Monday, April 03, 2017

It's Monday 4/3! What Are You Reading?

Busy week last week! Our oldest college son headed to the Outer Banks for spring break, while our youngest came home. We helped set up our camper at a local state park for him and his friends - for the few days mid-week when the rain stopped! It was still pretty cool out, but they had a lot of fun, hiking and making s'mores around the campfire. It was nice to have our son around a bit last week, and I cooked a lot.

I had a nice unexpected treat this weekend when one of my cousins, who lives in North Carolina, came up here to visit with her mom (my aunt) and daughter. We quickly arranged a last-minute lunch gathering, and my other cousin (her brother) came down from Allentown with his wife and son. So, we had an unexpected mini family reunion! I rarely get to see these cousins because they don't live in my hometown, Rochester, NY, so this was a special treat, and we had a great time catching up.

At home, we all enjoyed our books:
  • I have been ramping up my reading for Boooktopia, an awesome annual event in Vermont, where book lovers get together with authors for an intimate weekend of discussing and celebrating books - so much fun! My mom and I went two years ago and are going again the first week of May. So, in preparation, I read The Impossible Fortress by Jason Rekulak, one of this year's Booktopia authors. I absolutely loved this novel about a fourteen-year old boy in New Jersey in 1987 who is obsessed with computer programming and wants to design his own games, at a time when that was not a typical thing to do! It's filled with fun 80's pop culture references (there is a whole subplot about he and his friends trying to get a copy of the infamous Playboy Vanna White issue!), suspense, friendship, and romance, too. I really enjoyed it. If you liked Ready Player One (one of my favorite books!), you'll like this one, too.
  • I just started a non-Booktopia book - I have to fit in my book club read for this month! - Lab Girl by Hope Jahren. It's a memoir by a woman scientist, starting with her childhood playing in her father's lab at the local college. I'm enjoying it so far, especially as a woman who majored in chemical engineering!
  • In between, I am fitting in additional chapters of Books for Living by Will Schwalbe, another Booktopia author. I haven't read his first book yet, The End of Your Life Book Club, but I REALLY want to, and I can't wait to meet the author. This is a book celebrating books - what's not to like?
  • On audio, I finished another Booktopia book, The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck, another of the authors who will be at the event. This novel is about widowed women living in a castle in Germany with their children after WWII ends. Although I've kind of overdosed on WWII fiction lately, this is a unique look at the aftermath of the war and the women who were left. I liked it very much, and it was good on audio.
  • My husband, Ken, is reading The Red Hunter by Lisa Unger. As best as we can remember, he and I have only read one other Unger novel, Beautiful Lies. I incorrectly stated last week that she is from Baltimore and sets her novels there - I think I had her mixed up with Laura Lippman! Lisa Unger is a thriller writer, and we enjoyed the first one we read. Ken is liking this one so far, too.
  •  Jamie, 22, is reading The Shadowed Sun by N.K. Jemisin, book 2 in the Dreamblood series. He loved book 1, The Killing Moon, a few years ago and is happy to have finally gotten to book 2 (which we gave to him for Christmas last year). I doubt he had much reading time last week, in a beach house with 11 other young people!
Last week's blog posts:
TV Tuesday: Time After Time, a new time travel show featuring HG Wells & Jack the Ripper

Middle-Grade Review: Making Friends with Billy Wong, a fun story about friendship & family that also addresses racism in 1950's Arkansas

Saturday Snapshot: National Parks of Northern New Mexico, continuing my national park tribute

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?   

Spring has FINALLY arrived in Delaware!
 

25 comments:

  1. I love Lisa Unger's books, so I'm eager to get The Red Hunter.

    Enjoy your week, and here are MY WEEKLY UPDATES

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    1. My husband is enjoying it - hope you get to it soon!

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  2. I was wondering if The Women in the Castle was good on audio (I thought it would be!) Have fun at Booktopia. I didn't even know that event was still going on after Books on the Nightstand stopped.

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    1. It was!

      When BOTNS stopped broadcasting and hosting Booktopia, Northshire Bookstore in Manchester, VT, decided to keep it going! So, now they host it - this will be their second year. I think they pretty much kept the same format. I can't wait!

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  3. Oh, Booktopia sounds like a wonderful event, I wish we had something similar in my city!!

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    1. Oh, this is no where near where I live, Jane! But well worth traveling for. I can manage pretty well by first driving to my mom's house in CT - about 3 1/2 hours. Then she and I will drive together the second half up to VT.

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  4. I'm curious about Lab Girl, myself!

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  5. How fun that you had a mini-reunion! At this point in our lives, we mostly see our cousins for big events like weddings and baby showers.

    I bet having a science background makes Lab Girl a really interesting read! I'm in the queue for the audiobook at my library, so I hope to listen to it soon.

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    1. I see most of my cousins at least once a year when we go to Rochester (usually Thanksgiving), but I rarely see this group, so it was a lot of fun! Lots of great memories of growing up together & getting together for every birthday and holiday :)

      Lab Girl is good so far!

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  6. Spring looks awesome in Delaware, storm raging outside my window as I write! Sounds like you are preparing really well for the May book event. So exciting.

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    1. I can't wait, Kathryn! Should be fun! I know I won't fit in all the books, but I am trying to get to as many as I can.

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  7. We could have almost met! I was scheduled to attend Booktopia two years ago and then got terribly sick. I was so so disappointed I couldn't attend. I've heard it's an amazing event.

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    1. Oh no! So sorry you had to cancel! It was so much fun...and it would have been great to meet you in person!

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  8. I'm on a graphic novels and mystery kick while my husband is reading manga and some of Haruki Murakami's books. It's Monday, What Are you reading?

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    1. Sounds like fun! I still haven't read a Murakami book yet, but I really want - I have heard SO many good things!

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  9. I love seeing family/friends I haven't seen in a while--seems like it was a lovely visit :)

    Hope you have a wonderful week! Happy reading :)

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  10. The Impossible Fortress sounds very cool. I loved Ready Player One! I wish we had something similar to Booktopia around here! It sounds great. Enjoy your reading!

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    1. Julie - Booktopia is nowhere near where I live! It's about a 7-hour drive from here. My mom's house is about half-way, so I can manage the drive in two chunks...and it's worth it for such a fun event! Lots of people fly into it.

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  11. Sounds like a wonderful mini-reunion. Our spring break has started off rainy with not much hope of letting up. Oh well, more time to read. Have a great week.

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    1. Lots of rain here, too, until this past week - finally feels like spring!

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  12. I read Women In The Castle and really enjoyed it. I bet it was excellent in audio.

    Lots of good things going on for you.

    ENJOY your week.

    Elizabeth
    Silver's Reviews
    My It's Monday, What Are You Reading

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    1. Yes, it was very good on audio, Elizabeth.

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  13. I enjoyed Lab Girl quite a bit--hope you do as well. I am eager to read Books for Living myself--maybe even in April! Love the photo of the blossoms--every crabapple in Colorado seems to be out now except ours. Maybe later this week.

    Happy spring...happy reading.

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    1. Yes, I loved Lab Girl, Jane - finished it on vacation last week. I expected to enjoy the story of her career in science but was also deeply moved by her personal story and struggles.

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