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

Whew, another super hectic week! I keep thinking things will settle down, but they haven't yet. Maybe this week (hope springs eternal!). No, really, this should be a quieter week here. After much preparation, rushing around, and a family dinner Friday, we sent our 20-year old son off to Europe this weekend. He is on a 3-week long study abroad program - two weeks in the walled city of Volterra, Italy (in the Tuscany region), plus a week-long Caribbean cruise to ports in Italy, France, and Spain. Oh, yeah, this is one tough assignment - and for this, he gets 3 credits! I'm a bit jealous but mostly thrilled that he gets this opportunity. Our older son is still going through a rough period physically, due to his Lyme disease and other tick-borne infections. We're not entirely sure why he's been worse lately, though a trip to his Lyme specialist (one of those unplanned things that made last week so tiring) led to a new avenue to explore, so we are cautiously hopeful. He will be heading to Firefly, a HUGE outdoor concert held every year here in Delaware, on Thursday, so it should be very quiet toward the end of the week at home. I hope to finally get some writing done and some new pitches sent out.

With all that going on, we still find time to read - our books bring us comfort when things get difficult or hectic. Here's what we've been reading this past week:

• I finished my next review book (before continuing with my Big Book Summer): My Pretty Face by Robyn Harding. This is one of those domestic suspense novels that have become so popular, about two moms who become friends, though one is hiding a secret past as a murderer. I figured out most of it by about the halfway point and the mystery is revealed pretty early, but this novel is more about why than who, exploring questions about forgiveness, friendship, and redemption. I will share my review after it is published on Shelf Awareness next month.
• Next, I started another review book, Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owen. I chose this one to both review and interview the author, and boy, did I choose well! I am absolutely loving this novel set in the coastal marshes of North Carolina, about a young girl left to fend for herself after her family abandons her. There is also a murder mystery and some romance woven in. It's a very immersive novel, with the author bringing the unique coastal marsh environment to life. I can't wait to talk to the author later this month.
• On audio, I finished listening to The Lightkeeper's Daughter by Jean E. Pendziwol, an intriguing novel that reminded me a bit of The Orphan Train, with its mix of past and present. A modern teen is sentenced to community service at a retirement home and gets to know one of the residents, who is wondering about secrets from her own childhood spent on a remote island where her father was the lighthouse keeper. It was excellent, with warmth and emotion but also plenty of surprises!
• Now, I am listening to The Reason You're Alive by Matthew Quick. This is classic Quick, with a powerful story told by a unique narrator of the type that readers rarely hear from, combining emotional depth with laugh-out-loud moments. It's about a Vietnam vet who still struggles with PTSD and other effects of his time in war but loves his son (whom he has nothing in common with) and his young granddaughter. The narrator at first comes across as crass, outspoken, and offensive - and he is all of those things! - but the more you get to know him, the more you see the layers behind that initial impression. I am loving this one, as I have every Quick novel I have read.
• My husband, Ken, is reading Burn by Nevada Barr, a book I gave to him for Christmas. He and I love Barr's Anna Pigeon thrillers because they are all set in National Parks (which we love), starring a park ranger. I chose this one specifically because it is set in New Orleans, where we used to live (and still one of our favorite places in the world!). And Ken chose it now because it is a Big Book!
• Our son, Jamie, 23, the new graduate, finished reading book 8 of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, The Path of Daggers, and is now onto book 9, Winter's Heart. He loves this series. It's Big Book Summer all year-round for him; he rarely reads a book with under 400 pages! This one is "only" 800 pages. He is thrilled to get back to reading after the past months of struggling to finish school.

Last week's blog posts:

TV Tuesday: Safe - gripping, suspenseful & binge-worthy

Fiction Review: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - powerful coming-of-age story set in Alaska

Summary of Books Read in May - low quantity but good quality!

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.

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

What are you and your family reading this week? 

The 2018 Big Book Summer Reading Challenge has begun, and there is still plenty of time to join! It's easy-going, like summer - you only need to read one book with 400 or more pages sometime between now and the end of summer (early September) to participate (though of course, you can read more Big Books, if you want to). It's great motivation to tackle some of the bigger books on your shelves or TBR that usually get overlooked. Check out the details at the link and join the fun!