MONDAY FUNDAY – May 7, 2018

Happy Monday, friends! It’s Monday, What Are You Reading? is hosted by Kathryn at The Book Date, and adapted by Kellee at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts with a children’s/YA focus. The Sunday Post is hosted by The Caffeinated Book Reviewer. These weekly roundups are a great way to discover new blogs and bloggers, share some of the titles you’ve been enjoying, and add to your ever-growing to-read list.

And just like that, it’s May! Oh my goodness, how did that happen? I can’t believe we’re so far into the year already, though I’m always happy to say farewell to the endless, grey rainy days of winter.

In exciting book new, Wild One has been included in two Canadian subscription book boxes! Little Red Canoe Book Co. is an Ontario-based book box service that “aims to connect young readers with nature”. Wild One is all about getting outside, being active and using your imagination, so it’s really a perfect fit!

Marmalade Books is a children’s book box service that’s based in my very own province, and which provides carefully curated collections of books for young children. They always have a wonderful selection of books in each box, so I was thrilled to see Wild One including in one of their monthly boxes! Look at me rubbing shoulders with Jillian Tamaki!

 

So, with my exciting news aside, it’s time to get on to the books! Have you been reading anything good recently? I’ve been having quite a bit of luck with my reading recently, so I have a couple of books to share with you this week. I’d love to be able to do these kinds of Monday posts every week, but in the interest of full disclosure I’m not a very quick reader, and I don’t necessarily have new reads to share here every week!

Here’s what I’ve been reading recently:

The Lady in the Tower

Now, I’ve read quite a few books either about or featuring Anne Boleyn, and it’s fascinating to see how different authors interpret and explore this fascinating and history-making individual. In some versions, she’s a harlot, a power-hungry temptress, a cruel and calculating woman who lured the king into her clutches. In other accounts she’s a powerless woman used by her power-hungry family to raise her family’s social standing. Rarely, though, does she ever come across as an actual human being. In this version, the tables are turned, and Anne is pursued by the king and is swept up in court intrigue against her will. Having seen her sister Mary used and discarded by the king, and realizing how little power women have in her world, Anne decides she has no choice but to use her newfound influence to create her own future. It’s the most sympathetic portrayal of Anne that I think I’ve ever read, and it offers a fascinating look at Anne’s early life in France, which heavily influenced her later life. It’s quite an interesting read, and different from any other similar title I’ve read. Plaidy is a very prolific author, and I’m very curious about her other works.

Artists in Crime

I love Ngaio Marsh, and if you’re a fan of the classic English who-dunnit, I highly recommend trying one of her Alleyn mysteries. One of the reasons I love this series so much is Marsh’s portrayal of Alleyn’s love interest, Agatha Troy. Troy is a fantastic female character. She really is Alleyn’s equal. Troy is a successful artist with her own established career, and she owns her own business. She wears her hair short and goes by her last name, she doesn’t have time for things like makeup or fancy clothes, and while she’s intrigued by our hero, she isn’t swept away by him, and Alleyn has to work to woo her over. Artists in Crime introduces Agatha Troy, and for that it’s one of my favourite Inspector Alleyn novels.

Oi Dog!

If you enjoyed Oi Frog!, odds are you will enjoy Oi Dog!, because it really is exactly the same book. In the first title, Cat explains to Frog the rules that govern where each animal must sit. In this entry, Frog decides to put his own spin on things, and come up with his own seating arrangements. It’s very silly, very funny, and pretty much exactly the same as the first one – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, since the first title was a big hit around these parts!

Yum Yum! 

This sweet, simple board book is an absolute delight, and a must-have for baby story times! The bold, black lines and primary colours are perfect for the very youngest readers, and the fun cut-outs let children “feed” the different animals! It’s so, so much fun, super simple, super sweet, and very developmentally appropriate. If you work with or take care of babies and haven’t read anything by Yonezu before, you need to get your hands on one of his many titles!

I hope everyone is having a great spring so far, and I can’t wait to read about your recent reads!