Monday, April 2, 2012

It's Monday 4/2! What Are You 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.)

7 comments:

Tampa BookWorm said...

What a great bunch of books! Have you all read the "Ranger's Apprentice" series? My family liked it even more than the "Last Apprentice" series!

http://tampabookworm.blogspot.com/

Megan@YA? Why Not? said...

Oh, do I have audio recommendations!
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (Alan Cumming narrates, it's fantastic!)
The Hunchback Assignments by Arthur Slade
Keys to the Kingdom series by Garth Nix
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
Anything Gordon Korman
Carter Finally Gets It
More Percy Jackson!
Sapphique, the sequel to Incarceron
The Maze Runner
Good Luck! Have a great trip!

Anne@HeadFullofBooks said...

Thanks for dropping by. Is this week your spring break? It is mine.

I liked the Thunderbolt Kid, too, but felt it wasn't as good as the books Bryson researched before writing. I did give it for a gift, though, to a friend who also grew up in the same era and he told me that he rarely reads but really enjoyed that book. Score!

The Zookeeper's Wife tells a WWII story that I knew little about, so I appreciated it from that angle. Parts need to be sped read through, though.

Have a good week.

Linda B said...

I love that you tell about the whole family & always enjoy it, Sue. I am excited to hear about the Black Hills book because my son-in-law lives there & will love it. Also, I loved The Zookeeper's Wife, a different story of the Holocaust, & An Abundance of Katherines. I'll return & read your review. I have Glory Be, but haven't read it yet. Have a good week!

Jen Vincent said...

I've read Leisl and Po and Glory Be. I liked both! I read Leisl and Po as a real book not the audio. Now I'm more and more curious to see how reading the book compares to the audio. It reminded me or Roald Dahl a bit but I can see how it would also be similar to The Graveyard Book.

You read a ton of books...and I have to say it every time, but I love that your family reads like crazy, too!

Kellee said...

Ooooo- Audio recommendations:
Harry Potter
All Neil Gaiman books as he narrates them
White Cat & Red Glove
Airborn and the sequels
The Emerald Atlas
The Book Thief

I love audiobooks!!! :)

I am going to read Liesl and Po soon- I am looking forward to it. Glad to hear it is good so far.

Happy reading this week! :)

Sue Jackson said...

Kellee and Megan -

Thanks for the audio ideas!!

We did listen to Sapphique (good but not as good as Incareron) and The Alchemyst (but only book 1 so far).

Great suggestions - I will take both lists to the library with me today!

Sue