My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.
Life.
So my son (very dedicated to his anti-book stance), now a high school student, casually dropped at dinner this week: “Hey, mom, that author was at school this week. You know, the guy that wrote that Scythe book.” Me: *freaking out* *freaking out* *freaking out*
He mentions this to me days after the fact! And said (grudgingly) that the talk was interesting. And that he (Neal Shusterman) talked for about an hour. And talked about writing Challenger Deep, which I really need to read.
I swear, school is wasted on the young! I wish I could have transported my consciousness into the body of one of the students for the day so I could have been in the audience. Sigh.
What did I read during the last week?
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls: I wrote about reading this children’s classic (as well as Anne of Green Gables) here.
Pachinko by Min Jin Lee: A powerful, multi-generational family drama set in Korea and Japan. This 500-page book took up most of my reading time this week! I’ll post a review in the next few days, I hope.
Fresh Catch:
Nada! No book purchases this week.
What will I be reading during the coming week?
Currently in my hands:
That Ain’t Witchraft (InCryptid, #8) by Seanan McGuire: I’d intended to start this last week, but then got side-tracked by Pachinko and ran out of time. I’m so excited to be starting this book! I love the series so far.
Now playing via audiobook:
Mastiff (Beka Cooper, #3) by Tamora Pierce: The trouble with listening to a great book is getting close to the end, dying to know what happens, but not having enough listening time to actually finish. I’m at 83%, and I’m so tempted to switch to print so I can race through the big finale! But nope… I’m going to practice a little self-restraint and stick to the audio. For now.
Ongoing reads:
Two ongoing reads with my book group, plus one more on my own just for kicks:
- A Plague of Zombies by Diana Gabaldon: Continuing our journey through all of the Lord John books and stories.
- Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston: Our group classic read. The writing is so beautiful.
- The Old Curiosity Shop by Charles Dickens: I’m reading this classic via the Serial Reader app, and love it so far. I’m at about 25%.
So many books, so little time…
Bookshelf Fantasies 