It's Monday 8/7! What Are You Reading?

Book By Book

Monday already? What a week! I’ve been very sick for about a week and a half with bronchitis (which causes a severe worsening of my chronic immune disorder), so my week turned out much different than I’d planned. I’ve spent the holiday weekend on the couch and wasn’t able to write much past Wednesday or so. On the plus side, I’ve had a lot of extra time for reading!

Here’s what we’ve been reading:

•  I finished Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee, a birthday gift from my husband. Wow, what a powerful book. It’s a mix of Jean Louise (Scout)’s nostalgic remembrances of her childhood and her current struggles with her father’s (and the rest of the town’s) changing views on the role of Negroes in their community. It is a stunning snapshot of a particular time and place in history but is also about coming of age – learning to see your parents as imperfect and learning how to get along with those whose views differ from your own. When I finished it, I just wanted to sit and think about it!
• I am actually reading three nonfiction books now! This is unusual for me because I don’t normally read nonfiction and I never read more than one book at a time. Several weeks ago, I started How To Wake Up by Toni Bernhard, a good friend of mine who also wrote How To Be Sick (she has the same illness I have). This book is about applying the principles of Buddhism to every day life, and it is very good. I’ve been reading a little bit each day – it’s not something to read quickly but needs absorption time.
• At the same time, when I started to get sick and needed to rest, I began reading Blog Inc. by Joy Deangdeelert Cho during my normal writing time. My husband gave me this one for Christmas. Even though I’ve been blogging for almost 10 years, I needed this how-to manual! Once I start feeling better, I hope to begin making some improvements to my blogs.
• I also started reading my next neighborhood book group pick: If the Oceans Were Ink: An Unlikely Friendship and a Journey to the Heart of the Quran by Carla Power, about a half-Jewish journalist who grew up in several Muslim countries and embarks on a project with a good friend & Muslim scholar to learn about the Quran. It is interesting so far, but I just couldn’t concentrate on anything philosophical yesterday!
• So, I also started some very easy, total escapist fiction – Doll Bones, a middle-grade novel by Holly Black. I am already halfway through, and I love it! Fun, creepy, and requires little concentration…and perfect for my new R.I.P. X Challenge.
• Oh, and I am also listening to All Fall Down by Ally Carter, a teen/YA thriller set in a fictional Mediterranean country along Embassy Row. It’s very good so far, with interesting international characters and gripping suspense.
• My husband, Ken, is still reading Red Seas Under Red Skies by Scott Lynch, the second book in a series that he and our son have both enjoyed.
• Jamie, 21, was reading Malice by John Gwynne, Book 1 of The Faithful and the Fallen series, but he has misplaced his Kindle! Ironic, since he and I just cleaned out his room here at home. He’s looked all over, at home and at school. We’re also missing a remote control at home – I suspect Gremlins.
• Craig, 17, is still working on his required summer reading: Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri, a novel I really enjoyed, for his World Lit class. Yes, school already started last week – he swore he would finish it this weekend!

Before I got too sick, I managed some catch-up blog posts last week:

Review of Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver, a novel and Big Book

Review of Anne of Green Gables by H.M. Montgomery, a childhood classic and another Big Book

My Sign-Up Post for the R.I.P. X Challenge for fall

Saturday Snapshot, some close-ups of leaves, flowers, and insects

What are you and your family reading this week?    

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Sheila at Book Journey (who is currently on hiatus), with a kid/teen version hosted by Unleashing Readers.     

This is it – today is the official Last Day of Summer! Remember if you signed up for the Big Book Summer Challenge, you can add your reviews of Big Books to the review list at the link (the second links list) through the end of the month. Later today, I will post my own wrap-up of the challenge.