Book Your Stocking with Sharma Shields

Book Your Stocking: December 3

All December, readers of all stripes will share their reading wish-lists and/or give-lists. Note on book links: all titles will be linked to their publishers, or if this isn't an option, to IndieBound so that you can support local bookstores. If you are rural and without bookstores, share this post with your librarian or library's Facebook page.

Please welcome today's reader, Sharma Shields.

Give-List

For the epic literature lover: KINTU by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, Incredible epic set in Uganda, filled with magic realism, history lessons, and criticism of colonialism ala Midnight's Children and One Hundred Years of Solitude.

For the poetry lover: Tracy K. Smith's Life on Mars, since she was dubbed our new poet laureate this year. Also, NASTY WOMEN
POETS: An Unapologetic Anthology of Subversive Verse , edited by
Grace Bauer & Julie Kane and published by Sandpoint, Idaho's venerable Lost Horse Press, a perfect antidote to all of the shit women have to take day in and day out.

For the teen in your life: the Ms. Marvel comics series, featuring Kamala Kahn, Marvel's first Muslim superhero to headline her own series. Written by G. Willow Wilson and drawn by Adrian Alphona.

For the middle-grade reader: HiLo: The Boy Who Crashed to Earth, by Judd Winick. My son loved this series, filled with adventure, heart, bravery and kindness.

For the lover of fairy tales, at any age: Fairy Tales and Fables by Gyo Fujikawa. Famous and obscure fairy tales from around the world, complete with gorgeous drawings.

For the Early Reader: The Elephant and Piggie series by Mo Willems. Willems draws expressions so deftly and with such humor. Both my 5 and 8 year olds love reading these books again and again. The simple language is perfect for the beginning
reader.

For the preschooler: Du Iz Tak by Carson Ellis. Filled with whimsical creatures and made-up but intelligible words, this is such a blast to read aloud to young children.

For the baby: A subscription to Babybug, the (chewable) magazine for the youngest of kids, filled with poetry and simple rhyming tales.

For the book-lover/community lover: A donation to the local library friend's group in their name, such as the Friends of the Spokane Public Library or the Friends of the Spokane County Library District.

📚🎄

Sharma Shields, 

photo by Astrid Vidalon

About today's reader: Sharma Shields is the author of a short story collection, Favorite Monster, and a novel, The Sasquatch Hunter's Almanac. Henry Holt will publish her next novel, The Cassandra, in early 2019.

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Check out more recommendations from Book Your Stocking contributors: 

http://www.erinpringle.com/p/book-your-stocking.html