It's Monday 7/5! What Are You Reading?

Whew, busy weekend with family and an exhausting Monday, so I'm late in posting today. 

Our younger son and his girlfriend headed to the beach this weekend, so we missed them (but enjoyed some evenings with them last week). Our older son and his girlfriend came home from NY for the weekend, so we enjoyed their company. We celebrate 4th of July with a picnic-style lunch with my father-in-law (he is usually in better shape at noon than at dinnertime). We had his favorites--burgers, corn on the cob, and watermelon--and then took it easy the rest of the day. My husband and I watched The Big Lebowski  last night (for the first time!), finally experiencing this cult classic that our kids saw before we did (we were busy with babies in the 90's).

Enjoying our 4th of July lunch

 

Today, I drove my son out into Amish farm country for his usual medical appointments, about 45 minutes away. As always, I enjoyed the lovely drive past all the farms and stopped at a fabulous little farm market for fresh tomatoes and green beans (and how did those little home-baked pies get into my bag?). But, it makes for a long and tiring day for me. My son and his girlfriend have headed back to NY now.

As usual, I posted a #FridayReads video on my YouTube channel, where I briefly discuss my current reads:

And we are all enjoying Big Book Summer here! Here's what we've been reading this past week:

I finished reading my 3rd #BigBookSummer book, The Lost Time Accidents by John Wray. I heard about this through a podcast called The Readers (I don't think it's still on), which was hosted by Simon and Gavin way back when. Gavin loved time travel novels (just like me) and recommended this as one of his all-time favorite books. So, I kept it on my TBR list all these years, and my husband gave it to me for Christmas. It's an odd book, not what I expected, but I enjoyed it. A young man named Waldemar Tolliver is "stuck outside of time" at the start of the book. As he narrates his present predicament, he goes back to tell his unusual family history, beginning with a strange discovery about time that his great-grandfather made in 1903, and how his namesake, his great-uncle, further investigated it. It can get kind of dark (his great-uncle became a high-ranking Nazi), but it's also very funny. It's not quite traditional time travel, but it is very much about the nature of time, with a dose of physics throughout (many of the early Tollivers were physicists), and I like the way it weaves real history into the family narrative. You can read my full review at the link above.

As much as I enjoyed that one, after such a complex and thoughtful novel, I was craving a straightforward A to B story, so I opted for historical fiction for my next Big Book. I am reading The Air You Breathe by Frances de Ponte Peebles. The story begins in 1930's Brazil, where two nine-year-old girls from very different backgrounds meet and become friends. Gracas is the "Little Miss" of the sugar plantation her family owns, and Dores is a kitchen servant, considered the lowest of the servants for her age and her status as an orphan. Spoiled Gracas insists on Dores becoming her playmate, and her mother acquiesces. The two become inseparable, and after Gracas' mother takes them to a concert and purchases a phonograph player, they both become obsessed with music and make a pretty good singing duo. As teens, they run away to Rio together and struggle to find a way to break into show business. That's about where I am now, with each of the girls encountering some challenges as they mature and grow. The role of music in their story is fascinating, and I love the unusual setting. It's excellent so far and engrossing ... and yes, a nice, straightforward historical story!

On audio, I finished my 4th Big Book, All of This Is True by Lygia Day Penaflor, a YA (mild) thriller.  I really enjoyed this unique and compelling novel. It's about a group of teens who are obsessed with a YA novel and go totally fan-girl (and -boy) when they get to meet the author (who is in her early 20's) at a book signing. They soon find themselves actually becoming friends with the author. Then she publishes a new novel, which is clearly based on the lives (barely concealed) of her new "friends." The media is saying she used these teens, but some of them still believe she is really their friend. Best of all, this story is told through primary sources after the fact--after the novel is published and some sort of event lands one of the teens in the hospital--through interviews, journal entries, texts and e-mails, and even excerpts from the novel itself. And the audio is outstanding, recorded with a full cast of 15 narrators, making the listening experience immersive. Even though I figured out the twist early on, I still thoroughly enjoyed listening to the story.

Now, I have started Big Book #5 on audio, Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton. It is a slightly confusing, complex narrative at first, but I am starting to get into it now. It's narrated by twelve-year-old Eli Bell, who lives in Australia. His mother and step-father are heroin dealers, his older brother is mute, and his best friend is an elderly, notorious felon named Slim who is know for his multiple prison escapes. So, yeah, it's a little weird (what is it with me and weird books this summer?), but it's interesting and engaging so far. I had a little trouble at first with the audio because the narrator has a thick Australian accent (as is appropriate), but I'm into the rhythm of it now and finally figured out that those two mystery words were the name of a rugby team! I'm interested to see where the story goes next.

My husband, Ken, got a nice stack of books for Father's Day (holidays at our house always include stacks of books), so he's been working his way through that pile. He just finished Dead of Winter by Stephen Mack Jones. This is an author I met at Booktopia, an annual event in Vermont I've been missing the past two years (pics at that link include Stephen). My husband and I both love his series of thrillers set in Detroit about a half-Mexican, half-Black ex-cop. We both enjoyed the first book, August Snow, and liked the second one, Lives Laid Away, even more, so we've been looking forward to this third installment. Jones writes fast-paced, action-packed, twisty thrillers, but he also has a great sense of humor. Ken said this third book was great, so it's been moved to my side of  the TBR bookcase!

Now, Ken is tackling another Father's Day gift, his second Big Book of the summer, Project Hail Mary by Any Weir. Weir was the author of the best-selling novel, The Martian, (made into an excellent movie starring Matt Damon) and Artemis, which took place on the moon. This latest novel from Weir is being hailed as just as amazing as The Martian. Ryland Grace wakes up from a very long sleep to find himself on a ship, hurtling through space, with two dead crewmates, and no memory at all. As his memory slowly returns, he realizes that he is the sole survivor of a critical mission whose purpose is nothing less than saving mankind and the earth. The clock is ticking, and Ryland is all alone. It sounds like a great premise and reviews have been outstanding. Ken's enjoying it so far.

Our 26-year-old son finished reading Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo, which is book one of a trilogy, this weekend. He and his girlfriend want to watch the new Netflix adaptation of the series, and, like any avid reader, he wants to read the book first! He said it's not a series he probably would normally have chosen on his own (he prefers fantasy worlds without guns), but all the hype and rave reviews surrounding the trilogy (and now the TV series) convinced him to give it a try. While it wasn't one of his favorites, he enjoyed it. I'm not sure if he will read book 2 now or start to watch the TV series.

For now, he has returned to a favorite series, The Summoner trilogy by Taran Matharu, starting by re-reading book 1,  The Novice, so that he can move onto book 2. According to the blurb, "Fletcher is working as a blacksmith’s apprentice when he discovers he has the rare ability to summon demons from another world. Chased from his village for a crime he did not commit, Fletcher must travel with his demon, Ignatius, to an academy for adepts, where the gifted are taught the art of summoning."   He's enjoying it so far--he always enjoys diving back into a favorite series and re-reading novels he enjoyed.

Blog posts from last week:

Movie Monday: Leave No Trace - a quiet, powerful movie about the love between a father and daughter, based on a real-life story and set in a gorgeous outdoor setting.

Fiction Review: The Lost Time Accidents by John Wray - intricate, unusual, funny novel that incorporates science and history into a time-twisting plot.

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?