It's Monday 10/3! What Are You Reading?

I was absent from the blog for a week - my husband and I took our first Empty Nest week-long vacation together! We had planned to go to Vermont but changed out itinerary at the last minute (really, the very last minute!) because it was going to be too cold for camping up there. Instead, we headed south and stayed closer to home - going to Maryland's Eastern Shore, Assateague Island National Seashore, and our own Delaware beaches.

The start of the week was beautiful weather, and we enjoyed some amazing kayaking. Wednesday night - camping right on the ocean shore at Assateague - we experienced the worst storm we have ever been in! Steady winds of 35 mph, with gusts up to 50 mpg, and heavy rain for over 12 hours. It was really unbelievable. Our pop-up camper (with canvas sides) shook like crazy all night long, and everything was soaked by morning (it is usually quite water-tight). Fortunately, we escaped to the third part of our trip and spent a couple of nights in the lovely house at the beach that my friend generously shared with us. All in all, it was a good trip - certainly full of adventure!

Now, I have over 600 e-mails, plus all sorts of other catch-up. Re-entry is always tough after time away! We had a LOT of time for reading this past week. Here's what we've been reading the past two weeks:

• I finished 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 enjoyed this gripping story about a man accused of possible war crimes who disappeared, and the people who still look for him.
• Next, I squeezed in a classic before the end of the month! I re-read Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, which I hadn't read since 10th grade. I liked it in high school and enjoyed it again now. It's a story of unrequited love and lifelong revenge. With its dark tone and glimpses of ghosts, it was a perfect fit for the R.I.P. Challenge!
• Now, I am almost finished with Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel, one of this spring's hottest new releases. All the rave reviews were right on target - it's SO good!! It's a sci fi novel about the discovery of a giant metal hand in the ground and the investigation that follows to figure out what it is and where it came from. Highly recommended!
• I started - and finished - listening to a middle-grade audio book, Swing Sideways by Nanci Turner Steveson. It's about a young girl with an eating disorder and a controlling mom who spends the summer of her dreams running wild on a nearby farm with her new friend, California. Little by little, secrets are revealed that make this a deeply moving and thoughtful story of friendship and growth.
• On our trip, my husband and I started a new audio together, The Swimmer by Joakim Zander, a spy thriller. We didn't get very far into it, since we were only driving a couple of hours instead of all day to VT and back! It's interesting so far, with multiple points of view and suspense beginning to build.
• My husband. Ken, finished The Alexandria Link by Steve Berry, a thriller and 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 enjoyed it.
• Now, Ken is reading The Key to Rebecca by Ken Follett, a very old paperback we had here at the house (I was surprised he'd never read it before!). It's a classic spy thriller - Follett is an excellent writer.
• Last I heard, Jamie, 22, was reading book 3 in the Scott Lynch 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. He's still asleep, so I'm not sure if he finished it yet!

 Blog posts from the past two weeks:

TV Tuesday: Freaks and Geeks why did it take me so long to find this amazing show??

Fiction Review: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox, fascinating story of a woman locked in an asylum for over 60 years

2016 R.eaders I.mbibing P.eril (R.I.P) Challenge - enjoy the season with creepy reading!

Cookbook Review: Curtis Stone: What's for Dinner? - one of my favorite cookbooks - simple meals with fresh ingredients & lots of flavor!

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.

More vacation photos coming on Saturday Snapshot, but here is a glimpse of a gorgeous sunset over the Chesapeake Bay: