2019 WCCPBA Nominees

We are a true lover of books in this family so when Molly's school librarian sent home a list of the 2019 WCCPBA Nominees, we quickly got reading! 

Here is a list of all the books! Give yourself the challenge of reading all of them! 

Alfie: The Turtle That Disappeared

Author and Illustrator: Thyra Heder

 

The Bad Seed 

Author: Jory John Illustrator: Pete Oswald

Charlotte the Scientist Is Squished 

Author: Camille Andros
Illustrator: Brianne Farley

Giant Pants

Author and Illustrator: Mark Fearing  

Great, Now We've Got Barbarians!

Author: Jason Carter Eaton
Illustrator: Mark Fearing

The Great Pasta Escape  

Author: Miranda Paul
Illustrator: Javier Joaquin 

Ice Boy 

Author and Illustrator:  David Ezra Stein

Jabari Jumps 

Author and Illustrator:  Gaia Cornwall

The Legend of Rock, Paper, Scissors 

Author:  Drew Daywalt
Illustrator: Adam Rex  

Life on Mars

Author and Illustrator:  Jon Agee  

Lost and Found Cat: The True Story of Kunkush's Incredible Journey 

Author: Doug Kuntz and Amy Shrodes
Illustrator: Sue Cornelison 

My Awesome Summer by P. Mantis 

Author and Illustrator: Paul Meisel
Publisher: Holiday House

One Proud Penny  

Author: Randy Siegel
Illustrator: Serge Bloch 

Poor Louie 

Author and Illustrator: Tony Fucile

Rules of the House

Author: Mac Barnett
Illustrator: Matt Myers

Sergeant Reckless: The True Story of the Little Horse that Became a Hero

Author: Patricia McCormick
Illustrator: Iacopo Bruno

Shawn Loves Sharks 

Author: Curtis Manley
Illustrator: Tracy Subisak  

Wanted! Ralfy Rabbit, Book Burglar 

Author and Illustrator: Emily MacKenzie  

Woodpecker Wants a Waffle  

Author and Illustrator: Steve Breen 

You Don't Want a Unicorn 

Author: Ame Dyckman
Illustrator: Liz Climo 

January/February Book Report

January was a slow month for reading but in February, I took off! I think four airplane flights (two of which were 12+ hours) helped up my reading numbers. I think not having access to social media really helped me up my reading. There is a lesson to be learned there. I've been detailing my thoughts on Instagram under #reebeckireads if you are looking for more immediate book details. 

The only book I read in January was “Lagom” by Linnea Dunne. I'm interested in a more minimalistic but fulfilled lifestyle. I always want to know how other cultures achieve this. Lagom which means “not too little, not too much” and is a Swedish way of living. I liked this book and all the ideas it gave me for life along with recipes, decorating and crafting. While I haven't dug into a lot of the ideas, it has certainly been an inspiration for me. 

The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin was immediately compelling. I was hooked from the first line and wanted to know what would happen to the children she was telling a story about. The premise of the book is four siblings go to a fortune teller who predicts when they will die. The story follows them from this pivotal moment to their actual deaths. It is fascinating and beautifully told. 

The Year of Less by Cait Flanders fits into my desire for simplicity. Cait Flanders decided to try to live with less for a year and severely limited her shopping to achieve this goal. She spends the book detailing out, month by month, what her rules were and how she achieved her goals. It was inspirational and made me think about what I could do to live with less. 

The Grave's Fine and Private Place by Alan Bradley brought one of my favorite characters, Flavia deLuce back into my life. Unfortunately I didn't love this book as much as I've loved his last ones. In this book, Flavia and her sisters stumble upon a dead body while out on a boat trip with their faithful servant.  Their father has recently passed and their ancestral home is under threat of being sold. Flavia devotes herself to solving the crime of who murdered the young man they found in the river while trying to figure out her own future. 

 

I am a Gretchen Rubin fanboy so I've been slowly working my way through her books. Happier at Home is her follow-up to The Happiness Project which I loved. I really like how Rubin's books inspire me to try for greater happiness. Overall, I am pretty happy but could I be even happier? These books help me find out how and give me ideas on how to do so. 

Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes has been on my list FOREVER. It was recommended by both my creativity group and by a friend but I was so hesitant to read it.  I'm sad that I resisted for so long because it was amazing. I think I might be a bit like Rhimes in that I say No too often and don't say Yes to opportunities. It made me think about how I can say Yes more and No less. Because sometimes amazing things come from saying Yes. 

I kept checking this book out and then never reading it so on our last trip, I made a point to check it out again and READ IT. I'm so glad I did. Wonder by RD Palacio tells the story of a boy born with a deformity that has caused him to be homeschooled and undergo many operations. He is now better but will never be "normal" and is ready to go to a regular school. He is staring the 5th grade which as we all know is brutal for any kid. Augie's determination and wonder at life get him through the year and he becomes an inspiration for many. 

Promise Not To Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz is February's book section for Seattle Refined's Refined Reads. I'll be honest. I wasn't too excited about this book. The cover felt like trashy murder mystery but after about 5 pages, I was HOOKED. This book details the story of a potential murder which is tied to a cult and a horrible fire that took place when the characters were just kids. It is well told and based in Seattle. I really enjoyed this book and plan to read more of Krentz's other books. 

Yearly Book Total: 8

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something from a link, I receive a very small percentage back. 

October/November Book Report

Well hello there....It's been awhile since I posted a book report. Sometimes I just stop reading as much and then I don't feel like talking about it. Let's get caught back up! There is no time like the present.

Louise Penny is amazing and her latest book, Glass Houses: A Novel (Chief Inspector Gamache Novel) is even more so. It has layers and layers to peel back. So many layers. The book addressed the opiate crisis with a murder at the core. I loved visiting the residents of Three Pines and Chief Inspector Gamache. I love that town though I'd never live there - too many murders! 

Small Great Things: A Novel by Jodi Picoult was a book club read with my Coffee & Crumbs Year of Creativity group. It was so uncomfortable. There were parts where I had to put the book down and just walk away. The  most upsetting part was how all of it was true. The book addresses a family of white supremacists and what happens when they accuse an African-American nurse of harming their baby boy. 

Anything by Ann Patchett makes me happy and this book off essays was wonderful. I listened to This Is the Story of a Happy Marriage read by Ann Patchette herself. My favorite essay has to be the one around the trip she took in an RV with her now husband, Carl. It was so well written and I wanted to listen for hours. 

This is one book that unfortunately took me a long time to read. Magpie Murders: A Novel by Anthony Horowitz is a book with in a book - both about murders. It was a fascinating read but something kept me back from flying through it. 

I actually read The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning: How to Free Yourself and Your Family from a Lifetime of Clutter for an article I wrote on Swedish Death Cleaning and I loved her brisk, honest writing. It is true that we should clear out the clutter so our loved ones are not left to pick up our stuff. Such an inspirational read. 

I picked up Louis Undercover at the library, intending to read it to the kids. Then I saw it was about an alcoholic father and decided to just read it myself. It was tragic, beautifully drawn and happy all at the same time. 

The Burning Girl: A Novel was the Seattle Refined Book Club pick for November. I really liked this book even though there were a few too many things left unanswered. I don't need all of a book's mysteries to be answered but this one left too many unanswered.  This is a story about two girls in middle school and their friendship. Trauma rips them apart and questions are left unanswered. 

Yearly Book Total: 45/52

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links which means if you buy something from a link, I receive a very small percentage back.