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!
I posted a lot last week - it's easier with just one book blog to keep track of!
My Summary of Books Read in April

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
And 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.

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.    

7 comments:

  1. Hey there,I'm not even sure if I knew you had two blogs. I love twitter!

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  2. Yay - gotta make my selections for Big Book Summer challenge. And I loved Doctor Sleep, so hope Ken really liked it too :-)

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  3. Wild is such a great read. I'm glad you loved it!

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  4. I want to read Wild... cant believe I have not got to this one yet :)

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  5. I'm excited about your big book challenge! I think I'll participate again.

    Glad to hear you had such a great weekend. I need to get to our paperwork. It's starting to get out of hand again.

    Enjoy your week!

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  6. Sue,
    Your review of wild makes me want to nab it! I remember thinking that last week, too. I am so glad you had such a great reading week. I enjoyed reading about all of these books!
    I hope you have a great week next week!

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  7. Doctor Sleep sounds awesome. I have to go back to reading Stephen King at one point. He is so prolific. Wild also sounds very interesting, thank you so much for sharing.

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