It's Monday 10/31! What Are You Reading?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Like many of you, we actually saw snow this weekend, in October!  Crazy!  Fortunately, we only got a dusting and didn't lose power - my thoughts are with those of you in New England without power.  Hope you have a roaring fire in the fireplace and a nice stack of books to keep you warm.

We love Halloween here, so today is a busy day.  We carved pumpkins last night and (finally) came up with costume ideas....kind of last-minute!  Even though our sons are teens, they still enjoy trick-or-treating, and our whole family gets into the fun.  Jamie decided to dress as Thing 1 for school today (with a friend as Thing 2), so Ken immediately started in on a Cat in the Hat costume for himself.  I have to hit the store today for a nightgown so I can be Cindy Lou Who.  A bookish theme for Halloween - fun!

Meanwhile, we did find time for reading last week:

• I finished The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch, a newly released teen/YA post-apocalyptic novel that my husband recently read.  I really enjoyed this multi-dimensional novel; you can read my review here.
• I decided to keep up my October theme of fun, quick reads, so I am now reading Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich.  I just love Stephanie Plum and was already laughing in the first chapter!  Sometimes, you need a little light-hearted fun.
• I finished listening to Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love and the Search for Home, a memoir by Kim Sunee.  Though it dragged a bit in the middle when she was suffering from depression, I enjoyed it overall.
• My husband, Ken, is reading a thriller I gave him for his birthday, The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo, a Norwegian author who has been compared to Stieg Larsson.  He says it just gets better and better and has a very intriguing plot.
• Jamie, 17, finished Blood Red Road by Moira Young, a much-anticipated new post-apocalyptic novel and loved it.  That one is high on my own TBR list, though Jamie has made me promise I will read Roar by by Emma Clayton next. 
• Next, Jamie re-read the first two books in a favorite series, The Gatekeepers by Anthony Horowitz, so he could read the third book which he recently purchased.  He read Book 1, Raven's Gate; Book 2, Evil Star; and Book 3, Night Rise.  He says this series is great!
• Jamie is also reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini for his World Lit class. 
• Craig, 13, is almost finished with Woodsong, a memoir by Gary Paulsen, author of one of our favorite novels, Hatchet and its sequels.

I posted two reviews this week, of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley here and of  The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch at Great Books for Kids and Teens.

I also posted a discussion of skimming books versus reading every word for the Fall Into Reading Challenge.


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

Hope you have a great Halloween and a good reading week!  Any other book-inspired costumes out there?

Ready for school! (Their hair is blue, though it doesn't show here)