It's Monday 12/19! What Are You Reading?

Whew...the hectic holiday season continues. We spent the weekend with extended family - 12 of us in one house! It was great to see everyone and to all be together, but it was exhausting for me, too. Being with other people all day long really wipes me out because of my chronic illness. Still, it is worth the payback! Is it naptime yet?

So, with the big weekend Christmas celebration, I spent all last week getting ready for it - wrapping gifts, packing, and mostly, finishing the annual photo/video DVD that I give to family members. It was a very busy week, and this one probably will be, too! Our sons are home from college, and my husband is off from work for the rest of the year...so I am not get much time for blogging. But, we still found a little time to enjoy our books last week:

• I finished The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philip Sendker for my neighborhood book group (it was our 150th book, so we celebrated with a nice dinner out!). It was OK, but I didn't love it. I didn't dislike it - it's the story of a NYC lawyer who disappears, and his grown daughter who tracks him to Burma, where he grew up, to try to find him and uncover his past. It was interesting, but I just didn't find it all that compelling. I was in the minority, though. A couple of others felt like I did, but many of our book group members really loved this love story.
• Now, I am reading To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis, an acclaimed time travel novel published in the 90's. I LOVE time travel plots, so I am enjoying it so far - it's also got a good sense of humor, which I always like. This is part of my annual pre-holiday push to finish all the books my husband gave me for Christmas LAST year, so I am ready for a new stack! ha ha Yes, I am always behind, and the TBR shelves just get fuller and fuller, but I keep trying to catch up.
• On audio, I am listening to LaRose by Louise Erdrich. I've been wanting to read this novel and have never read anything by Erdrich (a National Book award winner) before. It is the story of a Native American community in North Dakota. A man kills his neighbor's 5-year old son by mistake while out hunting and revives an old tribal custom by giving the family his own 5-year old son. It is a compelling, original story with great emotional depth, looking at what is happening from many different character's points of views. It's excellent so far. I hope I get a little time to myself with my iPod this week to finish it!
• My husband, Ken, is hoping to finish up one of his 2016 reading goals before the end of the year - to read another classic. He is reading The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper, a book he has been wanting to read for a while. I'd like to read it, too, because I grew up in New York state, learning about the tribes of the Iroquois nation. He says it is very dense text - about one chapter a night is all he can handle! - but he is enjoying it so far.
• Jamie, 22, is still re-reading book 2, Crown of Midnight from Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series, which is a favorite of his. 
• He forgot his book at home this weekend, so he also started a new one on his Kindle, The Castrofax by Jenna Van Vleet, first book in The Father of the Fifth Age series. He says it is right up his alley - epic fantasy with a Medieval feel to it - so he is enjoying it. He is now on break for six weeks, so he'll be reading a LOT!

And, you won't be surprised to hear that I gave a lot of books as gifts this weekend, to all the teens and kids in the family!

I squeezed in a few blog posts before we left on Friday:

Movie Monday: The Jungle Book - an excellent CGI/live-action remake of the epic adventure

TV Tuesday: This Is Us - A family drama that will make you laugh & cry.

Summary of Books Read in November - another good reading month for me!

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.

Last year's family gathering (no group shot from this year!)