It's Monday 6/15! What Are You Reading?

Had a fun but exhausting weekend! My mom and her husband came to visit, and we had a great time - watching old home movies, playing games, enjoying good meals, and lots of talking and laughing!! Pretty wiped out now (due to my chronic illness) but glad we had a nice weekend with them. All last week was incredibly busy and hectic, and the beginning of this week looks the same! Can't wait for next weekend - a very quiet weekend alone with my husband, with both of our sons away at the Firefly Music Festival.

Here's what we've been reading:

• I finished Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline for my library's book discussion. I downloaded this historical novel to my Kindle over a year ago, and missed TWO other book groups discussing it, so I was glad to finally read it. It was excellent, with the story alternating between a contemporary teen in foster care and an orphan sent out west on a train in 1929. I knew nothing about the orphan trains (which ran for 75 years!), so the historical aspects of the novel were fascinating to me, and I loved how the author wove the two stories together.
• Now, I am reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce for my neighborhood book group. I'm enjoying this unique story about a retired British man who leaves his house one morning to mail a letter to an old friend dying of cancer and instead keeps walking. He decides on the spur of the moment - with no preparation - to just keep walking all the way to his friend, who lives in the far north of England, while he lives on the southern coast. It's very good so far - fun, funny, but also thoughtful and philosophical.
• I am still listening to Nest by Esther Ehrlich, a middle-grade novel. It is great so far, about an 11-year old girl in 1972, coping with her mother's sudden illness as well as more ordinary adolescent problems. It's a compelling story and an excellent audio production.
• My husband, Ken, got into the spirit of the Big Book Summer Challenge and has already finished A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin, the fourth book in the Game of Thrones series (with over 1000 pages). He said this one could take him all summer, but he finished it in just two weeks!
• Jamie, 20, is reading a review book we received last year: The Grace of Kings by Ken Lui, book one in The Dandelion Dynasty, an epic fantasy novel (his favorite kind!) and also a Big Book. He says it is very good so far. Even though it is summer, he hasn't had a lot of reading time because he is taking a class during summer session and is also working.

 Last week's posts:

Review of Ask the Dark by Henry Turner, a teen/YA thriller with heart

Review of Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater, book 3 in the teen/YA Raven Cycle series

My Summary of Books Read in May

My Guest Post at My Book Retreat: Memoirs for Book Groups

Saturday Snapshot - Photos of the summer flowers & greenery here

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.     

The Big Book Summer Challenge just started - you have plenty of time to join the fun! You only need to read 1 book (though you can read more if you want) longer than 400 pages to participate. And this year, for the first time, there'll be a Big Book Giveaway at the end of the summer for participants!