It's Monday 8/24! What Are You Reading?

I'm sure my regular readers are getting sick of hearing this, but ... I apologize for not getting around to visit many blogs last week and for being way behind in visiting and sharing Big Book Summer review posts!

Yes, we finally got power and cell service back, and my laptop is repaired, but a new crisis popped up last week having to do with our health insurance. I spent every moment of last week working on that, as my e-mails, notifications, etc. continued to pile up. I have 700 unread e-mails going back to August 7! (Apologies also if you have been trying to contact me.) The crisis is taken care of (now we wait to hear back), so this week, finally, I am hoping life will return to some semblance of normal. I'm working on those e-mails and hope to catch up on all my overdue blog posts, visits, and Big Book Summer visits and shares.

Speaking of Big Book Summer, we have just two weeks left to finish those chunksters for the challenge! It officially ends on September 7, two weeks from today. It's been a rough summer here for us, so our Big Books were really the highlight!

Here's what we've all been reading this past week:

I am still reading my latest (possibly my last - it's a biggie) Big Book Summer Challenge book, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, a Big Book and a classic that I have been wanting to read for ages. I love Dickens, read several of his books in school, and so many people have told me that this one is their favorite. I was immediately pulled into the story and am loving the title character, who--like many of Dickens' characters--is a good person who suffered some horrible mistreatment as a child. David's father died before he was born, but he had a warm, loving relationship with his mother and with the maid/nurse who helped care for them both. The trouble begins when his mother remarries (nice to see an evil stepfather, for a change). The novel follows David through the twists and turns of his life--and there are lots of twists! I am really enjoying it so far, but it really is a VERY big book; I only just passed the halfway point this week.

I am also listening to a Big Book on audio, American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. I think probably everyone has heard about this one! This novel, released in January 2020, caused some controversy, since the author is a white woman, writing a novel about Mexican immigrants. The story is about a woman, Lydia, and her son who live in Acapulco. She runs a bookstore and has a happy life, until her husband publishes a tell-all article about the city's biggest drug cartel leader. After the cartel guns down their family, Lydia and her son are forced to flee for the United States, with their lives in grave danger. The novel follows them on their harrowing journey. I have no problem with Cummins writing this novel: it's an important story to tell, and, from what I have listened to so far, she writes it well. The book has certainly attracted many accolades and much attention (controversy aside). So far, it's a riveting and suspenseful story.

My husband, Ken, is reading another Father's Day gift and another Big Book, The Never Game by Jeffrey Deaver, the first book in a new series. We are both huge fans of Deaver and his Lincoln Rhyme series (if you haven't yet seen the TV show based on that series, check it out--it's excellent). This novel is a departure for Deaver, the start of a new series about Colter Shaw, an expert tracker who travels around the country, hiring himself out to find missing persons and to help the police. When a young woman goes missing in Silicon Valley, her father hires Colter to find her. Deaver writes outstanding thrillers, so I'm sure this one is good, too! He's enjoying it so far.

Our son, 26, is reading a birthday gift from his girlfriend (she knows him well!), Red Country by Joe Abercrombie, one of his favorite fantasy authors. He loved reading The First Law trilogy by this author, and this book is one of three sort-of stand-alone novels that are set in the same world but focused on different characters. This one is about Shy South, a woman who's been wronged and sets out to get her family back. Even though it's fantasy, this book has an Old West feel to it (though with swords, not guns--an important distinction for my fantasy-loving son), including wide plains, a frontier town, and a gold rush. He's thoroughly enjoying it so far.

I only had time for one blog post again last week:

Fiction Review: Normal People by Sally Rooney - moving, thoughtful story about the relationship between two flawed young people

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?