What Should I Read Next 324: Gems across all genres

Readers, stories of family reading connections always bring a smile to my face, and we’ve embraced a bit of a grandparent-grandchild trend lately! Last week, Houston told us about her grandmother signing her up for her first library card, and today’s guest is a grandmother who’s helping her grandkids grow into readers.

Joanne Booy’s life has taken her to some interesting places, and she’s carried her love of reading with her across continents. Whether she was making a pilgrimage to the nearest bookstore in Kenya or working as a teacher librarian in Canada, reading has helped her connect with the world around her.

When the Covid-19 lockdowns came to their town in Canada, Joanne started sending her four grandchildren regular library deliveries, so they’d never be without a book in their hands. Picking out books for younger readers can be a challenge all its own, so Joanne and I talk about how she selected the books she sent them, and how this simple act kept them close during a challenging time when they couldn’t be together in person.

Of course, we also talk about what Joanne’s reading lately, and what she’s looking for right now. And, I think you’ll enjoy our conversation about Joanne’s favorite author, who also wrote the book she hated, and what that might mean for her reading life.

Listen to What Should I Read Next? on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or your preferred podcast app—or scroll down to press play and listen right in your web browser.

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Curious to see what Joanne reads next? Peek into her reading life at her blog.

Books mentioned:

• Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling (#1 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone)
• The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis 
• Berenstain Bears Go to Camp by Stan & Jan Berenstain
• Toilet Time: A Training Kit for Girls by Janet Hall
• The Very Cranky Bear by Nick Bland
• Raffi (try Baby Beluga)
• Pete the Cat series by Kimberly and James Dean (try Pete the Cat and the Perfect Pizza Party)
• William Kent Kruger (try This Tender Land)
• Mary Lawson (try A Town Called Solace)
• TJ Klune (try The House in the Cerulean Sea)
• Matt Haig (try The Midnight Library)
❤ Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
❤ The Trouble with Goats and Sheep by Joanna Cannon
• Three Things about Elsie by Joanna Cannon
• Breaking and Mending by Joanna Cannon
❤ The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy 
△ The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (audio version narrated by Tom Hanks)
• Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
• State of Wonder by Ann Patchett
• Maggie O’Farrell (try This Must Be the Place)
• Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
• Five Little Indians by Michelle Good
• Scarborough by Catherine Hernandez
• What Strange Paradise by Omar El Akkad
• Life in the City of Dirty Water by Clayton Thomas-Muller
• Griffin & Sabine: An Extraordinary Correspondence by Nick Bantock
• The Wild Robot by Peter Brown
• The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
• Sorrow and Bliss by Meg Mason

Also mentioned:

• Brilliant Books
• Canada Reads