It's Monday 4/20! What Are You Reading?

Another week has passed in this crazy, mixed-up world. That means lots of cooking and walks around our neighborhood, and a nerve-wracking trip to the grocery store, where some people weren't wearing masks and seemed totally ignorant of social distancing needs - eek! We did enjoy some highlights last week, though, including a walk with my friends!! It was such a thrill to see my two closest friends again, for our socially-distant walk at a local nature center. My husband and I returned to the nature center on Sunday and had a similar walk with our son and his girlfriend (who've been living away from us) - such a pleasure to spend time with loved ones, even from six feet apart.

A socially-distancing hike with our son and his girlfriend

Oh, and I did another Bookcase Tour Video last week - I can't get them to post properly on my blog, but you can see them on my Facebook page.

Another highlight of the week, as always, was our books. Here's what we've all been reading this past week:

I finished reading a book from deep in my TBR bookcase (one advantage of the libraries being closed), Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. This is the first Foer novel I have read, though I saw the movie adaptation (starring Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock) of this one years ago. I remembered the general premise and that I loved the story (it's a great movie), but I didn't remember all the details. It's about an extremely smart and precocious (possibly autistic) nine-year-old boy named Oskar who lost his dad in 9/11. It's been over a year, but he hasn't fully processed the trauma and grief yet. Oskar finds a key that belonged to his father, and he goes on a mission (much like the secret missions his dad used to send him on) to find the lock that fits the key. He's got all of New York City to search, so this is a big mission, but it's just what Oskar needs to help him move forward. Although that perhaps sounds a bit dark, it is ultimately about love and healing and has plenty of laugh-out-loud moments. Oskar is a delight, as is his grandma. It's also a very quirky novel with some unusual ways of telling the story. I enjoyed it, and now I want to watch the movie again.

I also finished a teen/YA graphic novel (those are quickies!), Go with the Flow by Lily Williams and Karen Schneemann. This recent release is a unique story of friendship, activism, and ... periods! It's about four teen girls in high school. Three of them, Brit, Abby, and Christine, have been friends for a long time. They meet the new girl, Sasha, when she suddenly gets her period for the first time during the second week of school, in front of everyone and while wearing white pants. Oh, yeah, every girl's worst nightmare! The three friends quickly cut off the mean kids making fun of Sasha and help her to the restroom, and a new friendship is born. Abby is appalled to find that the machine in the girls' room is empty, and after they help Sasha, she goes to talk to the principal about it. He cites budget cuts and makes other excuses, and Abby gets more and more upset. She starts thinking, what about girls that can't even afford sanitary products, even if they were available in school? With her friends by her side, Abby sets off to not only make necessary products available for girls but also to remove the taboo that surrounds any talk of menstruation. It's a fun story of friendship that touches on some serious issues and empowers girls to make a difference.

Now, I have turned back to Booktopia 2020 reading - the in-person annual event (supposed to be next week!) was of course cancelled, but Northshire Bookstore has a bunch of free virtual author events planned in its place (click on Events at the link to join the fun!), including several Booktopia authors coming up in May. So, I just started reading Greek to Me: Adventures of the Comma Queen by Mary Norris. It's a memoir about Greece by a writer from The New Yorker. The first chapter explains her lifelong interest in the Greek language and culture. I'm not too much further than that yet, but her explanations of the origins of both the Greek and English alphabets are fascinating. I have always wanted to visit Greece, so I am looking forward to hearing about her extensive travels there

On audio, I am still listening (I have no time alone for audiobooks right now!) to Oona Out of Order by Margarita Montimore, a newly released novel. At the stroke of midnight on New Year's Eve 1982, a young woman named Oona who is celebrating her nineteenth birthday is suddenly transported 32 years into the future, where she is a 51-year-old woman, living in a gorgeous house and greeted warmly by a man she's never seen before. From then on, each year at the same time, Oona jumps to another age and time in her life. This plot is right up my alley! As I've mentioned, I love time travel and alternate timeline plots in novels, so this is a perfect escape for me right now. I am loving it so far. It's pretty mind-bending as Oona jumps from one age/time into another, but that's exactly what I love about these kinds of plots. She approaches each year very differently and it takes her a while to get the hang of this bizarre life she's leading. I'm loving it so far, and there are some interesting twists in the story.

My husband, Ken, has made a big switch after a bunch of fast-paced thrillers to The Pioneers by David McCoullough, a nonfiction history book. I received this one as an Advanced Reader Copy last year, and though I didn't review it, we hung onto it. It's about the part of American history that includes the settling of the Northwest Territory (i.e. Ohio), beginning in 1788, as a group of pioneers set out after the Revolutionary War seeking the freedom of religion, free education, and prohibition of slavery that existed further west from the original 13 colonies. McCoullough is an outstanding and award-winning writer, so I'm sure this is an amazing book, though I think I would have trouble reading about pioneers and westward expansion after reading An Indigenous People's History of the United States earlier this year! I may never be able to read American history in the same way again.

Our son, 25, is still reading The Sixth Strand by Melissa McPhail, book 5 in her A Pattern of Shadow and Light series. He loves this series and even gave his dad book 1 for Christmas last year, so he could share it with him. This is another giant book (900 pages) for him, so it looks like he's reading a big encyclopedia when he carries it around the house! (Am I dating myself with that reference?) He read 100 pages in the first day, and is loving being immersed back in this complex fantasy world. There's nothing like diving back into a favorite fictional world.




Last week's blog posts:

TV Tuesday: Miracle Workers: Dark Ages - need some laughs? This is the place! Available free on multiple platforms (including the network's website - no subscription required)

Fiction Review: The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Michael Zapata - unique novel about how one missing book brings two immigrant families together

My Summary of Books Read in March - a crazy month in the outside world, but good reading!

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?