It's Monday 6/29! What Are You Reading?

Book By Book

We spent the weekend visiting my Dad who has stage 4 melanoma and another family member in the hospital. Dad was in the hospital all last week and unable to eat at all, so he was very weak and frail this weekend. We got some of his favorite foods to tempt his appetite back and watched some old home movies. It was good to spend time with him and his wife but tough to see him so weak. Long drives, too, but I hated to leave.

So, some tough times here, but as always, we enjoyed our books this week:

• I finished my second Big Book of the Summer, Revolution by Deborah Wiles, a middle-grade novel set in Mississippi during the summer of 1964, the Freedom Summer. I knew nothing about the events in Mississippi that summer, so the historical backdrop was fascinating, alongside a compelling fictional story of both white and black kids in one town. This book just blew my mind – a must-read.
• I also finished the middle-grade graphic novel The Baby-Sitters Club: Kristy’s Great Idea by Raina Telgemeier, based on the popular series by Ann M. Martin from the late 80′s. I was already in college when the original novels came out, but I enjoyed this graphic novel adaptation.
• Last night, I started One Thousand White Women: the Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus, a historic novel I have been wanting to read for years – and that has been sitting on my bookshelf for years! This will be my third Big Book of the Summer.
• I didn’t start a new audio book last week – instead, I focused on catching up on some of my favorite book podcasts.
• My husband, Ken, read a teen/YA dystopian novel that my son and I both enjoyed, Sharp North by Patrick Cave (in fact, it was one of my Big Book Summer reads in 2012). He liked it and pointed out that there is a sequel, which my son and I both missed!
• Last night, Ken started A Simple Plan by Scott Smith, one of the books I gave him for Father’s Day. It was recommended by Michael on Books on the Nightstand, my favorite podcast.
• Jamie, 20, finished a review book we received last year: The Grace of Kings by Ken Lui, book one in The Dandelion Dynasty, an epic fantasy novel (his favorite kind!) and also a Big Book. He liked it very much and is looking forward to the rest of the series.
• Jamie is now reading Winterbirth, book one in The Godless World series by Brian Ruckley, another fantasy series that sounds right up his alley!

Too busy last week for many blog posts, but I managed two:

Top Ten Favorite Top Ten Tuesday Posts – Some great book suggestions, going back to 2009

Review of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce, a novel my book club enjoyed

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.     

July is just starting this week, so you still have plenty of time to join the Big Book Summer Challenge and join the fun! You only need to read 1 book (though you can read more if you want) longer than 400 pages to participate. And this year, for the first time, there’ll be a Big Book Giveaway at the end of the summer for participants!