It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
June 18, 2012 53 Comments
“It’s Monday! What are you reading?” is a weekly event hosted by Sheila at Bookjourney to share with others what you’ve read the past week and planning to read next.
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After reading a book a day the week before, last week I took it easy and didn’t hurry my reading. It was so nice! The TBR has grown again since last week, as I won some books and some library requests came in. I think I have more books now than ever. 🙂
Read about it in my New Arrivals post.
Otherwise, it was a quiet week. I went to the gym three times, as I should. It was also my son’s birthday (15!). My younger son (13) earned a day’s suspension from school. Sigh. He’s looking forward to it, because the suspension entails helping out at school on the first day of the summer holidays. He thinks it’s going to be great fun! (I thought suspension meant you’re not allowed into the school, but apparently not. Helping out at school is good, as long as it’s not too much fun!) The Netherlands are out of the soccer competition, but luckily, three of us here at home are English, so we’ll be supporting the English team now (handy!).
One more noteworthy news item: I wrote my 20,000th tweet last week. I obviously talk too much online!
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Books I finished this week: 4
The Winemaker by Noah Gordon. In 1870, a young vineyard laborer tries to set up as a vintner himself. We follow him through a few years of hardship as well as good times. 5 stars
A Change of Altitude by Anita Shreve. A newly married couple move to Kenya where they experience a tragedy. The relationship starts to crumble. 4.5 stars
On the Road to Mr. Right by Belinda Jones. A UK woman and her friend try to find Mr. Right in the USA and flirt and party their way through several states. 3.5 stars
Waterline by Ross Raisin. A newly widowed man can’t stand living anymore in the house where he lived with his wife. When he also loses his job he decides to leave. His circumstances deteriorate rapidly. 5 stars
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Books I’m reading
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Reviews
The Cottage at Glass Beach by Heather Barbieri. A woman takes her children to the island where she grew up to discover things from her past that she never knew. 4.5 stars
The Duplicate by Helen Fitzgerald. A strange girl who tries to become more popular at school turns into a rather scary mother. 4 stars
The Submission by Amy Waldman. Out of 5,000 designs, a memorial is to be chosen for the site of the Twin Towers. The jury’s favorite design turns out come from a Muslim architect. Discussions and demonstrations ensue. 4.5 stars
Sister by Rosamund Lupton. Beatrice’s sister has committed suicide. Only Beatrice doesn’t believe it and investigates. 4 stars
Dutch review:
De noodkreet in de fles by Jussi Adler-Olsen [not translated to English]
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That’s it!
What are you reading this week?
About Leeswammes
I am Reading The Lord of the Rings Trilogy.. Hopefully, it won’t finish in one week, but I am looking forward to complete it as soon as possible!
Aman, do you want to finish it soon because you don’t like it, or because you do? 🙂
I do like it… Consider it, One of the good books written ever. Oh, I am only left with around three hundred pages but I don’t get much time to read in a day.. I have to study and else..
But I want to finish it soon, for to reach the end of the story and the satisfaction one get when finishing a book… 😀 😀
Good luck, Aman! I hope you’ll find some extra reading time.
Thanks I hope it too 😀
Nice reading week, again, Judith.
I am so curious to know what you’ll have to say about the Fifty Shades of Gray… I don’t think it will be a book for me, but, you never know.
Nadine, Fifty Shades starts off as any other chicklit and it’s not as badly written as I expected, actually. We’ll see…
The Ross Raisin is on my to-read list; I admit – after so much publicity and praise – I was ambivalent about his last. I’m reading The Transportation Accident by Ned Beauman, which is dense and complex and odd; it took me a while to get into it but I’m loving it now.
Maya, I haven’t read the other book by Raisin, but thought this one was very good. I’m checking out The Transportation Accident – the title is intriguing.
Such an interesting mix of reads. Enjoy them all.
Thanks, Mystica.
Looks like last week was a bit hectic, but so good that the books you got through were good.
Tanya, yes, the books were mostly very good reads. I’m a bit choosy these days…
I feel quite certain that I’ll never read Gray, but I’m happy you are reading it and reviewing it for all of us who aren’t. Thank you.
Here’s my
It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? I hope you will come by and say hello.
Always happy to provide a service to the blogging community, Deb. 🙂 The beginning of Grey is not so bad…
The Cottage at Glass Beach looks tempting…I also want to read The Submission. Sister is sitting next to me on a stack…soon!
Enjoy your week…and I think a slower pace is more relaxing, but it’s hard to do when the stacks are beckoning…lol
I have three grandsons with birthdays this month: two were 17 (not twins, cousins), and one was fourteen. I’ll be seeing them all this weekend, and they are all over six ft. tall!
Congrats on your teens, too. I think teens are fun…sometimes. lol
Here’s MY MONDAY MEMES POST
Laurel-Rain, I think *The Cottage at Glass Beach *is your kind of book. Give it a try!
Oh boy, the grandsons are growing up! My two boys are 13 and 15 and very near 6 foot tall! Strange, when you have to (almost) look up to them. Almost, as I’m 6 foot myself. Yes.
I am reading and being mesmerized by a wonderful book for my Japanese Reading Challenge: Teru Miyamoto’s Kinshu 🙂
I haven’t heard of the book, Allina, but I surely will when I read your review. 🙂
Waterline is something I would really like to try 🙂
Since it starts raining here so I read Jane Eyre. I don’t know what’s the connection, but I felt like reading it 🙂
Tes, I think you might find *Waterline* too slow going for your liking, possibly.
I don’t know, maybe Jane Eyre is a book for cuddling up when the weather is bad? Enjoy the book.
Yay for 50 Shades!! I liked the series but a lot of people didn’t – I think I liked the second one. Interesting story to say the least! 🙂
Have a great reading week!
What are YOU reading @ The Brunette Librarian??
Glad to find someone who enjoyed the book, Brunette. The story so far is fun (I’m only a few chapters in).
LOL!! I don’t think I’m too far behind you on the tweeting. I’m around 15-16K at this point. It’s much easier for me to connect there these days than it is on blogs since I can tweet from phone but tough to read from phone.
50 Shades huh? Will be SO curious what you think!
You’re tweeting a lot too, Trish!
Sisters sounds interesting! Happy reading!
Thanks, Vasilly.
The Sister book looks so good. I struggled with that Anita Shreve one but glad to see you enjoyed it!
The Anita Shreve was very enjoyable, I thought. Only I felt she was taking us on a guided tour sometimes, a little too much local flavor when it wasn’t needed.
The Winemaker sounds fascinating. Looks like some good reading!
Joy’s Book Blog
Yes, I loved *The Winemaker*, Joy.
Like the others, I am waiting for your thoughts on Grey 🙂 Sounds like you might actually be enjoying it. If you do a good review, it might actually make me want to pick it up (this is what I’m afraid of, actually LOL – of having to change my mind!)
Tien, I’m not sure I want to say a lot about Grey, given the topic, although I am starting to form an opinion already. 🙂
Birthday wishes for your son! As for the suspension – I think he will be less impressed after cleaning down tables and chairs for 6 hours!
I have Shades of Murder coming up as well.
Thanks for stopping by Book’d Out earlier
Shelleyrae @ Book’d Out
Shelleyrae, yes, I hope the suspension day will involve some serious hard work!
Shades of Murder, Shelleyrae? Are you mixing up books here? I’m intrigued…
A Change of Altitude sounds great. I haven’t read that one, but I did enjoy Shreve’s novel Rescue.
Happy Reading!
Lindsey, this was my first Shreve book. I enjoyed it, so I will read others by her.
20,000 tweets…impressive. Also, your reading a book a day is impressive too. And reading four books in a week is not shabby. Fantastic. I would love to read one – two books a week. Right now I am lucky to finish a book in a bit over a week. A season of slow reading for me for sure,
So, your seeing what all the hype is about for fifty shade of grey. I am not certain that I am wanting to dive into that book, but I am certainly curious.
Ibeeeg, I wasn’t sure I wanted to read 50 Shades but was curious about the hype. So far, it’s not as bad as I thought…
I just purchased Fifty Shades of Grey. Curiosity definitely got the best of me. I haven’t had a chance to start it. I am looking forward to what you think of it.
I haven’t been able to read as many books recently since I have been reading some longer classics lately. I am ready to fill in a gap with something fun, like a cozy mystery. – FABR Steph
Steph, I do that too, alternate between light and heavier books! It works very well for me.
A Change of Altitude is one of the Shreve novels I haven’t read yet. I’m waiting on that 50 Shades review. 🙂
Next week, Leslie! I’ve read it and my review is ready. Not saying anything just yet.
I have the audio and I’m tempted to slip it in ahead of a couple of review books I was planning on listening to next. It’s sooo not my kind of book. I rarely read romances and an erotic one… well… dunno. But I need to know what all the fuss is about!
Same here, Leslie. I also prioritised the book especially because it’s not my sort of book either. I knew if it ends up on the stacks, I won’t read it for years.
I can’t imagine this as audiobook. Who can read this with a straight face? Have you seen my audiobook/video link in my New Arrivals post (as a comment on your comment)?
The Ellen DeGeneres video? Yes, hysterical! Ok, I’m going to listen in the garden today. If the neighbors see me laughing, they’ll think I’m listening to a comedy. If I can get through it, I might review it. lol
Yes, that’s the one I meant. I wonder whether you will be laughing… I honestly can’t say. Have a good time out in the garden!
Well… I got close to half way through and this has to be the worst audio book I’ve ever listened to. And I’m just talking about the audio production! The writing is bad too. I’m trying to decide whether to review it as a DNF. Maybe. Ugh.
What a pity, Leslie. But it’ll make a nice review! 🙂
LOL yeah, people need to know to avoid the audio. I may finish it up in print… I do want to know what happens. It’s not unreadable, just unlistenable! I can’t waste that much time on it.. I can read at least 3 times that fast, probably more even at my speed.
Yes, it’s an easy read so listening to it must be so annoyingly slow. Hopefully you’ll like the book better.
Great reading week for you! I need to watch your reviews!
🙂