It's Monday 5/4! What Are You Reading?

Happy Monday!

We are still riding a rollercoaster here: of weather, of health, of stress. Whee! Last week was another cold, wet week, and I felt awful most days (my husband thinks there's a connection there). I was supposed to have a video chat interview with another chronic illness blogger for my new book, but first we had to reschedule when she wasn't feeling well, and then we lost power here for 24 hours! I am a dinosaur who does not have a smartphone or tablet (or any data plan to go with it - my husband, either), so with no wifi, I was stuck. We made the best of it, brought in some lanterns from the camper, cooked on the propane burner on our grill ( a must-have!), and watched DVD's on my laptop in the evening.

What a lovely campsite!

Everything turned around on the weekend! Our power came back on about noon Friday, the skies cleared and the sun came out, and somehow, I woke up Saturday morning feeling great. So, we went camping ... in our driveway! We moved the cars back and set up our pop-up camper in the driveway. We went for a local hike (gorgeous day), ate a picnic dinner with our son, enjoyed a socially-distant campfire in our new firepit with some good friends, and slept snugly in our camper. Sounds silly, I know, but it was a nice break from routine, and we really enjoyed our "camping trip." We capped it off with some take-out lattes and scones Sunday morning before resuming normal, busy life.

Enjoying a campfire in the driveway

For me, camping also means some extra reading time, so I took advantage of that Saturday, too. Here's what we've all been reading this past week:

I am still reading Imagine Me Gone by Adam Haslett, a Christmas gift from my husband. This novel was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critic's Circle Award! It's a drama about a family of five that struggles with mental health issues, including severe depression. John, the husband, was hospitalized for depression while he and Margaret were still dating, and despite the lack of information at the time, Margaret loved him and decided to stay with him. They marry and have three children: Michael, Celia, and Alec. Michael also struggles with some of the same issues as his dad, which affects everyone in the family. Each family member gets their own voice, as chapters alternate between them.  I was immediately pulled into this immersive novel. Some parts are a bit difficult to read, though the self-descriptions of mental illness from John's and Michael's perspectives are also enlightening. I can see why it was nominated for so many awards (and won some, too).

I just finished listening to a teen/YA audiobook, Bent Heavens by Daniel Krauss, the author of Rotters, which I also enjoyed on audio. This sci fi thriller is about a teen girl named Liv who's infamous at school because her dad, who was the high school English teacher, claimed to have been abducted by aliens, had a serious breakdown while directing the school play, and then disappeared. That was two years ago, and Liv just wants to get through her senior year and get on with her life. Her childhood friend, Doug, believed all the crazy stuff her dad told them, and the two teens helped her dad set traps all over their yard before he disappeared. Liz just went along for her dad's sake, but the two of them have continued to check and maintain the traps these past two years. Now, though, Liz goes out back one day and finds an inhuman creature in one of the traps. Was her dad telling the truth? Could he possibly still be alive somewhere? This was a suspenseful, action-packed story, though it was a bit dark and violent for my taste (I should have remembered this from Rotters!). I did enjoy it overall, and there are some seriously unexpected twists here.

My husband, Ken, is still reading one of the oldest books on our TBR shelves, 13 Steps Down by Ruth Rendell, which we bought at a used bookstore about 15 years ago and neither of us had read yet. Yeah, we have a problem, I know. Rendell is the author of over 80 books, including many mysteries written as both Ruth Rendell and as her pseudonym, Barbara Vine. This one sounds like a classic British mystery, featuring an obsessed and strange lodger and his equally strange elderly landlady. We've heard great things about Rendell for many years; I'm glad he's finally tackling this one! He says it is very British so far and a bit slower-paced than the thrillers he's used to, but he seems to be enjoying it.

Our son, 25, finished reading The Sixth Strand by Melissa McPhail, book 5 in her A Pattern of Shadow and Light series - yay! 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's took him a while to read it, but he is enjoyed every minute of it. There's nothing like diving back into a favorite fictional world. Now, he's been busy shopping with his Amazon gift cards (we put one in his Easter basket!), choosing both old favorite series and new books to try.

Now, Jamie is returning to another favorite series, Warlord, book 6 in the The Sanctuary Series by Robert J. Crane. We gave him book 1, Defender, for Christmas 2018, and he loved the series so much that he quickly read books 2, 3, and 4, also. So, this past Christmas, we gave him book 5, which he read last month. The series is epic fantasy about a world called Arkaria and features dragons, titans, goblins, and more. He loves the series, and is thoroughly enjoying this next book now.





Blog posts last week:

TV Tuesday: Better Call Saul - Need some bingeable TV with suspense and humor? We're loving this one!

Fiction Review: The Late Show by Michael Connelly - great start to a new thriller series featuring a female detective

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?

Reading while "camping" this weekend