Saturday, May 31, 2014
Armchair BEA - Wrap Up
Whew, busy week!
I wasn't able to post every day for Armchair BEA, but I did manage it several days. On the downside, that left me little time for writing reviews this week. Most of all, I enjoyed "meeting" other bloggers and discovering some new-to-me book blogs.
Here's what I posted this week for Armchair BEA:
And I did manage one review this week, of Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morgenstern.
And, just a few of the many book blogs I discovered this week:
Becca at I'm Lost in Books - I not only enjoyed her posts but discovered we have a lot in common!
Lisa at Just Another Rabid Reader
Juli at Universe of Books
Charlotte at Charlotte's Library
There were many more wonderful blogs that I visited for the first time this week, but I seemed to have a lot in common with these four and signed up to follow them on Twitter and Blogger.
How was your Armchair BEA week? I hope you enjoyed it, too!
Thursday, May 29, 2014
Armchair BEA - Beyond the Borders
My various book groups have really helped me to branch out to more diverse reading over the past 10 years or so. I often read books for book clubs that I might not have picked up on my own but that I end up enjoying...and very often, those are books set in other places or immersed in other cultures.
For the past 4 years, I have participated in Book Journey's Where Are You Reading Challenge, so I have tracked books set in various states, as well as in other countries. Last year, I read these books set in 13 different countries around the world:
Australia: The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, Tales of Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan, Stolen by Lucy Christopher
Canada: In Other Worlds by Margaret Atwood
England: The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein, Crispin -The Cross of Lead by Avi, The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Japan: The Yokota Officer's Club by Sarah Bird, The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Agawa
North Korea: The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson
Germany: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne, City of Women by David Gilham
France: The Infinity Ring #2: Divide and Conquer by Carrie Ryan
Italy: Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter
South Africa: The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh
Russia: Dreams of My Russian Summers by Andre Makine
Ireland: In the Woods by Tana French
Lithuania: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
Scotland: Flyaway by Lucy Christopher
Of these, I would say that The Orphan Master's Son had a particularly strong (and scary) sense of place, and The Invisible Wall by Harry Bernstein, City of Women by David Gilham, Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, The Fever Tree by Jennifer McVeigh, Dreams of My Russian Summers by Andre Makine, and Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys all had a strong sense of place but in a particular time in history.
So far, in 2014, I've visited 3 different countries listed in my Where Are You Reading Challenge:
France: Code Name Verity by Elizabeth WeinIndia is one place I seem to visit frequently in books - oddly, it is the only place that I have a separate category for on this blog! You can see all the books I've read set in India here.
Czechoslovakia: The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera
India: The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
I love to make top ten lists, and three of my past lists fit perfectly with this topic:
- Top Ten Books Travel-Related Books (some of these are actually about travel but others just have such a strong sense of place that you feel as if you've traveled after reading them)
- Top Ten Books That Taught Me Something (many of these fit with this topic of broadening my horizons in multiple ways)
- Top Ten Books That Took Me Out of My Comfort Zone (these are not necessarily set in other places or cultures but in some way expanded my reading interests and my knowledge)
Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Armchair BEA - Author Interaction
The first thought that came to mind when I read this topic was my recent experience. I just started a new Twitter account for this book blog recently, and one of my first Tweets was a quote that I love from Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick ("I am practicing being kind rather than right"). Soon after, Matthew Quick favorited my Tweet - I was so excited! My first week of Tweeting about books, and Matthew Quick himself responded! I wanted to shout it from the rooftops. So, yeah, that's how excited I get about interacting with authors.
I have had the pleasure of attending several book signings and/or talks by favorite authors, and every time, I was bowled over by how fun, funny, and intelligent they were.
My first encounter with an author was talking my sons to see Brian Jacques at our local Borders back in 2007. My oldest son was a HUGE fan of Jacques' books, especially the Redwall series, and I'd read about the author appearance in the newspaper that morning. So, it was a last-minute kind of thing, but we all enjoyed it immensely. This blog post has more details of his appearance, and some pictures of him, including this one where he shared a laugh with my sons.
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Brian Jacques laughing with my sons |
Our county library system does an All-County Reads program, and always invites the author of the chosen book to talk. I have been fortunate enough to attend two of those talks so far. The first was Jamie Ford, author of Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, a novel that I had loved. I expected Ford to be interesting, but he also had a great sense of humor, and I thoroughly enjoyed hearing him speak.
Last year, our All-County Reads book was March, and the libraries brought Geraldine Brooks in to speak. I have read every one of Brooks' novels and loved every one of them. She is one of my favorite authors, so I was very excited to hear her speak. As with Jamie Ford, Brooks was interesting, personable, and had a great sense of humor. I didn't have the stamina to stand in line to get a book signed, but I did snap a photo.
This year, just last month, Silver Linings Playbook was our county's chosen book, and Matthew Quick came to talk. I had plans to go but wasn't feeling well enough and had to cancel at the last minute. I was so disappointed! So, you can see why I got so excited when a couple of weeks later, he favorited my Tweet.
How about you? What have been your favorite author interactions?
Nonfiction Review: Time Management from the Inside Out
- Write it down (in one place)
- Add it up (estimate time required)
- Decide what you will actually do
- Execute Your Plan
Monday, May 26, 2014
Armchair BEA 2014 Introduction
Someday, I hope to attend the annual Book Expo America (BEA) in person, but for now, I enjoy participating in Armchair BEA from home, joining in the bookish fun this week!
Today's topic is Introductions, so I have chosen 5 of the intro questions to answer so that you can get to know me and my blog better:
- Please tell a little about yourself. OK, My name is Sue Jackson, and this is my book blog, Book By Book! I grew up in Rochester, NY, used to live in New Orleans, and now call Delaware home. I also write a blog about living with chronic illness. I started this book blog in 2006 - wow, that's 8 years now! For most of those years, I also maintained a second book blog, Great Books for Kids and Teens. Even though I recently merged the two blogs into this one, you can still find hundreds of archived reviews for kids/teens/YA there. Here is my very first Book By Book post that explains why I started blogging about books.
- Describe your blog in one sentence, with links to social media. Book By Book features reviews of good books for both adults and for middle-grade, teen, and YA readers. Like Book By Book on Facebook and follow me on Twitter.
- Favorite book read last year and so far this year? My favorite book overall last year was The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson - blew me away! You can see the rest of my 2013 Top Ten here. My favorite so far this year? That's a tougher one...I guess I would choose Moloka'i by Alan Brennert as my favorite adult novel so far and Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys as my favorite YA (that's not cheating, is it??)
- Share your favorite book. It's hard to pick just one, but one of my favorite books for the past 20 years now has been Replay by Ken Grimwood. It's about a guy who keeps reliving part of his life over and over again, making different choices each time, and I find it so thought-provoking! I've read it three times so far and love it just as much each time.
- Some of my favorite blogs. These are a few of my favorite book blogs - their authors feel like friends to me by now!
Tanya at Girlxoxo
Anne at My Head is Full of Books
Julie at My Book Retreat
Tanya at Mom's Small Victories
So, that's me! Leave your link if you are also participating in Armchair BEA - I'd love to get to know you, too!
It's Monday 5/26! What Are You Reading?
Happy Memorial Day for those in the US! Hope you are enjoying the long weekend.
Whew, this time of year is sooo busy! This week is my high school son's last week of classes, my college son's last 2 final exams and then moving back home for the summer, and my mom coming to visit for a couple of days.
As Memorial Day weekend is the official start of summer here, I launched my annual Big Book Summer Challenge on Saturday! This is a summer challenge, so I keep it low-key and easy...you only need to plan to read 1 book of 400 pages or longer in order to participate. Check out my own plans for my big book summer and then hop over to the challenge page to sign up!
Here's what we've all been reading this week:
- I finished Velva Jean Learns to Fly by Jennifer Niven, a historical novel about a young woman on her own for the first time who becomes a pilot during World War II. My book group all enjoyed the novel very much.
- Next, I jumped right into my next book group pick (I belong to a few too many book groups!), The First Phone Call From Heaven by Mitch Albom on my Kindle. I haven't read an Albom novel since The Five People You Meet in Heaven, probably 10 years ago. It's interesting so far, and I am looking forward to discussing it with my family book group.
- I finished Popular by teen author Maya Van Wagenen on audio and loved it. It's a teen/YA memoir about following the advice of a 50's popularity guide in the modern world. The teen author is a wonderful writer, and her story is an interesting one.
- I am now listening to another teen/YA book, The Here and Now by Ann Brashares (of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants fame). It's about a teen girl and her community who traveled from the future to live in our time after plagues decimated earth. I love time travel plots, so this story has me captivated so far!
- My husband, Ken, is reading Doctor Sleep by Stephen King and enjoying it. That one definitely qualifies as a Big Book!
- Jamie, 19, is still reading The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham, the first book in The Dagger and the Coin fantasy series. He is enjoying it, though his reading time is limited since it's finals week.
Review of The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater, a teen/YA novelWhat are you and your family reading this week?
Launch of my annual Big Book Summer Challenge - choose your big book(s) and join the fun!
My own Big Book Summer Challenge plans
Weekend Cooking post, with several easy, tasty, nutritious meals
What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kid/teen version hosted by Unleashing Readers.
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Weekend Cooking 5/25
I didn't cook a lot this week - I got worn out at the end of the week, so we went out twice and ditched our Paleo diet for a couple of meals!
But we did have a few good homemade meals this week. One night when my son had friends over, I made his favorite, pulled pork, in the crockpot. However, since we're trying to limit sugar, I left out the typical store-bought barbeque sauce and instead used a dry rub, from a recipe for Slow Cooker Pulled Pork in the summer issue of Low Sugar Living. It was delicious! And so flavorful that I never missed the sauce. Although I had regular kaiser rolls for the boys, I made Paleo Hamburger Buns from the Against All Grain cookbook for my husband and I. They were very good! Alongside the pulled pork sandwiches, we had homemade cole slaw (I used the recipe from the Cooking Light Slow Cooker Tonight! cookbook). All in all, a great meal.
Another night, I made one of my own recipes, Holubtsi in a Pot. Holubtsi is the Ukrainian word for cabbage rolls, staple of holidays in my family. This is a simple but delicious recipe that uses the same ingredients (minus the rice, to keep it Paleo). I've included it below.
Hope you are enjoying great food and fun cooking this holiday weekend!
Be sure to check out my Big Book Summer Challenge and join the fun!
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Saturday, May 24, 2014
My 2014 Big Book Summer Challenge
I really enjoyed tackling some big books the last few summers, and I'm looking forward to doing it again and finally reading some of these bricks that have been collecting dust on my shelf (NOTE: for this challenge, a Big Book is defined as anything with more than 400 pages).
I don't know if I will get to all of these, but I like to have some options to choose from. These are all currently on my shelves, waiting patiently to be read (along with many others!). I actually chose 6 this year because none of them are 700-1000 pages long, as in previous years - these are all in the 400-550 page range:
- Emma by Jane Austen, 487 pages (I have never read a Jane Austen!)
- The Interestings by Meg Wolitzer, 538 pages
- Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver, 444 pages
- Good Fortune by Noni Carter, 482 pages
- Unsouled by Neal Schusterman, 404 pages
- Fly By Night by Frances Hardinge, 483 pages
I'm so excited for summer now! I still have two more book group books to read before I dig into these, but I am looking forward to it.
How about you? Are you up for tackling a Big Book (or two or three) this summer? Join me and sign up for the Big Book Summer Challenge!
2014 Big Book Summer Challenge
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Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net |
A few years ago, I came up with the idea to use the relaxed freedom of summer to tackle some of the biggest books on my TBR shelf that I'd been wanting to read but never seemed to have the time for. Both of my book groups take time off during the summer, so with no interfering commitments, I declared it The Summer of the Big Book and really enjoyed delving into some hefty tomes, like The Passage and Pillars of the Earth.
It was so much fun that two years ago, I created this challenge so that YOU can join me! Here is my post from last year's Big Book Summer Challenge. And here it is Memorial Day weekend again and the official start of summer 2014. So join in the fun!
The Details:
Hey, it's summer, so we'll keep this low-key and easy!
- Anything over 400 pages qualifies as a big book.
- The challenge will run from Memorial Day weekend (May 24-26 this year) through Labor Day weekend (Labor Day is September 1 this year).
- Choose one or two or however many big books you want as your goal. Wait, did you get that? You only need to read 1 book with over 400 pages this summer to participate! (though you are welcome to read more, if you want).
- Choose from what's on your shelves already or a big book you've been meaning to read for ages or anything that catches your eye in the library - whatever peaks your interest!
- Sign up on the links list below or on the 2014 Big Book Summer Challenge page.
- Write a post to kick things off - you can list the exact big books you plan to read or just publish your intent to participate, but be sure to include the Big Book Summer Challenge pic above, with a link back to this blog.
- Write a post to wrap up at the end, listing the big books you read during the summer.
- You can write progress posts if you want to and/or reviews of the big books you've read...but you don't have to! There is a separate links list below for big book review posts.
(Don't have a blog? No problem! You can still participate in the challenge - just leave a comment in the Comment section, stating your goals for the Big Book Summer Challenge.)
Check out my own list of books to read for the challenge.
Be sure to include a link to your kick off blog post (not your homepage):
Come back to this page during the summer to add a link whenever you review a Big Book or post a progress report:
Friday, May 23, 2014
Teen/YA Review: The Dream Thieves
Monday, May 19, 2014
It's Monday 5/19! What Are You Reading?
Quiet Monday morning...ahhh! We had a busy weekend but at least this one was both productive and fun. We got a lot of paperwork done - bills, medical insurance claims, FASFA, etc. Our younger son was at sleep-overs all weekend, so my husband and I went out to dinner twice. That's a wild weekend for me!
But I am glad it's Monday, with our kitchen counter all cleared off and a stack of bills/claims to go in the mail, and I'm ready to face a new week. I love fresh starts!
Last week was a good reading week for all of us:
- I finished Wild by Cheryl Strayed, a memoir about a young woman's hike on the Pacific Crest Trail and her emotional journey after the death of her mother. It was excellent, and I am so glad to have finally read it!
- Now I am reading Velva Jean Learns to Fly by Jennifer Niven, a historical novel about a young woman on her own for the first time, set during World War II. It's my neighborhood book group's selection for May, and I waited too long to start it. I am enjoying it, but I'm not sure I can finish it by Wednesday! We'll have to do a no-TV night.
- I am still listening to Popular by teen author Maya Van Wagenen on audio and loving it. It's a teen/YA memoir about following the advice of a 50's popularity guide in the modern world. Maya is an excellent writer and an amazingly mature young woman - her story is fascinating.
- My husband, Ken, finished The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Potzsch on his Kindle. It's a thriller set in Germany in 1660. He enjoyed it and was interested to read that the author is himself descended from a family of executioners.
- Now, Ken has just started reading Doctor Sleep by Stephen King, which my father lent him.
- Jamie, 19, finished Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch. He is loving this series that combines mystery and suspense with fantasy and loved that book 2 was set partly on a ship.
- Now, Jamie is reading The Dragon's Path by Daniel Abraham, the first book in The Dagger and the Coin fantasy series. He likes it so far. Finals start this week, and by the end of next week, he will have a lot more reading time!
My Summary of Books Read in AprilAnd come back later this week for the official start to my Big Book Summer Challenge, now in its third year! Come and join the fun this year and finally get to that big book (or two or three) on your shelf or TBR list. For a sneak peak at what's in store, check out last year's Big Book Summer page.
Book By Book is now on Twitter! I know, I exchanged an extra blog for a new Twitter account, but I'm having fun with it! Come join me.
Teen/YA Review: Loud Awake and Lost by Adele Griffin
Weekend Cooking: about a new food magazine, Low Sugar Living
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.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Weekend Cooking 5/18
As you may recall from earlier posts, our family switched to a Paleo/low-sugar diet earlier this year for medical reasons, to help with the chronic illness (an immune system disorder) that three of us have, and my husband happily went along with it for weight loss. It's become second-nature to us by now. We usually have simple dinners with meat or fish and two veggie sides, but I am always looking for new Paleo recipes, to break up the routine!
I recently picked up a copy of Low Sugar Living magazine at Whole Foods (it is also sold at Wal-Mart and Barnes & Noble and other stores), so I thought I'd tell you a bit about that today. Whether you are eating Paleo, are diabetic, have yeast/candida problems, or just want to eat healthier and reduce sugar in your diet, this is a great magazine, chock-full of recipes.
Apparently, it is a brand-new magazine. The issue I picked up (their summer 2014 issue) is only their second. They don't even seem to have a website yet, so unfortunately, I couldn't find their recipes online to share with you. However, they do have Low Sugar Living magazine Facebook page and a page from the publisher where you can order a subscription (only $8!).
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Photo © Low Sugar Living magazine |
The first dish we tried was Sukuma Wiki, an East African dish that is super-easy to make and so tasty! We've already had it twice, and it is already a favorite. The main ingredients are lean ground beef, collard greens, onions, and grape tomatoes, with a mix of about a dozen spices that make the dish heaven for your taste buds! Our 16-year old son liked it, too. You can see from my photo that the magazine is already well-used.
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Photo © Low Sugar Living magazine |
This week, I tried two of the magazine's recipes for one dinner. I made Grilled Peach Chicken, a super-simple dish of grilled chicken breasts that have been marinated in sugar-free peach preserves (I used apricot since that's what we had) and some other simple ingredients.
Photo © Low Sugar Living magazine |
So far, so good! If you are cooking for someone with diabetes or other health problems helped by a low-sugar diet, I recommend finding a copy of this magazine (or ordering a subscription) and giving it a try. We're really enjoying it so far!
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Saturday Snapshot 5/17
Snapshot Saturday is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.
May Flowers! All the flowering trees in our neighborhood finally bloomed last week - it's so beautiful when they are all in flower at once. Now, everything is green, but they are at their peak:
A neighbor's weeping willow tree in bloom. |
This tree reminds me of cotton candy when it blooms! |
A close-up of the previous tree |
Bright pops of pink all over the neighborhood from the cherry trees. |
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Our own contribution - daffodils and grape hyacinth - almost gone 1 week later! |
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!
Note: Remember that Book By Book is now on Twitter!
You can also follow Book By Book on Facebook.
Friday, May 16, 2014
Teen/YA Review: Loud Awake and Lost
Wednesday, May 14, 2014
Book By Book is Now on Twitter!
This is probably really stupid since I just merged my two book blogs into one to reduce my workload, but I started a new Twitter account just for books! I hope it will be fun and not too much extra work, though I already got confused and posted an illness-related Tweet to the book account. They should make it easier to manage two Twitter feeds with one account...but they don't.
I am looking forward to posting favorite quotes from books, bookish news, what I'm reading, and to follow favorite authors.
So, if you are on Twitter, you can follow me at @SueBookByBook - hope to see you there!
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
Books Read in April
Hey, it's only May 13, and I'm getting to my April summary. That's not too bad for me, compared to recent months! April seemed to go by in a flash, and our weather skipped from winter directly to summer, with only a few weeks of nice spring temperatures.
But it was a great reading month! Here's what I read:
- The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera (Czechoslovakia), fiction
- Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick (New Jersey), novel
- Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys (Louisiana), YA novel
- The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy (India), novel
- Loud Awake and Lost by Adele Griffin (New York), YA audio book
- The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett, fantasy audio book - all ages
What was your favorite book read in April?
Monday, May 12, 2014
It's Monday 5/12! What Are You Reading?
- I am reading Wild by Cheryl Strayed, though with our busy weekend, I haven’t had as much time for reading as I’d like. It’s a memoir about how the author hiked the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) in an effort to heal after her mother died and she became self-destructive and lost. It’s excellent so far, a chronicle of both physical challenges and emotional pain and growth.
- I also started - and finished - a graphic novel last week – that’s the only kind of book I can read at the same time as another, since I can squeeze it into little bits of time. This One Summer by cousins Jillian Tamaki and Mariko Tamaki was wonderful, the story of two adolescent girls’ summer spent at their families’ cottages on a lake in Canada and all of the changes they are dealing with.
- I finished – yes, finally finished! – Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morganstern. I actually read it through twice and have been starting to implement some of her advice as I read. It’s been helpful so far.
- And I started listening to a new audio book, Popular, written by teen author Maya Van Wagenen. It’s wonderful so far – the true chronicle of a modern 8th grader’s quest to become popular, with the help of a 1950’s popularity guide for girls. Hard to believe the author is just a teen!
- My husband is still reading The Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Potzsch on his Kindle. It's a thriller set in Germany in 1660. He hasn’t had a lot of reading time lately, either.
- Jamie, 19, unbelievably finished The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (at over 700 pages) this week and started book 2, Red Seas Under Red Skies. He is loving this series that combines mystery and suspense with fantasy.
- Craig, 16, is officially finished with books in his Brit Lit class – unfortunately, they ran out of time to read Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, as planned. I still hope to read it myself this year.
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.
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Snapshot Saturday 5/10
Snapshot Saturday is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads.
Last weekend, I experienced a rare treat: 24 hours away at the beach with my two closest friends. We stayed at my friend's house which is right on a beautiful creek, went kayaking, took a walk on the beach, ate crabs, and talked and laughed nonstop! Here are some of the pictures of the gorgeous and rejuvenating scenery:
Kayaking on the creek behind the house. |
My two friends kayaking and paddle-boarding |
Geese and 5 fluffy little goslings (see them in the grass?) |
Sunset over the creek |
Perfectly still water reflects the trees in the early morning |
The dock (and my friend sitting on the end of it) |
Walking along Cape Henlopen beach |
Hope you are having a wonderful weekend...and Happy Mother's Day!
Friday, May 09, 2014
Fiction Review: The God of Small Things
Thursday, May 08, 2014
Teen/YA Review: Out of the Easy
368 pages, Philomel (imprint of Penguin)
Listening Library
Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.
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Listen to a sample of the audiobook here and/or download it from Audible.
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