It's Monday 2/12! What Are You Reading?

Ahhh....back home in my recliner with a blanket and a cup of Tangerine Orange Zinger tea. Total comfort. I just got back from seeing my massage therapist (plus a quick stop at the grocery store). I have no idea what I did, but somehow this weekend, I tweaked my upper back & neck - really badly - and I woke up this morning in awful pain and unable to turn my head to either side! I was so grateful to already have an appointment with the massage therapist - usually, he helps me with chronic stuff and trying to prevent future stints in PT, but today I could hardly move. Feeling a bit better now, though still not great. So, yes, glad to be home and in my happy place...and talking books, too!

The weekend didn't go quite as planned. Last week, I mentioned we were gearing up for our annual Mardi Gras party, but Friday morning, I heard from one couple that had to go out of town for a family emergency. We already had a pretty slim group of "yes" RSVPs, and these friends that called Friday are our oldest - and used to live in New Orleans with us. So, we postponed until this coming weekend, though it's looking like they still won't be able to make it. We are just ignoring the fact that Mardi Gras season officially ends tomorrow! We'll just enjoy a small, late celebration.

Anyway, we kind of needed the quiet weekend, and I am working to get caught up on things (though still drowning in e-mails). Here's what we've been reading this past week:

• I finished The Fold by Peter Clines, a book I bought for my husband for Father's Day at Northshire Bookstore last spring. It's about a new invention that "folds" time and allows teleportation for the first time, but the man sent to investigate it suspects there may be some problems with it that the close-knit scientific team won't admit to. It was SO good!! I love this kind of mind-bending story, and this one had plenty of unexpected twists and turns.
• I also finished (and started) a middle-grade graphic novel, Swing It, Sunny by sister-brother team Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm. It's a sequel to the hit graphic novel Sunny Side Up, which I read in 2016, and it has the same wonderful combination of warmth, fun, and serious issues...plus a heaping dose of 1970's nostalgia that I loved!
• I am now reading the next selection for my neighborhood book group, Killers of the Flower Moon: the Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann. This is a nonfiction book that was a finalist for the 2017 National Book Award, set in Oklahoma in the 1920's. It's already fascinating and compelling.
• I finished listening to The Lines We Cross by Randa Abdel-Fattah, a teen/YA audio book set in Australia about a boy named Michael whose parents are strongly anti-immigration. Then he meets Mina, a new girl in school who is a Muslim refugee from Afghanistan, and Michael must decide what side he is on. It was excellent and very engaging - I was surprised to find out these same conflicts are playing out in Australia as well as the U.S.
• Now, I am listening to A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline, an adult novel that centers on a painting by Andrew Wyeth. It's especially interesting to me because Andrew and his father N.C. Wyeth, both famous painters, lived in our area - in fact, my husband and I just saw an Andrew Wyeth painting at the Delaware Art Museum yesterday! I also wanted to listen to this book now because Kline will be here in our area in April, and I plan to go to her talk. Our All-County Reads book is her earlier novel, Orphan Train, which I loved, but I wanted to read this newer release as well.
• My husband, Ken, just finished reading The Midnight Line, the latest Jack Reacher novel by Lee Child - his favorite author and series! I gave him this one for Christmas, and he enjoyed it very much. He hasn't chosen his next book yet - something to look forward to when he comes home from work tonight!
• Our son, Jamie, 23, is reading book 5 in the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, The Fires of Heaven. He loves this epic fantasy series! He has several more books in the series at his apartment (he has used almost all of his Christmas gift cards already), but he's not sure yet whether to continue this series or switch to another favorite fantasy series next. Spring semester started last week, and he has a heavy load, plus working, and looking for a permanent job (he graduates in 3 months!), so his reading time will be a bit limited for a while.

Last week's blog posts - catching up!

Movie Monday: Hello, My Name is Doris - warm, funny movie starring Sally Field

2018 Reading Challenges - yes, finally! I found some good ones!

Middle-Grade Review: Cici's Journal: The Adventures of a Writer in Training - fun graphic novel

Fiction Review: Hap & Hazard and the End of the World by Diane DeSanders - debut novel set in 1950's Dallas & narrated by a child

Saturday Snapshot: Winter Hike at an Old Amusement Park - mixing nature & history

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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I loved this colorful glass sculpture at our local art museum.