Search This Blog
2026 Bookish Books Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2026 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)
2026 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama
- Alaska (1)
- Arizona
- Arkansas (1)
- California (7)
- Colorado (1)
- Connecticut (1)
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii (1)
- Idaho (1)
- Illinois (2)
- Indiana (1)
- Iowa (1)
- Kansas
- Kentucky (1)
- Louisiana (2)
- Maine (4)
- Maryland (1)
- Massachusetts (2)
- Michigan (2)
- Minnesota (2)
- Mississippi (1)
- Missouri
- Montana (1)
- Nebraska (1)
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey (1)
- New Mexico
- New York (4)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (3)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon (2)
- Pennsylvania (1)
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina
- South Dakota (1)
- Tennessee
- Texas (3)
- Utah (1)
- Vermont (1)
- Virginia (1)
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin (2)
- Wyoming(1)
- Washington, D.C.*
International:
- Australia (6)
- Austria (1)
- Canada (2)
- England (21)
- Fiji (1)
- France (1)
- Ireland (2)
- Italy (1)
- Mexico (1)
- New Zealand (1)
- Norway (1)
- Scotland (1)
- The Bahamas (1)
- Vatican City (1)
2026 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
2026 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge
Booklist Queen's 2026 Reading Challenge
2026 52 Club Reading Challenge
2026 Build Your Library Reading Challenge
2026 Craving for Cozies Reading Challenge
2026 Medical Examiner Mystery Reading Challenge
2026 Mount TBR Reading Challenge
2026 Around the Year in 52 Books Reading Challenge
Shelf Reflection Candy Reading Challenge for Kids (and Adults)
2026 Countdown Reading Challenge
Dragon Rambles' Law of Fives Bingo
2026 Southern Literary Reading Challenge
2026 Reading Challenge (by Linz the Bookworm)
2026 Pioneer Book Reading Challenge
European Reading Challenge 2026
2017 Pick Your Poison Reading Challenge (retired challenge - doing old boards for fun)
2026 Reading Challenge Addict Reading Challenge
The 100 Most Common Last Names in the U.S. Reading Challenge
The Life Skills Reading Challenge
Wednesday, June 05, 2024
Mormon Mentions: Dusti Bowling
8:57 PM
If you haven't got a clue what a Mormon Mention is, allow me to explain: When I see a reference to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (known more commonly as the Mormons) in a book which was not written by a member of the church, I post it here. With commentary from Yours Truly. I'm no theologian, but I try to explain doctrinal issues as well as debunk myths and clear up misconceptions. Speaking of, I should probably make this crystal clear: I do not have horns. I do not belong to a cult. My dad only has one wife. As does my husband. And, yes, people really have asked me all of those questions. Just FYI: mainstream Mormons haven't practiced polygamy for more than 120 years.
Everybody got that? Great. Let's move on ...
In Dust by Dusti Bowling, the main character and her friends have this conversation about a video one of them watched:
"What was it about?" I asked.
"Mormyridae."
Nan and I looked at each other. "Mormon what?" she asked.
"Not Mormon." Dillon huffed. "Mormyridae."
I repeated the word. "Mormyridae. Mormyridae. How do you spell it?"
"M-O-R-M-Y-R-I-D-A-E."
"Good spelling word," I said.
"That's not why I thought you'd be interested."
"Well, what is it?"
"They're fish that produce electricity," he explained. "Also called elephant fish."
(Pages 177-78)
There's not much to say about this passage. It just made me chuckle!
Bowling's Newest Gut-Wrenching, But Hopeful
8:21 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Although Avalyn has severe asthma, the exuberant 12-year-old doesn't let it get in her way. Moving to an Arizona mountain town with clear, dry air has helped immensely. She suffers, but not nearly as much as she once did. She focuses, instead, on hanging out with her band of misfit friends, reading her beloved X-men comics, and ignoring the bullies at school as best she can. When a new boy moves to town, she senses he might be a perfect fit for her friend group of nerdy outcasts. The problem is that Adam constantly rebuffs her attempts. He insists on being a loner—a secretive, moody, intriguing loner. Avalyn longs to crack his shell. Underneath the tough exterior, she sees glimpses of a cool kid who wants to belong as much as she does.
Avalyn's never told anyone, but she's got a superpower of her own. She's always been able to sense people's emotions and Adam's are...intense. Whenever he gets angry or upset, his feelings stir up whirling dust storms, the kind that fill her lungs with grit, making it difficult for her to catch a breath. What is the cause of Adam's distress? Why is he so withdrawn? The more Avalyn learns about Adam, the more concerned she grows. What is he hiding and how can she help her new potential friend if she can't even breathe around him?
Dusti Bowling is one of my auto-read authors for middle-grade books. Her novels are warm, engaging, hopeful, and heart-full. Dust, her newest, is no exception. It's her most poignant, dealing as it does with some heavy subjects. Still, it's a beautiful, uplifting read about the importance of standing up for yourself and others.
Avalyn is a sympathetic character, of course. In addition to dealing with a debilitating health condition and other allergies that make her feel like she can never fit in, she's also the target of a group of school bullies that are unrelenting in their torture of her. The wholesome, supportive friendship that exists between her and her two best friends (also bullied outcasts) is the best part of the story. I also like that Avalyn has parents who are compassionate and involved. You also can't help but sympathize with poor Adam in his awful situation. The deep pain that all these kids feel from being ostracized and mocked is palpable, hopefully so much so that it influences young readers to make an effort to be kinder and more inclusive, both at school and in their broader communities.
Bowling makes a strong point about not just standing up to bullying and abuse, but also telling a trusted adult when something harmful is happening. It's only when Avalyn does both that she's able to create even a small amount of change. (Content warning: While Adam's situation is never described in detail, it's hinted at pretty heavily and there's one gut-wrenching scene where it is exposed in a way that, while not exactly graphic, is difficult. Hopefully, most kids won't understand enough to fill in the gaps since they, thankfully, have never been in such situations, but those who do get what's going on only too well may find it traumatizing. Caution should be used when recommending Dust to these readers.)
Magical realism can be a hard sell for me, but I have to say it worked well in Dust. Even if that element isn't wholly convincing in the story, it adds to the tale by giving it more power and depth. It also brings something unique to a familiar plot.
While Dust isn't my favorite of Bowling's books (that would be Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus), I do think it's her best. The story is heart-wrenching, powerful, and important. It's one that affected me viscerally (especially the scene mentioned above), staying in my thoughts even now, months after I read it. I highly recommend all of Bowling's novels, but this one is especially affecting.
Avalyn is a sympathetic character, of course. In addition to dealing with a debilitating health condition and other allergies that make her feel like she can never fit in, she's also the target of a group of school bullies that are unrelenting in their torture of her. The wholesome, supportive friendship that exists between her and her two best friends (also bullied outcasts) is the best part of the story. I also like that Avalyn has parents who are compassionate and involved. You also can't help but sympathize with poor Adam in his awful situation. The deep pain that all these kids feel from being ostracized and mocked is palpable, hopefully so much so that it influences young readers to make an effort to be kinder and more inclusive, both at school and in their broader communities.
Magical realism can be a hard sell for me, but I have to say it worked well in Dust. Even if that element isn't wholly convincing in the story, it adds to the tale by giving it more power and depth. It also brings something unique to a familiar plot.
While Dust isn't my favorite of Bowling's books (that would be Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus), I do think it's her best. The story is heart-wrenching, powerful, and important. It's one that affected me viscerally (especially the scene mentioned above), staying in my thoughts even now, months after I read it. I highly recommend all of Bowling's novels, but this one is especially affecting.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of other middle grade novels by Dusti Bowling)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for violence and difficult subject matter (physical/sexual abuse of a child, bullying, etc.)
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Sunday, June 02, 2024
The Bookish Books Reading Challenge: June Book Ideas and Link-Up for Reviews
9:03 PM
I'm late for another of my monthly posts for the Bookish Books Reading ChallengeBookish Books Reading Challenge. Is anyone surprised? I also only managed to read one bookish book in May. I shouldn't have any trouble meeting my goal of reading 30+ of them before the end of the year, but my progress has definitely been slow...and we won't even talk about how many reviews I haven't written. Yikes!
In May, I read this Beauty and the Beast retelling, which I enjoyed:
Beauty Reborn by Elizabeth Lowham sticks fairly close to the Disney version of the fairy tale, which makes it a tad basic. Still, it's a well-written retelling with more depth than you might think. (Content warning: there is some sexual assault, but it is handled thoughtfully, showing both devastation and hope, and never getting graphic.) On the bright side is the Beast's magical library, where he and Beauty spend many days in peaceful companionship. She's as big of a book nerd as Disney's Belle, so that's fun.
In June, I will be concentrating on completing books off of my lists for the 20 Books of Summer Reading Challenge and the summer reading challenge hosted by The Lit Homebody. I only have a few bookish books on my anticipated reading lists and I'm pretty sure I've mentioned them all on here already, so I'm just going to post the covers this time around. We'll see if I actually get to any of them in June.
The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan
Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out by Shannon Reed
I've been hearing good things from other book bloggers about the Wartime Book Club books by Lesley EamesLesley Eames. It's described as a heartwarming series about women coming together during World War II. I'm hoping to start the series sometime this summer.
How about you? What bookish books are you planning to read in June? How are you doing on your goal for the challenge?
If you are participating in the 2024 Bookish Books Reading Challenge, please use the widget below to link-up your June reviews. If you're not signed up for the challenge yet, what are you waiting for? Click here to join the party.
Wednesday, May 29, 2024
Top Ten Tuesday: And There They Still Sit...
7:41 AM
I'm a little late to the party, but I'm here. Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
I don't know about you, but I have a bad habit of getting excited about a book, acquiring said book, and then totally forgetting the book exists in the world, let alone right there on my bookshelf or Kindle. Sound familiar at all? Today's TTT topic is all about this weird, inexplicable phenomenon: Top Ten Books I Couldn't Wait to Get My Hands On and Still Haven't Read. This is another one of those prompts that could have been a Top One Hundred list, but ain't nobody wanna read that, so I'll restrain myself and stick to the assignment. While I definitely have older examples, the volumes on my list are the first ten that caught my eye while I was perusing my bookshelves.
As always, Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by the lovely Jana over at That Artsy Reader Girl.
1. Homecoming by Kate Morton—This is the first book that came to mind for this topic. I adore Morton and get excited every time she publishes. Extra so this go around because I didn't love her last novel. (There's a first time for everything, I guess.) Homecoming has gotten great reviews. I just need to read it already. The story is about a journalist living in England who returns to her native Australia to care for her elderly grandmother. While poking about in the older woman's attic, she discovers intriguing clues that propel her to investigate a 60-year-old unsolved murder that, shockingly, seems to have ties to her family.
2. The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann—Like all buzzy books, this one had a long waitlist at my library, so I bought myself a copy...which has been gathering dust on my bookshelf ever since! It's the nonfiction account of a British ship that wrecked in 1742. Two groups of survivors arrived home at different times and in separate cobbled-together vessels. With wildly different stories about what happened to them, the question became: What really happened aboard the Wager?
3. Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng—I'm always up for a unique dystopian novel and this one caught my attention as soon as I heard about it. I even bought a copy to enjoy at my leisure, although I planned to get to it sooner rather than later. Hasn't happened yet. It's about a young Asian American boy living in a tumultuous new world that is trying to regroup following years of economic chaos and angry violence. The government says that anything "unpatriotic" (including the poems his mother wrote before she abandoned him) should be eradicated. When he gets a mysterious letter with only a drawing on it, it sends him on a daring journey to find the mother he hasn't seen in three years.
4. Hester by Laurie Lico Albanese—This historical novel tells the reimagined story of the woman who inspired Nathaniel Hawthorne's most famous character, Hester Prynne. I really should pick it up one of these days!
5. Fly Away by Kristin Hannah—After loving Hannah's most recent novels, I wanted to read some of her backlist ones. I purchased this one only to later realize it was the second book in a duology. Oops! Once I read Firefly Lane, I'll get to this sequel, which continues the story of the great friendship between Tully Hart and Kate Ryan.
6. How to Keep House While Drowning by K.C. Davis—While my housekeeping skills can always use refining, I hear this slim self-help book really isn't about cleaning at all. Lots of my busy mom friends have recommended this to me as a guide that helped them feel better about all they're doing and get rid of the shame and guilt they feel over not being able to accomplish as much as they want to in their long, crazy days filled with constant cleaning, cooking, childcare, etc.
7. The Silo trilogy by Hugh Howey—Dystopian novels have always been my jam. I loved Wool when I read it, so much so that I bought a boxed set of the three-volume series. Have I read Shift or Dust? No, no I have not. The story is about apocalypse survivors who have been living through the fallout underground. Tired of the confinement, some of them want to bust out and take their chances on the outside. They get their wish, for good or ill...
8. Daughter of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert—Moloka'i is an impactful historical novel that I still think about even though it's been years since I read it. Since I liked it so much, I purchased the sequel. I feel like I need to re-read the first book to remember who's who and what's what before I move on with the story, but I've yet to actually do it because as much as I may have enjoyed a book, I'm not much for re-reading.
9. What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon—Of the three books I've read by Harmon, I adored two of them (Where the Lost Wander and A Girl Called Samson). This time-slip novel is one of her most well-loved. It's about a woman grieving the death of her beloved grandfather, who always regaled her with stories of his childhood in Ireland. Sucked back to that time period, she finds herself the unwitting guardian of a young boy. Even if she could return to her time, could she bear to leave the child she is coming to love as her own?
10. The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn—I feel like the last hist-fic lover on the planet that hasn't read anything by Quinn. This is the book of hers I most want to read. Based on a true story, it's about a bookish student who is forced to take up a gun and defend her native Ukraine from Hitler's oncoming invasion. She soon becomes a proficient killer, a national hero, and a friend of Eleanor Roosevelt. Then an old enemy comes calling...
There you go, ten books I was really excited to read and still haven't gotten to. What's on your shelf of shame? I'd love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on yours.
Happy TTT (on a Wednesday)!
Subscribe to:
Posts
(Atom)
Readin'
Beach Thriller by Jamie Day
Listenin'
Hidden Rooms by Kate Michaelson
Followin' with Bloglovin'
Followin' with Feedly
-
State Of The ARC #653 hours ago
-
July Reading Wrap Up 20267 hours ago
-
Books read in July8 hours ago
-
Astronaut by Oana Aristide8 hours ago
-
Six Degrees of Separation ~ Land13 hours ago
-
The Spy and tge Snake by M J Robotham13 hours ago
-
Randomness...15 hours ago
-
Week in Review #3122 hours ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Monthly Round-Up: July 20261 day ago
-
-
-
-
-
Reading Made Easier Techniques!2 days ago
-
-
-
A Curse Carved in Bone3 days ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
June TBR2 months ago
-
-
Madrigals and Mayhem by Elizabeth Penney5 months ago
-
-
Sunday Post #5681 year ago
-
-
Girl Plus Books: On Hiatus2 years ago
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?2 years ago
-
6/25/23 Extra Ezra3 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?3 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Grab my Button!
Blog Design by:
Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
- ► 2018 (223)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)
2026 Goodreads Reading Challenge
2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
2023 - Middle Grade Fiction
2022 - Middle Grade Fiction
2021 - Middle Grade Fiction
2020 - Middle Grade Fiction
