It's Monday 3/6! What Are You Reading?

Book By Book

Hello Monday! I have a packed-full, crazy week ahead, so I am enjoying a quiet Monday morning to catch up. Last week was writer’s bliss: a whole week all to myself. Then, mid-week, my husband and I decided on a last-minute mini vacation getaway for a chance of pace. We drove just an hour away to a nice little town west of Philadelphia, Downingtown. We stayed in a guest house that is a renovated old one-room schoolhouse (it has more than one room now!), enjoyed some great meals out, finally tried out the dine-in movie theater up that way, and roamed around the RV Show yesterday. It was wonderful to get away, even for just 28 hours, and was definitely just what I needed. Unfortunately, we returned home to all kinds of family emergencies, so re-entry was tough last night! But, it’s good that we at least got away on our own for a bit.

We also enjoyed our books last week, as always. Here’s what we’re reading:

• Last Monday, I started The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen for my neighborhood book group this week. This was one of my choices, and I was eager to read this Pulitzer Prize winning novel that also won many other awards last year. I’m about halfway through (need to pick up the pace to finish in time!), and it is excellent so far, about a Vietnamese man in the late 1970′s who works for the Secret Police and is airlifted out to America at the end of the war. His secret, though, is that he’s really a spy for the Communist side. The writing is excellent, with many laugh-out-loud moments and sentences I marked for their pure brilliance.
• On audio, I finished listening to a teen/YA novel, The Forgetting by Sharon Cameron. It was intriguing, about a dystopian world where everyone forgets everything every 12 years…except the main character who remembers everything but keeps that a secret, as she begins to uncover the secrets of her community. I was slow to get into this one, but after a plot twist in the middle, I found it more compelling and ended up enjoying it. Now I need to pick a new audio today!
• My husband, Ken, finished a review book I got, a noir thriller, Lucky Supreme: A Novel of Many Crimes by Jeff Johnson. The author (it’s his debut novel) has been compared to Elmore Leonard and Dennis Lehane, and my husband enjoyed it. The novel is due out April 4.
• Now, Ken is reading a novel that I read two years ago and loved, The Last Days of Ptolemy Gray by Walter Mosley. I was greatly moved by this powerful novel about aging, memory, and family, so I’m glad my husband is getting to read it now, too.
• Jamie, 22, has been reading The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan. He is up to book 3, The Dragon Reborn, and enjoying it. Even though he’s been sick a lot, I think he’s been watching more TV than reading lately.

 Lots of blog posts last week – trying to catch up!

Movie Monday: Spectre – the latest James Bond film that I enjoyed more than I expected

Celebrate Mardi Gras! – the holiday is over, but there are links here to excellent books, TV, and movies, plus recipes you will want to add to your meal plan all year round!

TV Tuesday: Sneaky Pete – about a con-man taking over someone’s life; we love it

Memoir Review: Anne Frank Remembered by Miep Gies (with Alison Leslie Gold), one of the people who helped hide the Franks – stunning & powerful

Memoir Review: The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank – compelling story of an ordinary teen girl living in extraordinary circumstances

What Are You Reading Monday is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, so head over and check out her blog and join the Monday fun! You can also participate in a kid/teen/YA version hosted by Unleashing Readers.

What are you and your family reading this week?