February 2021 Reading WrapUp

 Goodbye February! 

February went by rather quickly and I wasn't able to fit in as many hikes as I would have liked so I actually had extra time to read. Woot! Most of my reads were on the shorter side this month but I was much more motivated than I was in January and really worked on getting through some of my challenge reads. 

I've also been a little extra motivated to actually keep track this year (I kind of fell off in 2020 thanks to covid) and started a customizable dot-grid reading journal, basically to record and track everything I used to record and track here when I had more time to write/blog. I really like having a hands-on, portable, and off-line option these days though so I might share soon.

Last year I made a goal to read at least one graphic novel a month and really enjoyed it. This year I decided to continue that goal but so far I've read two graphic novels a month and I might try to make that a new goal but it may depend on what I can get my hands on. I feel like there aren't enough graphic novels in the world yet. 

Garden update:
I haven't shared my gardening update in forever! 
The early freezes took out my peppers this year but we had a successful bunch of cabbage, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, turnips, and beets throughout winter. I still need to replace my peppers but I have tons of new seedlings outgrowing their starter pots and we had our first dandelion of the season pop up today! 

Back to the books!
Here's what I read in February!

Books I Finished in February

Class Act (New Kid #2) by Jerry Craft
Across the Green Grass Fields (Wayward Children #6) by Seanan McGuire
The Deep by Rivers Solomon

I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib
The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates


Started But Haven't Finished

Lore by Alexandra Bracken

Chapter books I read aloud to my daughter

Challenge Progress


ABC Challenge

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

8 / 26

PopSugar Reading Challenge

3 / 50

The 52 Book Club Challenge

4 / 52

New to Me Authors
Rivers Solomon
Abi Dare
Ta-Nehisi Coates

Want to keep up with what I'm reading or what my daughter and I are reading together?
Make sure to follow us on Bookstagram at 
@LazyDayLit  &  @LazyDayKidLit


Happy reading!!

I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Ghabir (Graphic Memoir)

 

I Was Their American Dream
A Graphic Novel
by Malaka Gharib
Published by Clarkson Potter Publishers
on April 30, 2019
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel, Memoir
Length: 160 pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:
One part Mari Andrew, one part Marjane Satrapi, I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir is a triumphant tale of self-discovery, a celebration of a family's rich heritage, and a love letter to American immigrant freedom. Malaka Gharib's illustrations come alive with teenage antics and earnest questions about identity and culture, while providing thoughtful insight into the lives of modern immigrants and the generation of millennial children they raised. 


My Thoughts:

Malaka Gharib gives an insightful look into her life growing up as an Egyptian-Filipino-American in California with parents that had differing backgrounds, religions, and dreams for their lives. Malaka juggles her parents' differing religions (her mother is Catholic and her father is Muslim) as well as her cultural heritage (Filipino and Egyptian) but also the American 'dream' and culture that she grew up with as a first-generation American. 

Malaka tells her coming-of-age story in a bold red, white, and blue color scheme that really ties in with the title of the book as well as the content. The illustrations are a little juvenile, or unproportionate, and the artist in me isn't always thrilled with this style but I do love that the style is consistent. There's also a lot of neat extras that remind me of zines, and this author/illustrator mentions in this memoir that she created zines in her youth and is the founder of The Runcible Spoon food zine, so I expect that is why they included such neat formatting for a comic/graphic novel-style memoir. 

I can't find any age recommendations for this online but personally think it is fine for young readers. There's no inflammatory language or mentions of sex or drugs (maybe a little rock-and-roll). 

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Class Act (New Kid #2) by Jerry Craft (YA Graphic Novel Review)

 

Class Act
(New Kid #2)
by Jerry Craft
Published by Quill Tree Books 
on October 6, 2020
Genre: Young Adult, Graphic Novel, Realistic Fiction
Length: 256 pages
Ages: 8 - 12 years

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:
In this companion book to New Kid, this time it's Jordan's friend Drew who takes center stage in a story about being one of the few kids of color in a prestigious private school. 


My Thoughts:

One of my goals in 2020 was to read more graphic novels, at least one per month,  and thanks to covid my selection was quite slim but I happened across New Kid and loved it despite that school settings aren't my 'cup of tea'.  

Class Act is a fantastic continuation to New Kid, featuring the budding artist, Jordan Banks, and his RAD friends, including Drew who takes center stage on the cover of this sequel.

In New Kid, Jordan attends the prestigious Riverdale Academy where he navigates new classes, teachers, and friendships, as well as racism and microaggression from both teachers and classmates.

In Class Act, Jordan and his friends start eighth grade at RAD, or Second Form, where Jordan and Drew continue to maneuver through high school life. There's more focus on Drew this time around, though still told from Jordan's pov, as well as more focus on their friendship with Liam, but all the same characters are present and the themes are much the same, making this a must-read for young readers and educators alike. 

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2021 Reading Challenge Progress Roundup

 Hello readers! 


This is my year-long reading challenge progress roundup where I will keep track of all of my reading goals and challenges.

Goodreads
I've been keeping my goal simple at 52 books for the past year or so. It's easier and less stressful to attempt to read at least one book a week these days! Going over makes me feel a bit more productive, too! 

2021 Reading Challenge

Stacy Renee has read 159 books toward her goal of 252 books.

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159 of 252 (63%)

view books

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ABC Challenge

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

18/ 26

See my goals post here.


PopSugar Reading Challenge

See my goals post here.

16/50

1. Published in 2021: Across the Green Grass Fields
2. Afrofuturistic: The Deep by Rivers Solomon
4. Author w/ same zodiac sign: The Mysterious Affair at Styles + The Colorado Kid
9. Book w/ family tree: The Cousins
12. Seen on someone else's shelves: The One and Only Ivan
16. Indigenous author: Elatsoe
17. Same title as a song: You Love Me
20. BLM reading list: Between the World & Me + Stamped: Remix
22. Set outdoors: Gone to the Woods
25. Published anonymously: Go Ask Alice
27. Starting over or Fresh starts: The Four Winds + The Midnight Library
29. Set in multiple countries: Listen, Slowly
30. Place I'd like to visit: Willa of the Woods
33. Features 3 generations: The Four Winds + The Cousins
35. New to me format: Emma in the Night on audio
36. Fewer than 1K reviews on GR or Amazon: T. Minus

(image borrowed from the52book.club)

The 52 Book Club Challenge

See my goals here.

24/52


1. Set in school: Class Act by Jerry Craft
3. Dual timeline: Thornhill by Pam Smy
4. Deceased author: Beezus & Ramona by Beverly Cleary
11. Discussion questions included: The Deep by Rivers Solomon
12. Title starts w/ D: The Dollhouse by Charis Cotter
13. Exotic animal: The One and Only Bob
15. Mentioned in another book: The One and Only Ivan (mentioned in The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise)
17. Character on the run: Embassy of the Dead
21. Kristin Hannah book: The Four Winds
23. Surprising ending: Final Girls
25. Multiple pov: Thornhill
26. Author of color: Betweeen the World & Me, The Deep, Stamped: Remix, The Girl With the Louding Voice, Long Way Down
28. Hist. era you know nothing about: The Four Winds
29. Features environment: The Four Winds, Animal Barn
31. Similar titles: The One and Only Bob vs Ivan
33. Features adoption: The Home for Unwanted Girls
34. 5 stars: The Poison Thread
37. Educational: Stamped:Remix
39. Alt history: Elatsoe
40. Found via Bookstagram: Later, The Home for Unwanted Girls, The Haunting of Alma Fielding
42. An epistolary: Go Ask Alice, Thornhill
43. Character w/ pet cat: Coyote Sunrise, The Midnight Library
46. Natl Book Award Winner: Inside Out & Back Again
51. Published in 2021: Across the Green Grass Fields

Read Around the World

January

[Class Act]
Riverdale Academy (Manhattan)
Washington Heights

[Speak]


[Chance: Escape from the Holocaust]
Warsaw, Poland 
Soviet Union
Turkistan

February

[Between the World and Me]
Chicago?

[The Girl with the Louding Voice]
Lagos, Nigeria

[I Was Their American Dream]
Cerritos, Los Angeles, CA

March

[Elatsoe]
Texas

[Inside Out & Back Again]
Saigon, Vietnam
Guam
Alabama

[The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise]
Oregon
Steamboat Springs, Colorado
Turquoise Lake, Colorado
Naples, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Petoskey, Michigan
Billings, Montana
Minnesota
Wallowa
Boise, Idaho
Yakima
Poplin Springs, Washington

April

[The One and Only Ivan]
Washington

[Hamnet]
Stratford
London

[A Walk in the Woods]
Maine
Springer, Georgia
Amicolola Falls
Franklin
Fontana Lake
Clingman's Dome
Gatlinburg
Rockfish Gap
Front Royal 
Harper's Ferry, WV

[The Four Winds]
Texas
California

[You Love Me]
Bainbridge, Washington
Los Angeles
Florida 

May

[The Desolations of Devil's Acre]
Florida

[Listen, Slowly]
Los Angeles
Vietnam

[Emma in the Night]
Maine

[The Colorado Kid]
Maine

[T. Minus: The Race to the Moon]
United States

JUNE

[The Haunting of Alma Fielding]
The United Kingdom

[The Home for Unwanted Girls]
Canada

[The Mysterious Affair at Styles]
England

[Later]
Maine?

[The Cousins]
?

JULY

[The Poison Thread]
London

[Moxie]
Small town, Texas

[The Invisible Life of Addie Larue]
France
England
New York City

[Gone to the Woods]
Chicago
? (mountainous state)
Manila, Philippines

[Hour of the Witch]
Boston, Massachusetts

AUGUST

[Off Trail]
Tuscon, Arizona

[Final Girls]
?

[Embassy of the Dead]
England

NEW TO ME AUTHORS
Brian Herbert
Greta Kelly
Uri Shulevitz
Rivers Solomon
Ta-Nehisi Coates
Abi Dare
Malaka Gharib
Darcie Little Badger
Thanhha Lai
Jason Reynolds
Luciana Comino
Dan Gemeinhart
Maggie O'Farrell
Katherine Applegate
Katherene Vermette
Bill Bryson
David Spuler
Amanda Gorman
Wendy Walker
Kate Elizabeth Russell
Kate Summerscale
Marie Kondo
Joanna Goodman
AJ Tedesco
Phillip Reeve
Don Wood
Jennifer Mathieu
Jeremy Ray
Joy McCollough
Chris Bohjalian
Pam Smy
Rick Polito
Will Mabbitt
TJ Klune
Charis Cotter
Mark Lawrence



GRAPHIC NOVELS
Dune: The Graphic Novel Vol 1 by Brian Herbert +
Speak: The Graphic Novel by Laurie Halse Anderson
Class Act (New Kid #2) by Jerry Craft
I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
The Incredible Nellie Bly by Luciana Comino
Pemmican Wars (A Girl Called Echo #1) by Katherene Vermette
Red River Resistance (A Girl Called Echo #2) by Katherene Vermette
Northwest Resistance (A Girl Called Echo #3) by Katherene Vermette
T. Minus: The Race to the Moon by Jim Ottaviani
The Handmaid's Tale: Graphic Novel
The Life-Changing Manga of Tidying Up by Marie Kondo
Into the Volcano by Don Wood
Raya and the Dragons
Mr. Corbett is in Orbit
Maker Comics: Survive in the Outdoors

Notable Nonfiction

Home Body by Rupi Kaur (poetry)
*A Promised Land by Barack Obama
Chance: Escape from the Holocaust by Uri Shulevitz
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
I Was Their American Dream by Malaka Gharib
The Incredible Nellie Bly by Luciana Cimino
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman (poetry)
The Haunting of Alma Fielding by Kate Summerscale
Stamped: Remix by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi
Gone to the Woods: Surviving A Lost Childhood by Gary Paulsen

You can keep up with what I'm reading at @LazyDayLit and what I'm reading to my child at @LazyDayKidLit on Bookstagram! 

The 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (2021)

 

(image borrowed from the52book.club)

Hello readers! 

I'm joining in on a new challenge this year to go along with the PopSugar Reading Challenge in hopes that I will expand my TBR and 'books read' lists. I've been seeing this one shared and thought I'd give it a go! 

RULES/GOALS:

Push yourself to read more! 
Attempt to read one book to fit each prompt.
Enjoy.


THE PROMPTS:
(I'm using this as a sort of TBR list and will list recommendations I am interested in or own for that prompt and will cross them out once I read them.)

1. Set in a school
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Class Act by Jerry Craft

2. Featuring the legal profession
The Night Swim by Megan Goldin
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim

3. A dual timeline
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
The Vanishing Half by Britt Bennett
*The Invisible Life of Addie Larue
Thornhill by Pam Smy


4. An author that is deceased
Beverly Cleary - Ramona and Beezus

5. Published by Penguin
Ready Player Two
The Broken Girls
A Sky Beyond the Storm
The Vanishing Half
The Light in Hidden Places

6. A character with the same name as a male family member


7. An author with only 1 published book
Black Beauty
My Dark Vanessa
The Year of the Witching

8. A book set in the 900's in the Dewey Decimal system
A Promised Land by Barack Obama

9. Set in a Mediterranean country
Circe

10.  Related to the word "fire"
Brain On Fire

11. Book with discussion questions inside
The Deep by Rivers Solomon

12. Title starting with the letter "D"
The Deep by Rivers Solomon
Dread Nation
Dune
The Dollhouse by Charis Cotter

13. Includes an exotic animal
The One and Only Ivan

14. Written by an author over 65 (when published)

15. Mentioned in another book
The One and Only Ivan (mentioned in The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise)

16. Set before the 17th century
Circe

17. A character on the run
Embassy of the Dead

18. Author with a 9-letter last name
Jim Ottaviani (T.Minus)

19. Book with a deckled edge
Willa of the Wood
Kill Creek

20. Made into a tv series
Firefly Lane
Drums of Autumn
(in future) Willa of the Wood

21. Book by Kristin Hannah
The Four Winds
Firefly Lane

22. A family saga

23. An ending that surprises you
Layla by Colleen Hoover
Final Girls

24. A book you think they should read in schools
Animal Barn

25. Book with multiple pov
Gods of Jade and Shadow
A Little Life
Thornhill
The Hideaway

26. An author of color
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison
The Deep by Rivers Solomon
The Girl With the Louding Voice by Abi Dare
Long Way Down by Jason Reynolds
Stamped: Remix by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X Kendi
Ophie's Ghost 

27. First chapter ends on an odd number
Dark Waters

28. Includes a historical event you know nothing about
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

29. Featuring the environment
The Four Winds
Animal Barn
Fable by Adrienne Young

30. Watch out for dragons!

31. Shares a similar title to another book
The One and Only Bob similar to The One and Only Ivan
The Collectors

32. A selfish character
Firefly Lane
Verity
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

33. Featuring adoption
The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell
The House in the Cerulean Sea
The Home For Unwanted Girls

34. A book you'd rate 5 stars
The Poison Thread by Laura Purcell

35. Set in a country starting with the letter "S"
Heidi (Switzerland)

36. A nameless narrator

37. An educational read
Stamped: Remix

38. Recommended on BookBub
The Night Swim

39. An alternative history novel
The Once and Future Witches
11/22/63
Elatsoe

40. Found via bookstagram
Later by Stephen King
The Home for Unwanted Girls
The Haunting of Alma Fielding

41. An endorsement by a famous author on the cover
The Invisible Life of Addie Larue

42. An epistolary
An American Marriage
Go Ask Alice
Thornhill

43. A character with a pet cat
The Midnight Library
The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise

44. Includes a garden
Thornhill

45. A coming of age novel

46. Winner of a national book award
Inside Out and Back Again
The Poet X

47. A character with a disability

48. A cover with a woman who is facing away

49. A flavour in the title

50. A shoe on the cover

51. Published in 2021
Across the Green Grass Fields

52. Re-do one of the previous 51 categories

Want to participate in this challenge? 
Check out the 52 Book Club website for more info! 

February 2021 TBR & Goals

 

Hello readers!

I'm posting this a little late but I've finally found a moment to blog and this seems like the best place to start.
Goals! Did I ever get around to talking about my new year goals? I didn't set many. Read 52 books or more. Read at least 30 chapter books to my daughter. Keep up with bookstagram (and our new kidstagram? kidbookstagram? kidlitstagram?) occasionally.   

January didn't turn out too well. Perhaps it was because I focused more on recording goals and challenges and setting up trackers in my bujo so I can hold myself accountable instead of reading much of anything.  I think I really needed a break, but I'm motivated and fitting in more and more reading time as I find my balance with... ugh... just everything. 

So here are the books I hope I can get around to reading this month:

What's on your February TBR?
Any new releases you're looking forward to?