pickPretty good YA written in verse. The storyline was good. It was realistic and not full of fluff or happy endings.
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Swing | 
pickPretty good YA written in verse. The storyline was good. It was realistic and not full of fluff or happy endings.
pick
My July #bookspin:
1. Girl, Woman, Other
2. The Lion‘s Gaze
3. Lost Children Archive
4. Nature of the Beast
5. Five Little Indians
6. Talk about Race
7. The Salt Path
8. Warlight
9. Chop Suey Nation
10. Bush Runner
11. Where All the Light Tends to Go
12. Well-read Black Girl
13. Death and Life of Great Cities
14. The Innocents
15. How to Pronounce Knife
16. Unsettling Canada
17. The New Jim Crow
18. Hood Feminism
19. Seven
20. Caste
It‘s a nice day (if cold...) so switched to audio for a while to get a walk in. I knew these neglected audio books would come in handy eventually. 😀 #StayHome24in48 #24in48
pickWo. This book was another amazing book written by Kwame Alexander, another novel in verse with an amazing meaning behind it, again, I would recommend it to anyone who likes a captivating read and a novel in verse
so-soNot sure I liked this. There were several storylines running in parallel that didn‘t seem to make sense. What should have been the main storyline got hit right in the last ten pages (and it was HEAVY) and left me feeling lost. The rest of the book was rather saccharine, and all of a sudden, BAM, police brutality!
pickSwings about a boy named Noah, who‘s life is a whirlwind of experiences and heartbreak. His best friend, Walt, falls in love just to lead him down a strange path, which ends even worse for both of them. Noah finally gets the girl of his dreams but she dumps him although they like each other, they just have nothing in common. This book is sort of fast paced and the setting is in a school, a suburb, and baseball field. The book makes you read more.
pickThis book was beautiful to listen to. Part lyrics and poetry, part narration, this book was a perspective you don't see often; that of two black teenage boys who love baseball, jazz, and are trying to figure out the secrets of girls before prom. Highly recommend
#Booked2019
@Cinfhen @BarbaraTheBibliophage @4thhouseontheleft
Genrebusting
pickI'm so glad that I listened to Kwame Alexander read his novel (with Mary Rand Hess), Swing. It's the first time I've experienced his verse via audio, and his reading brought this book to vivid life the story of seventeen-year-old Noah and his best friends Walt and Sam. Walt, who wants to be known as Swing, desires to be a baseball star, loves jazz, and is "famous" for knowing the way that famous people died. (continued in comments)
pick4.5 ⭐️ - loved it 🙌🏻
I listened to this via the #audiobooksync program. I was beginning to think I just can‘t enjoy YA - most of the choices so far have been meh 🤷🏻♀️ to me.
But THIS knocked it outta the park ⚾️!
I hope & pray there are kids like Walt, Noah, & Sam in every town today - kids who still believe in love, kindness, respect, hard work, & friendship & family.
And I hope we‘re building them a better ending than these kids get 😔
pickSwing is a story about friendship, first crushes and trying to live a normal life in our world today. This story is very easy to read because it is written in verse form and beautifully so. I enjoyed the story and was full of hope and even sadness.
4⭐⭐⭐⭐
pickKwame Alexander is fast becoming a must-read author for me, and the audiobook was fantastic. Especially in regards to the ending, I think it is best heard through Kwame‘s narration. The friendship between Noah and Walt really made this story shine.
Finished this on my morning walk today!
⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️
#bfcr2 #audiobook
Listening to Swing as I eat breakfast this morning! One of my #bfcr2 goals is 30 servings of fruits and veggies each week. It‘s our last day in the AirBnb, so fresh food is in low supply this morning. Threw in some dried apple crisps to get a serving of fruit in. 😃 #teamfitlit #booksandbreakfast
It‘s hard to tell from the audio version this a a story in verse.
It‘s definitely a big fitness day! Listened to Swing on a 4 mile walk in Frick Park, my favorite of Pittsburgh‘s parks. It‘a so lovely to be back in the city where I met hubby. 💕#nostalgia #audiowalk
We‘re currently at the Carnegie Science Center and SportsWorks, where we‘re having a ton of fun climbing the walls and other activities!😂 #BFC #bookfitnesschallenge
pickMy second book by these wonderful authors; however, I feel like this one ended too abruptly. I grew incredibly attached to these characters and found myself needing more at the end. Incredibly well written and I LOVE how art and music was included in this text; but I wanted more.
pickI finished listening to this today - thanks to #audiobooksync program. At first, I wasn‘t sure about the author as narrator but it grew on me and he did a great job. I enjoyed getting to know Walt and Noah and the rest of the characters. The ending took my breath away. The way that poetry, jazz, and art were woven into the story was beautifully done.
Decided to listen to this free audiobook today (thanks to Audiobook Sync). This one doesn‘t count for #MayMadness #BookToMovie, but I wanted to finish it before I downloaded week 2s free audiobook on Audiobook Sync. So far I‘m enjoying it ⚾️
pickThis ending took me by surprise this morning. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pickI normally don‘t do audio books, but I listened to this one and fell in love. At first I wasn‘t thrilled because baseball isn‘t my thing, but things moved on and it was a solid story! Wild! I highly recommend this book!!!
First two installments from AudioBook Sync!
Great summer long program for free YA audio books.
Be sure you have Overdrive.
https://www.audiobooksync.com/
Fell asleep reading earlier and messed up my timer for #24b4Monday but then turned things around with 3 hours of audio gardening. I like this book a lot so far.
1. Current reads: American Spy, Sawkill Girls
2. Audiobook: Swing by Kwame Alexander (tagged)
3. Top of May TBR: The Spy with the Red Balloon 🎈
#weekendreads
Got my free download and I'm looking forward to a summer of free audiobooks. Thanks for the heads up @LibrarianRyan !
Woo hoo. Free audio books all summer long is back up and running. Look what book is hitting it out of the part for week one. Get your copy at
Audiobooksync.com
Two free audiobooks weekly all summer long.
The full list of audiobooks that will be available through the program: https://www.audiobooksync.com/2019-sync-titles/?utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20...
@AmberWB
I just received your gift for my birthday today (Sometimes I forget to check my email—hope it hadn‘t been in there for too damn long, lol!), and I had to thank you immediately here. I‘m very happy to read something that you plan to read as well—we can compare notes! I really love that you people are so thoughtful here on Litsy; I don‘t think I ever could‘ve dreamed of having such sweet people to check in with about books! Thanks again!
pickSoft and beautiful until the end where it leaves you an emotional wreck. You knew it was going to happen. But you‘re still blinded by it.
Walt Disney Jones ("Swing") and his best pal Noah navigate their junior HS year with love, art, poetry, and jazz. In the midst of it, Swing's brother returns from Afghanistan, a ghost of the young man he once was
pickI LOVED this book. I can‘t wait until my boys are older and I can put this in their hands. I love that there was art and music (jazz specifically), a boy in love with one of his best friends and inspires by some old love letters he finds.
Almond cookies from Marks and Spencer‘s Singapore and some coffee and this amazing book by Kwame Alexander - the first book of his I‘ve read and I can‘t wait to read more .
I met the fabulous Kwame Alexander and Randy Preston tonight. #blessedlife #swingbook #swinglaunchteam #art #poetry
Getting ready to see Kwame Alexander for the #swinglaunch book tour. #huglife #swinglaunchteam #art #poetry
Kwame Alexander was at Books-a-Million today. There were about 50 people in attendance. It was an intimate and unforgettable experience. He travels with Randy Preston whose voice and guitar gave the event a mellow feel. It has been my favorite author visit ever.
3 of my low performing students showed up. I bought each of them the book.
pickKwame Alexander is going to do a reading at my local Books-a-Million. I found out yesterday when I bought the book. I devoured it.
It reminds me of Horrorstor. They are both funny and light with some tension around the edges. They both go from 0 to 💯 with the turning of a page. However, I might need some time to get over this one. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
pickI‘m not quite sure how to review this book. I really enjoy the rhythm and style of each of Kwame Alexander‘s books. The figurative language and allusions are fantastic. Through most of this one, however, it was just too much a story of a lovesick teenage boy for me, even with the fun facts and artistic angle. The ending, though, it packs a punch.
#NetGalley #YA
My 7th graders just read “Casey at the Bat” last week, so I think I‘m going to have to share this page with them. #TeachersofLitsy
*My copy is from #NetGalley and on my Kindle app, meaning I‘m not sure if this is the final format of this passage.
