Monday, June 17, 2013

It's Monday 6/17! What Are You Reading?


Ah...I love the peace and quiet of Monday mornings, after the hectic weekend! I am out on the deck right now with my laptop, and all I can hear are birds. A little bunny just hopped through the backyard, enjoying a buffet breakfast on our lawn!

My older son just left for his college class, and my younger son is still asleep, so all is quiet for the moment. We had a nice family weekend together. And we read a lot last week:
  • I finished Book Two in the middle-grade series Infinity Ring, Divide and Conquer by Carrie Ryan. I am really enjoying this fast-paced middle-grade time travel series.
  • Now I am reading The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh for my neighborhood book group this week. Despite all the rave reviews, I wasn't sure I'd like it just because the topic didn't sound interesting to me, but it is a wonderful novel. I have been reading much too late every night!
  • I started a new audio book, Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter. I don't usually have much time for audio books during the summer because I'm never alone, but I put this one on my iPod and have been listening to it a lot (while walking, cooking, weeding, etc.) I'm completely hooked on this novel, too!
  • My husband, Ken, set aside Gone for Good by Harlen Coben (saving that small paperback for an upcoming trip) when The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson came back in at the library for us. Now, he can finish it.
  • My 18-year old son, Jamie, is having a blast finally having some time for pleasure reading! He flew through several books last week on his Kindle. He is on a Medieval kick at the moment. First, he read A Quest of Heroes, Book One in the Sorcerer's Ring series by Morgan Rice, and enjoyed it very much.
  • Next, he read A Circle of Iron by Greg Benage (Eldernost, Book 1), a free e-book he downloaded last winter (he loves the idea of free books!), and he liked that, too.
  • And now, he is reading another Medieval e-book, ALTDORF, a Historical Novel of Switzerland, by J.K. Swift (The Forest Knights, Book 1) - looks like kind of a Robin Hood type story.
  • Craig, 15, is recovering from knee surgery and playing Xbox games all day long! He does have some required summer reading, but for now, he is just enjoying no stress and no responsibilities. He's actually feeling pretty good (other than knee pain) and recovering more quickly than we'd anticipated.
Being home all last week taking care of my son gave me plenty of time for blogging (for a change!). I wrote the following posts:

Review of Blue Asylum, a unique historical novel by Kathy Hepinstall.

Review of Infinity Ring, Books 1 and 2, a middle-grade time travel series by multiple authors.

Books Read in May monthly summary.

Weekend Cooking post - CSA season has begun!

Young Book Bloggers, including a fun article from BEA, plus links to the highlighted blogs.

 Don't forget, it's only mid-June, so there is still plenty of time to sign up for the Big Book Summer Challenge! It's super-easy and relaxed, as summer should be, and you only need to read one book of 400 pages or more to participate. So, join the fun!

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kid/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)    

9 comments:

  1. You have reminded me that I want to read Beautiful Ruins! I am definitely reading it very soon!

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  2. Anonymous12:06 PM

    I enjoyed Carrie Ryan's trilogy of The Forest of Hands and Teeth. Never heard of this title though. I should join that Big Book Summer Challenge as I just received a book in the mail that is 577 pages (Deborah Harkness' Shadow of Night). Happy reading!

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  3. Well! Language of Flowers is right up my alley and on the list it goes! ;)
    I sure hope your son recovers quickly--knee surgery is not fun-I am married to a man who has suffered through several! I am in the middle of putting some books on my old Kindle for my 17 year old, as he is not going to be playing on the computer all summer long!
    *smiles*

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  4. Anonymous2:12 PM

    Happy Reading :)

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  5. I just got The Language of Flowers ebook from my library and can't wait to get started. Seems like everyone loves the audio version of Beautiful Ruins... think I'll have to listen soon!

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  6. I wasn't a huge fan of The Language of Flowers but after my book club discussion I amended my estimation upwards. I was so frustrated with the main character and how she kept sabotaging her life. Glad to know that Craig is feeling better.

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  7. I've heard wonderful things about The Language of Flowers. I hope you love it!

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  8. Language of Flowers is also on my TBR and I do hope I get to it soon.

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  9. Nice lineup. ENJOY your week.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My It's Monday, What Are You Reading

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