What I Read: November

November was a great month for reading. I read quite a few books by native authors for Native American Heritage Month. I tend to read quite a few native authors because the library by our house is the Native American Resource Center so I always see great books displayed there. I made an extra effort to check out more of them this month.

Thanksgiving break reading and cuddles, I had a squishmellow under the blanket with me, in case you were wondering why I look pregnant, haha!

Enjoying a book under my new Thanksgiving blanket from the Turkey Trot.

Books:

• The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean- I started this as an ebook, but I just couldn't make it through it so I switched to a regular book. I still struggled a bit but liked it more as a regular book. The mind eaters just grossed me out and upset me enough that I had a hard time reading the book.

• Smile by Raina Telgemeier- My students all love Telgemeier and Carter always wants to read her new books when they come out. I had to know what the talk is all about so I read this one. I wasn't sure what the hype was all about. I don't know if it's because she writes about thoughts and feelings that so many kids have or what. I didn't think this was better than other graphic novels I've read. I'm going to read some of her other graphic novels to see if I like those more. It may also be reading it as an adult because she came across as a whiner to me.

• The Sentence by Louise Erdrich- This book had so many pieces and they all fit together perfectly. It was not what I was expecting and I loved it. Bonus was that I came across it in the bargain section at Books a Million. Erdrich is a member of the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians.

• The Chicken Sisters by K.J. Dell'Antonia- I kept seeing this book so when I came across it at Goodwill, I picked it up. I read the back cover and realized it was based on the story of the 2 competing fried chicken restaurants in my home town so I was excited to read it. I really liked it and it was fun to picture it as Chicken Annie's and Chicken Mary's.

• Blood Sisters by Vanessa Lillie- My mom got me this book at an author event she went to. I really wanted to go, but wasn't able to, so I was thrilled to still get a signed copy! It came with a lovely bookmark I enjoyed using as I read it. This was one that was hard to put down and there were multiple twists in the book that I didn't see coming. Lillie is an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma.

• Tokyo Dreaming by Emiko Jean- This was the sequel to Tokyo Ever After. It was just as cute as the first one and I really enjoyed it.

• Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson- Every time she writes a book, I'm so excited to read it whether it's a picture book, middle grade novel, young adult, or adult book. She never disappoints. She is absolutely incredible. I loved this one.

eBooks:

• On Air with Zoe Washington by Janae Marks- This was the sequel to From the Desk of Zoe Washington. I was really excited about it because Carter read the first one and loved it so much, he insisted I read it. I read it and loved it. We started reading it aloud together in the evenings, but Carter lost interest and Elise wanted to read something else, so I ended up reading it by myself. I enjoyed it quite a bit. There was no comparison to the first one, but I did like getting to find out what happened next in her story.

• This Indian Kid: A Native American Memoir by Eddie Chuculate- I saw this book at our indie bookstore and I was super excited about it. It was okay. Chuculate is enrolled int he Muscogee Nation and is of Cherokee descent.

Audiobooks:

• In the Woods by Tana French- This one was a little slow but was really good toward the end. I ended the book still wanting to know about the unsolved mystery from years before. I'm hoping there are answers in the following books in the series.

• Young and Restless: The Girls Who Sparked America's Revolutions by Mattie Kahn- This one started out so good and fizzled for me. I really enjoyed learning about girls I had never heard of before.

• Yellow Bird: Oil, Murder, and a Woman's Search for Justice in Indian Country by Sierra Crane Murdoch- This was really interesting and I was surprised to find out at the end of the book that Lissa helped lead search parties for Savanna whose disappearance I read about in Searching for Savanna.

• Dog Flowers: A Memoir by Danielle Geller- I was listening to this at the same time as I was reading This Indian Kid. There were aspects of their life that were very similar so it got confusing and made me enjoy both books less than I think I would have if I'd read them at separate times. Geller is a member of the Navajo Nation.