I'm so glad I finally picked up with the rest of this series as the third one was coming out, after rereading the first one for years and years, sinceI'm so glad I finally picked up with the rest of this series as the third one was coming out, after rereading the first one for years and years, since it came out. This most recent (final?) installment was truly amazing.
I was surprised that there were multiple journeys in this one (at least two) instead of one big one leading up to a final battle the way there had been in the first two books. I've always had a bit of trouble with fantasy series where the villains change, and I was even worried about that after the battle in the first book, even after five rereads (maybe why I was so hesitant to pick up Akata Warrior for such a long time). But that one did have a good setup for Akata Woman that both hinted at what was to come and also ended one story arc on the right note.
All of this sets up for a lot more guesswork and surprises on the part of the reader than I feel the first two did, although it's hard to tell from Akata Witch since it is one of the few books I am so familiar with after so many years and rereads. I really like books that keep me on my toes, and Akata Woman definitely does this.
The character growth in this was also excellent. I was surprised that another two years had passed since the events of the previous novel. In a way, though, I really like how not everything is back-to-back, and we have to do some guesswork and filling in the blanks about previous events between the books. It also makes things feel less mundane. I've never seen this style before, but I really like it. It sets up for the books to grow with their readership, considering the time gaps between publication. All four major characters have gone through a lot, both together and individually, and it really shows. Then there's the whole Sunny and Anywanyu thing, which it still takes a while to wrap my head around, and I think I'll have to reread both Akata Warrior and Akata Woman to wrap my head around all of that.
I don't know whether there will be a fourth book, and I'm of two minds about whether I want one. On the one hand, I'd love to see how they deal with things in the real world along with the Leopard world (view spoiler)[Akata Virus has a nice ring to it (hide spoiler)], but on the other hand I think this was an okay stopping place. Plus, with all the worlds they've traversed, where else can they go? Regardless, a series reread, especially if I can do it all at once, is definitely something necessary for this series, probably more than once.
Now that I've finished this series, I plan to dive into the Binti trilogy as well, and maybe also read After the Rain this year, making Nnedi Okorafor my most read author through different series over the same year (and maybe ever). I have definitely found a new favorite author....more
Koi and the Kola Nuts: A Tale from Liberia is beautifully illustrated with accurate depictions of West African landscape, in primarily blue, green, anKoi and the Kola Nuts: A Tale from Liberia is beautifully illustrated with accurate depictions of West African landscape, in primarily blue, green, and brown. It also makes use of onomatopoeia that kids may not have heard before as it is a depiction of sounds from another culture, which can be an interesting exercise and exploration of animal sounds across cultures. It is a fun read, but I do have a few problems with this story.
I don't think I want this specific book or any form of this story in my future classroom as there is too much I do not want students to internalize or infer.
4.5 stars, 5 for Goodreads because I've never read anything quite like this before.
I've always been a fan of Great Depression stories, but so many of 4.5 stars, 5 for Goodreads because I've never read anything quite like this before.
I've always been a fan of Great Depression stories, but so many of the ones that I read are from the white mainstream perspective. Bacchanal offers something completely different to the narrative in the form of a successful all-black traveling carnival run by unseen paranormal forces.
I'm always surprised when I realize how much black history, especially Southern black history, beyond slavery and the Civil Rights Movement that I really don't know about. Especially when it comes to Afro-Caribbean influences and religious or spiritual practices. Bacchanal provides a window into a different narrative. I know a little bit about vodou and spiritual practices in the Black South from the (very whitewashed) Princess and the Frog movie, but I've never seen anything like this.
The characters in Bacchanal were phenomenal. Even though you get POVs from each and every one of them, everything that each of them does and thinks about still comes as a shock, especially nearing the end. It takes the "not knowing who to trust" trope to a whole new level when every character is an unreliable narrator of their own story and the rest of the stories in the book. I don't think I've ever read a multiple POV book with so much unreliability before. It's not a style I would seek out, but it worked really well in Bacchanal.
I think my biggest qualms were with the ending of this book. While a lot of it was what had to happen in order to keep the paranormal and unreliable elements of the story intact, it's still one of my least favorite ending tropes, and it definitely came up too quickly. I feel like stories that have an (unnecessarily?) long beginning always have a rushed ending, and that was definitely the case with Bacchanal.
Bacchanal is definitely a book I could see myself rereading. I have a feeling it has a lot more to offer the second or third time around. I'm glad I chose this one for my Amazon Prime First Reads pick when it was available....more
For my J-Term class, Sociology of Childhood, we had a volunteer component at a youth center. I'm a little disappointed that it had to be all over zoomFor my J-Term class, Sociology of Childhood, we had a volunteer component at a youth center. I'm a little disappointed that it had to be all over zoom, but we made it work. I was asked to lead a book group discussion with fourth and fifth graders on the book.
I am very passionate about children's lit, but have not yet had a chance to explore it in a classroom or childcare setting, primarily because COVID cancelled practicums for the past two semesters I was at Drake. So I was grateful for the opportunity to lead a group of my classmates in teaching this story.
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park is the true story of Salva Dut, a refugee from Southern Sudan (now the country of South Sudan). The story follows Salva's journey in the second Sudanese civil war in the 1980s, and the refugee camps in the years following. At the beginning of each chapter, there is also a few paragraphs featuring Nya, a fictional Sudanese girl in 2008 living with the water crisis.
I am really glad we not only had this as assigned reading for the course, but that I was able to lead a group of my classmates in teaching it to students. Although I've written quite a few theoretical lesson plans, because of stay at home orders I have not been able to put any of them into practice. This was the first time I had to think, almost on the fly, of student-centered activities to help them make the story a little less boring.
My groupmates and I approached this in a few different ways. This book has a lot of themes it discusses throughout, including water conservation, refugee issues, geography in general, walking, and family. We chose each day as a theme day and had daily planning meetings for what we wanted to include. Unfortunately, I was the only one who had any motivation to read the book ahead of time and know what was coming up, but fortunately, I did have that motivation. That said, I was able to choose and define a lot of the theme topics that we covered, since I knew the most about the book, and was also the only student in my group who is an education major.
Hearing the kids talking about the book was interesting as well. Many times I thought they didn't like it or didn't get it, but I had really hoped that the activities we planned helped their understanding and appreciation of the story. As it turns out, they did. My group was worried when we were preparing to present for the other groups, because the kids had taken the story very lightly, and we were the least performance-based of the groups to begin with. When they did present, they were able to summarize and recall details that I wouldn't have even thought to include, and they shared parts that were meaningful to them.
My favorite part of the whole experience was on Thursday when we were finishing the book, and one of the kids got really excited with something to say. He then explained an observation about the two characters, Nya and Salva, and what it meant in a historical context. I was very proud when this happened, because it showed me he, and many of the other students, really did get it.
I'm glad this was the first book I've been able to teach. It is a very meaningful and impactful story. I wish we had been able to create a map for a coming to America story and compare Salva's journey with their families' journeys, but this would have needed more structure than what we had for one hour a day on zoom. However, if I ever do end up teaching this book, this is definitely a project I would plan out, especially as a tie-in for a history lesson about immigration....more
Review 10/9/23 The Order of Time still gets a three star rating from me, but it grew on me a lot this time.
I'm still very unimpressed by the lack of reReview 10/9/23 The Order of Time still gets a three star rating from me, but it grew on me a lot this time.
I'm still very unimpressed by the lack of responsibility of the adults in this novel. Everyone is absolutely fine with the involvement of three prepubescent children in fighting these gods, from the beginning. In comparison to similar middle grade novels where the adults may use the kids, but don't like to risk putting them in direct danger, blatant encouragement to put these kids in dangerous situations rubbed me the wrong way.
There was also too much stop-and-start for me to really enjoy this or get a lot out of it. There's long lulls and then too much action all at once. I would have liked to see better pacing.
I also question the historical accuracy of some of the less important aspects of the story. Specifically, the general acceptance of women and especially of children as capable in any ancient society throws me. I would have expected to see more people questioning Anastasia because she was a woman. While I don't know much about the time period, it's hard to tell how well-researched the less exciting and more realistic aspects of this story are.
I'm not sure if I could see myself continuing this series. It definitely has potential, but I'm not sure if I could see myself spending money on it. Like I said, though, I did enjoy this more after a reread. -------------------------------- Review 7/19/20 I have to say, this book was a bit of a disappointment for me. I don't know what I expected, but this wasn't exactly it. I think, though, that as a debut author, Scott P. Southall has potential.
I got a lot of Rick Riordan vibes from this story, and though I have yet to read The Red Pyramid, I imagine this story is very similar to the Kane Chronicles, at least in terms of the ages of the characters and the setting. That said, Southall has a long way to go before becoming Uncle Rick.
I think my main concern was in the flow of the story. Like many novels, I felt that parts of this happened too suddenly, or without explanation. Because of this, I didn't get any strong feelings for the characters, and it was a little hard to keep up with the story.
However, like I said, Southall has a lot of potential, and I'll cut him some slack as this is his first novel. If he has not already, I would recommend Rick Riordan's books as a good starting place for inspiration on developing his writing, as the genres and themes overlap. I do hope that there's a sequel, and I imagine there will be. This world and story line has a lot of potential as well, and I'd be really interested to see if there are any ripples in Mesoamerican society because of the Aztec statue.
Overall, not my favorite, but definitely has potential.
I didn't know what to expect with this one. Even from the summary, I wasn't sure where anything was going. I'm so used to mysteries where they try to I didn't know what to expect with this one. Even from the summary, I wasn't sure where anything was going. I'm so used to mysteries where they try to prove anyone could be a killer, as opposed to trying to prove that someone, especially someone powerful, is the killer. Actually, I read more mysteries where characters, like Michael in this book, are attempting to prove someone's innocence.
This twist on the genre (at least as I know it), the African setting, and the contrast of characters from all walks of life, make City of Saints & Thieves an incredibly unique mystery. I appreciated how much was going on, because it was all told in a way that wasn't hard to follow, and that made everything seem important. This in itself is a breath of fresh air compared to the recent mysteries I've read where there's so much going on and you can't follow it, or where nothing is explained. I appreciated being kept on my toes throughout the novel and still being able to get from point A to point B.
The characters were also incredibly unique. You have Michael, who comes from a well-off background, but who is learning to check his privilege. You have Boyboy, who only knows the refugee life but refuses to be sucked in the same way. And you have the main character, Tina, who sort of knows both, and despite everything she doesn't always have to be the bridge. This book centers around strong friendships in unlikely places, and each character grows a lot through everything. I've never seen this dynamic work so well in a book like this.
I really liked this one and could definitely see myself rereading it in the future....more
I expected a powerful African feminism novel addressing an issue that demands to be spoken more about, female genital mutilation (FGM) in Africa. UnfoI expected a powerful African feminism novel addressing an issue that demands to be spoken more about, female genital mutilation (FGM) in Africa. Unfortunately, while it addressed this important issue, I just couldn't connect with the story or its characters.
I feel like this novel had a lot of potential but the writing just fell flat. The characters had clear motives, but the author does a lot of telling, not showing, of what these motives were. I would have loved to see, for example, more of the perfect relationship between Lami and Mudi, and even more so, read what Lami said at her demonstrations at the river. Instead, we learned that they were in love, and that she demonstrated at the river. Everything in the past.
For a first novel, I understand where it might be harder to develop some of these things, and I still think Wole Akosile makes an important point in addressing FGM, especially as a male writer. If he writes another book I have the opportunity to read, I would look forward to seeing how he grows as a writer, especially if he chooses to write more on this harrowing subject. Again, this story has a lot of potential but is just not quite there yet.
For a geology memoir, this was actually really interesting. I have to say, though, I thought the conflict would take place and involve something that For a geology memoir, this was actually really interesting. I have to say, though, I thought the conflict would take place and involve something that has a lot more to do with apartheid and the political and social climate in South Africa in the 70's. As it was, the conflict surprised me, especially as George Zelt moves forward in his actions against rival geologist Joost.
One thing that I didn't like was Zelt's attitude to the native Africans. Although in theory Zelt was against apartheid, his writing shows he made some clear choices about who to associate with while trying to discover the truth about his geological studies. While I feel the apartheid climate may have limited his relationships somewhat, I still feel that overall Zelt had at least some semblance of white superiority going on, even if he wasn't outright racist towards the black people of South Africa. I feel like that could have been handled a lot better. At the very least, I wish he had spoken more to his interactions in his writing. I know this is not what the memoir is about, but I still wish he had spoken more to the social piece of his story.
Overall, this wasn't my favorite cultural exploration I've read this year, but it was pretty good, and I'd be interested to know if Zelt has plans to publish any more of his field notes from this period in history.
Loading...
