Monday, March 27, 2017

It's Monday 3/27! What Are You Reading?

Last week was a bit better for me, even though I was still mostly housebound (I can't wear shoes or walk much due to a painful medical condition with my feet). My husband was on a business trip and both sons were busy at college finishing up their work before spring break, so I enjoyed a few quiet days to myself. If you have to be stuck at home, it's nice to have some time to yourself to chill out and catch up...not to mention very little cooking or dishes! I only ran the dishwasher once all week.

I cleared stacks of papers off our coffee table and counters (finally), got some writing done, and generally caught up. And, although our weather continues to be unseasonably cold (40's with rain and fog this morning!), we did have a couple of days last week when it was warm enough that I could sit on the deck. I am really missing my daily walks, so that helped a lot. Now, one son is in the Outer Banks for spring break and the other is here at home for now but going camping locally with friends once the rain clears out for a couple of days.

As always, we all enjoyed our books last week, no matter where we were!
  • I finished my next review book for Shelf Awareness, How To Be Human by Paula Cocozza (due out May 9). This novel is set in suburban London, about a woman recovering from a recent break-up who is fascinated by a fox in her backyard. Actually, "fascinated" doesn't really explain it - she falls in love with a fox. Yup. It's a pretty weird book, but I did end up enjoying it. It's well-written and takes an interesting look at human relationships (in addition to the less common fox-woman relationship).
  • Now, I am reading a book for Boooktopia, an awesome annual event in Vermont, where book lovers get together with authors for an intimate weekend of discussing and celebrating books - so much fun! My mom and I went two years ago and are going again the first week of May. So, in preparation, I am reading Books for Living by Will Schwalbe. I haven't read his first book yet, The End of Your Life Book Club, but I REALLY want to, and I can't wait to meet the author. I just started this one, but it is already wonderful. It's a book celebrating books - what's not to like?
  • On audio, I am listening to another Booktopia book, The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck, another of the authors who will be at the event. This novel is about widowed women living in a castle in Germany with their children after WWII ends. I'm enjoying it.
  • My husband, Ken, finished another of my review books (he is really benefiting from my new job!), Marshall's Law by Ben Sanders, which looks like part of a thriller series - right up his alley! He enjoyed it.
  • Now, Ken is reading another review book, The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger. As best as we can remember, he and I have only read one other Unger novel. She's a thriller writer who is somewhat local and sets most of her novels in and near Baltimore, and we enjoyed the first one we read.
  • Jamie, 22, is reading The Shadowed Sun by N.K. Jemisin, book 2 in the Dreamblood series. He loved book 1, The Killing Moon, a few years ago and is happy to have finally gotten to book 2 (which we gave to him for Christmas last year). I doubt he'll have much reading time in a beach house with 11 other young adults on spring break this week!
Last week's blog posts:
 TV Tuesday: Lilyhammer - warm, funny show about a NY mobster in Norway

Fiction Review: The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen - remarkable award-winning novel about Vietnamese spy/refugee in 1970's

Fiction Review: Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson - vivid story of growing up in Brooklyn in the 1970's

Saturday Snapshot: National Parks of Colorado - highlights of a wonderful trip!

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.

What are you and your family reading this week?   

Enjoying some much-appreciated time on the back deck last week!
 

19 comments:

  1. I'd love to go to Booktopia sometime! My weekends are taken up with line dancing now (two whole weekends two weeks apart, with the second one starting this Thursday night) to the neglect of my blog and my books! Sorry about your painful feet! I have been lucky with mine so far and a gel pad has been enough to help my foot pain. I hope you'll be back to your walking soon, and in the meantime, it's good to get in some down time on the deck!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's so much fun, Laurie! Your line dancing weekends sound like fun, too.

      Was happy that the skies cleared this afternoon & I got out to the deck again :)

      Delete
  2. Booktopia sounds like an amazing experience! I enjoyed reading your review of Another Brooklyn. I also loved it.
    I'd like to read The Sympathizer, but I need it in audiobook format so I can work on a very over due wedding quilt for my son and his partner. Unfortunately, it isn't available at my library in that format yet.
    Hope your feet improve soon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It IS amazing, Cherlee! I bet The Sympathizer would be wonderful on audio...though I wonder if you would catch all his clever writing while listening. I'm surprised your library doesn't have it on audio - it won the Pulitzer and 8 other awards last year so is one of the most popular books out now. Can you check other local libraries in your area? We can request items from any library in our state. Hope you can get your hands on it soon!

      Delete
  3. I hope you feel better.

    Great on your time on the porch....love sitting on my porch.

    I loved The Women In The Castle...my review will be up tomorrow.

    And....I didn't read all of those books in one week. :) LOL!!!

    Some were read last fall and just waiting for the pub date. I can only read three books in a month at the most.

    Have a great week.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My It's Monday, What Are You Reading

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh that's a relief, Elizabeth! I was feeling like quite an under-achiever after visiting your blog! ha ha

      I'm enjoying The Women in the Castle.

      Delete
  4. Booktopia sounds like a blast. It's great that you get to go and that you have a fellow book lover in your mom to go with you. :)

    I hope you feel better this week, Sue!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It is, Lindsey! Lots of fun - book nirvana :)

      Thanks for the good wishes - the warmish weather today helped!

      Delete
  5. I'm starting The Women in the Castle this week. Girl Who Reads

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hope you enjoy it - the audio is very good so far.

      Delete
  6. Love the photo from the back deck, must be hard not being able to go out for a walk but a view like that helps. Sounds like you have a few bookish events coming up that will be interesting.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I am missing the walks...but i did manage 20 min yesterday with no serious repercussions, so hopefully I am on the road back!

      Delete
  7. Hope you feel better this week! I loved The Killing Moon too, but unlike your son, I haven't gotten to he Shadowed Sun.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, it took him several years to get to book 2, Tanya! I've heard SO many good things about The Killing Moon. I should read his copy!

      Delete
  8. I have four new books that arrived after I posted my update this week. I can't wait to get to them. I'll mention them in next week's post. It's Monday, What Are You Reading

    ReplyDelete
  9. I just finished "The Women in the Castle" and loved it! I think it would be a great audio book--does it have more than one narrator?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No, just one narrator reading the book...so it is sometimes a bit confusing with all the changes in dates & locations and especially those multi-syllabic German place names! But overall, I;m enjoying it and it's good on audio.

      Delete
  10. Fell in love with Nemisin's The Fifth Season and Obelisk Fate - and constantly on the look out for her other titles. Will definitely mark this one as to-read.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, good! Glad to give you a good tip, Myra! I haven;t read any of them yet, but The Killing Moon is the one I have heard the most about.

      Delete