Ah, Monday morning - my quiet spot of sanity in the midst of chaos! Actually, last week was a good one - no extra illnesses, no last-minute trips, no emergencies for a change. I got a lot done, including a lot of blogging. This week will be less productive but still very busy. My mom is coming into town for a couple of days, and we are going to my neighborhood book group Wednesday night - yup, she travels for 3 hours to go to book group with me! Should be lots of fun. Then, of course, Friday is a holiday and the start of my son's spring break. So, don't expect to hear much from me this week!
Lots of great reading at our house last week:
- I am still reading The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon for my neighborhood book group. I read it about 5 years ago for another book group and didn't love it, but so many people who have similar book tastes to me have told me over the years that this is their favorite novel that I decided to give it another try. I am enjoying it much more than I did the first time.
- I finished listening to Finding the Worm by Mark Goldblatt, a middle-grade audio book about a boy whose best friend has cancer. It's set in 1970, and I loved it - it is heart-breaking, yes, but also funny and spot-on in its portrayal of middle school kids and the era.
- I am now listening to Mosquitoland by David Arnold, a teen/YA novel about a quirky teen girl named Mim who takes an impulsive road trip from Mississippi to Ohio to visit her mom. It's a little confusing at times (one reviewer described Mim's narrative as kaleidoscopic!) but absolutely captivating and filled with interesting characters.
- I started a new graphic novel that I've heard great things about - Relish: My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley. It's a combination memoir and cookbook, all told with a wonderful sense of joie de vivre. I am loving it so far.
- My husband. Ken, finished Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand and says he is looking forward to our local racetrack opening for spring!
- Ken is now reading First Wave by J. T. Sawyer, a post-apocalyptic novel, on his Kindle.
- Jamie, 20, has been working his way through the 10 books of the Dead series by T.W. Brown, in between classes, parties, and his new (first-ever) job. I doubt he will read much this week because he is in Florida for spring break with 8 of his friends!
- Craig, 17, is reading The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald for his American Literature class, using my old copy from high school filled with my scribbled notes which he says is "just like the Half-Blood Prince!"
Top Ten Books from My Childhood/Teen Years I'd Like to Revisit, including some I loved sharing with my own sons
Review of The Law of Loving Others by Kate Axelrod, a teen/YA audio book
Review of Here by Richard McGuire, a unique and fascinating graphic novel
A Day in the Life, a fun event last week, with a summary of my day - and lots of pics!
2015 Audiobook Challenge First Quarter Update - I'm on my 8th audiobook of the year
Saturday Snapshot - winter? spring? The weather changes are making my head spin!
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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| From my Day in the Life post (I'm not very good at selfies!) |
I have really enjoyed Lucy Knisley's works. Relish is my favorite! Have a great week! ~Megan
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This is my first intro to Lucy but I am loving Relish!
DeleteI love that you included what your family's reading. My husband is not much of a reader, but my daughter's usually in the middle of something.
ReplyDeleteMy younger son claims to hate to read but the other 3 of us are avid readers!
DeleteLove that you have a neighborhood book club. I tried a book club once, but no one read the books! We gave up.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to reading Relish one day--Jen from Teach Mentor Texts really loved that title.
Happy reading to you all this week! :)
Oh, Kellee, that's the worst, when people don't read the books! The very first book group I belonged to broke up for that reason - some people didn't even try.
DeleteNow I belong to 2 and sometimes go to my library's book discussions, too! I enjoy them all but it's probably too much.
I am really enjoying Relish. My mom is coming for a visit today and recently asked me what Graphic Novels are, since she saw me talking about them here - I can;t wait to show her that one - she;ll love it!
See you tomorrow! Looking forward to discussing "Shadow of the Wind". Very interesting read! Still working on it!
ReplyDeleteI've put Finding the Worm on hold at the library. I loved Twerp!
ReplyDeleteI never read Twerp but heard good things about it. I found I could jump right into this sequel without first reading the first book.
DeleteSue
Lots of reading going on! I've heard such good things about Mosquitoland, hopefully I'll get to read it soon. Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteMichelle @ Michelle's Minions
It was really good, Michelle! I just finished it yesterday. Very moving.
DeleteI too recently read The Shadow of the Wind. So many people loved it and I wanted to feel the same way, but I felt a bit underwhelmed like you! It's fantastic writing though. And how much that Craig (your son, I'm assuming?) is reading a book using your old copy!! I love book collecting (hoarding? haha) because of that very reason. It's something I can pass on along in the next years.
ReplyDeleteJillian - I still have ALL the books I read for school in HS and college! lol Does come in handy for my sons once in a while. I am enjoying Shadow of the Wind much more this time around. I think perhaps the excessive hype affected my reaction to it the first time? Too many people say "best book ever!" and it can never live up to your expectations.
DeleteAh! I really want to get to Mosquitoland. Thanks for the warning that it is a bit confusing. I will prepare myself. I can't wait to hear what you think about it after you finish! :)
ReplyDeleteRicki - it might be less confusing in written form than on audio because much of it is journal entries/letters, so it might be clearer when seen on the page. She jumps around a bit (the narrator, that is), so I kept thinking my iPod had switched to Shuffle and missed something! lol
DeleteThe Shadow of the Wind is definitely one of my favorite book-related reads several years back. It does have a meandering surreal magical realistic quality to it that may not resonate with everyone.
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