It's Monday 4/1! What Are You Reading?

Last week was hectic, as we shuffled our plans around to accommodate a memorial service next week, but I think we have it all figured out now. We have three different trips in the next three weeks, sometimes with only a day in between at home, so I won't be online much! And I never did get around to all the blogs I wanted to visit last week (I just now closed the tab for last week's Monday post and didn't get to everyone who left a comment - sorry!). This week will be a semi-rushed preparation week, getting my freelance work finished early and submitted, packing, doing laundry, making plans, etc....but I do hope to do better with blog visits! I'm missing my favorites and had been doing well at visiting new blogs recently, too!

No matter what is happening, we always make time for reading, and I hope to have extra reading time with a short camping trip and some long flights coming up. Here's what we've all been reading this past week:

• I finished A Good Enough Mother by Bev Thomas, my next review book for Shelf Awareness. It's a psychological thriller about a therapist who works with trauma patients. Her own young adult son is missing, and a patient comes to her who reminds her of her son and brings up all sorts of difficult feelings, as typical therapist/patient boundaries are crossed. It was an engrossing novel, with a constant sense of tension and dread that builds toward some surprises. It will be released on April 30, and I will post a link to my review when it is published.
• Now, though I should be reading and preparing for Booktopia 2019 (just one month away!), I have one more book group obligation first. I am re-reading Mudbound by Hillary Jordan for my neighborhood book group. It's also our All-County Reads pick this spring. I first read it in 2010 and remembered really liking this novel set after World War II in rural Mississippi, but OMG, IT IS AMAZING! Populated by three-dimensional characters that I quickly came to care about, it is the story of a white family and a black family, sharing land (and success or failure) but culturally separated in the still very racially divided Deep South. A must-read, if you somehow missed it - or a re-read if you don't remember the details (like me).
• I finished a very unique illustrated book, Tales from the Inner City by Shaun Tan. Tan is known for his amazing illustrations, graphic novels, illustrated short stories, and even a short film. This unusual book is a collection of short fantasy stories about animals in an urban environment, accompanied by beautiful 2-page paintings. You can read my full review at the link.
• On audio, I finished The Widows by Jess Montgomery, which was recommended by the Book Cougars podcast (they also interviewed the author - episode 68). I highly recommend their podcast - they are friends of mine from Booktopia, and I always look forward to a new episode! Set in 1924, The Widows is inspired by the true story of Ohio's first female sheriff and tells the fictional story of two widows who are brought together by unexpected circumstances and find themselves at odds with the male leadership and corruption in their communities. I really enjoyed it; you can read my review at the link.
• Now, I am listening to On the Come Up by Angie Thomas - finally! Like everyone else, I was blown away by her first novel, The Hate U Give, which was especially powerful and compelling on audio, and I was excited to listen to her latest. This one is about a 16-year old girl named Bri who wants to be a rap star (and she's quite good at it), but her family is struggling and she's always getting sent to the principal's office in her mostly white school. As expected, it is excellent so far and captivating.
• My husband, Ken, finished Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson, a very good psychological thriller about a woman who discovers she is living next door to a killer - and he knows that she knows. I read it first, and my review was just published on Shelf Awareness. It's a taut suspense thriller.
• Now, Ken is reading the third and final book in the Themis Files trilogy by Sylvain Neuvel, Only Human. He and I both LOVE this unique and thrilling sci fi series that begins with Sleeping Giants, when a giant robotic hand is found half-buried in South Dakota. It got even better with book 2, Waking Gods, and he and I have both been excited to read the conclusion.
• Our son, Jamie, 24, has been reading the series A Pattern of Shadow and Light by Melissa McPhail, a favorite of his. He first re-read book 1, Cephrael's Hand, book 2, The Dagger of Adendigaeth, and book 3, Paths of Air. He is now reading book 4 (for the first time), Kingdom Blades, and he's really been enjoying it.

Blog posts from last week:

Movie Monday: Lion - a moving, powerful, uplifting adaptation of a memoir

TV Tuesday: Good Trouble - a new spin-off of The Fosters, about 2 sisters starting their adult lives

Fiction Review: The Widows by Jess Montgomery - compelling historical fiction based partly on the real-life first female sheriff of Ohio

Fiction Review: Tales from the Inner City by Shaun Tan - a wholly unique collection of fantastical short stories about animals in cities, accompanied by breath-taking paintings

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? 

Forsythia is finally starting to bloom, but it's COLD today! Had to get my parka back out!