It's Monday 5/5! What Are You Reading?

Happy Cinco de Mayo! I really can't believe it is May already...April went by in a flash!

I spent a lovely, relaxing weekend at the beach with my two closest friends. We went kayaking out on a quiet, peaceful creek, walked on the beach, played games, and talked and laughed nonstop!

So, I am feeling refreshed and rejuvenated this morning, ready to start a new week! Here's what my family and I have been reading this past week:

• I am almost finished with The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater, book 2 of the Raven Boys series. It's been wonderful, just as good as the first book, and I should finish it today.
• I am also almost finished with Time Management from the Inside Out by Julie Morganstern. This one has taken me a long time to get through because partway through I decided to return the library's copy and get my own copy and then I reread parts of it. I have also been implementing some of her advice as I read. Last week, I did her Quick Sort to get rid of all the paper piles on my kitchen counter, and it worked wonderfully!
• My husband, Ken, is reading The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch on his Kindle. It's a thriller set in Germany in 1660.
• Jamie, 19, is reading The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch, one of the new purchases he made with a gift card last week that he's very excited to read! It's a medieval fantasy with "the suspense and wit of a crime caper," pretty much combining all of my son's favorite things.
• Craig, 16, finished MacBeth for his Brit Lit class (and did very well on the exam for it!). Unfortunately, his teacher ran out of time and is going to have to skip their last planned book, Frankenstein. I told my son I was sorry he wouldn't get to read that one, but he said, "That's OK - MacBeth was actually pretty good." Music to my ears from my son who normally claims he doesn't like reading!

I was able to catch up on some reviews last week:

Review of The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, a modern classic.

Review of The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick, which I loved!

Review of The Carpet People, written by famed author Terry Pratchett when he was just 17.

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 Unleashing Readers.     

It's Monday 4/28! What Are You Reading?

Ah, the quiet solitude of a Monday morning! I really need this today, after a hectic weekend. My husband is visiting his dad in Oklahoma, so it was just me and my sons this weekend, doing all the running around, errands, cooking, cleaning, etc. I am feeling exhausted and also overwhelmed by all I need to do so am hoping to have some quiet catch-up time this week.

I didn't write any reviews at all last week because we took a mini-vacation since it was my son's spring break. We went camping for a couple of days near the gorgeous Chesapeake Bay. It was wonderful to be outdoors and surrounded by so much natural beauty for a couple of days, even if all the usual mess and to-do lists were still waiting when we got back home! I posted a few pictures of the trip on Snapshot Saturday.

So, with our camping trip, we had plenty of reading time last week:

• I finished The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy for one of my book groups. It was well-written though a bit confusing at times and quite depressing. You know from the beginning that it ends in tragedy, so it was a bit heavy for my tastes, though I look forward to discussing it.
• I needed something light, fun, and easy after that, so I am reading The Dream Thieves, Book 2 of The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater. I loved the first book, The Raven Boys, and my son recently enjoyed this one, so I am glad to get to it before I forget everything that happened in the first book!
• I just realized I haven't started a new audiobook yet since I didn't really have any time alone last week - I'll have to pick one out today. I did enjoy some of my favorite book podcasts this weekend.
• My husband, Ken, is reading Faithful Place by Tana French and may have finished it by now. He loves her books and was enjoying the Irish slang in this one! When he finishes it, he'll be reading something on his Kindle during the rest of his trip.
• Jamie, 19, is still reading The White Tree by Edward W. Robertson on his Kindle. This is book one of the Cycle of Arawn series. He said it's very long, and he had a lot of quizzes and tests last week in college so not much reading time. He recently cashed in a $75 gift card, so packages from Amazon have been arriving at the house daily - he is so happy to have so many great books lined up!
• I think that Craig, 15, must be finished or close to finishing MacBeth by now for his Brit Lit class. This week is state testing.

Like I said, no time for writing reviews last week, so my only post was:

Snapshot Saturday, with photos from our camping trip near the Chesapeake Bay.

I hope to catch up on reviews this week.

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 Unleashing Readers.     

It's Monday 4/21! What Are You Reading?

Whew, I'm a bit late posting today - it's going to be a super-busy week! My younger son is home on spring break, so we went shopping this morning and will be heading out for a couple of days of camping later this week (unfortunately, it's supposed to get colder and wetter again). Not my usual quiet Monday morning routine!

Anyway, here's what we read last week:

• I finished Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys, a wonderful YA novel set in New Orleans's French Quarter in 1950. I loved it and read it very quickly.
• Now I am reading The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy for one of my book groups. This one I'm not loving so far, though it has its moments. It's set in India and is the story of two fraternal twins whose lives are forever changed by the events that occur in one day when they are children.
• I finished listening to Loud Awake and Lost by Adele Griffin, another YA novel, on audio in record time. I really enjoyed the compelling story about a teen girl trying to piece together her missing memory after a horrible accident.
• My husband, Ken, is reading Faithful Place by Tana French. I got him started on this series last year and gave him this third novel as a gift for Christmas. He really enjoys both the mysteries and the writing style.
• Jamie, 19, finished The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemison, a book I gave him as a gift last year, and loved it.
• He is now reading The White Tree by Edward W. Robertson on his Kindle. This is book one of the Cycle of Arawn series. It was one of 26 free books that he recently downloaded! He is both an avid reader and a bargain hunter.

Despite a very busy week last week, I managed a few blog posts:

Review of Gap Creek by Robert Morgan, a historical novel.

Weekend Cooking/Review of Against All Grain Cookbook

Summary of Books Read in March

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 Unleashing Readers.    

Books Read in March

I thought I was late with my monthly summary last month! ha ha Here it is, April 19 already. Where did the last 3 weeks go?? Then again, spring itself has been late this month, so my blog fits right in.

March was a light reading month for me, with only four books completed, though one of those was 650 pages. Here's what I read in March:

• The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon, fiction (New York)
• Allegiant by Veronica Roth, YA dystopian fiction (Illinois)
• The Last Present by Wendy Mass, middle-grade fiction
• Gap Creek by Robert Morgan, historical fiction (South Carolina)

Only four books, all fiction, but a nice range of age groups, and I enjoyed them all.  I think my favorite of the month was The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, which I ended up liking much more than I expected to.

Update on 2014 Reading Challenges:
I added just one state to my Where Are You Reading Challenge 2014 this month.  For the third month in a row, I read just ONE book from my TBR shelves for my 2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge. I really need to stop getting books out of the library and get cracking on all the books I already have!  I listened to one more audio book for my 2014 Audio Book Challenge, so that one's going well so far. I finally read one nonfiction book!  Still not a single classic, though.

What was your favorite book read in March?

It's Monday 4/14! What Are You Reading?

Wow, 80 degrees here yesterday and today - we seemed to have gone from snow and winter right to summer and skipped the nice part where it's in the 50's and 60's entirely!

I had another very busy week (are there any other kinds?) but managed to do quite a bit of writing...but not book reviews. So, I hope to catch up on those this week.

We enjoyed our books last week:

• I finished Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick and loved it! The movie was great, but the book is even better, with more emotional depth. It is filled with both joy and heartbreak. Not everyone in my library's book discussion agreed - some didn't like the book. Unfortunately, I used up all of my limited energy going to book groups on Wednesday (that one and my neighborhood one in the evening), so I didn't feel well enough to go and hear Quick speak Thursday evening. I was sorry to miss that, but I watched a few videos of him on Youtube - it's hard to find interviews and videos specifically about the book - most are about the movie!
• After plowing through three book group books in a row, I was ready to enjoy a teen/YA novel, so I picked up Out of the Easy by Ruta Sepetys, a Christmas gift from my husband. I was blown away by her first novel, Between Shades of Gray, and this one is set in New Orleans, where we used to live, so I am loving it so far.
• I also started a new teen/YA novel on audio, Loud Awake and Lost by Adele Griffin. It's excellent so far, about a teen girl recovering from an accident and slowly regaining her memory of what happened in the six weeks before. I'm hooked!
• I am still reading a nonfiction book, Time Management from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule - and Your Life by Julie Morganstern. I had to return the library's copy, but I ordered my own (updated version) with an amazon gift card from Christmas. I am currently following its advice, trying to get better at estimating how long tasks will take me (something I am finding I'm not very good at!).
• My husband, Ken, has been reading Brilliance, a suspense novel, by Marcus Sakey on his Kindle.
• My son, Jamie, 19, returned to school from spring break, so his reading slowed down a little bit, but now that he has the reading bug again,  he's trying to keep it up! He read book 2, The Lost Heiress, of Catherine Fisher's The Relic Master series.
• Now he is reading The Killing Moon by N.K. Jemison, a book I gave him as a gift last year, recommended by a fellow book blogger!
• Craig, 15, is still reading MacBeth for Brit Lit.

No blog posts at all last week, other than the Monday posts - I really wasn't exaggerating about having no time for book reviews! Look for some reviews this week, plus other goodies.

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 Unleashing Readers.   

It's Monday 4/7! What Are You Reading?

Ah, Monday morning...quiet house and no one to take care of but myself for a few hours. I started the day off kind of oddly...I cleaned out my sock drawer! Maybe an unusual way to start the day, but it gave me a big motivational boost. I have been feeling pretty overwhelmed lately, and I know that the clutter in the house is part of the problem. My college son went back to school yesterday after a week at home for spring break, and the sudden disappearance of all his stuff all over the first floor (he never really unpacked - just sort of dumped everything on the floor!) inspired me to take a tiny step in the huge job of decluttering. So, I am feeling pretty proud of myself, with a big bag of stuff to throw away, a smaller bag to donate, and a sock drawer that now closes without excess effort. My life is better already!

We did a lot of reading last week, especially my son who celebrated his break with books:

• I finished The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera. I'm still not sure how I feel about this modern classic novel - it was strange. It's a mixture of philosophy, politics, literature, and sex, all rolled into a rambling narrative that often left me saying, "Wait...what??" It will definitely be an interesting book group discussion on Wednesday!
• Yesterday, I moved onto Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick, a novel I have really been looking forward to reading. I doubt I will finish it in time for the discussion at the library Wednesday, but I do hope to go listen to the author on Thursday evening. This is our all-county read book for this spring.
• I finished listening to The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett, a clever fantasy novel written by the famous, knighted author when he was only 17 years old! It was a lot of fun.
• I have also been (slowly) making my way through a nonfiction book, Time Management from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule - and Your Life by Julie Morganstern. I had to return my copy to the library, but I was getting enough out of it that I ordered my own, updated copy last week. The sock drawer is just the beginning!
• My husband, Ken, was away last week and reading Brilliance, a suspense novel, by Marcus Sakey on his Kindle.
• Jamie, 19, went on a reading binge for his spring break! He read five books since last Monday (plus another few last weekend). First, he tackled one of his favorite series, Beyonders by Brandon  Mull. He quickly re-read book 2, Seeds of Rebellion, and then read the latest release (and the last book of the trilogy), Chasing the Prophecy. He reaffirmed that it remains an all-time favorite!
• Next, he re-read a favorite on his Kindle, The Sorcerer's Ascension by Brock E. Deskin, Book 1 in The Sorcerer's Path series.
• Mid-week, he hit Barnes & Noble with some friends, armed with several gift cards. One of the books he bought - and immediately read - was Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes. He enjoyed it and is looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
• Finally, he re-read The Dark City, Book 1 in Catherine Fisher's Relic Master series. Next he plans to re-read Book 2, The Lost Heiress, and then turn in some Amazon or Target gift cards for book 3. I love that he ditched plans to buy a video game with the gift card and now wants to spend it all on books!
• Craig, 15, is still reading MacBeth for his Brit Lit class. He got 95% on his first quiz, so I think it's going pretty well.

 Despite having a very busy week, I managed a few blog posts:

Review of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon, a novel about friendship.

Review of Monsters of Men, Book 3 in Patrick Ness' incredible teen/YA Chaos Walking trilogy.

Saturday Snapshot, with photos of last week's trip to St. Michaels, MD

Weekend Cooking post, with some tasty dinner ideas.

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 Unleashing Readers.  

It's Monday 3/31! What Are You Reading?

Wow, how can it possibly be the last day of March already? I am more than ready for April, since we've had such a long and hard winter, but the month just went by very quickly. This past weekend was our only 48 hours alone together as a family until summer, so we drove about two hours away, to a St. Michael's, a lovely town on Maryland's Eastern Shore, and stayed at a beautiful inn out on a point surrounded by water. Unfortunately, it was dark, cold, windy, and pouring rain all weekend....AND my youngest son had bronchitis and a sinus infection and felt awful on Saturday! Not quite the getaway we'd pictured, but we still had a nice weekend and spent some time together as a family - we had some delicious meals, watched a movie in our room, and played cards (with lots of laughs!).

And, as always, we read a lot:

• I finished Gap Creek by Robert Morgan for my online family book group. It's a bit depressing at times, but overall, I enjoyed this novel about a hard life on an isolated farm in the Carolina mountains at the turn of the century.
• Next, I started another book group selection, The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera, a modern classic novel that was made into a popular 1988 movie. It's an unusual novel - very philosophical so far, about life and love.
• I have also been (slowly) making my way through another nonfiction book, Time Management from the Inside Out: The Foolproof System for Taking Control of Your Schedule -and Your Life by Julie Morganstern. Yes, I am still on a quest to get better at time management!
• I started a new audio book, The Carpet People by Terry Pratchett. Its history is interesting - the famous author (who has now written over 40 books) wrote this novel when he was only 17 years old! He revised it recently so that it could be re-released.
• My husband, Ken, finished Unsouled by Neal Schusterman, the book that was supposed to be the final one in the Unwind trilogy, but is now book 3 of 4. Apparently, Schusterman just can't let go of this story - and neither can his fans. My son and I can't wait to read this one.
• Ken is now traveling for the week and reading Brilliance, a suspense novel, by Marcus Sakey on his Kindle.
• Jamie, 19, has been on a reading streak lately! He is now on spring break for a week and has been reading like crazy. He told us he downloaded 26 free books to his Kindle last week! He already read two of them last week: The Last King's Amulet by Chris Northern (book one in The Price of Freedom series) and The Choosing by Jeremy Laszlo, book one of The Blood and Brotherhood Saga (Jamie has figured out that publishers often offer the first book in a series free as e-books!). He said both books were good.
• Now, he's gone back to an old favorite series, Beyonders by Brandon Mull. Book three was just released, so he is re-reading book two, Seeds of Rebellion, before moving onto the new book.

I didn't have much time for blogging last week, so I just posted two reviews:

Review of 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam

Review of The Last Present, a middle-grade novel by Wendy Mass

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 Unleashing Readers. 

It's Monday 3/24! What Are You Reading?

So glad it is Monday - the weekend really wiped me out! Pretty sad when you need to recover from your weekend, huh? And not because I had a wild fun time - just because I did too much around the house, with cooking, dishes, laundry, etc. I really need to fix that and add a little fun into my Sundays!

I did manage a 2-day "me retreat" last week at the beach, with plenty of reading and some writing catch-up, too. We all enjoyed our books last week:

• I finally finished The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon and loved every one of its 600+ pages! The characters and the time and place really pulled me in, and I was sad to say good-bye to Joe Kavalier and Sam Clay.
• Next, while I was away, I squeezed in a quick middle-grade novel, The Last Present by Wendy Mass. It turned out to be the last book in a 4-book series, and I only read the first one. So, I obviously missed some of the references to earlier events, but I knew enough to enjoy the book - Mass is an excellent writer for middle-grade readers, and it's a time travel story (my favorite kind!).
• I recently started Gap Creek by Robert Morgan, the next selection for my online family book group. It's set in the rural Appalachians around the turn of the century, about a young girl who gets married and struggles to set up her own household in an isolated place.
• On the way home from the beach, I finished listening to Allegiant by Veronica Roth, the final book in the Divergent trilogy. I reviewed it (and the second book, Insurgent) when I got home. The third book was my favorite - now I have to go see the new movie!
• My husband, Ken, is reading Unsouled, the third book in the teen/YA Unwind series by Neal Schusterman, which he, our college son, and I all love. He's enjoying it so far - I can't wait to read it next!
• Jamie, 19, finished the Medieval fantasy series he was reading, The Staff and the Sword, by Patrick W. Carr. He finished reading book two, The Hero's Lot, and book 3, A Draw of Kings.
• Craig, 15, is reading MacBeth by Shakespeare for his Brit Lit class and said he did really well on last week's quiz!

I wrote a couple of reviews last week, plus other posts:

Review of The Good Sister by Wendy Corsi Staub, a thriller I listened to on audio.

Review of Insurgent and Allegiant by Veronica Roth, also listened to on audio.

Saturday Snapshot, with photos of my (cold) beach visit last week.

Weekend Cooking post, with several very tasty recipes, adaptable for a Paleo diet (or not)

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 Unleashing Readers. 

It's Monday 3/17! What Are You Reading?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

When I was in college, St. Patrick's Day was pretty much the biggest holiday of the year (with a big emphasis on green beer, of course), so it is still near and dear to my heart, even though I can no longer drink...or stay up late! I am wearing green, though, plus a lovely green nail polish (Minty Sprint!), and we had our big corned beef dinner last night when my college son was home, with plenty of leftovers for today. If you are looking for a really great corned beef recipe for today (or some other easy and tasty meal ideas), check out my Weekend Cooking post from yesterday.

And now, it is snowing again here today...sigh...yet another day with school cancelled! On the positive side, I have planned a little writing retreat for myself this week and am headed to the beach for a couple of quiet days to myself at a friend's condo. I am very much looking forward to the writing time and plenty of reading time, too!

Meanwhile, we have all enjoyed our books this week:

• I am still reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon, even though we had our book discussion on it last week. I am down to the last 50 pages or so (it's over 600 pages!). I was surprised to find that some people didn't like it because I love it more the more I read. These two characters and their story really pulled me in and grabbed me. I can't wait to find out what happens next but also don't want it to end!
• I am also still listening to Allegiant by Veronica Roth, the third and final book in the Divergent trilogy. I like this one better than I liked the first two because it is delving into why this post-apocalyptic world is the way it is, so I am finding the story much more interesting and thought-provoking, more along the lines of Hunger Games or the Unwind series.
• My husband, Ken, read The Drop by Michael Connelly this week and enjoyed it - he and I have always liked Connelly's novels.
• Now Ken is reading Unsouled, the third book in the teen/YA Unwind trilogy by Neal Schusterman, which he, our college son, and I all love. This dystopian series is absolutely chilling because it is based on elements of our own current society taken to an extreme.
• Jamie, 19, started a new Medieval fantasy series (his favorite kind of book), The Staff and the Sword by Patrick W. Carr. Last week, he read book one, A Cast of Stones, on his Kindle, and he is now reading book two, The Hero's Lot. He mentioned to me yesterday that getting sick the previous week (bronchitis) reminded him of how much he enjoys reading, so he's trying to read more, even while he's at school. That's my boy.

I tried to catch up a bit last week on my book blogs, so I posted:

Review of The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. by Nichole Bernier, a wonderful novel.

 Review of Thin Space by Jody Casella, a teen/YA realistic novel with a supernatural twist.

 Summary of Books Read in February and Challenge Progress.

Weekend Cooking, including easy and tasty weeknight dinners plus my favorite Corned Beef recipe.

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 Unleashing Readers. 

It's Monday 3/10! What Are You Reading?

Busy Monday! I usually try to post my Monday update first thing in the morning, but here it is 4 pm already. I hope this isn't a harbinger of the coming week!

Here's what we read last week, in the midst of our busy lives:

• I am still reading The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon - it is over 600 pages! - for my book group this week. There is no way I will finish it in time since I am still not even halfway through it, but I am really enjoying it. I've heard great things about this novel for years, so I'm glad to finally have a chance to read it.
• I am now listening to the audio book Allegiant by Veronica Roth, having just finished book 2 in the series a week ago. This is good preparation for the Divergent movie that is being released this week! And, I've inspired my husband to re-listen to the entire series (he's heard book 1 and just the beginning of book 2).
• My husband, Ken, finished John Grisham's latest, Sycamore Row, a follow-up to his famous A Time to Kill and a Christmas gift from our son. He enjoyed it, and I've moved it into my own TBR pile now!
• Jamie, 19, did some comfort reading this week because he got a bad cold and bronchitis and spent most of the week in his dorm room, resting. For him, comfort reading means re-reading old favorites. He re-read The Warrior Heir by Cinda Williams Chima, and now he is re-reading Merlin by Stephen R. Lawhead.

I didn't have a lot of writing time last week (again!), but I managed one review and another post:

Review of Zane and the Hurricane: A Story of Katrina by Rodman Philbrick, an outstanding and emotionally powerful middle-grade novel.

Weekend Cooking 3/9, with several dinner recipes appropriate for either Paleo dieters or anyone else.

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 Unleashing Readers. 

It's Monday 3/3! What Are You Reading?

Here we are on another Monday, with snow falling steadily outside and yet another snow day with school cancelled! This winter feels like it will never end...

Inside, it is cozy and warm, and we had a fun (though exhausting!) weekend, with our annual Mardi Gras party plus my mom and her husband here for the weekend. So, you would think we had no time for reading...but we always make time to read, no matter what else is going on! It looks like I read a LOT last week, but mostly, I finished up a lot of books I'd been working on for a while:

• I finished The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. by Nichole Bernier in time for my neighborhood book group on Wednesday. It was an excellent novel, and we had so much to discuss! In addition, the author very kindly made some personalized videos for our group, answering our questions about the book and telling us what was behind its writing. I hope to write a review this week and tell you more.
• My next book group book wasn't in at the library yet, so I squeezed in a short middle-grade novel, Zane and the Hurricane by Rodman Philbrick. It's about a young boy who is visiting his great-grandmother in New Orleans when Hurricane Katrina hits and how he survives both the storm and its aftermath. It's an emotionally powerful story that made me want to read more about Katrina. The timing was just right for me, as we used to live in New Orleans and were celebrating Mardi Gras this weekend. I hope to post a review tomorrow, Mardi Gras day.
• On Friday, I finally started my next book group pick, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon. I've been meaning to read this award-winning novel for years, so I was glad when my other book group picked it; however, it's over 600 pages of very dense text, so it will be a challenge to finish it in time for next week's meeting!
• I finally finished 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam! Woo Hoo!! It took me 2 months to read it, so I think I really needed it. The author had some interesting insights into time management, achieving your goals, and living a more deliberate life. I want to take some notes and try implementing some of her advice before I return it to the library.
• And I finished my audio book, Insurgent by Veronica Roth. I started it with my family last summer, but they lost interest, so I am glad that I finally found time to finish it. I'm not quite as big a fan of the series as some people are (for me, it's certainly not as thought-provoking or well-written as The Hunger Games trilogy, which I often hear it compared to), but it is an engaging story, and the audio was well done. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the third and final book, Allegiant.
• My husband, Ken, is still reading John Grisham's latest, Sycamore Row, a follow-up to his famous A Time to Kill and a Christmas gift from our son. He was laughing last night at all the books I finished last week, but this is a hefty one he's working on.
• Jamie, 19, finished reading The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater and brought it back home so I can read it next. I'm not sure what he's reading now - with all the activity this weekend, I forgot to ask him!

I had very little time last week for writing, with all the party and house guest preparation. I managed just two posts:

Review of Flora & Ulysses, a middle-grade novel by Kate DiCamillo

Weekend Cooking post, all about how to celebrate Mardi Gras - there's still time - 2 more days to go!

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 Unleashing Readers.  

Happy Mardi Gras! My sons and I, about 5 years ago

It's Monday 2/24! What Are You Reading?

Monday morning - I love the feeling of starting a new week, with new possibilities and a fresh start. We had a busy weekend but with time for fun, too...and everyone was feeling good! This week will be a busy one as well, but we always make time for reading:

• I finished the teen/YA novel Thin Space by Jody Casella, a story about a twin grieving the loss of his brother and trying to find an opening between this world and the next. It was very good, mostly a realistic story about grief, with a touch of the supernatural.
• Now I am reading my next book group selection, The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. by Nichole Bernier, for my neighborhood book group on Wednesday. I am loving this book and staying up much too late at night reading! It's about a woman who inherits the journals of a good friend after her untimely death and finds out there were a lot of things she didn't know about her friend. It is also about motherhood and self-identity and the way people change over time. The author offered to answer our questions in a personalized video clip, so I am very much looking forward to hearing from her.
• I finished listening to The Good Sister by Wendy Corsi Staub, a thriller on audio. I thought I had it all figured out, but there were still some surprises at the end!
• I am now listening to Insurgent by Veronica Roth, Book 2 in the Divergent trilogy. We started listening to this on vacation last summer, but my husband and son lost interest (mainly because it had been too long since they read Divergent), so I am finally getting back to it.
• And I am still reading 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam...but I am finally getting near the end! It's been very good, and there is a lot of advice in it that I want to try to implement.
• My husband, Ken, is still reading John Grisham's latest, Sycamore Row, a follow-up to his famous A Time to Kill and a Christmas gift from our son. He's enjoying it and pointed out that it counts as a Big Book!
• Jamie, 19, is still reading The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (I think) - he had a busy week, finishing up his Calc 3 final from last semester while attending new classes for this semester.

I didn't have as much writing time last week as I'd hoped, but I did manage two posts:

Review of The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides, a literary novel.

Weekend Cooking, about our new experiences with restricted diets, including healthy, tasty recipes that can be enjoyed by anyone.

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 Unleashing Readers.  

It's Monday 2/17! What Are You Reading?

Another week with more snow (lots more - check out my pics), more snow days, and more medical urgencies to keep me busy. It is supposed to snow again tonight! We did have a fairly quiet weekend, with one son off at college (home on Sunday) and the other on a school ski trip. Today is a holiday, so my husband and younger son are both home. Please, oh, please, no more snow days this week!

We did manage plenty of reading this week, though:

• I finished The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides for my library's books discussion. Well, to be more precise, I still had 100 pages to go when I went to the discussion, but I finished it afterward. It seemed to be a love-it-or-hate-it book. Of the six people at the meeting, four of us enjoyed it (including me), and two couldn't finish it. One couldn't get past page 2! I really liked it overall and did finish it after the meeting. I hope to post a review of it this week.
• My next book group selection isn't available yet at the library, so I decided to squeeze in a short teen/YA novel, Thin Space by Jody Casella, a supernatural tale about a grieving twin who is trying to find a "thin space," a break between this world and the next where he can be reunited with his dead brother. It's very good so far and fast-paced.
• I am still reading 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam, squeezing in a page here or there when I can. This is my waiting room book, so I made some progress last week!
• On audio, I am listening to The Good Sister by Wendy Corsi Staub, a creepy suspense thriller. I didn't love it at first, but I have to admit that it has grabbed my attention now, and I'm having trouble setting it down.
• My husband, Ken, is reading John Grisham's latest, Sycamore Row, a follow-up to his famous A Time to Kill and a Christmas gift from our son.
• My 19-year old son did the right thing last week, setting down a slow book that he wasn't enjoying much to read The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater which I read recently and loved (mom knows best!). He loved it, too, and immediately moved onto The Dream Thieves, book 2 in this fast-paced teen/YA series. I want to read the second book when he is done with it.
• Our 16-year old son is reading MacBeth for his British Literature class.

 Despite best-laid plans, I didn't have any time for writing reviews last week, though I did finally post my Summary of Books Read in January. I am catching up, little by little, after a rough start to the year!

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 Unleashing Readers. 

Books Read in January

It's a little late, but I am finally posting my January summary. It was a COLD month, filled with waaay too many snow days with my kids home from school! Plus a few family medical problems thrown in for fun! So, I only read 4 books in January, but they were all good (and they were all fairly long, too):

• Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, a teen/YA historical novel (France)
• The House Girl by Tara Conklin, historical fiction (Virginia) 

• The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, a teen/YA novel (Virginia)
• The Real Boy by Anne Ursu, a middle-grade novel on audio (fantasy location)

So, not a lot of books, but a nice variety, with one adult novel, two teen/YA, and one middle-grade (and an audio). It was an all-fiction month! Tough to pick my favorite - they were all good - but The Raven Boys probably grabbed me the most.

Update on 2014 Reading Challenges:
I added just one state and one country to my Where Are You Reading Challenge 2014 - I couldn't believe that two of my four books this month took place in the same state!  I read just one from my TBR shelves, The Raven Boys, for my 2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge. And I listened to one audio book for my 2014 Audio Book Challenge. No nonfiction or classics yet.

It's Monday 2/10! What Are You Reading?

Another busy week - more snow and ice (check out my ice storm photos), my older son still horribly sick with his chronic illnesses, and my husband out of town. This morning things are looking up a bit. Our son did move back onto campus last night, but he's still not in good shape, and we are very worried about how he'll manage. We spent a lot of time last week and this weekend consulting with various medical professionals and are trying some new, fairly radical changes to diet, medicines, and supplements this week in the hopes that it will help him.

BUT, for now, I am blissfully alone in a quiet house this morning (still worrying, but one step at a time!). As always, our books provided distraction and comfort last week:

• I finished Moloka'i by Alan Brennert, the February choice for my online family book group. I was captivated by this compelling fictional story based on historical fact about a leper colony on the Hawaiian island of Moloka'i. Here's my review.
• Next, I picked up another book group read, The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides, for my library's book discussion on Wednesday. There's no way I will finish it in time, but I am enjoying it so far - the first of Eugenides' novels I've read.
• I finished my audio book, Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo, a middle-grade novel about a young girl and a poetry-writing squirrel superhero. Yes, I said squirrel. It was fun and silly and warm - classic DiCamillo.
• I started a new audio book, The Good Sister by Wendy Corsi Staub, this one a grown-up novel. I'm only on the second chapter, but it seems to be about family secrets.
• And I am still making my way - slowly but surely - through 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam. It's been interesting so far, but I have been focused on my book group novels.
• My husband, Ken, finished Jo Nesbo's The Bat on his Kindle and enjoyed it.
• Ken has now started Sycamore Row by John Grisham, a Christmas gift from our son. It's a follow-up novel to Grisham's A Time to Kill, which we both read about 20 years ago and barely remember!
• Our oldest son, Jamie, 19, was still reading The Outstretched Shadow by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory, Book One in The Obsidian Trilogy this week but was struggling with it. He said it was very long and fairly slow-paced, so it wasn't keeping his attention, especially given how sick he was. I finally convinced him that it was OK to set it aside and read something else!
• I suggested a fast-paced teen/YA novel to him, so he picked up The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater which I read recently and loved. He needed some comfort reading!
• Craig, 16, just started reading MacBeth by Shakespeare for his Brit Lit class.

Despite the hectic, stressful week, I actually managed quite a few blog posts:

Coming Soon: Your Favorite Books as Movies 2014, about some of this year's most hotly anticipated book adaptations on the big screen.

My 2014 Reading Challenges - yes, I finally found time to sign up for some challenges!

Review of Moloka'i by Alan Brennert, a wonderful historical novel set in Hawaii

Review of The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, a teen/YA novel

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 Unleashing Readers.

It's Monday 2/3! What Are You Reading?

It's Monday...and it's snowing again! It was no surprise that the groundhog saw his shadow yesterday. My son already had a scheduled day off school today, so at least its not another snow day, but I do need to figure out when to pick him up from his friend's house in this storm.

Anyway, we had a pretty good week here last week and enjoyed our little family Superbowl party, even though the game itself was incredibly boring! And we enjoyed our books:

• I am still reading Moloka'i by Alan Brennert, the February choice for my family book group (I started an online family book group last year on Facebook - it is so much fun sharing books with my far-away cousins and aunts!). It's a novel about a little Hawaiian girl who is exiled to a leper colony on Moloka'i in the 1890's. It is a wonderful and captivating book - I need to hurry up and finish it for our discussion.
• I am also still reading 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam. It's very good, but it's taking me a while to get through it just because I don't normally read two books at once. 
• I started a new audio book, Flora and Ulysses by Kate DiCamillo, a middle-grade book I've been meaning to get to for a while. I finally figured out how to keep the non-titled tracks in order on my iPod! It's good so far - a lot of fun, with DiCamillo's famous sense of whimsy.
• My husband, Ken, is reading The Bat by Jo Nesbo, the first book in the Harry Hole series, on his Kindle. He's read several other Harry Hole novels and enjoys this renowned Scandinavian crime writer.
• Jamie, 19, is still reading The Outstretched Shadow by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory, Book One in The Obsidian Trilogy. He says it's good (and very long!), but not one of his favorites. He has one more week at home and then heads back to college for spring semester.

I posted nothing at all at Book By Book in between my Monday posts last week! That gives you some indication of how hectic things have been here, with both sons at home, lots of medical appointments, too many snow days, and a busy weekend. I did manage to write one review here:

Review of The Real Boy by Anne Ursu, a middle-grade audio book.

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kid/teen version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

What are you and your family reading this week?   

It's Monday 1/27! What Are You Reading?

Monday! We had quite a week last week, with the Monday holiday, two more snow days, and my son's knee surgery. Exhausting and hectic, so we spent a pretty quiet weekend at home.

Here's what we read last week:

• I finished Raven Boys, a supernatural teen novel by Maggie Stiefvater, and loved it! I was thrilled to see that we already have #2 waiting here at the house - I can't wait to read it.
• I also finished The Real Boy, a middle-grade audio book by Anne Ursu. I always enjoy Ursu's novels, and this one was no exception.  I haven't chosen my next audio book yet; I did a lot of podcast catching up this weekend!
• I am now reading Moloka'i by Alan Brennert, the February choice for my family book group (I started an online family book group last year on Facebook - it is so much fun sharing books with my far-away cousins and aunts!). It's a novel about a little Hawaiian girl who is exiled to a leper colony on Moloka'i in the 1890's. I just started it a couple of days ago, but it is already amazing! So compelling I hate to set it down.
• I am also still reading 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam - I worked on it in the hospital waiting room. It's an excellent book, but this is why I don't normally read two books at once!
• My husband, Ken, is reading The Bat by Jo Nesbo, the first book in the Harry Hole series. He's read several other Harry Hole novels and enjoys this renowned Scandinavian crime writer. 
• Jamie, 19, is still reading The Outstretched Shadow by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory, Book One in The Obsidian Trilogy. 

I did manage a couple of reviews last week:

Review of The House Girl by Tara Conklin, which my entire book group enjoyed.

Review of Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein, a teen/YA historical novel.

And also, a Weekend Cooking post, featuring several easy, healthy, tasty weeknight dinner recipes.

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kid/teen version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

What are you and your family reading this week?   

It's Monday 1/20! What Are You Reading?

It doesn't feel like a Monday because we were still away for the weekend, since the kids were off school today. We took our sons and two friends on a snowboarding weekend (staying at my mom's house) to celebrate our younger son's 16th birthday. They all had a great time, and I enjoyed some much-needed quiet time on the couch with a book in front of the fire!

We all enjoyed some good books this week:

• I finished The House Girl by Tara Conklin just in time for my book group meeting Wednesday (actually, I read the last few pages after I arrived there!). It was very good and inspired some great discussions. Our group gave it one of our highest ratings!
• After a glut of historical fiction, I am now reading The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater, a teen novel that I've been wanting to read for a long time. I'm enjoying it very much.
• I am still reading 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam, but, ironically, I am having trouble finding time to read it! We will be spending a lot of time in medical waiting rooms this week, so I am planning to carry it with me. I am already putting some of her insights to use.
• I am still listening to The Real Boy by Anne Ursu on audio, a middle-grade novel by one of our favorite authors. It's very good so far, but I haven't had a lot of audio time with my older son home from college.
• My husband, Ken, just finished The First Rule by Robert Crais, a thriller he picked up at the library last week.
• Now Ken is reading The Bat by Jo Nesbo, the first book in the Harry Hole series. He's read several other Harry Hole novels and enjoys this renowned Scandinavian crime writer.
• Jamie, 19, is still reading The Outstretched Shadow by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory, Book One in The Obsidian Trilogy. It's a long one, plus he's been totally absorbed in playing video games during his winter break from college!

 I had such big plans for blog posts this week! But, between my son's birthday, my mom's visit, a flare-up of my chronic illness, and our weekend trip, I only found time for one post:

Weekend Cooking 1/19, with recipes for Banana Cake and Black Bean Soup.

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kid/teen version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

What are you and your family reading this week?  

It's Monday 1/13! What Are You Reading?

...And it's also my youngest son's 16th birthday today! How did 16 years go by so fast? He has to take 2 mid-terms on his birthday, but he is also frantically trying to squeeze in his last driving hours with the Driver's Ed teacher so he can go get his license tomorrow!

So, besides all the birthday excitement, we read some great books this week:

• I am still reading The House Girl by Tara Conklin for my neighborhood book group meeting on Wednesday. I'm enjoying it very much, especially how it moves back and forth from the past to the present.
• And I am still listening to The Real Boy by Anne Ursu on audio, a middle-grade novel by one of our favorite authors. It's very good so far.
• I also started reading 168 Hours: You Have More Time Than You Think by Laura Vanderkam, in search of a little inspiration for feeling less overwhelmed and more in control in the new year. It's good so far, but I'm having trouble finding time to read it!
• My husband, Ken, just finished Lee Child's latest Jack Reacher novel, Never Go Back. I was asleep when he finished it last night, but I'm sure he enjoyed it - this is his favorite author and his favorite series.
• Jamie, 19, is still reading The Outstretched Shadow by Mercedes Lackey and James Mallory, Book One in The Obsidian Trilogy.

 Lots of blog posts last week, though no time for reviews:

Summary of Books Read in December

 Best of 2013 and Year-End Summary - check out my favorite books read last year!

Kids/Teen/YA Best of 2013 and Year-End Summary

Final Tally for my 2013 Reading Challenges

Weekend Cooking post, with several easy, tasty weeknight recipe links.

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kid/teen version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

What are you and your family reading this week? 

16 years ago today: my youngest was born!

Last night's birthday dinner - 16 years old today!

Best of 2013 and Year-End Summary

I finally put together my Best of 2013 Lists - whew, it was a hard choice! I read so many great books this past year.

All together, I read 79 books last year (that's 15 more than in 2013). Here's the break-down:

• 32 were adult fiction
• 23 were teen/YA fiction 
• 16 were middle-grade fiction
• 4 were memoirs
• 4 were nonfiction but not memoirs

Of the 79 books, I listened to 12 of them on audio.

So, that's 39 books for kids/teens/YA in 2013!

As always, I had a hard time choosing my favorites! In no particular order, here are my Top Ten of 2013 (you can check out my top ten list of adult books read in 2013 at Book By Book).

• The Thirteenth Child/Across the Great Barrier/The Far West by Patricia C. Wrede
• Trapped by Michael Northrop
• Ruins by Orson Scott Card
• The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate
• The Knife of Never Letting Go/The Ask and theAnswer/Monsters of Men by Patrick Ness
• Hold Fast by Blue Balliet
• The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
• UnWholly by Neal Schusterman
• Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys
• TheBoy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne

And, for a little extra fun, here are a few superlatives:

Best Kids/Teen/YA Book of the Year and Best Book by a New-to-Me Author:

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

 

Best Kids/Teen/YA Book from an Old Favorite Author:

UnWholly by Neal Schusterman

Best Audio Book of the Year:  

  The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne  

(I counted it as best audio for both adults and teen/YA...though The One and Only Ivan is a close second)

 Best Middle-Grade Novel of the Year:

Hold Fast by Blue Balliet

 

You can also check out how I did on my 2013 Reading Challenges.

What were YOUR favorite books read in 2013?