2018 Big Book Summer Wrap-Up

It's still 93 degrees and humid here today, but the calendar says that it's September and Labor Day was Monday, so it's time to officially wrap up another great Big Book Summer!

I host this challenge every summer and always enjoy participating in it myself. You can read all the details at the Big Book Summer Challenge page, but the bottom line is to read books 400 pages or longer during the summer - just one or a few or as many as you want! What I really love about this challenge is that it gives me the extra incentive I need to finally tackle some of the longer books I've put off reading - I always end up reading some really amazing books, and I make a (small) dent in my overflowing TBR bookcase, too! You can go back to my starting post for My 2018 Big Book Summer in May to see what books I hoped to get to this season.

So, drumroll, please! Here are the Big Books I read this summer:

Afterworlds by Scott Westerfeld (599 pages) 
Dragonfly in Amber by Diana Gabaldon (740 pages)
The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey (457 pages)
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (405 pages)
City of Savages by Lee Kelly (406 pages)

And I also listened to Plus One by Elizabeth Fama on audio (400 pages in print)

So, I met my goal of finishing 6 Big Books this summer, though I added the audio and didn't have time for The City of Mirrors (#3 in The Passage trilogy) by Justin Cronin (though I still plan to read it and finish the trilogy). Wow, that's a pretty good Big Book Summer for me!

You can read my reviews of the Big Books I read at the links above. I enjoyed every one of these, and a few (Afterworlds, Dragonfly in Amber, and The Sparrow) just blew me away. As I say every summer, why did I wait so long to read these amazing books??

So, that was my summer, but lots of other people enjoyed a wonderful Big Book Summer, too. A total of 26 people joined the challenge this year, with 15 linking up on the challenge page and another 11 through the Goodreads group for those who don't have blogs. I enjoyed reading all your reviews of Big Books, and we had some great discussions in the Goodreads group! You can check out links to reviews and wrap-up posts on the challenge page.

And now, it's time for the 2018 Big Book Summer Giveaway! I'm doing something different this year. Instead of giving away one of my own Big Books, I'm giving away a $15 gift card to either Book Depository or Amazon. I used a random number generator, and the winner of this year's giveaway is:

Jane GS of the Reading, Writing, Working, Playing blog

Congratulations, Jane!

Jane is a repeat participant from past summers and enjoyed the challenge again this year.

Here's to another rewarding, fun Big Book Summer - Congratulations to everyone who participated! 

I hope that YOU will join the fun next year! 

 

Teen/YA Review: City of Savages

My last Big Book of the Summer for my annual reading challenge was City of Savages, a YA post-apocalyptic novel (with a touch of dystopia) by Lee Kelly. Though it was a bit uneven at times, overall I found the novel very compelling, as evidenced by the fact that I stayed up much too late every night while I was reading it!

Sisters Skyler (Sky) and Phoenix (Phee) have grown up in a Manhattan transformed by a terrible war that started when Sky was a baby. The only world they've ever known is one in which they, along with their mother, are prisoners of war in a camp in Central Park overseen by the Red Army and directly run by a fellow POW named Rolladin. Tough but generally fair, Rolladin rules the new citizens of the park, as they grow crops, hunt, and try to maintain some semblance of a society. Sky, Phee, and their mom live on their own in an abandoned building on Wall Street during the summer but return to the park each fall for the required annual prisoner census and live with the others in an apartment in the Carlyle during the winter. Rolladin and her female warlords - whom the sisters refer to among themselves as whorelords - maintain the peace and keep order, sometimes with violent means. Life has always been this way for Sky and Phee, but this fall, some strangers arrive in the park with stories that contradict everything they've ever known about the world. About the same time, Sky finds an old diary of her mom's that finally tells them all the things they've ever wanted to know about the start of the war and their own past.

This captivating novel combines a post-apocalyptic world ruined by war with a fledgling dystopian society and plenty of suspense. Family drama and a dose of romance are also rolled into the story. As I said, I found the story very engaging and often forced my eyes to stay open at night for "just one more chapter." The chapters alternate between the sisters' perspectives, and although they are very close - having never been apart from each other - they are also very different, so their different points of view add complexity to the story. Excerpts from their mom's diary are included in the text so that the reader learns how all this started alongside Phee and Sky. Although I guessed one big twist in the plot about 150 pages before it was revealed, there were plenty of other unexpected developments that took me by surprise (though some were admittedly a little strange). Overall, it's a unique and absorbing story that easily kept my attention right through to the satisfying conclusion. A good end to a very good Big Book Summer.

406 pages, Saga Press

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Listen to a sample of the audiobook. I didn't listen on audio (other than this sample), but it sounds like it would be good, with four different narrators.

Purchase City of Savages from an indie bookstore (or online through IndieBound):


Or order City of Savages from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

TV Tuesday: Fall TV Preview

It's September! And that means a new fall TV season is quickly approaching.

Here are some of our old favorites coming back, some new shows I'm excited to try, and a few disappointments of old shows that have been cancelled:

Old Favorites Coming Back

These are the shows we look forward to returning to in the fall, with expected start dates:

The Last Ship - 9/9/18 - We love this post-apocalyptic show starring Eric Dane (McSteamy) that has grown and evolved with each season - this year, it moves from summer to fall.

The Resident - 9/24/18 - We just started watching this new medical show last winter and although it has some flaws, we generally enjoy it (and especially its main cast members).

This Is Us - 9/25/18 - I watch this show on my own during lunchtime and love to laugh and cry with every episode! I can't wait to see what they do with season 3.

Grey's Anatomy - 9/27/18 - Season 15?? Yup, and we've watched it since season 1 and still love it! What other huge medical disasters and new couplings can they come up with?

Madam Secretary - 10/7/18 - One of the best shows on television, with an outstanding cast - suspenseful, intriguing, and even funny.

Blindspot - 10/12/18 - We've watched this fast-paced thriller for 3 seasons and are eager to see what's in store for Jane Doe next.

Favorite Shows That Got Cancelled
They're not coming back? Say it isn't so! These are worth watching the old seasons, if you haven't tried them yet:

Scorpion - Though it sometimes stretched the bounds of believeability, we enjoyed all 4 seasons of this suspenseful and funny show and will miss it in this fall's line-up.

Wisdom of the Crowd - Though it only aired 1 season, we loved this unique show about fighting crime with crowd-sourcing. Rumor is that allegations of sexual misconduct by Jeremy Piven, its star, (though he denied them) may have shut it down. I'm sorry to see it go.

Designated Survivor - My husband is going to be SO upset to hear this one isn't coming back. Though we both enjoyed this political thriller starring Keifer Sutherland, it was his favorite in the fall/winter line-up. Its 2 seasons are well worth watching.

New Shows We Plan to Check Out
I watched a lot of YouTube trailers tonight, and there are a few shows I am looking forward to trying.

Manifest - 9/24/18 - I can't wait to watch this one, about a plane full of passengers that went missing five years ago and suddenly reappears - oooh! Intriguing!



New Amsterdam - This looks pretty good, starring Ryan Eggold (Tom from Blacklist), but I don't know if we have room in our hearts (or viewing schedule) for a third TV medical drama.



A Million Little Things - A new ABC drama about a group of friends who are upset when one of their own commits suicide, along the lines of NBC's This Is Us, in terms of an ensemble drama. I will probably try this one on my own at lunchtime.



I Feel Bad - There are a whole slew of new sitcoms this season, but we don't watch too many of those (except Modern Family and Life in Pieces when our kids are home). I might try this one myself - the preview was pretty funny!



Those are the highlights for fall TV on our horizon.

What are YOU looking forward to this fall on TV?

It's Monday 9/3! What Are You Reading?

Hurray, it's September! We made it! This was not a good summer for us, with one family crisis after another, plus weather so hot & humid I barely left the house. It's still 90's today and so humid our windows are covered with condensation, but the turning of the calendar page tells me the heat will pass soon. Fall is my favorite season, and I can't wait for it to cool down a bit so I can get back to my normal walking routine.

My husband and I have enjoyed a quiet Labor Day weekend with perfect balance: some downtime, dinner with friends, some productivity (we actually cleaned out our kitchen junk drawer!), and my FIL came over for dinner. And of course, lots of reading! I finished my Big Book Summer reading and have turned my attention to dark and creepy books for the annual R.I.P. Challenge (I still need to sign up for 2018). And my husband is next to me reading right now.

Here are the books we've been reading this past week:

• I finished my 5th and final Big Book of the year, just in time for the end of summer: City of Savages by Lee Kelly, a YA post-apocalyptic (and somewhat dystopian) novel that's been on my shelf for far too long! It's the story of two teen girls and their mother, trapped in a Manhattan that has been destroyed by war, and the ragtag society that has been established among the survivors. It must have been compelling because I stayed up way too late reading every night!
• Now, I am reading my first dark and creepy book of the season (though that last one would have counted, too) - Sleepwalker by Chris Bohjalian. I am a big fan of Bohjalian's novels, and this one has been on my shelf since Christmas, so I am glad to get it. It's a suspenseful story of a woman who sleepwalks and just disappears one night. Her husband and daughters (and the police) fear the worst when she doesn't turn up right away. So far, it's a tense and engaging story that I am loving.
• On audio, I finished listening to Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork. I am a huge fan of Stork and enjoyed this novel. It's set in Juarez, Mexico, about a young woman whose best friend disappeared one day, along with many other young women over the years from their city. As a reporter, she is looking into the disappearances, but powerful people want to stop her. The narrative goes back and forth between her and her younger brother. It was intense and suspenseful, with in-depth characters, and an examination of some important issues, like all of Stork's novels.
• I have now switched my listening to a darker vibe now, too (though again, my last audio book would definitely have fit for RIP) and started Dark Saturday by Nicci French. When I chose this one for review, I didn't realize it was part of a series (the Frieda Klein series), but there were some hints at the beginning to catch me up. The titular psychologist is asked to look into an old murder case, where a girl (now a woman) was convicted of killing her parents and has been in a mental institute ever since. It's good so far - dark and gripping.
• My husband, Ken, is reading Waking Gods, book 2 of The Themis Files by Sylvain Neuvel. He and I both loved book 1, Sleeping Giants, and I realized earlier this year we'd missed the release of the next two books, so I gave him this one for Father's Day (I'm next!). It's a suspenseful and thought-provoking trilogy about a giant hand found buried that is definitely not human-made. I can't wait to get back to this fabulous series!
• Our son, Jamie, 23, finished book 11 of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, Knife of Dreams and moved right along to book 12, The Gathering Storm, which is the first one that was co-authored by Brandon Sanderson.

 Not a lot of time for blogging last week - just a couple of posts:

Teen/YA Review: Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork - suspenseful and immersive

Saturday Snapshot: Salute to Reading - photos of my family enjoying books, together and individually, through the years

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?  

Today's the last day for the Big Book Summer Challenge! If you are participating, be sure to leave links to your Big Book reviews or challenge updates/wrap-ups on the Challenge page or leave your updates in the Goodreads group (you have another month to finish up reviews and/or wrap-ups). Seems like it's been an excellent Big Book Summer for a lot of people! I'll be posting my own last review and wrap-up this week.

Saturday Snapshot: Salute to Reading

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at West Metro Mommy Reads.

The horrible heat and humidity have continued here (until yesterday when we got torrential rain!), so I have hardly been outside at all. That means very few walks and no interesting photos from the last couple of weeks to share. Since this weekend marks the end of my 2018 Big Book Summer Challenge, and I plan to spend part of my holiday weekend relaxing with books, I thought I'd dedicate this Saturday Snapshot to reading!

We began reading aloud to our sons when they were babies and continued into their teens. Our younger son doesn't really enjoy reading now, but our older son, my husband, and I are avid readers. From our sons' earliest years until now, we have spent many happy hours reading, both together and individually. A few highlights through the years:

Dad reading to our oldest son.

My mom reading to her first grandchild (The Rainbow Fish!)

Our oldest looking very serious pretending to read a grown-up book.

Dad reading to our younger son.

Gramie reading to our younger son and my niece (Curious George was clearly a favorite!)

Our oldest reading to his younger brother.

A tradition I miss now: reading Christmas books to my sons, niece & nephew.

My nephew much older and now an avid reader himself, on his grandparents' boat.

Our older son reading on a camping trip.

Me reading The Metamorphosis while camping in MD.

And reading Behind the Beautiful Forevers while camping in Shenandoah.

Our son last summer reading in our camper.

I love how books play such a big role in our lives!

Hope you are enjoying a relaxing holiday weekend!

Teen/YA Review: Disappeared

I am a fan of YA author Francisco X. Stork, and I enjoyed his novels Marcelo in the Real World, Irises, and The Memory of Light. He has a talent for telling stories that feature realistic young characters with deep emotional depth and address important issues. I recently listened to his latest novel, Disappeared, on audio, and it was no exception, a suspenseful tale about two siblings in Mexico each faced with ethical decisions with life-or-death consequences.

Sara Zapata lives with her mother and younger brother in a tiny house in Juarez, Mexico. She works as a journalist at a local newspaper to help support her family. Four months ago, Sara's best friend, Linda, disappeared, and since then, Sara has written articles about the many young women who disappear from Juarez each year so that people will remember them and the police will not give up looking for them. One morning at work, though, Sara receives a serious death threat that also names her family, and she must decide whether to continue her quest or give it up to protect herself and her family. That same day, she also receives a mysterious phone message that she is certain is from Linda, with a photo that might contain clues to her and the other women's whereabouts. Sara must find Linda and the other missing women, but the more she learns, the more danger she is in.

Meanwhile, Sara's brother, Emiliano, is facing a moral dilemma of his own. He mostly lives a normal teen life, going to school, playing soccer, and nursing a crush on Perla Rubi. Emiliano also contributes to his family's income by working with local youth to collect and resell artisan crafts. He works hard, using his bicycle to pick up and deliver the craft products. He's also involved in a local organization that helps at-risk youth, which he himself was at one time, after getting caught shoplifting. Emiliano is in love with Perla Rubi, but he knows that her family will never accept him because he is poor. He is desperate to show them that he is good enough for her, so when he is offered a role in the local crime ring that he knows is wrong but would bring his family out of poverty, he is tempted.

Sara and Emiliano are each immersed in their own quandaries, though gradually, there is some overlap that eventually comes to light. This novel has the trademark thoughtfulness and poignancy of Stork's other novels, but I was surprised that it is also a fast-paced thriller at times, particularly Sara's story. Her investigation of the abduction of the women carries plenty of suspense, especially as the stakes get higher. The eventual resolution of the siblings' problems was also a surprising twist for me. The audio production was very well-done. The text includes many Spanish words, so I appreciated hearing them pronounced correctly by the dual Mexican narrators - Roxana Ortega and Christian Barillas - voicing the alternating viewpoints of Sara and Emiliano. The book kept my attention, and I was immersed in Sara's and Emiliano's stories, hoping for each of them to do the right thing and also stay safe. As usual, Stork tells a specific story while also bringing to light important issues in our global world today.

336 pages, Arthur A. Levine Books
Scholastic Audio

Disclosure: I received this book from the publisher in return for an honest review. My review is my own opinion and is not influenced by my relationship with the publisher or author.

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here.

Purchase Disappeared from an indie bookstore or from IndieBound online:


Or order Disappeared from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

It's Monday 8/27! What Are You Reading?

Busy end of summer around here! My 16-year old niece was visiting for a few days last week, so my sons were both home - lots of fun but tiring, too. It was nice to have her here and spend some time together - rare now that she is older. I was also busy with my father-in-law - he half-tore off a toenail last weekend, so I ran around a bit this week taking him to the podiatrist and then taking turns with my sons visiting him each day to change the band-aid and check on him. On the plus side, he was watching an old episode of Columbo when I came to visit one day - what fun! Leonard Nimoy was guest-starring as a surgeon. He and I enjoyed that.

So, it's a new week, but still super busy - need to rush out now to take my father-in-law for a follow-up appointment with the podiatrist and then back here to meet my husband and son for lunch so we can all swap cars (mine is STILL in the shop - over a month now!)...

OK, I'm back! Amidst all this hectic busy-ness, we are still enjoying our books. Here's what we've all been reading this past week:

• I finished reading An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green, brother of the famous YA novelist John Green and one-half of the popular Vlogbrothers video series. Hank has a huge following of his own, thanks to the vlogs and his own two educational and science video series. This new novel, due out September 25, is about a group of young adults who unwittingly find themselves at the center of the biggest thing that's ever happened in the world. Green explores our celebrity culture, the role of social media, and through the mirror of a bizarre, otherworldly series of events, even reflects on our current divided state politically. But while doing all that, it's also a whole lot of fun and very funny. I really enjoyed it and wrote my review for Shelf Awareness last week, so I will share that when it is published in September.
• Next, I read another review book for Shelf Awareness, Anne Frank's Diary: The Graphic Adaptation by Ari Folman and David Polonsky (illustrator) and Anne, of course. This graphic novel-style adaptation is just as moving and powerful as the original, and the realistic drawings include startling war-time illustrations, depictions of life in hiding, as well as fantastical imaginings from Anne. I just re-read the original last year, and I thoroughly enjoyed this new approach.
• And now it is time for my 5th and final Big Book of the year, just in time for the end of summer! I am reading City of Savages by Lee Kelly, a YA post-apocalyptic (and somewhat dystopian) novel that's been on my shelf for far too long! I'm enjoying it so far. It's the story of two teen girls and their mother, trapped in a Manhattan that has been destroyed while war still rages around the city, and the ragtag society that has been established among the survivors. Definitely dark, but intriguing so far.
• I am still listening to Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork. I am a huge fan of Stork and am enjoying it so far. It's set in Juarez, Mexico, about a young woman whose best friend disappeared one day, along with many other young women over the years from their city. As a reporter, she is looking into the disappearances, but powerful people want to stop her. The narrative goes back and forth between her and her younger brother. So far, it's intense and suspenseful, with in-depth characters.
• My husband, Ken, is reading Waking Gods, book 2 of The Themis Files by Sylvain Neuvel. He and I both loved book 1, Sleeping Giants, and I realized earlier this year we'd missed the release of the next two books, so I gave him this one for Father's Day (I'm next!). It's a suspenseful and thought-provoking trilogy about a giant hand found buried that is definitely not human-made. I can't wait to get back to this fabulous series!
• Our son, Jamie, 23, has been reading book 11 of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, Knife of Dreams. He loves this series and has been plowing through the huge books this year!About 50 pages left of this one.

Blog posts from last week:

Movie Monday: Extinction - sci fi action, suspense & lots of twists

TV Tuesday: Breaking Bad - we finally tried it and are hooked!

Fiction Review & Interview: Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens - compelling novel by a fascinating author

Teen/YA Review: Plus One by Elizabeth Fama - suspenseful dystopian romance

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?   

Just one more week left for the Big Book Summer Challenge! If you are participating, be sure to leave links to your Big Book reviews or challenge updates/wrap-ups on the Challenge page or leave your updates in the Goodreads group. Seems like it's been an excellent Big Book Summer for a lot of people!

Teen/YA Review: Plus One

Earlier this month, I listened to another wonderful audiobook that I downloaded free from SYNC last summer: Plus One, a YA dystopian novel by Elizabeth Fama that combines suspense, action, family drama, and romance.

Seventeen-year old Soleil (Sol, for short) lives in a world where people are divided into day-dwellers, called Rays, and night-dwellers, called Smudges. Though her family are Smudges, and Sol goes to school and works at a factory at night, her older brother was transferred to daytime (a rarity) as the result of a court order a few years back. Since then, they have been living separate lives, able to see each other only during the occasional Unity Days. But, now, her brother and his wife have had a baby girl, and Sol's beloved grandfather, who raised them, is dying. Sol hatches a risky plan in the desperate hope that her grandfather can hold his new granddaughter before he dies. She injures herself at work in order to get to the hospital during daylight hours, with the intention of kidnapping the baby and bringing her home to her grandfather. To accomplish that, she must break a lot of laws and take a lot of risks. A Ray doctor's apprentice named D'arcy gets pulled into helping Sol, and the two of them end up on the run together.

I liked that this novel was set in an alternate reality of our own real world, where people were split into day and night following the flu pandemic of 1918 that decimated the world's population, so it's a dystopia but not set in a fantasy world. Sol and D'Arcy - and the supporting characters - feel real and relatable, and I was quickly pulled into the story. There are lots of unexpected twists and turns here, and the story went to places I never expected, but it was all compelling and engaging. Plenty of action and adventure keeps the novel moving along at a fast pace, but it is countered with emotional depth and both romantic and familial love. I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the audiobook, which also features an original song composed and performed by the author's adult son.

400 pages, Square Fish
Audio by Dreamscape Media

Note: This post contains affiliate links. Purchases from these links provide a small commission to me (pennies per purchase), to help offset the time I spend writing for this blog, at no extra cost to you.

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here.

Purchase Plus One from an indie bookstore:


Or order Plus One from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

Fiction Review & Interview: Where the Crawdads Sing

I have been waiting until I could tell you about a wonderful novel I reviewed this summer, and now it's finally been released!

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens is a moving, suspenseful, immersive novel set in the North Carolina coastal marshes that I absolutely loved. Its heroine, Kya, is a kind, strong girl forced to grow up on her own when all of her family abandons her. The novel also jumps ahead in time to when Kya is a woman and accused of murdering a local man, so the story combines mystery with family drama, nature, romance, and a lovely coming-of-age story.

Besides reviewing the debut novel for Shelf Awareness, I also had the opportunity to interview the author, who is known for her nonfiction books about wildlife in Africa. I thoroughly enjoyed talking with Delia and hearing about her background and why she wrote this lyrical, poignant novel.

You can read both my interview with Delia Owens and review of Where the Crawdads Sing (scroll down a bit for the review) at this link.

I highly recommend this newly released novel and here is what Delia told me about her next novel, which she is working on now:

"I want to stay with this theme of a sort of socio-biological thriller. I bring the socio-biology into it, but I want a fast-paced story that brings people in on the first page and doesn't let go. The next book I'm writing is based in North Florida, which is also a beautiful, wild habitat that most people don't know about--it's not the sandy beaches and palm trees. The novel features another strong female character, but she's not isolated. She has a group, and the story is going to focus on the dynamics of a female group. All the female groups evolved for survival reasons, not for camaraderie. You look inside those groups, and there's as much conflict as there is camaraderie. So, the dynamics of a female group can be very interesting."

I can't wait to read that one, too! 

TV Tuesday: Breaking Bad

It is quite possible that my husband and I are the last people on Earth to jump on the Breaking Bad bandwagon, but we finally gave it a try, after this popular show finished five seasons and won 147 awards! And, of course we were immediately hooked. We are now coming to the end of season three, and we are loving it.

So, in case you - like us - have been living under a rock, here's a quick recap. Bryan Cranston plays Walter White, a quiet, geeky family man who teaches high school chemistry. Walt's wife, Skyler (played by Anna Gunn), is expecting a new baby, and their teen son, Walt Jr., played by RJ Mitte, has cerebral palsy but is managing high school quite well. Then, Walter's world explodes when he finds out he has terminal lung cancer. Panicking and worried about what will happen to his family when he's gone (not to mention mounting medical bills), Walter remembers seeing loads of cash on the news when his brother-in-law, Hank, a DEA agent (played by Dean Norris), raided a meth house, and he also witnessed one guy escape from a raid when he did a ride-along with Hank. That guy happens to be an old student of Walter's, Jesse Pinkman, played by Aaron Paul. So, desperate to provide for his family before he dies, Walter partners up with Jesse, they get a rickety old RV, and Walter uses his expertise to set up an awesome meth lab. The two hapless criminals are surprisingly good at cooking meth, though they run into a LOT of challenges along the way.

I know this show sounds really dark - guy dying of cancer decides to cook meth - which is probably why it took us so long to try it, in spite of all the accolades, but it is really, really good - and has some surprisingly funny moments! It is definitely dark. Things rarely go well for Walter and Jesse, and there are some serious run-ins with major criminals in store for the pair, as well as other scary, unforeseen challenges. Both of them spin out of control at various times, as they get pulled deeper and deeper into the criminal world, all while Walt tries to hold his family together and keep his secrets. Most episodes, though, also make you laugh out loud, like the sight of straight-laced Walter cooking meth in nothing but his tighty-whiteys and an apron! This show is incredibly compelling - absolutely addictive. We kicked off watching it by binging the first season during Fourth of July weekend! Though you often want to shake some sense into Walt and Jesse, the characters and the show overall are complex and the plot is gripping. We are almost at the end of season three, and it just gets better and better.

If you also want to try Breaking Bad, all five seasons of the show are available on Netflix. But be warned, once you start, you won't be able to stop!

Movie Monday: Extinction

Last week, our young adult sons were home for a Staycation, after our camping plans got rained out. We had lots of fun and enjoyed several good movies! It's hard to choose a movie to appeal to all four of us, but the first one we chose was Extinction, a new Netflix original movie that we all enjoyed.

The movie begins with a man named Peter, played by Michael Peña, experiencing nightmares. In the dreams, he sees some sort of invasion from the sky, violence in the streets, and menacing figures attacking people. We see Peter go to work and interact with his wife, Alice, played by Lizzy Caplan, and their daughters, Lucy and Hannah. They seem like a nice family, and Peter seems like a good dad, though he is tortured by these nightmares that feel real and are becoming more intense and frequent. He comes to believe that they are premonitions, so he goes through the motions at work and at home, until his dreams begin to come true one night.

That's as far as I'm going with a plot description because the real excitement of this movie is its many unexpected twists and turns. There is some family drama, as Peter and his wife, Alice, argue about him working long hours and seeming distant, but there is a sense of dread imbued in the first part of the movie, thanks to Peter's increasingly disturbing nightmares. The rest of the movie is filled with action and suspense, like any disaster thriller, but also plenty of surprises. We all enjoyed it, and even my son and husband - who both always (annoyingly) correctly predict what's coming in suspense movies - were  surprised by some of the twists in this one.

Extinction is showing exclusively on Netflix.

It's Monday 8/20! What Are You Reading?

This is another 2-week update because I was on vacation last week - actually, at home but "on vacation." We had found the only 3 days all summer that we could get together with our adult sons for a short trip, planned and reserved three days of camping in the Pocono Mountains, where it would be cooler, after a family wedding in the region last weekend. So, we hustled to pack for both a wedding and a camping trip and managed to leave on time Saturday, towing our camper & kayaks. We checked into a hotel, unhitched the camper for the night, and went to the wedding - which was wonderful! Sunday morning, we checked the weather forecast - over and over! - and it showed nonstop heavy rain for the next three days solid.

So, we cancelled our state park reservations and pulled the camper back home! We had to unpack all the stuff we hadn't even used, but by Sunday evening, we were ready to relax and enjoy a little staycation, just the four of us. We went bowling, played mini golf, ate our camping food (cooked in the oven) plus plenty of treats, watched movies, played games, and tied for 3rd place at a local Trivia Night! It all worked out well and was lots of fun.

Of course, there was some reading time, too. Here's what we've been reading the past two weeks:

• I finished The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell and was blown away by it (my review at the link). I bought this novel at Northshire Bookstore in VT because one of the hosts, Ann, of my favorite book podcast (Books on the Nightstand - now retired but still available) said it was her favorite book. It's the story of a group of people, including some Jesuit priests, who travel to another galaxy in search of extraterrestrial life. Something horrible and tragic happens during that mission, and only one man returns (not a spoiler). The novel begins with the present (2060), after the mission, and flashes back to the first ideas of the mission, ironically in 2019 (the book was published in 1996), and gradually fills in what happened in between. It is compelling and completely unique - a very powerful and thought-provoking novel.
•  It was hard to leave the characters and the world of The Sparrow behind, but I am now reading - and immersed in - An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green, brother of the famous YA novelist John Green and one-half of the popular Vlogbrothers video series. Hank has a huge following of his own, thanks to the vlogs and his own two educational and science video series. This new novel, due out September 25, is about a group of young adults who unwittingly find themselves at the center of the biggest thing that's ever happened in the world. It deals with our celebrity culture, the role of social media, and through the mirror of a bizarre, otherworldly series of events, even reflects on our current divided state politically. But while doing all that, it's also a whole lot of fun and very funny. I'm enjoying it so far and will be reviewing it for Shelf Awareness.
• I finished listening to Plus One by Elizabeth Fama, a YA novel (a freebie from SYNC). It's set in an alternate reality, where the reduced population after the flu pandemic of 1918 led to the remaining people being divided into Rays, who live during the day, and Smudges, who live at night. Sol is a seventeen-year old Smudge. Her brother was transferred to day-living four years ago, and is now married with a newborn baby. Since Sol and her brother are now on opposite schedules, they are not allowed to see each other (except for an occasional Unity Day). Sol's beloved grandfather who raised them both is dying, though, and Sol is determined for him to hold his new granddaughter before he dies. To accomplish that, she must break a lot of laws and take a lot of risks. A Ray doctor's apprentice named D'arcy gets pulled into helping Sol. This engaging novel combines dystopia, action, suspense, and romance - I enjoyed it.
• Now, I am listening to Disappeared by Francisco X. Stork. I've just started it (not a lot of listening time during family staycation!), but I am a huge fan of Stork and am enjoying it so far. It's set in Juarez, Mexico, about a young woman whose best friend disappeared one day, along with many other young women over the years from their city. So far, it's intriguing and suspenseful, with in-depth characters.
• My husband, Ken, finished The Girl Who Takes an Eye for an Eye by David Lagercrantz, another in the series that began with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Lagercrantz took over the series after its author, Stieg Larsson, died. My husband enjoyed it and feels Lagercrantz is doing a good job with the series. I've added it to my side of the TBR bookcase!
• Last night, not wanting to start something new right before a business trip (he'd already packed a light paperback), my husband started reading some of the short stories in Machine Learning by Hugh Howey, which I reviewed last year. We are both huge fans of Howey's trilogy that begins with Wool, so I know Ken will enjoy these clever and creative short stories (including a few from the Wool world) as much as I did!
• Our son, Jamie, 23, finished book 10, Crossroads of Twilight, of the Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan, and immediately began book 11, Knife of Dreams. He loves this series and has been plowing through the huge books this year! 

Posts on the blog the past two weeks:

Movie Monday: How It Ends - a new Netflix apocalypse movie starring Forest Whitaker

Summertime...and the Reading Is Easy! - favorite books with summer themes/settings

Fiction Review: The Sparrow - Moving, thoughtful, immersive novel of first contact

Saturday Snapshot: Our Staycation - a few highlights from last week!

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?   

Just two more weeks left for the Big Book Summer Challenge! If you are participating, be sure to leave links to your Big Book reviews or challenge updates/wrap-ups on the Challenge page or leave your updates in the Goodreads group. Seems like it's been an excellent Big Book Summer for a lot of people! I am hoping to squeeze in one more, after I finish my review books.

Saturday Snapshot: Our Staycation

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at West Metro Mommy Reads.

So, I was hoping to have some beautiful outdoor pictures to share today, from our 3-day mini vacation camping, hiking, and kayaking in the Pocono Mountains this week. Alas, the weather forecast showed nonstop heavy rain for three full days, so on Sunday morning (after attending a family wedding nearby on Saturday), we cancelled our reservations and took the camper & kayaks back home. We were pretty bummed to miss out on camping, but we made the best of things with a staycation! The four of us stayed home together (a small miracle in itself) and enjoyed bowling, mini golf, movies, card games, Trivia Night (we tied for 3rd place!), our camping food (cooked in the oven), and some treats, too. It all worked out well, and we enjoyed a relaxing few days together, followed by our oldest son's 24th birthday. Here are a few highlights:

All dressed up at the wedding

Kicking off our staycation with our favorite local ice cream

Me bowling for the first time in many years!

I broke 50 in my second game!

S'mores at home, made in the oven

Ready for mini golf

A nice day for mini golf at home (though still raining in the mountains!)

Our family for our son's 24th birthday

Hope you are enjoying a wonderful weekend!

Fiction Review: The Sparrow

I am just back from a mini vacation with my family, and I couldn't wait to tell you about the novel I finished, my fourth Big Book this summer for my Big Book Summer Challenge (though it's not too big - just over 400 pages). I've been hearing about The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell for years, and when one of my favorite podcasts, Books on the Nightstand (now retired but old episodes are still available), recommended it, with host Ann Kingman saying it was her favorite book of all time, I was sold. I bought a used copy at Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT, last summer. It held up to all the hype. The Sparrow is a poignant, powerful, thought-provoking story that I am still thinking about, days after finishing it.

Emilio Sandoz is a kind and charismatic Jesuit priest currently assigned to his hometown of San Juan, Puerto Rico, after a long string of assignments to exotic, distant places that needed his unique talents in linguistics. Jimmy Quinn is also in Puerto Rico, working at Arecibo Observatory where, late one night, while reviewing sound input from various SETI (Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence) stations around the world, he hears strange music that he identifies as coming from another planet. Before long, the Jesuits put together a mission to visit this never-before-identified planet in Alpha Centauri, in order to meet and learn from another intelligent species. The mission ends in disaster, with Emilio returning alone, as the sole survivor, accused of heinous crimes, and horribly disfigured and in constant pain. Most of the novel explores what happens in between.

This brief passage from the prologue explains how the Jesuits came to be the first to contact an alien species and why, and provides a glimpse into the author's talents:

"After the first exquisite songs were intercepted by radio telescope, U.N. diplomats debated long and hard whether and why human resources should be expended in an attempt to reach the world that would become known as Rakhat. In the Rome offices of the Society of Jesus, the questions were not whether or why but how soon the mission could be attempted and whom to send.

The Jesuit scientists went to Rakhat to learn, not to proselytize. They went so that they might come to know and love God's other children. They went for the reason Jesuits have always gone to the farthest frontiers of human exploration. They went for the greater glory of God.

They meant no harm."

Hooked yet? This is one of those novels that begins at the end, so I haven't given away any spoilers here. You know from the first chapter that Emilio is the sole survivor of the mission and that he's been through some kind of horrific experience. The narrative moves back and forth between Puerto Rico in 2019, when Jimmy discovers the music, and Rome in 2060, where Emilio is recuperating and being questioned as to what happened. It's not until around page 140 that the mission actually gets underway and leaves Earth. Those early chapters introduce the main characters and help the reader get to know them intimately - and their relationships with each other - so that by the time the mission starts, you feel as if they are all old friends.

It's kind of a slow-ish start, except that you know how things end, so there is a pervasive feeling of dread and plenty of suspense as to what will go wrong and how. The pace picks up considerably once the team is off-Earth, and the details of their journey and especially their experiences on Rakhat and their interactions with the beings they meet there are absolutely fascinating and immersive. One warning: as foreshadowed from the first chapter, some of the things that happen to Emilio toward the end of the novel (and the end of his time on Rakhat) are violent and very disturbing. However, if you can get past that, other scenes on Rakhat are beautiful, heartwarming, and full of joy. Though technically science fiction, this very compelling and original novel is ultimately about what it means to be human. I found the novel moving, powerful, and oh-so thoughtful. It got into my head (and my heart) so deeply that I had trouble starting a new book when I finished. I wasn't ready to leave the world of The Sparrow quite yet.

405 pages, Villard

OMG! I just discovered there is a sequel!! Children of God was published a few years after The Sparrow (in 1999) and continues the story of Emilio Sandoz, as he recovers from his ordeal and is brought in - reluctantly - to help train a new group for another mission to Rakhat. I can't wait to read it!

You can purchase The Sparrow from Northshire Bookstore, like I did:

The Sparrow: A Novel (The Sparrow Series #1)

   

Or order The Sparrow from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.