Big Book Summer Challenge!

Image(s): FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Last year, I came up with the idea to use the relaxed freedom of summer to tackle some of the biggest books on my TBR shelf that I'd been wanting to read but never seemed to have the time for.  Both of my book groups take time off during the summer, so with no interfering commitments, I declared it The Summer of the Big Book and really enjoyed delving into some hefty tomes, like The Passage and Pillars of the Earth.

It was so much fun that I thought I'd share the idea this summer and invite YOU to join me!

I have never hosted a challenge before, but I think I have figured out designing the button (see above) and how to add a links list (we'll see how this goes!)...so let's give this a try!

The Details:
Hey, it's summer, so we'll keep this low-key and easy!

• Anything over 400 pages qualifies as a big book.
• The challenge will run from Memorial Day weekend (yeah, I'm running a bit late already, but it's summer!) through Labor Day weekend.
• Choose one or two or however many big books you want as your goal.
• Choose from what's on your shelves already or a big book you've been meaning to read for ages or anything that catches your eye in the library - whatever peaks your interest!
• Sign up on the links list below or on the Big Book Summer Challenge page.
• Write a post to kick things off - you can list the exact big books you plan to read or just publish your intent to participate, but be sure to include the Big Book Summer Challenge pic above, with a link back to this blog.
• Write a post to wrap up at the end, listing the big books you read during the summer.
• You can write progress posts if you want to and/or reviews of the big books you've read...but you don't have to!  There will be a separate links list for big book review posts.

That's it!  Go check out your shelves and your TBR list and sign up below!

(Don't have a blog?  No problem!  You can still participate in the challenge - just leave a comment in the Comment section, stating your goals for the Big Book Summer Challenge.)

Be sure to include a link to your kick off blog post (not your homepage):

Fiction Review: Faith

Jennifer Haigh has become one of my favorite authors.  Years ago, my neighbor lent me Baker Towers, and, although it didn’t sound like something I’d like, I read it out of a sense of obligation.  I loved it so much that I convinced one of my book groups to select it…and then read it again!  I borrowed my mom’s copy of Mrs. Kimble and enjoyed that as well.  Last summer, I borrowed The Condition (from the same neighbor!) and became wrapped up in that story also.  Haigh has a talent for describing the intricate and complex relationships between family members through interesting and compelling stories.      
 

Faith is set in Boston during the peak of the priest molestation scandal in 2002.  Sheila McGann, brought up in an Irish Catholic family that she escaped years before to move to Philadelphia, tells her family’s story.  Her older brother, Art, chose the priesthood at age 14 and has lived happily within its confines for many decades.  His family is shocked when Art is accused of molesting a young boy, like so many of his colleagues.  Sheila hurries home to Boston to find out the truth about what happened, but she quickly realizes that truth is a complicated and elusive goal.    
 

Art doesn’t answer Sheila’s questions directly and doesn’t defend himself the way that Sheila thinks he should.  Their younger brother, Mike, who barely knew Art as a child, seems to believe the accusations and makes moves to shield his own sons from Art.  Sheila’s mother just wants to pretend that none of this is happening.  As Sheila digs deeper into the details of what’s been going on since she left town – and discovers some long-held secrets within her family – the truth seems even more complex than she ever could have imagined.

Merely describing the plot doesn’t do any of Haigh’s books justice because they delve into the intricacies of family life.  Faith is no different; it is about truth and loyalty, love and family, and of course, faith.  As with The Condition, this new novel also deals with family secrets and the tendency of family members not to communicate with each other, in spite of their love.  It is a thoughtful and thought-provoking book filled with insights into family relationships and spiked with suspense and surprises.  Faith is an excellent choice for book groups; our neighborhood group delved into its complexities for hours.    

318 pages, HarperCollins  

 

     

Faith by Jennifer HaighTrade Paperback

 

It's Monday 5/21! What Are You Reading?

Our crazy, hectic season continues!  Last week was a rough one for me - my husband was away on business, my mom came to visit, my son finished high school, more houseguests came for the weekend, and my younger son had the lead in his school musical!  We went to both shows, Friday and Saturday night, and Craig did an outstanding job as Frederic in The Pirates of Penzance (check out his photo below).  Lots of activity and excitement for all of us!

So, I had no time at all for reading blogs last week or for writing my own reviews or blog posts.  None of us had much reading time, either, though I squeezed in a bit in doctor's waiting rooms last week:

• I finished the teen/YA novel Dead To You by Lisa McMann in record time.  I could hardly bear to set it down - it was absolutely compelling and original, about a teen boy who is returned to his family at 16, after being abducted at 9, and the conflicts that arise as he tries to readjust to his long-lost family.  Amazing book.
• Now I am reading The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern, a novel I borrowed from my mom a few months ago and have been dying to read.  It's a very strange book - unique and magical - but I am becoming immersed in its characters and plot.
• I started a new audio book last week, Ghost Knight by Cornelia Funke, a middle-grade novel about a British boy away at boarding school for the first time who encounters murderous ghosts and must enlist the help of a ghost knight to help fend them off.  It's very good so far.
• My husband, Ken, is still reading George R.R. Martin's A Game of Thrones.  He says the beginning is very confusing, with dozens of different characters to keep track of; he's appreciating the lists and charts at the end!
• Jamie, 17, finished re-reading an old favorite, Peter Raven Under Fire by Michael Molloy, a middle-grade pirate adventure.
• Jamie also re-read The Gray Wolf Throne by Cinda Williams Chima, Book 3 of the Seven Realms series.  He loves this series and can't wait for the release of The Crimson Crown this fall!
• Craig, 14, finished Attack of the Fiend, Book 4 in The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney.  He needs to read one more book before the end of the school year - I'm not sure what he's chosen for his next one.

As I said, no time for writing reviews or other blog posts last week.  Hopefully, things will be a bit less hectic this week!

What are you and your family reading this week?

What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey with a kids/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.

Craig as Frederic (in the striped shirt) in The Pirates of Penzance.

It's Monday 5/14! What Are You Reading?

Just another Manic Monday...

Life continues to be insanely busy, as we hurtle toward the end of the school year and graduation.  Last week, we had play rehearsals, doctor's appointments, physical therapy, soccer, school, and Craig's 8th Grade Semi-Formal Dance (see photo below).  I enjoyed a lovely Mother's Day yesterday - just a quiet day at home with my family (we are usually traveling to spend the weekend with my mom, but she's coming down this week instead).  My husband and sons cooked breakfast for me, gave me flowers and gifts, and took me out for a very nice dinner.  And I finally had some time to start planning our vacation (which is good because it's less than a month away!)  Up this week...lots of houseguests, more doctor's appointments, book group, and Craig's musical (he has the lead in Pirates of Penzance).

So...busy, busy, busy.  Our books provide a brief respite from all the activity:

• I finished Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voight and really enjoyed the warm and tender coming-of-age novel for middle-grade readers and teens.  You can read my review here.
• I also finished Leisl and Po by Lauren Oliver, a wonderful audio book, read by Jim Dale, about a girl who befriends a ghost.
• I just finished reading Faith by Jennifer Haigh for this week's neighborhood book group.  Haigh is one of my favorite authors, and this novel did not disappoint.  It's about a family's reaction when their son/brother, a Catholic priest, is accused of molesting a young boy during the flurry of such accusations in Boston about ten years ago.  It is haunting and thought-provoking.
• Last night, I started a new teen/YA novel, Dead to You by Lisa McMann.  I loved McMann's Wake trilogy and her novel, Cryer's Cross.  Although I just started it, this novel about an abducted teen returned to his family after 9 years, already has me in its grip.
• My husband, Ken, finished Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson and enjoyed the psychological thriller about a woman with amnesia.
• Ken is now reading A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin, a gift I gave him for Easter.  Neither of us have read this popular series (or watched its spin-off TV show), but I thought it sounded like something he'd really like.  He says it is very complicated, with lots of characters, so it takes a while to get into, but he's enjoying it so far.
• Jamie, 17, finished re-reading The Exiled Queen, Book 2 in the Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams, one of his new favorites.
• While he is waiting for Book 3 from the library, Jamie picked up another old favorite, Peter Raven Under Fire by Michael Molloy, a middle-grade pirate adventure that he has probably read at least four times before!  This is his version of comfort food.
• Craig, 14, is almost finished with Attack of the Fiend, Book 4 in The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney.  He loves this series!

I managed to write two book reviews last week:  Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson and Dicey's Song by Cynthia Voight, a middle-grade/teen novel.  I also posted a clip from the news about Little Libraries, an idea I just loved!

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey with a kids/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)

Craig and his friends ready for their semi-formal (Craig is in the middle, in black)

Fiction Review: Before I Go To Sleep

I had heard great things about the psychological thriller Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson, so I was excited when one of my book groups chose it for our May selection.  It more than fulfilled my expectations with mystery and suspense that kept me turning the pages way past my usual bedtime.

This novel with the unique peek-a-boo cover (you have to check this out!) also has a unique plot.  The main character, Christine, has a form of amnesia where she loses each day’s memories every night while she sleeps.  In fact, she can remember nothing of her life since the accident that caused her amnesia over 20 years ago.  So, she wakes up every morning, thinking she is twenty-something, not recognizing where she is or who is sleeping next to her.  Each morning, after a panicked run to the bathroom where she confronts a disturbingly older image in the mirror than she expected and dozens of photographs on the walls, her husband, Ben, patiently reminds her of who she is and who he is.

As you can imagine, it is a confusing and frustrating way to live.  Then, one morning, after her husband, Ben, has left for work, Christine gets a phone call from a doctor who explains that he has been working with her to restore her memory and that she has been keeping a journal hidden in her closet that will explain more.  Christine goes to the closet, finds the journal, and discovers that the first page says, “Don’t trust Ben.”

Chilling, right?  She is shocked by this self-warning not to trust the one person she is relying on for everything.  And that’s just the beginning!  Most of the novel is in the form of Christine’s journal that she has been adding to every day with reminders from her doctor, allowing herself to finally recall certain facts from one day to the next.  As brief flashes of memory begin to come back to her and each day’s journal entry builds on the last, an alarming pattern begins to emerge, indicating that Ben is lying to her about certain things.

The reader flips through each page as urgently as Christine herself does, learning more with each days’ entry as a sense of foreboding builds, until the novel’s nail-biting final scene.  This gripping novel makes you want to carry the book everywhere with you and rush through the pages.  It’s like the book version of a really clever and suspenseful movie (one reviewer compared it to Momento).  I enjoyed every minute of this book, as did the other members of my book group, and my husband, who picked it up as soon as I finished it! 

358 pages, HarperCollins

NOTE: Christine's form of amnesia is not merely a fictional construct; there really are people whose memory "resets" after a short period of time.  Oliver Sacks told of several such cases, including one man whose memory reset every 7 minutes, in his nonfiction book, Musicophilia, which I read last year.  It is truly fascinating (and horrifying).

 

Little Libraries

I just read about Little Libraries in the AARP magazine (yes, I now read AARP - it's actually pretty good!).  This is a very cool project, providing mini "libraries" (aka book swap spots) for the community.

Here a news video about the project:

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Doesn't this sound like fun?  I want to start a Little Library!

For more information, to find the location of Little Libraries, or for tips on starting your own, visit the Little Libraries website.

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

Life is still insanely busy and rushing past at breakneck speed, but I did manage to do some catching up on my book blogs last week!

Despite the busy week, we all enjoyed some good books:

• I finished Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson, a unique thriller about a woman with amnesia that kept me captivated until the very last page.  Everyone in my book group enjoyed it, too.
• I am now reading Dicey's Song, a middle-grade/teen novel by Cynthia Voight, part of her award-winning series about the Tillerman family.  The books have recently been re-released, and this is my first time reading any of them.  It is excellent - warm and real, about four siblings who have lost their mother and gone to live with their previously unknown grandmother in another state.
• I am also still listening to Leisl and Po by Lauren Oliver on audio.  I am almost done (finally) with this excellent middle-grade novel about a girl and a ghost.
• My husband, Ken, temporarily set aside The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman, a nonfiction book about World War II, so that he could read Before I Go To Sleep before it is due back to the library!  I think he is enjoying the unique suspense novel so far.
• Jamie, 17, finished re-reading Maddigan's Fantasia by Margaret Mahy, one of his all-time favorite novels.  He and I are still reading lots of ancient Persian poetry and prose, trying to get him caught up in his World Lit class.  Not the most exciting stuff I've ever read.
• When he needs a break from all his make-up schoolwork, Jamie is re-reading The Exiled Queen, Book 2 of The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima.
• Craig, 14, is reading Book 4 of The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney, Attack of the Fiend.

As I said, I finally had the chance to catch up on reviews last week.  I posted:

• Review of The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, a British novel that won the Man Booker Prize for best novel last year and kept me engaged with its thoughtful story of a man looking back at his life;
• Review of another British novel (I've been on a British streak lately), The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart, which was entirely different, with its funny, warm look at love and marriage;
• A summary of the books I read in April;
• Review of Ship Breaker, a teen/YA dystopian audio that my family enjoyed on a recent road trip;
• And a review of the middle-grade novel Night of the Spadefoot Toads by Bill Harley.

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a middle-grade/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)

Snapshot Saturday 5/5

At Home with Books hosts Saturday Snapshot. 

Happy Cinco de Mayo!  This is a photo of my 17-year old son and his date, ready to go to his senior prom last night.  My son has several serious chronic illnesses and spent much of this past year bedridden, so seeing him well enough to enjoy his prom last night meant so much to our family!  He lasted until about midnight and says he had a great time.

Today we are resting!

Hope you are all enjoying a good weekend.

Books Read in April

Are you freakin' kidding me?  May already?  That's just not possible.  From now until June, things will be insanely busy with end-of-school stuff, graduation stuff, soccer stuff, school play stuff, etc.  I enjoyed all the flowering trees in my neighborhood this month and also some great books:

• The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart, a warm and light British novel read for a book group.
• The Night of the Spadefoot Toads by Bill Harley, a middle-grade novel.
• Ship Breaker by Paolo Bagocalupi, a teen/YA dystopian novel on audio.
• Looking for Bobowicz by Daniel Pinkwater, a hilarious middle-grade audio that our family has listened to at least 4 times now!
• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, a wonderful novel (and I got to hear the author speak this month, too!).
• The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, winner of the Man Booker Prize for fiction last year.

 So, it was an all-fiction month, with two middle-grade novels, one teen/YA, and three grown-up novels.  I enjoyed all of them.  My favorite was Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet; it was so well-written, warm and tender, and set in a fascinating historical setting (the Japanese internment during World War II) - an all-around winner!  The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise was a close runner-up, with its great sense of humor.

I am behind in writing reviews but have been working to catch up this week.  Stay tuned!

As for my 2012 Reading Challenges, I added 4 new states to my Where Are You Reading Challenge (Massachusetts, New Jersey, Louisiana, and Washington), plus 2 more books set in England (I've been on a British streak lately!), so I am now up to 16 different states and 4 different countries outside the US.  I added a third novel - Ship Breaker - to my Dystopian Challenge list.  I read nothing at all from my TBR shelf this month, so I need to get back to that in May.  And I read no memoirs, either.  I did add one title to my What's In a Name Challenge - I think spadefoot toads qualify as creepy-crawlies, don't you?

What were your favorite books read in April?

Fiction Review: The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise

Recently, my neighborhood book group read a novel that has been on my want-to-read list for a long time: The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart.  This novel is an import from the UK that features warmth, romance, and a great sense of humor.

Balthazar Jones works as a guard in traditional dress (aka a Beefeater) at the Tower of London.  Like all Tower employees, he lives within the tourist attraction with his wife, Hebe, and their 181-year old tortoise (this is apparently true, that all Tower employees live within its walls).  All sorts of quirky characters live within this odd housing development: a bachelor minister who is secretly a popular author of erotica, the Ravenmaster who is cheating on his wife, the single owner of the Tower residents’ pub who has just found out she is pregnant, and more.  Into this eccentric mix is a new twist:  the Queen has decided to move her royal menagerie, featuring all sorts of exotic animals given to her as gifts from foreign leaders, to the Tower, and since Balthazar has taken such good care of his ancient tortoise, he is put in charge.

Hebe’s job is even more amusing.  She works at the London Underground’s Department of Lost Things, where she and her co-worker record each lost item as it is brought in, from false teeth (they currently have 457 sets!) to a locked safe to a life-sized inflatable doll, until someone comes to claim them.  This was my favorite part of the book, when Hebe was at work, surrounded by all of these ridiculous items, her story told in a straightforward way with that particular British knack for subtle (and not-so) humor.

However, this novel is not just about laughs (though there are plenty); it has considerable emotional depth.  Balthazar and Hebe recently lost their young son and are each grieving in their own way, becoming more and more distant from each other right when they each need the other the most.  Meanwhile, Reverend Septimus Drew desperately wants to be married and start his own family but doesn’t know how to approach the woman he is secretly in love with (yes, a bit of irony there since he is so adept at writing racy romances!). 

It’s a novel about relationships and love and marriage, about what brings people together and tears them apart, set amidst the silliness of the Tower’s new animal residents and the outrageous items brought into Hebe’s workplace.  Stuart seamlessly blends humor and tenderness into a story that is both light and earnest.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and have been recommending it to both my American and British friends.  Just writing about it now makes me want to read it again!

304 pages, Knopf Doubleday

Random House Audio

NOTE:  The novel was originally published in the UK under the title Balthazar Jones and the Tower of London Zoo.

Although the book was republished for an American audience, it retains its unique British voice.  Several times while reading it, I had to quiz my online UK friends on various terms (though not so much that it interfered with my enjoyment of the book).  In case you were wondering,  a swede in the UK is what we call a rutabaga here, and it is apparently enjoyed by bearded pigs.

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 and/ordownload it from Audible.

Or get this audiobook from Libro.fm and support local bookstores (audio sample here, too).

 

Print and e-book from Amazon.

 

Fiction Review: The Sense of an Ending

I heard discussions of Julian Barnes’ slim novel, The Sense of an Ending, on two of my favorite book podcasts, Books on the Nightstand and The Readers.  The novel won the Man Booker Prize for fiction last year and was attracting a lot of attention.  Although my reading is normally somewhat regulated – by review books, book club selections, books sitting on my TBR shelf, etc. – after the podcasts, I went right to my library’s website and requested the novel.  I enjoyed getting to read a recommended book right away (instead of watching it sit on my TBR list for years!), and I enjoyed the novel very much.

Tony Webster is a middle-aged British man who sees himself as very average, perhaps even dull, having lived an average life and enjoying an average retirement.  In an effort to understand a friend’s unexpected death and a very odd inheritance left to him by an acquaintance he didn’t even know very well, Tony looks back over his life, trying to make sense of this puzzling new information from his past that has just come to light.  He starts with high school, remembering certain key events that he realizes in hindsight may have had repercussions far into the future.  He goes back through his life, recalling key events and things he thought were insignificant at the time, trying to sift through his memories and understand how things led where they did.

It is a thought-provoking novel, as Tony ponders the meaning of time:

We live in time – it holds us and molds us – but I’ve never felt I understood it well…. I mean ordinary, everyday time, which clocks and watches assure us passes regularly: tick-tock, click-clock.  Is there anything more plausible than a second hand?  And yet it takes only the smallest pleasure or pain to teach us time’s malleability.  Some emotions speed it up, others slow it down; occasionally, it seems to go missing – until the eventual point when it really does go missing, never to return.

And he also recalls the musings of a friend in History class on the paradoxes of memory:

“History is that certainty produced at the point where the imperfections of memory meet the inadequacies of documentation.”

And this last quote is at the heart of the novel and Tony’s reflections.  Can his memory be relied upon as accurate?  Did events occur as he remembers?  How did the perceptions of his friends differ from his own?  Despite this philosophical bent and the definite characteristics of “literary fiction,” the novel moves along at a nice pace and is very engaging.  There is even a bit of suspense, as Tony attempts to unravel the mysteries of the past and his role in it.  I thoroughly enjoyed this short novel and would love to read more from Barnes. The award was well-deserved.

163 pages, Alfred A. Knopf

It's Monday 4/30! What Are You Reading?

Monday already?  The weekend went by in a flash - very busy!  In fact, I've had almost no time for writing reviews the past few weeks, so my backlog keeps growing!  My family and I have been reading, though:

• I finished the middle-grade novel The Night of the Spadefoot Toads by Bill Harley and enjoyed it, though it was different than I expected.
• Next I read The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, a novel which was short-listed for the Man Booker prize.  I'd heard it mentioned on several of my favorite book podcasts, so I requested it from the library.  It was very good, a literary novel but surprisingly engaging and even a bit suspenseful.
• I am now reading Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson for one of my book groups that meets this week.  I love this book!!  I hate to set it down, have been staying up way too late reading (promising myself, "Just one more page..."), and even trying to squeeze in 5 minutes of reading time wherever I can.  It's hugely suspenseful, about a woman who's lost her memory, so she wakes each morning having no idea who she is or who the man sleeping beside her is.  The bulk of the novel is her journal, where she is trying to put together the puzzle of her past and how she came to be this way.  Fabulous!
• I am still listening to Liesl and Po, a middle-grade audio by Lauren Oliver which is very good so far.
• My husband, Ken, finished Black Hills by Dan Simmons, a historical novel set in one of our favorite places, the Black Hills region of South Dakota.  He said it was very good.
• He is now reading The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman on his Kindle, a novel set during World War II.
• Jamie, 17, hasn't been reading nearly as much as he usually does because he has just one month left to finish all his school work in time for graduation (he missed over 70 days of school this year due to medical problems), so he's been concentrating on that.  He and I were reading some ancient Persian poetry for his World Lit class last week (it is just as exciting as it sounds).  For fun, he is still re-reading one of his all-time favorite novels Maddigan's Fantasia by Margaret Mahy.
• Jamie finished An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina, the autobiography that inspired the movie Hotel Rwanda, for his World Lit class.  He said it was an excellent book, fascinating and stunning, and that I have to read it!
• Craig is reading Attack of the Fiend, Book 4 in The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney.  He loves this series!

So, lots of good readings last week, but no blog posts other than my Monday summary! I am hoping to get back on track this week.

What are you and your family reading?

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kids/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)

It's Monday 4/23! What Are You Reading?

Busy week!  And it's only going to get busier over the next 2 months...my oldest son is graduating from high school, my youngest "graduates" from middle school and is playing the lead in his school musical, soccer season is in full swing...whew!  We had house guests this weekend, too (my mom and her husband), so none of us had much time for books this past week, but here's what we are reading:

• I finished Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford and loved it.  I went to hear the author talk on Wednesday (the book was our County Reads selection for this year), and he was wonderful - very entertaining, with a great sense of humor!
• I am now reading a middle-grade novel, The Night of the Spadefoot Toads by Bill Harley, a favorite storyteller and entertainer of ours.  It's very good so far but different than I expected.
• My husband, Ken, is still reading Black Hills by Dan Simmons and enjoying it.  We are now planning to visit the South Dakota Black Hills this summer (he has family there), and he says the novel is making him excited to visit again!
• Jamie, 17, is still re-reading one of his favorite novels, Maddigan's Fantasia by Margaret Mahy.  He hasn't had much reading time lately because he has been back in school most days and trying to catch up so he can graduate on time.
• Jamie is also reading An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina, an autobiography by the man who inspired the movie Hotel Rwanda, for his World Lit class.  Jamie says it is an eye-opening, fascinating book.  I think I will have to read this one, too!
• Craig, 14, is reading Book 4 of The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney, Attack of the Fiend.  He really enjoys this series!
• I am listening to Liesl and Po by Lauren Oliver on audio, a middle-grade novel about a girl who befriends a ghost.  It's very good so far.
• And, since my mom is staying with us for a few more days, I will include her in this week's overview.  She borrowed and just started reading The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson, based on my recommendation.  She is laughing already!

I posted a review of The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid last week but didn't have time for any other blog posts.

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kid/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)

So many gorgeous flowering trees in our neighborhood last week!

Nonfiction Review: The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid

My husband and I have enjoyed many of Bill Bryson’s books, especially A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail, but I think I have a new favorite now: Bryson’s memoir of growing up in the 1950’s, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid.  I bought it for my husband several years ago and have been meaning to read it myself.  I finally tackled my TBR shelf (thanks in part to my 12 in ’12 Challenge), and laughed my way through this amusing and engaging memoir.

Bryson’s memoir is an interesting mix of observations of the time (the 1950’s) and remembrances of his own childhood.  He is well known for his ability to find the humor in any situation, and this book is no exception.  Right from the first pages, I was laughing out loud and reading passages to my husband (even though he’d already read the book himself!). 

Bryson describes the 1950’s as a time of happiness and prosperity, post-war and pre-hippies, in central Iowa where he grew up in a classic Midwest American suburb.  He uses fascinating facts and figures to complement his first-person narrative, like this passage:

(In 1951…) Americans owned 80 percent of the world’s electrical goods, controlled two-thirds of the world’s productive capacity, produced more than 40 percent of its electricity, 60 percent of its oil, and 66 percent of its steel.  The 5 percent of people on Earth who were Americans had more wealth than the other 95 percent combined.

In many cases, he combines these sorts of observations of the time with hilarious tales of his own adventures, often laced with Bryson’s trademark exaggeration, as here where he is talking about what it was like to be a kid in the 50’s:

Life in Kid World, wherever you went, was unsupervised, unregulated, and robustly – at times, insanely – physical, and yet it was a remarkably peaceable place.  Kids’ fights never went too far, which is extraordinary when you consider how ill-controlled children’s tempers are.  Once when I was about six, I saw a kid throw a rock at another kid, from quite a distance, and it bounced off the target’s head (quite beautifully I have to say) and made him bleed.  This was talked about for years.  The kid who did it was sent for about ten thousand hours of therapy.

He reminisces about the freedom and joys of being a kid at that time and in that place, pokes fun at his father’s eccentricities (that passage about his habit of wearing nothing from the waist down at night is hilarious!) and his mother’s cooking, and recounts all sorts of adventures he and his friends had.  The book is just plain fun.  It is also surprisingly informative.  I really enjoyed this delightful trip down memory lane with Bryson, laughing all the way.

268 pages, Broadway Books

P.S. If you enjoyed this book, you might also like another humorous memoir of growing up in the 1950’s, Too Close to the Falls by Catherine Glidner, which my neighborhood book group overwhelmingly enjoyed.

 

It's Monday 4/16! What Are You Reading?

We are back home from spring break, after visiting my father-in-law in Oklahoma last week.  It was a good visit but a loooong drive home (mostly in the rain) this weekend.  The weather was so bad, we weren't even able to camp; we had to stay in hotels on the way home.  But now we're home...and facing lots of unpacking and catching up today.

We enjoyed some good books while we were away:

• I have been reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.  I absolutely LOVE this novel about two children separated by the Japanese internment during World War II.  I just want to keep reading and hate to set it down!  The author is speaking here in my town this week, so I am hoping to attend his talk (this is our County Reads selection).
• My husband, Ken, is still reading Black Hills, a historical novel by Dan Simmons set in one of our favorite places, where he has family.
• After finishing The Farsala Trilogy by Hilari Bell, Jamie, 17, re-read one of his all-time favorite novels, Maddigan's Fantasia by Margaret Mahy.
• Craig, 14, is reading Book 4 of The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney, Attack of the Fiend.  I read some of it with him during our trip.  He loves this series!
• In the car, we finished listening to Ship Breaker by award-winning author Paolo Bagicalupi, a  teen/YA dystopian novel (and a Printz honor winner) that we all enjoyed.  It was dark, action-packed, and gripping.
• And I read a big stack of magazines in the car.  That's my guilty pleasure for long car rides!  I never have time to look through magazines normally, so they just stack up.  I can't read books in the car without getting sick, but I can manage flipping through magazines, so I enjoyed that little break.

On vacation last week at my father-in-law's, I had plenty of time away from my to-do lists, so I wrote two book reviews:  the audio book Falling Together by Marisa De los Santos and the wonderful middle-grade novel Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood.  I also posted a discussion of the movie The Hunger Games which we finally had a chance to see while we were on vacation!

What are you and your  family reading this week?

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kids/teen version hosted at Teach Mentor Texts.)

Enjoying a campfire in Tennessee

Fiction Review: Falling Together

Last year, I read Love Walked In by Marisa De los Santos and enjoyed the novel, so I was eager to read her latest book, Falling Together.  I listened to it on audio, and I enjoyed the story and the narration, though I felt that it sort of rambled and lost focus at times.

Falling Together tells a rather complex story of three best friends who met in college.  Pen, Cat, and Will (yes, unusual names) were inseparable throughout their college years and felt they had a unique, unbreakable bond that would last a lifetime.  But, after college, they agreed to split up and have no contact with each other, for reasons that are explained later in the novel.  Six years later, Pen and Will each get an urgent and mysterious e-mail from Cat, asking them to come to their college reunion to meet her.

The novel switches back and forth between the present and the past, gradually filling in the story of how the friends met and, eventually, why they parted.  In the present storyline, the reader learns what Pen and Will have each been doing since they said good-bye and how their lives have changed in the intervening years.

It’s a good story, unique and well told, with likable main characters.  At times, I felt that the narrative wandered a bit and lost focus, occasionally straying off on a tangent.  This could have been in part due to the way I listen to audio books; I rarely have more than 15 minutes at a time to listen, so I hear the story in short increments.  But overall, I liked Pen and Will, and I wanted them to reunite with Cat and work out all of their problems.  It’s a story not only about friendship but also about love and family. 

HarperAudio

It's Monday 4/9! What Are You Reading?

Happy spring break!  I hope everyone had a nice Easter.  We were camping Easter morning (but the bunny found us!) and arrived in time for an Easter dinner with my father-in-law in Oklahoma.

Not a lot of time for reading last week, between packing for our trip and several days spent driving (I can't read in the car, unfortunately), though the road trip gave us a chance to listen to audio books.  Here's what we read last week:

• I just (this morning!) finished The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart.  I was only about halfway through it when my book group met last Wednesday, so I excused myself to the bathroom while they discussed the ending!  I really enjoyed this unique British book about love and relationships with a fabulous sense of humor.
• My husband, Ken, is reading and enjoying Black Hills by Dan Simmons, a historical novel set in South Dakota's Black Hills, a favorite vacation spot of ours where some of my husband's family lives.
• Jamie, 17, has no problem reading in the car, so he reads nonstop on road trips!  Before we left home, he read Book 4 of the Tunnels series by Roderick Gordon, Closer.  He loves this series and can't wait for Book 5's release in May!
• During our drive, Jamie reread one of his favorite series, The Farsala Trilogy by Hilari Bell.  He read Book 1: Fall of a Kingdom, Book 2: Rise of a Hero, and Book 3: Forging the Sword.  This is one of Jamie's all-time favorites; he really wants his brother to read it.
• Craig, 14, is reading Book 4 of The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney, Attack of the Fiend.  This is the furthest he's ever read in a series, so it must be pretty good!
• And...our audio books!  We finally found our own copy of our family's all-time favorite audio book, Looking for Bobowicz by Daniel Pinkwater, so we started our trip by listening to that...again!  This is probably the 5th time we've listened to it, and we still laughed like crazy.  Many lines from this book have made it into our family lingo.  It's a silly little middle-grade novel, but Daniel Pinkwater is just hilarious - both his writing and his reading of the audio.  Classic.
• We also started a new teen/YA dystopian audio, Ship Breaker by Paolo Bagicalupi, which won multiple awards.  It is very good so far, a unique story of a grim future on the Gulf Coast with a likable main character.

No time for reviews last week, but I did post my summary of Books Read in March.

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kid/teen version hosted at Teach Mentor Texts.)

Easter Morning at Wooly Hollow State Park, Arkansas

Books Read in March

Wow, March seemed to go by in a flash!  And, oddly enough, it came in like a lamb, with 80 degree weather, and went out like a lion this week, with temperatures in the 30's at night and high winds.  I love seeing the bursts of color everywhere and am looking forward to April.

In March, I read:

• Irises by Francisco X. Stork, a teen/YA novel.
• The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake by Aimee Bender, a unique novel I read for our library's book discussion.
• An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, a teen/YA novel and my first John Green, finally!
• The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, a hilarious childhood memoir by Bill Bryson.
• Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood, a middle-grade novel set in Mississippi in the 60's.
• Falling Together by Marisa De los Santos, a novel listened to on audio.

So, a total of six books - that seems to be my usual monthly achievement!  I read/listened to 2 adult novels, 1 memoir, 2 teen/YA novels, and a middle-grade novel so that was a nice mix. I'm a bit behind in reviews but hope to catch up over spring break.

My favorite?  Tough call, but I think I enjoyed The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid the most, though The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake was a close second.

As for my 2012 Reading Challenges, I added 5 new states to my Where Are You Reading list: California, Texas, Mississippi, Iowa, Pennsylvania and added a second book set in Tennessee.  I didn't read any new dystopian novels this month, but I did read my first memoir of the year for the Memorable Memoirs Challenge.  For the 12 in '12 Challenge, I added one more book (for a total of 3 so far) from my TBR shelf, all 3 recommended by my husband.  It's clear I should have listened to him and read these long ago!  And I finally added one title to the What's In a Name Challenge: something you'd see in the sky (thunderbolt).  I was starting to wonder if I'd ever make progress on that one!

How was your reading month in March? What were your favorites?

It's Monday 4/2! What Are Your Reading?

Wow, April already.  Funny thing is that it felt like spring in early March and now it feels almost wintry again!  March came in like a lamb and went out like a lion this year!

Very busy week with school stuff, soccer starting, spring break preparations, plus dealing with my younger son's knee injury (still waiting for MRI results to hear how bad it is).  As always, though, our books provided a little respite from the chaos.  Here's what we're reading:

• I finished - and thoroughly enjoyed - Bill Bryson's memoir of growing up in the 50's, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid.  Interesting and very entertaining.
• I also finished (finally) my audio book, Falling Together by Marisa De los Santos, and enjoyed that one, too.
• I started a new audio, the middle-grade novel Leisl and Po by Lauren Oliver.  So far, it is reminding me a bit in tone and story of The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (which is obviously a compliment!).
• Next, I read another middle-grade novel, Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood, set in 1964 in Mississippi.  It's a young girl's view of the civil rights battles going on in her small town; it was very good.
• I am now reading The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart for my neighborhood book group.  It's very good so far, quite amusing.  I waited too long to start it (again!), so I have a lot of reading to do before Wednesday!
• My husband, Ken, is reading Black Hills by Dan Simmons, a historical novel set in the Black Hills region of South Dakota.  Besides being a good novel so far, this book has special significance for Ken because part of his family lives in that area, which he has visited frequently since he was a kid.  We are thinking of going back this summer.
• On his Kindle during our son's many medical appointments this week, Ken has been reading The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman.  I may have to borrow his Kindle so I can read this one!
• Jamie, 17, finished re-reading The Books of Umber trilogy by P.W. Catanese and moved onto re-reading the Tunnels series by Brian James Williams and Roderick Gordon.  He has read Book 1: Tunnels, Book 2: Deeper, and is now reading Book 3: Freefall.  These are each over 600 pages long!  I read - and enjoyed - Tunnels but have never found the time to tackle the rest of the series.  Jamie says it just gets better and better.
• For his World Lit class, Jamie is reading An Ordinary Man, an autobiography of Paul Rusesabagina, the book that inspired the movie Hotel Rwanda.  I really want to read this one when he is done with it.  
• Craig, 14, is reading more than usual because his injury is keeping him off his feet (but he is still going stir-crazy!).  He finished The Voyage of the Frog by Gary Paulsen.
• With the end of the marking period behind him, Craig went back to continue the longer novel he'd started a few weeks ago, Night of the Soul Stealer by Joseph Delaney, Book 3 of The Last Apprentice series.

I posted one review last week, the teen/YA novel An Abundance of Katherines by John Green.  I also posted lists of the Top Ten Books I'd Like to Play Hooky With and Top Ten Kids/Teen Books I'd Like to Play Hooky With.

And, finally, I am looking for audio book suggestions for our upcoming family road trip and would love to hear your recommendations!

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kids/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)

Top Ten Books I'd Play Hooky With

It's Tuesday and that means it's Top Ten day over at The Broke and the Bookish.  Stop by their blog to read all of the great lists this week!


Today's topic is Top Ten Books On My Shelf I'd Like to Play Hooky With.  This is an easy one for me!  My TBR shelves are always overflowing.  And the thought of it - an entire day with nothing to do but read! - just makes my heart go pitter-patter.  Maybe someday...

In the meantime I can dream.  Here are the Top Ten Books On My Shelf I'd Like to Play Hooky With:

• Freedom by Jonathan Franzen - I've been meaning to read this for ages, but it is a long one.
• The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern - I bought this for my mom for Christmas, and she loved it and lent it to me (the best kind of gift!)
• Caleb's Crossing by Geraldine Brooks - a Christmas gift from my husband; I love Brooks' novels.
• Time and Again by Jack Finney - another Christmas gift from my hubby - I love time travel plots!
• Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand - my personal hero, since she became a best-selling writer while suffering with the same illness I have - this one has been on my shelf since LAST Christmas!
• The Lost Girls by Jennifer Baggett, Holly Corbett & Amanda Pressner - a memoir about travel - perfect for me.
• Emma by Jane Austen - yes, I STILL haven't read any Austen!
• 11/22/63 by Stephen King - dying to read this but it is a big commitment at almost 900 pages!
• The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver - recommended by pretty much everyone I know.
• Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford - the choice for our New Castle Country Reads program for April, I'm hoping to get to this one soon.

How about you?  What book(s) would you grab if you could play hooky for a day and do nothing but read?

(If you'd like to see my list of Top Ten Kids/Teen/YA Books I Want to Play Hooky With, check out Great Books for Kids and Teens.)