What I've Been Reading : 2021 Edition

Surprisingly, I got a lot of books read this year. Cora and I started reading for about an hour most school nights so she could stay up a bit later. I have also been listening to more audiobooks on my daily walks or outdoor chore time. Here is what I read this year in chronological order:

The Light We Lost by Jill Santopolo - Lucy and Gabe meet on 9/11 and follows along as their relationship grows (both as they're together and apart). I did not like a lot of the choices the main character makes, but this was a good quick read. 

Concrete Rose (The Hate U Give, #0) by Angie Thomas - This is the prequel for The Hate U Give This book follows Starr's dad Maverick as a teenager, his relationship with Starr's mom, finding out he is going to be a father, getting a job, and more. I really enjoyed the expanded background of these characters. 

A Woman Is No Man by Etaf Rum - In an arranged marriage, a woman moves to America where her new husband and his Palestinian immigrant family lives (all together). The book bounces around betweem her first seven years of marriage, her daughter's 18th year, and her mother-in-law's perspective... all while they deal with their role as women and cultural pressure especially concerning marriage. Parts of this were difficult to read (TW: Rape and abuse) but also there is a lot of pressure to submit to their husbands, can't make their own choises and pressured into traditional roles of cleaning/cooking/childcare. I did enjoy the different perspective of the women and the development of their characters. This was one I could not put down.

The Kommandant's Girl by Pam Jenoff - Set in Poland during WWII. The book follows Emma as her husband leaves to join the resistance and she moves to the Jewish ghetto with her parents before being smuggled out. She assumes a new identity and goes undercover. Lots of suspense!

The Diplomat's Wife (The Kommandant's Girl #2) by Pam Jenoff - Picks up where the last book leaves off but follows Marta, a friend of Emma. Marta is rescued from a Nazi prison camp, falls in love, starts a new life in England but years later needs to return to meet with her old resistance contacts. I couldn't put this one down. 

* The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander - Discusses mass incarceration, war on drugs, etc. Highly recommend!! 

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane - Covers the span of 40 years. How two families lives collided (not always in the best way) and the recovery from an incident that changed all their lives. Contains mental illness, broken families, young love, redemption, forgiveness, etc.. I had no idea how this book was going to turn out, but I liked it.

* The Autobiography of Malcolm X by Alex Haley and Malcolm X - I learned a lot about Malcolm X's life. This was narrated by Laurence Fishburne who is really a great choice to listen to for hours.

* A Promised Land by Barack Obama - Interesting to hear some behind the scenes of his presidency. There was way more politics than I expected, but overall good. I enjoyed that he narrated it. 

The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff - Noa, a dutch teenager, saves a baby and runs off to join the circus where she meets Astrid. The book follows along both of their stories. 

* Up from Slavery by Booker T. Washington - Traces Booker T Washington's journey from slave to educator

House Rules by Jodi Picoult - Mystery surroundinf a murder + boy with asbergers obsessed with crime scenes. This bounces around between different characters point of view. Overall suspensful. 

* Frederick Douglass: The Story of an American Slave by Frederick Douglass - autobiography of Frederick Douglass.

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban by J.K. Rowling - Read/listened to this one with Cora. I love the illustrated version since it is easier for her to follow along. We listened to the last half of the book on a road trip and she is quickly becoming a Harry Potter audiobook fan (aren't we all?)

A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline - bounced back and forth between a woman's older years and upbringing. Christina was increasingly incapacitated by her illness and spent her whole life on her family farm. Eventually becoming a muse to an artist. 

The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris - Lale, who was imprisoned at Auschwitz, falls in love with a girl he was tattooing at the concentration camp. I've heard this was amazing so I was was a little skeptical reading, but it really did live up to the hype. Immediately when I finished I rented the ebook for the second one.

Cilka's Journey (The Tattooist of Auschwitz #2) by Heather Morris -Follows Cilka's journey after Auschwitz. Couldn't put it down. 

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett - Follows twin sisters as they leave home and eventually separate. One returns to their hometown while the other decides to 'pass over' and live as a white woman. I wasn't sure where this was going to to, but it was a great read.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green - Two terminally ill teenagers fall in love.  The book was fine, but I feel like it was really hyped up. 

Somebody's Daughter by Ashley C. Ford - Ford's father was in jail for nearly 30 years. This tells the story of a family that must shoulder the weight that such an absence creates. 

* 1984 by George Orwell - a dystopian world heavy on censorship. Honestly this took me a long time to get through. The first part was good but it felt like it dragged on. 

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate - Follows the lives of the five Foss siblings who grew up living on a shantyboat (1939) but eventually were taken from their family. The book bounces between 1939ish and present day. Based on the true scandal of Geortia Tann, a woman whose adoption center kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families. This book was so good and probably one of my favorites of the year. 

* Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery - Anne, an orphan, is adopted by siblings Matthew and Marilla. Anne is chatty and full of imagination. I have always loved the film series when I was younger and now Anne with an E, so I enjoyed reading the book.

*Books ready with my ears AKA Audiobooks.

See previous years here: 2019 and 2020

What I've Been Reading... 2019 Edition

A couple years ago, I realized I had only read one book for the entire year... ONE BOOK! I was always a bookworm growing up so only reading one book in an entire year is kind of sad for me. So the following year my goal was to read at least one book each month. I barely squeezed in 12 books that year, but it reminded me how much I loved to read. This year, my goal was to read more than 12 books in the year. I barely squeaked by with 13 books, but found that reading before bedtime was a great way to wind down my day... and I'm well on my way to doubling my books read this coming year. I love to see what people are reading (and recently obsessed with Goodreads), but I thought I'd share what I've been reading throughout the year and what I loved.

I'm Judging You by Luvvie Ajayi - I have been following Luvvie on Instagram for years. Her book is described perfectly as " humorous essays that dissect our cultural obsessions and calls out bad behavior in our increasingly digital, connected lives". This was a quick read and had me laughing out loud frequently.

The Magnolia Story by Chip and Joanna Gaines - I'm no Fixer Upper super fan, but I've watched the show and I'm familiar with Chip and Jo. This was another quick read and fun to see some background of how they got to where they are.

Becoming by Michelle Obama - Great read!  I loved learning more about Michelle Obama and her upbringing. As a working mom, it was interesting to read how she balanced that and the different struggles she went through.

Educated by Tara Westover - Ohhh myyy gosshh! This is a MUST READ! This is a memoir about how Tara grew up basically in isolation. Her parents didn't believe in the government, schools, or modern day medicine. Every single chapter had something that would make me say "what the heck?!" out loud. 

My Notorious Life by Kate Manning - Another book that blew me away! Quote a few twists and turns happened in Axie's young life and she ends up living with a doctor and becoming an apprentice. Eventually, she becomes a midwife and is willing to take care of issues many other midwives aren't.

Fin & Lady by Cathleen Schine - A young boy loses both his parents and moves in with his half sister that is really not prepared to be a parent. The book follows their first couple years together and how they learn to take care of each other. 

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman - Another good one! A cranky old man slowly melts his icy exterior and builds relationships with his neighbors. Ove was equally frustrating and relatable throughout the book and it was hard to put down.

Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone the Illustrated Edition by JK Rowling - I've always loved reading Harry Potter and the illustrated version makes it easier to read with the girls (mostly Cora).

Real American a Memoir by Julie Lythcott-Haims - A memoir about growing up mixed race in America. I loved the style this was written in with some shorter one page snippets and longer couple page chapters. This was sent to me through Foxed Box (a personalized subscription service) and it was a perfect fit. 

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett - A swanky birthday party turns into a hostage situation and the book follows along as relationships between complete strangers develop despite many language barriers. When I first read the description, I wasn't really sure if I'd like this, but it was hard to put down.

The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas - The main character, Starr, is the passenger and only witness when her friend is murdered by a cop. The book follows along as the aftermath of this unfolds. This book was very emotional, but also hard to put down at the same time. 

So... this year I learned I love memoirs and basically anything that is super popular right now. I have a stack of books to read, but knowing what kind of books I like to read now is leading me in the right direction.

Baby Bookworms : April

I found this sweet little throwback picture of the girls reading and had to share it for this months Baby Bookworms. I have a couple of our favorite books on this list that I had to triple check my previous bookworm posts to make sure I hadn't already shared them.

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The Cloud Spinner - This is one I can't believe I haven't already shared. It's a cute story with the lesson not to use more than you need. I love the story and the illustrations are beautiful.

Love Is - a cute book about a girl and her little duckling friend.

The Grouchy Ladybug - a classic. Since it is a little repetitive "wanna fight?!" Cora can jump in and help out with the reading on this one.

Mousie Love - another one of our favorites that we're always reading. This is a cute little story about a boy mouse asking a girl mouse to marry him and their little adventure running away from the house cat.

Wake Up, It's Spring! - a fun little spring book showing all the animals and plants waking up from the winter hibernation and enjoying spring. Fun to read during this time as we finally feel like we're waking up and enjoying all that green that spring has to offer.

Walter the Baker - another Eric Carle book about how Walter the Baker invented with pretzels. I'm sure it's not factually based, but it's a cute story.

Caps For Sale - A classic! It's about a caps salesman and a little run in with monkeys. If we had a designated playroom, I would make it themed after this book... someone please hire me to paint a Caps For Sale mural in their kids room!

Baby Bookworms : March

Love Monster - was a gift for the girls from my cousin. A cute little story where a monster doesn't quite fit in where he lives and goes on a journey to find love... then finds love where he least expects it.

Quick! Turn The Page! - This one was a garage sale find. The character will have a problem like "Sarah is sick of winter. Quick, turn the page!" then after a quick page turn the character has solved their issue. Cora loves to quickly turn the page and see the different scenarios.

The Napping House - a cute little book of a napping granny and her grandkid and pets. The girls love reading this one and there is always something new to find in the illustrations.

Wolfie The Bunny - A bunny family adopts a baby wolf. The bunny daughter can't stop telling everyone that the wolf baby is going eat them all. After some adventure she eventually loves her new sibling.

Pete the Cat and the Missing Cupcakes - I know there is a whole Pete the Cat series, but this is the first one I've read. This one is about some missing cupcakes and Pete the Cat and his friends work to solve the mystery. Cora loves to count the amount of cupcakes on each page and both girls love to pretend to eat the cupcakes.

The Story about Ping - This is one my mom used to read to us when we were younger. It's about how a duck named Ping gets separated from his family and the adventure that follows.

Someday - I love this description "A mother's love leads to a mother's dream -- every mother's dream -- for her child to live life to its fullest" this is a sweet little book for both the mother and the child to read (kind of like I Love You Forever)

The Story of Noah's Ark - I love Helen Dardik's illustrations on Instagram, so when I happened upon this book I was so excited to see her illustrations. The book is the basic story of Noah's Ark, but I loooove this one for it's illustrations. It is so freaking cute and I want to buy it for every kid I know. It's currently on sale at Sam's club if you're a member.

Sunny Day Point 'n' Match - I shared this one in February, but I wanted to share it again since it has stayed in our read pile for quite a while (pictured below). Both the girls love it and it's an "easy" i spy book for younger toddlers.

Baby Bookworms : February

Ida is super into reading and is always carrying around books. She loves bringing me books to read to her or I often find her looking through books on her own.... She's definitely my daughter. Here are some of her favorite books lately and the book I want to get Ida for Valentine's day:

Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? - a fun rhymey book that we like to do little songs and read through. 

Sunny Day Point 'n' Match - a fun easy eye spy book for babies. Ida can spot a couple things, but mostly she likes squealing at all of the animals. 

SNOW - I mentioned this one in November too, but it is really a favorite of Ida's. 

Jellycat Soft Cloth Fabric Books, Pony Tails - This is one that was gifted to Cora when she was a baby, but it has long been a favorite of both my girls. It's great for the different tail textures and they love the crinkly noise that the pages make. There is also a kitty one and that looks super cute

Llama Llama I Love You - This one is on my list to buy Ida for Valentine's day. We love the Llama Llama series and it will be a perfect gift.

Check out this mean mugging face that Ida gives when Cora is reading without her.

Baby Bookworms : November

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That's Not My Monster...  We got this one at a garage sale and it's a favorite of both my girls. Cora loves 'reading' it and coming up with different adjectives for the monsters. Ida loves all the different textures.

Love You Forever - If this one isn't in your bookshelf, you're missing out. It's a sweet little book for us moms, but then I feel like the kids can learn that even when they're bad during the day their mommas love them forever. This one is a favorite for our family and I even remember my mom reading it to me as a child. Sometimes, Cora likes me to sing this song to her at bedtime even if we don't read the book that night.

Thank You and Good Night by Patrick McDonnell - This is a sweet little book about three friends enjoying the fun of sleepovers. Cora and I always loved to read it together and it's always nice when she brings it back into our stack of favorites.

Good Night, Gorilla - This one is a good read and Cora picks up on the words quickly... so eventually she is just 'reading' it to me and Ida. There are also some small things like a mouse and a red balloon that you can search for on every page.

Search and Spot: Animals by Laura Ljungkvist - Cora is really into this one... and Ida likes to pretend she's into it. Each page has a different variety of things to look at.  If you do every single thing through the whole book it takes a while, but we like to go through and I'll pick a different search option for each page so that we don't get tired of the book too quick.

SNOW by Uri Shulevitz - We're starting to get into all our wintery books now. This little boy sees little flurries and is so excited about the snow, but everybody else is doubting. Eventually it actually snows.

Baby Bookworms

It's been about six months since I last did a little photo shoot with the girls. It's fun to look back to see how much the girls have changed since February, so I think I may make this a regular thing.

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I love seeing what other families are reading, so I thought I'd share some of our current favorite books. The girls have a pretty decent book collection and it's always growing. They seem to really like a couple books for a week or so and then they find another book to rotate into our stack... and sometimes, the annoying ones conveniently make their way out of the stack.

The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds - I received this from my high school art teacher many many years ago. When I was unpacking from the move, I found it and Cora loves it. It has a fun, motivational message that is simple enough for kids to understand, but something that I need a reminder of as an adult.

I Like Myself! by Karen Beaumont - Ida got this book for her first birthday from Jazz. It's a sweet book and I love how the main character is a black girl

Giraffes Can't Dance by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees - This is one of my favorites and I love to gift this for baby showers. 

The Skin You Live In by Michael Tyler - This is another one we got for Ida's first birthday. It's a little long for my liking (I like short kids books), but I love the range of skin tones and the different ways it describes different colors of skin. Since this is a topic that we frequently talk about in our household, it is nice to have a fun book about it.

Ten Tiny Toes by Caroline Jayne Church  This one is a favorite across the board. It is quick and semi interactive. I like to tickle their toes or poke their nose whenever they mention them in the book and Cora likes to stand up and point to the other body parts like her tummy whenever those come up. Bonus, the author has the same initials as Cora.

Moo Baa La La La by Sandra Boynton - We love a lot of the Sandra Boynton, but for some reason the girls always pick this one for me to read. I also like to sing the title to the tune of Lady Gaga's Bad Romance.

Someday by Alison McGhee - Cora received this for her first birthday. It just recently joined the rotation and Cora loves it. It's a mother talking to her daughter about all her dreams for her and it's the sweetest thing.

I Love You Stinky Face by Lisa McCourt - Cora got this in a compilation of other books for Valentine's day. She wants me to read it all of the time... probably because it contains more than one book. I read through them all and then I let her pick one that I'll read a second time.... and she always picks "the Stinky Face one"

What are your current favorite kid books? What were your favorite books growing up?

DIY Fabric Book Cover

Just a quick little DIY I did last week.  My bible is like 10 years old and was a little rough looking so I thought it would get a small makeover.

I decided to use some of my African fabric since Africa is special to my journey (yes, the fabric I used here, here, here, and here... I promise I am almost out of the fabric if you're tired of seeing it).  I used the old school book covering method, but with fabric.  Lots of ironing, hot-gluing, and a little sewing-of-the-edges later here is what it looked like: