Monday, January 10, 2011

It's Monday 1/10! What Are You Reading?

January 10, but today feels like the start of the new year to me.  Last week didn't count because my husband was home sick most of the week, and my chronic illness was flared up, keeping me on the couch.  This morning, everyone is at school and work, the house is quiet, I'm feeling better, and NOW I'm ready to start the new year!

The only good side to last week was plenty of reading time:
  • I finished Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks for my library book discussion this week.  As with her other two novels I've read, March and People of the Book, it was fascinating and engaging.  It's about one woman's experience (and her English village) with the Plague in 1666.
  • I knew exactly what book I wanted to read next:  Gone by Lisa McMann.  The paperback arrived last week, and I loved the first two books in the trilogy, Wake and Fade.  I already stayed up way too late last night reading it!
  • I also started a new audio book, The Three Weissmann's of Westport by Cathleen Schine.  I heard about this novel last year on my favorite book podcast, Books on the Nightstand, so I grabbed it up when I saw it on my library's new release shelf last week.
  • My husband, Ken, read a lot last week, since he was stuck at home with a bad cold.  He finished Bodies Left Behind by Jeffrey Deaver and said it was good but not one of Deaver's best.
  • He also finished Roastbeef's Promise by David Jerome, an amusing road trip novel that I read last spring.
  • Ken next read Behemoth, the middle-grade/teen sequel to Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld that I recently finished.  He's also enjoying this imaginative series very much.
  • Finally, Ken read one of his Christmas gifts that he's been saving, Worth Dying For by Lee Child.  This is one of Ken's favorite authors, and he said he wanted to savor this latest release.  He just finished it last night.
  • Jamie, 16, decided to read Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins finally, but first, he re-read Catching Fire to remind himself of exactly what happened in the second book.  He was completely engrossed in it for much of the weekend, to his brother's frustration!  He's in the middle of Mockingjay now.
  • Craig, 12, is reading one of his Christmas gifts, The Time Pirate: A Nick McIver Time Adventure by Ted Bell, sequel to Nick of Time, one of Craig's all-time favorite books.
Last week, I posted reviews of Leviathan and Behemoth at Great Books for Kids and Teens, plus a review of the audio book, Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris.

I also posted a summary of my 2010 reading, for kids' and teen/YA books and for grown-up books, and I posted my lists of Top Ten Kids/Teen/YA Books Read in 2010 and Top Ten Adult Books Read in 2010 at Book By Book.

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Mondays is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

9 comments:

  1. Looks like you had a good 2010. I guess I need to try those Girl with the Dragon Tatoo books.

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  2. My book club is reading People of the Book soon. I am really looking forward to reading it!

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  3. Wow! A lot of reading was going on at your house this past week.
    *smiles*

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  4. Wow, that's a lot of reading! Sorry to hear that you & Ken were sick. The one benefit of being under the weather (if it's the type where your brain isn't too cloudy) is catching up on books. Have a great reading week :) Here's my Monday post.

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  5. I loved A Year of Wonders and People of the Book, but March does not sound all that interesting to me. Was it as good and as interesting as the other two?

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  6. Oh, Pam, I LOVED March!! It was the first-ever historical fiction that I liked. Set during the civil war and absolutely fascinating.

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  7. I remember last year took a while to get started too! I think we crash after the Christmas effort.

    I enjoyed Year of Wonders too, I have a morbid fascination with the plague. Some say it's where we changed our allegiance from God to Doctor. I can't imagine living in a time of such terror.

    I'm re-reading The Bell by Iris Murdoch at the moment. Set in the fifties/sixties but definitely has a medieval flavour. I highly recommend it.

    It's so great your kids are into books :-)

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  8. Hi, Jo!

    Yes, I remember last year had a very rough start, and we kept pushing our "new year" back! I was thinking about that the other day.

    I loved the movie Iris but was disappointed with the Irsi Murdoch book I read, The Green Knight. Maybe I chose the wrong one?

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  9. I loved March and I want to read the other two Brooks as well. Glad you're feeling better!

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