It's Monday 9/14! What Are You Reading?

Ah, we are finally enjoying some lovely fall weather here! We saw the last (I hope) of summer heat and humidity last week, and it was even cool enough by Saturday that we could enjoy a driveway-gathering (our new kind of socializing) with friends we hadn't seen in six months, with take-out and a campfire. So good to reconnect with them and enjoy a cool evening and a fire!

Nice to enjoy a fire again!

I did not get around to visiting all the blogs I wanted to visit last week, so apologies. As you will see, I was super-busy, with blog posts almost every single day, trying to catch up and wrap-up Big Book Summer, so there wasn't much time left to visit and enjoy others' blogs.

But now it's a new week! I know we are supposed to hate Mondays, but I love Mondays! I love the fresh start, the chance to review last week and plan ahead for this week, and the new chance to do the things that are important to me. We had a nice weekend--we were empty-nesters for four days--so now I am ready for a new week and loving this new weather.

On the book front, we finished up our Big Books and started our darker fall reading last week. Here's what we've all been reading:

I officially made the switch last week from Big Book Summer to the annual fall R.I.P. (Readers Imbibing Peril) Challenge, which is focused on genres like mystery, thriller, supernatural, and other darker themes. My first book for R.I.P. is a nonfiction true-crime book, The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson. It is the first book chosen for my book group's new reboot via Zoom (we met online Thursday). This was a stunning story that we all enjoyed. Back in the 1800's, a bunch of naturalists (think Darwin and his contemporaries) collected rare, colorful birds (ironically, these guys killed and skinned these extremely rare birds!), leading to an almost priceless collection in the British Museum of Natural History. In 2009, along came Edwin Rist, a 20-year-old flautist and obsessive fly-tier who took an evening train to the museum, climbed a wall, broke a window, and stuffed his suitcase with hundreds of these extremely rare birds ... and got away! He sold these priceless birds (and sometimes tore them up into saleable parts and individual feathers) to his fellow fly-tiers around the world. The book was fascinating in every respect, and we had a great discussion.

Now, I have moved onto one of the many mysteries/thrillers filling up our TBR bookcase, The Dry by Jane Harper. I gave this to my husband for Father's Day, he just recently finished reading it, and I couldn't wait to dive into this debut novel that made such a splash a few years ago. It's set in Australia in a small farming community during a terrible drought. Aaron, now a Federal Agent, returns to the town for the funeral of his childhood best friend, Luke. Everyone in town believes the prevailing theory: that Luke, like many others, was at the end of his rope emotionally and financially, so he shot his wife and son and killed himself. Luke's parents ask Aaron if he will look into it, and he agrees. However, there is also a 20-year-old cold case: the murder of a girl that Luke and Aaron were friends with. Back then, the two boys alibied each other, but now there are some questions about that as the present and the past collide. I'm loving it so far and am happy to be immersed in some fast-paced thriller action again!

On audio, I finished one more Big Book by the end of the Big Book Summer Challenge, a YA novel of just 400 pages, A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena. It's set in Saudi Arabia, and the two main characters die in a car crash in the prologue, then the rest of the novel looks back at their lives and how they ended up there. Zarin, an Indian immigrant and an orphan who lives with her aunt and uncle, has never felt like she belongs--not with her cruel aunt, not among the girls she goes to school with, and not in this place. The one person she truly connects with is Porus, another Indian immigrant in the same town, a boy she develops a close friendship with and the only one who knows her secret. The novel digs into issues of race, class, and religion, from an entirely different perspective than American teens are used to, but also into things like belonging, social media, and other topics all teens can relate to. The audio is excellent, with multiple narrators piecing together Zarin and Porus' stories. Clearly, it's a dark story, since you know they die at the end, but I found it worthwhile learning about these young people from different cultures and religions.

Now, I have also turned my audio attention to the RIP Challenge with Feed by M.T. Anderson, a YA dystopian novel. It was a finalist for the National Book Award (plus won a bunch of other awards) and takes place in an imagined future. Teens (and other people) live with "the feed" constantly broadcasting directly into their brains. It reads your thoughts, listens to your words, and responds with a barrage of targeted information and ads. The main character, Titus, has been trained to rely on the feed to such an extent that he barely knows how to think for himself anymore. Then he meets a girl named Violet who's been homeschooled and didn't have a feed until she was seven. After a hack leaves Titus, Violet, and their friends without their feeds for a few days, Titus, with Violet's influence, starts to think more about what the feed means and how it affects his life. I am enjoying it so far. The audio is very well-done, with sections of it providing the feed that Titus is hearing, in between regular narration, making it especially immersive. I can't wait to see what happens next!

My husband, Ken, finished his last Big Book of the summer, a historical thriller from my Dad's book collection that we inherited, Hornet Flight by Ken Follett. We both love Follett's novels, and this is one of his many spy war thrillers. It's set in 1941 during WWII and focuses on an eighteen-year-old young man who discovers a secret that could change the war for England. He needs to tell someone, but his only way to get to England from an isolated island is with an old Hornet Moth biplane, rusting in a barn. It sounds like an intriguing and unique premise, and knowing how Follett writes thrillers, I'm sure it is action-packed, twisty, and suspenseful. My husband didn't expect to finish another Big Book in time, but this one was a quick read--Follett is known for his page-turners! He enjoyed it.

Now, Ken has also turned to the RIP Challenge--though most of what he reads all year-round are mysteries, thrillers, and other dark stuff! He finally started another gift from me, Magpie Murders by Anthony Horowitz. I've been anxious for him to give this one a try, since it got so much buzz when it was released a few years ago. It's a book-within-a-book, where a book editor is reading the manuscript of one of her perennial crime writers. The manuscript is a classic English mystery, in the style of Agatha Christie, as is typical for this writer, but at some point, the editor starts to think there is more than meets the eye to this new manuscript: some sort of real-life mystery. I've read that it's a very clever premise, with a twisty plot. So far, Ken is reading the manuscript part of the book and confirms that it's very classic British mystery. I can't wait to hear what he thinks when the story takes a turn!

Our son, 26 years old, finished reading a birthday gift we gave him, Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell, which is the first book in the Spellslinger series. A fellow book blogger, Beth Fish Reads, recommended this one to me for my son because she knows he loves the same kinds of fantasy novels she does, so thank you! Kellen lives in a magical world and must prove his skills as a spellcaster in his first duel. The problem is that his magic is fading. He must risk everything--and use only his wits--to try to get his magic back. A mysterious traveler may be Kellen's only hope. Our son loved the novel and definitely wants to read the rest of the series. He was away this weekend, so I'm not sure what he's reading now, but he still has more birthday books to start!
 


Blog posts last week:

Fiction Review: American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins - fast-paced thriller about a mother and son on the run - moving and powerful

My Summary of Books Read in August - low in quantity but high in quality!

2020 Big Book Summer Wrap-Up - check out my own wrap-up and the record number of participants this year, with congratulations to one lucky reader!

Readers Imbibing Peril (RIP) XV Challenge - I love this time of year! Time for a reading challenge just for fall.

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.   

What are you and your family reading this week?  

Readers Imbibing Peril (RIP) XV Challenge

With Big Book Summer 2020 officially wrapped up, it's time to turn my attention to all things fall, including, of course ... books!

Fall is my favorite season, and every year, I look forward to cooler temperatures and lovely weather, campfires, jeans and sweatshirts, and the Readers Imbibing Peril (RIP) Reading Challenge! I first participated in the challenge in 2015, so this will be my fifth year. The idea is simply to read books with darker themes in September and October.

This year, it's gotten even easier to join the fun - there is no sign-up or registration, no blog posts are required, just:

The purpose of the R.I.P. Challenge is to enjoy books that could be classified as:
Mystery.
Suspense.
Thriller.
Dark Fantasy.
Gothic.
Horror.
Supernatural.
Basically, read scary.

“Are you reading for spooky season? We need more wicked good books (and screen) in our lives, so being the rule-breakers we are, #RIPXV BEGINS NOW. How do you play? Tag @PerilReaders and #ripxv in your Twitter and/or Instagram posts. It’s that easy. Wicked easy.”

So, I'm in again!

I did pull together a large stack of possible books to choose from, but our TBR bookcase is overflowing with options, so I'll keep it flexible. Here are some of the print books I want to read and will choose from:

I also have a HUGE audio backlog with loads of relevant books there, too.

I am kicking off my RIP XV challenge by reading a true crime nonfiction book, The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson. It was my book group's choice for our first Zoom meeting, and it is excellent so far: a fascinating, truth-is-stranger-than-fiction story. On audio, I just today started listening to Feed by M.T. Anderson, a YA dystopian novel that begins with a spring break trip to the moon!

How about you? Do you like to read darker stuff like mystery, suspense, thrillers, and other creepy stuff in the fall? No sign-ups needed--just use the hashtag and tag @PerilReaders to join the fun!

I love this time of year and can't wait to dig into the rest of this stack of books!

2020 Big Book Summer Wrap-Up

It's now September, which means the start of fall (yay!) and the end of another Big Book Summer Challenge! I host this challenge every summer and always enjoy participating in it myself. You can read all the details at the challenge page linked above, but the basic idea is to read books of 400 pages or longer during the summer - just one or a few or as many as you want! What I really love about this challenge is that it gives me the extra incentive I need to finally tackle some of the longer books I've put off reading. I always end up reading some really amazing books, and I make a (small) dent in my overflowing TBR bookcase, too. You can go back to my starting post for My 2020 Big Book Summer in May to see what books I hoped to get to this season. The challenge had record participation this summer; I think everyone was looking for a little something fun to brighten up this difficult year!

First, my own challenge wrap-up:

I read a total of 9 Big Books this summer: 6 in print and 3 on audio (yes, they count, too!).

Some of my Big Books read in summer 2020

Pictured are the Big Books I read in print (minus one I lent to a friend and one included that I listened to on audio). 

In print, I read:

• Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King (436 pages)
• Faithful Place by Tana French (400 pages) 
• Catch-22 by Joseph Heller (453 pages) - a hold-over from 2019 Big Book Summer!
• Truly Madly Guilty by Liane Moriarty (517 pages)
• David Copperfield by Charles Dickens (626 BIG pages)
• Doomsday Book by Connie Willis (592 pages)

 On audio, I listened to these Big Books:

• American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (400 pages)
• A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen (400 pages)
• The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (528 pages)

 (my reviews at the links)

So, that was my summer, but lots of other people enjoyed a wonderful Big Book Summer, too!

A record total of 54 people joined the challenge this year!! That's more than double last year's participants.

26 bloggers joined by linking up on the challenge page and another 28 readers joined through the Goodreads group. I enjoyed hearing what everyone was reading this summer, reading all your reviews of Big Books, and we had some great discussions in the Goodreads group! You can check that out, as well as links to other people's reviews and wrap-up posts on the challenge page.

And now, it's time for the 2020 Big Book Summer Giveaway! I'm giving away a $15 Amazon gift card to one lucky participant. I used a random number generator, and the winner of this year's giveaway is:
 

Joan, who participated through the Goodreads group

Congratulations, Joan!

And congratulations to everyone who participated!

I hope that YOU will join the fun next year! 

Books Read in August

August: Butterfly on summer flowers

It looks like I didn't read much in August because I was mostly tied up with two VERY Big Books for my #BigBookSummer Challenge that I finished in September. But, here are the books I did finish in August:

• The Dutch House by Ann Patchett (PA) - adult fiction on audio
• Normal People by Sally Rooney (Ireland) - adult fiction
• American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins (Mexico) - adult fiction on audio

Not a whole lot of variety in August! I read all fiction and all grown-up novels, no YA or middle-grade. But I did listen to two novels on audio, and one in print (plus another that took over a month to read!). I enjoyed all three of these novels and thought they were all good, but I think The Dutch House was my favorite, in large part due to Ton Hanks' immersive performance reading on the audio, and Patchett's usual deep dive into characters' lives (in this case, a brother and sister).

Progress in 2020 Reading Challenges:
You can see all of the reading challenges I am participating in and full lists of the books read for each at the challenges link. I have some fun ones going this year! With only three books finished in August, I didn't make much progress on my challenges:

Mount TBR Reading Challenge 2020 - I read just one book from my own shelves last month.

2020 Monthly Motif Reading Challenge - August was Creature Feature, and with three novels of realistic fiction, there was not even a dog or cat in any of my books! 100% human.

Back to the Classics 2020 - No classics last month (but I just finished a whopper!)

PopSugar Reading Challenge - this is a unique one! Nothing new to add this month, but I only have a few categories left to fill, so that's understandable.

2020 Nonfiction Reader's Challenge - No nonfiction in July.

2020 Diversity Reading Challenge - Just one of my books was diverse last month: American Dirt.

Travel the World in Books Reading Challenge - I added Ireland (a duplicate) and Mexico.

2020 Literary Escapes Challenge - No new states in August.

2020 Big Book Summer Challenge - I added one more Big Book in August, for a total of eight so far.

And finally, Bookish Bingo hosted by Chapter Break - not really a challenge per se, but a fun game that I play each month! Stop by to print out this month's Bingo card and play along. In August, I filled 15 spaces on my bingo card--not bad for just three books:

Spaces Filled:

The Dutch House - book club read, siblings, favorite author, loyalty
Normal People - new adult, read a physical book, first love, self-discovery, shelf love
American Dirt - not in a series, free book, audio book, over 400 pages long, tragedy
Free Space

What was your favorite book read in August?

Fiction Review: American Dirt

In August, I listened to American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins on audio. It's a novel about a mother and her son desperately crossing Mexico with their lives in danger. The story was gripping and suspenseful but also moving and powerful.

Lydia Pérez lives in Acapulco with her husband, Sebastian, and their eight-year-old son, Luca. Lydia runs a bookstore, which she loves, and Sebastian is a journalist. Luca is a quiet but precocious boy, with a special talent for geography. While working in the bookstore, Lydia meets Javier, a handsome, intelligent, and charismatic man who shares her love of reading. Her joy in their book discussions dissolves though when she finds out that he's the leader of the region's most violent drug cartel, the one that Sebastian has been writing about in an article. As the novel opens shortly after the article was published, Lydia and Luca are hiding, terrified, in the bathtub of Lydia's mother's house, as they listen to violent cartel members slaughter the rest of their family in the house and yard all around them in the midst of Lydia's niece's Quinceañera. In all, 16 members of their family are killed that day, and only Lydia and Luca escape. Certain that Javier won't stop until he has killed them, too, the mother and son go on the run, grabbing some cash and hopping on a bus, though somehow, Javier's men always seem to be on their trail. Lydia's only remaining family is an uncle in Colorado, and she knows they will never be safe within the borders of Mexico, where Javier's immense power spreads from sea to sea; even the police and immigration officials can't be trusted as some of them are being paid by the cartels. Since the cartel is looking for them, standard forms of transportation are not an option, so the two join the thousands of migrantes walking, riding on the tops of cargo trains, and hiding in shelters. They are doing things Lydia never could have imagined in her easy life in Acapulco, but she would do anything to keep her son safe.

Much of this novel reads like a thriller, an action-packed, compelling narrative of life on the run being chased by brutal killers. But it is also, of course, about the migrantes whose ranks Lydia and Luca join. They meet some of them briefly while staying in shelters or riding the trains and hear their stories, but several characters become a part of their own story, joining the mother and son and providing much-needed expertise, while Lydia in turn lends emotional support to the often very young migrants. It's a heart-rending, powerful set of stories, including a pair of teen sisters trying to escape gang rapists, and an orphaned boy with nowhere to go. I was completely immersed in this moving, engrossing story that gave me a new appreciation for what immigrants have to endure just to keep their families safe.

NOTE: This excellent novel has stirred up some controversy due to its author being seen as someone with white privilege. Cummins is Latina, though, with a Puerto Rican grandmother, and in her Author's Note, she talks about the five years of extensive research she did on both sides of the border in order to accurately represent the immigrants she was writing about. She explains that her goal was to help American readers feel more empathy toward immigrants from the south (some of the characters are from Central American countries, too), which to me seems like a very worthy goal, especially in this time of politic unrest, when a large portion of our population vilifies immigrants. Yes, of course, it would be even better if a Mexican-American author wrote this book, and I certainly agree that we need more diverse representation in the publishing world. In fact, I personally make an effort to read lots of diverse books, joining a Diverse Reading Challenge each year. But, this is the novel we have, and Cummins did a great job researching and writing it. I believe it's a good thing that she is using her privilege to bring attention to these important issues, and the popularity of the novel (it is an Oprah's Book Club choice) will help to carry its critical message to even more readers.

400 pages, Flatiron Books
Macmillan Audio

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

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

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here, from the beginning of the novel, and/or download it from Audible.

You can purchase American Dirt from an independent bookstore, either locally or online, here:

You can also buy through indie bookstores using Bookshop.

Or you can order American Dirt from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

It's Monday 9/7! What Are You Reading?

Happy Labor Day to my U.S. readers! Hope you are enjoying your long weekend.

It was another rough week health-wise due to my chronic illness; I only had a couple of good days and spent much of the week on the couch. It was frustrating, especially when I did the right thing and rested on Friday but still felt awful on Saturday. BUT, I have now felt OK for two days in a row (!), so I am hopeful I am past the worst of this latest downturn. I'm trying to keep my meds stable and be very careful not to overexert. It's a rollercoaster sometimes!

I did manage a visit to see my 95-year-old father-in-law yesterday, which I know cheered him up! And today, my husband and I finally took a little time off for ourselves and ate breakfast out (safely, of course) and enjoyed a short (and flat!) walk in a local park. Our son who recently moved out is coming for dinner tonight, so that will be nice, too, to have all four of us together.

Tomorrow is the official end of the 2020 #BigBookSummer Challenge! I have been busy finishing up my last Big Books, in print and on audio. I am a bit behind on my reviews (and visiting your reviews!) because of not feeling well lately, but no worries--the links list for reviews and challenge wrap-ups (not required) will remain open for new entries through the end of September on the challenge page.

Here's what we've all been reading this past week:

Yesterday, I finished my last Big Book Summer Challenge print book, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens! I have been wanting to read it for ages since I love Dickens, read several of his books in school, and so many people have told me that this one is their favorite. I was immediately pulled into the story and loved the title character, who--like many of Dickens' characters--is a good person who suffered some horrible mistreatment as a child. David's father died before he was born, but he had a warm, loving relationship with his mother and with the kind maid/nurse who helped care for them both. The trouble begins when his mother remarries (nice to see an evil stepfather, for a change). The novel follows David through the twists and turns of his life--and there are lots of twists! It really is a VERY big book, but I enjoyed it all the way through. Dickens' writing is so clever and witty that the novel, like his others, is highly entertaining and very funny. And now I just heard there is a new movie adaptation just released--can't wait to see it!

And last night, I officially made the switch from Big Book Summer to the annual fall R.I.P. (Readers Imbibing Peril) Challenge, which is focused on genres like mystery, thriller, supernatural, and other darker themes. My first book for R.I.P. is a nonfiction true-crime book, The Feather Thief: Beauty, Obsession, and the Natural History Heist of the Century by Kirk Wallace Johnson. It is the first book chosen for my book group's new reboot via Zoom (we meet online later this week). I've just started it, but it's already a stunning story. Back in the 1800's, a bunch of naturalists (think Darwin and his contemporaries) collected rare, colorful birds (ironically, these guys killed and skinned these extremely rare birds!), leading to an almost priceless collection in the British Museum of Natural History. In 2009, along came Edwin Rist, a flutist who took an evening train to the museum, climbed a short wall, broke a window, and stuffed his suitcase with hundreds of these extremely rare birds ... and got away! The book is already fascinating.

I decided to squeeze in one more Big Book on audio! Can I do it? Not sure, but I'm trying! I chose a YA novel of just 400 pages, A Girl Like That by Tanaz Bhathena. It's set in Saudi Arabia, and the two main characters die in a car crash in the prologue, then the rest of the novel looks back at their lives and how they ended up there. Zarin, an Indian immigrant and an orphan who lives with her aunt and uncle, has never felt like she belongs--not with her cruel aunt, not among the girls she goes to school with, and not in this place. The one person she truly connects with is Porus, another Indian immigrant in the same town, a boy she develops a close friendship with and the only one who knows her secret. The novel digs into issues of race, class, and religion, from an entirely different perspective than American teens are used to, but also into things like belonging, social media, and other topics all teens can relate to. The audio is excellent, with multiple narrators piecing together Zarin and Porus' stories. Going to try to finish by tonight!

My husband, Ken, is reading a historical thriller from my Dad's book collection that we inherited, Hornet Flight by Ken Follett. We both love Follett's novels, and this is one of his many spy war thrillers. It's set in 1941 during WWII and focuses on an eighteen-year-old young man who discovers a secret that could change the war for England. He needs to tell someone, but his only way to get to England from an isolated island is with an old Hornet Moth biplane, rusting in a barn. It sounds like an intriguing and unique premise, and knowing how Follett writes thrillers, I'm sure it is action-packed, twisty, and suspenseful. This is actually another Big Book, though my husband didn't expect to finish it in time. Follett is known for his page-turners, though, and he's only got 30 pages to go!

Our son, 26, finished a birthday gift from his girlfriend (she knows him well!), Red Country by Joe Abercrombie, one of his favorite fantasy authors. He loved reading The First Law trilogy by this author, and this book is one of three sort-of stand-alone novels that are set in the same world but focused on different characters. This one is about Shy South, a woman who's been wronged and sets out to get her family back. Even though it's fantasy, this book has an Old West feel to it (though with swords, not guns--an important distinction for my fantasy-loving son), including wide plains, a frontier town, and a gold rush. He thoroughly enjoyed this new glimpse into a familiar world from a different perspective.

Now, our son has turned to a birthday gift we gave him (are you seeing a pattern here?), Spellslinger by Sebastien de Castell, which is the first book in the Spellslinger series. A fellow book blogger, Beth Fish Reads, recommended this one to me for my son because she knows he loves the same kinds of fantasy novels she does, so thank you! Kellen lives in a magical world and must prove his skills as a spellcaster in his first duel. The problem is that his magic is fading. He must risk everything--and use only his wits--to try to get his magic back. A mysterious traveler may be Kellen's only hope. Our son is loving the novel so far; he just started it this week and will probably finish it today! He definitely wants to read the rest of the series.



Blog posts last week:

TV Tuesday: Sex Education - a warm, hilarious show we loved

Fiction Review: The Dutch House by Ann Patchett - the lives of a brother and sister, connected by tragedy, with an outstanding audio read by Tom Hanks!

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.   

What are you and your family reading this week?   

Fiction Review: The Dutch House

I always enjoy Ann Patchett's novels (just listened to State of Wonder this winter--review at the link), so I was eager to read her latest, The Dutch House. When I heard that one of my favorite podcasts, Happier with Gretchen Rubin, had chosen the novel for its latest book club selection, that gave me the motivation to move it up my list. I listened to The Dutch House on audio this summer, read by Tom Hanks, and I absolutely loved this immersive story of the bond between a brother and sister.

Danny narrates the novel, reminiscing about his boyhood and gradually filling in the next five decades of his life with his sister, Maeve. As the novel opens, Danny and Maeve are children living in a huge, unique home known as the Dutch House in the outer suburbs of Philadelphia. The house was originally built by the VanHoebeeks, Dutch immigrants, and is a magnificent, lavish home that plays a central role in the children's lives. They live there alone with their reticent father, after their mother mysteriously left, and are taken care of by a pair of kind sisters, Sandy and Jocelyn. It's a happy childhood, until Andrea enters their lives. She's their father's new girlfriend--and soon, his wife--and she has her own ideas about the Dutch House. Andrea moves in with her two daughters, and Danny and Maeve's lives change. When a tragic and unforeseen incident upends their lives, the siblings again experience upheaval, in ways they never could have imagined. Danny describes his experiences as a young man, a new husband, a father, and eventually, an older man. Throughout all of the twists and turns of their lives, Danny and Maeve have an unbreakable bond. Big sister Maeve protects (and sometimes directs) Danny, and the Dutch House and the events of their childhood continue to impact their lives well into adulthood.

This is a quiet story at first, a pleasant retelling of a mostly happy childhood, so when the plot twists hit, they took me by surprise and increased the intensity of the novel. Patchett delves into sibling relationships but also into the ways that early experiences can have a continuing effect throughout a life. Complicated family relationships are explored here, not only between Maeve and Danny but between them and their father, the memory of their mother, and even between Danny and his wife. Listening to this excellent novel on audio was all the more immersive with Tom Hanks narrating. His familiar voice was soothing to listen to, but he also completely inhabits the character of Danny so that it feels as if you are, indeed, listening to Danny tell you his story. That's the beauty of having an actor narrate an audiobook (which Patchett also did with State of Wonder). This original, emotionally complex, beautifully written novel pulled me into its depths so that I was sorry to leave Danny and Maeve when it ended.

352 pages, Harper
HarperAudio

You can listen to the podcast episode of Happier where they discuss the novel and interview author Ann Patchett.

Listen to a sample of the audiobook here and/or download it from Audible. The sample is from midway through the novel, with Danny talking about his time in medical school.

You can purchase The Dutch House from an independent bookstore, either locally or online, here:

You can also buy through indie bookstores using Bookshop.

Or you can order The Dutch House from Book Depository, with free shipping worldwide.

 

TV Tuesday: Sex Education

I have mentioned before that my favorite kind of comfort TV is shows set in high schools or featuring young people. I have loved Freaks and Geeks, Glee (of course), and more recently, Never Have I Ever and Atypical. Usually, this is a solo obsession of mine (though my husband liked the earlier seasons of Glee), but he's actually the one who discovered our recent favorite, Sex Education. We just finished watching the first two seasons and loved every minute of this warm and often hilarious show set in a British high school.

Gillian Anderson (of X-Files fame) stars, as you've never seen her before, as Jean Milburn, an over-educated sex therapist and book author. Her unfortunate son, Otis (played by Asa Butterfield), is constantly embarrassed by his single mother, who is apt to say anything outrageous in any company, and is overly outspoken and involved in Otis' (so far non-existent) sex life. Otis' best friend is Eric, played by Ncuti Gatwa, who is gay and dresses very flamboyantly. Otis is geeky and awkward and the exact polar opposite of Maeve, played by Emma Mackey, who is super-cool in a kind of dark, punk way, though also something of a loner. When Jean's occupation becomes known at school, kids start coming to Otis for sex advice, which is ridiculous since he has zero experience in that field himself. But, it turns out that Otis has learned a few things after so many years of listening to his mother, and he's not half-bad at it. Maeve convinces Otis to turn it into a money-making venture, with him dispensing advice and her scheduling appointments and handling the money. Pretty much everyone at their high school has sex questions, so it ends up being a pretty profitable business, though Otis develops a crush on his business partner.

This unique premise, combined with an outstanding young cast, and fast-paced, hilarious dialogue makes for a whole lot of fun for viewers. Given Otis and Maeve's business venture, each student in the school gets a chance in the spotlight, including Adam, the principal's son who's a bully hiding a secret; Lily, the girl obsessed with sci/fantasy sex fantasies; and Jackson, the hunky swimmer with two moms who also likes Maeve and may not want to swim any more. The full gamut of sexual problems and predilections is covered in this show very openly, so there are graphic sex scenes and plenty of honest sex talk (so be forewarned if that's not your cup of tea). The show is very, very funny and the writing and acting are great, but it also has wonderful emotional depth and warmth. You really come to care for these kids (and adults) who are struggling so much to figure out their identities and their lives. We loved every episode of the first two seasons and are very excited that a third season has been announced!

Sex Education is a Netflix original show, so you can watch the first two seasons on Netflix. Season three arrives in 2021--we can't wait!

It's Monday 8/31! What Are You Reading?

August 31 - yay! I am ready for fall and very sick of the heat and humidity and non-stop storms we've had here this summer. The temperatures finally dropped out of the 90's this weekend. Sunday was cool enough (70's) that we could open up our windows and turn off the air-conditioning for the first time in months - ahhh! I even wore jeans this weekend. More storms coming this week, and we will be back to 90's and humid for a few days, but I am ready for that cooler, drier fall weather.

Busy, busy here still. Our youngest son moved out into his own apartment two weeks ago! That means our grocery bills have dropped significantly - ha ha. My husband and I have been helping him shop for a couch (graduation gift), stock up on kitchen essentials, and set things up.

I am still having more than my usual number of sick days, due to chronic illness, so that gets in the way of productivity! I did manage to appear on a video podcast recorded this weekend. It was for physical therapists who work with patients with my illness, and I was one of the patients speaking. It was fun and went well--nice to meet "in person" (on Zoom) people I have only interacted with online--though it was quite tiring.

The 2020 Big Book Summer Challenge ends one week from today! It has been one of the highlights of this summer for me and I know for others as well. The challenge had record participation this year, and everyone seemed to enjoy the experience.

If you participated, visit the challenge page at the link to leave any links to Big Book reviews or challenge wrap-ups (neither is required) and/or visit the Goodreads group to let us know what Big Books you have finished.

I am hoping to finish my last Big Book this week (it's been a hefty one!), and I finished my last Big Book audio last night. Although ... I do have a YA novel on audio that is exactly 400 pages in print. I wonder if I could fit in one more ... ?

Here's what we've all been reading this past week:

I am still reading my latest and last Big Book Summer Challenge book, David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, a Big Book and a classic that I have been wanting to read for ages. I love Dickens, read several of his books in school, and so many people have told me that this one is their favorite. I was immediately pulled into the story and am loving the title character, who--like many of Dickens' characters--is a good person who suffered some horrible mistreatment as a child. David's father died before he was born, but he had a warm, loving relationship with his mother and with the kind maid/nurse who helped care for them both. The trouble begins when his mother remarries (nice to see an evil stepfather, for a change). The novel follows David through the twists and turns of his life--and there are lots of twists! It really is a VERY big book; I'm still enjoying the story but getting sick of holding such a heavy book up when I read. Dickens' writing is so clever and witty that the novel, like his others, is highly entertaining. And now I just heard there is a new movie adaptation just released!

I just finished listening to a Big Book on audio, American Dirt by Jeanine Cummins. I think probably everyone has heard about this one! The story is about a woman, Lydia, and her son who live in Acapulco. She runs a bookstore and has a happy life, until her husband publishes a tell-all article about the city's biggest drug cartel leader. After the cartel guns down their entire family, Lydia and her son are forced to flee for the United States, with their lives in grave danger. The novel follows them on their harrowing journey. This novel, released in January 2020, caused some controversy, since the author is not Mexican (though she does have a Puerto Rican grandmother), writing a novel about Mexican immigrants. I have no problem with Cummins writing this novel. Yes, absolutely, the publishing industry needs to be more inclusive and work to bring in more writers of color to tell their own stories, but in the meantime, this is an important story to tell, and Cummins writes it well and spent years doing research to get the details right. The book has certainly attracted many accolades and much attention (controversy aside). It is a fast-paced, suspenseful, and riveting novel that is also moving and powerful.

My husband, Ken, finished another Father's Day gift and another Big Book, The Never Game by Jeffrey Deaver, the first book in a new series. We are both huge fans of Deaver and his Lincoln Rhyme series (if you haven't yet seen the TV show based on that series, check it out--it's excellent). This novel is a departure for Deaver, the start of a new series about Colter Shaw, an expert tracker who travels around the country, hiring himself out to find missing persons and to help the police. When a young woman goes missing in Silicon Valley, her father hires Colter to find her. Deaver writes outstanding thrillers, so I'm sure this one is good, too! Ken enjoyed it very much and said he likes the main character even better than Lincoln Rhyme and wants to read more of the series. That pretty much says it all.

Now, Ken has started a historical thriller from my Dad's book collection that we inherited, Hornet Flight by Ken Follett. We both love Follett's novels, and this is one of his many spy war thrillers. It's set in 1941 during WWII and focuses on an eighteen-year-old young man who discovers a secret that could change the war for England. He needs to tell someone, but his only way to get to England from an isolated island is with an old Hornet Moth biplane, rusting in a barn. It sounds like an intriguing and unique premise, and knowing how Follett writes thrillers, I'm sure it is action-packed, twisty, and suspenseful. This is actually another Big Book, though my husband doesn't expect to finish it in a week. Follett is known for his page-turners, so we'll see!

Our son, 26, is still enjoying a birthday gift from his girlfriend (she knows him well!), Red Country by Joe Abercrombie, one of his favorite fantasy authors. He loved reading The First Law trilogy by this author, and this book is one of three sort-of stand-alone novels that are set in the same world but focused on different characters. This one is about Shy South, a woman who's been wronged and sets out to get her family back. Even though it's fantasy, this book has an Old West feel to it (though with swords, not guns--an important distinction for my fantasy-loving son), including wide plains, a frontier town, and a gold rush. He's thoroughly enjoying it so far.



I only managed one other blog post last week:

Movie Monday: The Rainmaker - adapted from a John Grisham novel, directed by Frances Ford Coppola, and with an all-star cast, this legal drama was very entertaining.

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog's page.   

What are you and your family reading this week?  

Movie Monday: The Rainmaker

As usual, I was searching for a free movie to watch on Saturday evening (while waiting for my husband to bring home our favorite burgers & fries take-out from a local restaurant). On a list of "best thrillers on Amazon Prime," I found The Rainmaker, a 1997 movie, adapted from a John Grisham novel. Featuring an all-star cast, it is more of a legal drama than a thriller. I don't know how we missed it when it first came out, since we are both Grisham fans, but we thoroughly enjoyed it this weekend on the small screen.

As with most Grisham stories, this one is set in the South, this time in Memphis. Matt Damon stars as Rudy Baylor, a brand-new lawyer just out of law school. In need of some income, he takes a job with Bruiser Stone, played by Mickey Rourke, a successful but crooked lawyer. Bruiser encourages Rudy to find his own clients (that's the only way he'll earn a living) and bring in his own business, but honest, humble Rudy balks at being an "ambulance chaser." He already has two cases, though: a will for an elderly woman (who agrees he can rent a room from her) and an insurance case concerning a young man dying of cancer whose parents' health insurance has refused to pay for his treatments. In hanging out at the hospital, per Bruiser's instructions, Rudy also meets Kelly, played by Claire Danes, who has been put in the hospital by her abusive husband, bringing back Rudy's memories of his alcoholic father who beat both his mother and him. Deck, played by Danny DeVito, is a smart and experienced lawyer-wanna-be who hasn't yet passed the bar exam and also works for Bruiser. When Bruiser's office is raided by the Feds, Rudy and Deck decide to hang their own shingle. Rudy's insurance case, which he feels strongly about to get justice for the family, turns out to be a much bigger case than expected, as the insurance company is a huge conglomerate that sends out a team of expensive-suited lawyers who expect to stomp on newbie Rudy and his poor clients. Tensions build as the case finally goes to court, and both sides try to convince the jury of their position. It's a classic David-and-Goliath story.

We both enjoyed this courtroom drama very much. It's a multi-faceted story, with Rudy juggling the multiple cases, Rudy and Deck trying to start their partnership, and the big trial. The cast is outstanding, and we were constantly and pleasantly surprised by the young actors who have gone on to achieve greatness (as well as the older ones we recognized from long careers). Rudy is the kind of character who is great fun to root for: the kind, honest underdog up against corporate greed. Combining excellent source material with that talented cast and direction from Francis Ford Coppola, it's classic Grisham and also classic movie magic.

The Rainmaker is currently available on Amazon Prime or on DVD.