Here's my 5-star reads of the year-to-date:
1) A Different Pond was 2018 Caldecott Nominee so I wasn't surprised it was good. I was blown away by the illustrations which lead to me to exploring more of Thi Bui's s work including...
2) The Best We Could Do: An Illustrated Memoir which was a powerful refugee story as well as a reflection on parenthood.
3) Truly Devious series was recommended by a good friend. Compelling characters, layers of mystery, smooth writing-- really loved it!
4) Peace Like a River was also recommended by a friend. I enjoyed the family and setting but also gave up in the middle when the plot began to drag. However, the concluding/resolution scene was so beautifully written it made up for any pacing problems. I'm going to recommend this one around to many folks!
5) The One and Only Ivan was the 2013 Newberry winner. I read it for a Book Bingo category (animal as a main character) but this story was so much more-- what does purpose look like? how do you define family? what good can come from loneliness?
6) Gilead which won 2005 Pultizer Prize for fiction (and thus probably read by many of you) has been on my TBR list awhile. I'm thankful I read it during the election season to remind me of how history impacts communities.
