Showing posts with label
It's Monday What Are You Reading.
Show all posts
Showing posts with label
It's Monday What Are You Reading.
Show all posts
Not much of anything! It's been a month since I last posted what I was reading, but we were on a three-week long road trip and I rarely get any reading time in when we travel. Too much to see and do!
I read a few more pages of Travels With Charley and would have read more, but I needed to concentrate on my book club selection since we would be home in time for that meeting.
I read Inside the O'Briens back in 2015 (you can find my review here), but I wanted to read it again before book club so it would be fresh in my mind. Unfortunately, I only managed to read about half of the book, but I still enjoyed hearing everyone's thoughts on the subject. Most of the women in my group knew one of the neighbors who had Huntington's Disease (and has since passed away), so there was lots to talk about with regard to that disease, as well as Alzheimers, ALS, and Parkinson's. We all agreed that Lisa Genova knows her subject matter and is a great author, as well. I'm still enjoying this re-read, but it may be the only book I finish in April!
I'm still listening to The Great Alone and am anxious to get back out on the walking trails so I can spend more time listening to this book.
What about you? Are you reading anything wonderful?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (#IMWAYR) is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It’s a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever-growing TBR pile! This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at Book Date.
Last Week's Month's Posts:
Olympic Peninsula Trip - Day Twelve (Part One)
Looking Back - Their Fathers' God by O.E. Rolvaag
A Month in Summary - March 2018
Wordless Wednesday - Highway 1 (Sonoma County)
Looking Back - The Rapture of Canaan by Sheri Reynolds
Looking Back - A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
Under the Harrow by Flynn Berry
Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen
It was a slow week for reading, as I've been busy preparing for our three-week-long road trip to Northern California. I've also been trying to get caught up on my travel posts and I've just about finished with our Olympic Peninsula trip, which we took last fall. At this rate, you probably won't see any posts for our upcoming trip until Christmastime!
In spite of all the preparations, I did manage to finish one book last week, but it was a dud. I'll share more about it in my review, but suffice it to say that the only book that I have really cared for by Ian McEwan is Atonement. I've read several others of his and none have impressed me in the least. I thought On Chesil Beach would be worthwhile, especially with the movie coming out this year, but the only thing it had going for it was its page count. Had it been any longer, I would have pitched it against the wall and moved on to something else.
When I did finish, I eagerly picked up a library copy of The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn. WOW! If I weren't so distracted with the travel plans, I could have easily curled up with this psychological thriller and read it from cover to cover in a single day. I love this sort of mystery/thriller and I can even overlook the overdone "main character who drinks at least two bottles of wine a day, plus self-medicates with a variety of pills, and may or may not be a reliable narrator," as we've seen in so many of these books since Gone Girl and The Girl on the Train. I need to hurry up and finish the book so I can get it back to the library before we leave, although I found out the other day that my local library does not charge overdue fines! They do have a small box for "guilty donations," but there is no charge to keep a book past its due date. Amazing.
What about you? Are you reading anything wonderful?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (#IMWAYR) is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It’s a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever-growing TBR pile! This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at Book Date.
Last Week's Posts:
Wordless Wednesday - Lunch with a Blogmate!
Olympic Peninsula Trip - Dosewallips State Park
Escape Travels 2017 (ongoing links - also found at the top of my side bar)
Looking Back - Joy School by Elizabeth Berg
The Fortunate Ones by Ellen Umansky
Well, I managed to finish two books this week. I loved both of them and will eventually get reviews posted, but for now just know that they are both winners. This Is How It Always Is will wind up on my Top Ten list for the year and The Soul of the Octopus is sure to make the Honorable Mention list.
After I finished Frankel's outstanding novel, I picked up On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan. It's a slim book and one that I've been meaning to read for several years. When I discovered that the movie is due out later this year, I decided it was time to read the novel. I began very late last night and was immediately pulled into the story. I do so love McEwan's writing!
I'm still enjoying The Great Alone (on audio), but only listened for a little bit this past week while I was out running errands. I'm really hoping that once the weather improves, I'll get outside for longer walks so I can fit in more listening time. I miss listening to books on a regular basis and this one is really holding my interest.
What about you? Are you reading anything wonderful?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (#IMWAYR) is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It’s a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever-growing TBR pile! This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at Book Date.
Last Week's Posts:
Wordless Wednesday - Yaquina Bay Bridge
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi
Looking Back - Bird by Bird
I don't know about you guys, but last week flew! Honestly, where did the time go?!
I didn't finish a single book, but I'm getting close to the end of The Soul of an Octopus. I'll probably finish just in time for my book club meeting on Thursday.
I was able to renew my library copy of This Is How It Always Is, which made me very happy since it's such a wonderful book and I'd really hate to have to return it without finishing. (I'd probably wind up ordering it online so I could continue reading. Did I mention how good it is??)
I haven't had much time to listen to my audio book (The Great Alone), but I've enjoyed what I've listened to so far. Now that the weather is improving, I should be able to start walking outside again, which means more listening time.
What about you? Are you reading anything wonderful?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (#IMWAYR) is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It’s a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever-growing TBR pile! This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at Book Date.
Last Week's Posts:
H is for Hawk by Helen Macdonald
Wordless Wednesday - Boiler Bay
A Month in Summary - February 2018
Looking Back - Refuge
This past week I finished two books. The first was Force of Nature by Jane Harper, which I really enjoyed and am almost sorry I got to it so quickly. It's going to be a long wait for the third installment in this new series! I also read The Gentle Art of Swedish Death Cleaning, which I'm sorry I bothered with. I didn't care for the author's casual conversational tone and I didn't learn anything I didn't already know. I don't know why I kept reading it when I knew early on that it wasn't for me. Maybe because it's such a slim book, I figured I might as well finish it.
I did give up on the audio book of My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante, as it simply wasn't appealing to me. After listening for a few hours, I knew I didn't want to invest over 12 hours of listening time to it. So now I've started listening to Kristen Hannah's latest novel, The Great Alone. So far, so good!
I'm still reading (and enjoying) The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery and I should be able to finish it before my book club meets. It's such an interesting book, but I find that I want to intersperse some fiction reading between chapters about the various octopuses Montgomery discusses. I'm really sorry I won't be in town when the author speaks at the PAC (the Newport Performing Arts Center). I'm sure it will be a fascinating lecture!
In addition to reading The Soul of an Octopus, I've picked up This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel. I only started it last night, but I have a feeling this is going to be on my Top Ten list for 2018. I haven't read anything by Frankel, but I love her writing, which reminds me of that of Anna Quindlen and Marissa de los Santos. Great storytelling!
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (#IMWAYR) is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It’s a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever-growing TBR pile! This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at Book Date.
Last Week's Posts:
The Meaning of Names by Karen Shoemaker
Wordless Wednesday - Web
Looking Back - The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather
Olympic Peninsula Trip - Port Townsend (Part 3)
I finished The Uncommon Reader by Alan Bennett and loved it so much that I think I'm going to have to buy a copy to have when I'm in the mood to read it again. It is such a good book!
My book club is reading The Soul of an Octopus for our March discussion and I'm enjoying it so far, although I'm only about 50 pages in. The author has a speaking engagement in the town just south of us in April, but unfortunately we'll be traveling and won't be home in time to attend.
I've been meaning to try the Neapolitan Series for a couple of years, but couldn't find My Brilliant Friend at the library so I decided to try the audio. I'm not very far and can't decide if I like the story or the characters, but I'll keep listening. I'm only on track/chapter 12 out of 83, so I have quite a ways to go. I am enjoying the reader (Hillary Huber) and love her Italian accent.
I loved Jane Harper's debut novel, The Dry and put this new one on hold at my library as soon as I heard about it. It didn't take too long to arrive and I've been reading it at night before bed. It's quite good, but I'm not sure it's as good as The Dry. We'll see how it evolves, but it isn't as suspenseful as Harper's first mystery. Still, it's well-written and entertaining and I haven't been able to figure out the mystery, so that's something, right?
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (#IMWAYR) is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It’s a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever-growing TBR pile! This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at Book Date.
Last Week's Posts:
Wordless Wednesday - Oregon Lighthouse
The Mothers by Brit Bennett
Looking Back - Tell Me a Riddle by Tillie Olsen
Olympic Peninsula Trip - Port Townsend
After 17 days and 580 pages, I finally finished reading The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne. I wound up loving the book and am so glad I stayed with it!
Now I've begun reading Need to Know by Karen Cleveland, which has been getting a lot of buzz. I'm only a couple of chapters in, but I'm intrigued and have a feeling it will be a quick read.
I continue to listen to News of the World in preparation for my book club discussion later this week. I read the book in October, so the story is still very fresh in my mind, but I'm enjoying the audio version just as much as the print edition.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (#IMWAYR) is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It’s a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever-growing TBR pile! This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at Book Date.
Last Week's Posts:
Wordless Wednesday - Tulips!
Looking Back - A Map of the World
Olympic Peninsula Trip - Day Nine
I'm currently reading The Heart's Invisible Furies by John Boyne and have reached page 160 (of 580!) and I'm beginning to question whether I want to continue. It's very readable (unlike The Portrait of a Lady, which I ditched after 50 pages), but I'm having a hard time caring about the characters, especially now that the main character in the introductory chapters has all but vanished. I have a library copy, which I've already renewed once and only have another week before it needs to be returned. However, with all the glowing reviews for Boyne's novel on Goodreads, I'm tempted to continue...
As I mentioned above, I gave up on The Portrait of a Lady, which I was reading with Bellezza and a few others who joined in on the Read-A-Long. I managed to read 50 pages, but it felt like a chore and I wasn't enjoying it one bit. I've never read Henry James and probably never will. I made a note of one of the early sentences that I came upon and it had three semicolons, one colon, sixteen (!) commas and two parenthetical quotes. I can't be sure, but I think it took up well over a page. Not for me!
I haven't been listening to my audio books as much as I have in the past, but the weather was cooperative yesterday, so I headed out for a walk into town and listened to a big chunk of Joe Biden's Promise Me, Dad. It's an ok listen, but I'm not overly enthralled. Biden reads his book and his voice can be a little too gravely, soft and, at times, even slurred. I did find myself getting choked up as he shared one part about sitting by his son's hospital bed and as he read the passage, I could hear the catch in his voice as he struggled not to cry. A couple of long walks and I should be finished.
I have no idea what I'll read next. I have a couple of library books and several new books that I bought last month. I usually just wait to see what I'm in the mood to read after I finish whatever I'm currently reading.
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? (#IMWAYR) is hosted by Kathryn at Book Date. It’s a place to meet up and share what you have been, are, and about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organize yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment, and er… add to that ever-growing TBR pile! This meme started with J Kaye’s Blog and then was taken up by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn at Book Date.
Last Week's Posts:
Crock Pot Zuppa Toscana
The Long Hello
Looking Back - Sights Unseen
Blogmate Visit!
Wordless Wednesday
The Book That Matters Most
