It's Monday 5/29! What Are You Reading?

Happy Memorial Day! Here in the U.S., that means the unofficial start of summer, so the big news is that I kicked off my annual Big Book Summer Challenge this weekend! Woohoo! I love this challenge - it gives me an excuse to finally read some of the bigger books that have been languishing on my shelves. It's super-easy going, like summer - you only need to plan to read 1 big book (though you can read more) of 400 pages or more sometime between now and the first Monday in September (Labor Day). That's all there is to it, so I hope you'll join the fun! Details and link-ups are on the Challenge page. You don't need a blog to join the challenge - you can participate through the 2017 Big Book Summer Goodreads group or even just by leaving a comment on the challenge page. I even got my husband to do it this weekend!

So, here's what we've all been reading this week:

• I finally finished The Journey of Crazy Horse: A Lakota History by Joseph M. Marshall III, a nonfiction book I read for my neighborhood book group. It was fascinating, especially since we have family in South Dakota in the Black Hills region and visit the area frequently, but it was slow-paced and a bit repetitive. Still, I am glad to have read it and learned a lot, though it was pretty depressing - I knew from the beginning how it ended!
• Next, I zipped through a couple of short books. I read Newsprints by Ru Xu, a middle-grade graphic novel. It's a steampunk story with manga-inspired colorful artwork, about an orphaned girl who disguises herself as a boy so she can work as a newsboy. There is also a kooky inventor, a city newspaper, and a long-time war ongoing. It was good - fun and entertaining - and there will be a sequel.
• Next, I read The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery. Can you believe I'd never read this classic before? I was inspired to get it from the library after reading a chapter about it in Books for Living. I had no idea it was about an alien!! I am very happy to have finally read another classic for my Classics Challenge (which isn't going very well this year so far).
• And, now, I am turning my attention to my first Big Book of the Summer! I'm starting The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater today, a middle-grade novel. I'm a huge fan of Stiefvater's novels, but this one has been sitting on my shelves for way too long. For me, the Big Book Summer Challenge also gives me the chance to make a sizeable dent in my TBR shelves, for the Read My Own Damn Books Challenge.
• On audio, I finished The Baby by Lisa Drakeford, a YA novel about a teen girl who unexpectedly gives birth on the bathroom floor at a party. It starts as one of those stories you hear in the news once in a while about a young woman who didn't even realize she was pregnant, but it's quite in-depth emotionally and tells the story from five different points of view. I enjoyed it.
• Now, I am listening to Projekt 1065 by Alan Gratz, a middle-grade novel. It came out last fall, but I've been postponing listening to it because I kind of OD'ed on WWII stories. Despite that, I am totally hooked on this novel, which is entirely unique, about a young boy who joins the Hitler Youth in order to be a spy for the Allies. It's completely compelling so far. I also enjoyed Gratz's YA novel Code of Honor.
• My husband. Ken, finished Little Green by Walter Mosley, one of his Easy Rawlins mysteries. I got Ken hooked on Mosley after I read one of his novels for our All-County Reads program a few years ago. He enjoyed this one, too.
• Ken is now reading his first Big Book of the Summer, Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. This is a kind of spin-off novel from the classic Dune series, written by the original author's son and a co-writer. Dune is one my husband's favorite novels.
• Jamie, 22, is continuing to re-read the Tunnels middle-grade series by Roderick Gordon, in preparation for finally reading the last book of the series (#6, Terminal).  He finished book 1, Tunnels, and was reading book 2, Deeper, last I heard, but he just got home from the weekend and told me he is reading book 3, Freefall, now. These are all Big Books - Jamie laughed about my Big Book Summer Challenge because he said he only reads books longer than 400 pages!

Busy week on the blog last week:

TV Tuesday: Occupied, a Norwegian thriller

Booktopia 2017 - my recap of this unique & amazing book event

Fiction Review: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, classic dystopian novel

2017 Big Book Summer Challenge - all the details - join the fun!

My Big Book Summer - check out the Big Books I plan to read this summer

Saturday Snapshot: Summer Lushness - big changes in our neighborhood

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?  

You can also follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page. 

My Big Books for summer 2017!