Monday, July 31, 2017

It's Monday 7/31! What Are You Reading?

Wow, August starts tomorrow...and the summer continues to fly by! This is medical appointment week, with several crammed in. Last week was a rocky one. My car was stalling every few minutes, which made running errands VERY challenging! That same day, trying to get out to the farm to pick up our weekly veggies as quickly as possible (because of the car), I discovered that all of the roads leading to the farm were closed for construction after severe flooding. It took us 4 tries over 2 days to finally get out there and get our produce!

Now, my car is in the shop - it wasn't anything too serious, but with a 25-year old car, there is always a wait for parts to come in. We did have some time this weekend (finally at home with no travel!) to get caught up a bit around the house...though we had to set our long to-do lists aside yesterday when we discovered water in our basement, for the first time in our 22 years in this house. That would be from the same storms that closed all the rural roads around here.

Fresh start this morning, with the basement drying out, my car hopefully back to me soon, and a slightly less harried week ahead (I hope!). As always, books are our comfort! Here's what we've been reading this week:
  • I am still re-reading Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.This is a two-for-one book for me - it works for my own Big Book Summer Challenge (see below) and also for my 2017 Classics Challenge, which I am really failing so far! I last read (and loved) this classic novel in my early 20's, so I don't remember much of it and am enjoying it so far. It is still just as good!
  • I forgot to mention last week that I'd read a middle-grade graphic novel, Mighty Jack and the Goblin King by Ben Hatke, sequel to Mighty Jack. It was just as good as the first book, an inventive modern fairy-tale with plenty of action and suspense.
  • I finished listening to A Boy Called Bat by Elana K. Arnold, a middle-grade novel on audio about a boy with autism. It was just as good as I'd heard - smart, warm, and funny.
  • I just uploaded a new audio book onto my iPod, The Hearts of Men by Nickolas Butler, an adult novel about two boys who become friends at a Boy Scout Camp in the 1960's and the paths their lives and friendship take over the ensuing decades. I heard good things about this novel when it first came out, so I am looking forward to listening to it.
  • My husband, Ken, finished one of my review books, Thousand Cuts by Thomas Mogford, part of the Spike Sanguinetti series. He enjoyed it - more than most, he said - and is interested in reading more of the series.
  • Now, Ken is reading a book I gave him for Father's Day from Northshire Bookstore in Vermont...but I can't tell you the title of it! He took it with him this morning (he also had a medical appt with his father). I'll fill you in next week.
  • Jamie, 22, loved Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson, book 1 of the series, The Malazan Book of the Fallen, so much that as soon as he finished it, he immediately went to a local used bookstore and bought book 2, Deadhouse Gates, and started it!
Blog posts last week:
TV Tuesday: Master of None - a smart, funny, insightful show on Netflix

Middle-Grade Review: Scar Island by Dan Gemeinhart - suspenseful & poignant

Fiction Review: Shift by Hugh Howey - book 2 in an amazing series!

Saturday Snapshot: Lake Ontario Sunset - pics from a recent visit to Lake Ontario

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 still have more than a month (until September 4) 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)

20 comments:

  1. Sounds like you had quite a week. I thought I had an old car all 11 years but yours makes mine sound new. Basement water can be such a pain. I hope it didn't cause too much damage. Come see my week here. Have a great week!

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    1. ha ha - yeah, it's so old it's now gone from old to classic! I love my little VW :)

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  2. I reread Jane Eyre every few years -- just because!

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    1. This is just my second time, but I;m glad I picked it up again!

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  3. Yikes! I hope you get your car back soon. One of our cars was out of commission for 4 months--the car my husband drives. Most of the 4 months was the car just sitting in the driveway, but once he FINALLY took it in to the dealer, it still took a week for all the parts to come in. Anyway, we had 4 months of me driving him around and that got old very, very quickly.

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    1. Back home now - running beautifully and new tires, too :)

      Ugh - that sounds tough on you! At least it's summer, and my sons are home (though in and out a lot), so we had 4 cars to work with!

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  4. What a week you've had with negotiating roads and car stalls and leaking basement. That must have been quite a rain. I hope this week goes more smoothly! Thanks for sharing all, will note "Mighty Jack. . ."

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    1. Apparently we got 7 inches of rain in a few hours - on my birthday! The roads and bridges around the farm are still mostly closed - what a mess!

      The MIghty Jack graphic novels are great!

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  5. What a frustrating week! I hope this one is easier for you. I can't wait to hear your thoughts on The Hearts of Men.

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    1. Thanks, Lindsey - this one has been tiring but better :)

      Enjoying Hearts of Men so far.

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  6. My students are going to be so happy to read the sequel to Mighty Jack.

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    1. It's just as good as the first book!

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  7. You had a rough week but glad to read that you are still reading and enjoying life.

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    1. Thanks, Diane! Some weeks are just like that :)

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  8. We have the opposite problem in India- we're waiting desperately for the heavy monsoon rains to come- seems like you've had a dose of them already over there!

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    1. We've been getting heavy storms most afternoons - lost power for several hours last night! Hope you get the rain you need soon!

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  9. I'm reading the success principles by jack canfield actually it is my 3rd time reading it.

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    1. I haven't read that one yet - must be good for a 3rd reading!

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  10. Monday?! I am not reading this until Thursday, which shows how behind I am. I finished The Female of the Species by Mindy McGinnis (excellent) and am just starting The Outliers by Kimberly McCreight

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    1. ha ha - you never have to apologize for being late with me, Helen - I am always so far behind!! In fact, I am just now replying to this comment on Friday (along with the ones left on Monday). I listened to the Outliers on audio last year - intriguing novel - turned out to be a lot different than I was expecting - I'll be interested to hear what you think.

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