Adult books I read in 2021

 And here's the list of the books for adults that I read in 2021:

ADULT FICTION

 

Anthony, Piers and Mercedes Lackey. If I pay the not in gold. Riverdale, NY: Baen, 1993.

Bradley, Marion Zimmer. Domains of Darkover. (Edited by Marion Zimmer Bradley)  

            NY: DAW books, 1990.

Cline, Ernest. Ready player two, a novel. NY: Ballantine Books, 2020.

            (Sequel to Ready player one)

Deveraux, Jude.  The girl from Summer Hill. NY: Ballantine books, 2017.

    ….   As you wish. NY: Mira/ Harlequin books, 2018. (2^nd Summer Hill book)

    ….   Met her match. NY: Mira/ Harlequin books, 2019. (3^rd  Summer Hill book)

    ….   A forgotten Murder. NY:  Mira/ Harlequin books, 2020.   (Third of her mysteries)

    ….   Meant to be, a novel. NY:  Mira/ Harlequin books, 2021.

Deveraux, Jude and Tara Sheets. Chance of a lifetime, a Providence Falls Novel. NY: 

            Mira/ Harlequin books, 2020.   

    ….   An Impossible promise. a Providence Falls Novel, book 2. NY: Mira/ Harlequin books,

             2021.  

Follett, Ken. The pillars of the earth. NY: William Morrow and Company, 1989.

    ….   World without end.  (book 2 of The pillars of the earth.) NY: Dutton, 2007.

    ….   A Column of Fire. (book 3 of The pillars of the earth.) NY: Viking, 2017.

    ….   The evening and the morning, the prequel to The Pillars of the Earth.  NY:

             Viking, 2020.  (Re-reading his Kingsbridge series – this is the prequel to it.)

Harkness, Deborah. A Discovery of Witches. Book 1 of series. NY: Viking, 2011.

    ….   Shadow of Night. Book 2 of series.  NY: Viking, 2012.

    ….   The Book of Life. Book 3 of series. NY: Viking, 2014.

Heyer, Georgette. The Black Moth. Originally published in Great Britain.

            (her first book published in 1921 and has been continually in print ever since)

    ….   These Old Shades. Originally published in Great Britain in 1926. She made the villain

             from the Black Moth into the hero of this book with a slight name change.

    ….   Devil’s Cub. Originally published in Great Britain in 1932. This tale focuses on the son

             of the hero and heroine from These Old Shades.  

    ….   The Corinthian. First published in USA in 1941; Bantam/E.P. Dutton edition, 1974.

    ….   The Foundling. First published in USA in 1948; NY: Harlequin edition, 2003.

Holmberg, Charlie. The paper magician, a novel. Book 1. Seattle, WA: 47North, 2014.

    ….   The Glass Magician, a novel. Book 2 of the Paper Magician series. Seattle, WA:

             47North, 2014. 

   ….    The Master Magician, a novel. Book 3 of the Paper Magician series. Seattle, WA:

             47North, 2015.

    ….   The Plastic Magician. a novel. Book 4 of the Paper Magician series. Seattle, WA:

             47North, 2018.

    ….   Spellbreaker. Seattle, WA: 47North, 2020.

    ….   Spellmaker. Seattle, WA: 47North, 2021.  (sequel to Spellbreaker)

Korelitz, Jean Hanff. The Plot, a novel. NY: Celalon Books, 2021.

Lackey, Mercedes. The complete Arrows Trilogy, in a single volume. NY: Daw books, 2015.

            Includes— Arrows of the queen. NY: Daw books, 1987.

                        Arrows Flight. NY: Daw books, 1987.

                        Arrow’s Fall. NY: Daw books, 1988.

….       Take a thief. NY: Daw books, 2001.

….       Moving Targets and other tales of Valdemar. (edited by Mercedes Lackey) NY: DAW

             books, 2008.

   ….    Beyond, the founding of Valdemar, Book 1.  NY: Daw books, 2021.

Lackey, Mercedes. The Fire Rose. NY: Baen Books, 1995.

            (This is actually her first Elemental Masters book, where she figured out the rules of this

             world.  However, this one is in San Francisco, CA, USA around 1906, whereas the rest 

            are in Europe &Great Britain. All are based on folk tales. This one Beauty and the Beast.)  

    ….   The Serpent’s Shadow. Elemental Masters, Book 1. NY: Daw books, 2001.

    ….   The Gates of Sleep. The Elemental Masters, Book 2. NY: Daw books, 2002.

    ….   Phoenix and Ashes. The Elemental Masters, Book 3. NY: Daw books, 2004.

            The Wizard of London. The Elemental Masters, Book 4. NY: Daw books, 2005.

    ….   Reserved for the cat. The Elemental Masters, Book 5. NY: Daw books, 2007.

    ….   Unnatural Issue. The Elemental Masters, Book 6. NY: Daw books, 2011.

    ….   Home from the sea. The Elemental Masters, Book 7. NY: Daw books, 2012.

    ….   Steadfast. The Elemental Masters, Book 8. NY: Daw books, 2013.

    ….   Blood Red. The Elemental Masters, Book 9 NY: Daw books, 2014.

    ….   From a High Tower. The Elemental Masters, Book 10. NY: Daw books, 2015.

    ….   A Study in Sable. The Elemental Masters, Book 11. NY: Daw books, 2016.

    ….   A scandal in Battersea. The Elemental Masters, Book 12. NY: Daw books, 2017.

    ….   The Bartered Brides. The Elemental Masters, Book 13. NY: Daw books, 2017.

    ….   The case of the spellbound child, The Elemental Masters, Book 14. NY: Daw books,

             2017.   (Actually the title should say ‘children’ because there were lots of them)

    ….   Jolene. The Elemental Masters, book 15. NY: Daw books, 2020. (read twice)

Lackey, Mercedes. The Fairy Godmother, a tale from the Five Hundred Kingdoms.

            NY: Luna/Harlequin, 2004.

    ….   The Snow Queen, a tale from the Five Hundred Kingdoms. NY: Luna/Harlequin, 2008.

    ….   Beauty and the Werewolf, a tale from the Five Hundred Kingdoms. NY: Luna/Harlequin,

             2011.

   ….    Briar Heart.  NY: Little Brown & Co., 2021.

McCaffrey, Anne.  The Wings of Pegasus. NY: Build America Books/DelRay/ Ballantine Books.

                        (Actually, it contains two other books under this title: To Ride Pegasus, 1973

                         And Pegasus in Flight, 1990. These are two of the three prequels to 

                        The Rowan/ The tower and the hive series)

    ….   Pegasus in Space.  NY: Ballantine Books, 2002. 

                        (Third prequel - a new novel in the saga of the Talents.)

    ….   The Rowan.  NY:  Ace/ Putnam, 1990.

    ….   Damia, sequel to The Rowan. NY:  Ace/ Putnam, 1992.

    ….   Damia’s Children. sequel to Damia. NY:  Ace/ Putnam, 1993.

    ….   Lyon’s Pride. sequel to Damia’s Children. NY:  Ace/ Putnam, 1994.

    ….   The tower and the hive. sequel to Lyon’s Pride. NY:  Ace/ Putnam, 1999.

McCaffrey, Anne and Elizabeth Moon. Sassinak. Volume one of the Planet Pirates. NY: Baen 

            books, 1990.

            Generation Warriors. NY: Baen Books, 1991. (last book in her Sassinak/ Planet Pirates

                         series. I can’t find the rest.)

Putney, Mary Jo. The bartered bride. NY: Balantine Books, 2002.

Quinn, Julia. How to marry a marquis.  NY: Avon/ HarperCollins, 1999. 

   ….    First comes scandal. NY: HarperCollins, 2020.

Schwab, V.E.  The invisible life of Addie LaRue. NY: Gale/ Thorndike large type, 2020.

Smith, Alexander McCall. How to raise an Elephant, a No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency novel. 

            NY: Pantheon Books/ Penguin Random House, Great Britain: Little Brown, 2020.

Sutanto, Jesse. Dial A for Aunties. NY: Berkley/ Penguin Random, 2021.

Tevis, Walter. The Queen’s Gambit. NY: Vintage books/ Random House, 1983.

            (heavy with chess movements – made into a streaming series)

Thomas, Will. Some danger involved, a novel. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2004.

            (The first Barker and Llewelyn mystery)

    ….   To Kingdom Come. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2005.

    ….   The Limehouse Text. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2006.

    ….   The Hellfire conspiracy, a Barker & Llewelyn novel. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2007.

    ….   The Black Hand. a Barker & Llewelyn novel. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2008.

    ….   Fatal Enquiry. a Barker & Llewelyn novel. NY: Minotaur books/ St. Martin’s Press, 

            2014.

    ….   Anatomy of Evil. a Barker & Llewelyn novel. NY: Minotaur books/ St. Martin’s Press,

             2015.  (based on the search for Jack the Ripper, discovering the actual Ripper.)

    ….   Hellbay. a Barker & Llewelyn novel.  NY: Minotaur books/ St. Martin’s Press, 2016.

    ….   Old Scores. a Barker & Llewelyn novel.  NY: Minotaur books/ St. Martin’s Press, 2017.

    ….   Blood is Blood. a Barker & Llewelyn novel.  NY: Minotaur books/ St. Martin’s Press,

             2018.

    ….   Lethal Pursuit. a Barker & Llewelyn novel.  NY: Minotaur books/ St. Martin’s Press,

             2019.

    ….   Dance with death, a Barker & Llewelyn novel.  NY: Minotaur books/ St. Martin’s Press,

             2021.

Winspear, Jacqueline. The consequences of fear. NY: Harper, 2021.

 

ADULT BIOGRAPHY

B-Bly              Goodman, Matthew. Eighty Days – Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s history-

            making race around the world. NY: Ballantine books/ Random House, 2013.

                        (This was my introduction to the fact that two women raced)

B-Bly              Kroeger, Brooke. Nellie Bly, daredevil, reporter, feminist. NY: Times books/

             /Random House, 1994.  (very readable, also very thick – 400 pages or so)

B- Broom        Broom, Sarah M. The yellow house. NY: Grove Press, 2019. (autobiography) 

B-Fitzhugh.     Brody, Leslie. Sometimes you have to lie, the life and times of Louise Fitzhugh,

             renegade author of Harriet The Spy. NY:  Seal Press, 2020.  

                        (Lesbian life as we never knew it.)

B-Fox              Fox, Michael J. A funny thing happened on the way to the future, twists and turns

             and lessons learned.  NY:  Hyperion, 2010.

B-Fox              Fox, Michael J. No time like the future, an optimist considers mortality. NY:

            Flatiron Books, 2020.

B- Packard.     Moore, Kate. The woman they could not silence – one woman, her incredible fight 

            for freedom, and the men who tried to make her disappear.  Napperville, IL: 

            Sourcebooks, 2021. (she helped pass laws against men putting outspoken women in

             mental institutions and exposed the horrible treatment therein.)

B- Priestley       Johnson, Steven. The Invention of Air – a story of science, faith, revolution, and

             the birth of America. NY: Riverhead books/ Penguin, 2008. 

B- Takei          Takei, George. To the Stars – the autobiography of George Takei, Star Trek’s 

            Mr. Sulu. NY: Pocket books, 1994.  

            (the first chapters of this are used in the Graphic Novel.)

GN B-Takei    Takei, George and Justin Eisinger and Steven Scott. Illus. Harmony Becker.

            They called us enemy.    San Diego: Top Shelf, 2020.   

            (San Diego Library 2020 ONE BOOK of the childhood of the actor

             who portrayed the much loved Captain Sulu of the original TV show, StarTrek)

B-Washington             Shirley, Craig. Mary Ball Washington, the untold story of George

             Washington’s mother.  NY: Harper, 2019.  

            (is actually a bio of George Washington with occasional mentions of his mother)

B-Washington             Saxton, Martha. The widow Washington, the life of Mary Washington.

            NY: Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2019. (highly praised as the best book about her)

B-Washington             Coe, Alexis. You never forget your first, a biography of George 

            Washington.  NY: Viking/ Penguin Random 2020. 

            (So much better, much more readable, much more interesting than Shirley’s)

 

 

ADULT NONFICTION

 

            

070.92             Bly, Nellie. Around the World in Seventy-two Days and other Writings. 

            NY: Penguin Classics, 1890/ 2014.

302.231           Stephens-Davidowitz, Seth. Everybody lies – big data, new data, and what the

             internet can tell us about who we really are. NY: Day St/ William Morrow, 2017.

306.512           Wilkerson, Isabel. Caste – the origins of our discontents. NY: Random House, 

            2020. (compares caste in India to the black and white division in the USA) 

324.2734         Benen, Steve, The Imposters, how Republicans quit governing and seized 

            American Politics. NY: William Morrow/ HarperCollins, 2020. 

324.2734         Stevens, Stuart. It was all a Lie, how the Republican party became Donald

             Trump.  NY: Alfred Knopf, 2020.

358.388           Baker, Nicholson. Baseless – my search for secrets in the ruins of the freedom of

             Information Act.  NY: Penguin Press, 2020. (Info about Biological Warfare in 1950s)

363.283           Leonnig, Carol. Zero Fail, the rise and fall of the secret service. NY: Random

             House, 2021. 

363.32             Perlroth, Nicole. This is how they tell me the world ends, The cyber-weapons arms

             race. NY: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2021.  

                                    (It turns out that there’s a lot more about this that we didn’t know.)

576.5               Zimmer, Carl, She has her mother’s laugh – the powers, perversions, and

             potential of heredity. NY: Dutton, 2018.

614.5924         Lewis, Michael. The Premonition, a Pandemic story. NY: WW Norton Co, 2021.

616.898           Kolker, Robert. Hidden Valley Road, inside the mind of an American family. 

            NY: Doubleday, 2020.  (family of 12 children, half of them with schizophrenia)

818.6               Seinfeld, Jerry.  Is this Anything?  NY: Simon & Schuster, 2020.

            (If you are a Seinfeld fan and want a book of his jokes – this is it.)

910.41             Goodman, Matthew. Eighty Days, Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bisland’s history

             making race around the world. NY: Ballantine books/ Random House, 2013.

940.9725         Fox, Margalit. The confidence men – how two prisoners of war engineered the

             most remarkable escape in history. NY: Random House, 2021.

970.0049         Nesteroff, Kliph. We had a little real estate problem, the unheralded story of

             Native Americans and comedy. NY: Simon and Schuster, 2021.

973.93             Osnos, Evan. Wildland – the making of America’s fury. NY: Farrar, Straus and 

            Giroux, 2021.

973.933           Leonning, Carold and Philip Rucker. I alone can fix it – Donald J. Trump’s 

            catastrophic final year. NY: Penguin Press, 2021.

973.933           Schiff, Adam. Midnight in Washington, how we almost lost our democracy and

             still could.  NY: Random House, 2021. (behind the scenes of two impeachments.)

973.933           Wolff, Michael. Landslide, the final days of the Trump presidency. NY: Henry

             Holt and Co, 2021.

973.933           Woodward, Bob and Robert Costa. Peril.  NY:  Simon & Schuster, 2021.

976.403           Burrough, Bryan and Chris Tomlinson and Jason Stanford. Forget the Alamo – 

            the rise and fall of an American myth. NY:  Penguin press, 2021.  

            (excellent close look at this legendary place)

 

Books that I read in 2021

 Here's the list of Children's Books I read in 2021:

Booklist of Books Read in 2021

 

 

Picture Books

             

Angleberger, Tom. Crankee Doodle. Illus Cece Bell. NY: Clarion, 2013.

Buchet, Nelly. Cat Dog Dog the story of a blended family. Illus. Andrea Zuill. NY: Schwartz &

             wade books, 2020.  

Cabrera Cozbi. Me and Mama. NY: Simon & Schuster, 2020. 

            (2021 Caldecott Honor book and Coretta Scott King honor book.) 

Colleen, Marcie. Survivor Tree. Illus. Aaron Becker. NY: Little Brown, 2021. 

Coville, Bruce. The thief of worlds. NY: Random House, 2021.

Doyon, Samara Cold. Magnificent Homespun Brown. Illus Kaylani Juanita. Thomaston, Maine: 

            Tilbury House publishers 2020. (2021 Corretta Scott King Honor book)

Elliott, Zetta. A place inside of me, a poem to heal the heart. NY: Farrar Straus Giroux, 2020.

            (2021 Caldecott Award.) 

Grady, Cynthia. Write to me, letters from Japanese American children to the librarian they left 

            behind. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2018.  

            (San Diego, CA - city 2021 One Book for children)

Henderson, Leah. Illus. Floyd Cooper. A day for Rememberin’  NY: Abrams, 2021. 

Hunter, Anne.  Where’s Baby? Canada: Tundra books, 2020. 

            (2021 Theodor Seuss Geisel award honor book)

Kusel, Susan. The Passover guest. Illus Sean Rubin. NY:  Holiday House/Neal Porter books,

             2021

Latham, Irene and Karim Shamsi-Basha. The cat man of Aleppo. Illus. Yuko Shimizu. NY: 

            G.P. Putnam’s sons, 2020.

Leung, Julie. Paper son, the inspiring story of Tryus Wong, immigrant and artist. Illus. Chris

             Sasaki.  NY: Schwartz & wade books, 2019. 

            (2021 ALA Asian Pacific American award for best picture book.)

Lindstrom, Carole. We are water protectors. Illus Michaels Goade. NY: Roaring Brook Press,

             2020.  (2021 Caldecott Award)

Newman, Leslea. Welcoming Elijah, a Passover tale with a tail. Illus. Susan Gal. Watertown, 

            MA: Charlesbridge, 2020.  (2021 Sydney Taylor Book Award, Pura Belpre Award)  

E Spanish Raul           Raul the third. !Vamos! Let’s go Eat.  illus Elaine Bay. NY: Houghton 

            Mifflin Harcourt, 2020. (2021 Pura Belpré Award Winner: Randolph Caldecott Honor

             and Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor)

Scott, Jordan. I talk like a River. Illus. Sydney Smith. NY: Neal Porter Books/ Holiday

             House, 2020. (2121 Schneider Family book Award – about stuttering.)

Tatsukawa, Maya. The bear in my family. NY: Dial books for young readers 2020.

            (2021 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award)

Underwood, Deborah. Outside In. Illus. Cindy Derby.  NY: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2020.

            (2021 Caldecott Honor book)

Van Draanen, Wendelin. Sammy Keyes and the hotel thief. NY: Alfred Knopf, 1998.

Wang, Andrea. Watercress. Illus Jason Chin.  NY: Holiday House/ Neal Porter Books, 2021.

Yamada, Kobi. What do you do with a Problem? Illus. Mae Besom. London, UK:  Compendium,

             2016.  

   …     What do you do with a chance? Illus. Mae Besom. London, UK: Compendium, 2017.

Yolen, Jane.  Miriam at the River. Illus Khua Le. Minneapolis, MN: Kar-Ben publishing/Lerner, 

            2020. (2021 ALA Sydney Taylor honor book)

    ….   Owl Moon. Illus John Schoenherr. NY: Philomel books, 1987.

            (1988 Caldicott Award winner) (A poem about Owling expeditions her husband and

             daughter Heidi made every year. Heidi still participates in the December Owl count.)

    ….   What to do with a String. Illus. C.R. Payne.  Mankato, MN:  Creative Editions, 2019.

Yolen, Jane and Heidi Stemple. I am the storm. Illus. Kristen and Kevin Howdeshell.  NY:

             Rise/Penguin Workshop, 2020.

 

I Can Read

 

Higgins, Ryan. What about Worms!? A Mo Willems Elephant & Piggie like reading! Book.

              Hyperion books for children, 2020.  (2021 Geisel Honor Book)

LaRochelle, David. See the Cat. Illus. Mike Wohnouka. Sommerville, MA: Candelwick, 2020.

            (2021 Theodor Seuss Geisel Award winner)

Lyons, Kelly Starling. Ty’s Travels – Zip, Zoom. Illus. Nina Mata. NY: Harper, I Can Read!,

             2020.  (2021 Geisel Honor Book)

 

J – FICTION :

 

Bradley, Kimberly Brubaker. Fighting Words.  NY: Dial books for young readers, 2020.

            (2021 Newbery Honor book. Her second honor book.  Trigger Warning!  This is about

             sexual abuse. Be prepared to cry.)

Durst, Sarah Beth. The girl who could not dream. NY:  Clarion Books, 2015.

                        (This one was the most emotional of her books)

    ….   Journey across the hidden islands. NY:  Clarion Books, 2017.

    ….   The Stone Girl’s Story. NY:  Clarion Books, 2018.

    ….     Spark. NY:  Clarion Books, 2019.

    ….   Catalyst. NY:  Clarion Books, 2020.

    ….   Even and Odd. NY:  Clarion Books, 2021.

Johnson, Varian.  Playing the cards you’re dealt. NY: Scholastic Press, 2021.

Juster, Norton. The phantom tollbooth, special 35^th anniversary edition. NY: Random House, 

            1961.  (boring book. I managed to trudge through it, trying to see why others thought it

             was so special. I’m not sure that modern children would like it.)

Keller, Tae.  When you trap a tiger. NY: Random House, 2020. (2021 Newbery Award winner)

            (I don’t care that it won this award; I could not finish this book.  Too sad. I hate books

             that make me cry.)

LeZotte, Ann Clare. Show me a sign. NY: Scholastic Press, 2020. 

            (historical fiction about the deaf community on Martha’s Vineyard.) 

            (2021 Schneider Family Book Award )

Nix, Garth and Sean Williams. Have Sword, Will Travel. NY: Scholastic Press, 2017.

    ….   Let Sleeping Dragons Lie. NY: Scholastic Press, 2018. (sequel to Have Sword…)

Park, Linda Sue.  Forest of Wonders, Book 1 of Wing and Claw series. NY: Harper, 2016.

    ….   Cavern of Secrets, Book 2 of Wing and Claw series. NY: Harper, 2017.

    ….   Beast of Stone, Book 3 of Wing and Claw series. NY: Harper, 2018.

Pincus, Greg. The Homework Strike. NY: Arthur Levine Books/ Scholastic, 2017.

Selznick, Brian. Kaleidoscope. NY: Scholastic Press, 2020. 

            (there should be a note at the beginning that these are flash fiction- short stories)

Soontornvat, Christina. A wish in the Dark.  Sommerville, MA: Candlewick, 2020.

            (2021 John Newbery Medal award)

Valentine, Nicole. A time traveler’s theory of relativity. Minneapolis: Carolrhoda books, 2019. 

            (I love time travel books and I loved the fact that I knew at least half of the people she

             acknowledged at the back of the book.  Hurrah for VCFA folks and Highlights folks)       

 

 

YA Fiction:

 

Boulley, Angeline. Fire Keeper’s Daughter – keep the secret, live the lie, earn your truth. 

            NY: Henry Holt & Co., 2021.  (went to Loonsong/ Turtle Island retreat) 

            (Should be a Printz winner 2022 if ALA has any sense. Already tapped to be a Netflix

             film)

Garcia, Rita Williams. A sitting in St. James.  NY: Quill Tree books/ HarperCollins, 2021.

            (VCFA retired professor.  I predict multiple awards for this one.)

Jones, Diana Wynne. Dark Lord of Derkholm. NY: Greenwillow/ Harper Trophy, 1998.

Nix, Garth. Frogkisser! NY: Scholastic Press, 2017.

    ….   The left-handed booksellers of London. NY: HarperCollins/ Katherine Tegen books, 

            2020.  (fantasy)

Nix, Garth and Sean Williams. TroubleTwisters. NY: Scholastic Press, 2011.

Paulsen, Gary. The time hackers. NY: Random House/ Wendy Lamb books, 2005.

Price, Tirzah. Pride and Premeditation, A Jane Austen murder mystery. NY: Harper Teen, 2020.

            (VCFA grad – first of a series of books)

Springer, Nancy.  Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche. NY: Wednesday books/ St. Martin’s

             publishing group, 2021.

 

 

PICTURE BOOK BIOGRAPHIES:

 

Kimmelman, Leslie. Write on, Irving Berlin!  Illus. David Gardner.  Ann Arbor, MI: Sleeping

             Bear Press, 2018.

Rose, Caroline Starr. Illus. Alexandra Bye. A Race around the world, the true story of Nellie Bly

            and Elizabeth Bishland.  Park Ridge, IL: Albert Whitman & Co., 2019.

Slade, Suzanne. Exquisite, the poetry and life of Gwendolyn Brooks. (see J 8ll.54)

Weatherford, Carole Boston. R-E-S-P-E-C-T, Aretha Franklin, the queen of soul. Illus Frank 

            Morrison. NY: Atheneum, 2020.  (2021 Corretta Scott King Illustrator Award)

 

 

J and YA BIOGRAPHIES:

 

JB- Bly            Gurevich, Margaret. Who was Nellie Bly? (a big head book) Illus. Laurie A.

             Conley. NY: Penguin Workshop, 2020. 

JB – Bly          Knudsen, Michelle. She Persisted – Nellie Bly. NY: Philomel Books/ Penguin

             Random House, 2021.

JB -  Paulsen   Paulsen, Gary. Gone to the Woods, Surviving a Lost Childhood. NY: Farrar Straus 

            Giroux, 2021.  (Excellent autobiography – I predict awards for this book soon.)

YB – Paulsen. Paulsen, Gary. Guts, the true stories behind Hatchet and the Brian books.

            NY: Delecort/ Random House, 2001.

 

J and YA NONFICTION:

 

J 595.799        Fleming, Candace. Honeybee, the busy life of apis mellifera. Illus. Eric Rohmann.

            NY: Holiday House, Neal Porter Books, 2020.  (2021 Sibert Medal winner)

J 614.49          Messner, Kate. History Smashers, Plagues and Pandemics. NY: Random House,

             2021.  (includes info about COVID-19) 

J 633.74          Stewart, Melissa and Allen Young. Illus. Nicole Wong. No monkeys, no 

            chocolate. Watertown, MA: Charlesbridge, 2013. 

J 811.54          Slade, Suzanne. Exquisite, the poetry and life of Gwendolyn Brooks. Illus Cozbia

             Cabrera. NY: Abrams books, 2020.  (picture book biography) 

            (2021 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor and Robert F. Sibert Informational honor)

J 811.54          Weatherford, Carole Boston. BOX- Henry Brown mails himself to freedom.

            Illus. Michele Wood. Sommerville, MA: Candlewick Press, 2020. 

            (2021 Newbery Honor Book, Coretta Scott King author honor book award) 

J 910.41          Rose, Caroline Starr. Illus. Alexandra Bye. A Race around the world, the true 

            story of Nellie Bly and Elizabeth Bishland.  Park Ridge, IL: Albert Whitman & Co., 2019. 

 

What happened to the Card Catalog in libraries?

 Handwritten catalog cards became easier to read when typewriters were invented and in common use.

A lot of library systems turned to book catalogs in the 1970s.  This allowed patrons to see all the titles owned by every branch in the system, but didn't tell them which ones were owned by the branch they were using.

In 1977, microfiche catalogs began to be used. The Library of Congress distributed them to certain libraries, then more libraries began putting their own catalogs on microfiche. Those were difficult to used because of the individual microfiche sheets and were usually only used by librarians. 

By the early 1980s, libraries used microfilm catalogues.  They had the same problem as the book catalog and the microfiche catalog in that it only listed all the books in the library system, with no indication which branch owned it or whether it was checked in or out.  They were easy to use by the public - especially by pre-teen and teen boys who would sit side by side racing their microfilm catalogues to see who could reach the end of the film first - thereby ripping the film off the controlling roller and causing the whole machine to be unusable until we could fix it.

In the mid 1980s the first computerized catalogues entered the libraries. At first it was sold to libraries to help with clerical chores/ checking books in and out, etc.  But the librarians immediately demanded these be on the Reference desk as well.

 It was much more useful because it could also tell you 1) if the book was in or checked out of the library you were using and 2) if a copy of the book you wanted was owned by another branch library.  Plus you could reserve it and it would be sent to the branch you used. Or you could call that other library and the librarians would hold it for you to pick up from there. 

At first, computer catalogs were very slow - 900 baud.  Then they jumped to 2400 baud and seemed so fast.  The speed kept advancing and by the mid 1990s those same computer catalogs could also access the Wide World Web (Internet) and anyone could use the library's computers to search for anything.

That's where the catalogue is now.

What happened to the card catalogs?  Most libraries kept using card catalogs as a double check.  Finally, in the 1990s (or later in libraries that computerized later) we had a ceremony where we dumped all the catalog cards on the floor - then used them as scrap cards.  It took years before we ran out of those old catalog cards.  

It's a New year

 Now, if only I can remember to write 2022 on my checks when I pay my bills.

Firekeeper's Daughter

 Well, I've already decided that this should be the next ALA Printz winner:  Boulley, Angeline. Fire Keeper’s Daughter – keep the secret, live the lie, earn your truth. NY: Henry Holt & Co., 2021. 

    The connection I have to this author is that I attended Debby Dahl Edwardson's writer retreat called Loonsong the year that Debby also held a Turtle Island retreat the week after I had been there specifically for Native American Writers 

           This has already been chosen to be a Netflix film)

Things to know about Xmas

Xmas myth busting

1. Xmas is not "crossing" out Christ. It's an ancient way of abbreviating Christmas. The X stands for Christ. Go look it up. My mama taught me that decades ago. Every year I'm gobsmacked that so many people don't know this.

2. Happy Holidays has been around a lot longer than the PC flap that started the "War on Christmas." The origin of "holiday" means Holy Day. So don't get bent out of shape if someone wishes you happy holidays. Besides -- there's more than one of them this time of year. Just be nice to people, and be thankful if they also say something nice to you. Season's Greetings is perfectly fine as well.

3. The Twelve Days of Christmas STARTS on Christmas Day -- and runs through January 5th. January 6th is Epiphany or the observance of the Wisemen's visit. Go look it up.

4. Things like Advent and Epiphany are observed by other Christian sects besides Catholics -- including several Protestant denominations and Orthodox Christians.

5. You do NOT need to use an apostrophe when you address Christmas cards unless you are sending something to the Haversham's cat instead of just the Havershams.

End of the annual Xmas Holiday grousing. You're welcome.

The substitute teacher faces spitballs

 Every so often my daughter's  principal would call me for an emergency substitution at the nearby middle school.  Mainly because I lived a block away and he knew he could call me at the beginning of the school day and I'd be there before the first class session began.

The one time I subbed for a math class, the teacher had left a boring problem sheet for them to work on. Instead there were spitballs. so many spitballs. (this was the only class I had that problem) So many that I could Not figure out where they were coming from to pick one or two students to blame, so when, at the end of the class they had not completed that dinky sheet of math questions I told they they had to complete it over the weekend. (AW, Mrs. Old. we never get homework over the weekend.) And that I was leaving a note for their teacher explaining why. (leaving them to wonder what punishment the real teacher would give them for the rain of spit balls.) 

Actually, I had problems keeping a straight face during that class, because I thought it was hysterically funny.