Katie Venit's Spring 2024 Book Recommendations and News!
In which I switch to Substack.
Heads up: the mail service I used for the first newsletter got too complicated when it changed its policies, and I ran out of spoons trying to figure it out, so I’m starting over on Substack.
Books I Recently Read and Loved
Read to the very end of this newsletter to get a bonus book recommendation of a book I did not read recently but keep thinking about, so you know it’s Good.
Picture Books
Walk in the Woods, by Nikki Grimes, Jerry Pickney, and Brian Pickney
The story and art are moving, but the story behind the creation of the story is haunting. This picture book tells the story of a boy mourning for his father. The father left the boy a note to go for a walk in the woods and find artwork the father left behind for him. In the story behind the book, Brian Pickney finished the art after his father, the renowned Jerry Pickney, passed away. So in a sense, Jerry left artwork for his own son. Read the book, read the author and illustrator notes at the end. I’m sad this didn’t win a Caldecott, as the artwork is stunning (although I’m happy Vashti Harrison’s Big won that award…too bad there couldn’t be two winners).Maybe a Whale, by Kirsten Pendreigh and Crystal Smith
Gorgeous writing and illustrations about a girl going for a kayak ride with her mother to look for whales. It’s a really elegant, simple story line, which lets the illustrations shine and allows the reader to relate to the character, even if we don’t live near whale country. Crystal’s illustrations are stunning; the bioluminescent page was a particular favorite of mine and my 9-year-old.
Chapter Books
Henry, Like Always, by Jenn Bailey and Mika Song.
Think the warm fuzzy feelings of Frog and Toad, but in school. This is a sweet chapter book (primarily for kids ages 6-8) about an autistic boy named Henry who likes the regularity of his class...except for the week that the schedule is moved around. It won a fistful of awards, and I hope to see more of this series. Great for any kid, but I bet kids who are autistic will really appreciate seeing themselves in a main character of a book. The same creators also made A Friend for Henry, which is an excellent picture book.
Middle Grade
Mona Lisa Vanishes, by Nicholas Day
Holy smokes, what a fascinating book. First of all, did you know the Mona Lisa was stolen? And did you know that before it was stolen, neither it nor the Louvre were all that famous? This fascinating book alternates chapters between Leonardo da Vinci’s life story and how he came to paint the Mona Lisa with details about the crime and how it was solved (you will be amazed at who was suspected of stealing it). Fast paced, funny, and very informative. Great for kids interested in art, crime stories, or history. Winner of the ALA’s Sibert Award.A First Time for Everything by Dan Santat
I read this for the second time last month, and it was such a treat to revisit. Santat’s graphic memoir about his school trip to Europe as a middle school student. Dan leaves home believing himself to be a meek, unliked kid. Over the course of the trip, he does scary things, breaks some rules, and breaks some hearts (most importantly, his own). The story is sweet, and I’m rooting each step as Dan gets a little braver. But what I really love about it is Dan is a Good Guy. Not a "nice guy,” who is nice to others because of what they’ll do for him, but a Good Guy who is kind and thoughtful (especially to girls) just because that’s the way you treat people. He still breaks some rules (he lies about his age to try beer in Germany, and he tries his first cigarette—both age-appropriately terrible experiences for young Dan; don’t worry about a kid reader feeling encouraged to follow suit). But he’s still kind and giving and expects nothing in return. The other kids soon notice his kindness. Winner of the National Book Award and the Newbery of my heart.
Teen
Chef’s Kiss by Jarrett Melendez and Danica Brine
Very sweet new adult (so, good for older teens and up--there's some swearing and vague references to sex and bongs) graphic novel about a kid who graduates from college, moves in with his buddies and, in desperation, ends up working in a restaurant. Light, sweet queer romance, quirky characters. Makes me nostalgic for right after graduation when I lived with three roommates at the beach waiting tables. (The apartment in this book is MUCH bigger though). Great for high school kids who like food, cooking shows, stories about finding yourself, or romances.
Adult
Eye of the World by Robert Jordan
I finally got my turn at the audiobook this month (the older one, not the new one with Rosamond Pike), so I binged all 30 hours of it in the 21 days I had it. It’s a sign of the greatness of this book that those 30 hours flew by. I last read it at least 10 years ago, so there was a lot I didn’t remember. This first book in the massive Wheel of Time series would be totally appropriate for a high schooler of any age, as long as they’re not intimidated by the length. Later books get more confusing with multiple storylines, get a tad gruesome, and there’s some off-screen sex, if I remember right. (The show on Amazon Prime, which is excellent but gory, is definitely for a mature audience.) Is this book perfect? No. It was written in 1990. No effort was made to include racially diverse characters or LGBTQIA characters (a fault corrected in the Amazon series), and the way the author showed that a woman was “strong” was to make her peevish and beautiful. I’m constantly wondering how people who don’t fit into a strict sex or gender binary would interact with the magic system. But it’s still a good read, IMO.
I honestly didn’t read any other adult books that I’d recommend this month. I started a few, finished fewer, but didn’t love any of them. I’d love to hear your recommendations in the comments. Nothing scary, please!
Writing Craft Books
Power of Point of View, by Alicia Rasley
Finally a craft book that explains POV in a way that makes sense to me. Most other craft books insist that you need to pick one and stick with it, but that wasn't meshing with the books that I was reading. This one makes it clear when you might move from omniscient 3rd into deep 3rd. It also explores how POV affects the reader's experience of the theme of the book and goes into a deep exploration of each POV. The discussion about what POVs are used most often in which genres is inevitably outdated (this book was published in 2008 and things have shifted since then), but still useful.
My Author News
This season, I was thrillllllled to finally see rough sketches for Forts, and I saw the finished art for Cassini’s Mission, which is absolutely stunning. I could not be more excited for them to come out in 2025.
In other projects, I’m steadily working away at a middle grade sci-fi novel. Mostly up until now, I’ve been just trying to learn how to write a novel. (So many words! So much description! What even is a subplot, really?) And the good news is, after several months, I’m finally getting close to what I might call a first draft. No doubt I have several more drafts to go, but I am having so much fun.
During this process, I’ve come to realize I had no good idea of what makes for a good first chapter in a secondary world science fiction and fantasy. So, I checked out a bunch of books from the library, read those first chapters, read two craft books on first chapters, and then typed up the first scenes from most of those novels. Twelve thousand words later, I have a better idea of what I like and don’t like in a first chapter. No doubt mine will still need to be rewritten a few times (in fact, I already know I want to start over with a completely new first chapter), but I feel like I’m on firmer footing.
From my Blog
I’ve redesigned my website and have restarted my blog for occasional posts (as the mood strikes).
Last month, I was having a particularly bad bout of impostor syndrome and found some relief in a playlist, so I thought I’d share that. :) Read more at A Playlist to Cure Impostor Syndrome.
Book I Read a While Ago and Keep Thinking About (So You Know It’s Good)
As promised, if you made it to the end of the newsletter, here’s a book I read a while ago and can’t stop thinking about (BTRWAKTA(SYKIG)):
Sea of Tranquility by Emily St. John Mandel
Emily also wrote Station Eleven and The Glass Hotel, and those both take place in the same "world." It's fun to see characters from those other books in this one, but it's also fine if you haven't read them.
I read the whole thing in one evening. I don't think I even took potty breaks. The book is sort of about time travel but, like all of her books, I don’t really know what the plot was and I don’t mind so much because the experience is just so immersive. At one point she describes a pandemic that takes place on the moon, I think, and I had the surreal experienced of being transported to 2020 while also being in the future.
Your experience might be different than mine, but I feel confident that this was a Very Good Book.
Leave Me a Comment!
Have you read any of these books and have thoughts about them you want to share?
Is there something you want me to talk about in my next newsletter?
Have a question about my books or about the publishing process?
Let me know in the comments and I’ll try to make it happen.
My husband has been re-reading the Wheel of Time series on Kindle, which he admits is a problem because he can do a search for "with her hands on her hips" and find that this is apparently the only gesture that strong / angry / female characters can make. Derp.
Got into fantasy - read Fourth Wing and Sarah Maas series. Recently trying to get through the Brandon Sanderson Stormlight series. Brandon’s is more type. Mike and I went to a presentation at the library with three local authors. Tod Goldberg (Gangster turns Rabbi series), Steven Rowley (Guncle - good book, need to get sequel) and Susan Straight. Susan wrote “I been in sorrows kitchen and licked out all the pots”. I read that book in the 90’s and the essence of it stayed with me like no other book. I was surprised that the author was Caucasian- the book is about a young African American. Interesting story about how she writes. I bought her latest book Mecca to read next.