It's Monday 9/12! What Are You Reading?

Life is slowly, gradually returning to normal here (or as close to normal as we ever get!). Our older son finally recovered from strep throat (a tough one given his immune disorder) and returned to school, though he did spend some time here this weekend resting. My husband is also mostly recovered from his nasty virus, though he still has some lingering symptoms, and is away on a business trip. And I am trying to get back into my normal routine & get caught up on writing and blogs.

Lots of great books this past week - here's what we've been reading:

• I finished my 5th Big Book of the Summer, The Many Lives of John Stone by Linda Buckley-Archer. This is a teen/YA novel with an intriguing concept. A modern-day British teen named Stella (but called Spark) gets a strange summer job, cataloging old journals going back to the days of Louis XIV in France. Her employer, John Stone, is an odd man who lives in a remote house with two other people. As Spark begins to unravel Stone's mysteries, she also begins to learn more about herself. It's an immersive and compelling mix of historical fiction and modern fiction, and I thoroughly enjoyed it (perfect for last weekend's readathon!)
• Next, I squeezed in a quick re-read of The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, winner of the Man Booker Prize. I enjoyed it just as much the second time (review at the link), though I wasn't feeling well enough to go to the book discussion about it last week - very disappointing, as this is a very thoughtful book that just begs to be discussed!
• Now, I am reading another book group book, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell (my pick!), for my neighborhood book group this week. I am loving this intriguing book about a young woman who was locked away in an asylum for over 60 years. The novel slowly unravels her story while also looking at the life of her great-niece. It's been excellent so far.
• I finished listening to The Summer Guest by Alison Anderson, an adult novel on audio. Part of the story is told through an old diary, of a summer in 1888 in the Ukraine, when a family rents a cottage to the Chekhov family for the summer. The middle son, Anton, develops a strong friendship with Zinaida, one of the daughters on the estate who has recently become blind due to illness. In modern day London, Katya hopes that the diary will save her and her husband's struggling small publishing house. They hire Ana, a translator in France, to translate the diary, and Ana soon becomes engrossed in Zinaida's story and the implications that Anton Chekhov, known for his short stories and plays, might have written a novel. I was completely pulled into this story of another place and time and loved every minute of it.
• I am now listening to Drag Teen by Jeffrey Self (apparently, a "gay icon of the YouTube generation" - who knew?). It's a warm and funny story about a gay teen in Florida who feels like he doesn't fit in and desperately wants to go away to college. His boyfriend convinces him to enter a Drag Teen pageant in NYC that has a full 4-year scholarship as a prize. It's wonderful so far, with a great voice in its narrator, J.T. I am already rooting for him!
• My husband, Ken, finished Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel, a Father's Day gift from me that I want to read, too! It's about the discovery of a giant metal hand found buried in South Dakota, and the investigation that follows to determine its origins and meaning. This was one of the hottest new releases of the spring. He says it was very good, and he can't wait to read the next book in the series!
• Jamie, 22, has been re-reading a favorite series. He just bought Book 3 of the Gentleman Bastards series, The Republic of Thieves by Scott Lynch. So, of course, he went back to re-read book 1, The Lies of Locke Lamora, which is one of his favorite books of all time, and is now in the middle of book 2, Red Seas Under Red Skies. Now that he is feeling better and is back in school, his time for fun reading will probably decrease greatly.

Blog posts last week:

Movie Monday: Fall 2016 Movies Based on Books - so many to look forward to!

Middle-Grade/Teen Review: The Marvels by Brian Selznick - another amazing book by the award-winning author/illustrator!

Teen/YA Review: The Many Lives of John Stone by Linda Buckley-Archer - intriguing & original

2016 Big Book Summer Wrap-Up - what I read for the challenge this summer

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.

Remember if you participated in the Big Book Summer Reading Challenge, you have until the end of September to post your Big Book reviews and/or a challenge wrap-up on the challenge page!