It's Monday 3/28! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

Happy Monday! I am very late with my post today because we are just back from a much-needed mini getaway. Between caring for my elderly father-in-law and my own decline since getting COVID in January, it has been an extremely stressful time for my husband and I. In fact, I spent most of last week in bed because my chronic illness was flared up so badly. But our son took over Grandad-visiting duties for a couple of days, and we escaped!

We just drive about 50 minutes north of here to a tiny town called Eagle, PA, that we'd driven through many times before. We rented a lovely Airbnb cottage that was absolutely perfect! It was quiet and cozy, beautifully decorated, light and airy, and super comfortable on a beautiful property. There is something so relaxing about just being away from home, in a space that isn't yours: no pesky to-do lists or things that need to be done in the house taunting you, no clutter or reminders of stress, and nothing to do but relax. Our cottage didn't even have a TV. It was a very peaceful couple of days.

 

Our weekend home

Cozy little cottage

Unfortunately, the weather decided winter wasn't quite over! We had this beautiful outdoor area to enjoy, with both a deck and this lovely seating area near a waterfall. We were enjoying it--bundled up--when it started to snow/sleet on us!

Just before the snow & sleet sent us back inside!

Beautiful spot by a waterfall

Despite the cold, gray weather, we did enjoy a short walk in a nearby state park on Sunday along the water. I've been extremely limited lately due to my illness, but I managed it OK and it was wonderful just to be outside and moving a little bit.

A cold, gray day but still a pretty view!

Happy to be outside - doesn't feel like spring, though!

We ate some great meals up there--our first time in restaurants in a very long time. And, of course, we found a wonderful indie bookstore to explore! Wellington Square Bookshop in Exton, PA, was absolutely beautiful, filled with gorgeous wood, natural light, and a wonderfully curated selection of books. I bought a copy of Their Eyes Were Watching God, a classic I've wanted to read for some time.

 

Wellington Square Bookstore

And now we are back home!

Due to my condition last week, I wasn't able to make any new videos, though I did manage a few middle-grade reviews (see below) later each day when I was well-rested.

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

 

Last week, I read another book for Booktopia 2022 (click Events and scroll down to sign up or check out my summary of Booktopia 2019), Six Walks: In the Footsteps of Henry David Thoreau by Ben Shattuck. This is a memoir of the author's retracing six walks in New England that Thoreau wrote about in his books and journals. He mostly writes about Cape Cod and northern Maine, two places we have also explored and hiked/canoed in, so I very much enjoyed going along on these journeys with him. He writes beautifully about the outdoors and the restorative power of nature, a topic I myself have written about. I enjoyed the book so much that I pre-ordered a copy of the hardcover (which comes out April 19) so that I could better see the author's drawings and my husband can read it, too.

 

Just last night, I started reading This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger, our All-County Reads selection for this year and our next book for my neighborhood book group. I have been hearing rave reviews of Krueger's novels from my friends for several years, so I am excited to read this novel (my first of his). It's set during the Depression, beginning in 1932 at the Lincoln Indian Training School in Minnesota, which houses, among hundreds of other kids, two white orphaned brothers named Odie and Albert and a mute Indian boy found abandoned and named Moses. I've only just started the novel but apparently these three, plus a five-year-old girl, set off down the river on their own in a canoe. I'm already fully immersed in the story and rooting for these poor kids.

 

On audio, I am listening to my last audio for Middle-Grade March, The Graveyard Riddle by Lisa Thompson. This is a companion novel to The Goldfish Boy, which I enjoyed on audio several years ago (see my review at the link). The main character of that book, Matthew, is still in this one, but here, the focus is on his friend and neighbor, Melody. One day, while walking her dog, Frankie, through the graveyard, Melody discovers a very old, abandoned house in a corner of the cemetery and begins to uncover some mysteries and secrets associated with it and the strange boy living inside. I'm enjoying it so far.

 

My husband, Ken, is still reading Never by Ken Follett. We have both been fans of Follett's books since the 80's, when he mostly wrote thrillers, and here, he returns to his roots with a modern, globe-spanning, unique race against time. The author's note at the beginning says he was thinking about how a series of seemingly small events dominoed to start WWI, so he's setting up a similar set of scenarios in today's world (with a female U.S. President). It sounds fascinating, and knowing Follett's writing, I'm sure it's gripping as well.

 

Our son, 27, says he has been reading The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, an older fantasy novel and book 1 of a trilogy by the author. He's loving it so far and flying through it.  My husband said that MTV made a TV adaptation of it about five years ago, but our son says the trailers look a little weird, so he's not sure he'll watch it!

Blog posts from last week:

Middle-Grade Review: The Creepy Case Files of Margo Maloo: The Tangled Web by Drew Weing - book 3 of this imaginative graphic novel series continues the fun adventures!

Middle-Grade Review: Set Me Free by Ann Clare LeZotte - suspenseful historical fiction about a deaf girl teaching a younger deaf child to communicate in early 1800's

Middle-Grade Review: Room To Dream by Kelly Lang - intricate & engaging story about a Chinese-American girl in 1990's California and her friends and family

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?