Monday, March 13, 2023

It's Monday 3/13! What Are You Reading?

Hosted by The Book Date

Life

Big news here last week! Our oldest son, who shares my chronic medical conditions, landed his first full-time job in his field. He's been sick since age 10 and has worked diligently with a long string of doctors to improve his condition as much as possible and now feels ready to manage a full-time professional position in his field. This job is exactly what he wanted to do after college. We are all very excited for him, and this represents a huge, wonderful step forward into his adult life. We have two weeks to try to get a bunch of last-minute medical things done so he's in the best shape possible for this new stage of his life.

In other big news, my husband and I enjoyed a lovely weekend getaway! This was long-overdue for us, and my health has improved enough for me to enjoy it. We rented a wonderful waterfront Airbnb cottage on Maryland's Eastern shore, about an hour from home, and enjoyed a relaxing couple of days together. I so enjoy staying in Airbnb's, and this one was very cozy and filled with thoughtful touches ... and that view!

Fabulous view of Rosin Creek from living room of our rental

 We explored Chestertown, MD, one of the oldest and most historic towns in the state. We had some delicious meals, walked to the waterfront along the Chester River (though it was cold and windy!), and--of course--spent an hour in a wonderful indie bookstore, Book Plate. 

 

Along the Chester River in Chestertown, MD

This store was a delight, filled with floor-to-ceiling shelves, winding walkways through them, a huge selection of books, and some unique ways of organizing books! We have some big waiting-to-read stacks at home, so we bought a few classics we've each been wanting to read (Dickens for my husband, and the other two for me).

 

Books from Book Plate Bookstore
 

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On the Blog

 Fiction Review: Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger - excellent historical fiction, mystery, and coming-of-age story

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On Video

Friday Reads 3-10-23 - my weekly update with details of what I'm reading and what I think

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What We're Reading
 

I'm reading  Be with the Dead by Matty Dalrymple, book 6 in her Ann Kinnear series, about a woman who can sense spirits and solves mysteries by talking to the dead. As I've mentioned here before, I rarely read series, but I love this one, with its unique spin on the mystery/suspense genre. This novel is especially interesting to me because it revolves around two thriller authors, editing, and publishing. Matty is an excellent writer, with well-developed characters, unique and vivid settings (here, Princeton and Ocean City in winter), and twisty, suspenseful plots. I am close to the end of this novel now and absolutely loving it!
 
 
I finished Concealed by Christina Diaz Gonzalez, as my first book for Middle-Grade March. Twelve-year-old Katrina (her latest name) is in the witness protection program with her parents, hiding from a dangerous drug cartel. She had a terrible accident three years ago, just before they went into the program, so she doesn't remember anything of their earlier "before" life. Their latest move is to an RV park in rural Georgia, a big change from the big cities they usually move to, to get lost in crowds. Here, Katrina might be able to have a little more freedom and even make a friend, like the boy living in the trailer next door. As you might have guessed, things don't go as planned! This twisty, surprising novel is filled with deep secrets, lies, and thriller action. 

I am now listening to another middle-grade audio book, Can You See Me? by Libby Scott and Rebecca Westcott. This one is about an autistic young girl named Tally who is experiencing the challenges of starting middle-school. Tally has supportive parents and an older sister, plus a best friend who knows about her diagnosis, but no one else at school knows. So far, this story, told from Tally's perspective, is interesting and engaging and is providing a great inside look at what it's like to live with autism.


My husband, Ken, is reading one of his Christmas gift books, Upgrade by Blake Crouch. We are both big fans of Crouch. I enjoyed Recursion, and Dark Matter is one of my favorite books. The TV series Wayward Pines and Good Behavior were based on his books. After Ken's finished with Upgrade, I definitely plan to read it also! 

 

Our son, 28, finished reading Banished by Wiseheart, book 1 in the Street Rats of Aramoor series and immediately moved onto book 2, Hurricane. He likes this writer!

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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

 

12 comments:

  1. How exciting that your son just got the job he wanted after college—that's definitely big news!! And it looks like you all had a wonderful vacation over the weekend—getting to go to an independent bookstore sounds like a wonderful way to spend that time!

    All the books you've been reading look wonderful, especially Concealed and Can You See Me? Thanks so much for the wonderful post, Sue!

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    1. Yes, we are SO excited for him!! And we very much enjoyed our time away - now we need to plan a longer vacation. It's been WAY too long!

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  2. That's great for you son, really something to celebrate. Your weekend away sounds really nice with some quiet and some exploration and no doubt some reading!

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    1. Yes, we are all so excited! Also very busy helping him get last-minute medical stuff done, choose his healthcare plan, etc. And, yes, there was reading last weekend, too!

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  3. Your weekend getaway sounds wonderful. I always think of trips as needing to be big and far away, but I realize a couple days away in an Air B and B within a few hours of home sounds really nice.

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    1. When we were caring for my elderly FIL - for YEARS - little trips were all we could manage for a day or two, nearby, with our son helping out at home. Luckily, we live in an amazing area with mountains, lakes, ocean beaches, Chesapeake Bay, and more all within an hour or two away. We love exploring our local region. The small break really helps!

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  4. So nice to hear such great news! I love stopping in bookstores while traveling, especially a nice independent one. And this would be about the time of year I would at least think about making a trip to BookExpo in NYC. Another event that's gone and apparently not coming back! But we will be traveling down to Maryland soon, too, for our granddaughter's christening in a few weeks. Unfortunately, we won't be near the water!
    Your earlier posts had already gotten me wanting to try the Matty Dalrymple series, even though I don't read many mysteries, either, but now that you mention they've got writers as characters, I'm really hooked!
    Good luck to your son in his new job!

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    1. We do, too! We normally don't buy many books for ourselves (though we buy LOTS for each other on holidays), but visiting an indie while on vacation is a fun chance to pick out a book or two. Hey, we have to support the indies, right? Hope you enjoy MD - it's a wonderful state, with so much natural beauty. Hope you enjoy the Ann Kinnear series as much as I do! The Sense of Death is the first one. She also has a straight-up mystery series (Lizzy Ballard), if you don't like the ghost angle (but that's the best part!).

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    2. I went to buy the first in the Ann Kinnear series directly from the author's website, but a pop-up deal convinced me to buy the first two at once. Haven't started The Sense of Death yet, though!

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    3. Hey, that's great, Laurie! I hope you enjoy them :) They just get better and better - book 2 is set in Maine on Mount Desert Island (in a haunted hotel), which I loved!

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  5. How lovely to get away. We are doing some house swapping next week. We will be in vancouver while our son comes and stays here.
    I really enjoyed Upgrade and Dark Matter. I still have to get to Recursion. Your middle grade titles look good too.

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    1. That sounds wonderful, Cheriee! I've never been to Vancouver but would love to visit. Enjoy your getaway!! I loved Dark Matter! My husband just finished Upgrade, so I'm looking forward to it.

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