For us, the holiday season lasts through mid-January. Our youngest son turned 19 on Friday. We went out to a Japanese Hibachi restaurant (family tradition) for dinner and then he and his brother and a few friends headed to the Poconos for a weekend of snowboarding. Seems weird not to at least be accompanying them after so many years of birthday parties, but my husband and I enjoyed the quiet time this weekend. They come back tonight, so I have a pork roast in the crockpot and a cake in the oven! Birthday celebrations in my family tend to last a week or more :)
Anyway, lots of good books being read in our house last week:
- I just this morning finished All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr, a book I've been meaning to read for ages (and that my husband gave me LAST Christmas). It's a Pulitzer-Prize winning novel about the stories of two young people on opposite sides during WWII and how their lives intertwine. It was excellent - just as I'd heard and deserving of all of its awards - but it also felt a little too long to me. I think I have overdosed on long WWII novels lately!
- Today, I will start a new review book (due out in May), 'Round Midnight by Laura McBride, author of the highly acclaimed We Are Called To Rise (which I haven't read yet). This new novel is about four women in Las Vegas whose lives are intertwined.
- On audio, I am listening to Anne Frank Remembered: the Story of the Woman Who Helped to Hide the Frank Family by Miep Glies and Alison Leslie Gold. It's a memoir, and the narrator is wonderful, with an accent and warmth that makes you feel as if Miep herself is sitting next to you telling her story. It's fascinating so far. The only problem is that my audio ended abruptly in the middle of a sentence! Something must have gone wrong with my download (I got it free from SYNC two summers ago). I was loving it and am desperate to hear the rest! Now waiting for a copy from my library system to get delivered so I can finish it.
- My husband, Ken, is reading the latest Jack Reacher book by Lee Child, Night School. He loves this series and is enjoying the faster pace after reading The Last of the Mohicans.
- Jamie, 22, has been reading The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. He is up to book 3, The Dragon Reborn - and flying through it! He may be done by now - I haven't seen him in a few days.
Movie Monday: Favorite Movies Watched in 2016 - all of my 2016 reviews & my faves
TV Tuesday: Favorite TV Shows of 2016 - all of my 2016 reviews & my faves
Fiction Review: To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis - a fun & farcical time-travel story
Fiction Review: LaRose by Louise Erdrich - a moving story about family & community
Saturday Snapshot: Cloudy Skies - from overcast to blue!
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.
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| My son's 1st birthday |
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| My son's 19th birthday (he's between his brother & his Grandad) |
Gorgeous photos. Yes such an abundance of WW11 books and many of them excellent but can be an overdose. Have heard about this one but have not been brave enough to try.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Kathryn! It won SO many awards & really is excellent. I think the problem was that I just read The Nightingale (another very long WWII book set in France) at the end of Nov & was also listening to a WWII audio. Need something light & fun now!
DeleteLots of good reading going on at your house! I'm impressed that you are already reading a May review book. I'm happy if I'm just a month ahead. You can see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteOh, kathy, you are giving me WAY too much credit! I don't actually accept review books for my blog because I would always be behind! ha ha This is a paid job I have writing reviews, so the publisher sends the books and sets the deadlines :)
DeleteThe memoir about hiding the Frank family sounds fascinating! How frustrating to have the audio cut short. I hope you get the book soon so you can finish the story!
ReplyDeleteHere's what I'm reading this week: http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/2017/01/what-im-reading-january-16-2017.html
Thanks, Kym - the memoir is just SO good!! Makes me want to re-read The Diary of Anne Frank (in spite of my WWII overload). Hopefully, my library audio will come in soon!
DeleteI need to pick up LaRose again. I started it last year and put it down and never got back to it. I enjoyed Anne Frank Remembered. I had it from SYNC also. I listened to it before traveling to Amsterdam and seeing the house. What an emotional experience.
ReplyDeleteOh, wow, what an incredible experience that must have been, listening to the book and then visiting! My husband travels for business to Amsterdam - I think he toured the house, too. I would love to do that.
DeleteHappy birthday to you son!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Melinda! We finally finished celebrating last night with dinner & a cake. They had a GREAT weekend snowboarding :)
DeleteThat must have been frustrating when your audio cut out, but it sounds like a great story! I will be interested in your thoughts when you finally get to listen to the whole thing.
ReplyDeleteHappy reading! :)
It was frustrating! And I was in the last part (SYNC typically divides its audios into 6 parts). You should have seen me freaking out when it just quit and there was nothing else! My library request should be in soon - just one audio copy in our state system, so it's being delivered from another library. This week, i hope!
DeleteI have also meant to read All the Light, but haven't gotten around to it. Soon, really.
ReplyDeleteha ha - sounds like me, Helen!! It sat on my shelf for a full year - well worth the wait, though - it deserved all those awards.
DeleteVery good-looking family! I enjoyed All The Light We Cannot See, but yes, I can understand the feeling of overdosing on war novels. - Myra from GatheringBooks
ReplyDelete