What I Read: November

I always love reading Native American and Indigenous authors in November and came across some really good ones this month! The first few books of the month were ones that rolled over from October as I hadn't quite finished them yet, then it was on to Native Authors for the rest of the month with a couple others sprinkled in.

Books:

• Dyslexia and Reading Difficulties: A Manual for Parents, Educators, and Students: Volume V- History of Special Education by David P. Hurford, Ph.D.- First of all, this book was written by my dad!!!! It was very thorough and did a great job showing how laws and action have come together over time to create the inclusive learning environments we have today. It also highlighted the work we still have to do to ensure students with dyslexia and reading difficulties receive the services they need based on the science of reading. 

• What the Fireflies Knew by Kai Harris- This was a beautiful story about a young girl wading ay through grief and trauma while still wanting the things all children want. "In life, we're going to get hurt. If we stay focused on the hurt, and nothing else, then we won't ever be able to heal. But if we focus on the healing, well, then we'll start to notice that hurt disappear. It's all a matter of what you choose to focus on." The ending was so well done and her description of the caterpillar was perfect.

• I Was a Teenage Slasher by Stephen Graham Jones- This one doubled as a book I wanted to read in October and didn't get to as well as a book written by a native author. There is so much I want to say, but so much I don't want to spoil. Stephen Graham Jones always ends his books in an unexpected way I didn't see coming, but it's so perfect, you can't imagine it ending any other way. I loved seeing a slasher through the slasher's eyes. It was an interesting twist after reading The Indian Lake trilogy which is written through the final girl's eyes.

With Halloween nails!

• The Truth According to Ember by Danica Nava- This was hard to read at times because I wanted to talk some sense into Ember! She figured things out in the end, thankfully, and ended up with her Native Daddy. I went to a book event with Nava and she was an absolute joy and had so much fun energy, I would have liked her book even if it wasn't good, but it was!

Reading on the couch with my cuties!

• Dyslexia and Reading Difficulties: A Manual for Parents, Educators, and Students: Volume VI- The Application of Special Education Law by David P. Hurford- This comprehensive book on the application of special education law is a must read for parents who have children on IEPs. It takes parents through the entire process, shares their legal rights, and even details how to request accomodations on college entrance exams.

• Funeral Songs for Dying Girls by Cherie Dimaline- Winifred is a lovable oddball labeled Wednesday Addams by her peers at school. She lives in a cemetery with her dad and her mom buried nearby. She has one human friend and her dog, Mrs. Dingleberry who is so fat, she pulls him around in a wagon. Then Phil comes along and changes everything.

• Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones- I read this in little pockets here and there and felt like I missed a lot of the underlying meaning because I didn't get the chance to sit down and focus on just reading the story.

• The First Cat in Space and the Wrath of the Paperclip by Mac Barnett & Shawn Harris- The kids and I went to a book event for the release of this book which made it even more fun to read. The addition of the unicorns was it for me. I also really enjoyed cat being a normal cat without his space suit. I loved this one.

• The Mistletoe Mystery by Nita Prose- I started this one after Thanksgiving and it was so short, I finished it before December! I was expecting a different kind of mystery, but this was so Molly! What would be obvious to anyone else was a mystery to her. This was a fun, little novella to start the Christmas reading season!

eBooks:

• The Answer Is No by Fredrik Backman- I came across a free version of this short story before it was officially released. It might be the one good thing that has come from Facebook ads! This short story had me laughing quite a bit. It was quirky and fun with a few interesting twists. I love Backman!

• Elatsoe by Darcie Little Badger- A girl who can call ghosts to her, a ghost dog, a ghost mammoth, fairies, vampires, good friends, and attempting to solve a suspicious death. Need I say more?

• Fevered Star by Rebecca Roanhorse- This book was setting the stage for a war in book 3 so it wasn't quite as exciting as the first book, but I loved getting to know the characters better. There were some surprising reveals throughout the book. It was chock full of incredible female heroines and I loved that! I listened to the first book as an audiobook which was nice because I knew how to pronounce all the characters' names for this one. I asked for the 3rd book in the series for Christmas and I'm excited to read it as a regular book.

Audiobooks:

• The Final Girl Support Group by Grady Hendrix- "Ever wonder what happens to those final girls after all their plans go belly up and all their weapons fail... they turn into women and they live." The Final Girl Support Group follows final girls who have joined together to support each other through their trauma, only to be targeted again. I enjoyed this take on the lives of final girls after the movie ends and before/while the sequel begins. My mom and I are going to an author event for Hendrix's new book in January so I'm catching up on his newer books which I hadn't read yet.

• LaRose by Louise Erdrich- I didn't like this as much as her other books, but it was good. I may have struggled to get into it as an audiobook and would have done better as a regular books. I've read her other books as physical books.

• Black Sun by Rebecca Roanhorse- I knew I was likely in for a book without an ending when I saw it was the first ins a series, but talk about a cliff hanger! It took a while for me to sort out the timeline and piece all of the characters together since I was listening to this as an audiobook, but once I did, it was so worth it! Every character was so complex and left you rooting for each one. I loved this book and am so excited to read the sequel.

• Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology by Shane Hawk- When I first saw this book and read all the authors listed I was blown away. There were so many incredible authors in one collection! I'm not always a fan of short stories because I want to stay with my characters longer, but these were all awesome!