It's Monday 7/3! What Are You Reading?

Happy 4th of July to readers in the US! With our recent vacation and my husband's business trip last week, our holiday weekend has been a quiet one at home, catching up on bills, home repairs, etc. I'm happy to say I finally got through my e-mail backlog - only two weeks after returning from vacation! Today, we did a big Target and Trader Joe's run (nice to have help carrying everything), and tomorrow we will have a small celebration with close friends and my father-in-law here.

Last week, I was home alone for 5 days, but I didn't get even a fraction of the stuff done that I had hoped to - isn't it always that way? I did, however, watch two movies (reviews to come), enjoyed co-hosting my book group, and of course, enjoyed my books! Here's what we've been reading:

• I finished reading a book of short stories that I started for Booktopia in May, The World to Come by Jim Shepard. His stories are historical fiction, often focusing on some horrible disaster that occurred in real life, but he adds fictional characters and delves into their feelings, thoughts, and states of mind. They were all very good, though - as you might imagine from the subject matter - some of them are devastating. No happy endings here.
• Now, I am reading a review book, Exposure by Lisa Scottoline. I think I've only read one other novel (her first) by this very popular author. I'm enjoying this legal drama (part of her Rosato & DiNunzio series) so far, though it's not quite as gripping or fast-paced as I'd hoped. That's probably in part because I haven't read the rest of the series, so the characters are all new to me.
• On audio, I finished listening to The Goldfish Boy by Lisa Thompson, a middle-grade novel about a 12-year old boy, Matthew, with severe obsessive-compulsive disorder who is housebound (and often won't even leave his own bedroom). He spends hours at his window, watching the neighbors on his street. When a toddler goes missing from next door, Matthew may be the only one who can piece together what happened to him. It's an issue-driven novel, delving into Matthew's OCD, crossed with a mystery. It was excellent from start to finish - engrossing and compelling.
• Now, I am listening to The Risen by Ron Rash on audio. I have wanted to read a Rash novel for ages! This one, like most of his, takes place in Appalachia, in the mountains of North Carolina. The action shifts back and forth between 1969, when the narrator and his older brother met a beautiful girl while fishing at the creek, and present day, when his life has fallen apart and he sees in the newspaper that the girl's body was found near that same creek. It's very good so far, with excellent writing and a riveting plot.
• My husband, Ken, finished In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware. I bought this one when I was at Northshire Bookstore for Booktopia and gave it to Ken on Father's Day during our trip. It is a psychological thriller by the author of The Woman in Cabin 10, and he enjoyed it very much. Lots of suspense, especially at the end, he said - now I need to read this one!
• Ken is now reading Dust by Hugh Howey, book 3 in the Wool series, which I am dying to read! I just finished book 2, Shift, last week and hope to read this one as soon as Ken is finished with it, while the first two books are still fresh in my mind. This is Ken's 2nd Big Book of the Summer, and will be my third!
• Jamie, 22, is away with his brother, but he planned to read Dune by Frank Herbert, the classic sci fi novel. Jamie read Dune once before, but he was very young (about middle-school age) so he is enjoying re-reading it. Next, he will read Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, a sequel that his dad lent him.

Blog posts last week:

Movie Monday: Wonder Woman - excellent superhero movie with action & humor

TV Tuesday: Food Network Star - one of the only reality shows I watch!

Middle-Grade Review: Newsprints by Ru Xu- a steampunk adventure graphic novel

Teen/YA Review: The Baby by Lisa Drakeford - an intricate story of a teen pregnancy, told from 5 different perspectives

Saturday Snapshot: Summer Clouds - always look up!

Weekend Cooking: 4 Restaurants in Northern Vermont - in the Stowe & Montpelier areas

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. 

Remember to sign up for my Big Book Summer Challenge! You have plenty of time (until September) to read just 1 book (more if you want) with 400+ pages. Everyone has a chunkster like this (or dozens of them, like me!) on their shelves or TBR list. I hope you'll join the fun! (you don't need a blog to sign up - see the challenge page for details)