Ah, lovely weather here last week, but a rough week in our house. My son had a killer sinus infection that triggered a nasty flare-up of his chronic immune disorder, so he was home from school all week and totally wiped out...and that means I got very little done! He's 15, so I know he doesn't need constant supervision (and I did make runs to the grocery store and drugstore), but he does like company when he feels that bad. Also, his appetite doesn't suffer when he's sick, so I spent a LOT of time cooking, doing dishes, and going out for take-out requests!
Anyway, he is feeling better now and back at school, and we had a very nice weekend. No matter what our week is like, we always enjoy our books:
- I finished The Game of Sunken Places, a middle-grade novel by M.T. Anderson (and the first I've read of this award-winning author). It was a cross between a mystery and a fantasy, fast-paced and unique.
- I am now reading The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson, which recently won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction (and many other accolades and awards). I requested it at the library as soon as I heard about the Pulitzer because I've been wanting to read it ever since the two hosts on my favorite podcast, Books on the Nightstand, raved about it. It is set in North Korea and is excellent so far and completely engrossing.
- I am also making my way through a nonfiction book, The Art of Nonconformity: Set Your Own Rules, Live the Life You Want, and Change the World by Chris Guillebeau. A good friend of mine from high school recently recommended this book, so I requested it at the library, too (I need to get back to my TBR shelf). I decided I couldn't read a book about setting goals and changing the world before bed or I'd never get any sleep! So, I'm reading the novel at bedtime and squeezing in bits of the nonfiction during the day.
- My husband, Ken, is still reading A Storm of Swords by George R.R. Martin, book 3 in his A Song of Ice and Fire series. This hefty book is a long-term project. He was laughing that he'd read 200 pages and his bookmark still looked like it was at the beginning of the book!
- Neither of our sons has had time (or energy) for reading. At 18 and 15, they are busy with school work at this time of year.
A review of The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom, a historical novel about a young girl who is an indentured servant in 1790's Virginia.
A review of Turnabout by Margaret Peterson Haddix, a fascinating teen/YA novel about a secret project that "unages" a group of elderly people.
I also posted my April Reading Summary.
And a Weekend Cooking post about clay pot cooking and crockpot cooking.
What are you and your family reading this week?
(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kid/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)
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| My sons and I at my book signing this weekend - two of my essays were published in a Chicken Soup anthology. |
8 comments:
I stopped at Storm of Swords too - currently engrossed with Bradbury and Moers. I know I'd go back to George RR Martin soon enough though. I think subconsciously I'm waiting for all the books to come out first before I even begin hitting the middle of the series big time. :)
Congratulations on having two essays published in Chicken Soup!
Congratulations on the publication of your essays in the Chicken Soup anthology. What will the title for the collection be called?
That's so cool that you're in a Chicken Soup book!
Thanks, everyone!
Julee - the book was published last month - Chicken Soup for the Soul: Parenthood. here's more info and a link:
http://bookbybook.blogspot.com/2013/03/two-of-my-essays-published-today.html
Sue
Hello! I'll definitely check out your essays. That is awesome news. Congrats! How did it feel to do a book signing? Very cool!
It's finals time for your boys, right? Hard to focus on any other kind of reading at this time of the year, I'm sure. I hope your 15 year old is on the mend.
My boys are a bit younger, and we are gearing up for our summer reading push. I'll have them check out Turnabout. My 12 year old loved the Shadow Children series.
Krisbis -
I don't know if your boys will like Turnabout. It is for an older audience than the Shadow Children series - it is geared more for teens/YA than middle-graders. Not that there's anything objectionable in it, but it's just a story that will be of more interest to an older audience - it's all about aging and the story moves back and forth between two elderly women and 80 years later, the 18-year old and 16-year old girls they've become.
I loved it, though!
Almost finals time for my boys - college son in 2 weeks and HS son in about 3 weeks. HS son still has a lot of make-up work first, though - he's missed a lot of time this year due to surgeries and illness.
Sue
The Game of Sunken Places sounds like a book I'd enjoy.
Congrats on your publication!
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