Latest audiobooks--5 stars!
Howdy friends! Read any good books lately?! On the plane ride from Alaska to Maine, I began listening to the audiobook of "Walk Two Moons" by Sharon Creech (from Libby with the Anchorage Public Library.) I loved this book so much that when I arrived in Maine I went to the Gardiner Public Library and checked out a physical copy of the book so I could re-read it--it was THAT good! There's a story within the story, and I discovered that I liked that method of story layering. I talked about Walk Two Moons so much that my husband also read it and liked it. There was quite a lot of suspense, and the characters were so deftly written. Neither of us truly thought it would end the way that it did. We could definitely see why it won the Newbery Medal in 1995, the year after it was published. I rate it 5 stars.
The audiobook I read after that (Thank you, Sora!!) was "We Dream of Space" by Erin Entrada Kelly. It was published in 2020 and won a Newbery Honor award in 2021. I listened to it as I did my daily morning exercise walks up and down Daffodil Lane. Last night I had only 36 minutes left to complete it so I put on my headphones and knit while I finished the book. You guys--I cannot wait for my November book club meeting to talk about this book with my reading pals!! I have requested an inter-library loan physical copy of the book from the Gardiner Public Library so that I can re-read it before book club (and I'll encourage my husband to read it, too!) My husband and I both remember the Challenger disaster when it happened in 1986 (high school for me, college for him.) I thought I was prepared for the emotional rollercoaster of this book...I was not. There was such depth to ALL of the characters and their struggles, which uncomfortably affected my emotions. I wonder if I responded to the book so intensely because I am an adult instead of a middle schooler, and I could put myself in the shoes of the adults and the kids in the story. Since YA books are written for everyone, I shall recommend it to any person who wants a great book recommendation. I rate it 5 stars.
Hmmm...what to read next? We hope that the moving truck with all of our household goods will be arriving some time in the next two weeks or so, and that means I will be VERY BUSY hauling boxes, unpacking boxes, and trying to figure out where to put all of our STUFF. You don't know how much STUFF you have until it's time to box it up, move it, and unbox it! :)
(I have a new-to-me car now, and a Maine drivers license--yay!)
Keep reading, and whenever possible--be kind! ~~Mrs. Hobbs