> 3.72 2021 The Younger Wife
author: Sally Hepworth
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2024/11/19
date added: 2024/11/19
shelves: adult-family-and-relationships, adult-mysteries
review:
There were many aspects of this story that I enjoyed, but the problematic ways in which very serious issues were trivialized make it difficult to recommend. I agree with others that the ending is unsatisfying.

Spoilers:

Trigger warnings for sexual abuse, gaslighting, alcoholism, cleptomania, poor handling of Alzheimer’s, frequent body image references, and eating disorders.
]]> Tough! 13595655
The Weird! Series
These three books tell the story of an ongoing case of bullying from three third graders� perspectives. Luisa describes being targeted by bullying in Weird! Jayla shares her experience as a bystander to bullying in Dare! And in Tough!, Sam speaks from the point of view of someone initiating bullying. Kids will easily relate to Luisa, Jayla, and Sam, as each girl has her own unique experience, eventually learning how to face her challenges with the help of friends, peers, and caring adults.]]> 48 Erin Frankel 1575424002 Fahula 0 to-read 4.22 2012 Tough!
author: Erin Frankel
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Dare! 13595656
The Weird! Series
These three books tell the story of an ongoing case of bullying from three third graders� perspectives. Luisa describes being targeted by bullying in Weird! Jayla shares her experience as a bystander to bullying in Dare! And in Tough!, Sam speaks from the point of view of someone initiating bullying. Kids will easily relate to Luisa, Jayla, and Sam, as each girl has her own unique experience, eventually learning how to face her challenges with the help of friends, peers, and caring adults.]]> 48 Erin Frankel 1575423995 Fahula 0 to-read 4.36 2012 Dare!
author: Erin Frankel
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.36
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> It's Okay to Make Mistakes 18197253
Todd Parr's bestselling books have reminded kids to embrace differences, to be thankful, to love one another, and to be themselves. It's Okay to Make Mistakes embraces life's happy accidents, the mistakes and mess-ups that can lead to self discovery. Todd Parr brings a timely theme to life with his signature bold, kid-friendly illustrations and a passion for making readers feel good about themselves, encouraging them to try new things, experiment, and dare to explore new paths.

From coloring outside the lines and creating a unique piece of art to forgetting an umbrella but making a new friend, each page offers a kid-friendly take on the importance of taking chances, trying new things, and embracing life, mistakes and all.]]> 32 Todd Parr 0316230537 Fahula 4 4.21 2014 It's Okay to Make Mistakes
author: Todd Parr
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.21
book published: 2014
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves: growth-mindset, language-arts, picture-book-read-alouds
review:
This is a cute picture book to promote a growth mindset. Students will readily be able to make connections related to their own personal experiences with making mistakes. This book can also help students make possible inferences related to the author’s purpose in writing this book.
]]> It's Okay to Be Different 120661 32 Todd Parr 0316155624 Fahula 4 4.34 2001 It's Okay to Be Different
author: Todd Parr
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.34
book published: 2001
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/16
date added: 2024/11/16
shelves: diversity, picture-book-read-alouds
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank (Finlay Donovan, #3.5)]]> 194490015 A hilarious short story diving into Finlay Donovan's partner-in-crime Vero's past.

Anyone can spot a window of opportunity, but not everyone can manage to fall straight through one.

Veronica Ruiz is on the run for the first time in her life—though certainly not the last. After being falsely accused of stealing money from her college sorority, she packs up and heads to her cousin Ramón's apartment, planning to change her name and rebuild start over away from backstabbing girls and university drama (and far, far away from her arrest warrant in Maryland).

At the local bank on the first morning of her new life, it occurs to Vero that she'd be a better bank teller than most of the current employees: she may not have much money, but what little she does have, she knows how to manage. Unfortunately, the only available position is a cleaning job and so, desperate for a fresh start, she takes the bank manager’s offer.

But nothing in Vero's world has ever been simple, so of course shortly after she begins work, she overhears a conversation between her new boss and a security guard: someone who works there has been stealing. Seeing a window of opportunity, Vero sets out to find the identity of the thief, present the evidence, and then push for the perfect job. All of which would be easier if her irresistibly infuriating childhood crush Javi wasn’t living in the same damn town.

Offering the insight that listeners have been craving into fan-favorite Vero's past and a closer look at the moment Finlay and Vero first meet, Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank is a can't-miss addition to the Finlay Donovan series.]]> 107 Elle Cosimano 1250343313 Fahula 1 adult-mysteries 3.51 2023 Veronica Ruiz Breaks the Bank (Finlay Donovan, #3.5)
author: Elle Cosimano
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2023
rating: 1
read at:
date added: 2024/11/13
shelves: adult-mysteries
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Undone: A Modern Rendering of John Donne's Devotions]]> 125122306


By faithfully and poetically rendering Donne's 17th century prose into 21st century vernacular, Yancey opens up this classic work to a new generation of readers. He presents these Job-like meditations on sickness and suffering, alongside his own reflections, in a series of 30 readings that examine the frailty of the human heart, the goodness and sovereignty of God, and the eternal hope of the Resurrection.]]> 145 Philip Yancey 1951872177 Fahula 0 to-read 4.43 Undone: A Modern Rendering of John Donne's Devotions
author: Philip Yancey
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.43
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/10
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Car Share 57446216
When Alex pulls up to meet "Max", he expects everything but a ninety-year-old lady who has her heart set on getting to Brussels by carpool.
As for 'Max', who is actually called Maxine, she could not be more ill at ease when settling into the seat next to this young man with bloodshot eyes. God help her if he turned out to be a drug addict who hasn't slept in days!
When it becomes clear that Maxine is suffering from Alzheimer's and wants to take matters in her own hands while she still can, and that Alex battles severe depression, a wonderful friendship starts to form between the unlikely pair. Before long, their travel plans take an unexpected turn...]]> 322 Zoe Brisby 1529366615 Fahula 0 to-read 3.96 2017 The Car Share
author: Zoe Brisby
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.96
book published: 2017
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/11/08
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Last Thing He Told Me 54981009
As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered, as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss, as a U.S. marshal and federal agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.]]> 307 Laura Dave 1501171348 Fahula 4 adult-mysteries 3.78 2021 The Last Thing He Told Me
author: Laura Dave
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2021
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/08
date added: 2024/11/08
shelves: adult-mysteries
review:

]]> Bedtime for Bad Kitty 54017945
She doesn't want to brush her teeth.
She doesn't want to put on her bunny pajamas.
She doesn't want to use the potty.

What she wants to do is:
SING SING SING SING SING
PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY PLAY
RUN RUN RUN RUN RUN

Finally, when she runs out of ideas (and energy) and is promised a perfect bedtime story, Kitty gives in...but can she stay awake for the ending?

This new picture book in the bestselling series is sure to be a bedtime favorite, complete with a paper doll activity kit!]]> 24 Nick Bruel 1250749948 Fahula 2 picture-books 3.69 2021 Bedtime for Bad Kitty
author: Nick Bruel
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2024/11/05
date added: 2024/11/05
shelves: picture-books
review:

]]> Built to Last 198688479
Two kids build entire worlds out of blocks, cardboard, and imagination. From boats attacked by a sea creature to a castle crumbling into the ocean. And they don’t mind when these creations break apart and CRASH to the floor. In fact, they think it’s pretty funny! Every time, a creation falls apart, they pick up the pieces and keep building bigger and better.

But when their latest masterpiece tumbles down in spectacular fashion, the boys aren’t laughing anymore. Have these two friends reached their breaking point?

Playful text by wordsmith Minh Le and dazzling illustrations by artisan Dan Santat showcase their close collaboration in their latest picturebook. As merry as it is moving, here is a story that recognizes the friendships in life that are truly built to last.]]> 40 Minh LĂŞ 0593569172 Fahula 4 4.19 2024 Built to Last
author: Minh LĂŞ
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.19
book published: 2024
rating: 4
read at: 2024/11/05
date added: 2024/11/05
shelves: growth-mindset, picture-book-read-alouds
review:
This is a heartwarming picture book about two boys who learn the value of friendship as they build imaginary worlds, express their creativity, let their dreams soar, and persevere through challenges. The illustrations are wonderfully done.
]]> <![CDATA[Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today]]> 55959514 256 Valerie Bertinelli 035856736X Fahula 3 3.99 2022 Enough Already: Learning to Love the Way I Am Today
author: Valerie Bertinelli
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.99
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/11/05
date added: 2024/11/05
shelves:
review:
I listened to this as an audiobook so I was able to enjoy Valerie Bertinelli’s bubbly voice and cute giggle. I knew nothing about her cooking shows, so the recipes came as a surprise to me. Photos from another Ĺ·±¦ÓéŔÖ review show that I really missed out on the photos for those recipes.
]]> <![CDATA[Stories I Only Tell My Friends]]> 10211494 320 Rob Lowe 080509329X Fahula 4 biographies 3.85 2011 Stories I Only Tell My Friends
author: Rob Lowe
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2024/11/01
shelves: biographies
review:
Rob Lowe is an enjoyable storyteller. I found it interesting to hear about his interactions with so many celebrities. His personal insights regarding his highs and lows, in both his career and personal life, left me rooting for him. His impersonations were a fun addition, as well.
]]> At the Old Haunted House 20670303 In a room with no sun
Lived a warty green witch
And her wee witchy one. There are all kinds of creatures in the a big Ma monster and her wee monsters two, a scrawny black cat and her wee kittens three, a green Pa goblin and his wee goblins four, and more! Count along as the creatures prepare for the Halloween Fright. The text, written in the pattern of the popular poem “Over in the Meadow,� makes reading aloud fun, while the cinematic illustrations set the scene for an unforgettable romp through the old haunted house. Trick or treat!]]> 32 Helen Ketteman 1477847693 Fahula 5 holidays 4.07 2014 At the Old Haunted House
author: Helen Ketteman
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.07
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2024/10/29
shelves: holidays
review:
My students loved this book! Lots of giggles of delight! The silly names for each character add to the fun. The rhyming is enjoyable, and the kids loved chiming in by reading out the things that were said by each Halloweeny character set. The illustrations are a whimsical style of spooky that makes for an enjoyable re-read at a slower pace to see all of the details within the pages. There are many fun examples of alliteration and onomatopoeia, as well as fancy fonts, to point out to the kids to encourage them to try these writing techniques in their own writing.
]]> Funny You Should Say That 60198135 One of Canada’s top comedians shares the funniest stories from his life and career in this collection of hilarious essays

For more than two decades, Gerry Dee has made audiences laugh, first as a hard-working stand-up comedian, and then as the star of his own CBC television program, Mr. D. Dee became a physical education teacher, thinking he would have it coaching, summers off and a good pension. But he found himself dreaming of a career in comedy, until one day, years later, he turned in his teaching certificate and picked up a microphone. He went on to become one of Canada’s top comics.

In his new book of essays, Dee writes about his life—being a kid in suburban Toronto, becoming a father, starring in his own TV show, going on the road to comedy clubs across Canada and the US. He takes us behind the scenes of Last Comic Standing, Mr. D and everywhere in between. There was the time he set up his own DVD-signing appearances, only to have no one show up. Or the time he was flown to the Bahamas, where he performed for drunken fishermen and their “nieces.â€� And he shares his lifelong affliction with hypochondria and all the medical conditions he doesn’t have. This is Gerry Dee at his comedic finest.Ěý]]> 304 Gerry Dee 1443465712 Fahula 3 biographies, canadian 3.32 Funny You Should Say That
author: Gerry Dee
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.32
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/28
date added: 2024/10/28
shelves: biographies, canadian
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sleep Reimagined: The Fast Track to a Revitalized Life]]> 60165480 192 Pedram Navab FAASM 1682687112 Fahula 5 adult-nonfiction 3.72 Sleep Reimagined: The Fast Track to a Revitalized Life
author: Pedram Navab FAASM
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.72
book published:
rating: 5
read at: 2024/10/22
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves: adult-nonfiction
review:
I enjoyed the way the case studies were presented in conversational style between the client and the specialist. The book presents an easy to follow, comfortable approach to the problems involved with insomnia. Sleep disorders of all types and magnitudes are described in this book with practical treatment ideas for each one. The Cognitive Behaviour Intervention Therapy section includes many, many more ways to address insomnia, making it easy to select some micro changes or big changes to suit the needs of the reader.
]]> Greenwich Park 55905003
But her increasingly erratic behavior is unsettling. And Helen’s not the only one who’s noticed. Her friends and family begin to suspect that her strange new friend may be linked to their shared history in unexpected ways. When Rachel threatens to expose a past crime that could destroy all of their lives, it becomes clear that there are more than a few secrets laying beneath the broad-leaved trees and warm lamplight of Greenwich Park.]]> 384 Katherine Faulkner 1982150319 Fahula 2 adult-mysteries 3.80 2021 Greenwich Park
author: Katherine Faulkner
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/22
date added: 2024/10/22
shelves: adult-mysteries
review:
Trigger warnings: rape is a key aspect of this story
]]> The Soulmate 127280964
Picture a lovely cottage on a cliff, with sloping lawns, walking paths, and beautiful flowers. It’s Gabe and Pippa Gerard’s dream home in a sleepy coastal town. But their perfect house hides something sinister. The tall cliffs have become a popular spot for people to end their lives. Over the past several months, Gabe comes to their rescue, literally talking them off the ledge.

Until one day, he doesn’t. When Pippa discovers Gabe knew the victim, the questions spiral. . . .Did the victim jump? Was she pushed? And would Gabe, the love of Pippa’s life, her soulmate . . . lie? As the perfect façade of their marriage begins to crack, the deepest and darkest secrets begin to unravel. Because sometimes, the most convincing lies are the ones we tell ourselves.]]> 352 Sally Hepworth Fahula 3 3.69 2022 The Soulmate
author: Sally Hepworth
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2022
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/16
date added: 2024/10/16
shelves: adult-family-and-relationships
review:

]]> The Mountain Between Us 7173336
Days in the mountains become weeks, as their hope for rescue dwindles. How will they make it out of the wilderness and if they do, how will this experience change them forever? Heart-wrenching and unputdownable, The Mountain Between Us will reaffirm your belief in the power of love to sustain us.]]> 326 Charles Martin 0767927001 Fahula 3 family-and-relationships 4.14 2010 The Mountain Between Us
author: Charles Martin
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.14
book published: 2010
rating: 3
read at: 2024/10/12
date added: 2024/10/11
shelves: family-and-relationships
review:

]]> The Dilemma 41150465 Knowing the truth will destroy her. Keeping it secret will destroy him.

It’s Livia’s 40th birthday, and her husband Adam is throwing her the party of a lifetime to make up for the wedding they never had. Everyone she loves will be there, except her daughter Marnie, who’s studying abroad. But Livia is secretly glad Marnie won’t be there.

Livia has recently uncovered a secret about their daughter which, if revealed, will shake the foundation of their family to its core. She needs to tell Adam, but she’s waiting until the party is over so they can have this last happy time together.

Adam, meanwhile, has his own surprise for Livia: he’s arranged for Marnie to secretly fly back for the party. But before Marnie arrives, Adam hears some terrible news. Now he too is faced with a dilemma: Does he share what he's learned with his wife? Is hiding the truth the same as telling a lie? And how far are Adam and Livia willing to go to protect the ones they love—and give each other a last few hours of happiness?]]> 342 B.A. Paris 1250151368 Fahula 4 3.43 2019 The Dilemma
author: B.A. Paris
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.43
book published: 2019
rating: 4
read at: 2024/10/08
date added: 2024/10/09
shelves: adult-family-and-relationships
review:

]]> The Lagos Wife 199798103
P reviously published as The Nigerwife .

Nicole Oruwari has the perfect a handsome husband, a palatial house in the heart of Lagos, and a glamorous group of friends. She left gloomy London and a troubled family past behind for sunny Lagos, becoming part of the Nigerwives—a community of foreign women married to Nigerian men.

But when Nicole disappears without a trace after a boat trip, the cracks in her alleged perfect life start to show. As the investigation turns up nothing but dead ends, her auntie Claudine decides to take matters into her own hands. Armed with only a cell phone and a plane ticket to Nigeria, she digs into her niece’s life and uncovers a hidden side filled with dark secrets, isolation, and even violence. But the more she discovers about Nicole, the more Claudine’s own buried history threatens to come to light.

Offering a razor-sharp look at the bonds of family, the echoing consequences of secrets, and whether we can ever truly outrun our past, The Lagos Wife “is a gripping work of suspense, a psychological puzzle, a mystery, and a critique of marriage and high society� ( Shelf Awareness ).]]> 320 Vanessa Walters 1668011093 Fahula 2 adult-mysteries, diversity
Trigger warning: rape/child abuse]]> 3.51 2023 The Lagos Wife
author: Vanessa Walters
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2023
rating: 2
read at: 2024/10/04
date added: 2024/10/04
shelves: adult-mysteries, diversity
review:
This is an interesting glimpse into the world of Lagos. It was darker and sadder than I had expected.

Trigger warning: rape/child abuse
]]> <![CDATA[If You Were a Plus Sign (Math Fun)]]> 3755639 24 Trisha Speed Shaskan 1404847847 Fahula 4 math 3.70 2008 If You Were a Plus Sign (Math Fun)
author: Trisha Speed Shaskan
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/19
date added: 2024/10/02
shelves: math
review:
The kids love these silly, colourful illustrations. The book is a good introduction to the basic concepts involved in addition. It also acts as a good introduction to solving word problems involving addition.
]]> <![CDATA[Murder in Old Bombay (Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries, #1)]]> 49127434
But in a land of divided loyalties, asking questions is dangerous. Captain Jim's investigation disturbs the shadows that seem to follow the Framji family and triggers an ominous chain of events. And when lively Lady Diana Framji joins the hunt for her sisters� attackers, Captain Jim’s heart isn’t safe, either.

Based on a true story, and set against the vibrant backdrop of colonial India.]]> 389 Nev March 1250269547 Fahula 3 adult-historical-fiction 3.65 2020 Murder in Old Bombay (Captain Jim and Lady Diana Mysteries, #1)
author: Nev March
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/28
date added: 2024/09/28
shelves: adult-historical-fiction
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Jerusalem's Undead Supernatural 3-in-1 Bundle (Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy)]]> 19785408 Discover the Jerusalem’s Undead trilogy in this 3-in-1 eBook bundle from author Eric Wilson.

The suicide of Judas Iscariot in AD 30 left his blood seeping into the soil of the Field of Blood, in Aramaic the Akeldama. This tainted blood caused a counterfeit resurrection of the dead—the Collectors, who seek to corrupt and destroy. When Jesus was resurrected, ancient scripture says many rose from the grave. Today, 36 from this group of undead remain—the Nistarim, who are here to watch over the world and protect against the Collectors.

Field of Blood follows Gina Lazarescu, a Romanian girl with a scarred past who has no idea she is being sought by these undead. Gina realizes her future will depend on her understanding of the past, yet how can she protect herself from Collectors who have already died once but still live?

Gina’s journey continues in Haunt of Jackals. The Nistarim and the Collectors are after a single target—a boy named Pavel who may possess the key to the Collectors' unlimited power . . . or ultimate downfall. Gina has survived one battle with the undead already and is determined to protect Pavel at all costs. But she has no idea how long she can stay a step ahead of the Collectors.

In the final installment of the Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy� Valley of Bones —readers will witness an epic showdown of a battle between good and evil that started with the suicide of Judas Iscariot. Gina Lazarescu's life has been on a collision course with the Akeldama Collectors. She knows she can't defeat them on her own, though, and that it will take the combined efforts of all Those Who Resist for this living evil to be stopped.]]> 1242 Eric Wilson 1401686788 Fahula 0 to-read 4.29 2011 Jerusalem's Undead Supernatural 3-in-1 Bundle (Jerusalem's Undead Trilogy)
author: Eric Wilson
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.29
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2024/09/24
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Therapist 54860390 A gripping psychological suspense and a powerful tale of a house that holds a shocking secret.

When Alice and Leo move into a newly renovated house in The Circle, a gated community of exclusive houses, it is everything they’ve dreamed of. But appearances can be deceptive�

As Alice is getting to know her neighbours, she discovers a devastating secret about her new home, and begins to feel a strong connection with Nina, the therapist who lived there before.

Alice becomes obsessed with trying to piece together what happened two years before. But no one wants to talk about it. Her neighbors are keeping secrets and things are not as perfect as they seem…]]> 298 B.A. Paris 1250274125 Fahula 2 adult-mysteries 3.72 2021 The Therapist
author: B.A. Paris
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2021
rating: 2
read at: 2024/09/20
date added: 2024/09/21
shelves: adult-mysteries
review:

]]> The Loggers’s Alphabet 212733102 34 Terrianne Hawkings Fahula 4 4.00 The Loggers’s Alphabet
author: Terrianne Hawkings
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.00
book published:
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/20
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: picture-book-read-alouds, science-picture-books
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Jerry Pallota's Math = Fun! The Addition Book]]> 12017364 32 Jerry Pallotta 0439896371 Fahula 3 4.00 2006 Jerry Pallota's Math = Fun! The Addition Book
author: Jerry Pallotta
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.00
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/20
date added: 2024/09/20
shelves: holidays, math, picture-book-read-alouds
review:
This book is suitable for the beginning of the school year to review numeracy basics involving addition. My students liked the clown illustrations.
]]> Braids 18373754 33 Robert Munsch Fahula 3 picture-book-read-alouds 3.48 2009 Braids
author: Robert Munsch
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.48
book published: 2009
rating: 3
read at: 2024/09/18
date added: 2024/09/18
shelves: picture-book-read-alouds
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Splitting the Herd: A Corral of Odds and Evens]]> 3567020 31 Trudy Harris 0822574667 Fahula 4 3.68 2008 Splitting the Herd: A Corral of Odds and Evens
author: Trudy Harris
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.68
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at: 2024/09/17
date added: 2024/09/17
shelves: math, picture-book-read-alouds
review:
This is a cute book to teach odd numbers and halving. My students enjoyed acting out the zany farmer’s mixed up math. They especially enjoyed the surprise ending.
]]> <![CDATA[The Ants Go Marching One By One]]> 5289146 24 Richard Bernal 0439113520 Fahula 3 books-to-sing 3.73 1993 The Ants Go Marching One By One
author: Richard Bernal
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.73
book published: 1993
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2024/09/16
shelves: books-to-sing
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School]]> 6388479 New York Times bestselling picture book! Amelia Bedelia goes to school and mixes up just about everything in this funny picture book about the childhood of the iconic character.

The first book in the nationally bestselling series about the childhood of America's favorite literal-minded housekeeper, Amelia Bedelia is sure that she will absolutely love school—after all, what's not to love? But after hopping on the bus "just like a bunny" (hurry up, sweetie!), confusing her name tag with a game (we are not playing tag), and gluing herself to her seat (oh, dear), Amelia Bedelia discovers that what she takes for granted is not always the way the world works. Still, friendships are formed, lessons are learned, and projects are completed, and through it all Amelia Bedelia's teacher, Mrs. Edwards, offers gentle guidance and an open heart. The Amelia Bedelia books have sold more than 35 million copies!]]> 32 Herman Parish 0061544558 Fahula 5 4.10 2007 Amelia Bedelia's First Day of School
author: Herman Parish
name: Fahula
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/11
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves: holidays, language-arts, picture-book-read-alouds
review:
My students cackle with delight as Amelia Bedelia misinterprets instructions and comments throughout her first day of school. They love to guess and explain her misunderstandings.
]]> A Pacific Alphabet 3402046 32 Margriet Ruurs 155285521X Fahula 5 3.78 2004 A Pacific Alphabet
author: Margriet Ruurs
name: Fahula
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2004
rating: 5
read at: 2024/09/08
date added: 2024/09/11
shelves: holidays, language-arts, picture-book-read-alouds, canadian
review:
I read this alphabet book to my students every September. They love searching the beautiful illustrations for the hidden letter and the many pictures that begin with that letter. It models strong word choices as well in its descriptive sentences. The back matter includes a list of hidden pictures for each letter.
]]>