It's Monday 9/19! What Are You Reading?

I was just re-reading last Monday's post where I said everything was back to normal, and my son was  back to school. Ha! I was so naive. The nest is still not empty yet! That son woke up later that day with bronchitis (a recurring problem for he and I due to our immune disorder) and spent two more days at home. Then, his younger brother (the healthy one!) called me on Thursday to say his throat hurt really badly and one of his friends (plus his brother) had strep throat! I'm not going to jinx myself this week and say everything is back to normal, but I think everyone is healthy for the moment, and I am hoping for a day or two to myself this week to get caught up!

As always, books are a comfort to us, no matter what is going on! Here's what we've been reading:

• I finished The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox by Maggie O'Farrell for my book group discussion last week and thoroughly enjoyed it (as did everyone else in book group!). It's an intriguing story about a young woman named Esme who was locked away in an asylum for over 60 years (for not being compliant enough!). The story focuses on both Esme and her great-niece, who didn't even know that her grandmother had a sister. It led to some great discussions for us (and we all agreed we are glad we weren't around back then).
• Now I am reading a review book, They Are Trying to Break Your Heart by David Savill, a British import that will soon be published in the U.S. It's a complex story with threads related to the Bosnian War in the 1990's, the tsunami in Thailand in 2004, and people involved in both, looking back from 2005. I am well into it now, and it's a gripping story about a man accused of possible war crimes who disappeared, and the people who still look for him.
• I finished listening to Drag Teen by Jeffrey Self on audio. This is a fun teen/YA novel about a gay teen in Florida who feels like he doesn't fit in and desperately wants to go away to college. His boyfriend and best friend convince him to compete in a Drag Teen competition that has a full scholarship as its prize. They take a road trip to NYC for the contest, meet lots of interesting people along the way, and learn plenty of life lessons. I really enjoyed this audio book, filled with warmth and humor.
• My husband. Ken, is reading The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry, a free book I picked up for him from our library's summer reading program. It's the first Berry novel either of us have read, and he says it's good so far.
• Jamie, 22, finished re-reading Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch just before we arrived back home from a train trip to NYC on Friday (nothing exciting - just a doctor visit). Now, he is finally reading book 3 in that series (Gentleman Bastards), The Republic of Thieves, which he bought this summer. He loves this series (so does my husband) and says it is about con men in Medieval times.

Last week's blog posts:

Movie Monday: American Ultra, a fun, action-packed, funny movie

TV Tuesday: Love (on Netflix), a non-traditional romcom

Teen/YA Review: Unbecoming by Jenny Downham, an intricate, thoughtful story of 3 generations of women with secrets

Summary of Books Read in August - a good reading month with 2 Big Books!

Saturday Snapshot: Sylvan Lake - Black Hills, SD (the last of my SD pics)

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.

The Big Book Summer Reading Challenge has ended for this year, but you can still post your Big Book reviews and/or wrap-ups on the challenge page until the end of the month.