It's Monday 2/27! What Are You Reading?

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On the Blog

Movie Monday: CODA – Outstanding!

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On Video

 Friday Reads 2-24-23 - Overview of my recent reads

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I finished Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger for my book group, though I missed our meeting. Last year, Krueger’s This Tender Land was our All-County Reads book, and all of us loved it (it was my #2 book of the year!), so we were excited to read this one. It won the 2014 Edgar Award and is a standalone historical mystery, set in a small town in Minnesota in 1961. But it’s mostly a coming-of-age story, with thirteen-year-old Frank at its center, along with his younger brother, Jake. At the start, the narrator (Frank as an adult) explains that four deaths occurred in town that summer. Those deaths change him and force him to grow up quickly. It was excellent! You can hear more about the book and my thoughts in my Friday Reads video.

Now, I am reading Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zore Neale Hurston, a classic I’ve been wanting to read for ages that’s perfect for Black History Month. It’s about a woman named Janie who comes back into town after a year and a half away, and then tells her best friend her story–not only of the past 18 months but of her entire life. It was written in 1937 and the dialogue is all written in the Black dialect of Florida at that time, so it can take little longer to read than standard text. But I’ve gotten into the rhythm of it, and it’s an engrossing story. I’m really enjoying it.

On audio, I am listening to The Upper World by Femi Fadugba, a YA science fiction novel. It’s about parallel universes and time travel, some of my favorite kinds of plots, and it was described as “perfect for fans of Neal Schusterman.” I’m in! Esso, a teen Black boy in a poor section of London gets in an accident and is suddenly pushed into another world, “the upper world.” Fifteen years later, teen girl Rhia has a new Physics tutor named Dr. Esso. Lots of secrets revealed and twisty plot points ensue. It’s excellent, though it has its own south London slang dialect which is sometimes a bit tricky on audio. 

My husband, Ken, is still reading Absolute Fear by Lisa Jackson, a Valentine’s gift from me, a thriller set in New Orleans, where we used to live. It’s a re-release of one of her best-sellers, about two NOPD detectives investigating a serial killer, and it’s part of a series. I didn’t realize she wrote a thriller series set in New Orleans; this might be a new favorite series for my husband! Isn’t it fun to read novels set in a place you know well?

Our son, 28, finished reading The White Tower by Michael Wisehart, book 1 in The Aldoran Chronicles, and is almost finished with book 2, Plague of Shadows.

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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.

You can follow me on Twitter at @SueBookByBook or on Facebook on my blog’s page.  

What are you and your family reading this week