Monday, February 28, 2011

It's Monday 2/28! What Are You Reading?

Wow, the last day of February already?  Spring is in the air around here, where the temperatures have been in the 50's, and we're getting rain instead of snow this week.  I'm ready for it!

We had a great reading week here last week:
  • I finally finished the 700-page The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb which was complex but very well-written.  My book group meets Wednesday to discuss it.
  • I took a break from the hefty epics to read a new teen/YA mystery/thriller, Blank Confession by Pete Hautman.  It was fast-paced and suspenseful, just what I was in the mood for.
  • Last night, I finished The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion, a much-lauded memoir about the author's first year after her husband of 40 years dies suddenly that I've been wanting to read for years.  The only problem is that I got it out of the library for an online book discussion, and now I can't remember which blog it was for!  Anyone??  This could be a sign that I am involved in too many book groups!!
  • Today, I will start Cleopatra's Daughter by Michelle Moran for my neighborhood book group.  I must admit I've been procrastinating on this one just because it's not usually one of my favorite genres, but everyone has said it's good.  I promise to start today!
  • My husband, Ken, was determined to finish Under the Dome by Stephen King before his business trip today because it's too big to travel with!  He finished it at 11 pm last night, just in time.  He said it was classic Stephen King.
  • He's taking Pirate Latitudes by Michael Crichton with him on the plane today.  It was a Christmas gift from our oldest son to him, and he's been saving this paperback for a trip.
  • Jamie, 16, continued reading voraciously this past week, mostly because he's still not feeling great, though he did make it to school for a few days.  He read Pathfinder, Orson Scott Card's latest teen/YA novel.  He and I have both been drooling over this one ever since it arrived because we are both huge fans of Ender's Game.  Jamie says that Pathfinder had all of his favorite fictional elements in it.  I can't wait to read it next!
  • Jamie is also reading The Awakening by Kate Chopin for his American Literature class.  I've never heard of this one, but the back cover says it shocked audiences in 1899 with its passion and "honest treatment of female marital infidelity."  OK...not sure Jamie will like this one!
  • Unfortunately, he's home sick again this morning and re-reading a favorite, The Roar by Emma Clayton, a recent middle-grade science fiction release.
  • Craig, 12, is reading The Last Hunt, the final book in Bruce Coville's The Unicorn Chronicles.
I did manage to post two reviews last week:  Room by Emma Donoghue, one of the best novels I've read in years,  reviewed at Book By Book, and here, a review of Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater.

What are you and your family reading this week?

(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey.)

4 comments:

Andrea said...

I forgot about Pathfinder. I really liked Card's books.
Kate Chopin is almost required reading in south Louisiana because she is from around New Orleans, but I actually never read The Awakening somehow.

Happy reading!

Jan von Harz said...

I have been drooling over Pathfinder too glad to hear that Jamie liked it so well. I am also anxious to read Blank Confession, loved Rash and got a feeling I will enjoy this one of Hautman's too. Have a great week!

Anonymous said...

I read about The Roar on Amazon. It sounds like a good dystopian novel.

Anonymous said...

I was able to get Pathfinder from the library, but it was only a 7-day check-out, and unfortunately one of my girls got the throw-ups, so my husband had to pry the book from my reluctant fingers to return it. I'm glad to hear it was good. What I was able to read, I liked.
Michelle Moran's book is on my list of want-to-reads, too.
P.S. I'm enjoying your blog!