Monday, April 30, 2012

It's Monday 4/30! What Are You Reading?


Monday already?  The weekend went by in a flash - very busy!  In fact, I've had almost no time for writing reviews the past few weeks, so my backlog keeps growing!  My family and I have been reading, though:
  • I finished the middle-grade novel The Night of the Spadefoot Toads by Bill Harley and enjoyed it, though it was different than I expected.
  • Next I read The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes, a novel which was short-listed for the Man Booker prize.  I'd heard it mentioned on several of my favorite book podcasts, so I requested it from the library.  It was very good, a literary novel but surprisingly engaging and even a bit suspenseful.
  • I am now reading Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson for one of my book groups that meets this week.  I love this book!!  I hate to set it down, have been staying up way too late reading (promising myself, "Just one more page..."), and even trying to squeeze in 5 minutes of reading time wherever I can.  It's hugely suspenseful, about a woman who's lost her memory, so she wakes each morning having no idea who she is or who the man sleeping beside her is.  The bulk of the novel is her journal, where she is trying to put together the puzzle of her past and how she came to be this way.  Fabulous!
  • I am still listening to Liesl and Po, a middle-grade audio by Lauren Oliver which is very good so far.
  • My husband, Ken, finished Black Hills by Dan Simmons, a historical novel set in one of our favorite places, the Black Hills region of South Dakota.  He said it was very good.
  • He is now reading The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman on his Kindle, a novel set during World War II.
  • Jamie, 17, hasn't been reading nearly as much as he usually does because he has just one month left to finish all his school work in time for graduation (he missed over 70 days of school this year due to medical problems), so he's been concentrating on that.  He and I were reading some ancient Persian poetry for his World Lit class last week (it is just as exciting as it sounds).  For fun, he is still re-reading one of his all-time favorite novels Maddigan's Fantasia by Margaret Mahy.
  • Jamie finished An Ordinary Man by Paul Rusesabagina, the autobiography that inspired the movie Hotel Rwanda, for his World Lit class.  He said it was an excellent book, fascinating and stunning, and that I have to read it!
  • Craig is reading Attack of the Fiend, Book 4 in The Last Apprentice series by Joseph Delaney.  He loves this series!
So, lots of good readings last week, but no blog posts other than my Monday summary! I am hoping to get back on track this week.


What are you and your family reading?


(What are you reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey, with a kids/teen version hosted by Teach Mentor Texts.)

7 comments:

The Brunette Librarian said...

Jeesh! Hope you have an easier week this week than Persian poetry :)

What are YOU reading??

Kellee said...

I'm glad you are enjoying Liesl and Po- I just finished in on Friday and ended up liking it a lot.

Happy reading this week to you and all of your family!

Anonymous said...

I love how you celebrate what everyone in your house reads! I read a lot of kid lit, but love to check out well paced adult reads, and Before I Go To Sleep sounds like it fits that description. Thanks for the recommendation.

Heidi’sbooks said...

I've looked at The Zookeeper's Wife, but I've never read it. Let us know how your husband likes it! I also have been eyeing Ship Breaker.

Sheila (Bookjourney) said...

I am glad to hear you enjoyed Before I Go To Sleep... we read it for book club too, I was not thrilled with it although others were :)

Teacher said...

The Zookeeper's Wife - I had to check after you mentioned WWII. It sounds really interesting, and based on a dairy. Very cool. What did you husband think? I am drawn to WWII books lately.

Sue Jackson said...

Heidi & Teacher -

Oops - I got it wrong! My husband says that The Zookeeper's Wife is nonfiction, not a novel - a true story from World War II. He is enjoying it so far - says it's interesting.

Sue