It's Monday 12/22! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

 Life

Well, life around here has been pretty crazy. We're dealing with some very difficult stuff at our house, so the last two weeks have been characterized by a lot of stress and anxiety. All things considered, we're doing OK and in better spirits this week.

And, no matter what else is going on, Christmas is in 3 days! Eek! I got my last pile of cards out this morning and started (yes, just started) wrapping gifts. We enjoyed decorating our Christmas tree with our younger son and his girlfriend two weekends ago.

 

And, we got some much-needed happy news this weekend: our younger son proposed to his girlfriend during a trip to Pittsburgh! We are absolutely thrilled, and certainly, we all needed an extra reason to celebrate right now. They've been together a long time, she is wonderful, and we couldn't have picked a better life partner for him. And we love our in-laws-to-be, too!

 

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 On Video

 

My #1 Books of the Year for the Past 16 Years, in Both Fiction & Nonfiction - 37 Outstanding Books! I've been dying to share this very special video with you. I used this blog to look back over the past 16 years (since I started doing an end-of-the-year post) and make this list. Some books are still among my all-time favorites and some I had completely forgotten about! Overall, it's a great list of amazing fiction and nonfiction books. 

Reading in the Dark Tag - a quick, fun tag with questions about reading in the dark, books you were in the dark about, and books that enlightened! 

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 What We're Reading

 

I finished reading Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a book I've been hearing rave reviews of for several years. The author, a member of the indigenous Potawatomi Nation, is also a biologist, so she weaves together (see what I did there?) scientific information about plants, stories from her own life, and indigenous stories, myths, and uses for plants.She also addresses damage that has been done to the environment and small steps taking place to repair that danage. It's beautifully written, entertaining, and engrossing. I loved the whole tone of the book, focused on the indigenous ways of interacting with the natural world in a respectful and reciprocating way. I enjoyed it very much, especially since she has lived much of her life in upstate New York, close to where I'm from (she also spends some time in the Pacific Northwest). She has a TED Talk on the Honorable Harvest, which is a recurrent theme throughout the book. 

 

Next up, dealing with some difficult news, I needed something fast-paced, gripping, and escapist. From my shelves, I chose The Clockwork Cathedral by Heather Blackwood, a Christmas gift from my husband. It's a time travel story set in New Orleans. If you know me at all from my blog or videos, you know that's the sweet spot for me, what I consider a comfort read. Felicia, a medical student at Tulane gets sent back in time to 1857 New Orleans and struggles to find a way to get back to her own time. It was just what I needed! Suspenseful, compelling, and intriguing. I asked my husband for book #2 in the series for Christmas.

 

I am now reading You Only Call When You're in Trouble by Stephen McCauley, a beloved author I met at Booktopia in 2018 after reviewing his excellent novel, My Ex-Life, and interviewing him for Shelf Awareness.  I knew Stephen was good for an engaging story filled with warmth and humanity and plenty of wit. This one is about a 63-year-old architect, struggling with his own life, who is trying to help his beloved niece and chaotic sister with their problems. It's great so far!

 

I finished listening to The Black Wolf by Louise Penny, the 20th book in her Three Pines mystery series and a sequel to last year's book, The Grey Wolf (I wrote a mini review in this post). Inspector Armand Gamache and his team discover that the stunning, sinister plot they uncovered in that first book was just the beginning (I'm avoiding spoilers!). As always, it was gripping and immersive. I love listening to her compelling mysteries on audio. 

 

Now, I am listening to O Pioneers by Willa Cather on audio, the first of her prairie books, about a family of Swedish immigrants trying to carve out a life on the harsh Nebraska prairie in the early 1900's. It's excellent so far.

 

My husband is reading Never Flinch  by Stephen King, the next book in the Holly Gibney mystery series, though he hasn't been reading much. It's football (and now basketball) season!

 

Our son, 31, finally got back to reading after a month's break. He is reading Elantris by Brandon Sandserson, a favorite author. He said this was Sanderson's first novel.

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What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on:

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  What are you and your family reading this week?

It's Monday 12/8! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

 Life

Honestly? Last week was mostly just stressful and exhausting. I enjoy Christmas Eve and Christmas Day (especially since we decided to buy our Christmas meal last year instead of cooking it all ourselves!), but I actually dread the rest of December. My chronic illness is usually flared up (thankfully, not as bad this year as in years past, thanks to a new medication), I have way to much to do for my limited energy and stamina, and I just feel overwhelmed. This year, we have some added stress from a family crisis/rift, so I spent a lot of last week worrying about that, trying to figure out how to help, and talking to my sons (all very emotional conversations). So, I'm not much in the holiday spirit yet, and I still have a very long to-do list! But, we got a little snow last week to get us in the holiday mood, and my husband and I went to Trader Joe's to get wreaths and holiday goodies (as well as our usual food re-stock!).

And this weekend, we met our younger son and his girlfriend at our local tree farm to cut down our trees. Our son came home for a little while afterwards, to unload the tree and watch the first half of the snowy Bills game with his dad. Having him here gave me the motivation to hang our wreaths and start putting up our decorations (which might have stayed in the boxes another week otherwise!). So, it is starting to look a bit like Christmas around here!

My son and his girlfriend picked out their tree!

Happy family at the tree farm!

Our husband and son wrangle our tree

Stockings on the mantle, ready for Santa

We put up our wreath and some lights

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 On Video

If I Owned a Bookstore Tag - This fun tag gave me the chance to think about what my own bookstore would be like - I took inspiration from some of my favorite indie bookstores (and included some photos and videos).

November Reading Wrap-Up - I recap the 6 books I finished in November (plus one still in progress) - all outstanding nonfiction and many dealing with indigenous peoples. It was probably my best Nonfiction November ever! 

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 What We're Watching 

A Man on the Inside - We absolutely love this warm, funny Netflix show with a mystery at its heart, and season 2 did not disappoint! Ted Danson stars as Charles, a widowed older man and retired engineering professor who is at loose ends at the beginning of season 1. His daughter encourages him to find a hobby, so he answers an ad looking for an older person to be an assistant to a PI (not what his daughter had in mind!). He goes undercover in a fancy retirement community to find out who is stealing jewelry. In this second season, he's becoming (slightly) more adept at detective work and goes undercover as a professor at a local college where someone is blackmailing the college president over a huge donation being made by a prominent billionaire.  And in this new season, Charles even has a love interest (played by his real-life wife, Mary Steenburgen). This show is hilarious but also poignant, and the mysteries are twisty and satisfying. Ted Danson is fabulous in it, as are his co-stars. It's an all-around great show: warm and entertaining and fun, at a time when we needed something lighthearted!

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 What We're Reading

 

I haven't had much reading time lately, so I am still reading Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer, a book I've been hearing rave reviews of for several years. The author, a member of the indigenous Potawatomi Nation, is also a biologist, so she weaves together (see what I did there?) scientific information about plants, stories from her own life, and indigenous stories, myths, and uses for plants.She also addresses damage that has been done to the environment. It's beautifully written, entertaining, and engrossing. I love the whole tone of the book, focused on the indigenous ways of interacting with the natural world in a respectful and reciprocating way. I'm enjoying it very much, especially since she has lived much of her life in upstate New York, close to where I'm from (she also spends some time in the Pacific Northwest). She has a TED Talk on the Honorable Harvest, which is a recurrent theme throughout the book.

 

I was thrilled when my Libby request for The Black Wolf by Louise Penny came through (long wait list!) just as I finished my last audio book. This is the 20th book in her Three Pines mystery series and a sequel to last year's book, The Grey Wolf (I wrote a mini review in this post). Inspector Armand Gamache and his team discover that the stunning, sinister plot they uncovered in that first book was just the beginning (I'm avoiding spoilers!). I'm already almost halfway through because her books are always so gripping and immersive. I love listening to her compelling mysteries on audio.

 

 

My husband, Ken, is still reading one of my favorite books from Big Book Summer this year, Bridge by Lauren Beukes. This is a novel about alternate realities, one of my favorite topics. The main character, Bridget, is grieving after her mother's death. Her mom struggled with epilepsy and recurring brain cancer since the age of 14, She used to bring Bridge, when she was just a child, along with her on some very strange adventures. Using something her mom called the "dreamworm," the two would temporarily inhabit other lives, where they were each themselves but different, and everything around them was different. Since then, Bridge's therapist has convinced her those were just dreams or fantasies, but while cleaning out her mom's house, Bridge discovers the dreamworm and her mother's journals, and she begins to realize there really are other realities that she can access. Bridge gets the idea that her mother is still alive in some other reality, so she goes hopping through parallel universes (and into other Bridgets, leaving them very confused and upset). This book was so good! My husband is enjoying it so far. (It's taking him so long because it's football season, and now basketball has started, too!)

 

I have no idea what our son, 31, is reading because we had more important things to talk about this week. Last time I asked, he was getting ready to start World's Edge by David Hair, book 2 in The Tethered Citadel series. He enjoyed book 1, Map's Edge, a few months ago. 

 

Our younger son's girlfriend finished listening to The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger on audio, based on my recommendation. This is my all-time favorite book, so I am thrilled that she enjoyed it! I asked if all the time shifting was confusing on audio, but she said the audio was very well-done and made it easy to follow the story.

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What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on:

Facebook on my blog's page

Instagram

Threads 

Twitter 

  What are you and your family reading this week?