A lot of books consumed this week as I got into children’s books again.

What the Chicken Knows: A New Appreciation of the World’s Most Familiar Bird by Sy Montgomery (Author/Narrator)

A lovely short book about chickens. I do like birds.

1.5x. Feb 7-8, 2025.

Ascendance of a Bookworm (Light Novel), Part 2 Volume 4 by Miya Kazuki, Y? Shiina (Illustrator), Quof (Translator)

This was the most action packed and emotional so far. It had very sad ending. It seems like the endgame romance is not going to be between Lutz and Myne. It will probably be Ferdinand who is the most popular character. He is one of those classic shoujo manga lead males. I like Ferdinand but I do not want them paired considering their age difference. I know Myne has the memories of an adult and will age up but it’s still strange when characters end up in a relationship with someone they knew when they were children. I will probably get use to it because this author has an amazing way with relationships.

Feb 5-9, 2024 on Kobo Libra 2.

Ascendance of a Bookworm (Light Novel), Part 3 Volume 1 by Miya Kazuki, Y? Shiina (Illustrator), Quof (Translator)

I was not feeling well due to sleep deprivation so I ended up starting this one right away and finishing it in one day. As a contrast to the last one, this was the funniest volume. The author wisely did that after the sad ending of the last volume. I have noticed the writing is improving. It’s still repetitive and reliant on onomatopoeia in dialogue, but there was a lot of depth to each character.

I usually do not like precocious child protagonists. It helps that Myne has the memory of an adult 22 year old woman but she is still very much a child in how to she reacts as well. The book makes her flawed and immature through the series to make it believable. She’s a great protagonist and her relationships with her family and friends is the most endearing aspect of the story.

Now I’m all caught to the anime so I’m going to try and take a break and watch the anime and read other books for a little bit.

Feb 9, 2024 on Kobo Libra 2.

Skating Wild on an Inland Sea by Jean E. Pendziwol, Todd Stewart (Illustrator)

Lovely! As a Canadian, I grew up skating outdoors and still love it.

Feb 11, 2025.

What Can a Mess Make? by Bee Johnson

Nicely illustrated children’s books about two sisters having a fun day.

Feb 11, 2025.

Ascendance of a Bookworm (Manga) Part 2 Volume 8 by Suzuka (illustrator), Miya Kazuki (Original Story), Quof (translator)

My library acquired another volume of the manga while I was away. I have been having a major Ascendance of a Bookworm week. I watched all the anime the two days before this. Going back to the manga which was my first exposure to this show was like a homecoming especially illustrated by Suzuka! This was comforting to go back to.

Feb 12, 2025.

The Year We Learned to Fly by Jacqueline Woodson, Rafael López (Illustrator)

Wonderfully illustrated and lovely prose.

Feb 12, 2025.

Arrangements in Blue: Notes on Loving and Living Alone by Amy Key (Narrator / Author)

I do not remember where the suggestion for this book came from so I went in not knowing anything about the author who is an English poet. The book is a raw memoir of a woman who is presently single, living alone, and still does want romantic life. The writing was good as the author was very vulnerable and honest about her relationships and trauma. At times, it was too dispiriting and gloomy for me. While I appreciated the intense reflective and poetic nature of the memoir, I would not say I enjoyed this work necessarily.

1.5-1.75x. Feb 11-14, 2025.

So Many Steves: Afternoons with Steve Martin by Steve Martin and Adam Gopnik

This was a collection of discussions between Steve Martin and his friend the New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik. I discovered this while browsing Gopnik’s works in Libby. Gopnik wrote one of my favourite memoirs of Paris. I did not know he was friends with Martin. This was short and recorded by the authors as they discussed Martin’s wide career. It’s a book about art, performance, and entertainment. It was a good listen as I walked.

1.25x. Feb 14, 2025.