Another busy week - more snow and ice (check out my ice storm photos), my older son still horribly sick with his chronic illnesses, and my husband out of town. This morning things are looking up a bit. Our son did move back onto campus last night, but he's still not in good shape, and we are very worried about how he'll manage. We spent a lot of time last week and this weekend consulting with various medical professionals and are trying some new, fairly radical changes to diet, medicines, and supplements this week in the hopes that it will help him.
BUT, for now, I am blissfully alone in a quiet house this morning (still worrying, but one step at a time!). As always, our books provided distraction and comfort last week:
- I finished Moloka'i by Alan Brennert, the February choice for my online family book group. I was captivated by this compelling fictional story based on historical fact about a leper colony on the Hawaiian island of Moloka'i. Here's my review.
- Next, I picked up another book group read, The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides, for my library's book discussion on Wednesday. There's no way I will finish it in time, but I am enjoying it so far - the first of Eugenides' novels I've read.
- I finished my audio book, Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo, a middle-grade novel about a young girl and a poetry-writing squirrel superhero. Yes, I said squirrel. It was fun and silly and warm - classic DiCamillo.
- I started a new audio book, The Good Sister by Wendy Corsi Staub, this one a grown-up novel. I'm only on the second chapter, but it seems to be about family secrets.
- And I am still making my way - slowly but surely - through 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam. It's been interesting so far, but I have been focused on my book group novels.
- My husband, Ken, finished Jo Nesbo's The Bat on his Kindle and enjoyed it.
- Ken has now started Sycamore Row by John Grisham, a Christmas gift from our son. It's a follow-up novel to Grisham's A Time to Kill, which we both read about 20 years ago and barely remember!
- Our oldest son, Jamie, 19, was still reading The Outstretched Shadow by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory, Book One in The Obsidian Trilogy this week but was struggling with it. He said it was very long and fairly slow-paced, so it wasn't keeping his attention, especially given how sick he was. I finally convinced him that it was OK to set it aside and read something else!
- I suggested a fast-paced teen/YA novel to him, so he picked up The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater which I read recently and loved. He needed some comfort reading!
- Craig, 16, just started reading MacBeth by Shakespeare for his Brit Lit class.
Coming Soon: Your Favorite Books as Movies 2014, about some of this year's most hotly anticipated book adaptations on the big screen.
My 2014 Reading Challenges - yes, I finally found time to sign up for some challenges!
Review of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert, a wonderful historical novel set in Hawaii
Review of The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, a teen/YA novel
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 Unleashing Readers.
Wow these sound interesting! Hope you enjoyed them!
ReplyDeleteCheck out what we are reading this week.
Leydy @ OUaT & Redcarpetendings
The 168 hours one sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteI will look for your review of The Marriage plot. I LOVED Middlesex so I suspect I would appreciate this book.
ReplyDeleteI'm also glad to hear that you and your son like Raven Boys. I am INTO that series. Can't wait for the third book.
You asked about my Soup Diet. Actually I'm on Weight Watchers but I am using a Weight Watchers Cookbook and working my way through its soup recipe. Some have been very weird. I am finding that soups make me feel full without piling on the calories. But I have to go for variety to keep it going. So I call it a soup diet. Thanks for asking.