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

Book By Book

We are definitely well into summer now–it’s been HOT and very humid here. It’s a rare thrill when it cools down enough that we can turn off the a/c and open the windows (my preferred way to live!). My chronic illness brought with it an intolerance to heat (plus I grew up in the north, in western NY), so I really don’t like this part of summer here in the Mid-Atlantic when I can;t be outdoors as much as I’d like. I try to at least take a short walk before it gets too hot, but I still come back drenched in sweat! And I try to enjoy a bit of time on our screened porch, but it’s been even too hot lately for that most days.

Anyway, I didn’t mean to complain–it’s just summer, right? On the plus side, I had a few days of feeling better (still working on getting the dose of my antiviral right), and my husband and I had a rare empty-nest weekend to ourselves. We also planned a camping trip (yay! finally!) with our sons next week (“last” family trip before our younger son moves out and starts his new job), and I got to see friends twice last week! gasp! I was feeling kind of down and realizing it had been weeks since I had seen anyone besides my family and a few store clerks (behind masks), so I took a walk with a very good friend at our local nature center–a short walk and a long chat sitting in the shade. Ahhh, just what I needed. And we had friends over for a driveway sit (this is a thing now) on Saturday. It was too hot for our planned campfire, so we just sat in our camp chairs in the driveway and ate Mexican take-out, well-distanced but still together again. In both cases, it was wonderful to talk and catch up with some of our oldest friends.

We are all enjoying Big Book Summer here–there’s still plenty of time to join the fun! You only need to read one book of 400 or more pages by September (and, of course, you can read more if you want). We’ve got LOTS of participants this year–I think everyone was looking for a little excitement to add to their lives after all we’ve been through–both through blogs and on the Goodreads page. You can read all the details and sign up at the link.

Here’s what we’ve all been reading this week at our house:

I finished Catch-22 by Joseph Heller–woohoo! I struggled with this classic last summer, even though I had wanted to read it for years. It has an odd tone that takes some getting used to, with a mix of humor and horrifying scenes of war. The novel takes place during WWII on the fictional island of Pianoso in the Mediterranean. The central conflict in the novel is that one crazy colonel keeps raising the required number of missions for the Army Air Force squadron. Every time one of the men gets close to meeting the requirements and going home, the colonel raises the number of required missions again. The main character, Yossarian, tries to get sent home on the basis of being crazy, but Catch-22 states that any man who says he is crazy and doesn’t want to fly any more missions is proving that he’s sane because no sane man would want to fly more dangerous missions. Last summer, I had trouble adjusting to the dark humor and unevenness–you can be laughing at something absurd on one page and then on the next, a dozen men die in combat–but I did better with the novel this year. I realized that’s really the point of it: for the reader to feel unsettled and see (often exaggerated as satire) all of the absurdities inherent in war. It’s a unique and intriguing book, and I’m glad I read it. Sometimes, you need to read a book at the right time.

I liked Catch-22, but I was definitely in the mood for something lighter after I finished it! I am now reading Get a Life, Chloe Brown by Talia Hibbert. This is a major departure for me, as I don’t normally read romance, but I am loving this novel. I’d heard all kinds of rave reviews but somehow didn’t know that the main character, Chloe, has a chronic illness! This is extremely rare in fiction, and–even more rare–the novel deals with Chloe’s condition and challenges (even in the midst of a hot romance) very openly and honestly. What a thrill to see my own experiences reflected in the pages of a delightful novel. Chloe has fibromyalgia and has a near-death experience as the novel opens. Normally a very structured, controlled person (in large part due to her illness), she makes a Get a Life list and begins to cross things off, starting with moving out of her parents’ home and into her own apartment. The new super in her building is also super hot, and the attraction between the two is instant (though of course, they don’t like each other at first). I’m enjoying it very much.

I am still listening to the audiobook, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (it’s a a Big Book and my audiobook time is limited with our house full most days). You’ve probably heard about this one, since it is getting a LOT of attention right now. It’s the prequel to The Hunger Games, and it begins at the start of the 10th annual Hunger Games, while the war is still a recent memory. The story focuses on Coriolanus Snow, a teen-aged boy, who readers of the trilogy know will eventually become President of Panem. Here, though, he is a self-conscious boy from a great family that has fallen on very hard times. He’s trying to hide the fact that the remaining members of his family–him, his cousin, Tigris, and their grandmother–are barely surviving, eating cabbage and lima beans and unable to keep their home if the rumored property tax is truly put into place. He feels like he has one chance to prove himself: as a mentor to one of the contestants from the districts. He is  assigned to mentor a girl from District 12, a girl who creates quite a stir on Reaping Day with her colorful outfit and beautiful song. As Coriolanus gets to know her better, his role in her life becomes more and more complicated, causing him to question the Hunger Games and the Capitol’s role in it. I am loving this book, and as always, Collins has provided such thought-provoking, morally complex subject matter.

My husband, Ken, is still reading another Big Book from the collection we inherited from my dad: Dark Rivers of the Heart by Dean Koontz. It is about a man named Spencer who is both physically and emotionally scarred. He’s usually a loner, but when he meets a woman named Valerie in a bar, they make a connection. When he goes to visit Valerie, she has disappeared, and then her house explodes while he is there. Spencer barely escapes and is now on the run, wondering what on earth he has stumbled onto and what happened to Valerie. Ken says that it is a gripping thriller (though he gets annoyed by the way Koontz throws around long and obscure words just for fun!), and so far, it seems to be a straightforward suspense novel–no signs yet of Koontz’s frequent paranormal twists. He’s enjoying it.

Our son, 25, has been plowing through one book after another in Brock E. Deskins’ series, The Sorcerer’s Path. He read the first four books in the series a couple of weeks ago, and the week before last, moved onto books 5 through 8! Last I heard, he was reading book 8, The Sorcerer’s Destiny, but he was away visiting his girlfriend this weekend. Clearly, he is loving this series! It’s about a young boy from a wealthy family who’s left on his own and must survive in the streets, among thieves, thugs, and murderers. He not only wants to survive but to avenge the wrongs done to him and his family. This series also revolves around some sort of mysterious magical power. He’s enjoying the series (obviously!) and says he and his college roommate discovered this author years ago, and he’s enjoyed reading his books ever since.

Blog posts last week–I am still struggling to catch up on reviews:

TV Tuesday: Summer 2020 TV Preview – in this weird time, here’s what we are enjoying and planning to try this summer, plus some trailers

Fiction Review: A Beginning at the End by Mike Chen – 6 years after a global pandemic, circumstances bring 4 different people together

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?