Weekly Wrap-Up: 1/30 – 2/5/17

Happy Sunday bookworms!

How was your weekend?  Mine was fairly low key, which is a rare occurrence around here.  I took full advantage and worked hard at chipping away my ridiculously long back log of book reviews.  I am planning on getting 2-3 of these reviews up on the blog this week, so stay tuned for a book review overload!

Let’s see what else I had going on this week…

*Weekly Wrap-Up is a weekly post where I feature what posts were published on the blog for the past week, any bookish/blog happenings, noteworthy posts around the bookish blogosphere, what I recently finished reading, what I am currently reading, and what I will be reading next.

This week on the blog:

Monday 1/30

Kids’ Corner: Diverse Children’s Picture Books in Review (January 2017)

Wednesday 2/1

January 2017 Wrap-Up + Book Haul

Thursday

February 2017 TBR

Around the blogosphere:

» Fadwa @Word Wonders shares some recommendations for those participating in #DiversityBingo2017 → #DiversityBingo2017: My TBR and Recommendations

» Marie @Drizzle & Hurricane Books shares some YA contemporary books that center around road trips → Road trip edition – the contemporary corner

» Renee @It’s Book Talk talks about her favorite tearjerkers → THROWBACK THURSDAY: MY MOST MEMORABLE TEARJERKERS PART II

» Bina @WOCreads shares 10 poetry collections by black women → 10 Poetry Collections by Black Women #BlackHistoryMonth

» Danielle @ Books, Vertigo & Tea shares another Pairing Teas & Reads feature → Pairing Teas & Reads

What have I been reading?

Recently finished reading:

» Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood

Summary of feelings:   I had never read a Margaret Atwood book before this one. I went into this one not knowing what to expect.  I heard it was a retelling of William Shakespeare’s The Tempest, but that it was set in a prison?  This definitely peaked my interest.  I am embarrassed to say that I’ve only read a few of Shakespeare’s plays, and The Tempest is not one of them.  I did read a summary of the play before reading Hag-Seed, which was definitely a smart move.  I for one thought this book was very clever, HOWEVER I don’t necessarily think this book is going to be for everyone.  I did find much of it a little far fetched, BUT I took into account that it is a retelling.  Fans of Shakespeare and theatre should definitely give this one a go.

» Listen, Slowly by Thanhha Lai

Summary of feelings:   This is classified as a middle-grade book, but I almost want to say it would be better for a younger YA audience… The main character, Mai, is a 12-year-old but she felt older to me.  Maybe 14ish?  Anyways!  Mai takes a trip with her grandmother to Vietnam to find out once and for all what happened to her grandfather during the Vietnam War.  This is a wonderful book full of Vietnamese culture and customs.  If you know me, then you know I love learning about different cultures.  I listened to this via audiobook, which I think was very helpful since there is a lot of Vietnamese words and the correct way to pronounce these words throughout the book.  Mai goes through tremendous growth through this book, which was great to see since I was not a fan of her in the beginning.

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Currently reading:

» A Sparrow in Terezin by Kristy Cambron

I am 65% through the second novel in Kristy Cambron’s Hidden Masterpiece series.  I read The Butterfly and the Violin last year, and really enjoyed how Cambron takes a subject like WWII and somehow makes it uplifting and hopeful.  I am very excited that she will be attending the SOKY book fest in April.

» State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

I am not very far into this one just yet, but things are really starting to pick up now that our main character has arrived in Brazil.  This is my first Ann Patchett novel and am excited to meet her in April at the SOKY book fest.

» When the Sea Turned to Silver by Grace Lin

I am 60% through this one and am loving every minute.  What a beautiful middle grade book full of Chinese mythology and folklore!  I am also loving the illustrations.

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On deck:

» The Wolf Road by Beth Lewis

I had planned on starting this one this past week, but I changed my mind and stated State of Wonder instead.  I promise I am going to dive into this one this week!

What are you currently reading?

What will you read next?

Have a wonderful week, and happy reading