Category Archives: The Monday Check-In

The Monday agenda

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

Not a lofty, ambitious to-be-read list consisting of 100+ book titles. Just a simple plan for the upcoming week — what I’m reading now, what I plan to read next, and what I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.

The head cold that had been bouncing around my house earlier this week finally caught up with me and did serious damage to my scheduled reading time. Mostly better now, so it’s time to dive back in. What’s on the agenda for this week?

From last week:

Tell The Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt: Such a lovely book. My review is here.

The Red House by Mark Haddon: I just couldn’t finish it, despite giving it my best college try. Find out why here.

A Trail of Fire by Diana Gabaldon: Joy! Bliss! A new Diana Gabaldon book! My reaction is here.

The kiddo and I finished Half Magic by Edward Eager, always a delight. Somehow I missed out on this one during my own childhood, but have now had the pleasure of enjoying it with two of my children.

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (group re-read): Going strong, getting close to the end.

And this week’s new agenda:

I’m about half-way through with Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead, which is quite a fun read.

Next up: I must make some serious headway on the stack of new YA novels I’ve borrowed from the library. I’m planning to start with a sequel: Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin, book two in the Birthright series. I’ve enjoyed a few of her books previously, including the first Birthright book, All These Things I’ve Done. I’m looking forward to this one. If I have time for one more book, then I’ll start Dare Me by Megan Abbott, which was one of my recent Wishlist Wednesday picks.

I am absolutely committing myself to starting Doc by Mary Doria Russell by the end of Thanksgiving weekend, so I’ll have enough time to read, digest (the book, not my Thanksgiving meal — although perhaps that too), and come up with some thoughtful observations before my book group meets to discuss it in early December.

My son and I have just started Magic By The Lake by Edward Eager, a follow-up to Half Magic. So much fun!

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon: Chapters 66 and 67 this week, I think. I’d better check the group reading calendar — for all I know, we may be on hiatus for Thanksgiving.

Let’s give thanks for all the wonderful books out there just waiting to be read!

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

The Monday agenda

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

Not a lofty, ambitious to-be-read list consisting of 100+ book titles. Just a simple plan for the upcoming week — what I’m reading now, what I plan to read next, and what I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.

So what’s on the agenda for this week?

From last week:

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: I finished this one early in the week. Sadly, not all that impressed. (You can find out why here.)

Where’d You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple: Done! Loved it. My review is here.

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (group re-read): Two more engaging chapters. Almost done.

And this week’s new agenda:

I’m about 2/3 of the way through Tell The Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. What a lovely, poignant story. I’ll finish and have a review up in the next few days.

Next, from my library pile, I plan to start either The Red House by Mark Haddon or Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead.

Tiny aside: One of the benefits of having a school-aged child is learning all sorts of useful acronyms. At my son’s school (and probably lots of others), they have DEAR time — Drop Everything And Read — in which everyone stops all other work, picks a book, and reads without interruption for 15 – 20 minutes. When my older kids were that age, it was called Silent Sustained Reading (very cute to hear a 1st-grader say this, by the way).

How is this relevant to the Monday agenda? I expect to have a DEAR moment myself in the next day or two. In my case, this means that I’ll be dropping whatever else I’m reading or planning to read as soon as my copy of A Trail of Fire by Diana Gabaldon arrives. I’ll write more about this book, and why it’s a big deal, when my copy finally gets here… which should be tomorrow (fingers crossed).

My son and I are about half-way (!) through Half Magic by Edward Eager. I was pleasantly surprised when I offered him a stack of eight or nine books and he picked out this children’s classic. It’s been many years since I last read it, but it’s still thoroughly delightful.

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon: Chapters 64 and 65 this week. Emotional high points. The end is in sight.

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

The Monday agenda

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

Not a lofty, ambitious to-be-read list consisting of 100+ book titles. Just a simple plan for the upcoming week — what I’m reading now, what I plan to read next, and what I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.

Hurray for a sun-filled weekend, perfect for sitting on the back porch with a book firmly in hand. So what’s on the agenda for this week?

From last week:

Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn: Done! Wow, what a wild ride that was. My review is here.

The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater: Just started this one yesterday… reserving judgement for now.

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (group re-read): Great chapters, with summaries written by yours truly. It’s a nice bit of validation when one’s chapter summaries provoke a good discussion. Yet another reason why I love my online book group.

And this week’s new agenda:

I should be done with The Raven Boys in the next day or two.

I managed to come home with a fresh stack of library books again this weekend. Why do I always feel like I’m playing catch-up? Or maybe it’s more like Beat the Clock — can I read all of these books before time runs out?

Next up will be either Where’d You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple or Tell The Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt.

My son and I have made great progress on the book we started last week, and should be ready for something new in the next couple of days. I’m thinking Ella Enchanted or From The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler — but he may have a different opinion entirely.

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon: Chapters 62 and 63 this week. We’re within 100 pages of the end!

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

The Monday agenda

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

Not a lofty, ambitious to-be-read list consisting of 100+ book titles. Just a simple plan for the upcoming week — what I’m reading now, what I plan to read next, and what I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.

Nothing like the home team playing in (AND SWEEPING) the World Series to seriously interfere with one’s reading agenda! (and I’m not normally a baseball fan at all… but ya gotta go with the flow). Back to the books! What’s on the agenda for this week?

From last week:

The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell: I finished my re-read of this beautiful book. I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of it.

I finally got a chance to attack my pile of library books. First up: Breed by Chase Novak. A great choice for pre-Halloween reading — boy, is this a disturbing book!

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (group re-read): Another couple of very good chapters.

And this week’s new agenda:

I should be done with Breed either today or tomorrow, assuming I can stomach it.

Next up: Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Finally! I’m hoping to get this one read before it’s due back at the library next weekend.

And after that? One of two young adult novels waiting for my attention: Either The Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater or Because It Is My Blood by Gabrielle Zevin.

My son and I have started a new kids’ book by Eva Ibbotson. So far, so good! He does tend to bail on books after a few chapters, so the fact that we’ve gotten about a third of the way through it already is a good sign.

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon: Chapters 60 and 61 this week, and it’s my turn to write chapter summaries for our group re-read. Must put on my thinking cap!

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

The Monday agenda

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

Not a lofty, ambitious to-be-read list consisting of 100+ book titles. Just a simple plan for the upcoming week — what I’m reading now, what I plan to read next, and what I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.

Busy week ahead, so let’s dive right in. What’s on the agenda for this week?

From last week:

Quality over quantity, for sure! Real life (and by that, I mean the portion of my life that does not revolve around books) got in the way, big time, and it seemed that reading was relegated to the back burner — a most painful and frustrating situation for me. Here’s hoping that the coming week is a little less crazy. So, last week’s progress:

The Diviners by Libba Bray: Done! Loved it. My review is here.

And that’s really it. I caught up on a few weeks’ worth of the New York Times book review sections, but made no progress on any other books.

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (group re-read): Moving forward, getting closer to the end.

And this week’s new agenda:

Due to a weird confluence of coincidences (did I just make that up? sounds weird), The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell has been on my mind. My daughter just finished reading The Sparrow this past week, and was blown away. My husband, who relies on me for his book recommendations, is ready for something new, and I’m pushing The Sparrow on him. In addition, I’m going to hear Mary Doria Russell speak this week about The Sparrow! As a consequence of all this, I’ve decided to ignore my library stack and re-read The Sparrow myself. This is one of my very favorite books, which I’ve read once on my own and once as part of a book group. It’s been about five years, and I believe it’s time to treat myself to a re-read. I can’t say it enough times — if you’ve never read this book, what are you waiting for?

Assuming I finish up by mid-week, next on the agenda will be Breed by Chase Novak and then Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. Sadly, I’ll be returning some books unread to the library this week, as there simply isn’t enough time for me to read them all before their due dates. Back on the request list they go!

My son and I finished up the book we were reading together (his review is here; my review is here) — looking forward to picking out some new bedtime reading material.

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon: Our online re-read is up to chapters 58 and 59 this week, and they’re good ones. My turn to write chapter summaries is next week. Gulp.

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

The Monday agenda

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

Not a lofty, ambitious to-be-read list consisting of 100+ book titles. Just a simple plan for the upcoming week — what I’m reading now, what I plan to read next, and what I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.

The fog horns are blowing, the skies are grey. What more could you want on a Monday morning? Perhaps a stack of books, a hot cup of coffee, and a warm quilt?

From last week:

Well, it felt like a productive week…

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller: I really and truly loved this book. Lovely writing and a haunting story. My review is here.

The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison: Finished a few days ago. Enjoyable and moving, a quirky, sad novel of friendship, loss… and a road trip. My review is here.

I hit the library and picked up my various and assorted hold books, which — inconsiderately — all decided to become available in the same week. I’m going to have to set up a spreadsheet of due dates to help me strategize reading order and set a page-per-day minimum. Kidding… but it might help.

I ended up deciding that The Forgetting Tree was something I’d like to read at some point, but it didn’t need to be right now, so back to the library it went.

Finally, over the weekend, I started The Diviners by Libba Bray, which is just the bee’s knees! An occult mystery set in jazz age Manhattan… delightful!

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (group re-read): Keeping on, keeping on.

And this week’s new agenda:

I should finish up The Diviners in the next couple of days. After that, it’ll be time to attack the library pile again.

The next three on the stack are Breed by Chase Novak (sounds like good, creepy horror), The Red House by Mark Haddon, and A Light Between Oceans by M. L. Stedman. It’ll just depend on my reading whim on the day I have to choose.

My son and I are getting closer to the end of his current read-aloud, Merits of Mischief, which he is continuing to enjoy and I am continuing to… not. I can’t wait to be done with this one.

This week’s chapters in my group re-read of  Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon promise plenty of agony and action for the beloved main characters. We’re up to chapters 56 and 57.

I’m hoping to squeeze in a little time over the weekend for a re-read (or at least a skim-through) of The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell in preparation for an upcoming book discussion. The Sparrow is one of my all-time favorites, and I’ve read it more than once, but it’s been a few years and a refresher would definitely be helpful.

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

The Monday agenda

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

Not a lofty, ambitious to-be-read list consisting of 100+ book titles. Just a simple plan for the upcoming week — what I’m reading now, what I plan to read next, and what I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.

Monday, Monday… another week, another stack of books to plow through.

From last week:

The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling: Done! My review is here.

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller: About 40 pages to go. Lovely writing. I’ll share my thoughts in the next day or so.

In the world of children’s books, my son and I finished Chomp by Carl Hiaasen, which was fun and funny. My review is here. We’ve started a new book called Merits of Mischief, which I’m mostly finding odd and a bit disturbing, but the kid is enjoying it, so onward we go.

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (group re-read): Loving it.

And this week’s new agenda:

My stack of library books keeps growing, as all of my long-term requests seem to have arrived at the same time. Unfortunately, I doubt I’ll get through them all before they’re due back.

Once I finish The Dog Stars, I have quite a bit to choose from. For my next book, I plan to read The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving by Jonathan Evison. Despite the title, this is not a how-to guide for nannies, but a novel that sounded quite good from the early descriptions I’ve seen so far.

After that, it will be either The Forgetting Tree by Tatjana Soli (unless I have to return it before I get a chance to read it) or possibly The Red House by Mark Haddon. We’ll see how the mood strikes me when the time comes.

Meanwhile, my library pile still includes a couple of YA novels I’ve been wanting to read (The Diviners by Libba Bray and Seraphina by Rachel Hartman), and — miracle of miracles — I’ve just received notice that a copy of Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn is now available for pick-up (and I started at #682 on the waiting list for this one).

As always, I’ll be looking forward to this week’s chapters in my group re-read of  Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon: Chapters 54 and 55 on deck for this week. Lots of danger. Lives are at risk. It’s hard to stop at just two chapters.

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

The Monday agenda

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

Not a lofty, ambitious to-be-read list consisting of 100+ book titles. Just a simple plan for the upcoming week — what I’m reading now, what I plan to read next, and what I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.

The weekend is over, and now the sun comes out! Here’s hoping that I can squeeze in some outdoor time while the sunshine lasts. And… onward with the Monday agenda:

From last week:

The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan: Finished! I was swept away by the harsh beauty of the writing. You can check out my review here.

I made no progress with my library books, and it’s all J. K. Rowling’s fault! More on that below.

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (group re-read): Need I say it? This book is fascinating, even the 2nd time around.

And this week’s new agenda:

The Casual Vacancy by J. K. Rowling! It finally arrived on Friday (a day later than expected, thanks to an Amazon screw-up). Unfortunately, I didn’t have much time to read over the weekend, but now it’s full steam ahead. After the initial shock of seeing JKR use language that would never pass muster at Hogwarts, I’m enjoying the book.

Assuming I finish the Rowling book within the next few days, I’ll dive back into my stack of library books. Next up: The Dog Stars by Peter Heller.

My son and I are only a couple of chapters away from finishing Chomp by Carl Hiaasen, so we’ll be scouting out our next bed-time read.

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (group re-read): Chapters 51 and 52 on deck for this week. Drama. Betrayal. Adventure. Danger. Yup, this book has it all.

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

The Monday agenda

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

Not a lofty, ambitious to-be-read list consisting of 100+ book titles. Just a simple plan for the upcoming week — what I’m reading now, what I plan to read next, and what I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.

Back to work, back to real life… but there’s always time to talk about reading! Onward with the Monday agenda:

From last week:

Hmm, how’d I do?

Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter: I finished this over the weekend (my review is here). Loved this book! I’d been aching for some good fiction, after a week of non-fiction reading, and this one definitely fit the bill. Highly recommended.

The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan: Just started!

I got pretty bogged down with playing with my new bookshelves and hitting the public library’s big used book sale ( you can see my recap here), both of which kept me thinking about books a lot (fun!) but reading a bit less than usual (not so fun).

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (group re-read): Intense. Amazing.

And this week’s new agenda:

I just started The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan last night, and it’s pretty much love at first sight. Magical, ominous, unique… it was hard to tear myself away so I could get some sleep.

Why is it that all of my library requests seem to arrive at once? Now checked out and waiting to be read: The Diviners by Libba Bray, The Dog Stars by Peter Heller, Seraphina by Rachel Hartman, and The Forgetting Tree by Tatjana Soli. I’ll be luck to get to any of these this week, because…

The Casual Vacancy is coming! I’ve had J. K. Rowling’s new book (for grown-ups!) on pre-order for months, and it’s finally being released later this week. While the subject matter doesn’t sound all that thrilling to me, I’m certainly willing to give a try to anything JKR writes. Who else is planning to read The Casual Vacancy right away?

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (group re-read): Chapters 50 and 51 on deck for this week. Chapter 50 is essential — big reveals, big confrontations. Can’t wait.

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.

The Monday agenda

Posted in The Monday Check-In by

Not a lofty, ambitious to-be-read list consisting of 100+ book titles. Just a simple plan for the upcoming week — what I’m reading now, what I plan to read next, and what I’m hoping to squeeze in among the nooks and crannies.

No work this Monday morning, but the start of a reading week nonetheless… Here’s the latest:

From last week:

Hmm, how’d I do?

A Stolen Life by Jaycee Dugard: Done. I couldn’t quite bring myself to write a review. Suffice it to say, this is a powerful, sad, painful book; one that’s important to read but hard to enjoy. I admire the author’s courage and strength very much, and give her a lot of credit for coming forward and sharing her story.

Stiff by Mary Roach: Finally! I’ve had this one on my to-read list for years, glad to have finally tackled it. Not for the faint of heart (or stomach), but truly fascinating and surprisingly funny. My review is here.

In graphic novels, I read Anya’s Ghost by Vera Brosgol. Delightful. From my Goodreads review:

Fabulous graphic novel about a lonely teen-aged girl who makes a new best friend – who happens to be a ghost. When loner Anya — an outsider who has conquered her Russian accent but not her low self-esteem or poor body image — falls down an abandoned well, she meets the ghost of Emily, who just wants to help. Or does she? Emily’s “help” soon takes on a more sinister tone, until Anya is forced to make a decision about her own life and what she stands for.

Crisply told and nicely illustrated, with a keen eye toward teen emotions and struggles, Anya’s Ghost is charming and funny, and at the same time manages to be sensitive and perceptive. Definitely a winner.

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (group re-read): Onward we go. We’re finally at what is probably the most critical set of chapters in the book, and the discussion is fascinating.

And this week’s new agenda:

My brain cells are practically screaming for fiction.

First up: I finally got my copy of Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter from the library. Really looking forward to this one.

Next: Looks like I’ll get to another of my Wishlist Wednesday books without much of a wait. I plan to dig into The Brides of Rollrock Island by Margo Lanagan later this week.

And then: I’m feeling non-committal, but I’ll try to get to one of the pending titles on my Kindle, probably Jane by Robin Maxwell.

Drums of Autumn by Diana Gabaldon (group re-read): Chapters 48 and 49 on deck for this week. I think my favorite characters need some lessons in healthy communication skills.

And furthermore:

My new bookshelves are calling! Playing with books may take time away from the actual reading of books this week, but it’s just so much fun that I don’t mind at all. One side effect of my shelving project: Discovering all the books I bought last year and forgot about, as they sat hidden in bags and piles. Hello, old friends! What a happy reunion we’re all having!

So many book, so little time…

That’s my agenda. What’s yours? Add your comments to share your bookish agenda for the week.