It's Monday 2/1! What Are You Reading?

Book By Book

Happy Monday! We are in the midst of a nasty Nor’Easter storm here in the mid-Atlantic/East Coast. We got a few inches of snow yesterday, some sleet/freezing rain/ice falling right now, and more snow coming, into Tuesday. Here in Delaware, this is a BIG one for us, and the population was predictably crazy yesterday in preparation. Sorry, but I grew up in the snowbelt of Western NY, so I do find it amusing when people in Delaware clear the grocery shelves when a few inches of snow are predicted, and schools are closed (in normal times) for just a hint of snow. This storm is actually pretty big. My husband and I were out for our first shift of clearing the driveway this morning, trying to get the snow cleared before that layer of ice falls – once it is capped off by solid ice, it becomes very tough/impossible to shovel!

I had a busy week and got a lot done. My own goal-setting process in January plus some new motivation to focus better in 2021 plus some tips I learned from Make Time are adding up nicely to better productivity, with more time spent on priorities and less time on social media! The only downside is that I didn’t get to blog visiting until Sunday evening, so I only made it to a few blogs before my husband gave me the eye to put the laptop away and watch a TV show with him. I will try to get to more blogs this week; it’s on my list!

Priorities means more than just work–I also made time this weekend to take a walk with a friend at our local nature center. I’d had some blue days last week (possibly a side effect of new treatments for my Lyme disease, as I adjusted the dosing). Being outdoors, seeing brilliant blue skies and sunshine, and talking nonstop with my friend were just what I needed! It was surprising beautiful out for the day before a storm.

Onto books! Here’s what we’ve all been reading this past week:

I finished Beartown by Fredrik Backman, just in time for book group on Zoom. In a remote small town in Sweden, surrounded by forest, youth hockey is at the heart of the town. In fact, the town is failing economically, and most people see hockey as their way back to a thriving community. Decades ago, Peter Andersson led the town’s junior hockey team to the national championship and then headed off to Canada to play in the NHL. Now, Peter is back and in charge of the hockey program in Beartown, and a new young star named Kevin seems to have the same kind of talent that Peter did back in the day–maybe even more. The junior team is headed for the national semi-finals, and they have a shot at winning. But the whole town is counting on them, and that means a lot of pressure on this group of teen boys and the adults who coach them. The novel opens with a brief and mysterious passage about a teenager shooting someone else, so there is quite a bit of tension in knowing that violent act is coming. That’s not the only foreshadowing, and this novel has another violent act at its center. I enjoyed Backman’s A Man Called Ove, and Beartown was excellent–a thoughtful and complex look at human nature–but much, much darker. There was a lot to talk about. You can read my full review, including an excerpt and a sample of the audio book, at the link.

I needed something light after Beartown, so I pulled out one of the older books from the back of my over-stuffed TBR bookcase: The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. It was published in 2007, and I’ve been wanting to read it for well over a decade! The Spellman family runs a P.I. business, with mom, dad, older sister, Izzy, and younger sister, Rae, all involved (brother David is a lawyer). The novel is written from Izzy’s point of view, with a heaping dose of humor in among the cases and investigations. Izzy has a lot of issues, though she’s no longer quite the mess she was when she was younger. Still, most of her relationships are very short-lived (for some reason, men don’t like their girlfriends to stake them out and run credit checks on them), until she meets one guy she really likes. In fact, she likes him enough that she lies to him about what she does for a living. Of course, this approach will eventually blow up in Izzy’s face, and at that point, she decides to leave Spellman Investigations, though her parents want her to work on one last case. This fun, fast-paced, witty novel is just what I needed!

On audio, I am listening to a YA novel called Furious Thing by Jenny Downham. I loved her earlier novel, Unbecoming, so much that I chose it as my Best Teen/YA Book Read in 2016. Lexi is 15 and is constantly told that she misbehaves and has a bad temper. She is filled with anger that often comes out at the worst times. If only she could change herself so that her stepfather would like her, her mother would love her like she used to, and maybe she’d even have friends. The only person she can talk to is her stepbrother, but now he’s off at school. Lexi works hard to transform herself, pushing her anger down deep. Yeah, you know how well that’s going to work! Downham has a talent for writing strong, well-developed characters and for digging deep into issues affecting many people, and this novel is no exception. It’s very good so far and engrossing–I just want things to work out for Lexi!

My husband, Ken, finished one of his Christmas gifts and his most-anticipated one: The Sentinel by Lee Child and Andrew Child (Lee’s brother). This is Ken’s favorite author and all-time favorite series, and each year, he looks forward to reading the next book (which conveniently is always released before Christmas). This book is #25 in the Jack Reacher series. It takes place in Tennessee, where Reacher encounters a nerdy IT guy being beat up and intervenes. He discovers the man has been accused of a cyber attack on the town, but he says he is innocent. Reacher decides to find out what really happened. Ken says he noticed a slight difference with the addition of the co-author, though he still enjoyed this complex, twisty novel. 

Now, Ken has turned to another Christmas gift, taking a break from his usual thrillers to read Erik Larson’s latest nonfiction book, The Splendid and the Vile: A Saga of Churchill, Family, and Defiance During the Blitz. As the subtitle indicates, this book is focused on the year-long bombing campaign that Hitler waged on London during WWII, with a focus on Churchill’s leadership of the British people during this horrific period. He seems engrossed in it already and has begun reading me interesting tidbits (always a good sign with nonfiction). Did you know that Churchill had a black cat named Nelson? Ken is enjoying it so far and already learning a lot.

Our son, 26, took his dad’s advice and is enjoying a book he lent to him when he was home recently: A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms by George R.R. Martin, a prequel to the A Game of Thrones series. This one book compiles the first three prequel novellas that Martin wrote, which take place a century before the events in A Song of Ice and Fire, the first book in A Game of Thrones series. It’s about a young, inexperienced knight named Ser Duncan (Dunk, for short), and his small squire, a boy named Egg. My husband and son both love The Game of Thrones (books and TV series!), and he is enjoying the book like his dad did.  

Blog posts from last week:

Fiction Review: The River by Peter Heller – outdoor adventure thriller that my husband and I both enjoyed.

Nonfiction Review: Make Time: How to Focus on What Matters Every Day by Jake Knapp and John Zeratsky – some great tips and ideas for new year inspiration

Fiction Review: Beartown by Fredrik Backman – dark story that examines the intricacies of human nature

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?