Monday, May 06, 2013

It's Monday 5/6! What Are You Reading?


Ah, lovely weather here last week, but a rough week in our house. My son had a killer sinus infection that triggered a nasty flare-up of his chronic immune disorder, so he was home from school all week and totally wiped out...and that means I got very little done! He's 15, so I know he doesn't need constant supervision (and I did make runs to the grocery store and drugstore), but he does like company when he feels that bad.  Also, his appetite doesn't suffer when he's sick, so I spent a LOT of time cooking, doing dishes, and going out for take-out requests!

Anyway, he is feeling better now and back at school, and we had a very nice weekend. No matter what our week is like, we always enjoy our books:
  • I finished The Game of Sunken Places, a middle-grade novel by M.T. Anderson (and the first I've read of this award-winning author). It was a cross between a mystery and a fantasy, fast-paced and unique.
  • I am now reading The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson, which recently won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (and many other accolades and awards). I requested it at the library as soon as I heard about the Pulitzer because I've been wanting to read it ever since the two hosts on my favorite podcast, Books on the Nightstand, raved about it. It is set in North Korea and is excellent so far and completely engrossing.
  • I am also making my way through a nonfiction book, The Art of Nonconformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World by Chris Guillebeau. A good friend of mine from high school recently recommended this book, so I requested it at the library, too (I need to get back to my TBR shelf). I decided I couldn't read a book about setting goals and changing the world before bed or I'd never get any sleep! So, I'm reading the novel at bedtime and squeezing in bits of the nonfiction during the day.
  • My husband, Ken, is still reading A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin, book 3 in his A Song of Ice and Fire series. This hefty book is a long-term project. He was laughing that he'd read 200 pages and his bookmark still looked like it was at the beginning of the book!
  • Neither of our sons has had time (or energy) for reading. At 18 and 15, they are busy with school work at this time of year.
I did manage to write some reviews and blog posts last week:

 A review of The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, a historical novel about a young girl who is an indentured servant in 1790's Virginia.

A review of Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix, a fascinating teen/YA novel about a secret project that "unages" a group of elderly people.

I also posted my April Reading Summary.

And a Weekend Cooking post about clay pot cooking and crockpot cooking.

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.)    
 
My sons and I at my book signing this weekend - two of my essays were published in a Chicken Soup anthology.


3 comments:

  1. So sorry your son was sick. At any age mom's worry and hover. Glad he is feeling better.

    Hope all of you have a fantastic week!

    ReplyDelete
  2. How neat that you did a book signing! Congrats again on being published. Sounds like you have a lot of reading going on right now! What would you say as far as age range for The Game of Sunken Places. I'm wondering if my son might like that one.

    Have a great week!! I hope everyone stays healthy. My son is home sick today after a weekend of camping in the damp cold. He's spending the day alternating between being on the computer and reading. I'm fairly certain he will be done with The Red Pyramid today (he started it yesterday!).

    ReplyDelete
  3. Julie - The Game of Sunken Places is probably good for about ages 8 - 15 or so, so i think that is about right for your son, right?

    Hope he feels better soon!

    Sue

    ReplyDelete