Welcome to Litsy!

Happy Saturday! ☀️ This is the first day of spring break when it isn't nice enough to read on the porch. We had a nasty storm roll through last night and it took our upper 70s weather with it. Good thing I have lots of snuggly blankets. 🤗 I'm excited to start this book! I needed a bit of a palate cleanser after Eileen. I enjoyed it, but reading it also gave me the same feeling as watching Saltburn...iykyk. 😬

I‘m excited to read some great books from the #auldlangspine list created by @HOTPock3tt ! Thanks to @monalyisha for organizing. I finished 11/22/63 at the very end of the year and LOVED it, and I‘m aiming for Akata Witch, Bride, and These Impossible Things in January! 💗

Today's book haul! 📚

“People say stuff about people like you. That you‘re all ghost, or a half and half, one foot in this world and one foot in another.”

Not my kind of book but I think high level reading students would enjoy this material. This is a banned book so I would not be able to use this in my teaching.

2011, speculative fiction. This is a banned book because it glorifies superstition and witchcraft. Sunny lives in Nigeria but she was born in New York. She is West African and albino. She is an athlete but cannot be in the sun. She discovers she is a “free agent“ and has magical power. She becomes part of a quartet of magic students and they learn to change reality. They are asked to help track down a criminal who knows magic too.

#MiddleGradeMonday
@Karisimo

Loved this one. 💚

#LuckyInLove
#FaceOnCover
@Eggs
@Alwaysbeenaloverofbooks

Really enjoyed this book, too.

To simply say that this book is a Nigerian Harry Potter would be to do it a disservice. Sunny is a complex character in her own right with troubles vastly different than HP. An albino who tries to get through each day without being bullied, Sunny's life drastically changes when she befriend Orlu and Chichi, who help plunge her into the world of the Leopard People, where your worst trait becomes your best asset. Unputdownable.

#Book2book
Thank you @Bookish_Gal Anya the book arrived today!
I know I‘m a month behind for #aam but I think this Witchy title will be a perfect October read 🧙🏼‍♀️🎃👻

I have mixed feelings with this trilogy. I read the first two books. I like the world and the characters, specially Sunny, main character. For what I read, this first book can be read by children from 10 or 12 years old. I‘m not the best audience for this book and I‘m not an expert in the area of children‘s literature. I think some parts should be open for discussion with the younger ones if that is the case. Maybe other adults disagree with me⬇️

#FirstLineFridays
@ShyBookOwl

“I've always been fascinated by candles.“

Can you tell I'm excited for the new Black Panther?! Akata Witch was such a good read. Taking place in Nigeria, there's magic, preteens, rivalries, and impending doom that of course has similarities to Harry Potter. But I think Okorafor's world building and story is original enough to stand on its own. Well written, good mix of characters, exciting enough to make me want to keep reading the rest of the series. Can't wait to start the 2nd book!

I've heard good things about this YA series that has a mix of #magic, paranormal, and high fantasy.

#Scarathlon #ScarathlonDailyPrompts #TeamSlaughter @Clwojick

I very much enjoyed this Nigerian tale of magic, friendship, and finding one's self. I always love learning mythos and learning new stories.

This stuck hardest. Being disabled means you‘re Leopard, magic. I love that premise. Sunny is an albino, who doesn‘t understand where she belongs. A foot in both worlds. Can really tell why this is dubbed the west African Harry Potter. The magic and world building is incredible, let alone the rules of juju (magic). This Black Hat is more terrifying. I adore the wasp artist. The final buildup wasn‘t as big as expected, but brought new questions.

Today I'd like to take a second to acknowledge the comfort and mental refuge that books can offer.

Pictured is dawn over the city as viewed from a hospital parking garage after waiting for someone to be seen in the emergency department for nine hours.

In a time of stress and worry when I didn't have the focus to read something new, I went back to a favorite (tagged) audiobook again, and it really helped me keep it together.

Loved the world building and spunk in this book! Can't wait to read the others to see how the characters grow and to learn and grow right along with them! ❤️

#akatawitch #nnediokorafor #ya #yafantasy

#Two4Tuesday @TheSpineView
1. The setting!
2. More character development. There is a sequel, but I didn‘t quite like the first book enough to feel compelled to read it.

I love coming into a book not knowing anything about it. If someone I trust raves about a book, I'll just read it without even reading the back cover--I love being surprised! Is it just me or does everyone compare this to Harry Potter? Not just the premise, but all the zany magic too. I can't wait to finish it so I can look at reviews--always afraid of seeing spoilers, so I tend to read reviews only after finishing a book😁

Low pick… I loved the worldbuilding and magic system, but never really felt pulled in. It felt emotionally shallow so I didn‘t feel invested in the characters or the stakes. I won‘t continue with this series, but I still want to read Who Fears Death.

I wasn‘t going to pick up another paper book this month—but then I looked at my #bookspinbingo board and saw that I can get a SECOND bingo this month if I can finish both this and A Master of Djinn (which just came in on Libby)! Am I up to the challenge? 😂

(Not the tagged book) A powerful tale of a son, gone for many years, studying in America, coming home, just as al-Queda raids the village and burns the library. Many old books and documents have already been moved - some by Issaka‘s father - a move that has terrible consequences for the family and opens Issaka‘s eyes to ancestral history and wisdom that he knew little (or had forgotten) about.

I absolutely DEVOURED this book in just about 24 hours, and on a workday at that. I haven't flew through something this way in a long time.

The characters, the descriptions, the story itself - I loved it all, and I'm starting on the next one immediately!

This book was absolutely stunning! The world-building was unique and complex and I appreciated the way the author incorporated aspects of Sunny's culture. I thought the fact that Sunny's identity was inextricably linked to both Nigerian and American culture added a lot to the novel. Overall, the novel was a fun and dangerous adventure and Sunny's journey to develop her powers and find her place in the world was captivating.

It's not bad, but I wanted it to be better. Liked the African mythology and setting. Too much like Harry Potter in a way and things were resolved too quickly. First in a series. Akata is a slur or bad word for non-African.

I'm going to give this one a try. It's in my Library where I work and is by an author I haven't read before.

🤦‍♀️ Look what finally showed up on my doorstep this morning @Endowarrior21 I imagine this is the original 📦 since it says USPS? Thank you! #elfswap

#12booksof2020 #day6 #sixgeesealaying @Andrew65

593pts #teamreadnosedreindeer #wintergames2020 @StayCurious

I read this slowly a half an hour a night for a week or so but finally finished it last night. A Nigerian Harry Potter but they have to go to normal school too! Loved the world building and the magic, I got the next one from the library so will be reading that soon!

+16 for a TBR read @StayCurious #teamrednosedreindeer #wintergames2020

I liked the world & the story was a fun way to learn more about West African culture and myths. I didn‘t care for any of the characters enough to read the rest of the series & felt the end was super rushed. 3/5 stars. Sunny is albino and an outsider due to being born in America. She must navigate a strange new magical world when her powers are awoken. Her new friends and improved understanding are needed to defeat an evil man taught by her grandma

#summer #booked2020 @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

#redwhiteorbluetypeoncover #akatawitch #nnediokorafor - 5 stars
#eccentricmc #amancalledove #fredrikbackman - 4 1/2 stars
#yanovelbypoc #childrenofbloodandbone #tomiadeyemi - 4 1/2 stars
#wineorwhine #ayearinprovence #petermayle - 4 stars
#bannedbook #iknowwhythecagedbirdsings #mayaangelou - 4 stars
#armchairtravel #thewolfandthewatchman #niklasnottochdag - 4 1/2 stars

5 ⭐ #bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

#summer completed for #booked2020 ~ summary coming up shortly ~ this does #redwhiteorbluetypeoncover @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

I feel like I have read just enough middle grade this year that I'm losing credibility saying I don't read much middle grade, especially middle grade fantasy. But this was enjoyable in audio, although there is an age appropriate bit of info withholding from our main character Sunny about what's really going on in the world of magic. But the pacing is swift and the audio narration was great.

I‘m so glad this was my book club‘s pick for September! Sunny is an outsider: born in the US to Nigerian parents, now living in Nigeria, she‘s albino, and a girl who‘s great at soccer. When she discovers she has magical abilities, she is initiated into a fascinating magical world full of African myths & symbols, where magical ability is tied to unique individual traits. So many deep themes here: from family and belonging to standards of beauty.

#BookReport:

Finished:
📚Akata Witch (for book club)
🖋Don‘t Call Us Dead (poetry for the month)
And because I needed some light reads:
🦄Virtual Unicorn Experience
🔍Mystery at the Moss-Covered Mansion

#WeeklyForecast:

In progress (should finish this week):
🇺🇸Americanah
🎶How to Fix a Broken Record

Will probably start:
🎧Freshwater (Akwaeke Emezi)
📚Scarlet (Stephen Lawhead)
And whatever else arrives from my library-hold-placing binge!

Holy cow, I read so many books in August! Started with Akata Witch, and ended with Wilder Girls. And everything in between 😁

https://youtu.be/2gSpv2fhQOM

#augustwrapup #readingwrapup #wrapup #booklist

I‘m jumping back and forth between reading this book and listening to it. Narrator has a great voice and I‘m enjoying her so sticking to that a bit more. I like the world introduced but not sure about the writing style itself.

I‘m so excited that this book is the start of a series!! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5

It gave me an easy reading experience in an immersive magical universe that centers around friendships, self-discovery, and cultural exploration!

This take on the magical world is fresh, the main characters are fleshed out and have great chemistry, and the diversity is intentional and organic to the story! #YAseries #Magic

Despite the massive power outages in my state, I FINALLY got my book in the mail!!! Thanks for being patient with me, #LMPBC friends!!!

I really enjoyed the mythology the author created for this book. This is the third book I've read by Nnedi Okorafor and I look forward to reading more.

I adored this so much. It‘s my first Nnedi Okorafor book and I can‘t wait to read the second one!

#akatawitch #magicalrealism

Good YA novel set in Nigeria. Full of traditions and magic. Reminded me of Rick Riordan‘s Kane Chronicles.

My #BookSpinBingo choices—a mix of new books and gatherings-dust ones (all fiction) to help me #readblackauthors in July. #bookspin

I wish I could give this book ten stars. I wish it came with a soundtrack to listen to while reading it. It has everything I loved- magic, a crew coming together, a really amazing main character, beautiful writing. If any of this interests you, pick this one up!!

1. So many come to mind, but I‘ve tagged one of my more recent favorite fantasy reads.
2. Yep, although I should read more. I love Louise Erdrich, and have also read Sherman Alexie and Leslie Marmon Silko.

#TwoforTuesday

Great fantasy book! I enjoyed listening to Akata Witch while #AudioWalking and #AudioBaking Looking forward to returning to this world and reading Akata Warrior next!

2020 Read Harder Challenge, book 20
Prompt: Read a middle grade book that doesn‘t take place in the U.S. or the UK
Title: Akata Witch
Author: Nnedi Okorafor

OH MAN this was awesome. Described by critics as “Nigerian Harry Potter,” and it does not disappoint. Incredible worldbuilding, amazing characters, gripping plot. Pardon me while I immediately go get the second book in this series.

I enjoyed Akata Witch from start to finish. I appreciated the details about the "free agent" and how it allowed the reader to feel like they just got magical powers and were also classified as a free agent. My favorite characters were Chichi and artist wasp. They both had me laughing, and I relished artist wasp's small but unforgettable part within Akata Witch. Ultimately, to keep it short, Nnedi Okorafor did an incredible job on this book.