It's Monday 10/28! What Are You Reading?

Whew! I wasn't sure I'd have time for a Monday post today, but I just sent my book back to my editor after another round of editing. This one wasn't as tough as the first, but it still required concentrated effort the past week, so now it's time (again) to catch up on everything I've been ignoring. I have a lot of work to do this week, but hopefully I will have time for visiting blogs, too (sorry for those I missed last week).

We did manage to have a nice quiet weekend at home, with a good mix of productivity, fun with friends, and relaxation. Sometimes, my weekends are all work, trying to catch up on everything around the house, so this was a good balance. And it's Halloween time! My family loves this holiday, and we got in the spirit Saturday by carving pumpkins with our friends.

Here's what our family has been reading this week:

I finished Pachinko by Min Jin Lee for my neighborhood book group, a temporary departure from my dark October reading. I've been hearing rave reviews about this novel from all my bookish friends ever since its 2017 release, when it appeared on just about every Top Ten list and was nominated for several big awards, including the National Book Award. It's a multi-generational epic set in Korea and Japan, about a Korean family that lives through WWII in Japan. It was absolutely compelling, with in-depth characters I cared about from the first chapters. I was also utterly fascinated by the history (and how much I didn't know about the history of this region!), including the horrible racism aimed at Koreans living in Japan (and the huge barriers to returning home), which continues to this day. I loved this novel from beginning to end - a must-read!

Next, I got right back to RIP XIV reading with The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld, a novel my husband highly recommended (that I gave to him as a gift). He was right - this thriller is SO good! It's about a woman named Naomi, known as The Child Finder. She was a missing child herself, with no memory of anything prior to her escape from her captors, and now she has devoted her life to searching for missing kids. She gets involved in two cases in Oregon in this book. The first is a 3-year-old cold case of a 5-year-old girl named Madison who disappeared in a thickly wooded National Forest. The second is a new case of an infant missing from her mentally disabled mother. From the beginning, the reader knows Madison is still alive because parts of the story are told from her perspective. It's a completely compelling and unique story. I just finished it this afternoon and am wondering if I can squeeze in one more dark book before the end of the month on Thursday!

I am also reading one last dark and creepy graphic novel (I sort of fit those into spare moments here and there) this month, Grimoire Noir by Vera Greentea (author) and Yana Bogatch (illustrator). It's a spooky story about a teen boy whose little sister goes missing, in a town called Blackwell where all of the females are witches with magic powers. I've only just started it, but I was immediately taken in by the gorgeous pen and ink illustrations, done mostly in shades of brown and black but with tiny, bright splashes of color here and there. The illustrations are enchanting, and the story is intriguing so far. I'm curious to see what happens next.

On audio, I finished listening to a teen/YA mystery, A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro. This one was a lot of fun, about Charlotte Holmes and James Watson, two teens who are descendants of that Holmes and Watson. They both attend a boarding school in Connecticut, and when there is a murder on campus, of course, they begin to investigate it! It was quite dark in some respects, with a murderer on the loose and some pretty ingenious ways to hurt or kill students, but it was also a whole lot of fun. The author plays with the Holmes-Watson theme, imbuing the teen characters with many of the characteristics of their famous ancestors (who were, of course, real people in this book), with a modern young-person twist. I thoroughly enjoyed it and would love to read more books in this fun series.

Now, I am listening to one last creepy audio book, Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson. I know she is a very popular fiction author, with many fans, but this is the first Jackson novel I have read or listened to. It's about a new neighbor in a typical suburban community who may not be who she seems. Angelica Roux is sexy and enigmatic as she inserts herself into a group of moms by coming to their book group. Instead of their usual quiet discussion of a classic, Roux pours the drinks freely and convinces the women to play her version of Never Have I Ever, volunteering the worst things they have each done yesterday, last week, last month, and in their whole lives. Amy, happily married with a new baby and a sweet step-daughter, wants nothing to do with Roux's games because she wants her secrets to stay safely in her past. Roux's nefarious purposes slowly become clear as she insinuates herself into the neighborhood, while Amy tries to protect herself and her family. I'm enjoying it so far - it's an intriguing plot with some mild suspense and plenty of unexpected twists.

My husband, Ken, just finished reading Finders Keepers by Stephen King, the sequel to the popular Mr. Mercedes. He enjoyed it very much, though there were some gasps and "oh, no!"s last night while he read the last pages. I wasn't all that interested in reading this trilogy until I read King's The Outsider last month. Some of the characters from the Mr. Mercedes trilogy appeared in The Outsider, and now I definitely want to read more about them! We both enjoy reading King novels, and this one is extra-special because it's one of dozens that we inherited from my dad when he died. We both miss sharing our love of reading with my dad, so it's fun to read his books. I think Ken wants to read the third in this trilogy, End of Watch, too. Not sure what he will read next - he has a big stack to choose from!

Our son, 25, is reading a book we gave him for Christmas, Defender by Robert J. Crane, book 1 of The Sanctuary Series. It's a shorter novel than the epic fantasies he usually reads, which is probably why he didn't read it sooner. The setting and plot, though, are right up his alley: "The world of Arkaria is a dangerous place, filled with dragons, titans, goblins and other dangers." If he enjoys it, there are at least eight books in the series. He seems to be liking it so far.



Blog posts from last week:

Movie Monday: El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie - sequel to the Breaking Bad TV series, about what happens to Jesse

TV Tuesday: Unbelievable - this Netflix limited series based on a true story is powerful, gripping, and compelling

Middle-Grade Graphic Novel Review: Mighty Jack and Zita the Spacegirl by Ben Hatke - an exciting cross-over with two of Hatke's most popular series

Fiction Review: And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie - a fun, clever, unique puzzle from the Queen of Mysteries

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?