It's Monday 10/24! What Are You Reading?

Well, it is now truly fall here - the weather has cooled down, and it seems as though the tress suddenly turned from all green to a riot of colors.  I love this time of year!  We made our annual trip to the pumpkin farm this weekend to pick out our pumpkins and gorge ourselves on still-warm, homemade donuts and fresh cider....oh, my gosh!  I forgot I have a leftover donut....ah...that's better! Mmmm...cinnamon-sugar donuts and typing don't mix well.

OK, I'm back.  Anyway, here's what we read last week:

• I finished The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley and thoroughly enjoyed it.  It's like Nancy Drew for grown-ups.  I want to be Flavia when I grow up.
• I am now reading The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch, a newly released teen/YA post-apocalyptic novel that my husband recently read.  I really like it so far.  It's a bit like The Road, only not nearly as dismal and hopeless.
• My husband, Ken, is reading a thriller I gave him for his birthday, The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo, a Norwegian author who has been compared to Stieg Larsson.  He likes it so far, though he says the translation is sometimes a bit rough.
• Jamie, 17, finished his Dad's old favorite fantasy series, The Belgariad by David Eddings with Book Five: Enchanter's End Game, the last book in the series.
• Jamie was home sick all last week, so he treated himself to a book he's really wanted to read, Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare.  He loved the Mortal Instruments series and has been looking forward to this prequel series.  He and I listened to the beginning of this book on audio, but he said he preferred to read it.
• Now, Jamie is reading Blood Red Road by Moira Young, a much-anticipated new post-apocalyptic novel.  He says it's good so far, though he doesn't like the author's convention of not using quotation marks for dialogue.  This one is on my TBR list, too.
• Craig, 13, is reading Woodsong, a memoir by Gary Paulsen, author of one of our favorite novels, Hatchet and its sequels.  He's enjoying it, though he says it's not as good as Paulsen's fiction.

Last week, I posted a review of a new picture book, M.O.M.: Mom Operating Manual at Great Books for Kids and Teens.  I don't normally review picture books anymore, but this one was unique!

I also posted a recap and photo from my book group's meeting with author Rachel Simon, which we all thoroughly enjoyed, and a discussion of how many books we have in our house, with pictures of our overflowing bookcases!

What are you and your family reading this week?

Ooh...now I have a bit of a sugar-rush headache from that donut, but it was so worth it!

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

Fall Into Reading Question #4

You may recall that I have joined the Fall Into Reading Challenge hosted over at Callapidder Days.  She is posing a question each week, and this week's question is:

How large is your personal/family collection of books? And where do you keep them?

Quick answer:   Very large and all over the house!!

 We have a major clutter problem, and much of that clutter is books.  I have been trying to weed some out from the overflowing bookcases, but then they sit in piles and boxes in my office while I wait for time to either post them on half.com or give them to our local library's book sale (the collection day is just once a month, and I always seem to miss it).  I also give some away to friends and to my son's school.

Bookcase in Our Bedroom

So, let's see...we have a floor-ceiling bookcase in the living room, mostly filled with really nice hardcovers.  There is a double floor-to-ceiling bookcase in the office, but that is partly work-related and reference stuff - my books on writing, travel books, my husband's old college textbooks (not that he ever actually looks at them...), even a bunch of books related to my old field of consulting (I might need those again some day...).  There is a full bookcase in our bedroom, and another one in each of my son's bedrooms. 

One of my son's bookcases

My oldest son reads constantly and hates to get rid of any books, so he also has overflowing shelves on the bookcase headboard of his bed, plus lots more on the shelves of his closet!  And finally, we have a couple of baskets of kids and teen books waiting to be read and reviewed - as you can see, the books long ago outgrew the pretty little basket I bought to hold them!  Oh, and should I count the two plastic bins of beloved picture books waiting in the closet for the next generation?  Oh, and I forgot about the shelves in the guest room, filled with all of my husband's old sci fi and fantasy paperbacks (which my son had been reading lately), plus a bunch of classics.  When my son gets assigned a book for read for Lit class, we always check that shelf first before buying anything new.  Whew...

Overflowing Book Basket

I have been trying to weed through all of our books.  My criteria for what to keep is only books I love that I will either read again (not that I ever find the time) or lend to family and friends. 

Ah....I do so love books.  Do you think I have a problem?

How about you?  Do you have a lot of books in your house?  What do you keep and what do you get rid of?  And HOW do you get rid of them??  

Meeting with Author Rachel Simon

That's Rachel in the center in the purple sweater, and I am on her left, holding the book.

It was an exciting night for my neighborhood book group last night!  We had the pleasure of meeting and talking with Rachel Simon as we discussed her latest novel, The Story of Beautiful Girl.  Rachel is also the author of the memoirs, Riding the Bus with My Sister and Building a Home with My Husband, as well as several earlier novels and short stories.

We had a wonderful time and talked for hours!  Rachel told us all about her mentally handicapped sister (the subject of Riding the Bus With My Sister) and how she came to write The Story of Beautiful Girl.  We got the inside scoop, and her stories were fascinating.  She is warm, intelligent, and passionate about her subjects, and it was a wonderful evening.

If you haven't read The Story of Beautiful Girl yet, you really should.  It is an amazing story, about the enduring love between a mentally handicapped woman and a deaf man, both imprisoned in an institution for years who then spend the rest of their lives trying to find each other again...and their daughter who they were forced to abandon at birth.  It's a love story, lovingly written.  Rachel Simon is a very talented writer, whether she's writing about her own life or the lives of Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and Julia.  You can read my full review here.

And I highly recommend inviting an author to one of your book group meetings!  Although Rachel lives right here in our town, she also attends book group meetings via Skype, as I am sure other authors do as well.  It is really a wonderful experience, to talk directly with the author of a favorite book, and I'm sure you will enjoy it as much as we did!

It's Monday 10/17! What Are You Reading?

Ah!  It finally feels like fall here - I am loving the sunshine and cooler weather.  Sweatshirt weather!

Another busy week around here (aren't they all when you have teenagers?), but we did take some time this weekend to relax together.  As always, we enjoyed our books this week:

• I finished Forever by Maggie Stiefvater...which means I finished the trilogy, finally!  I really enjoyed it.  Check out my review of the last two books, Linger and Forever.
• I am now reading The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley, another book I've been meaning to read for a very long time.  I'm enjoying it so far - it's very clever.
• My husband, Ken, finished The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch, a newly released teen/YA post-apocalyptic novel.  He said it was good, a little dark (but then, post-apocalyptic novels tend to be dark - it does take place, after all, after an apocalypse!).
• Now he is reading a thriller I gave him for his birthday, The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo, a Norwegian author who has been compared to Stieg Larsson.  Ken says he's still at the beginning, just trying to keep the characters straight!
• Jamie, 17, is still reading his Dad's old favorite fantasy series, The Belgariad by David Eddings. He has finished Book Three: Magician's Gambit and Book Four: Castle of Wizardry and is now moving onto Book Five: Enchanter's End Game, the last book in the series.  He has really enjoyed this!
• Craig, 13, is reading Woodsong, a memoir by Gary Paulsen, author of one of our favorite novels, Hatchet and its sequels.

Last week, I posted reviews of two books: When Parents Text: So Much Said, So Little Understood, a hilarious book, here at Book by Book and Linger and Forever over at Great Books for Kids and Teens.  I also posted a link to a Today Show interview (and kids' review) with Brian Selzniak, author of Wonderstruck and a discussion of reading on devices versus traditional books.

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Mondays is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

Nonfiction Review: When Parents Text

When Dawn at She Is Too Fond of Books recently reviewed When Parents Text: So Much Said…So Little Understood by Lauren Kaelin and Sophia Fraioli, I knew right away I would enjoy this book.  I read it over the past two weeks (I admit it, I read it in the bathroom!) and laughed like crazy.

The book is based on the website of the same name, started by the co-authors after they had finished college and moved back home (as many graduates must these days).  It started with a fateful text from Lauren’s mom about tacos and grew rapidly from there.  The website now has texts sent in by people all over the internet, and the best of them have been collected and categorized into this delightful book. 

Some of the texts are, as expected, about the older generation trying to get the hang of texting, some are just funny because they’re goofy things parents say, and some are actually quite impressive, like the pictures drawn with symbols by parents with WAY too much time on their hands!  The best way to give you an idea of how kooky and funny these texts are is just to provide a few examples from the book.  From the chapter titled n00bs:

MOM: When will you be home? ;)

ME: Pretty soon, why?

MOM: Just wondering ;) Going to bed soon ;)

ME: Okay, what’s with the winky face?

MOM: What?

ME: This! ;)

MOM: That’s a pirate.  See he has an eyepatch! ;) ;)

From the chapter called Master Class:

DAD: mt dishwasher!

ME: Mount Dishwasher?

DAD: No, empty dishwasher, I was being cool.

From the chapter titled Pets:

MOM: You will add the dog as your facebook friend RIGHT NOW!!

ME: mom he’s a dog…

MOM: He is FAMILY, add him or you are grounded!!!!

Ah, I could just go on all day.  So many of these made me LOL that it was hard to pick just a few to share here.  In fact, I often came out of the bathroom, holding the book and reading stuff out loud to my husband and teen sons, much to my own amusement (TMI?).  This would make a great gift for anyone with a good sense of humor and some texting knowledge.  And it really is the ideal bathroom book.  It’s not for kids, though; some of these parents have real potty mouths!

Check out more examples at the website, www.whenparentstext.com.

276 pages, Workman Publishing

Fall Into Reading Challenge: Question #3

You may recall that I have joined the Fall Into Reading Challenge hosted over at Callapidder Days.  She is posing a question each week, and this week's question is:

On what devices, if any, do you read books? Or are you strictly a “physical book” reader?

Ah, this is an easy one for me.  Nope, none.  I am still 100% traditional paper books, though it's not that I have anything against all the new ways to read e-books.  It just doesn't make sense financially for me.

Setting aside for a moment the fact that all of these new devices (e-readers, smart phones, iPads, etc.) are expensive on their own, buying the e-books to read on them is expensive, too.  Currently, I get most of the books I read either from publishers for review or from the library (i.e. free), so having to purchase e-books would definitely cost a lot more. 


So, while e-readers, iPads, and smart phones all look kinda cool, I have no problem reading my books the old-fashioned way for now.  

Now if only I could get better at getting rid of all the book clutter after I read them... 

How about you?  Do you read e-books, paper books, or both?

It's Monday 10/10! What Are You Reading?

We finally had a few gorgeous days here that actually felt like fall....but now it is in the mid-80-'s again!  I was able to get outside and take some walks last week, so that was wonderful.  These cool nights make me yearn to go camping, but it's such a busy fall for us, with college preparations as well as all the usual stuff, that I'm not sure when we'll be able to squeeze it in.  We spent all day Sunday touring the campus at Rowan University.

Still, we always find time for reading:

• I finished Linger by Maggie Stiefvater and immediately moved onto Forever, the final book in the trilogy.  I think procrastination paid off because it was fun to be able to jump right into the next book!
• I finished When Parents Text: So Much Said, So Little Understood by Lauren Kaelin and Sophia Fraioli. I admit it - I read it in the bathroom!  It's actually the perfect bathroom book...and so funny!!
• I am still listening to Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love and the Search for Home, a memoir by Kim Sunee, and enjoying it very much.  My poor little '92 VW has been sitting in the garage lately because whenever I go out, I want to listen to more of this audio, so I take the newer car that has a CD player and iPod dock!  Don't worry, little red car, I haven't forgotten you!
• Ken, finished reading The Passage by Justin Cronin and enjoyed it very much.  He sort of missed the hint on the last page that there will be a sequel, so when I pointed that out to him, he said, "What??  There's another one?!"  It is a long book, but well worth the time it takes to read it.
• Ken was looking for a quick book to read before his upcoming business trip, so I suggested The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch, a newly released teen/YA post-apocalyptic novel.  He's the first one on our house to try this new novel.
• Jamie, 17, was back in school last week, so he had less reading time.  He is continuing to read his Dad's old favorite series, The Belgariad by David Eddings.  He finished Book Two: Queen of Sorcery and moved onto Book Three: Magician's Gambit.  He's enjoying this classic fantasy series very much.
• Jamie is also reading Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn for his World Lit class.
• Craig, 13, started a new book, Woodsong, a memoir by Gary Paulsen.  His novel, Hatchet, and all of its sequels are old favorites in our house, and Craig is enjoying the memoir.

I posted two new reviews last week, The Things They Carried, a Vietnam War novel by Tim O'Brien, and Bruiser, a teen/YA audio by Neal Schusterman.  Both were excellent.

I also posted a discussion of re-reading books for the Fall Into Reading Challenge and my Books Read in September summary.

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

Books Read in September

It seems so weird that September is over already - it didn't feel like September at all.  It was rainy, warm, and humid here all month, so much so that the crops at our local farm were ruined by all the water and our Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) pick-ups ended a month early :(  My kids went back to school, but my oldest son was home sick for a good part of the month, so it feels like fall just started this week.

Fortunately, it was a good reading month!  That helps, doesn't it?  I finished six books last month, and since one of those was 1000 pages long, I think that's pretty good:

• The Pillars of the Earth, an epic novel by Ken Follett
• The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, a novel about the Vietnam War
• Bruiser by Neal Schusterman, a teen audio
• Sometimes I Feel Like a Nut, a memoir on audio by Jill Kargman
• Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf, a unique middle-grade novel
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

I got a bit behind in writing reviews, with all that was going on at our house, but I didn't do too badly last month.

So, that was a nice mix of four grown-up books, and two kids/teen books, with two on audio.  I enjoyed all of these.  I always hate trying to choose a favorite, but I guess that would be The Pillars of the Earth.

Where Are You Reading Challenge Update:  I didn't add much to my map this month - a pin for Vietnam and another pin in England for The Pillars of the Earth.   I will add two more when I get home and can figure out where Bruiser and the Middle School book took place, though I already returned Bruiser to the library, so that might be a lost cause.  Anyone else know where it took place?  It may not have been named.  So, I am still at 13 different states and now 8 countries outside the US.  Here's my updated map:

View Where I Am Reading 2011 in a larger map

And, I also joined a new challenge this month, the Fall Into Reading Challenge.  So far, I have read two of the books on my lists for that challenge, Fahrenheit 451 and Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf (plus two more this week), so I have a good start there.

What were your favorite books read in September?

Fiction Review: The Things They Carried

One of my book groups recently read and discussed Tim O’Brien’s classic novel about the Vietnam War, The Things They Carried.  I guess “classic” might be stretching it a bit since it was published in 1990, but it seems to be a well-known book that has garnered a lot of praise and was recently published in a special 20^th Anniversary Edition, so it seems well on its way.  Besides, it says, “This is an American classic” on the inside flap. 

And on the title page, it says it is “a work of fiction by Tim O’Brien.”  I would have mistaken it for nonfiction otherwise, an understandable mistake because it is an odd mix of fact and fiction.  The narrator is Tim O’Brien, and the book is dedicated “to the men of Alpha company,” including a list of names that match the character names inside.  The book consists of 22 interrelated short stories or essays about this same group of men and their experiences serving together in the jungles of Vietnam in the 1970’s.  After reading the book, and one essay in particular in which the author talks about truth versus the differing perceptions and memories of different people, I think I understand that he made it fiction because it is based on his own memories and perceptions from decades ago, memories of a time that was frantic, frightening, and often confusing.  So, I took this to mean that the stories are mostly true, though not necessarily all of the details.

It is a sobering, grim reality.  I have heard things before about the Vietnam War and seen movies that depicted it, but this was somehow more powerful and more real.  O’Brien hides nothing; he lays out the violence, death, and futility of the experience in vivid detail.  More importantly, he delves into the emotions of the men, especially himself, and emphasizes how people must fundamentally change when they are engaged in war.  Through the stories, we get to now each of the men as individuals and see how the each responded to what was required of them.  Given the wars currently going on in the world, it was a very thought provoking, deeply touching book. 

Two of my family members’ lives were changed forever by the Vietnam War: my cousin because he met his wife in Asia (she’s from Thailand), and they’ve been married ever since.  More distressing was my uncle’s experience; he was exposed to Agent Orange there and suffered horrible medical problems the rest of his life, until his young death from cancer a few years ago.  So, I found the book profoundly moving, as did most of the rest of our book group.  We all felt it was eye opening, an insider’s view of war that we’d never experienced before.  It is certainly a very important book for people to read, even now, to understand the real life-long consequences of sending young people to war.

233 pages, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

 

Fall Into Reading Challenge: Question #2

Last week, I posted that I have joined the Fall Into Reading Challenge hosted over at Callapidder Days.  She is posing a question each week, and this week's question is:

How often do you re-read books? What does it take to make you re-read?

This fits right in with last week's Top Ten List  of Books I Want to Reread.  Obviously, since I made a list, I do sometimes reread a book but not very often.  I have such a huge, never-ending list of books I want to read for the first time that it's hard to find time to reread something again.

As you can see from my list, some of the books are favorites that I loved the first time (or first, second, and third times!) and a few are classics I read many years ago and don't remember well.  I just thoroughly enjoyed rereading Fahrenheit 451 which I hadn't read since high school.  I have reread some of the Harry Potter books, especially before the movies came out. 

So, it does happen, but not very frequently.  There are just so many good books out there and so little reading time!

How about you?  Do you ever reread books?

It's Monday 10/3! What Are You Reading?

Wow, October already?  It finally feels like fall here, after a very wet, warm, humid September.  Once again, not much blogging time last week.  Our oldest son has been suffering through a severe flare-up of his chronic illnesses, so we have sort of been in crisis mode around here lately.  He's back in school this morning, and we are making some changes to his medications, so we are hoping October will be better.  We just have to wait and see.

Meanwhile, as always, our books bring all of us comfort during trying times:

• I finished Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury and loved it (again).  I intended to post a review of it for Banned Books Week, but things really fell apart here at the end of the week.  I will get to it this week.  It's such a clever book...and so ironic that it was banned!
• I am now (finally) reading Linger by Maggie Stiefvater - pure fun escapism which is exactly what I needed!
• I am also reading (I admit it...in the bathroom!) When Parents Text: So Much Said, So Little Understood by Lauren Kaelin and Sophia Fraioli.  A fellow book blogger passed it along to me, and it is hilarious!!  I keep reading texts out loud to my husband and sons.
• And I am listening to Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love and the Search for Home, a memoir by Kim Sunee, and am thoroughly enjoying it.
• My husband, Ken, is reading The Passage by Justin Cronin and enjoying it.  It's fun to have someone to talk to about it now, but it's hard not to give too much away!
• Jamie, 17, was home sick most of the week, so he read a lot.  He read The Last Apprentice: Rise of the Huntress (#7) by Joseph Delaney, the latest in a favorite series.
• Next, he read a brand-new book he picked out at the bookstore a few weeks ago - not part of a familiar series for a change!  He thoroughly enjoyed The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima.
• Then, he finally began an old fantasy series that is one of his Dad's favorites, The Belgariad by David Eddings.  He said Book One: Pawn of Prophecy was a bit slow until the end, but the action has really picked up now in Book Two: Queen of Sorcery.  Ken has been trying to convince him to read this series for ages!
• Craig, 13, has been reading The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.  He is taking an AR test on it at school today, so he'll be switching to a new book this week. 

 
I posted just one review last week, Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf by Jennifer L. Holm.  I also wrote two lists, Top Ten Books I Want to Reread here and Top Ten Kids/Teen Books I Want to Reread at Great Books for Kids and Teens.







What are you and your family reading this week?


(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

 

Top Ten Books I Want to Reread

It's Tuesday and that means Top Ten day over at The Broke and the Bookish!  Head over there and check out all the links.  You can also see my list of Top Ten Kids/Teen Books I Want to Reread over at Great Books for Kids and Teens.

Today's list is an easy one for me.  I have a whole bookcase filled with books I want to save and maybe reread one day!  To keep the clutter somewhat controlled, I try to really consider whether I will reread a book before I decide to keep it.  So, here are my Top Ten Books I Want to Reread:

1. Replay by Ken Grimwood - even though I have read it three times, I know I will reread it!
2. The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger - one of my favorite books and it's complexity begs for a reread.
3. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert - some day when I need inspiration.
4. 12,000 Miles in the Nick of Time by Mark Jacobson - a memoir about traveling around the world with a family - maybe someday I can reread it while planning my own trip!
5. One Mississippi by Mark Childress - a favorite novel, even though I know how it ends now, I would still reread it to look for clues (and for the laughs!)
6. On Writing by Stephen King - fabulous writing advice - maybe I should reread this one soon!
7. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - another all-time favorite.
8. She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb - I was blown away by this novel.
9. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte - read it decades ago - I'd like to see if I still love it as much as I did then.
10. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - also loved this one but am embarrassed to admit I sometimes confuse the details of this and the previous one - definitely need to reread.

 Many of these books just blew me away the first time I read them, and it would be fun to see if I still feel the same way the second time through.

How about you?  Which books would you most like to reread?

It's Monday 9/26! What Are You Reading?

End of September already...and it still feels like summer here!  I'm ready for some real fall weather instead of this warm and humid stuff.  We had another busy week, though not as bad as the last few.  One of my sons was home sick for two days, and the other one was home sick all week, so we had lots of reading time:

• I finished The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, a novel about the Vietnam war, though not in time for my book group discussion (I still went, though!).  It's an excellent book on a very difficult subject.
• After that heavy read, plus the 1000-page book I read before it, I was ready for something short and light, and Middle School is Worse Than Meatloaf by Jennifer L. Holm was perfect!  As the subtitle says, it's "a year told through stuff" - very creative and enjoyable.
• Now, I am reading Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, in honor of Banned Books Week.  I haven't read it since I was a teen and had forgotten just how brilliant it is.
• I finished a teen/YA audio, Bruiser, by one of my favorite YA authors, Neal Schusterman.
• My husband, Ken, finished The Roar by Emma Clayton, a middle-grade sci fi adventure that our son recommended.  It's on my TBR shelf now.
• Ken is now reading The Passage by Justin Cronin, based on my recommendation.  I'm already enjoying being able to talk to someone about it!
• Jamie, 17, spent the week lying on the couch, so he read a lot.  He finished re-reading Brisingr by Christopher Paolini, in preparation for the final book to be released in November.
• Next, Jamie read Goliath by Scott Westerfeld, the final book in the Leviathan trilogy.  This one will also pass through our entire family.
• Jamie has resumed re-reading a favorite series by Tamora Pierce, The Immortals, with Book 3, Emperor Mage.
• Finally, Jamie is reading Ishmael: An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit by Daniel Quinn for his World Lit class.  Ken and I both read it years ago; he's enjoying it so far.
• Craig, 13, is reading The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.

I posted a review of Ken Follett's The Pillars of the Earth last week, as well as my lists of Top Ten Books Everyone Has Read But Me, both here and at Great Books for Kids and Teens.  And, although it is rare for me, I also joined a challenge, Fall Into Reading Challenge.  You can read my list of books to read for the challenge, as well as another list of kids/teen books to read for the challenge.

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

Fall Into Reading Challenge 2011

OK, I normally don't DO challenges.  My life is just too hectic.  I find it hard enough to find time to read and blog, let alone taking on additional reading commitments.  But this weekend, I came across a challenge that even I can do!  It's the Fall Into Reading 2011 Challenge, hosted at Callapidder Days, a new-to-me blog I just discovered and will be following.  The rules are simple (you can read the whole list at the above link) - you make your own list, as long or as short as you like, of books you'd like to read this fall.  I can do this!

So, I looked at my normal rate of reading, then came up with a list of 10 grown-up books and 10 kids/teen/YA books (I like to alternate) that I hope to read between now and December 21.  Here's the grown-up side of my list:

1. Smokin' Seventeen by Janet Evanovich
2. The Song Catcher by Sharon McCrumb (my neighborhood book group's next pick)
3. She’s Not There by Jennifer Finney Boylan (next pick for my other book group)
4. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
5. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (for Banned Books week)
6. Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut
7. Reservation Road by John Burnham Schwartz
8. Midwives by Chris Bohjalian
9. The library's book discussion pick for November
10. The library's book discussion pick for December

I chose quite a few short, light books since I just spent the summer reading several Big Books!  All of these books (except the book group picks) are currently sitting on my very overloaded TBR shelf.  I've included a photo so you can see just how "overbooked" I am.  On the top two shelves, everything to the left of the gaps is mine - the short stacks to the right are my husband's - plus the entire bottom shelf...all TBRs waiting to be read!  So, this will give me a good excuse to work down those piles.

If you are interested in my Fall Into Reading list of kids/teen/YA books, head over to Great Books for Kids and Teens.  Sounds like fun?  Join in!

Fiction Review: The Pillars of the Earth

For years, I’d been hearing wonderful things about Ken Follett’s The Pillars of the Earth, but at almost 1000 pages, its size intimidated me.  I was a long-time fan of Follett’s thrillers, but reading such a long book about the building of a cathedral just didn’t grab me.  All those great reviews were right, though, and I was wrong.  I finally took the hefty tome off the bookshelf this summer, and I loved every page.

Summaries of this novel often describe it as being about cathedral building, but that’s such a limited, narrow view.  The Pillars of the Earth is an epic, covering several generations of people, set in twelfth-century England.  Although it is historical fiction, it reads very much like Follett’s earlier thrillers, filled with tension, conflict, and a classic struggle between good and evil.  There is something here for everyone, from battle scenes between knights to fascinating historical events to tender romance and architectural details.

Tom Builder is a talented mason looking for work so that he can feed his family (I loved hearing how people were named after their vocations – one of many fascinating details about the era that Follett brings alive).  Philip is a kindhearted and devout monk whose lifetime goal is to reform the Priory of Kingsbridge and build a new cathedral there.  Lady Aliena is the beautiful young daughter of a powerful earl whose life is about to change dramatically.

The story begins there, with three separate people – and their families and friends – whose lives and fortunes will eventually intersect.  It moves through the intricacies of history, among battles and rebellions, changes in leadership, and the whims of those in charge.  Meanwhile, those larger events affect each of the characters in the story differently, and the reader is brought along through their personal tragedies and joys, all framed within the captivating details of their daily lives.

This is one of those novels where you come to care about the characters (most of them; others you come to hate), where you are cheering them on and hoping things will finally go their way. As in his previous novels, Follett doesn’t shy away from hard truths; this was a brutal time in history, and there are some horrible and disturbing acts of violence in the novel (and not all occur during battle), but that only makes you root for the main characters even harder.   I even found the scenes describing the cathedrals and building process interesting, much to my surprise.

Despite its length, the book never dragged for me.  Follett writes with his usual talent for pulling the reader in and moving the story along at a fast pace.  Yes, I just described an almost-1000 page novel as fast-paced!  Don’t be afraid of the size of the book – just dive in and enjoy the ride. I didn’t want it to end, even after reading it for three weeks.  Now, I can’t wait to watch the DVDs of the TV mini-series adapted from the book – I can’t seem to get enough!

973 pages, New American Library

 

Top Ten Books Everyone Has Read But Me

It's Tuesday and that means Top Ten day over at The Broke and the Bookish!  Head over there and check out all the links.  You can also see my list of Top Ten Kids/Teen Books Everyone Has Read But Me over at Great Books for Kids and Teens.

Today's topic is Top Ten Books It Seems Everyone Has Read But Me.  This is an easy one for me.  I have a long list of classic authors I've never read. 

1. Pride & Prejudice, Sense & Sensibility, Emma…I have never read a Jane Austen novel (I know, I can hardly believe it myself!)
2. Romeo and Juliet – we read plenty of Shakespeare in high school but never this iconic play.
3. Anything by Kurt Vonnegut, though Slaughterhouse Five is sitting on my TBR shelf, waiting.
4. Dune – my husband’s favorite book of all-time and a sci fi classic.
5. Carrie – I read almost every other Stephen King book published over the course of decades but never this first one.
6. The Lord of the Rings – we have a beautiful leather-bound copy on the shelf, but I’ve never read it.
7. Catch-22, though I really want to read it.
8. Gone with the Wind – I’ve seen the movie – does that count?
9. Anything by Ernest Hemingway 
10. Ulysses – I keep thinking I must have read this in school, but I don’t remember reading it.

How about you - what classic or popular books have you never read?

It's Monday 9/19! What Are You Reading?

A friend recently commented to me that she'd seen a movie, and I said, "But I thought that wasn't due into theaters until mid-September."  Then, of course, I realized we are already past mid-September!!  Yikes, where is the month going?  Things have continued to be very, very busy here, so I've had almost no time for either reading or writing blogs.  At least my husband is back home now after a week away, so hopefully that will help this week.  But you came here to hear about books, right?  Here's what we've been reading this week:

• I finally finished The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett!  (pause for applause)  It was excellent, and I enjoyed every minute of it, despite the fact that it took me over three weeks to read.  Now I want to watch the TV mini series based on it.
• Last night, I started The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien, a novel about the Vietnam war that I'm reading for one of my book groups.  I will never finish it before Wednesday, but a friend assured me there's no surprise ending that will be ruined if I go to the discussion only halfway through the book.
• I am still listening to a teen/YA novel, Bruiser, by one of my favorite YA authors, Neal Schusterman.  It's very good, and I'm getting through it fairly quickly.  This is my current car/kitchen audio because it is on CD.
• I also started another audio book on my iPod, Trail of Crumbs: Hunger, Love, and the Search for Home by Kim Sunee.  How could I pass this one up?  It's a memoir about food by someone who grew up in New Orleans - that's three things I love in a book!
• My husband, Ken, had a lot of reading time since he was traveling.  He read an Ed McBain mystery (not sure which one because he left it at his dad's house) - nice, quick paperback, perfect for a plane ride.
• At his dad's house, Ken borrowed and read The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton, one of his first novels.  I've never read it either.
• Ken is now reading The Roar by Emma Clayton, a middle-grade sci fi adventure that our son has highly recommended.
• Jamie, 17, has embarked on another mission to re-read a favorite series.  When we were in the bookstore last week, he saw that Christopher Paolini's 4th book in The Inheritance series is due out in November, so Jamie re-read Eragon and Eldest and is now reading Brisingr, so they will all be fresh in his mind when the last book is released.
• Craig, 13, is reading The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.  He had extra reading time last week because of standardized testing (students are supposed to read if they finish early).

I posted just one review last week (told you I was busy!): The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot which my neighborhood book group enjoyed and discussed last week.

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

Nonfiction Review: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

My neighborhood book group recently read The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot, a book I had long wanted to read, and everyone agreed it was fascinating and well written.  On a scale of 1 to 10, our group rated it a solid 8.

It is the nonfiction story of an African-American woman, Henrietta Lacks, who died of cervical cancer in 1951 and whose cells became invaluable to the medical community and are still in use today by scientists all over the world to study disease, vaccines, treatments, genetics, and more.  There’s more to the story, though.  Henrietta and her family had no idea that doctors had taken Henrietta’s cells for study (a common practice at the time) nor any idea what happened to those cells and how they changed the entire field of medicine.

Henrietta’s family lived in poverty, unable to even afford adequate health care, while various corporations made millions of dollars selling her cells for research.  Her daughter, Deborah, was a toddler when her mother died and knew virtually nothing about her mother’s life or death, until the author began research for this book.

Our group found plenty to talk about.  We discussed the medical implications of Henrietta’s cells, how we felt about her family and the way they’d been ignored, how medical practice has changed over the years, and we came back again and again to the questions of medical ethics raised in the book that are still relevant today.  We also agreed that we’d all been enthralled by the photographs included in the book, of Henrietta and her family and descendants, the perfect accompaniment to Skloot’s talented writing, making the story come alive even more for us.

This book reminded me in some ways of Laura Hillenbrand’s writing (author of Unbroken and Seabiscuit); Skloot has the same talent for telling a true story so that it is as compelling as a good novel.   However, in this case, the author actually became a part of the story, as she got to know Henrietta’s family – and especially Deborah – and became more involved in helping them to understand their mother’s legacy.  She tells Henrietta’s story alongside the tale of how she herself discovered and researched the story, alternating between Henrietta’s past, her own interactions with the family in the present, and the chronicle of Henrietta’s cells and their impact on medicine.  It is an engrossing and thought-provoking book, sure to stay with you long after you finish reading it.

400 pages, Broadway Publishing

It's Monday 9/12! What Are You Reading?

Huh?  What?  Oh, it's Monday?  Ooops!  I had a terrible time sleeping last night (what my husband and I call the Sunday Night Spins, when all the stuff you need to do Monday morning spins around in your head Sunday night).  So, I did know it was Monday today but totally forgot about my usual Monday blog posts!  That gives you some idea of how insanely busy this week is shaping up to be.

So, without further ado, here's what we've been reading this week:

• Yes, I am still reading Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett.  That was probably part of my problem last night - I kept the light on much too late reading!  This book is so compelling and well-written - just as gripping as Follett's thrillers.  I only have 300 pages left!
• I finished an audio book, Sometimes you Feel Like a Nut, a memoir by Jill Kargman that was sometimes hilarious and sometimes just cringe-worthy.  I hope to find time to write a review this week (we'll see!).
• I started a new audio, a teen/YA novel, Bruiser, by one of my favorite YA authors, Neal Schusterman.  So far, so good!
• My husband, Ken, re-read his #1 all-time favorite novel, Dune by Frank Herbert, in record time!  Still his favorite.  He's looking forward to reading some of its sequels next.
• But first, Ken chose an "airplane novel" for today since he's traveling, a small paperback by Ed McBain - sorry, I didn't catch the title before he left.  He also wants to read The Passage, but that is definitely NOT an airplane book!
• Jamie, 17, re-read  the first two books in a favorite series by Tamora Pierce, The Immortals, beginning with Book 1, Wild Magic, and Book 2, Wolf Speaker.  Then, he had to take a break from that series because we no longer have Book 3 (we received a review copy years ago that was put together wrong and missing a bunch of pages!).
• So, Jamie switched gears to another old favorite series, The Farsala Trilogy by Hilari Bell.  He read Books 2 and 3: Rise of a Hero and Forging the Sword.  This is one of his all-time favorites.  He made a trip to Barnes & Noble yesterday to use some birthday credits and spend his allowance, so he is well stocked up, for at least the next few weeks.
• Craig, 13, is thoroughly enjoying The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman.  Now that he has to spend some time reading each day for school, he said to Jamie and I yesterday, "Wow!  This book is really good now that I'm further into it."  We said, "That's what we've been trying to tell you all summer!"  He even asked to read for more time at bedtime last night.  I'll have to remember that he does best with books that jump right into the action.

I did manage some blogging last week.  I posted a review of Wally Lamb's The Hour I First Believed here and a review of the creepy teen/YA novel Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann at Great Books for Kids and Teens.  I also posted lists of Top Ten Sequels I'm Dying to Read and Top Ten Kid/Teen Sequels We're Dying to Read, plus a summary of what I read in August.

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

Books Read in August

September 9 already?  Wow, the past two weeks have been filled with such a flurry of activity, they just flew by in a blur!  So, I am finally getting around to my August summary.  I finished six books last month:

• The Search for Wondla, a middle-grade novel by Tony Diterlizzi
• The Passage by Justin Cronin
• Revolution, a teen audio by Jennifer Donnelly
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (read for my book group)
• Alibi Junior High by Greg Logsted, a middle-grade novel
• Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann, a supernatural teen novel

That's not bad for a busy month, especially since The Passage had almost 800 pages and a few weeks ago, I began another almost-1000 page book!

So, that's just two grown-up books finished, one fiction and one nonfiction, plus two middle-grade novels and two teen novels, both audios - a nice mix.

I enjoyed all of these books very much.  My favorite?  I guess that would have to be The Passage.  And wonder of wonders, I have actually written and posted reviews of all of these, except The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks which I am purposely waiting to write until after our book group discussion next week.  In fact, I've found that reading several huge books that last for weeks has allowed me to catch up on my review backlog.

Where Are You Reading? Summary:  With all those new reviews, I added several new locations to my map this month: Colorado (2), Tennessee, Montana, Nigeria, and France.  So that brings my totals for the year to 13 different states and 7 countries.  I have also discovered that many books are set in England, New York, and Connecticut!


View Where I Am Reading 2011 in a larger map

What were your favorite books read last month?