Mock Newbery 2019: Part I

Hey guys! It’s that time of year again. The book groups are forming for the Mock Newbery award. This year, I’m joining the group early, which means that (hopefully) I won’t be left trying to read 20 books in two months…

According to the American Library Association (ALA) the Newbery Award is awarded to authors that have published books in the previous year (so anything written in 2018) that is considered to be the “most distinguished contribution to American literature for children published in English in the United States”.

Newbery Committee Members determine “the most distinguished contribution” by looking at:

• Interpretation of the theme or concept 
• Presentation of information including accuracy, clarity, and organization 
• Development of a plot 
• Delineation of characters 
• Delineation of setting 
• Appropriateness of style 

The July book list consists of: 

I’m starting with The Book of Boy because my library didn’t have any of these books on shelf and The Book of Boy came through for holds first. I’m slightly worried that Children of Blood and Bone may never come in for me as I’ve placed both a digital and physical copy on hold (shortly after the list came out, mind you) and I’m 25th in line for both copies. And the book is 400+ pages long. I’m really excited for Boots on the Ground it’s about the Vietnam War and has a ton of really cool photographs.

As always, you are invited to join me in this reading challenge journey and I encourage you to share your thoughts with me in the comments below.

I will be reading these books this month and then writing up short reviews and my thoughts about whether or not they should win the Newbery Award once I’ve finished reading them. I will also share with you the next set of books when they are released by our book group leader.

Happy reading!

--Larkynn

Meal Planning

As a newly single person, I feel like it’s time to up my adulting game a bit. When I was in a relationship I tried eating healthy. I tried meal plans. But my partner was never any help in picking out meals and rarely made it home in time to enjoy them with me.

I was raised in a house where family meals were important. They were a special time to sit down and talk with busy family members you hadn’t seen all day. They were about love and connection as much as good food.

So I would try to recreate this with my ex, but he had a schedule that didn’t leave a lot of time for me most nights. Some of it was work, some of it was exercise and rugby practice--all important things. But a lot of it was also that he had a full social life (also not a bad thing!--but a lot of the time, his social life came before me). I’m all for having fun with friends, but one shared meal a day was important to me, and he couldn’t bother to give me one night a week.

I was willing to cook whenever he was going to be home. It hurt to know that he didn’t want to spend this special time with me, and meal planning and healthy eating began to feel like a burden. It was just one more adult task I was doing by myself in a life meant to be a partnership. And I began to hate it because it was a constant reminder of how little I thought I meant to him. It was draining, emotionally and financially. So I quit.

Now, I'm not saying that my ex was a bad person. I just think that he was the wrong person for me. And because I have a very loyal and determined spirit, even when I felt this realization the most, I never wanted to acknowledge it. I thought I could fix it. But you can't fix what isn't meant to be.

Everyone says that the hardest part about relationships is fighting to keep them alive. Well, I think they're wrong. I think the hardest part is letting go of people you love so that you can focus on loving and taking care of yourself. If you don't do it, no one else will. So be good to yourselves, Readers.

Now that I'm Solo Adulting, I’m going to try to do just that. I might be eating by myself, but I deserve to eat tasty, healthy food!

If you’re looking for some new recipes, here are some of the meal plans I’m looking into for this week! Join me!

Love Grows Wild

Mom on Timeout

Le Creme de la Crumb

• Chicken and Broccoli Shells and Cheese
• Mexican Chicken and Rice Casserole
• Lemon Chicken & Asparagus Foil Packs

Do you have any relatively healthy meals you really enjoy? (Remember, I am not a chef… easy recipes are the ones I’m going to try first.) Share them with me in the comments below! I’d love to hear from you!

--Larkynn