It's Monday 10/30! What Are You Reading?

I can't believe November starts this week! How did that happen? We had one last gorgeous day Saturday, with sunshine and 70's, so we did some yardwork and cleaned up and closed our camper for the season - so sad! Sunday, the weather changed to pouring rain and cool temperatures. I guess it's really fall now! We've had a warm October. On the downside, I have a very painful medical condition (erythromelelgia) that flares up when the weather turns cooler, and I felt the first burning twinges in my toes yesterday. Now it starts. I have an appointment with a specialist at Johns Hopkins in two weeks, so I'm hoping he can help - he's supposed to be one of the few doctors in the nation who knows how to treat this.

On the homefront this week, we carved our pumpkins, a family tradition we all enjoy. On Saturday, my husband left for a week for the Netherlands. I had REALLY hoped to join him next weekend in Amsterdam, but the cost and timing just didn't work. By the time he had firm dates from the plant he is visiting, flights were in the $2000 range! I haven't had time to be lonely, though, because my older son came home yesterday to rest and recuperate from the weekend. Truthfully, I am looking forward to a productive week to myself, hoping to finally get caught up on some things with both writing and the house.

Of course, we have all been enjoying our books this week! Here's what we've been reading:

• This week, I read The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells, a two-for-one that works for both my seasonal R.I.P. Challenge and my 2017 Classics Challenge. I was glad to finally read this sci fi classic. It has plenty of suspense, as a scientist who succeeds in making himself invisible then finds that invisible life has its challenges. He gets in trouble, has entire towns chasing after him, and gets increasingly violent. However, I was pleasantly surprised to also find a sense of humor woven through the story. I enjoyed it very much.
• Now, I have just started NightSun by Dan Vining, my next review book for Shelf Awareness. It's a suspenseful detective story but set in 2025 LA, where severe drought and cheap nuclear energy have created a new world, with the police taking to the air in lightweight mini helicopters and regular citizens of all levels of income able to afford small cars, leaving them stuck in gridlock traffic that makes today's LA traffic look like nothing! I just started it last night, but it's good so far - definitely an intriguing concept.
• 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. I hope to finish it by tomorrow to include in my R.I.P. Challenge.
• My husband, Ken, finished 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. He enjoyed it, too.
• Ken picked out the lightest-weight and longest paperback he could find on our shelves for his week-long trip! He is reading To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis, a novel he gave me and that I read in January (my review at the link). It's a time travel farce, combining historical fiction (set in Victorian England), time travel, and plenty of humor. I enjoyed it, so I hope he does, too.
• Jamie, 23, finished The First Law trilogy by Joe Abercrombie, an epic fantasy that was recommended by our friends at Northshire Bookstore in Vermont. We gave him book 1, The Blade Itself, 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 3, Last Argument of Kings. Score one for mom and dad (and Northshire) for a good birthday gift!
• Now, Jamie is having to take a break from his favorite kinds of fiction to read a nonfiction book for a class, The Bridge at the Edge of the World: Capitalism, the Environment, and Crossing from Crisis to Sustainability by James Gustave Speth. He is majoring in environmental engineering and specializing in sustainability. I used to work in environmental management consulting myself, so I think this book sounds interesting!

Blog posts last week:

TV Tuesday: One Mississippi - a wonderful show on Amazon that I binged in a week! In fact, I'm listening to the soundtrack as I write this.

Teen/YA Review: Carve the Mark by Veronica Roth - an epic fantasy by the author of Divergent

My Summary of Books Read in September  - an all-fiction month!

Saturday Snapshot: Halloween and Pumpkins - celebrations of the season

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.    

Our family & our pumpkins!