On the plus side, the silver lining to being sick is MORE READING TIME! I really hit bottom this weekend and spent all day Saturday in bed or on the couch, completely immersed in fictional worlds - ahhh! So, lots of good books to tell you about this week, from all of us:
- I decided to make a dent in my overflowing TBR shelves of middle-grade and teen/YA books. One of my favorite book blogs, Unleashing Readers, had just featured Ricki's Top Ten Books of 2016, and I noticed that one of her top picks was on my shelf, so I read The Honest Truth by Dan Gemeinhart. I gulped down this middle-grade novel in record time, and she was right - it was excellent! It's the story of a young boy with cancer who has given up and decides to run away and climb a mountain - suspenseful, thoughtful, and moving.
- Next, in the mood for some serious fictional escape, I read Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, a novel I gave my husband for his birthday. Now I know why he wanted me to hurry up and read it so we could discuss it! It was SO mind-blowingly good. A man is kidnapped and wakes up in a world where everyone knows him, but it is completely different from his normal reality. Desperate to find his wife and son, he goes looking for answers. This is the author of the books and screenplay that the TV shows Wayward Pines and Good Behavior are based on (two of our favorite shows), and Dark Matter was excellent - fast-paced, compelling, and very, very thought-provoking. I'm still thinking about it!
- Now, I am reading 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 for LAST Christmas). It's excellent so far - the interwoven stories of two young people on opposite sides during WWII.
- 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.
- My husband, Ken, finished The Last of the Mohicans by James Fenimore Cooper! It was a long, dense book, but he enjoyed it and wants to read more of the series. It's been on his TBR list for years, so he's glad he finally got to it.
- In need of a change of pace (quite literally!), Ken is now enjoying the latest Jack Reacher book by Lee Child, Night School. He was telling me last night how great the writing is compared to typical thrillers - Child is his favorite author.
- Jamie, 22, has been reading nonstop during his break from school! He told me I missed one last week, and he read Heir of Fire, book 3 from Sarah J. Maas's Throne of Glass series (a favorite of his) before he came home for Christmas.
- Jamie also finished one of his Christmas gifts from us, The Great Hunt by Robert Jordan, book 2 in the Wheel of Time series, which he's wanted to read for ages. He is now reading book 3, The Dragon Reborn - and flying through that hefty brick, too! Good thing he got Barnes & Noble & Amazon gift cards for Christmas, as well.
Movie Monday: Sing Street - a fun, uplifting story about boys starting a band in 1980's DublinThis week, I hope to finish up my December reviews so that I can do my 2016 summaries, best of lists, etc. I also need to choose my 2017 reading challenges - any suggestions? Finally, look for my 2016 movie and TV summaries this week, as well.
TV Tuesday: The Man in the High Castle - a chilling alternate history where the Allies lost WWII
Memoir Review: Orange Is the New Black by Piper Kerman - funny, thoughtful memoir that was the basis for the hit Netflix series
Teen/YA Review: The Outliers by Kimberly McCreight - a dark & suspenseful start to a new series
Saturday Snapshot: The Golden Hour - late afternoon sunlight makes everything glow
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.
I loved All the Light We Cannot See. I've been meaning to go back and read his short story collections ever since I read it!
ReplyDeleteI hope you feel all better this week. :)
Thanks, Lindsey! SO many people have told me they loved that book - glad I finally got to it!
DeleteI loved "All The Light We Cannot See!" Also, my book club is discussing it later this year, so I'll probably do an audio re-read in the near future.
ReplyDeleteA few members of my book group have put their collective foot down and said, "No more WWII books!" so I decided I better read it on my own :) I bet it's great on audio - enjoy!
DeleteAhh! I am so happy that you liked it, too! I did a presentation at NCTE that included this book. I talked about how the narrator is seemingly trying to erase a piece of his identity and what that tells us about him. Kellee also loves it. :)
ReplyDeleteMost important, I hope you get well soon, my friend! I have a close family member who has an autoimmune disorder, so I know (as much as I could "know," anyways) it is incredibly difficult and frustrating. HUG!
Aw, thanks so much for your kind and understanding words, Ricki. I often feel as though I live in an alternate universe, so it means a lot for a friend to say you understand - thanks!
DeleteI truly hope you feel better soon. Being ill is the worst. Our book club is planning to read "All The Light We Cannot See" this year and I'm excited about it since I too got it last year. Wishing you health and happiness!
ReplyDelete- Mama Vicky
i LOVE when one of my book groups chooses a book already on my shelves! In fact, this past year, whenever it was my turn to present book choices, I made a full list from books on my shelves! ha ha Glad you will finally get to read it - enjoy!
DeleteI love when one of my book clubs chooses a book already on my shelves! Hope you enjoy it!
DeleteI am so glad to hear that a cold and no bronchitis is good news. ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE is a favorite book. I'll be anxious to hear what you think of it.
ReplyDeleteI think the author of the WHEEL OF TIME series that Jamie is reading is ROBERT JORDAN not Robert Hunt, in case one of your readers is trying to locate it.
Hope you feel better soon. I've been sipping tea like mad today because I have a scratchy throat and I'm afraid it is an omen of things to come.
ha ha ha - that just shows you how my brain is operating with this cold, Anne - I must have typed "Hunt" because the title of the book was The Great Hunt - lol Thanks for pointing it out so tactfully! I corrected it. I told my son the other night that my brain synapses must be filled with mucus.
DeleteHope the tea was soothing and your scratchy throat doesn't amount to anything!
I am like your husband. I gave a copy of Dark Matter to my son. I wish he would hurry up and read it so I can have someone to talk to about it. What a mind blowing read!
ReplyDeleteha ha - my husband is not usually one to talk about books (that's why I belong to book groups!), but this one spurred some great discussions between us, many of them starting with "What would you do....?"
DeleteI hope you feel better soon...but more reading time is definitely the silver lining.
ReplyDeleteI am curious about Dark Matter. Here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES
Thanks, Laurel - Dark Matter was SO good! I can't stop thinking about it - always a good sign.
DeleteOh my, you are reading some great books. Loved Dark Matter and All the Light!
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked them, too, Deb!
DeleteI really loved All The Light We Cannot See. :) That was our book club pick last year.
ReplyDeleteMy book group is fed up with WWII novels! lol We just read too many of them.
DeleteI raced through Dark Matter, too, but never wrote up a review of it! Hope you're feeling better. A sick day when you're still well enough to read is the best kind of sick day!
ReplyDeleteIt's just one of those novels you can't bear to put down!
Delete