It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Happy Holidays! Our house is all decorated now (you can see some tree pics on Saturday Snapshot), and last night we had our annual Cookie/Grinch party with our oldest friends - now it feels like Christmas! Lots to do this week but plenty to look forward to as well.

We always find time for good books. Here's what we've been reading this week:

• Sound the trumpets! I finally finished Hild by Nicola Griffith last night! It took me over three weeks to finish it, but I'm glad I stuck with it. It's the fictional story of the childhood of the woman who later became Saint Hilda in real life, set in the 600's. It was very slow going at first, with too many unfamiliar & unpronounceable names and places, but by the second half, I was hooked and enjoyed finishing it. Glad to be moving onto a new book now, though!
• I started listening to The Jewel by Amy Ewing, a teen/YA fantasy/dystopian novel. It's good so far, about a 16-year old girl whose life has been devoted to being a surrogate for the wealthy class, ever since genetic testing as a baby revealed certain magical abilities (plus the ability to get pregnant and carry a child to term). It's creepy and compelling.
• I am still reading Blankets by Craig Thompson, my first-ever graphic novel for adults. I'd read and heard many times that this is one of the best graphic novels ever published, and I'm enjoying it so far. The beginning is about the main character's difficult childhood and his first love as a teen, and it has a lot of emotional depth.
• My husband, Ken, finished The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. This is one of our son's all-time favorites, and my husband agreed it was excellent.
• Next, Ken read a book on his Kindle, Gone the Next by Ben Redher, Book 1 in the Roy Ballard Mysteries series. Seems like it was a quick read.
• Last night, Ken started a fun, light book for the holiday week, Explosive Eighteen by Janet Evanovich. We've both read the entire Stephanie Plum series, though he's gotten behind by a few books.
• Jamie, 20, is still home with mono (though showing signs of improvement finally). He enjoyed Cephrael's Hand by Melissa McPhail so much that he is now reading book 2 in her A Pattern of Shadow and Light series, The Dagger of Adendigaeth.
• Craig, 16, has had a concussion for the last two weeks and been on "complete brain rest" - no school, homework, computers, texting. video games, reading, and only limited TV. So, in desperation, he's turned to audio books! He's listened to Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (that's book 4) on cassette tapes (!) and just started Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, which he asked me to get from the library for him.

 Between holiday preparations and having both boys home sick, I didn't have much time for writing or blogging last week. Just a couple of posts:

Review of Page by Paige by Laura Lee Gulledge, a teen/YA graphic novel

Saturday Snapshot, with pics of our Christmas tree, from tree farm to finished.

 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.     

I can't wait to give Ken and Jamie new books for Christmas this week because they both love to read so much! Hope you enjoy the holidays with your family!

Our annual Cookie/Grinch party!