It's Monday 7/20! What Are You Reading?

Whew, another rough week here, though there were some high points, too. We are still working to get help for my father-in-law. It looks like he will have to go into Assisted Living, even though we were dead set against it because they are all still on lockdown. His new in-home care started today, for 3 hours, 5 days a week, but that's just temporary. It's too expensive (on top of his high rent for Independent Living) for him to afford for very long, and the VA assistance didn't pan out (you have to be on a VA pension to qualify). So, the in-home care will take some pressure off for now, but we need to take a closer look at the Assisted Living options nearby and compare prices and visitor policies. Unfortunately, the one closest to us (and brand-new) is both the most expensive and the most locked-down.

On the good news front, our youngest son started his full-time job last week! We celebrated with a crab feast (love those Maryland blue crabs), and he's enjoying his job so far, though the realities of adult life are setting in (he has to get up at 5:30 am every day!). We are very happy for him and excited that he is embarking on this new stage in life.

Crabs to celebrate - yum!

In the midst of a super-busy week, I was also signed up for an online course on Amazon ads (for my book), which turned out to be incredibly frustrating! I struggled to find time for the coursework and was a few days behind but managed to get 12 ads up (like everything at Amazon, it's incredibly complicated and illogical), and ... all 12 were rejected by Amazon's automatic censors. The problem? Apparently, I can not use the words "chronic illness" nor target readers with chronic illness in trying to sell my book about living with chronic illness. Crazy, right? Even the course leaders thought it was ludicrous; apparently Amazon just recently cracked down on these rules. Anyway, as of this morning, I finally got 2 ads accepted (5th time's a charm!)--I'm not thrilled with ad copy that finally worked, but it's a start.

So, a long, frustrating, exhausting week for me (with a bad relapse day in the middle). Books, as always, provide a welcome respite and comfort in stressful times. We are all still enjoying Big Book Summer (you can join the fun, too--details at the link). Here's what we've been reading this past week:

I took a break from Big Book Summer to read a very short novel, Convenient Store Woman by Sayaka Murata, translated from Japanese by Ginny Tapley Takemori. This is a readalong for July for the Book Cougars podcast, one of my favorite book podcasts, hosted by two Booktopia friends. I enjoyed this brief, unusual novel about a woman named Keiko who struggled to fit in with the world until she took a job in a convenience store. The strict rules and routines of the store are perfect for her, and she becomes the best convenience store worker she can be and stays there for 18 years. Though the rest of the world and even her friends and family are often confusing to her, she feels at home in the world of the store. However, increasing pressure to comply with social standards and get married or have a "worthy" career causes problems in her quiet, peaceful life. My interpretation was that Keiko was probably autistic. She's a wonderful character--quirky and likable, despite her lack of understanding of the world around her. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to discussing it online and listening to the Book Cougars' episode about it in early August.

Now, I have dived into another Big Book, one I've been wanting to read for a while: Doomsday Book by Connie Willis. I love time travel plots, and this book is part of her Oxford Time Travel series, which also includes To Say Nothing of the Dog, which I enjoyed very much. This time, in the near future, a young female student, Kivrin, has traveled back in time all the way to 1320, in England's Middle Ages. It's the first time they've sent anyone back that far, and there are all sorts of concerns since so little was recorded about that era. Hours after Kivrin leaves, though, a contemporary emergency occurs when one of the techs working on the project comes down with a devastating virus. This shouldn't happen, given the high-tech medical precautions used in this future (no one even gets colds), so there is a scramble to figure out what the virus is and where it came from. Meanwhile, the team at Oxford doesn't realize it, but the reader knows that Kivrin arrived in the Middle Ages with the same debilitating symptoms. I'm only about 100 pages in, but I am already loving this book! What a premise--a woman horribly sick with a 21st century virus in the Middle Ages and all alone. The action goes back and forth between the present-day and the past, and the suspense is already compelling.

I finally finished my first Big Book on audio (no listening time with a full house here!), The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. You've probably heard about this one, since it is getting a LOT of attention right now. It's the prequel to The Hunger Games, and it begins at the start of the 10th annual Hunger Games, while the war is still a recent memory. The story focuses on Coriolanus Snow, a teen-aged boy, who readers of the series know will eventually become President of Panem. Here, though, he is a self-conscious boy from a great family that has fallen on very hard times. He's trying to hide the fact that the remaining members of his family--him, his cousin, Tigris, and their grandmother--are barely surviving, eating cabbage and lima beans and unable to keep their family home if the rumored property tax is truly put into place. He feels like he has one chance to prove himself: as a mentor to one of the contestants from the districts. He is assigned to mentor a girl from District 12 named Lucy Gray, a girl who creates quite a stir on Reaping Day with her colorful outfit and beautiful song. As Coriolanus gets to know her better, his role in her life becomes more and more complicated, causing him to question the Hunger Games and the Capitol's role in it. I really enjoyed this book (you can read my review at the link), and as always, Collins has provided such thought-provoking, morally complex subject matter.

My husband, Ken, finished reading a book I put in his Easter basket, The A List by J.A. Jance. It's a thriller about a woman named Ali Reynolds who used to be a broadcast journalist. The last story she did before her career ended was about a man who needed a kidney, which spiraled into a massive medical scandal. The doctor at the center of it went to prison for murder. He is now bent on revenge, even from prison, and Ali is on the list of those he blames for his demise. Ali and her cybersecurity team must race against time to stop the doctor's continuing murder spree before Ali is next. My husband said that the first half was a bit slow, but the action really picked up in the second half, and he enjoyed it. Not bad for a drugstore choice while everything else was closed this spring!

Ken is now reading one of his new Father's Day gifts from me, The Dry by Jane Harper. I've been meaning to get him started on this super-popular new thriller author for a while now. This was her debut novel. As with all of Harper's books, it is set in Australia. A Federal Agent named Aaron visits his hometown for the first time in decades to attend the funeral of his childhood best friend, Luke. Years ago, Aaron was accused of murder, and Luke provided his alibi. Now, there are questions about Luke's death, so Aaron teams up with local law enforcement to investigate. The more they find out, the more small town secrets they dig up. So many of my friends have loved this novel! I hope Ken will, too.

Our son, 25, returned to an old favorite series and read Legend, book 8 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 this spring, moving quickly onto book 6 and then book 7 two weeks ago. The series is epic fantasy about a world called Arkaria and features dragons, titans, goblins, and more. He loves the series, and he flew through this latest book on his Kindle.

Now, our son is trying out a new-to-him fantasy series, The Mageborn, starting with book 1, The Blacksmith's Son. Here's the description from Amazon: "Mordecai’s simple life as the son of a blacksmith is transformed by the discovery of his magical birthright. As he journeys to understand the power within him he is drawn into a dangerous plot to destroy the Duke of Lancaster and undermine the Kingdom of Lothion. Love and treachery combine to embroil him in events he was never prepared to face. What he uncovers will change his understanding of the past, and alter the future of those around him." Sounds like another good one! He's enjoying it so far.





Not much time for blogs last week (sorry I am behind on visits, too!). Just one new post:

Teen/YA Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins - I enjoyed the prequel to The Hunger Games

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?