At least I think it's still Monday...barely! We spent the weekend out of town with family, then all day today driving back and forth to an out-of-state doctor's appointment, so I'm running a bit behind. Things have still been crazy hectic here, as predicted last week, but we had some good news and made a big decision. The college found my son a single dorm room, and he decided to give it a try, with a reduced schedule of just three classes (he has some significant health issues). So, that is all very exciting! Move-in day for freshman is Saturday, so this will be another insanely busy week...but maybe then things will calm down a bit for me (not for long, I'm sure...).
We read some great books last week at our house:
- I am, of course, still working on Stephen King's 11/22/63, my last Big Book for the summer! As expected, I am loving it so far, especially the way that King wove one of his past novels, It, into the early parts of the story. I love when an author does that - it makes you feel like an insider!
- In the car today, I finished the middle-grade audio book Okay For Now by Gary D. Schmidt. I LOVED everything about this wonderful novel! It was quite possibly the best middle-grade novel I've ever read AND the best audio book I've ever listened to. Highly recommended.
- My husband, Ken, is also reading a hefty novel, A Clash of Kings by George R.R. Martin. He and our son both love this series.
- Jamie, who turned 18 last week, read his required freshman summer book in one day last week! Their First-Year Student Common Reader is Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity by Katherine Boo, a nonfiction book set in a poverty-stricken part of Mumbai. Jamie said it was eye-opening and fascinating.
- Part of his motivation for reading his required book so fast was to move onto Book 4 in the George R.R. Martin series, which he picked up in the college bookstore when we bought his required book. He is almost finished with A Feast of Crows already and loving it!
- Craig, 14, is slogging his way through In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez, one of his required summer books. He's not loving it!
(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kids/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)
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| Jamie and his brother Craig celebrate his 18th birthday. |
3 comments:
As much as I love reading, I've never been a fan of required reading. I sympathize with Craig. Books like A Separate Peace and Wuthering Heights. ugh. But every once and awhile I'd find one I liked. Like Fahrenheit 451.
Hooray for Okay for Now! I love that book. I thought it really deserved awards in January but it didn't happen. That book has never left me.
Look at your kids! Seem like nice guys and they read! I was just talking yesterday with my new department that my goal in life is to raise readers. When I think of my life and everything I want to accomplish...if my kids would just grow up to love reading and pass that on, I would be happy!
Jen -
Okay for Now DID win an award!! It won the Odyssey Award for Audio Books - that's how I heard about it! And that award was certainly well-deserved.
I always wanted to raise readers, too!
Sue
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