December 2015 Challenge Recap

This month Elizabeth from Book Yabber and I finished reading the remaining three books in the Harry Potter series for Pottermas 2015. After reading Harry Potter, I was able to tackle a variety of books before the year ended but do not fall under fantasy. You can check my intro post about Flights of Fantasy here. You can check out January's recap here, February's recap here, March's recap here, April's recap here, May's recap here, June's recap here, July's recap here, August's recap here, September's recap here, October's recap here and November's recap here.

Flights of Fantasy books I've read in December 2015

My fantasy reads have mirrored my diversity reads for the month. Please check out my intro to the Dive Into Diversity challenge here. You can check out January's recap here, February's recap here, March's recap here, April's recap here, May's recap here, June's recap here, July's recap here, August's recap here, September's recap here, October's recap here and November's recap here.

Dive Into Diversity books I've read in December 2015

November 2015 Challenge Recap

This month I spent most of my time tackling some of the Harry Potter books. As some of you know already, Elizabeth from Book Yabber and I are hosting Pottermas 2015 starting December 1st! During the whole month of December, we will be discussing everything Harry Potter related. If you are a huge Harry Potter fan, join us for the re-read and participate in discussions. Next month I plan to read the last three Harry Potter books and hopefully finish Winter by then.

You can check my intro post about Flights of Fantasy here. You can check out January's recap here, February's recap here, March's recap here, April's recap here, May's recap here, June's recap here, July's recap here, August's recap here, September's recap here, and October's recap here.

Flights of Fantasy books I've read in November 2015

I am glad about how my fantasy reads overlap with my diversity reads. My favorite part of reading diversity books is how diversity shows up in all genres. Please check out my intro to the Dive Into Diversity challenge here. You can check out January's recap here, February's recap here, March's recap here, April's recap here, May's recap here, June's recap here, July's recap here, August's recap here, September's recap here, and October's recap here.

Dive Into Diversity books I've read in November 2015

October 2015 Challenge Recap

I read a decent amount of fantasy titles in October. I can definitely tell you that during the holidays, my fantasy reads will increase. You can check my intro post about Flights of Fantasy here. You can check out January's recap here, February's recap here, March's recap here, April's recap here, May's recap here, June's recap here, July's recap here, August's recap here and September's recap here.

Flights of Fantasy books I've read in October 2015

I enjoyed all of my Dive Into Diversity books I've read in October. I am excited to see more diversity books coming out lately. Diversity represents us in the modern world and I pleased to read a variety of different diverse books. Please check out my intro to the Dive Into Diversity challenge here. You can check out January's recap here, February's recap here, March's recap here, April's recap here, May's recap here, June's recap here, July's recap here, August's recap here and September's recap here.

Dive Into Diversity books I've read in October 2015

September 2015 Challenge Recap

Fantasy reads for this month could have been better. However, you can bet that next month will be chocked full of fantasy due to all the amazing upcoming releases and October! You can check my intro post about Flights of Fantasy here. You can check out January's recap here, February's recap here, March's recap here, April's recap here, May's recap here, June's recap here, July's recap here and August's recap here.

Flights of Fantasy books I've read in September 2015

Diversity books are pretty much my calling no matter what the genre is. I cannot get enough of them. Please check out my intro to the Dive Into Diversity challenge here. You can check out January's recap here, February's recap here, March's recap here, April's recap here, May's recap here, June's recap here, July's recap here and August's recap here.

Dive Into Diversity books I've read in September 2015

Crenshaw by Katherine Applegate

Title: Crenshaw
Author: Katherine Applegate
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
Publication date: September 22, 2015
Pages: 256
Source/format: e-ARC from Edelweiss

Rating: ☆☆☆☆ 1/2

Synopsis (from Goodreads.com):

In her first novel since winning the Newbery Medal, Katherine Applegate delivers an unforgettable and magical story about family, friendship, and resilience.

Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.

Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?

Beloved author Katherine Applegate proves in unexpected ways that friends matter, whether real or imaginary.

My Thoughts

Life as Jackson is quite tough. His parents aren't making enough money to make ends meet. His dad works random odd jobs here and there but when Dad gets sick, Dad has to cancel his appointments. His mom works multiple jobs. Jackson's dad is very prideful and doesn't want to ask for help because he believes if he asks for help, then he is a failure. Jackson also lives with his sister, Robin, and his dog, Aretha.

Jackson is all about facts and he loves how science is all facts. He wants to be animal scientist when he grows up. What's ironic is that he has an imaginary friend named Crenshaw the cat. Crenshaw often visits Jackson at times he needs Crenshaw the most. Crewnshaw is a human sized cat with white and back fur. He loves bubble baths and he likes the surf. Jackson and Crenshaw bond over purple jelly beans. Jackson learns to enjoy the magic of Crenshaw while he can even though there is no logical explanation of why Crenshaw exists.

"Imaginary friends are like books. We're created, we're enjoyed, we're dog-eared and creased, and then we're tucked away until we're needed again." - ARC of Crenshaw

When parents say things are all right, children often believe their parents until they find out things are not okay and everything is not all right. Since Jackson is a fact lover, he would rather have his parents tell him the truth about what is going on. He doesn't want his parents sugarcoating everything and pretending that everyone is peachy keen. He wants his parents to tell him and his sister about what is going on; he wants the truth.

Katherine Applegate wrote a middle grade book that covers multiple topics such as multiple sclerosis, poverty and homelessness. Applegate has a way of tackling tough issues in a way where the reader can understand wholeheartedly. Most middle grade books I read are usually fantasy. Applegate integrates fantasy into a contemporary novel. She adds some humor to difficult topics. Crenshaw opens the reader's eyes to other types of families besides the perfect family of four living with a dog in a nice house with a white picket fence. Crenshaw is a heartfelt novel for readers of all ages.

August 2015 Challenge Recap

August was pretty crazy since I spent at least half the month away on business doing a 24/7 job. I managed to actually read books when I was away which was pretty awesome since I had very little time to myself. You can check my intro post about Flights of Fantasy here. You can check out January's recap here, February's recap here, March's recap here, April's recap here, May's recap here, June's recap here and July's recap here.

Flights of Fantasy books I've read in August 2015

 

I never had any trouble picking up diversity books which is great in my book. I love how diversity can show up in any genre. That's the beauty of diverse books; they don't discriminate. Please check out my intro to the Dive Into Diversity challenge here. You can check out January's recap here, February's recap here, March's recap here, April's recap here, May's recap here, June's recap here and July's recap here.

Dive Into Diversity books I've read in August 2015