It's Monday 10/23! What Are You Reading?

Wow, October is just flying by - I can't believe it is almost Halloween! We made our annual trip to the pumpkin farm yesterday. Well, there's no farm anymore - they sold off all their orchards & farmland years ago (we always sing, "They paved paradise & put up a parking lot" when we go there because they replaced some of our favorite Halloween stuff with a giant parking lot!). But they still have AMAZING hot, fresh cider donuts, and they still let you guess the weight of your pumpkin (within 0.25 pounds and it's free!), and...it's tradition! We are big on tradition here - our sons both came home from college for this visit, and my 92-year old father-in-law came along, too.

Last week turned out to be crazy - I had eye surgery, a trip to the podiatrist with resulting pain, we had a new hot water heater installed ($$!), my husband was away, and my chronic illness flared up the second half of the week. And the next month is going to be nonstop!

The upside to not feeling well is more reading time! Here's what we've all been reading this week:

• I finished Before the Fall by Noah Hawley, a best-seller from last year that I gave my husband  for Christmas. It's a literary thriller about a private plane crash with only two survivors - a man and a little boy. There is plenty of suspense as to why and how the plane crashed (and whether it was some sort of error or intentional), but the novel also digs deeply into each of the characters who were on the plane. I loved it - it was riveting from start to finish!
• Next, I had to set aside my creepy reading for the R.I.P. Challenge to read a book for my neighborhood book group. I finished The Magic Strings of Frankie Presto by Mitch Albom. I wasn't excited about this one. I loved Albom's first two books: Tuesdays with Morrie and The Five People You Meet in Heaven, but the ones I've read since then have all seemed a bit contrived and manipulative to me, like he is trying too hard to be profound. This one was similar. I didn't hate it - it was an interesting story, about the life of a unique and talented musician - but I didn't love it, either. I felt about the same way about his The First Phone Call From Heaven. I just finished the novel last night, so it's back to seasonal spooky stuff for me!
• I am still listening to Local Girl Missing by Claire Douglas - yes, another suspense novel!  It's about a woman who is still haunted by her best friend's disappearance 18 years ago and returns to their hometown to see if she can finally find out what happened. The narrative alternates between the remaining friend, now in her late 30's, and the girl who disappeared, in a sort of diary form in the weeks leading up to her demise. I'm enjoying it - besides the suspense, there is a bit of ghost-y stuff maybe going on, too.
• My husband, Ken, finished The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton, which won the 2011 Edgar Award for Best Novel. I gave it to him for his birthday recently, as recommended by a reading friend of mine. It's a thriller about a young man who the unusual talent of being able to open any lock. He enjoyed it very much.
• Now, Ken is reading Artemis by Andy Weir, the new novel by the author of The Martian that is being released in November. I just read it and reviewed it for Shelf Awareness (I'll post my review here after it is published), and Ken couldn't wait to read it himself! It's basically a caper set on the moon, with Weir's trademark blend of science, suspense, and humor.
• Jamie, 23, recently returned to The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, an epic fantasy that was recommended by our friends at Northshire Bookstore in Vermont. We gave book 1, The Blade Itself, to Jamie for his birthday in August, and he raced through it in just a few days! He was thrilled to find books 2 & 3 at his favorite used bookstore, and this week, he finished book 2, Before They Are Hanged and is now reading book 3, Last Argument of Kings. Score one for mom and dad (and Northshire) for a good birthday gift!

Blog posts last week:

Graphic Novel Review: The Hunting Accident: A True Story of Crime and Poetry by David L. Carlson and Ladis Blair (illustrator) - a moving true story told in a unique way

Teen/YA Review: Hollow City by Ransom Riggs, book 2 in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children series

Middle-Grade Review: Masterminds: Payback by Gordon Kormon, a satisfying conclusion

Fiction Review: Machine Learning by Hugh Howey, collection of short stories by author of Wool and the Silo series

Saturday Snapshot: Elk Neck State Park & Lighthouse, Maryland

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

Family Selfie after Donuts & Pumpkins!