Month: November 2016

Goodreads Choice Awards 2016: Final Round

Adriyanna Zimmermann3 Comments

The final round for the 2016 Goodreads Choice Awards has begun! If you remember, I posted about my favourite books and authors that made it into the semifinal round here. Some of them made it and others didn’t, so I’m sharing that below. Voting ends November 27, 2016.

Best Historical Fiction:

Do Not Say We Have Nothing by Madeleine Thien didn’t make it to the final round, I’m a bit sad about that. These four did and I think I’m voting for Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. All sound good though.

Best Fantasy:

A Gathering of Shadows by V.E. Schwab made it to the final round! I’m so happy about that, I hope you all vote for it. Or if you haven’t read it, add it to your TBR along with the first book A Darker Shade of Magic.

Best Poetry:

princess

 

 

 

 

The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace made it to the final round! I haven’t read it, but have only heard good things.

Best Debut Goodreads Author:

Three of the four books I was rooting for made it! I’m sad The Reader by Traci Chee didn’t make it, but am super glad about the other three. I’ve been really rooting for The Girl from Everywhere, so I hope you vote for that one, or at least add it to your TBR.

Best Young Adult Fiction:

The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis didn’t make it this round, but I knew it’d be tough – a lot of great books were selected. I’m also sharing a book I didn’t mention last time: A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro. This is a Sherlock Holmes retelling set in present day. The main character, Charlotte is actually the great-great-great-granddaughter of Sherlock. I haven’t had the chance to read it, but it sounds really entertaining.

Best Young Adult Fantasy:

My Lady Jane and Ivory & Bone didn’t make it 😦 This category is basically overrun by super popular or overhyped books. I knew ACOMAF would still be in the running and I’m voting for it this time. It is my favourite book of 2016 – yes, the year isn’t over but I doubt any other book will top it.

Thanks for reading and please vote here! Did any of your favourites make it to the final round?

Goodreads Choice Awards 2016

Adriyanna Zimmermann2 Comments

The semifinal round for the Goodreads Choice Awards 2016 has started and I just wanted to take this moment to write about and highlight some favourites. Obviously you can only vote for one, but I hope you find some new reads. I’m only sharing the categories and books I’m interested in, but make sure you check out all 20 categories and vote here. Voting ends in three days (November 13).

Best Historical Fiction:

I haven’t read any of these but have heard good things so they’re all on my TBR shelf.

Best Fantasy:

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab is one of my favourite novels so I couldn’t not vote for its sequel A Gathering of Shadows. City of Blades and Cursed Child are also on my TBR shelf.

Best Poetry:

princess

 

 

 

I haven’t read The Princess Saves Herself in this One by Amanda Lovelace but have heard so many good things about it. I’m a huge fan of the author’s book blog.

 

Best Debut Goodreads Author:

I loved Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton and have heard really good things about The Girl from Everywhere, The Reader and The Star Touched Queen! I personally voted for The Girl from Everywhere so I hope you vote for that one too, but the rest are great choices.

Best Young Adult Fiction:

There’s a lot more good books in this category but I couldn’t fit them all, so I’m highlighting the ones I really, really want to read. I voted for The Female of the Species, in case you were wondering hint hint 😉

Best Young Adult Fantasy:

So this category has a lot of good books and a lot of NYT Bestselling, big name authors. I’m really proud of Julie Eshbaugh, her debut Ivory and Bone made it among authors like Sarah J. Maas, Leigh Bardugo and Victoria Aveyard. I was talking to Jodi Meadows on twitter, the author of My Lady Jane and The Orphan Queen (really good duology!) and she was really surprised to see My Lady Jane had made it into the semifinals. Even though ACOMAF was technically my favourite book, I decided to vote for My Lady Jane because I knew a lot of people would be voting for SJM.

I’d love to hear what books you voted for or if any of your favourite books made it to this round.

Book Review: These Are My Words: The Residential School Diary of Violet Pesheens by Ruby Slipperjack

Adriyanna Zimmermann1 Comment

29913356Dear Canada: These Are My Words: The Residential School Diary of Violet Pesheens

Ruby Slipperjack

4/5 stars

Release Date: August 30, 2016

Publisher: Scholastic Canada

Purchase: Amazon | Chapters/Indigo.ca | B&N | Kobo

Synopsis on Goodreads:

Violet Pesheen is struggling to adjust to her new life at Residential School. She misses her Grandma; she has run-ins with Cree girls; at her “white” school, everyone just stares; and everything she brought has been taken from her, including her name—she is now just a number. But worst of all, she has a fear. A fear of forgetting the things she treasures most: her Anishnabe language; the names of those she knew before; and her traditional customs. A fear of forgetting who she was.

Her notebook is the one place she can record all of her worries, and heartbreaks, and memories. And maybe, just maybe there will be hope at the end of the tunnel.

Drawing from her own experiences at Residential School, Ruby Slipperjack creates a brave, yet heartbreaking heroine in Violet, and lets young readers glimpse into an all-too important chapter in our nation’s history.

Review:

These Are My Words: The Residential School Diary of Violet Pesheens by Ruby Slipperjack tells the story of 12 year old Violet (Pynut) and her experience at a residential school during the years 1966 and 1967. Like previous Dear Canada books, the novel is told in a diary-like format. If you’re unfamiliar with the Dear Canada series, they are books published by Scholastic Canada with the purpose of introducing middle grade readers to Canadian history through fictionalized diary entries, along with an epilogue, historical note and (usually) real photographs and maps. Most of the books are written by different authors but the format is always the same.

The diary-like format has always been my favourite thing about this series and THESE ARE MY WORDS is no exception. The diary entries help with bringing the reader back in time and makes Violet seem all the more real.

I could immediately get into this book and the story itself was fantastic, but Violet’s characterization fell a bit short for me. She didn’t seem to have much of a personality and I couldn’t get a strong sense of the emotions she was feeling. I understood she felt angry, scared, anxious and on occasion joy, but it was more told than shown. I thought at times maybe we didn’t fully see her personality because of the way residential schools were; Violet would have gotten in serious trouble for the things she wrote. I also thought that, this being a diary, she could have at the same time poured everything she had into it. Residential schools did drain children in every possible way, mentally, emotionally, and physically, so it’s also possible that at the end of the day Violet didn’t have a lot to share.

The first couple pages were very powerful, showing the horrific ways Indigenous children like Violet were treated. One of the worst was when Violet was given a number. Being reduced to #75 really made an impact. Unfortunately, the last couple pages didn’t have the same effect and it didn’t feel like an ending. I didn’t really feel like Violet’s story was over, unlike other books in this series.

THESE ARE MY WORDS is really great for introducing middle grade readers to the history of residential schools and Canadian history. Like other Dear Canada books, this novel was outstanding and I read it from start to finish. I recommend that all teachers, librarians and parents buy this for their MG readers. I don’t think many people realize how close to us residential schools have existed. The author mentions in the historical note that the last residential school closed in 1998. 1998! That’s only an 18 year difference from this book’s publication date. I haven’t read this series for years so I’m really happy this was the book that brought me back into it.