The past week passed by in a blur - I'm still very sick and was unable to do much of anything all week, so I apologize for not being able to get around and visit blogs like I usually do (or post much on my own blogs). I'm hoping to start improving this week, but then I'll be very busy preparing for our upcoming vacation and getting to all the kids' last-week-of-school events. Busy time of year!
Well, the one good thing about being this sick is having lots of reading time:
- I finished reading The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon, a local author here in Delaware. I loved her two memoirs, Riding the Bus with My Sister and Building a Home with my Husband, and her new novel is absolutely wonderful. It tells the story of the love between a deaf man and a mentally handicapped woman, both institutionalized in the 1950's. It's a beautiful story, beautifully written, and I do hope to find time to write this review this week.
- Since I've read very few kids and teen books this past month (see my May summary), I decided to focus on those for a while. I read a middle-grade novel, My So-Called Family by CourtneySheinmel, about a girl with a very 21st-century problem. Leah doesn't have a father; she has a donor. And despite having a loving mother and step-father and an adorable step-brother she loves very much, Leah still feels like something is missing from her life. I enjoyed the novel.
- Now I'm reading a teen/YA novel, Deadly: How do you catch an invisible killer? by Julie Chibbaro. It's a fascinating novel based on the real-life story of Typhoid Mary. In the novel, sixteen-year old Prudence lives in NYC in 1906 and is interested in science - not a popular or acceptable choice for girls of that time. She gets a job as an assistant at the Department of Health and Sanitation, helping her boss track down the cause of a typhoid epidemic. It's well-written and absorbing.
- Ken finished Num8ers by Rachel Ward, a teen/YA thriller that I enjoyed, then moved onto its sequel The Chaos. He says he enjoyed the series very much.
- Jamie, 16, was also quite sick all week, plus was busy trying to finish his schoolwork. He has three exams this week and then he is free for the summer! He is still re-reading the Redwall series by Brian Jacques but has filled a carton with books he wants to read on vacation! I'm going to ship it out to California ahead of time for him (plus a few for me!).
What are you and your family reading this week?
(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)
So glad you enjoyed Story of Beautiful Girl. It's on my list and I'm really anxious to read it. I just may have to move it up the list a bit. The YA book about Typhoid Mary sounds really good, too. I'm not a big fan of YA literature. Do you think this one would be a good crossover to adult fiction? The topic is fascinating to me.
ReplyDeleteYou and your family had a good week! I hope this week goes equally well. My Monday: http://www.rundpinne.com/2011/06/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-42.html
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you're still under the weather, Sue. Hope things turn around for you. You're off to a great reading start this month!
ReplyDeletePam -
ReplyDeleteI loved The Story of Beautiful Girl.
As for the Typhoid Mary book, it's fascinating, but it is definitely YA - the main character is a 16-year old girl so it's something of a coming-of-age story as well, as she wrestles with her interest in science (which was not deemed appropriate for a girl at the time). I'm enjoying it so far.
Sue
Sorry you're feeling so unwell at what is usually a better time for you. Keep resting!
ReplyDeleteI've just finished The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova. Not my usual sort of book but a very rich and riveting read. It's all about painting, love and difficult relationships with a betrayal at the core.
Thanks, Jo. I'm doing much better so far this week, thank goodness.
ReplyDeleteI've heard a lot of good things about The Swan Thieves. It sounds intriguing!
Sue
Sue, I hope u r feeling better soon :(
ReplyDelete