Life is still insanely busy and rushing past at breakneck speed, but I did manage to do some catching up on my book blogs last week!
Despite the busy week, we all enjoyed some good books:
- I finished Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson, a unique thriller about a woman with amnesia that kept me captivated until the very last page. Everyone in my book group enjoyed it, too.
- I am now reading Dicey's Song, a middle-grade/teen novel by Cynthia Voight, part of her award-winning series about the Tillerman family. The books have recently been re-released, and this is my first time reading any of them. It is excellent - warm and real, about four siblings who have lost their mother and gone to live with their previously unknown grandmother in another state.
- I am also still listening to Leisl and Po by Lauren Oliver on audio. I am almost done (finally) with this excellent middle-grade novel about a girl and a ghost.
- My husband, Ken, temporarily set aside The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman, a nonfiction book about World War II, so that he could read Before I Go To Sleep before it is due back to the library! I think he is enjoying the unique suspense novel so far.
- Jamie, 17, finished re-reading Maddigan's Fantasia by Margaret Mahy, one of his all-time favorite novels. He and I are still reading lots of ancient Persian poetry and prose, trying to get him caught up in his World Lit class. Not the most exciting stuff I've ever read.
- When he needs a break from all his make-up schoolwork, Jamie is re-reading The Exiled Queen, Book 2 of The Seven Realms series by Cinda Williams Chima.
- Craig, 14, is reading Book 4 of The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney, Attack of the Fiend.
- Review of The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, a British novel that won the Man Booker Prize for best novel last year and kept me engaged with its thoughtful story of a man looking back at his life;
- Review of another British novel (I've been on a British streak lately), The Tower, the Zoo, and the Tortoise by Julia Stuart, which was entirely different, with its funny, warm look at love and marriage;
- A summary of the books I read in April;
- Review of Ship Breaker, a teen/YA dystopian audio that my family enjoyed on a recent road trip;
- And a review of the middle-grade novel Night of the Spadefoot Toads by Bill Harley.
(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a middle-grade/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)
14 comments:
I really enjoyed Dicey's Song and the accompanying books. The story was touching and real. Glad that you get to enjoy it for the first time. :)
I am glad to hear the family enjoyed Ship Breaker! I am waiting for The Drowned Cities from the library-I am excited.
I am glad to hear the family enjoyed Ship Breaker! I am waiting for The Drowned Cities from the library-I am excited.
I have seen Leisl and Po twice not at the library and both times I was tempted to bring it home -- I think I will since you said it was excellent -- and I do like books with ghosts in them :-) I should have included what the kids are reading on my post -- I didn't even think about that even though we often read together/jointly -- I will start doing that! Thanks for the inspiration!! :-)
I have to get to Leisl and Po! I love Oliver's writing!
I am impressed that you all liked Before I Go To Sleep.... I had trouble with it. We also read it for our book club most liked it more than I did :)
Oh, I loved Dicey's Song and it's prequel - Homecoming. Beautifully written books, great characters.
So many books I am not familiar with. I loved Liesl and Po but need to find it on audio to see how it sounds narrated. Thanks for sharing!
Jen - Leisl and Po is wonderful on audio - it's read by Jim Dale, the talented narrator who read the Harry Potter books on audio!
Sue
I have loved the Dicey's Song series for a long time & try to urge students to begin it. It is excellent, but doesn't always touch students today the way it used to, sadly. I too have seen Liesl & Po in our library-ah-so many books. I hope your husband returns to The Zookeeper's Wife. I found it fascinating with more about the way that particular side of the Nazis worked than I had known. It's always good to see what your family is reading! Thanks.
Hi Sue,
Thanks for dropping by my blog. I always appreciate your comments. I want you to know that I did get your long and wonderful e-mail about Chronic Fatigue and I will share your wisdom with my friend. Thank you.
I notice that quite often your sons are rereading books. It makes me smile because my daughter likes to reread books, too. I ask her if she wants me to find a new book in the library to read and she'll say "no, I am rereading all the Harry Potter books, or the Hunger Games, or John Green's books." Kids! Gotta love them.
My book group read Before I Go to Sleep also and I thought everyone liked it, too. It is surprisingly popular in my library, too, since few adult books get any traction with teens. We also read The Zookeeper's Wife in book group. It provided a lot of information I had somehow missed about WWII in Poland. Fascinating and disturbing.
Have a good week!
Teacher, Tara & Linda -
How have I managed to not hear of the Tillerman books before?? Interesting to hear that so many of you have read them. I think I would have enjoyed them when I was a kid, too. I had also requested Homecoming from the publisher, but I think they got my order mixed up - I didn't receive any of the paperbacks I requested. Will have to look for it at the library!
Sue
Dicey's song is such a joy to read. I haven't gotten to Homecoming yet, but I want to. I bet Leisl and Po would make a fantastic audiobook. Oliver's writing is so lyrical.
Reading your post reminded me of the C Voight books, I read them to a class many years ago, they loved them, although I did get a little weary of them by the end of my read aloud. I haven't seen them be read although we still have them in the school library.
Kathryn
So amazed that everyone else already knew about Voight's Tillerman books where have I been?
Sue
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