Monday, March 29, 2010

It's Monday 3/29! What Are You Reading?

Very busy here lately.  I spent last week working on a writing assignment (hardly any time at all for blog reading!), and this week, we'll all be rushing around getting ready for our spring break trip - we're driving down to Louisiana with our camper to visit Cajun country and New Orleans.  My husband and I used to live in New Orleans, so it's a very special place to us.  We took our sons there a couple of years ago, and they fell in love with it, too!

Jamie, my 15-year old son, had a bad flare-up of his chronic illness last week and spent 5 long days on the couch.  He watched a lot of movies but also read some good books:
  • Jamie finished Sharp North, a chilling novel about a future in which wealthy people keep clones of themselves.  He says it was excellent, so I've added it to my own waiting-to-be-read stack (which is overflowing my bookcase!).
  • Jamie also read The Seven Rays by Jessica Bendinger, a spooky teen novel about a girl who can suddenly see people's secrets, dreams, and pasts when she looks at them.  This one sounds good, too!
  • Craig, 12, is reading another Hardy Boys book, The Bombay Boomerang - he loves these fast-paced mysteries, just like I loved Nancy Drew when I was his age!
  • I finished Wherever Nina Lies by Lynn Weingarten.  I really liked this suspenseful teen thriller.  You can read my full review here.
  • I also read an adult novel, I Was Amelia Earhart by Jane Mendelsohn, for my library book discussion.  It's a fictional story about what might have happened to Amelia Earhart when she disappeared.  It's a beautifully written, almost poetic, novel that would also be appropriate for older teens and young adults.
  • I just started a middle-grade mystery, Sherlock Holmes and the Baker Street Irregulars: In Search of Watson by Tracy Mack and Michael Citrin.  Jamie has read other books in this series and recommended them; they're stories about a group of street urchins who helped Sherlock Holmes solve his mysteries.  I'm not sure I've ever read a Sherlock Holmes story myself, but Jamie is a big fan.  A couple of years ago, he read our huge Sherlock Holmes anthology (encyclopedia-sized!) from cover to cover.
  • Finally, on a trip to visit cousins last week, the boys and I listened to a new audio book by Andrew Clements, Benjamin Pratt & The Keepers of the School: We the Children, a mystery about a couple of kids who want to save their historic school from being torn down to make room for an amusement park.  We all really liked it; our only disappointment was that, like so many new series now, it seemed to end right in the middle of the story!  I prefer series where each book can stand on its own.
So, lots of good books last week, and a very busy week coming up.

What are you and your family reading?

(What are you reading Mondays are hosted by One Person's Journey Through a World of Books).

7 comments:

Julie said...

It sounds like your whole family had a good reading week! Have a wonderful trip to New Orleans! Have you picked out some audio books to listen to on your way?

Sue Jackson said...

Julie - We love our long road trips, and audio books are one of the best parts (we must be the last family on earth that doesn't have a DVD player in the car)! I have a big stack here, so I'll report back when we return. One that I'm really looking forward to is Incarceron, a new teen thriller that was just released and sounds very good.

Sue

Athira said...

Wow .. I like how you list the books your family read! I have Wherever Nina Lies on my TBR! Off to check the review. Have a good week ahead!

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

My week was like that too.... so tired every night I just couldn't pop on line to do visits. Hoping this week will be different :)

Enjoy your books - you and the kids!

Andrea said...

I'm intrigued by Sharp North.
Have a good trip!

The1stdaughter said...

Well, despite being crazy busy, you still seemed to read quite a bit. And so did your boys! Great reads, I'm really hoping to pick up Wherever Nina Lies soon.

Have a fabulous reading week!

Nise' said...

Sorry your son had a flare-up. I know all about those (have fibro). Enjoy your spring break and have a great reading week.