Top Seven Books of 2016 So Far

So far 2016 has been an amazing year of reading for me!  Not only has the first half of the year flown by, but I read so many good books in the last 6 months that I'm afraid the second half of my year may just go downhill.  Odds are not in my favor.  So here are the best books I've read so far this year!

In no particular order:

Have you read any of these?  What are your favorites so far?

Book Review: The Thing About Jellyfish

The Thing About Jellyfish (Audiobook)
Ali Benjamin
Read by Sarah Franco
Little, Brown and Company, 2015
Genre: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Grief
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

~What It's About~

Suzy has made a resolution not to speak after her best friend--former best friend--died in a tragic drowning accident over summer break.  She has been told that "sometimes these things just happen" but Suzy will not accept that and becomes obsessed with the idea that her friend, Franny, may have died from a jellyfish sting.  Delving into research on jellyfish and how to prove her theory is correct, Suzy is also tackling her first year in middle school while not speaking.  This story is about Suzy dealing with her grief, but also about changing friendships.

~The Good~

Ali Benjamin tells Suzy's story through the scientific process, introducing chapters as different parts in a science experiment because that's how she's able to deal with processing Franny's death.  She needs to have a reason that makes sense for why Franny died.  Woven throughout are flashbacks to the story of Suzy and Franny's friendship and how they grew together throughout the years and then eventually how they grew apart.  Not only is Suzy dealing with the grief of the actual death of her friend, but she's still not understanding how their friendship died before that moment.  The way Ali Benjamin deals with Suzy's grief is delicately, opening up one little piece of her heart at time. She allows not only the reader to fully understand what happened, but it allows Suzy to understand too.

Suzy has some great help along the way.  She finds kindred spirits in unexpected people who help her just by being there and allowing her to be silent.  That's also something I appreciated.  Suzy's choice to not speak is disturbing and upsetting to her parents, and although she knows they love her, Suzy really just wants them to understand.  Which they don't--not due to any fault of their own.  Without meaning too, though, she finds others who do understand--or at least accept.  They just accept her silence and still speak with her and interact with her.

Friendship and its complexities is at the heart of this novel, which is so important for a middle grade book.  Friendships become more complex when kids start moving up into middle school and it's a difficult path to wade through for kids.  Our journey with Suzy attempts to untangle and understand what went wrong and how to accept it.

Audio: Sarah Franco, brought Suzy to life.  Her performance of the novel and the voice of Suzy presented us with a girl who isn't sure of herself or anything really anymore.  She showed us a girl who is trying to understand the world, but just doesn't get it--and is hurt that it doesn't quite get her.  Her performance really made the audio.

~The Not-So-Good~

I can't find anything to be bothered with about this book.  I enjoyed it!  I really enjoyed it.  And it even forced me to go on a walk a few days when I didn't want to so that I could hear more from Suzy.

~Final Thoughts~

The Thing About Jellyfish is heartbreaking and beautiful.  If you have a 5th-8th grader I think they would very much enjoy and relate to this story.  Even if you don't have a child of that age, read it.  Remind yourself of what it's like to be different and to just want people to understand you, so you can understand the world.

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#SundayStatus

Sunday Status is a weekly (ish) post where I let you know what I'm reading and what I'm thinking about it as I go along.

~At Home~

Why Not Me?
Mindy Kaling
Crown Archetype, 2015
Source: local library

I think Mindy Kaling is hilarious and I loved her previous book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?  I'm not that far into this one, but so far the essays aren't as good.  In her previous one, they concerned her life growing up and being a woman in a field dominated by men.  So far I've read one about beauty secrets and one about sorority life.  Even though they're sarcastic and I see the humor in them as she pokes fun at herself and others, I'm finding it harder to connect to these essays.  I'm hoping that I'll enjoy some of the others more.


~At School~

Dead Upon A Time

Elizabeth Paulson
Scholastic Press, 2015
Source: purchased for my classroom library

This is a retelling of Little Red Riding Hood, but in this case, it may not have been a wolf who took Kate Hood's grandmother.  And she has to get Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk) to help her because no one in town will speak with her.  It's then that she finds out there are others who have been taken and no one is talking about them either.

I'm trying to give it a chance, but I'm not feeling it too much just now.  I've also not been able to give it too much time at school due to lots of other things I'm trying to take care of.  I need to focus on it a bit more when I have time.  After all, I should be reading with my students and not grading--right?

~Listening To ~

The Thing About Jellyfish

Ali Benjamin
Read by Sarah Franco
Little Brown Young Readers, 2015
Source: purchased

I'm still listening to The Thing About Jellyfish.  I've managed to listen to a bit more here and there, but not enough.  If I could grade and listen to an audiobook, I would, but then I either stop paying attention to what I'm grading or I cut out the audio and find myself lost in the book.

#SundayStatus: Valentine's Day, I'd Know You Anywhere and The Thing About Jellyfish

Sunday Status is a weekly (ish) post where I let you know what I'm reading and what I'm thinking about it as I go along.

Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you're enjoying the day with your loved ones, whomever that may include. So far, mine has included breakfast with my daughter and husband, snow day fun, and watching Inside Out.  I'm looking forward to some really good pulled pork from the crockpot this evening and watching The Walking Dead, if I can convince my husband to stay up later since we both don't need to get up for work tomorrow.

This week I'm still reading the same books.  I feel like I've not done much reading for the past two weeks, and had hoped to have this one finished.

~At Home~

I'd Know You Anywhere

Laura Lippman
William Morrow, 2010
Source: borrowed

I may not finish this one.  First, there are so many "Parts."  I think I'm on Part VI and some of the sections have only been like 20-30 pages and I'm seeing a clear divide between them.  They already have chapters within each part, so why do you need them?

The first part was pretty long and it switched between present day Eliza's life and point of view, 1985 Eliza (known as Elizabeth back then), and 1985 Walter Bowman (her kidnapper during the year of 1985).  I only really enjoyed the flashbacks to 1985.  I had trouble staying within the reality of the present day because Eliza's voice kept being overtaken by hints of her kids or husband seeping in.  Maybe that's purposeful?  I don't know, but I don't really like it.

Now in whatever Part I'm on currently they've added more perspectives and cut out most of the past.  So far we have four more characters whose voices were not present in the first part, and some of whom were barely even mentioned until suddenly you're hearing form their point of view half way through the novel.

I may not finish.  It'll have been two weeks at this point.  If I don't finish tonight, I'm going to have to move on.

~Listening To ~

The Thing About Jellyfish

Ali Benjamin
Read by Sarah Franco
Little Brown Young Readers, 2015
Source: purchased

I'm still listening to The Thing About Jellyfish.  My goal had been to listen while I walked...well since it's been cold and not warm (typical for this time of year) I haven't listened at all until today while I was cleaning the bathroom.  I'm hoping to find some more significant time to devote to listening soon.

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Sunday Status: Three books at once? Oh my!

Sunday Status is a weekly (ish) post where I let you know what I'm reading and what I'm thinking about it as I go along.

~At Home~

On Writing

by Stephen King
Simon & Schuster Scribner, 2000
Source: library

I'm almost finished.  I've found it really difficult to read anything this past week with all the work I have at school.  I had hoped to have it finished by Friday.  Alas, I am not there yet, but tonight!  Tonight will be the night.

Here's a secret:  I've never read anything by Stephen King other than The Body.  I love his thoughts on writing and the writing process.  Most likely he would yell at me and all my excuses for not spending time writing.  One day.  One day I'll get it together.  And I'm going to add one of his books to my TBR for this year.  Not sure which one yet.

~At School~

The Neptune Project 
Polly Holyoke
Disney/Hyperion, 2013
Source: A student lent this to me

I will honest, based on the back cover I don't have much hope that I'll enjoy this one, but I'm going to give it a try.  My hope is that it surprises me.  The idea is that a group of kids have been genetically altered to have some of the qualities of dolphins and when they're told, they're not too happy about it.  Then they're sent on some trip to help save the world.  I've only read a few pages so far, so I really only know the back of the book!
Check out the Goodreads page.

~Listening To~

The Thing About Jellyfish
Ali Benjamin
Read by Sarah Franco
Little Brown Young Readers, 2015
Source: purchased

I'm listening to this one as I walk.  It's my motivation to get me moving a bit more this month.  It's still so incredibly cold and I will have to wake up super early to do so, but I'm hoping to motivate myself at least twice a week and once on the weekend.  Then I can also listen to a book.

Today I got in an hour of listening/walking and so far it's interesting.  Suzy's best friend died in an accident at the end of the summer and now she's stopped talking.  By choice.  Because she needs to keep her words to herself.  Told through her current experiences and flashbacks to her younger childhood, Suzy is trying to make her way through seventh grade and has a theory about why her friend died.  She refuses to believe that some things just happened and she's going to find out the truth--using the scientific method.

Really looking forward to more.  So hopefully I get out there and walk!!

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