It was a crazy busy week - shopping for my younger son's dorm room and helping our older son move out of his apartment - but we always find a little time for reading! Here's what we are reading:
- I finished a review book for Publishers Weekly, Isra Isle by Nava Semel. It's (in part) an alternate history, based on a historical fact. In 1825, a Jewish man named Mordecai Noah bought Grand Island, NY (a bit of land just south of Niagara Falls) from the Native Americans. He wanted to start a Jewish state...but no one came. This novel imagines what would have happened if it had worked, and Jews had had a safe haven way back then. I grew up in Rochester, NY, and often visited Grand Island - its real-life history includes an amusement park called Fantasy Island! - so it was especially intriguing to me. All in all, it was a very interesting and thought-provoking novel, though the author uses a free-form narrative style without quotation marks and a lot of symbolism, so it was a bit confusing at times. Worth reading, though.
- Now, I'm trying to squeeze in a classic before moving onto my next Big Book, so I started Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, a novel I last read in 10th grade. I probably didn't have time for this extra book, but I am enjoying it!
- I just finished listening to The Memory of Light by Francisco X. Stork, a teen/YA novel about a serious topic. It's about a teen girl who tries to commit suicide and her slow, difficult journey of healing and recovery. It was moving and powerful, all the more so for me because a young person close to me has been suicidal. Highly recommended.
- My husband, Ken, is reading Shift by Hugh Howey, book 2 in the Wool series. He and I both LOVED Wool (review at the link), which several friends had said, "you must read it!" They were right! I gave Ken the second book for Father's Day, and I can't wait to read it, too!
- Jamie, 21, is re-reading Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings, book 1 in the Stormlight Archive so that he can next read book 2, Words of Radiance. The first one is 1200 pages long, and the second one is 1300 pages, so he is definitely in the Big Book Summer groove!
TV Tuesday: Aquarius, a creepy 60's detective show about Charles Manson starring David Duchnovy
Middle-Grade Review: Masterminds: Criminal Destiny by Gordon Kormon, a thrilling sequel!
Fiction Review: Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson, a 1950's courtroom drama with serious implications for our world today
Saturday Snapshot 7/30: A Summer Walk - blue skies and summer blooms
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.
There is still plenty of time to join the Big Book Summer Reading Challenge - six weeks of summer left! Just click the link to read the rules - super-easy for summer! You only need to read one "big book" (400 pages or more) before September to participate. Join the fun, choose your Big Book(s) & sign up today!
Our 6th grade Battle of the Books team adored Masterminds. My younger daughter is heading off to college, but her older sister just finished, so no new stuff for her! Well, maybe a few things.
ReplyDeleteha ha our older son is still in college - and just moved from a furnished apartment to an unfurnished one, so he needed some stuff, too!
DeleteGlad your class liked Masterminds - it's a well-written action-packed thriller series! I liked the very original plot.
Yeah, I've found that I just can't write up posts when my kids are watching TV in the same room. I remember being able to study in college while watching Seinfeld--and everything about this sentence makes me feel old.
ReplyDeleteYeah, what happened to my ability to watch TV and study at the same time? Now, I need absolute silence when I write!
DeleteI'm impressed that you can write a review with all that is going on with the college stuff. I don't imagine I'll ever read it, but enjoyed hearing about the idea that Mordecai Noah had when he purchased Grand Island. Heart of Darkness has been controversial through the years, and it's one of the reasons I've learned that Chinua Achebe wrote Things Fall Apart, in response to the stereotyping Conrad included. See what you think about Conrad's work versus Achebe.
ReplyDeleteIt's getting tough to squeeze in my writing this summer, Linda!
DeleteI hadn't heard of Achebe's novel before, so thank you for telling me about it! As for Heart of Darkness, Conrad published it in 1901, so I consider it a product of the times in terms of stereotypes - much like Huck Finn. I've certainly read many, many novels about the settling of America by whites who considered Native Americans "savages" as well - it's disturbing, but you recognize that people back then were ignorant about the diversity of humanity.
Anyway, glad to hear about Achebe - thanks!
Heart of Darkness is one of the classics that I truly enjoyed when I was in college; however, like Linda said, I also recently learned that Things Fall Apart was in response to it, so I look forward to reading it.
ReplyDeleteHappy reading this week!
(I hope to get to my Big Book this week!)
I hadn't heard of Things Fall Apart before so am looking forward to it now! I enjoyed Heart of Darkness in high school, too, and especially our class discussions (with my favorite HS English teacher) - in fact, this was my copy from high school - filled with underlining & notes!
DeleteGlad you liked The Memory of Light. What did you think of the trip to the ranch? It just seemed too preposterous to be realistic. I hope that isn't a deal breaker for the Award Committees. I have a hard time reading books in that free-form style, not sure if I will try ISRA ISLE for that reason.
ReplyDeleteActually, I thought the whole hospital experience was idealized, having just watched my loved one go through it last summer. But maybe Stork wanted to encourage suicidal teens to seek help. Even with the idyllic hospital experience, I thought the narrator's thoughts and feelings were spot on - I hear many of the same things from the person I know.
DeleteYeah, the Isra Isle novel is not for everyone - it was a tough review to write for that reason.
I really should try Heart of Darkness again. I read it in high school, too, and hated it!
ReplyDeleteI think a lot depends on the English teacher - I LOVED our class discussions on this and every book!
DeleteI can relate to the head spinning with tuition, financial aid and 529 plans as my daughter is heading off for her freshman year. I'm glad you got some reading in amidst all the craziness. I remember reading HEart of Darkness in college, but haven't read it since. Instead I'm revisiting Walden this summer.
ReplyDeleteWalden? How wonderful! That's a classic I have never read and REALLY want to! I love the outdoors & nature. Sounds perfect for summer! Enjoy!
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