Monday, August 9, 2010

It's Monday 8/9! What Are You Reading?

Whew, what a week.  I was unable to do any blogging (writing or reading).  I won't bore you with the whole long story, but here's a brief recap:  dishwasher broke, air conditioner broke (for the 5th time in 3 weeks), my husband needed emergency laser eye surgery for a retinal tear (second time), and my beloved old iBook burned up (literally).  I was waiting at the eye hospital for my husband when my son, Craig, called on my cell to tell me, "Uh, Mom...your laptop had this awful burning smell and then the screen went black."  Not a good sign, right?  A rush trip to the Apple store that evening confirmed what we suspected - the CPU burned out and the computer was now just a paperweight.

You may recall that I just got a gorgeous new MacBook laptop for my birthday 2 weeks ago, but I hadn't yet transferred data from the old one.  I was waiting for a special cable I needed that arrived...you guessed, the same day the iBook burned out.  I've managed to get the new laptop set up - that's what I'm working on now - but I still need to try to retrieve my old data.  My husband removed the old hard drive, and we're hopeful the files are still intact (the guy at the Apple Genius Bar thought they probably would be OK).

Thank goodness I had a good book to escape into during all that trauma last week and the long hours in the hospital waiting room!
  • I read Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.  Wow, what an amazing book!  I can't believe I waited so long to read it.  It just took me away to another time and place (which I was grateful for last week).  I can't wait to discuss it at my library book group this week - so much to talk about!
  •  I just started The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Stieg Larsson, book 3 of the wildly popular series that begins with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I was thrilled that the third book picks up right where the second ended, and I'm already totally hooked.  It's a great series!
  • Jamie, 15, read Cryptid Hunters by Roland Smith, a middle-grade novel he's been dying to read about a guy who has dedicated his life to finding cryptids, mysterious creatures whose existence has never been proven (think Loch Ness Monster, for example).  We had received the second book in the series, Tentacles, a while back for review, so we picked up book 1 in the bookstore a couple of weeks ago.  He loved it!
  • Craig, 12, is working on his summer reading for school, reading The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin.  He's enjoying it very much, though he said it's a bit scary to read at bedtime.
  • My husband, Ken, finally got his hands on a copy of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, thanks to a friend at work.  He's enjoying it so far and should have plenty of reading time this week on his business trip.
What are  you and your family reading this week?

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

13 comments:

Lea Kelley said...

Love that your whole family contributes to your list. As a 7th grade teacher I'll be back to check out what your kids are reading. I loved The Westing Game as a kid, and it's still popular in my classroom. Have a great week!

Sue Jackson said...

Welcome, LJK!

My youngest son is going into 7th grade, so you'll find lots of great books for that age group covered here.

If you're interested in great middle-grade books I've previously reviewed, just click on the Middle-Grade Fiction label in the right-hand column.

Nice to "meet" you!

Sue

Julie said...

I'll have to read Memoirs of a Geisha at some point. I haven't gotten around to it yet, either. And I can't wait to read the new Larsson book. I'm waiting for my neighbor's husband to finish so I can read it next!

Anonymous said...

What a lot of bad luck this week! But as your husband is away on a business trip, I guess his eye is better now?

I loved the Stieg Larsson books. Hope you do too! Happy reading and wishing you a much, much better week!

Sue Jackson said...

Julie -

yes, definitely make time for Memoirs of a Geisha - it's well worth the time! Had to laugh - everyone seems to be borrowing, lending, and buying the Steig Larsson books! I borrowed the second two books from my mom, Ken borrowed the first from a friend, I bought one for my sister's birthday, and - at our recommendation - my Dad and his wife bought the first one this weekend while they were here! Hope you enjoy it -

Sue

Sue Jackson said...

Leeswammes -

Oh! I should have mentioned that! Yes, we are very fortunate to be near an excellent eye hospital in Philly, and the doctor was able to repair the tear. With the laser surgery, recovery is quick, so he was able to travel today. Thanks for asking!

Jan von Harz said...

Wow Sue, You really had the week to end all weeks. I am glad you enjoyed a small part (Memoirs of a Geisha Girl). I am also happy to hear hubby is recovered enough to read.

Hoping this week calm downs a lot!

Nikki - Notes of Life said...

That's a whole load of bad luck and Friday the 13th isn't until this coming Friday! I hope nothing else breaks down on you and that some good luck somes your way soon... very soon!

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

Oh Sue! What a week you had! Glad you were able to escape a bit on a couple good reads. Hope this week is MUCH MUCH better :D

Laura @ I'm Booking It said...

Wow, what a week!

I've got to find my copy of The Westing Game and get it into my daughter's hands. Maybe I'll reread it while I'm at it.

I'm glad you're enjoying Hornet's Nest-- I found it slow to start, although in the end I really enjoyed it.

Sue Jackson said...

Yes, Laura, I'm finding the same with Hornet's Nest - kind of tough to slog through all the detail of Swedish politics! But, since I'm already familiar with the characters, I've been hooked from page 1!

Sue

Andrea said...

I feel like I really need to read the Stieg Larsson books but never have. One day though.
Happy reading to you and your family.

Anne@HeadFullofBooks said...

When I read Memoirs of a Geisha I kept thinking it was non-fiction. Students who read it often tell me that it is the best book they've ever read. It is so gratifying to be a librarian in moments like those. Hey good luck with all your summertime gremlins. I was thinking that my life was rough because something is dead under the deck and we can't get it out without crawling under there. Ugh.
By the way I have just awarded you the versatile blogger award. Take a look here and enjoy! I like the way you talk about what other family members are reading, too. I should do the same.
http://headfullofbooks.blogspot.com/2010/08/versatile-blogger-me.html