Monday, October 13, 2014

It's Monday 10/13! What Are You Reading?


Ah...quiet Monday morning. I meant to jump right into productive mode and make my to-do list for the week, but instead I just wasted a half hour browsing my friends' and family members' posts on Facebook! I think it's the dark, gloomy weather outside making me want to just hibernate.

I had another busy, sick week. My Dad and his wife visited for 3 days - he will probably start cancer treatment this week, so we tried to make the most of this visit, even though I was sick. On top of my chronic illness and the bronchitis I had last week, the doctor though I might be at the beginning of pneumonia last week, so she put me on a super-strong antibiotic. I tried to rest as much as possible the second half of the week. I think I am finally coming out of this, starting to feel a bit better - hopefully, getting back to my own version of normal this week!

Here's what we read last week:
  • I finished The Other Side of Dark by Sarah Smith, a teen/YA novel about a modern girl who sees ghosts and gets mired in historical wrongs that must be righted. It was very good and perfect for October!
  • Now I am reading a creepy classic, Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley, on my Kindle. I'm a little more than halfway through and am enjoying reading the original story after seeing so many movie adaptations.
  • My husband and I finally finished listening to Uncaged, a teen/YA thriller by adult thriller writer John Sandford and co-author Michelle Cook, book one of a new series called The Singular Menace. We started it this summer but don't have a lot of time in the car alone together! It was good suspense with a unique plot.
  • I realized that a couple of weeks ago, I completely forgot to include another audio that I finished very quickly, Belzhar by Meg Wolitzer, her first foray into teen/YA fiction. This is another great one for October, about a teen girl who is grieving a loss at a special school for kids with psychological problems. It includes supernatural elements and some unexpected twists, and I loved it!
  • On my own, I am still listening to Nightmares! by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller, a new release middle-grade audio perfect for the season, where a young boy suspects his new step-mother of being a witch, as his nightmares turn real. It's been great so far!
  • My husband, Ken, finished reading The Demon Plagues by David VanDyke, book 2 (though really, book 4) in the Plague Wars series. He seems to be enjoying the post-apocalyptic thriller series.
  • I think that Jamie, 20, is still reading The Drowning City by Amanda Downum, Necromancer Chronicles Book 1.
Once our guests left last week, I squeezed in a few blog posts while lying on the couch:
 Review of In the End by Demitria Lunetta, teen/YA post-apocalyptic sequel to In the After

Review of The Vanishing Season by Jodi Lynn Anderson, a teen/YA novel about a ghost and a serial killer

2014 Murder, Monsters & Mayhem and Other October Fun! - 3 spooky reading activities/events to join this month

Saturday Snapshot 10/11 - Pics of New Orleans

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
 
 

12 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness, I hope you feel all better soon!

    I am excited to read Belzhar so I am glad that you loved it!

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    1. Thanks, Lindsey! yes, Belzhar is a great start for Wolitzer's first YA novel!

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  2. Your New Orleans trip looked like good fun! Thank you for sharing those pictures. It is funny you are reading Frankenstein. I have had that book on my TBR list for ages. A few weeks ago, I started reading it and then realized I should probably save it for the summer. I am interested to hear what you think about it when you are done!

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    1. I've been meaning to read Frankenstein for ages too, Ricki - my son was supposed to read it for school last year but they ran out of time :( I thought October was the perfect time for it!

      Sue

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  3. Next to Frankenstein, I don't think I know any of these books! Thank you fo sharing them with me--I am going over to Goodreads to read more about them.

    I am so sorry about your chronic illness. I've been a bit sick for 12 days now, so I can feel a bit of your pain though it is definitely not pneumonia.
    Enjoy your time with your dad! We are going through something similar with our family, so I understand wanting to spend as much time with family as possible.

    Happy reading this week! :)

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    1. Thanks, Kellee. I'm so sorry to hear you are dealing with similar challenges.

      Sue

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  4. I hope you're feeling better this week!! I still haven't read Frankenstein - or Dracula, and I feel bad about it every October. I want to read all those genre classics. But on the positive note, I'm listening to The Haunting of Hill House on audio - it's so atmospheric and it's totally crepping me out - and I haven't even gotten to the scary parts yet!

    What do you use for audiobooks? Do you have an Audible subscription? Just curious because I was thinking my library's selection is a wee bit limited.

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    1. Tanya -

      Many of my audio books are review books. Since I used to write reviews for FamilyFun magazine (back when they ran full reviews), most of my review contacts are with the childrens' side of publishing, so I get lots and lots of middle-grade and teen/YA audios. A few grown-up publishers send me their promos, so sometimes I get an adult one thrown in!

      And, hey, no reading guilt! You'll get to those classics one day!

      Sue

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  5. I'm so sorry you've been sick!! I hope you're finally on the mend now. Nice that you were able to have that visit with your dad despite being sick.

    You're really reading a lot of creepy books this October! I usually have too many other commitments this month to commit to doing that. But I am trying to read a few scary books at least!

    Have a great week. Get some rest and feel better.

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    1. Julie - It's usually the same for me. I got lucky this year and October falls (mostly) in between my book group commitments, though I'll have to depart from the spooky stuff in the last week :)

      Sue

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  6. Hi Sue! Happy Fall-
    I wish my library had a copy of Belzhar. It sounds like it is a very good audiobook and you know I love to listen more than I love reading (a close second.) Anyway, my copy just arrived but now I will have to wait to get to it until I finish the two books I haven't finished yet for my book clubs. Oh bother, sometimes books I HAVE to read get in the way of books I WANT to read. Sigh.

    I am also going to look for the first book you mentioned, THE OTHER SIDE OF DARK. It sounds like one I should consider for my library.

    Thanks for being a good Blog Friend!
    Anne (posting from work)

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  7. I also just recently finished reading Mary Shelley's original Frankenstein - with steampunk illustrations and art by Zdenko Basic - quite lovely, although it dragged on too long, I thought.

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