Happy Cyber Monday! I need to get my Monday blog post done early, so I can start my online shopping.
We had a quiet holiday week, with my college son home with mono and my husband down with a nasty respiratory virus. We had to cancel our travel plans to visit family, but we made the best of it. We ended up watching a LOT of TV and movies together, with those two feeling so horrible - I think even trying to read was difficult for both of them. Still, we always manage to read at least a little. Here's what we're reading now:
- I finished the next book group pick for my online family book group, The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis. I'd wanted to read it for years, and it was excellent, an in-depth portrayal of a mother and her large family, told through short vignettes of her children's lives throughout the years. There was a lot of tragedy in this story, but it ended with a sense of hope. Since I missed seeing all my cousins and aunts this weekend, I am looking forward to "discussing" the book with them online!
- I finished listening to The Doubt Factory by Paolo Bacigalupi, a teen/YA thriller on audio. The first half was very good - mysterious and fast-paced - but the second half really dragged and got preachy and tedious.
- I am now reading Hild by Nicola Griffith for my neighborhood book group. It's interesting so far but moving very slowly. It's set in seventh century Britain and includes both a map and a family tree filled with unpronounceable names at the front, plus it uses a lot of Old English words (there's a brief glossary at the back). So, reading is going slowly, as I flip to the front and back every sentence to decipher it! The story, however, is interesting so far.
- I just started a new audio last night, Us by David Nicholls, the story of a marriage falling apart amidst a family vacation across Europe. I've only just started it, but it's already excellent - interesting and compelling, with a sprinkling of laugh-out-loud moments (my family probably thought I was crazy, laughing to myself while I made dinner last night!).
- I'm also reading a teen/YA graphic novel, Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gullidge, when I need something light to break up my heavy novel. It's excellent so far - creative, warm, and engaging.
- My husband, Ken, is reading The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. This is one of our son's all-time favorites, though I think it's been slow going this past week, since it's a complex story, and the virus has slowed him down.
- I believe Jamie, 20, is still reading Midnight Thief by Livia Blackburn. His concentration has been poor, too.
Review of One Summer: America, 1927 by Bill Bryson, nonfiction
Review of The Thing About Luck by Cynthia Kadohata, an outstanding middle-grade novel
Weekend Cooking: Turkey and Wild Rice Soup, a great use for that leftover turkey
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.
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| A quiet Thanksgiving at home |
Wow, you have a lovely family! I hope you enjoyed the titles you read and I can't wait to hear your thoughts on them :)
ReplyDeleteI hope to see you around my blog
Katelynn
www.literarychameleon.blgospot.com
An online family book group--what a great idea! One of my book groups has kicked around the idea of reading the !2 Tribes of Hattie for a few years, but we never quite seemed to get to it. Hope everyone is feeling better now!
ReplyDeleteWe are enjoying the online family book group, Leila. We are now scattered across the east, so it's a great way to keep in touch with my cousins and aunts! We start discussing 12 Tribes of Hattie today.
DeleteI am reading a couple of books: The Chocolate Kiss and The Law of Moses, both very good books.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you had so much illness going on over the holiday, but it looks like you had a nice quiet dinner with family anyway! I've been wanting to read Us - I keep seeing it mentioned in different places. I look forward to hearing how you like it once you're done! Have a wonderful week.
ReplyDeleteI listened to more of Us while making dinner last night, Julie. It's SO good so far! A bit sad but also very funny.
DeleteI was really looking forward to The Doubt Factory, so your review is disappointing! I will secretly hope I like it better. :)
ReplyDeleteRicki - I'll post a more complete review soon. I really wanted to like and enjoyed the first part, but I really had to struggle to finish it.
DeleteOH NO! Mono and other illnesses! That stinks, but it sounds like you made the best of it and made it lovely family time.
ReplyDeleteSo sad to hear about The Doubt Factory. I really liked Ship Breaker!
Glad you are liking Page by Paige. After you should read Will & Whit. I love it too.
Happy reading this week! :)
Kellee - we really enjoyed Ship Breaker, too! We listened to it in the car on a road trip. With the Doubt Factory, he obviously had an agenda, trying to make a point (basically that all corporations and CEO's are evil) and the story was sacrificed for that. Disappointing. I'll write a full review soon.
DeleteThanks for the recommendation!
Wow! A family online bookclub? How cool is that? The Twelve Tribes of Hattie sounds like a great book. Thanks for sharing the photo--I hope everyone gets well soon.
ReplyDeleteWe are enjoying the online family book group, Heidi. We are now scattered across the east, so it's a great way to keep in touch with my cousins and aunts! We start discussing 12 Tribes of Hattie today.
DeleteI am reading Fingersmith by Sarah Waters. It was on one of Borders booklists. It is a real page turner and I am loving it. It is set in Victorian London among a family of thieves! Unusual but very well written!
ReplyDeleteThat sounds great, Mom! I hadn't heard of it before. Glad you are enjoying it!
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