Monday, January 5, 2015

What Am I Reading Monday - Brit Lit Edition

It's Monday!  What Are You Reading?  Brit Lit Edition

This year I've decided to join my good friend Jen {I think I can say that now that we've finally met IRL!} over at Teacher Mentor Texts in her It's Monday!  What Are You Reading Meme!  But because I have a hard time focusing :: wait...what did you just say? ::  I'm going to focus on British KidLit because, well,...I lervs it.  

Some of the Brit Lit Kidlit I read is ordered from Britain. I use BookDepository.com  It is an easy way for me to get British releases that have not yet arrived Stateside or that I have a hard time finding over here.  It also helps that shipping is free with no minimum order!  {I have not been compensated for this shout-out, btw!}

So...here goes it...

Last Week's Book Perambulations

Do you like this cover...

...or this cover best?

The signs were there.  I purchased Jonathan Stroud's The Screaming Staircase at my school's bookfair.  Then a fifth grader where I teach asked me if I had read it yet.  Then Ms. O at twitter.com/senioritao went gaga over it...so I retrieved it from my TBR (To Be Read) pile.  LOVE THIS BOOK.  If you love Flavia de Luce, Harry Potter and Sherlock Holmes, I feel like this is all that rolled into one and sprinkled with even more delicious details.

The Upcoming Week's Perambulations

This next book is kind of a cheat.  It is a book I read this week and one I'll read next week.  In fact, I consult it every time I read some Brit Kid Lit!  Did you guess it...?

I love to use London A to Z to look up real places featured in the books I read!

What have been your Brit Lit Perambulations this week, kidlit or otherwise?

10 comments:

  1. I bought this title for my son at Christmas after hearing lots of raving about it. I will "borrow" it from him to read soon!

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    1. Carrie, I can't even describe it properly. It's spooky and chilling - it's difficult to tell when the story takes place, which adds to the mystery. Stroud has constructed such a fascinating world both urban and rural. And accurate! I used my trusty A to Z and was able to follow some of Lockwood & Co. meanderings about London. Yes, you must "borrow" it immediately!

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  2. i loved The Screaming Staircase and have the sequel waiting for me as an audiobook. Such a great read - one of my favourites from last year.

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    1. Hi Cheriee, eeek! I bet The Whispering Skull is very creepy as an audiobook. I wonder who the narrator is - I will check it out! Thanks for the suggestion!

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  3. The Screaming Staircase sounds good. I'm going to have to get my hands on a copy. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Hi Stacey, I would not have known about it if it hadn't been at my school's bookfair. It has a sophisticated feel to it which makes it a great read for students of all ages {and adults!}. I would recommend for students in grades 5 and up who can handle ghosts and gory details - it's definitely not for the sensitive reader as it is basically a murder mystery.

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  4. So glad you liked it as well! I liked the narrator of the first better than the second. Second wasn't bad at all and I still loved that book ... just liked the first best. A good reviewer should be able to give a better reason than that. :P
    I think I must get myself one of those London A-Z books. Well. And get myself BACK there. Only been once for a couple days.
    And I LOVE THIS BLOG NAME. And the design. And Foyle's War. And all things Brit.
    Somehow I missed this new spot. Will be following closely in the future. ;)

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    1. Hi Ms. O! Glad you stopped by! Thank you so much for the final convincing review! I love my London A-Z books. I bought it used on Amazon. I was able to track Lockwood & Co. when they went to the newspaper offices - when he described the curve of Regents, I could actually follow the curve in the road. Makes you realize how truly detailed Stroud is, even when the readers might not appreciate how true-to-life the details of his book are. :)

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  5. I loved Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus trilogy so when I heard about this new series by Stroud I was really excited. I am glad that you enjoyed it, really looking forward to finding it and reading them soonest! :)

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    1. It's weird. I have the trilogy in my library, but the cover never really appealed to me so I never picked it up! Terrible, I know! I hope you can get your hands on a copy soon. : )

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