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

I'm currently on vacation from my vacation; my kids and I are spending a week in the Palm Springs area (in California) with my parents, which is an annual tradition. I'm hoping to get some reading done pool-side and lounging around in our air-conditioned suite. I brought a few physical books to read outside, and I would like to make a (small) dent in the massive number of e-ARCs I've accumulated from NetGalley.

[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:

Boom! Ten Year Celebration: 2015 Free Comic Book Day Special

Coco and the Little Black Dress by Annemarie van Haeringen (publication date: September 30, 2015)

Elephant Man by Mariangela Di Fiore, illustrated by Hilde Hodnefjeld, translated by Rosie Hedger (publication date: August 18, 2015)

Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood, illustrated by Meg Hunt

Moletown by Torben Kuhlmann, translated by Andrew Rushton

New Suicide Squad, Volume One: Pure Insanity written by Sean Ryan, illustrated by Jeremy Roberts (publication date: July 21, 2015)

Ninja Bunny by Jennifer Gray Olson

The Princess in Black and the Perfect Princess Party by Shannon and Dean Hale, illustrated by LeUyen Pham (publication date: October 13, 2015)

Revival, Volume One: You're Among Friends written by Tim Seeley, illustrated by Mike Norton, colored by Mark Englert, lettered by Crank! (rated M for Mature)

The Sandman: Overture, Issue 5 written by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by J. H. Williams III, colored by Dave Stewart

Silver in the Blood by Jessica Day George

The Specific Ocean by Kyo Maclear, illustrated by Katty Maurey (publication date: August 1, 2015)

To the Sea by Cale Atkinson

Trees by written Warren Ellis, illustrated by Jason Howard, lettered by Fonografiks (rated M for Mature)

Uni the Unicorn by Amy Krouse Rosenthal, illustrated by Brigette Barrage

Your Baby's First Word Will Be DADA by Jimmy Fallon

WHAT I'M READING NOW:

The Doldrums by Nicholas Gannon

The Night Parade by Kathryn Tanquary (publication date: January 2016)

WHAT I PLAN TO READ THIS WEEK:

Murder is Bad Manners by Robin Stevens

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

I read a wide variety of books this week, mostly because I'm preparing for a parent workshop I'm conducting at the temporary shelter I do read-alouds at. There are a lot of "littles" at this shelter so the focus is on interactive books, mostly for young readers (under the age of 8). 

I also caught up with some comics reading, having bought new issues of Gotham Academy, Thor, and The Sandman: Overture. I have mixed feelings about this: I miss buying comics every month, but my wallet -- and probably my husband -- were thankful for the recent purchasing reprieve. I really am trying to minimize shopping and accumulating new things (even my beloved books) but it's hard!

Also in this week's mix are two books that aren't specifically geared towards young adults: the aforementioned The Sandman by Neil Gaiman and The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami. But both would appeal to the right teen reader (there's no gratuitous violence, sex, or cursing).

I was particularly taken with two very different books this week. The first, Before After, is a wordless concept book that I think is really great, and I'm going to emphasize heavily during my workshop. The second, Wandering Son, is a Japanese manga (translated) that gently tells the story of two 5th grade transgender kids. You don't see that kind of story very often, and I'm guessing that many Western readers might be surprised that it's a topic covered in a Japanese book. I only read the first volume so I'm eager to check out the rest of the series at the library.

[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:

Bath Time! by Sandra Boynton

Before After by by Matthias Arégui and Anne-Margot Ramstein

Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! by Mo Willems

Gotham Academy, Issue #4 & #5 by Becky Cloonan and Brenden Fletcher, illustrated by Karl Kerschl

The Itsy-Bitsy Spider illustrated by Paige Billin-Frye

Look-Alikes: The More You Look, the More You See! by Joan Steiner, photography by Thomas Lindley

Looking Good! ¡Lucir bien! by Jess Stockham

Mix It Up! by Hervé Tullet

Park: A Fold-Out Book in Four Seasons by James Gulliver Hancock

Press Here by Hervé Tullet

The Sandman: Overture #4 by Neil Gaiman, illustrated by J.H. Williams III 

Silly Faces - See Me...Go! by Bénédicte Guettier

The Strange Library by Haruki Murakami, translated by Ted Goossen, designed by Chip Kidd

Touch and Feel: Kitten by Joanna Bricknell

Wandering Son: Volume One (放浪息子 1) by Shimura Takako (志村 貴子), translated by Matt Thorn

We Are in a Book! by Mo Willems

Who Hops? ¿Quién salta? by Katie Davis

Who's That, Baby? by Susan Amerikaner

WHAT I'M READING NOW:

The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier

WHAT'S ON HOLD RIGHT NOW:

Finding Serendipity by Angelica Banks (aka Heather Rose and Danielle Wood)