Completely Full Bookshelf

As I post this, I have returned from a weekend trip (not a vacation, per se, because my college semester isn't over!) with my family to accompany my younger brother to a conference! I brought three picture books along, and I decided I would read one per night and share each review along with a brief diary of how I spent each day on the trip! Thursday The day began with the, shall we say, intriguing  experience of trying to participate in a Zoom call while sitting in the backseat of a car—my hotspot worked surprisingly well, but unmuting to speak and then hurtling forward when someone slams on the brakes is not ideal for getting your point across. But I made it work—a victory, but whether it's my victory or the victory of college's eternal time suck is another question. But things improved! We arrived at our lovely hotel room and my mom and I unpacked and meandered while my father and brother went to day 1 of the conference. I helped my mom with virtual chores, worked on a s...

Well, unfortunately, I won't be able to get a post up this week for you all. I've been a productivity mess this week, and I couldn't quite get myself back on track enough to read anything. Which is a shame, because today for Easter, my wonderful mom gave me two delightful Easter picture books—and a plush bunny, which I have since named Cameron! I was hoping I'd get to post about these today, but it looks like I may have to do it later (when they're no longer timely—although I've reviewed books about Halloween in April , so it could be worse). Anyway, thank you all as always for being amazing, and I'll see you soon for an actual post! The picture books I got for Easter—and Cameron!

I've been so much of a mess lately that I totally forgot it's been 2 years since I first joined #IMWAYR! (And since the pandemic started—it reminds me of when I asked my parents in March 2020 if this might go on for a whole month . Uh...that was a slight underestimate.) But anyway, this is always a wonderful time to just say how much I appreciate the blogging communities I am in—I discover SO MANY  great books through all of you, I gain hope in this world through seeing your inclusive and caring demeanors, and I have people to rant about books with! What's not to love? I look forward to continuing to participate in these wonderful groups. And now, drumroll, please...the review! And what a review it is—today I'm looking at an absolutely FABULOUS  graphic novel, Go with the Flow  by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann! This book is about high schoolers, and I think younger YA readers will devour this book, but it's also completely appropriate (content-wise and complexi...

I hope you all are doing well! I've decided to just openly admit that sometimes, I will only have an adult book to review, and even though this version of #IMWAYR is primarily for kidlit, I don't think any of us will refuse a great new book to read! So today, I have an adult novel to briefly review for you all that I think is just delightful: The Story of Arthur Truluv  by Elizabeth Berg! (And I will say, this book has some mature content, but any YA reader who wants to read this too will find absolutely nothing objectionable—in fact, in some ways, it's almost aimed at teenage readers as much as it is at adults!) Arthur Moses is a compassionate old man who visits the grave of his wife Nola every day—and remembers all the others who have passed too. Maddy Harris is a teenage girl who finds refuge from school bullies and her difficult father at the local cemetery. And Lucille Howard is an older woman who "seems to think the world is her classroom" but has just found...

This past Sunday, I was visiting a friend who's an artist, and she was saying that she was going to give one of her paintings to Goodwill, so I asked her if I could have it instead—and the result is that I now have a hauntingly beautiful, perfectly moody painting by a friend hanging on my bedroom wall! Pro tip: art is way easier to appreciate when you know the person who made it! But seriously, I'm very grateful. Now for the books! I've got 4 picture books to tell you all about, so let's dive in! ***** What book is it?   Off-Limits  by Helen Yoon (Here's a link to preview the illustrations.) Who recommended it?   Beth Shaum at A Foodie Bibliophile in Wanderlust , and Michele Knott at Mrs. Knott's Book Nook ! What does the publisher say?  " Dad's office is off-limits--which only makes it more intriguing to his curious young daughter. As soon as she sees an opening, she sneaks in to have a look around. After all, there's no harm in just looking, right...

I had a wonderfully relaxing spring break this past week, during which I also got to visit a few friends, which was wonderful! Now it's back to college classes once again, but I feel like my priorities were reset a little bit—I'm hoping I'll be able to remember that my free time matters too! (He says, right before totally going back to his frantic, exhausting, boundary-free lifestyle...) I'm writing this post much later at night than I would like, so perhaps we're back to the same chaos. But at least I finished reading a book—that's a win in and of itself! Anyway, before I get on with the post, I do want to mention that the winner of last week's giveaway of The Genius Under the Table  by Eugene Yelchin is... Donna ( who is also a fellow blogger )! Congratulations! And thanks so much to everyone who entered—I hope you all get a chance to try this wonderful book regardless! Now for the post! Today, I'm recommending a wonderful YA novel: The Gentleman'...

Before I go any further, I do want to mention that I just saw the latest Pixar movie, Turning Red , which came out Friday on Disney+, and it was so good!  It's not quite as good as Encanto  (which is technically Disney, not Pixar), but it's still insightful, entertaining, and definitely a departure from some of Pixar's usual norms. (And it's only an hour and a half, so it's a quick watch!) For Domee Shi's first chance in the director's chair, it's very impressive. Now for the post! Precisely one month after the Cybils winners were announced, I'm returning with the second half of the books I read while I was a Cybils judge for the first time—we tackled Elementary Nonfiction two weeks ago, and now we're on to Middle Grade Nonfiction!  And not only do I have reviews for you all, but I also  have a giveaway of one of the finalists, The Genius Under the Table  by Eugene Yelchin!  Read on for everything! Reviews I'm going to paste some disclaimer...