It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? 1/11/2021

What I Read

I’m working on my third novel of the week. And considering the week we’ve had, I’d say I’m doing well! Beyond what’s happening nationally, I worked six days this week which always cuts into my reading time. Plus, Saturday night I was getting ready to take my dog for a walk and she jumped into me and hit my jaw, which has led to a vicious headache all day Sunday. Thankfully, Aria is fine and I’m feeling a little better today!

With all that being said, I read The Canyon’s Edge by Dusti Bowling which was a super intense survival story told in verse. I really think the verse format helped to propel the story forward really quickly. I am always in awe of writers who can successfully write in verse. To be able to choose so few words to share the story effectively is truly amazing.

I then read Efrén Divided by Ernesto Cisneros. This middle grade novel tells the story of Efrén whose mother is deported unexpectedly at the beginning of the story. Efrén must help care for his younger siblings, while his dad works multiple jobs to help try and bring his mother home again. This story is absolutely heartbreaking and extremely realistic.

Right now, I’m in the middle of We Dream of Space by Erin Entrada Kelly. Told from the perspective of three siblings, it’s an intriguing story of the days leading up to the Challenger shuttle launch. Each character is entirely unique and I’m really curious to see how this turns out.

All three of these books are part of my Winter Reading Challenge which I posted about last week. This challenge is so nice because it’s longer than a month and not so long (year-long challenge) where I lose interest!

What I’m Planning to Read

The next titles on my list are also part of my Winter Reading Challenge. I’ve got The List of Things That Will Not Change by Rebecca Stead and Wrong Way Summer by Heidi Lang. And, if I have some time Simon B. Rhymin’ by Dwayne Reed, which I have as an ARC from the publisher.

Reading is definitely my escape and I have a feeling I’ll be doing a lot of it over the next two weeks. What’s your favorite genre for escaping reality?

Join Jen from Teach Mentor Texts and Kellee and Ricki from Unleashing Readers and share all of the reading you have done over the week from picture books to young adult novels. Check out the hashtag #IMWAYR for reading suggestions from readers across the globe.