It's Monday 4/24! What Are You Reading?

Book By Book

I always like the fresh start feeling of a Monday morning, but that is especially true today. Last week turned out to be a lost week, spent mostly lying on the couch. My chronic immune disorder was badly flared up (what we call a “crash”), probably from being exposed to all kinds of germs from my niece, nephew, and younger cousins Easter weekend! I started to perk up a little bit by Friday and was able to leave the house and even enjoy dinner out with friends, but I was still pretty worn out this weekend. Today, I am feeling back to normal…or at least my own version of normal. So, I am looking forward to a new week and a fresh start (and plenty of catching up from last week!). I kicked off my week by finally making the phone call to our health insurance company I’d been avoiding for the past few weeks. Not a good result (no mistake – we really do owe that much), but I finally made the call and knocked it off my list – a good start to a new week!

The silver lining of a sick week is that I had extra reading time! Here’s what we were all reading last week:

• I finished reading Edgar and Lucy by Victor Lodato, one of the authors I’ll be meeting at Boooktopia. It’s the story of a young albino boy named Edgar who’s had a rough life so far. His father died when he was just a baby, which devastated his mother, Lucy. They live with his beloved grandmother, but things continue to get more and more difficult for Edgar, until a serious crisis hits. I’m trying not to give away any spoilers, but it was a unique, compelling, emotional novel and even included some suspense. Highly recommended.
• I started to read another Booktopia book, Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney, a novel about an elderly woman walking around Manhattan on New Year’s Eve 1984, thinking back over her life and her career as one of the first women advertising executives. I was enjoying it very much, but I decided to set it aside when the audio version I had requested finally came in. I am trying to fit in as many Booktopia books as I can before the event in two weeks, so I will finish this one on audio, after I finish my current audiobook.
• With that one set aside temporarily, I moved onto another Booktopia selection, The Leavers by Lisa Ko, on my Kindle. This is the story of a boy who’s torn between two families and two cultures. After spending his first 5 years in China with his grandfather, Deming rejoins his mother in NYC, where they live together happily with her boyfriend, his sister and her son. When Deming is 11 years old, his mother disappears, and he is adopted by a white family in upstate NY and renamed Daniel. The narrative goes back and forth between Deming/Daniel’s childhood and his present life, at 21, and between his and his mother’s perspectives. It’s completely engrossing so far (I’m about halfway), and I’m enjoying it very much.
• On audio, I am listening to another Boooktopia novel, Celine by Peter Heller, a light mystery about an older woman named Celine who is a PI specializing in reuniting families. She is hired by a woman whose father was thought to have been killed by a grizzly bear many years ago, though his body was never found. It’s interesting so far – a mystery, yes, but also a character study of Celine herself and her life, while she investigates this case.
• My husband, Ken, is still reading The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, a popular YA post-apocalyptic novel that was made into a movie last year. We’ve had this book in our house for years, but none of us had read it until last week! Our son just finished it, so he passed it onto his Dad. Ken is enjoying it very much and says it’s a quick read. My turn next!
• After finishing The 5th Wave by Rick Yancey, 22-year old Jamie returned to reading The Shadowed Sun by N.K. Jemisin, book 2 in the Dreamblood series, and finished it, too. He loved book 1, The Killing Moon, a few years ago and was happy to have finally gotten to book 2 (which we gave to him for Christmas last year).

 Last week’s blog posts – I did manage a bit of blog catch-up!

TV Tuesday: American Crime, Season 3 – another powerful, thoughtful season

My Summary of Books Read in March – a big reading month for me!

Memoir Review: Lab Girl by Hope Jahren – a moving and funny memoir by a woman scientist – my book group loved it

Saturday Snapshot: Virginia Outdoors – highlights from two beautiful state parks

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?