It's Monday 6/29! What Are You Reading?

We spent the weekend visiting my Dad who has stage 4 melanoma and another family member in the hospital. Dad was in the hospital all last week and unable to eat at all, so he was very weak and frail this weekend. We got some of his favorite foods to tempt his appetite back and watched some old home movies. It was good to spend time with him and his wife but tough to see him so weak. Long drives, too, but I hated to leave.

So, some tough times here, but as always, we enjoyed our books this week:

• I finished my second Big Book of the Summer, Revolution by Deborah Wiles, a middle-grade novel set in Mississippi during the summer of 1964, the Freedom Summer. I knew nothing about the events in Mississippi that summer, so the historical backdrop was fascinating, alongside a compelling fictional story of both white and black kids in one town. This book just blew my mind - a must-read.
• I also finished the middle-grade graphic novel The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy's Great Idea by Raina Telgemeier, based on the popular series by Ann M. Martin from the late 80's. I was already in college when the original novels came out, but I enjoyed this graphic novel adaptation.
• Last night, I started One Thousand White Women: the Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus, a historic novel I have been wanting to read for years - and that has been sitting on my bookshelf for years! This will be my third Big Book of the Summer.
• I didn't start a new audio book last week - instead, I focused on catching up on some of my favorite book podcasts.
• My husband, Ken, read a teen/YA dystopian novel that my son and I both enjoyed, Sharp North by Patrick Cave (in fact, it was one of my Big Book Summer reads in 2012). He liked it and pointed out that there is a sequel, which my son and I both missed!
• Last night, Ken started A Simple Plan by Scott Smith, one of the books I gave him for Father's Day. It was recommended by Michael on Books on the Nightstand, my favorite podcast.
• Jamie, 20, finished a review book we received last year: The Grace of Kings by Ken Lui, book one in The Dandelion Dynasty, an epic fantasy novel (his favorite kind!) and also a Big Book. He liked it very much and is looking forward to the rest of the series.
• Jamie is now reading Winterbirth, book one in The Godless World series by Brian Ruckley, another fantasy series that sounds right up his alley!

Too busy last week for many blog posts, but I managed two:

Top Ten Favorite Top Ten Tuesday Posts - Some great book suggestions, going back to 2009

Review of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, a novel my book club enjoyed

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 Unleashing Readers.     

July is just starting this week, so you still have plenty of time to join the Big Book Summer Challenge and join the fun! You only need to read 1 book (though you can read more if you want) longer than 400 pages to participate. And this year, for the first time, there'll be a Big Book Giveaway at the end of the summer for participants!

Fiction Review: The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce has been on my want-to-read list since its release in 2012, when it garnered plenty of rave reviews, so I was delighted when my neighborhood book group chose it for our June selection. Everyone in the group enjoyed this unique novel that starts out light but digs deeper as you read.

Harold Fry leads a very routine, ordinary life. He is retired and lives with his wife, Maureen, in an English village on the southern coast. A letter arrives one morning that shakes up Harold’s routine and changes his life. An old work colleague named Queenie has written to Harold to let him know she is in hospice and to say good-bye. Harold hasn’t heard from Queenie in twenty years, since she left both her job and the area suddenly. Harold is moved by this reminder of the past from an old friend and writes her a short note in reply.

Harold heads out the front door to mail his letter to Queenie…and he just keeps walking. He passes mailbox after mailbox and finally decides – after a fateful talk with a girl working in a garage – to deliver the letter to Queenie in person. For reasons even he doesn’t understand, Harold feels strongly that he must walk the entire 600 miles to Queenie in the northern-most town in England. He feels that somehow she will keep living as long as he keeps walking.

He is ill-equipped for such an expedition, since he just stepped out to walk to the mailbox, but he feels that that is part of his quest, too – to make his walk just as he is, in his boat shoes and light jacket. Maureen is not too happy when he calls her from a couple of towns over to tell her of his intention, but he keeps walking. Along the way, Harold meets all kinds of interesting people. More importantly, as he walks, he thinks and delves into long-forgotten memories.

The most interesting, clever thing about this novel is the way that the tone matches the content. It starts out as a light, fun story, with plenty of moments of humor. Similarly, Harold’s thoughts start out fairly shallow, as neither he nor Maureen have thought about or talked about anything of importance in a long time. As he walks, though, the layers begin to peel away, and he gradually digs deeper into his thoughts and memories to sorrows and pain that he has buried for a long time. Meanwhile, back at home, Maureen gets over her anger and actually begins to miss Harold for the first time in a long time.

The story is filled with the kind of philosophical musings I love in a book, as Harold shares his growing insights. I marked many passages I could relate to, like this one, about human nature and meeting other people:

“He had learned that it was the smallness of people that filled him with wonder and tenderness, and the loneliness of that too. The world was made up of people putting one foot in front of the other; and a life might appear ordinary simply because the person living it had been doing so for a long time. Harold could no longer pass a stranger without acknowledging the truth that everyone was the same, and also unique; and this was the dilemma of being human.”

This unique novel has two levels – Harold’s real-time adventures as he walks and his internal musings as he excavates long-buried feelings. Along the way, the mystery of what happened between him and Queenie and why she left is gradually revealed, as Harold allows himself to remember what happened. Meanwhile, back at home, Maureen is similarly facing her own memories and sorrows for the first time in decades.

Our book group universally enjoyed this one-of-a-kind novel about a physical and emotional journey. No one rated it lower than a 7, and it garnered several 9’s and 10’s in our group. Its depth surprised many of us, and we found we had a lot to discuss. Many of us, myself included, are now interested in reading its sequel, The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessey, in which Queenie writes to Harold during his long walk, all about her life and her secrets. Rachel Joyce is a talented author, and I look forward to seeing what she comes up with next.

320 pages, Random House

   

Top Ten Favorite Top Ten Tuesday Posts

I haven't had the time to participate in Top Ten Tuesday very often lately, but this week's reminiscing topic appealed to me. Although this weekly meme is hosted by The Broke and the Bookish now, I actually started my own Top Ten Tuesday feature back in 2009 a year before they began hosting it. So, even without a lot of recent Top Ten posts, I still have a lot to choose from.

So, here are my favorite Top Ten Tuesday posts of the past - some that I came up with and some that The Broke and the Bookish hosted:

1. Top Ten Books That Taught Me Something - when a book can both entertain you and open your eyes to new things, that is a special book.
2. Top Ten Authors I've Never Read - the funny thing about this list of famous, sometimes classic authors  that I'd never read back in 2009....is that I still haven't read 6 of them! But I did read 4 of them in the past 6 years, so I am making progress.
3. Top Ten Book Group Books - I belong to several book groups and always enjoy discussing what I read - these 10 stand the test of time and are still great choices for any book group.
4. Top Ten Books I Enjoyed More Than I Expected - one of the best things about book groups is that they often encourage me to read - and love - books I might not have ever tried on my own.
5. Top Ten Books Read in 2009 - it's always fun to look back and see what I enjoyed reading years ago, and many of these are still favorites.
6. Top Ten Debut Authors - Some interesting choices here and a bit of clairvoyance on my part, since some of these have since gone on to become very popular authors!
7. Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition - still a great list of lesser-known authors/books, though some of these authors are now much more popular.
8. Top Ten Books I'd Like to See Made Into Movies - well, two of these were made into movies (and I was right - I cried my eyes out watching Still Alice), but Hollywood needs to listen to me on the other 8!
9. Top Ten Books That Tackle Tough Issues - still a good list, and these would all make great choices for book group discussions, too!
10. Top Ten Travel-Related Books - just in time for summer, this list included both novels about traveling as well as memoirs with a strong sense of place.

That was fun! I enjoyed revisiting my older Top Ten lists - I think I will try to make time for participating in Top Ten Tuesday more often. This reminded me how much I used to enjoy it!

NOTE: Many of my earlier lists on this list included links to similarly themed lists for kids and teens/YA, back when I used to maintain two book blogs.

What are your favorite Top Ten topics?

It's Monday 6/22! What Are You Reading?

Busy, busy week and then a nice, quiet weekend spent recovering! Both of our sons went to Firefly (a giant outdoor concert here in Delaware with 90,000 people) this weekend, so I am enjoying a little bit of quiet solitude before they both come home in a couple of hours....probably both completely exhausted!

We enjoyed some good books last week:

• I finished The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce for my neighborhood book group. I enjoyed this unique story about a retired British man who leaves his house on the southern coast one morning to mail a letter to an old friend dying of cancer and instead keeps walking. He decides on the spur of the moment - with no preparation - to just walk all the way to his friend, in the northern-most town of England. The novel starts out light and funny but digs deeper as Harold walks and gradually allows himself to remember some of the traumas he's experienced. It was excellent.
• With two book group reads behind me, I am now reading my second Big Book of the Summer, Revolution by Deborah Wiles, a middle-grade novel set in Mississippi during the summer of 1964, the Freedom Summer. I knew nothing about the events in Mississippi that summer, so the historical backdrop has been fascinating, alongside a compelling fictional story of both white and black kids in one town. I'm enjoying it very much so far.
• I finished listening to Nest by Esther Ehrlich, another middle-grade novel. It was excellent, about an 11-year old girl in 1972, coping with her mother's sudden illness as well as more ordinary adolescent problems. It is both heart-breaking and heart-warming and paints a vivid picture of growing up at that time (I've been living in the past this week!).
• To continue this week's retro middle-grade theme, I am also reading the graphic novel The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy's Great Idea by Raina Telgemeier, based on the popular series by Ann M. Martin from the late 80's. I was too old when the original novels came out, but I am enjoying this graphic novel adaptation.
• After finishing A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin, my husband, Ken, chose a teen/YA novel that my son and I both enjoyed, Sharp North by Patrick Cave (in fact, it was one of my Big Book Summer reads in 2012). He's enjoying it so far.
• Jamie, 20, is reading a review book we received last year: The Grace of Kings by Ken Lui, book one in The Dandelion Dynasty, an epic fantasy novel (his favorite kind!) and also a Big Book. He says it is very good so far, though he didn't have much reading time last week with Firefly!

 Blog posts last week:

Review of A God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson, my first Big Book of the summer.

Review of Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl, a teen/YA audio book

Saturday Snapshot, with photos of raindrops on our local greenery

Great Books About Fathers, a Top Ten list reprinted from my monthly book column in Vital! magazine

A Tribute to My Dad, for Father's Day

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 Unleashing Readers.     

Yesterday was officially the first day of summer, so you still have plenty of time to join the Big Book Summer Challenge and join the fun! You only need to read 1 book (though you can read more if you want) longer than 400 pages to participate. And this year, for the first time, there'll be a Big Book Giveaway at the end of the summer for participants!

A Tribute to My Dad

One of my earliest memories is when, at four years old, I ran out to the breezeway and greeted the kind man my mother was dating with, “Are you going to be my Daddy?” I somehow knew even then that he was the perfect father for me, and he officially became my father when my parents got married a short time later.

He’s not my biological father, but that has never mattered to either him or me. He officially adopted me when I was five years old, and he’s been my dad ever since. He is still one of the kindest, most loving men I’ve ever known, and I couldn’t have chosen a better father.

             

Even back in the 70’s and 80’s – before it was common for fathers – he always took an active role in the lives of me and my sister. We did a lot of things together as a family: camping, hiking, and our annual vacation at the beach. On Saturday nights, we played games together in front of our fireplace. My dad was the champ at Parcheesi and never would have let us win on purpose. He was always fair-minded and kind.

             

He was just as kind to my friends, greeting them by name when he came home from work and always taking an interest in what I was doing. Whenever he came home and saw my best friend, Michelle (which was almost every day), he would say teasingly, “Oh, no! It’s Michelle!” and she’d erupt in a fit of giggles. She knew, just like I did, that he genuinely liked me and my friends. He had a great sense of humor. He even put up with my annual slumber party of screaming little girls in the basement!

             

Dad didn’t just get involved in my life; he involved me in his, too. He was in the trucking industry, and for a while when I was a kid, he had his own business and small truck, making deliveries to local stores and businesses. When I had a day off from school, he’d take me along with him for what he called “pick-em-ups and deliveries.” I rode around town beside him in the red truck, and we’d stop for donuts and lunch. I felt so special sitting next to him, especially when he introduced me to his regular customers.

             

Besides all the day-to-day fun we had together, my dad was always there for special events. We were a family that celebrated everything, and he came to every dance recital and school function, usually with his movie camera. He always let me know that he was proud of me.

             

At my wedding, Dad and I danced together. I chose one of his favorite songs, “Through the Years” by Kenny Rogers, and its lyrics were perfect for our relationship. My family and friends gathered in a big circle around us, and most of them were crying! Dad and I thought that was funny, as we enjoyed our dance together.

             

When my husband and I became parents ourselves, my dad became Grandpa. He was just as loving and kind with our two sons as he had been with me and my sister. From the time they were little, he has always been actively involved with them, playing with them on the floor or outside, playing games together with the whole family, and letting them know he loved them.

             

Last summer, my dad was diagnosed with melanoma, now stage 4. He’s had surgeries, radiation, and immunotherapy, and this past year has been a struggle. My sons, both busy teenagers now, will still drop everything to go visit him and Grandma (a day’s drive away). They play cards with him or watch TV or a movie, and they love his sense of humor. It means so much to me that they love Grandpa just as much I do.

             

Our relationship began in a loving way when he not only accepted me as his daughter but treated me no differently than my sister, his biological daughter. It has only grown stronger over the years. From my dad’s example, I learned patience, kindness, and tolerance. I have come to recognize and appreciate his influence more the older I get. I feel so fortunate to have him as my father, and he’s taught me a lot about being a parent myself.

Great Books About Fathers

(This article is reprinted from my monthly book column in Vital! magazine)

Father’s Day is on June 21. Give your favorite Dad one of these great books or celebrate the day by reading about fathers:

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon – There are several father-child relationships at the heart of this suspenseful, clever book set in Barcelona.

12,000 Miles in the Nick of Time: A Semi-Dysfunctional Family Circumnavigates the Globe by Mark Jacobson – One of my favorite memoirs, by a father who plans a trip around the world with his wife and three kids/teens – thoughtful and funny.

Defending Jacob by William Landay – A novel depicting a father’s ultimate challenge: to defend his son who is accused of a heinous crime.

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel – A graphic novel memoir that explores the very unusual relationship the author had with her gay father and how it affected her.

Us by David Nicholls – A warm and funny novel narrated by Douglas, a Brit who is struggling to be a good husband and father as his marriage falls apart on a European vacation.

She’s Not There: A Life in Two Genders by Jennifer Finney Boylan – A memoir by a transgendered father with two children who undergoes the transformation from man to woman.

American Pastoral by Philip Roth – This American classic about the life of a typical American man includes the main character’s relationship with his own father, as well as his difficult relationship with his daughter.

I Sleep At Red Lights by Bruce Stockler – A heart-warming and hilarious memoir of a father’s first years with a preschooler plus baby triplets.

 

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini – A novel that explores the fragile relationship between fathers & sons, set in Afghanistan.

The Ride of Our Lives by Mike Leonard – a memoir by the Today show correspondent about taking his parents on a cross-country trip that will make you want to go right out and rent an RV for your family.

Suzan Jackson is a freelance writer who lives in Delaware with her husband and two sons. She writes a blog about books, featuring reviews, book news, and more at www.bookbybook.blogspot.com. You can find reviews of all of the books listed here on the blog.

(This article is reprinted from my monthly book column in Vital!, The magazine for Active Older Adults, available free in public places like libraries and drugstores in Delaware and North Carolina)

 

What are your favorite books about fathers?

Saturday Snapshot 6/20

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. 

Still hot and humid here much of this week, but on Thursday, we finally had a break in the weather - it rained hard overnight and through the morning, then, as the rain moved away, we were left with cooler temperatures...and a wonderland of water droplets on every surface:

Tiny droplets on a neighbor's shrubs

Water droplets clinging to blades of grass

The waxy texture of rhododendron leaves makes the water bead up

Clover covered with water droplets

Tiny droplets clinging to an evergreen branch

Hope you are enjoying the weekend!

Teen/YA Review: Beautiful Creatures

When Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia and Margaret Stohl was first published six years ago, of course I heard about this instant teen/YA hit, but I thought it didn’t sound like something I’d like (not that I knew much about it). Boy, was I wrong. Beautiful Creatures was my first free download of the summer from SYNC, and I absolutely loved this captivating, unique audio book.

Ethan Wate has lived in Gatlin, SC, all his life, and he can’t wait to escape it. Everyone in town knows everything about everyone else, and though Ethan doesn’t admit it to his friends in high school, he is tiring of the same old stuff and even being part of the “in” crowd. His best friend, Link, is the only person he really truly enjoys hanging out with. But Ethan can’t even tell Link about the strange dreams he’s been having about a beautiful girl he’s never seen before. In the dream, Ethan is always trying to save her from falling, but he never does. The dreams are always the same, and they seem so real.

When Lena Duchannes moves to town and starts going to the local high school, it is the first new and interesting thing to happen in a long time. Lena isn’t like the other girls at school – she dresses differently, she acts differently, she’s unlike any girl Ethan has ever met before. And Ethan thinks she might be the girl from his dream.

Lena is staying with her uncle, Macon, a hermit who lives in an old plantation house who Ethan thinks of as their very own Boo Radley. For this reason – and her differentness – the other kids at school tease and bully Lena, but Ethan befriends her. He feels inexplicably drawn to her and wants to understand the mysterious connection they seem to have from his dreams. The closer Ethan and Lena become, the more they are both ostracized from the close-knit community.

I was absolutely captivated by this unique, well-written novel from the very first chapter, and I loved the literary references built into it (both Lena and Ethan love to read). ). It’s an atmospheric, gothic tale where the southern setting is an integral part of the story. The audio is beautifully produced – perhaps one of the best audio books I have ever listened to (and I listen to a lot of them!). It includes sound effects, music that is an integral part of the story, and two different narrators to voice Ethan and Lena’s parts.

The story itself draws you in right from the start, with mysteries and secrets that keep you guessing. The more that Ethan learns about Lena – and later, the more they learn together – the greater the pull of the story. It’s mystery, suspense, magic, and romance all rolled into one compelling package that is impossible to put down. Though the book is full of surprises, the biggest one is that it took me so long to discover this popular book that started a 4-book series and a movie adaptation. I can’t wait to read more!

Hachette Audio 

Fiction Review: A God in Ruins

In case you have missed my constant gushing the past six months, I absolutely loved Kate Atkinson’s novel Life After Life. It instantly moved onto my list of favorite books of all time. So, although I rarely read new releases while they are still new, I couldn’t wait to read her companion novel, A God in Ruins. My husband gave it to me for Mother’s Day (as soon as it was released), and I devoured it for my first Big Book of the Summer.

A God in Ruins is a companion novel to Life After Life, not a sequel, because it covers some of the same time period but from a different character’s perspective, and you can enjoy this novel as a stand-alone. Life After Life was all about Ursula, who relived her life many times, while the companion novel is about Ursula’s brother, Teddy. Unlike Ursula, Teddy lives his life in a more ordinary way, just once, from start to finish, so it’s a different kind of novel, though Atkinson still has some surprises in store for readers.

Like Life After Life, A God in Ruins moves back and forth in time, showing different parts of Teddy’s life. It begins in 1925 when Teddy is eleven years old, walking with his aunt through the meadow. Life After Life fans will immediately recognize that Aunt Izzie is starting her research for her best-selling children’s series about a boy named Augustus, using Teddy as her model (sort of). From there, the story jumps ahead to 1980 to Teddy’s daughter and grandchildren.

The novel moves back and forth through time like that, with an emphasis on Teddy’s time as a World War II pilot. Teddy was a talented pilot who had some extraordinary experiences during the war and impacted (and saved) many lives of his fellow RAF fliers. The story follows his marriage to his childhood friend, Nancy, their daughter, Viola’s, life, and even the lives of Teddy’s two grandchildren, Sunny and Bertie, all the way through to 2012.

This is an epic tale of one man’s life and how it touches so many other lives. It’s about the effects of war – on one person as well as on whole societies. The novel covers the entire 20^th century as viewed from one man’s perspective and how radically the world changed during that time. Most of all, A God in Ruins is about how extraordinary an ordinary life can be. I was completely captivated by Teddy’s story and that of his descendants and grew to think of them as friends (most of them – Viola was a piece of work!). Since these two books are now referred to as part of the Todd Family series, I am hoping to read more about this amazing family from Atkinson. I can’t wait to see what she does next!

453 pages, Little, Brown and Company

NOTE: This was the first book I read for my 2015 Big Book Summer Challenge. A big book is anything over 400 pages, and you only need to read one to participate - so sign up today and join the fun!

   

It's Monday 6/15! What Are You Reading?

Had a fun but exhausting weekend! My mom and her husband came to visit, and we had a great time - watching old home movies, playing games, enjoying good meals, and lots of talking and laughing!! Pretty wiped out now (due to my chronic illness) but glad we had a nice weekend with them. All last week was incredibly busy and hectic, and the beginning of this week looks the same! Can't wait for next weekend - a very quiet weekend alone with my husband, with both of our sons away at the Firefly Music Festival.

Here's what we've been reading:

• I finished Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline for my library's book discussion. I downloaded this historical novel to my Kindle over a year ago, and missed TWO other book groups discussing it, so I was glad to finally read it. It was excellent, with the story alternating between a contemporary teen in foster care and an orphan sent out west on a train in 1929. I knew nothing about the orphan trains (which ran for 75 years!), so the historical aspects of the novel were fascinating to me, and I loved how the author wove the two stories together.
• Now, I am reading The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce for my neighborhood book group. I'm enjoying this unique story about a retired British man who leaves his house one morning to mail a letter to an old friend dying of cancer and instead keeps walking. He decides on the spur of the moment - with no preparation - to just keep walking all the way to his friend, who lives in the far north of England, while he lives on the southern coast. It's very good so far - fun, funny, but also thoughtful and philosophical.
• I am still listening to Nest by Esther Ehrlich, a middle-grade novel. It is great so far, about an 11-year old girl in 1972, coping with her mother's sudden illness as well as more ordinary adolescent problems. It's a compelling story and an excellent audio production.
• My husband, Ken, got into the spirit of the Big Book Summer Challenge and has already finished A Feast for Crows by George R.R. Martin, the fourth book in the Game of Thrones series (with over 1000 pages). He said this one could take him all summer, but he finished it in just two weeks!
• Jamie, 20, is reading a review book we received last year: The Grace of Kings by Ken Lui, book one in The Dandelion Dynasty, an epic fantasy novel (his favorite kind!) and also a Big Book. He says it is very good so far. Even though it is summer, he hasn't had a lot of reading time because he is taking a class during summer session and is also working.

 Last week's posts:

Review of Ask the Dark by Henry Turner, a teen/YA thriller with heart

Review of Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater, book 3 in the teen/YA Raven Cycle series

My Summary of Books Read in May

My Guest Post at My Book Retreat: Memoirs for Book Groups

Saturday Snapshot - Photos of the summer flowers & greenery here

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 Unleashing Readers.     

The Big Book Summer Challenge just started - you have plenty of time to join the fun! You only need to read 1 book (though you can read more if you want) longer than 400 pages to participate. And this year, for the first time, there'll be a Big Book Giveaway at the end of the summer for participants!

Saturday Snapshot 6/13

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by West Metro Mommy Reads. 

The calendar may say that it's still spring, but here in Delaware, it is HOT (90's) and very humid - uggh. Still, I managed to take a few walks around my neighborhood and at my local nature center - early in the morning while it was still bearable outside!

Hundreds of baby plums in a neighbor's tree

Vibrant purple flowers (anyone know what these are?)

Bright blue sky and white clouds from my deck

Boardwalk through the marsh at our local nature center

Covered bridge reflected in the stream with sun and greenery (see the haze)

Climbing clematis on my neighbor's mailbox

Have a wonderful weekend!

My Book Retreat Guest Post: Memoirs for Book Groups

One of my favorite bloggers and online friends, Julie, writes a wonderful book blog at My Book Retreat. One of Julie's great blog features is a regular column called Book Club Picks.

I wrote a guest post for Book Club Picks today at My Book Retreat on Memoirs for Book Groups, which you can read at the link. I focused on six lesser-known but well-written memoirs sure to spark some great discussions in any book group.

Head over to My Book Retreat to read my guest post and to check out the rest of Julie's wonderful blog!

Books Read in May

I'm trying not to be so far behind this month - only the 11th - that's progress!


May was a busy month, starting off with my amazing Booktopia weekend and ending with the kick-off of my annual Big Book Summer Challenge (check it out and sign up!). I started a long book (my first Big Book of the summer) and a long audio Memorial Day weekend, so I only finished 4 books in May...but they were good ones!

• Ellis Island by Kate Kerrigan, historical fiction (Ireland)
• Ask the Dark by Henry Turner, a teen/YA audiobook (GA)
• Blue Lily, Lily Blue by Maggie Stiefvater, a teen/YA novel (VA)

• French Milk by Lucy Knisley, a graphic memoir (France)

So, just 4 books in May (though I finished 9 in April so it all evens out). Two were YA and two were for adults. Three of the four were fiction. One was an audio and one was a graphic memoir, so I still read a nice variety. It's hard to choose a favorite because they were all so different, but I guess it would be Blue Lily, Lily Blue because I love the whole series!

Update on 2015 Reading Challenges:
For my 2015 Where Are You Reading Challenge, I added 1 new state to my list and 2 new countries. I read just one book from my own shelves for my Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2015 - really need to work on that! I listened to one more audio book for my 2015 Audio Book Challenge, and added one more book to my 2015 Nonfiction Reading Challenge. No classics last month (need to work on that one, too). I added 2 new countries to my Travel the World in Books Challenge - that one is going very well.

What was your favorite book(s) read in May? 

Join the Big Book Summer Challenge!

Teen/YA Review: Blue Lily, Lily Blue

My 20-year old son and I are totally hooked on Maggie Stiefvater’s The Raven Cycle series, and I finally found time to read her latest addition, book 3, Blue Lily, Lily Blue. I loved it just as much as the first two books, with its endearing characters and compelling plot.

Since I don’t ever include spoilers in my reviews, and this is book 3 in a series, it will be a short review! If you haven’t read any of the series yet, check out my reviews of The Raven Boys and The Dream Thieves and then get started on this wonderful series. What are you waiting for?

In this third book, Blue Sargent is back, along with her first friends ever, The Raven Boys, who’ve fully welcomed her into their group. Although they are still focused on their quest to find Glendower, the mysterious Welsh king who was supposedly buried somewhere in the hills near their Virginia town, more important matters are competing for their attention. Blue’s beloved and kind mother is missing, and the boys want to help Blue find her, though none of them know where to start. Not even the houseful of psychic women in Blue’s home know how to find Maura.

The Raven Boys are each struggling with their own challenges but are still a close group of friends: angry Ronan (who is better understood with each book), poor but proud Adam, quiet Noah, and the handsome Gansey, leader of the group and all-around perfect boy. The strange but endearing women in Blue’s house are back, and the Gray Man is still around. In this novel, Gansey’s friend Malory is also a part of the story, visiting from England and just as obsessed with Glendower as Gansey is. The Gray Man’s boss and his wife provide an even more menacing enemy in this novel.

The suspense continues at a fast pace, as the teens continue to look for Glendower and search for clues to Blue’s mother’s whereabouts. Each of them has a different idea of how to use the wish that finding Glendower would bring them, and they all have their own private concerns. Blue is falling more in love with Gansey but is still terrified of her lifelong curse, that her kiss will kill her true love, and her horrible secret, that Gansey will die in the next year.

This series – and this particular book – has a captivating combination of elements:  mystery, suspense, magic, adventure, and romance. It is all held together by magnetic characters that you come to care about and a well-told story by a talented writer. I’ll pass this one on to my son next, and I can’t wait for the fourth and final book!

391 pages, Scholastic

       

Teen/YA Review: Ask the Dark

I didn’t know what to expect when I listened to Ask the Dark by Henry Turner, a teen/YA novel, but I was pleasantly surprised by a suspenseful thriller with a lot of emotional depth.

Fifteen-year old Billy Zeets, a southern teen (Georgia, I think) who narrates the story, has had his share of trouble. Billy’s mom died recently, leaving him with his dad and his older sister. His father was injured falling off the roof and can no longer work, leaving the family in dire circumstances, and Billy’s sister is dressing and acting more and more promiscuous, though you can tell that she and Billy really care for each other. With his world falling apart, Billy has turned to petty stealing and vandalism and has gained a reputation for being up to no good.

When a neighborhood boy turns up dead and then another goes missing, Billy has some information he thinks might be relevant. The problem is that the police won’t listen to anything he says because of his past problems. Billy finally decides that he needs to investigate on his own in order to save the local boys. The novel opens with Billy in the hospital, being visited by grateful parents, and the rest of the book is his telling of what happened.

Billy has a unique and compelling voice, often swearing and then apologizing for it, as he steadfastly tells his story, step by step. He is an unusual kind of hero, viewed by most people as a troublemaker but earnestly trying to do the right thing. Though you know from the beginning that Billy will be OK in the end, there is still a considerable amount of suspense in this novel, as the mystery builds and Billy gets pulled further and further into the darkness. 

The audio production was well done, with Lincoln Hoppe doing a great job of narrating in Billy’s slow southern drawl. I was pulled right into the story and listened almost compulsively as the suspense built, wanting to know what happened next. Although this novel could be easily categorized as mystery or thriller, it has plenty of heart and emotional depth, too, as you grow to like Billy and root for him to not only save the other boys but for things to work out for his family, too. I enjoyed this fast-paced, intricate story and would love to read more from Henry Turner.

Listening Library