It's Monday 11/6! What Are You Reading?

I had a lovely quiet week all to myself last week, while my husband was traveling to the Netherlands for work. I had hoped to go along for part of the trip, but airfares were outrageously high by the time he knew the dates, so I made the best of my time alone. Of course, as always when he's away, I had BIG plans to get caught up on everything, tackle some writing projects I never have time for, and declutter parts of the house...and somehow 8 days flew by, and it felt like I barely got anything done! I did work hard this weekend to catch up on household stuff - bills, phone calls, to-do list, and filing - but I ended the week still feeling behind and overwhelmed. Which leads me to this...

I have decided (at least for now) to writer shorter reviews of books, TV shows, and movies here on the blog, and I started last week with my review of Horizon. I really enjoy this blog and especially the interactions with other people who share my interests, so I am hoping that continuing it but with shorter reviews will allow me a bit more time to work on other writing projects (the kind I get paid for) and maybe a little extra time with my family, too! Please let me know your thoughts and what you think of the shorter reviews. I am hoping this compromise will allow me to keep blogging...and will help to cut down on how often I say to myself, "something has to change - I can't take it anymore!"

So, back to the important stuff - here's what we've been reading this week:

• I am still reading NightSun by Dan Vining, my next review book for Shelf Awareness. It's a  detective story set in 2025 LA, so it's a combination of suspense and dystopia. It's very creative, and I'm enjoying it so far.
• I have also started a graphic memoir, Spinning by Tillie Walden, for Nonfiction November. It's a coming-of-age story about her adolescence as a closeted lesbian heavily involved with figure skating. It's excellent so far.
• I finished listening to Local Girl Missing by Claire Douglas on audio. It's about a British 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. It was engrossing, with lots of unexpected twists and turns.
• Now, I am listening to Where the Past Begins: A Writer's Memoir by Amy Tan. Her lyrical writing is here, along with fascinating stories from her childhood and beyond.
• My husband, 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 time travel farce, combining historical fiction (set in Victorian England), time travel, and plenty of humor. I enjoyed it, though he said he didn't have much reading time and was too exhausted to concentrate much!
• Jamie, 23, had 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 - you can see I was trying to catch up!

Movie Monday - If I Were You, moving, funny story starring Marcia Gay Harden

TV Tuesday: Wisdom of the Crowd, crowd-sourced crime solving

Fiction Review: A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara J. Henry, creepy suspense story set in wintertime Adirondacks

Middle-Grade Review: Horizon by Scott Westerfeld, fast-paced sci fi adventure

Saturday Snapshot: Middle of Fall - fall color comes to my neighborhood!

Fiction Review: The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott, set in early 20th century Brooklyn

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?  

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