The Delany Sisters' Book of Everyday Wisdom

by Sarah and A. Elizabeth Delany with Amy Hill Hearth

personal copy hardcover 133 pages

Published: 1994

Genre: Non-fiction advice, memoir

I've long loved Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years. When I saw this book of wisdom by the sisters, I grabbed it! What amazing women. They've since gone to Eternity, but I'm so thankful that their stories (at least some of them) have been preserved for posterity.

Page 19: "Bessie: I'll tell you what I cherish most from the past: our family traditions, all those little rituals that bind you together. Folks today tend to be so busy and independent that they abandon the daily habits, like eating meals together, that keep you close. They think they can watch the TV during dinner or grab a quick bite and rush off. They think it doesn't matter. Well, they are wrong!"

Bessie goes on to talk about the value of the family supper meal and everyone together, talking and just enjoying one another. Yes! Research has actually shown that families who share regular meals have statistically positive outcomes. I'm so glad that I grew up in a household that valued shared meals and that Louie and I provided them for our children.

Page 62-63:

   

I love this wisdom! It fits nicely with Financial Peace University teaching . . . and it makes a lot of sense. Number 4 is especially good . . . live within your means.

 

 

Page 70: "We don't see folks as black or white. This race mess is just plain foolishness! And the fighting that goes on between religions is crazy, too. Papa used to get very upset when he'd hear anti-Semitic remarks. He wouldn't stand for it. He'd say, 'The Jews are God's Chosen People. Who are you, who couldn't make a flea, to disrespect God by criticizing the Jews?' The world is full of nice folks, whatever their color or religion. As Mama used to say, your job is to find them."

 

Bessie's and Sadie's parents were wise people. They raised ten children to also be wise. Wonderful!

 

Page 80:

 

 

A Word to Young People. This is kind of funny - neither of the sisters got married or had children . . . but this is still great advice.

 

Pages 110-111: 

 

 

These women doing yoga amaze me! I love that they work at eating healthy and exercising . . . smart ladies.  

Page 123: Sadie: "That's a big problem with some older folks - they have such low expectations of themselves. When they get to a certain age, they just give up. That's a shame! If there's anything I've learned in all these years, it's that life is too good to waste a day. It's up to you to make it sweet."

Such sweet advice! It comes on the heels of a story about Sadie in the hospital with a broken hip, trying to give her roommate (in her 70s) a pep talk about not giving up. She notes that she was in better shape than most of these younger roommates even though she was much older.

Page 133: Sadie: "But you know, we aren't ready to give up yet, unless the Lord makes up His mind that it's finally time to call us. In the meantime, like all human beings, we want to keep on living. As Bessie says, 'Heaven is my home but, honey, I ain't homesick!'"

One of the things I love about that is how conflicted I sometimes feel when another Christian talks about Heaven and wanting to go to their heavenly home so much. I love having the hope of eternity, but I have Bessie's sentiment - "Heaven is my home but, honey, I ain't homesick!" I love life. 

This book is so wonderful. It's a gift for one of my daughters-in-law.

A Birthday Party for Jesus

by Susan Jones

Illustrated by Lee Holland

Hennepin County Library children's book

Published: 2017

 

Sweet little children's book about gifts for Jesus.  This is one title in a set of four . . . I haven't read them all, but I really liked this one and used it at church in 2021.

The Paris Key

by Juliet Blackwell

Libby audiobook 10 hours

read by Xe Sands

Published: 2015

Genre: realistic fiction

 

Positives: Blackwell writes stories that draw you in. 

The switching from Genevieve in modern day times, when she was 14, and her mother Angela's storyline in 1983 was not confusing. 

There were many interesting characters and I especially liked the changes in Genevieve's cousin Catherine.

I loved the locksmithing part of the story and the abundant metaphors it provided.

I loved the foodie aspect of Paris . . . shopping every day to enjoy fresh baguettes and in-season fruits and vegetables.

 

Drawbacks: I think I would have enjoyed reading this in print more than listening to the audiobook, even though Sands did a lovely job. There are places I would have made notes and blogged about.

I also disliked the broken marriages . . . which made Dave's and Pascal's story all the better!

I couldn't stand that Genevieve's husband called her Jeannie because it was "too hard" to pronounce her name correctly! What?!

 

Blackwell is a talented author. I liked Letters From Paris a bit better, but found it amusing that both stories featured an American woman from the South relocating to Paris to work and learn secrets . . .

Blended

by Sharon M. Draper

Scott County Library hardcover 308 pages

Published: 2018

Genre: YA realistic fiction

 

This is one of the 2021-22 Maud Hart Lovelace nominees. Draper is a fantastic author and this was another good read. From the cover blurb: "Eleven-year-old Isabella - whose father is black and mother is white - is used to these kinds of comments, but it doesn't mean she likes them. And now that her parents are divorced (and getting along WORSE than ever), Isabella feels like a push-me-pull-me toy. Being split between Mom and Dad is more than switching houses, switching nicknames, switching backpacks: it's switching identities. If you're only seen as half of this and half of that, how can you ever feel whole?" 

The comments being referenced here are about her looks, of course. How unusual and "exotic" and "what" is she . . . but the aspects of the story that felt really true to life beyond her racial identity dealt with being the child of divorce and her identity as a human being. 

 

Page 39: "It took him a few clicks before he finally said, 'The world looks at Black people differently. It's not fair, but it's true.'" 

Isabella and her dad are talking about their clothing and people's perceptions. The whole conversation is so personal and beautiful, though painful too.

 

Pages 79-83: "By the time they're finished, I feel like throwing up. I don't see Imani anywhere."

The whole thread of questioning after Isabella's friend Imani had a noose hung in her locker infuriated me! How could any adult working with kids talk to a clearly scared eleven-year-old as though they're interrogating a hardened criminal?!

Page 117: "Class time goes by so quickly: I'm still reading stuff when the bell rings."

I love it when this happens to students! They get so engaged in what they're learning that they lose track of time. In this case, Isabella is reading poems by Langston Hughes. I love how Draper effortlessly added in so many great educational lessons. I hadn't read Hughes' poem Cross before, and both that and Isabella's (Draper's) response poem Criss Cross . . . really good stuff!

Page 146: "Mr. Kazilly gave us a poem by some guy named Joyce Kilmer. What mother names her son Joyce?"

The poem is Trees and it was lovely to read it again, especially the last line: "Poems are made by fools like me, But only God can make a tree." Isabella's comment about Kilmer's first name is just classic kid observation!

 

Page 189: "Monogamy means 'being married to only one person at a time.' Makes sense to me. Misogamy means 'hatred of marriage.' I guess that's how my parents felt before they split up."

Isabella's language arts vocab words fit into the story so well and help to move the story along. Love this! Never having heard the word "misogamy" before, it made me think of a misogynist. I love words (even when they represent ugly ideas).

 

Page 220: "Darren rushed home from a date. He didn't try to explain stuff away like Mom and Dad did. When he walked into my room, I erupted into a full ugly-face cry. He sat close, handed me tissues, and didn't say a single word. Didn't even check his phone once."

Darren is Isabella's soon-to-be step-brother. He is a teenage boy, but he is such a good older brother / friend to Isabella. He is one of my favorite characters in the book. When Isabella's mom and dad have a major scene at the weekly "handoff," she absolutely goes off, running away from both of her parents and out into the stormy evening.

Page 271: (you must read this book . . . )

This page shocked me. And upset me. Part of the reason it upset me is that it was so easily believable. I cried. Draper wrote this so well.

This book is amazing. It deals with racial profiling, marriage and divorce, adolescence, relationships, finding personal strengths (Isabella is an amazing piano player), and so much more. It is a well-told story and worth reading!

Boy Bites Bug

by Rebecca Petruck

Scott County Library hardcover 250 pages

Published: 2018

Genre: YA realistic fiction

One of the Maud Hart Lovelace nominees for this year. Set in Minnesota. Touches on middle school boy friendships, racism, wrestling, and entomophagy (insect eating). This felt more like an elementary school book to me . . . 

I liked the relationship between main character Will and his sister Hollie. That dynamic was most interesting to me. Will's attempts to maintain his friendship with Darryl and defend newcomer Eloy were realistic, but strained.

It Wasn't Me

by Dana Alison Levy

Scott County Library paperback 320 pages

Published: 2018

Genre: YA realistic fiction

 

This is one of the 2021-22 Maud Hart Lovelace nominees and I decided to read them all so I can talk with middle school students about them.

 

Theo is a photographer who prefers to avoid the spotlight. When he agrees to hang a show of his photos and they're vandalized, five students seen in the vicinity are detained. Molly is an overachiever, Erik an athlete, Jax the "screwup," Andre the "nerd," and Alice the horror-movie "weirdo." Their teacher Ms. Lewiston believes in the power of Circle Justice and has them participate over a week of vacation.

 

I immediately thought about Touching Spirit Bear with the circle justice . . . . 

 

Mostly about stereotypes and how people perceive one another, the book felt quite predictable in some regards and delightful in others. It's no surprise that the author gives some credit to The Breakfast Club.

Page 110-111: I'm not going to replicate the text here, but when Jax is explaining why he likes hiphop and he defines "misogynist," the ensuing conversation (Molly's outrage, Eric's confusion) is well-written.

Page 115: "Flummoxed was a vocab word last month, meaning totally taken by surprise or caught off guard."  When Andre says that his band's YouTube channel has over 50,000 subscribers, Theo's use of a vocab word hits perfectly. Again, clever work by this author.

Page 125: "She says: 'Sorry my dad is so impatient.' I nod. 'Sorry my mom gave him the finger.' She shrugs. Together we walk into the school for day three."

This interaction between Alice and Theo just made me laugh. Parents. What can you do? Theo's mom had paused in the drop-off to make sure he was okay. Alice's dad beeped once, then leaned on the horn. "As I glance back, I see my mom waving wildly out the window before driving off." Then there's a description of Alice's horror makeup for the day, which includes a third eye on her forehead. Then the interaction above.

Page 126: ". . . Jax and Erik have their heads bent over an issue of Sportsballs and Sweaty Things (possibly not the actual title) . . . 

Again, laugh out loud line. This sounds like something one of my sons might have said as a teen.

Page 147: "(Also, I will note here that the motion of a cat gakking up a hairball, when set to dubstep, is oddly compelling.)"

It will be fun to talk with kids about this book and see what they enjoy most.

Page 242: ". . . all the good anger drains out of me so fast I'm dizzy."

When Theo loses it and yells at everyone and pours out all his frustrations, he drains himself emotionally. It's what he needed to do, yet he was very hurtful to others. It's a relatable scene, and his ability to apologize and make things right again . . . is well-written.

House Arrest

by K.A. Holt

Libby audiobook 4 hours

read by Alex Kydd

Published: 2019

Genre: YA realistic fiction

 

"Timothy is on probation. It's a strange word - something that happens to other kids, to delinquents, not to kids like him. And yet, he is under house arrest for the next year. He must check in weekly with a probation officer and a therapist, and keep a journal for an entire year. And mostly, he has to stay out of trouble. But when he must take drastic measures to help his struggling family, staying out of trouble proves more difficult than Timothy ever thought it would be."

Oh. My. Word.

I love this book! It made me laugh and it made me cry. This would be a great title to recommend to kiddos who enjoy Sonnenblick's Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie. Timothy is a fantastic and relatable protagonist. When he is caught stealing a wallet to pay for his baby brother's really expensive medicine, he has to journal about his thoughts and feelings.

Those thoughts and feelings are held in fairly tightly at first (hello, 12 year old boy) but then he rages at the injustices in his life - mostly on behalf of his baby brother and his hard-working mother. What an incredible kid! 

His probation officer (James) and his therapist (Ms. Bainbridge) are also wonderful characters. This was a delightful, quick story.

<Above posted on 12.8.21. I relistened to it on 11.29.22 because I remembered enjoying it so much and I wanted an audiobook. Such a good story!>

Oh! There was a funny line when he called puking "shouting groceries." That tickled my funny bone.

Murder on Cape Cod

by Maddie Day

Libby audiobook 8 hours

read by: ???

Published: 2019

Genre: Murder mystery (part of the Cozy Capers Book Group Mystery)

Louie and I listened to this one together, which was fun!

Handyman Jake has been stabbed and two members of the book club are implicated . . . but Mac sets out to figure out who the real killer is.

Good old-fashioned sleuthing. Lots of characters and clues. A funny parrot (African gray?). It was interesting as more details came to light. Mac finally got some help with her bike shop. Tourists galore.

Letters From Paris

by Juliet Blackwell

Libby audiobook 

Read by: Xe Sands

Published: 2016

Genre: Mystery, some history

Wow! Top 3s:

LOVED:

1. beautiful language, evocative - I could picture myself in Paris!

2. my curiosity was piqued on so many levels about so many different things

3. connections made between the characters and the eras in history (The author wove the story strands very effectively.)

Didn't Love:

1. audiobook format - sometimes the reader's gorgeous voice got too quiet and I missed words. It can be hard to focus on driving safely AND wanting to actually hear the story. There are only so many times you can safely hit the "back 15 seconds" button while listening. I didn't like missing parts of the story, nor cranking the volume up then needing to turn it back down.

2. The very predictable path of Claire's and Armond's (?) relationship.

3. That it's over! What a good book. Sorry no real review here - Google it for a description.