Monday, October 27, 2014

It's Monday, October 27 . . . What Are You Reading?

Good morning, fellow readers! This post connects to the "It's Monday" meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. I hope you've been enjoying a season of wonderful reads--I certainly have! As usual, the TBR pile threatens to topple over, but I've been reading along at a good, steady pace lately. Hooray--reading slumps, please stay away!

Last week on the blog, I posted reviews of these books:

Lila is Marilynne Robinson's latest novel, which has been longlisted for the National Book Award. It is a beautifully written, character-driven novel about a woman's journey from suffering and abandonment to love and redemption (the link to my review is in the title).

Ghost Horse by Thomas McNeely is a powerful novel, set in Houston in the 1970s, about a boy coming to terms with his parents' awful divorce. It's a coming-of-age story as well as a novel about adults behaving badly in the midst of a family crisis, and it is a moving book that will certainly stay with me. I read Ghost Horse as part of a blog tour for TLC Book Tours.

I also re-posted my review of this book:

Lily King was the recipient of the very first Kirkus Prize for Fiction, which was announced last week, for her novel Euphoria. I read and loved this book, about a love triangle of anthropologists in Papua New Guinea in the 1930s, when it was released over the summer. I didn't think Euphoria received the attention it deserved earlier this year, so I was very glad to see King win the Kirkus Prize. You can read my review of Euphoria here.

In the past week, I read these books:

Another Margaret Atwood! I don't tend to read a lot of short stories, but Stone Mattress is truly Atwood at her best, so if you are a fan, I recommend it. Review to come soon. I read Certainty by Victor Bevine for TLC Book Tours; I will host the tour on November 5th.

And currently, I am reading . . .

Reunion by Hannah Pittard looks to be a good, juicy story of family dysfunction; I'm always fond of those! It's starting off well--that's always a good sign.

This week I hope to get some reading done and even a few reviews posted, but I'll also be spending a few days in NYC with the family. We'll be seeing a Broadway show that the kids have been desperate to see, and spending some time at MoMA and in Central Park, if the weather cooperates. I love New York in the fall!

I wish everyone a great week in reading!

14 comments:

  1. Those all sound like books you could get seriously wrapped up in!

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    1. Yes, they were all-consuming books, you could say! Reunion is a little lighter in tone, so that is a relief. :)

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  2. Have fun in NYC - fall is my favorite season there! And - I just posted my review of Certainty today for the TLC tour and I loved Reunion...a fun short one that hit home for me on some of the issues she tackles.

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    1. Ah, ok, I'll check out your Certainty post on TLC. I need to process that book a bit until I write my post! I'm glad I was able to get a copy of Reunion from Netgalley.

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  3. I hope you're enjoying Reunion. I love reading about dysfunctional families, probably because they make me feel better about my own. Ha! Have a great week!

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    1. Ha, yes--a good dysfunctional family story is always helpful, so you can think, "at least we're not THAT bad!"

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  4. These are all "my kind" of reads, Leila...and I got Lila a couple of weeks ago. Ghost Horse also sounds wonderful, and so do the others. I am a sucker for a good family drama, the more issues the better! Thanks for sharing...and for visiting my blog. Enjoy!

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    1. Family dramas are often make for such satisfying reading, don't they? It seems to be such a universal experience, so everyone can relate.

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  5. Autumn in NYC is wonderful, and the folks milling around have that anticipatory light-heartedness for the coming holiday season and window-shopping, Central Park leaf-peeping strolls, Rock Center decorations, etc etc.
    I would probably like Euphoria as someone who loves anthropology and sociology!

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  6. Have a great time in NYC... fall is such a good time to be there! I have high hopes for Reunion. Will be curious to hear if it finishes strong, too.

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    1. Thanks, JoAnn! Yes, it will be my reading for the train--unless the kids are in a very chatty mood. :)

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  7. I'm so excited to hear that you loved Stone Mattress. I hope to read it next week!

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    1. Oh good, hope you enjoy it! I'm posting a review tomorrow. I really enjoyed all of the stories, and I absolutely loved experiencing vintage Atwood again.

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