Random Musings of a Bibliophile

The best part about being back in Knoxville is that we are once again reunited with our Homeschool Co-op, which means I'm once again teaching classes of kids literature. This is what I love doing more than anything else. It does mean that I have been very busy preparing lesson plans and have had less time for reading and keeping up with this blog. I know posts have been sporadic anyway since the move, but I felt like I was going to get back to a regular schedule eventually. I can't imagine that will be the case anymore. It doesn't mean I'm quitting. Just that things are going to continue the same way they have for the past year. When I get the chance to post, it can be a pleasant surprise for all of us. That being said I do post bookish content more frequently on both Litsy and Instagram. If you are on either of those platforms and care, I'm brandymuses on both. I am truly excited about what I get to teach this year. School began this week, and, while not without ...

Here are some shorter musings on recent reads. Scythe by Neal Shusterman I have had this on my list since it came out. Then I thought I might wait unlit the trilogy was finished. One of my teen book club girls chose it for our June book, so I read it earlier than intended. It is quite excellent. I am well and truly over dystopians, but this is so well done. I appreciated the philosophy and exercises in ethics found throughout, as well as the themes on the corruption of man and our lust for power. I also loved the adult characters in the book. They are truly fascinating. The two teen protagonists could have been developed a little better, which is the only reason this isn't getting 5 stars from me. (Funny thing is, this was the prevailing opinion of the teens too.) Shadowhouse Fall  by Daniel José Odler I enjoyed this sequel to Shadowshaper . It is a broader book, requiring knowledge of both plot and characters for the previous book in order to fully enjoy it. (If you haven...

Here are some shorter musings on three recent MG historical fiction reads. Betty Before X  by Ilyasah Shabazz and Renee Watson This book is a narrative on the life of Betty Shabazz's childhood. This is the little girl who would grow up to be the wife of Malcom X and a community leader. It is considered fiction because of the way the story is told, but her daughter is one of the author's so the basic facts of Betty's life are true. The book is a short, quick read. It's perfect for kids who love historical fiction or stories about complicated families and friendships. I found it engaging and hard to book down. The Journey of Charlie Little by Christopher Paul Curtis This book is about a share cropper's son who must travel with a slave catcher to Michigan in order to pay of a debt his father incurred before his tragic death. Charlie doesn't like the overseer he is indebted to and finds everything about their journey distasteful. I enjoyed this mostly becau...

Here is a round up of all the books I chose not to finish, adult reads, and favorite reads of the last three months. The DNFs (with links to my reasons why on Goodreads): The Good Daughter by Karin Slaughter Adult Books Beginner's Luck  by Kate Clayborn (contemporary, romance) The Great Alone  by Kristin Hannah (historical, literary) One and Only  by Jenny Holiday (contemporary, romance) A Princess in Theory  by Alyssa Cole (contemporary, romance) Favorites: The Lost Books: The Scroll of Kings  by Sarah Prineas Love, Life, and the List by Kasie West The Penderwicks at Last  by Jeanne Birdsall

Here are my reading stats for June with my favorite reads of the month. Did you read any book in June you want to recommend?

As you can probably tell by how quiet it's been around here, this hasn't been the best year of reading for me as far as numbers go. There are a lot of reasons for this. The books I am reading though are great, and there have been some truly fantastic ones. Here are some of those: What are your favorite books of the year so far?

Sarah Prineas writes amazing books and I love and own them all. There are more than one copy of most of them in my house because my kids loved them too and need their own copies. I often get nervous when I read a new book from an author whose books I adore because there is the niggling worry that this will be the one I don't like. I'm becoming more and more convinced that's just never going to happen with Sarah's books. Her latest The Lost Books: The Scroll of Kings  had me riveted from page one and made me feel real, true, unadulterated love for a book. Something I haven't felt in quite a while. Disclaimer: This is a review of an early copy sent to me by the author who I am friendly with. That was what a librarian was, he realized, and he wanted to curse himself for being so slow to figure it out. A librarian was not just a cataloger, a sweeper, a duster, a collector of grass, an alphabetizer, a keeper of keys. A librarian was a protector . Of books.  ...