It's Monday 3/7! What Are You Reading?

Where did the week go?? It went by in a flash. I wasn't feeling well, so I didn't get nearly as much done as I'd hoped, though I was feeling better by the end of the week. The weekend was better - a nice combination of getting stuff done around the house and some fun family time, too. I put about a dozen new items on Craig's List Sunday - it's like holding a garage sale from your couch! Maybe this will help us to declutter a bit this spring. And yesterday afternoon & evening, we got to see our son's girlfriend in a dance performance (brought back memories of my own dance recitals!) and went to the restaurant where our son works for dinner and ran into some good friends we hadn't seen in ages - so all around, a good weekend!

There is never enough time for reading, but we enjoyed our books last week:

• I sort of finished The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness by Michelle Alexander. I read the first half, then skipped ahead to the last chapter so I could discuss it with my book group Thursday. It's an important book that should be read by everyone in America, filled with stunning statistics and facts on every page...though it's fairly depressing, as many of these serious problems are so deeply rooted in our society, it's hard to see how they will ever change. Our discussion was lively and interesting. 
• After such a serious nonfiction book, I was ready for a fiction fix and quickly moved onto my other book group's next pick, Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel, a novel I've been wanting to read ever since its release and so many rave reviews. I was hooked right from the beginning and am thoroughly enjoying it. It's about a traveling Shakespearean acting troupe in a post-apocalyptic world, after a flu pandemic. Mandel is such a talented writer!
• I finished listening to A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielson, a middle-grade audiobook about the Berlin Wall. It was fascinating and riveting- I couldn't believe I'd never read anything about the Wall before.
• Now, I am listening to Code of Honor by Alan Gratz, a teen/YA novel set in Arizona about two brothers whose mother is originally from Iran. Having been brought up as 100% all-American, it is a shock to 17-year old Kamran when his brother, an Army Ranger, is accused of being a terrorist, working with al-Queda. This book is amazing - I have been completely absorbed in it right from the first chapter and am plowing through the audio in record time, listening every chance I get!
• My husband, Ken, is still reading The Eye, the Ear, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer, a middle-grade science fiction novel by one of our favorite authors. Our son read this one, and it's on my list, too!
• Jamie, 21, is re-reading books 3 & 4 of Cinda Williams Chima's Seven Realms series, The Gray Wolf Throne and The Crimson Crown. This is one of his all-time favorite series, and he is getting ready for the upcoming release of the next book!

I am still way behind in reviews, but I managed a few blog posts last week (including one review):

TV Tuesday: Summary of TV Reviews - our favorite TV shows with links to my reviews

Summary of Books Read in January - a bit late but I read some good books that month!

Saturday Snapshot: Baltimore - pics of lovely Baltimore & its beautiful harbor

Middle-Grade Review: This Side of Wild by Gary Paulsen - hilarious nonfiction animal stories

What are you and your family reading this week?    

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.