January 2022 Reading Wrap Up & Challenge Progress

 

Goodbye January!

It's hard to believe we're already a month into the year.
We've been hard at work with homeschool and our reading goals. It's been chillier than usual and we haven't been on many hikes so far this new year, but we did get plenty of great new reads in! 

I'm not as active here, although I am still trying to keep up with my reviews. There's just a lot going on in my life right now and I can't spend as much time writing as I'd like. If anyone is still reading my posts, hello and I greatly appreciate you! I hope you're reading all the best books! 

 You can follow what I'm reading at Bookstagram, Goodreads (includes our KidLit reads,) and StoryGraph [username; stacyrenee] (does not include our KidLit reads.)


Back to January. 
I finished reading 9 books this month, 
including 1 nonfiction audiobook, 1 book of poetry, and 2 graphic novels. 




Books Read in January

Chapter Books Read Out Loud

CHALLENGE PROGRESS

ABC CHALLENGE

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

7 / 26

JAN: +7
C, E, G, H, L, N, V


BookRiot's READ HARDER Challenge

1 / 24

JAN: +1
Prompt #12: Read a poetry collection
Read: Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman



The52BookClub Reading Challenge

5 / 52

JAN: +5

Prompt #3: Title starting with the Letter "E"
Read: Emlyn's Moon by Jenny Nimmo

Prompt #11: A book w/ less than 2022 reviews on GR
Read: Graceling: Graphic Novel by Kristin Cashore & Gareth Hinds 

Prompt #27: Includes a map
Read: The Hunger by Alma Katsu

Prompt #34: Author's photo on back of book
Read: Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman

Prompt #52: A book published in 2022
Read: Northwind by Gary Paulsen



PopSugar Reading Challenge

2 / 40

JAN: +1

Prompt #1: Book published in 2022
Read: Northwind by Gary Paulsen

Prompt #15: Written by Pacific-Islander
Read: Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw


NEW TO ME AUTHORS

Erin Zammett Ruddy
Cassandra Khaw
Rachel Smythe
Gareth Hinds
Soman Chainani



I think that's about it on stats and challenges I want to track here.

I hope you all had a great start to the year!
Happy reading! 

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Norman Didn't Do It! (Yes, he did.) by Ryan T. Higgins (Children's Picture Book Review)

Norman Didn't Do It!
(Yes, he did.)
by Ryan T. Higgins
Published by Disney-Hyperion
on September 7, 2021
Genre: Children's, Picture Books, Humor
Length: 48 pages
Ages: 3 - 5 years

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:
Norman is a porcupine. Mildred is a tree.
Norman and Mildred are best friends. Just the two of them. And only the two of them. But when a surprise pops up, life will never be the same again. 


Our Thoughts:

What's a porcupine to do when his best friend makes a new friend?

Norman's best friend is a tree. They do everything together.
But when a new friend pops up, Norman just can't handle it! He worries so much that he does something drastic; something so terrible, he eventually has to make it right.

Ryan T. Higgins never disappoints! We have loved everything we've read by him so far. His picture books are all so funny and this one was no exception. From his characters' expressions to their words and actions, his books always keep my Little Reader giggling.  

If you've enjoyed any of the hilarious Mother Bruce books, you'll recognize Higgins' illustration style and humor and enjoy this just as much! I'd also recommend this to fan of the Elephant & Piggie series by Mo Willems! 

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NatGeoKids World Atlas: Sixth Edition (Children's Nonfiction Book Review)

We received a physical copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

National Geographic Kids'
World Atlas
Sixth Edition
Published by National Geographic Society
on August 24, 2021
Genre: Children's Nonfiction
Length: 216 pages
Ages: 10 - 14 years
Grade level: 3 - 5th 

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:
The map experts at National Geographic bring you a new atlas that captures our world with completely updated maps, stats, and fun facts--the perfect reference for curious kids and students. 

Learn all about the people, places, trends, and developments of our world in the sixth edition of this acclaimed atlas. All the latest, greatest geographic and political information makes this a valuable resource for using in the classroom or reading at home.


My Thoughts:

Many thanks to the publisher for providing a copy of this atlas that we've used nearly every (home)school day so far this month thanks to our Language Arts curriculum's focus on countries, cultures, and folklore. 

This atlas includes a wonderfully wide and varied look at our home planet, from sharing its' place in the solar system, to its time zones, landforms, and more.
It shares a collection of informational maps as well as the continents and all the countries within them, including physical and political maps. 
And, as always, National Geographic Kids' books include a wealth of extra facts and gorgeous, colorful photos to round out this wonderful resource! 

We created a special GoogleMaps map to tag all of our literary locations and settings but having a physical map--or many--is so much more useful for our everyday hands-on lessons!

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The Umbrella Lady (Umbrella #1) by "V.C. Andrews" (YA Contemporary Mystery Book Review)

The Umbrella Lady
(Umbrella #1)
by VC Andrews
Published by Gallery Books
on February 2, 2021
Genre: Adult, Contemporary, Drama
Length: 304 pages

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:
A young girl who has lost her father finds herself at the mercy of a mysterious woman who is not quite what she seems.

Left on a train platform in an unfamiliar village, little Saffron Faith Anders is certain her father will return shortly, just like he promised. She holds out hope even as the hours pass and the station grows dark. When a strange old woman with a large umbrella approaches and inquires about her situation, Saffron doesn't immediately trust the imposing do-gooder, but with the chances of her father returning growing ever slimmer, she agrees to rest at the old woman's house. 

Her stay was supposed to be for a few minutes, hours at most, but soon, Saffron realizes she has been confined to a house of dark secrets and is now at the mercy of the enigmatic Umbrella Lady. One minute grandmotherly and the next wickedly cruel, she shears Saffron's hair and burns her clothes. When strange letters arrive from Saffron's father, claiming that he will send for her shortly, hope returns to her young heart. But Saffron soon discovers that those who claim to love you will often hurt you the most...


My Thoughts:

Saffron Faith Anders is abandoned by her father at a small-town train station shortly after her mother dies in a house fire. The Umbrella Lady finds her and coaxes Saffron home with her, promising that her father will know where to find her, but as the days pass Saffron must come to terms with the fact that her father will not return.
The Umbrella Lady, or Mazy, homeschools Saffron, intent on raising her and protecting her from the outside world. But Saffron is determined and intelligent enough to make it on her own and dreams of the day she will have the chance. 

I read a lot of VC Andrews' original series in my youth and even though I am aware that her books are now ghostwritten, this book had everything I would expect of a VC Andrews novel.
It's a coming-of-age story about an abandoned girl who must rely on adults who may or may not have her best interests at heart and learns to maneuver her new life of confinement and secrecy.

As always, VC Andrews' books tend to lean towards tough subjects and sometimes triggering content, such as abandonment, child abuse, neglect, and more. 


The sequel, Out of the Rain, is out now! 

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If The World Were 100 People by Jackie McCann (Children's Nonfiction Picture Book Review)

 

If the World Were 100 People:
A Visual Guide to Our Global Village
Written by Jackie McMann
Illustrations by Aaron Cushley
Published by Crown Books for Young Readers
on July 20, 2021
Genre: Children's, Nonfiction
Length: 32 pages
Ages: 4 - 8 years

Goodreads | Amazon | B&N | BookDepository

Synopsis:
Help your child become a global citizen with this accessible introduction to the people who live on our planet, with big ideas broken into bite-size chunks through clever graphic design. Perfect for home and classroom settings! 

With almost 7.8 billion people sharing the earth, it can be a little hard to picture what the human race looks like all together. But if we could shrink the world down to just 100 people, what could we learn about the human race? What would we look like? Where and how would we all be living? This book answers all these questions and more!

Reliably sourced and deftly illustrated, If the World Were 100 People is the perfect starting point to understanding our world and becoming a global citizen. If we focus on just 100 people, it's easier to see what we have in common and what makes us unique. Then we can begin to appreciate each other and also ask what things we want to change in our world. 


My Thoughts:

Want an easier way to show the differences and similarities of ALL the billions of people on Earth to young learners? What better way for Littles to understand our global village than to break those similarities and differences down into an easy-to-see one hundred people? Each of those 100 people would represent around 80 million people in the world today! 

So, how many of those '100 people' are male or female? How different is our DNA? How many people have enough to eat each day? How many have a safe place to live and how many don't? How about access to electricity or the internet or education?

If the World Were 100 People helps share the 'bigger' picture of our world and the people in it by breaking down these and many other facts into groups that younger children can more readily see and imagine than millions and billions. 

I especially loved the discussions this book brought forth as well as how the answers to these questions may change over time as the population grows and better access to food and medicine allows people to live longer.

This children's nonfiction is perfect for both a home or classroom setting!

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BookRiot's 2022 READ HARDER Challenge

 

(The above image belongs to BookRiot)

This is the EIGHTH annual Read Harder challenge but only my second year participating. I really love how this challenge pushes us to really read outside our comfort zones and genres! 

Are you joining in?

HASHTAG:

#READHARDER

THE PROMPTS:

(I may fill these in as I go!)

1. Read a biography of an author you admire

2. Read a book set in a bookstore

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore
The Thirteenth Tale

3. Read any book from the Women's Prize Shortlist/longlist/winner list
An American Marriage
The Tiger's Wife
Piranesi
A Little Life
The Vanishing Half
Pachinko

4. Read a book in any genre by a POC that's about joy and not trauma

With the Fire On High
The Firekeeper's Daughter

5. Read an anthology featuring diverse voices

BlackOut

6. Read a nonfiction YA comic

Drowned City
Run: Book One by John Lewis +

7. Read a romance where at least one of the protagonists is over 40

The House in the Cerulean Sea
Lore Olympus Vol 1 & 2 (Hades is 2000+ yrs old)

8. Read a classic written by a POC

The Bluest Eye

9. Read a book that's been on your TBR the longest

The Bluest Eye

10. Read a political thriller by a marginalized author (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+)
Velvet Was the Night

11. Read a book with an asexual or aromantic partner

Dread Nation

12. Read an entire poetry collection

Call Us What We Carry

13. Read an adventure story by a BIPOC author

14. Read a book whose movie or tv adaptation you've seen but haven't read the book yet

The Viscount Who Loved Me (Bridgerton #2)
Firestarter
Heartstopper Vol 1 - 4

15. Read a new-to-you literary magazine (print or digital)
Scarenthood

16. Read a book recommended by a friend with different reading tastes
Ugly Love

17. Read a memoir by someone who is trans or nonbinary

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabi

18. Read a "Best ____ Writing of the Year" for a topic and year of your choice

19. Read a horror novel by a BIPOC author

Certain Dark Things
Fledgling

20. Read an award-winning book from the year you were born

Lonesome Dove

21. Read a queer retelling of a classic in the canon, fairytale, folklore, or myth
The Girl From the Sea by Molly Knox Ostertag

22. Read a historical novel about a period you know little about 

The Children's Blizzard

23. Read a book by a disabled author

Kindred
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Get A Life, Chloe Brown
Brief Answers to the Big Questions by Stephen Hawking

24. Pick a prompt from any previous years' challenge to repeat! 

Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas

Want to join in?

You can find out more about the challenge at BookRiot!

You can keep up with what I'm reading at Goodreads & Bookstagram!

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2022 ABC Reading Challenge

Hello readers! 

Happy New Year! 

I've been participating in some form of this ABC challenge for years and enjoy crossing out titles and adding to lists so here we go again! 

PREVIOUS YEARS

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022 ABC READING CHALLENGE

*title = currently reading

title = finished reading

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

MY TBR LIST

(scroll down for list of books I ended up reading)

A
An American Marriage | Aquicorn Cove

B

Before We Were Yours | The Bird Eater | The Bluest Eye | The Book of Accidents | The Bookwanderers | The Broken Girls

C

Call Us What We Carry | Carrie | Cemetery Boys | The Children's Blizzard | Concrete Rose | Confessions on the 7:45

D

Daisy Jones and the Six | Damnation Spring | Deacon King Kong | The Death of Jane Lawrence | The Dressmakers of Auschwitz

E

Emlyn's Moon | Empty Smiles | Entangled Life | The Eye of the World

F

The Final Girl Support Group | The Firekeeper's Daughter

G

Gallant | Gideon the Ninth | *The Girls in the Stilt House | Graceling | The Guest List

H

The Haunting of Leigh Harker | A History of Wild Places | The Hunger

I

The Invited

J

Joyland

K

King of Scars

L

The Last House On Needless Street | The Last Time I Lied | Layla | Let Me Go | The Library Of the Dead | A Little Life | Lore Olympus | The Lost Apothecary | The Lost Village

M

The Maidens | Middlegame | Milk & Honey | My Best Friend's Exorcism 

N
Northwind | Nothing But Blackened Teeth

O

One by One | Out of the Easy | Out of the Rain

P

Pachinko | Pax, Journey Home | The Poet X | Practical Magic | The Pull of the Stars 

Q

R

The Ravenous Dead | Resurrection Road | Rule of Wolves

S

The Sanatorium | The Secrets We Share | The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo | The Shape of Darkness | Shuggie Bain | The Silent Patient | Sorrowland | State of Terror | Stolen | Such A Fun Age | The Sum Of Us

T

Tender Is The Flesh | Three Sisters | The Tiger Rising | Tokyo Ever After

U
Ugly Love

V

Velvet Was The Night | Verity

W

We Live Inside Your Eyes | When the World Was Ours | Where the Drowned Girls Go | The Wolf and the Woodsman | Wolf Hall

X

Y

Z

BOOKS I ACTUALLY READ IN 2022

*title = currently reading

title = finished reading

A
An Offer From A Gentleman
Ain't Burned All the Bright 
The Aquanaut (GN)
Aquicorn Cove (GN)
Amari and the Night Brothers
Animal Barn
The Accursed Vampire (GN)
Anna and the Apocalypse

B
The Bluest Eye
The Boy Who Met A Whale
Burn the Bridge: Poetry and Prose
The Book of Cold Cases
The Best We Could Do (GN)
The Book of Accidents
Bloom (GN)
Bridge of Souls

C
Call Us What We Carry by Amanda Gorman
Concrete Rose by Angie Thomas
Calm the F*ck Down
Cat's Cradle: The Golden Twine (GN)
The Cartographers

Carrie
Chivalry (GN)
Crumbs (GN)
Cackle
A Christmas Story
A Christmas Carol

D
Damnation Spring

Don't Turn Out the Lights
Dash & Lily's Book of Dares

E
Emlyn's Moon
Enola Holmes: the graphic novels Volume 1
Empty Smiles
The Evil Dead (GN)
Entangled Life

F
Fly By Night by Tara O'Connor (GN)
Firestarter
The Final Girl Support Group
Fever by Shilo Niziolek

G
Graceling (Graphic Novel)
Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes
The Guide by Peter Heller
Gender Queer by Maia Kobabi (GN)
The Girl From the Sea (GN)

Garlic and the Vampire (GN)
Garlic and the Witch (GN)
I'm Glad My Mom Died
Ghostlight
Gravebooks
Grandma Gatewood's Walk
The Graveyard Book Vol 1 (GN)
The Graveyard Book Vol 2 (GN)
Ghosts (GN)

H
The Hunger by Alma Katsu
A History of Wild Places
Heartstopper Vol 1 - 4
The Hacienda
Horrorstor
How To Raise An Anti-Racist
Haven Jacobs Saves the Planet

Healing From Toxic Relationships

I
It's In His Kiss
The Invited
Invisible

J

Joyland

K

L

The Little Book of Life Skills
Lore Olympus Vol 1
The Last Cuentista
The Last Time I Lied
Lore Olympus Vol 2
Louisa June and the Nazis in the Sea
A Lullaby For Witches
The Lost Apothecary

Long Live the Pumpkin Queen
Lumberjanes Vols 1 - 4 (GN)

M
Milk and Honey
Mercury
Maid: Hard Work, Low Pay, and a Mother's Will to Survive
Mooncakes
Miss Butterworth and the Mad Baron
My Best Friend's Exorcism
My Side of the Mountain

N
Northwind by Gary Paulsen
Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw
Nimona
Notes On A Nervous Planet
Nettle and Bone
Nick and Charlie (novella)

O
Out of the Rain by 'VC Andrews'
Outdoor Kids In An Inside World
Over the Garden Wall
On the Way to the Wedding
On A Sunbeam

P
Paper Girls Vol 1
The Prince and the Dressmaker
Practical Magic
Pumpkinheads

Q

R
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry
Run: Book One
Recitatif

Romancing Mister Bridgerton
The Rules of Magic

S
Sorceline
Sleepwalk
Sleeping Beauties Vol 1
Suspicious Minds
Snapdragon
Slewfoot
The Sisters of Luna Island

T
Took: the Graphic Novel
To Sir Phillip, With Love
This One Summer

The Thirteenth Tale
A Thousand Winters In Me

U
Ugly Love
Unmasked (Fright Watch)

V
The Viscount Who Loved Me

W
Where the Drowned Girls Go
Wake the Bones
The Witch, The Sword, and the Cursed Knights
When He Was Wicked
When Women Were Dragons
The Whispers
What Moves the Dead
Witchlings
The Witchcraft of Salem Village
Welcome to Dead House
The Witches: Salem 1692
We Sold Our Souls
What Lives in the Woods
Witchlight

X

Y
The Year of the Witching

Z

I'll be linking up to the 2022 Alphabet Soup Reading Challenge hosted by EscapeWithDollycas.
You can see the general rules and sign up HERE.

You can follow and see what I'm currently reading at Goodreads & Bookstagram! 

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