It's Monday! What Are You Reading? From Picture Books to YA

It seems like a rather light reading week, but I also read five Japanese manga that I had my mom bring back from Japan (the newest volumes from Fumi Yoshinaga's two series, Ooku and What Did You Eat Yesterday? -- both series are translated into English -- and the two newest volumes of Hana Yori mo Hana no Gotoku by Minako Narita, whose work I've been reading for years).

And I finally, finally, finished the e-galley of The Walled City by Ryan Graudin that I started in late-July. I'm still puzzling over why it was difficult for me to really get into it enough to finish in a reasonable amount of time. I appreciated the setting (alternate Asia?) and the gritty premise of the plot, but the pacing threw me off.

My favorite book of the week was Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Jon Klassen. The words and the pictures work so well together, and the ending! The ending!

And, I hate to end on a complaint, but I'm kinda annoyed with Ninja Red Riding Hood. It's not the only book that's guilty of this, but -- for the love of gosh-darn-it! -- will people please stop mixing up Asian clothing as if it all comes from the same place?! Ninjas don't wear kung fu uniforms!

[To rehash the concept :: post what you read last week, what you're reading now, and what you plan to read this week. If you have a review of the book(s), great! If you have a picture of the book(s), wonderful! If you have a book giveaway, fantastic! If you just list the title(s) of the book(s), not a problem! Make it as simple or as complex as you need it to be. At least, that's the message I got. This version of the meme is hosted by Jen and Kellee of Teach Mentor Text, which, in turn, was inspired by Sheila over at Book Journey, who hosts the original It's Monday! What Are You Reading?]

WHAT I READ LAST WEEK:

Cursed Pirate Girl, Volume 1 by Jeremy Bastian

Ninja Red Riding Hood by Corey Rosen Schwartz, illustrated by Dan Santat

Sam & Dave Dig a Hole by Mac Barnett, illustrated by Jon Klassen

The Smallest Girl in the Smallest Grade by Justin Roberts, illustrated by Christian Robinson

The Walled City by Ryan Graudin

WHAT I'M READING NOW:

The Wollstonecraft Detective Agency, Book 1: The Case of the Missing Moonstone by Jordan Stratford, illustrated by Kelly Murphy

WHAT I PLAN TO READ THIS WEEK:

 

Citizen Scientists: Be a Part of Scientific Discovery from Your Own Backyard

by Loree Griffin Burns, photography by Ellen Harasimowicz

Goth Girl and the Ghost of a Mouse by Chris Riddell