Last week, I was traveling home from North Carolina on Monday and didn't have a chance to post, so the books I'm sharing today are the ones I've finished since May 28th. I'll also be out of town next weekend and probably won't get to post, so my currently reading list is really what I'll be working on for the next two weeks.
What I Finished Reading
- Goodbye, Chicken Little by Betsy Byars ⭐⭐
(finished reading 5/29/18)
It's been a while since I read anything for the Author Love challenge, so I borrowed this from Open Library so I could check it off my list. It wasn't my favorite book by Byars, probably because it opens with a child witnessing a death but doesn't get very emotional about it. It felt strange to me. My review will be up on the blog soon. - The Aurora County All-Stars by Deborah Wiles ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
(finished reading 6/5/18)
This is a heartwarming story about a small-town little league team. I cried near the end. This is probably my favorite of the original Aurora County trilogy. I'm excited to read my ARC of the newest book, A Long Line of Cakes, a bit later this summer. - The Twin Test by Rula Sinara ⭐⭐⭐
(finished reading 6/5/18)
It took me a while to get into this one because I have to be in the right mood for a romance novel. When I got into it, though, I was impressed by the depiction of the setting (Kenya) and by the author's portrayal of the hero's eleven-year-old twin daughters. My review is on Goodreads. - Front Desk by Kelly Yang ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
(finished reading 6/6/28)
I heard so many positive reviews of this book in the week that it was published that I was worried it would not live up to the hype. Thankfully, it was everything the reviews promised and more, and I actually stayed up until nearly 2am because I couldn't put it down after just one chapter. I will post a review here on the blog in the next couple of weeks. - Lakeside Cottage by Susan Wiggs ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(finished reading 6/6/18)
I enjoyed this romance novel, mostly because there was a lot more to it than romance. I especially enjoyed Callie, the runaway foster child the central couple befriends. I'll review this one on Goodreads. - Save the Date by Morgan Matson ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
(finished reading 6/7/18)
I don't read a lot of YA, but boy did this book hit the spot. This wound up being as much a family story as a romance, and I absolutely loved it. I will probably review this one on the blog since it's likely to make my favorites list at the end of the year. - Beautiful Ruins by Jess Walter, audiobook read by ⭐⭐⭐
(finished reading 6/8/18)
Literary fiction is usually hit or miss with me. This was compelling enough to read to the end, but some of the metaphors were painful. Review coming this week on Goodreads. - A Little Way of Homeschooling by Suzie Andres ⭐⭐⭐⭐
(finished reading 6/10/18)
My husband recommended this to me, and I zipped through it. We plan to homeschool, not unschool like the families profiled in the book, but there were still some useful ideas.
What I'm Currently Reading
- The Brutal Telling by Louise Penny
This book keeps taking a backseat to quicker reads but I am making steady progress. Now that Gamache has arrived in Three Pines and started to investigate the murder, I'm getting more invested in the story and it's moving more quickly. - The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis by Max Shulman
This book is so light that I have been picking it up and reading just one story at times when I don't have the energy for anything deeper. I'm enjoying the humor, and I plan to track down some of the episodes of the old TV show to see how they compare. - Our Library by Phyllis R. Fenner
This is a 1939 book about school libraries. It's fascinating reading. Some things haven't changed in 80 years; others have changed a lot. I'm almost done with the book and will probably finish it today. - Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen, audiobook read by Stina Neilsen
I am planning to revisit Sarah Dessen's books this summer by listening to them in audiobook format. Though I might go back and do That Summer and Someone Like You later on, I decided to start with this one, which was included in the list of books for which Dessen was awarded the Margaret A. Edwards award in 2017, and which I have not re-read since I was a teenager. - Back Yard Angel by Judy Delton
I discovered this series through @yearlingreads on Instagram and found all of the books on Open Library. I'm only a few pages in, but I like the writing so far. - The House That Lou Built by Mae Respicio (ARC)
I started this right after finishing Save the Date, but realized I needed more time to let that one digest before starting another ARC. I hope to get back into it later this week, since it comes out tomorrow.
Hope you enjoyed NC. We are heading to the Outer Banks at the end of the month for vacation. Two weeks of beach sounds like a plan.
ReplyDeleteSusan Wiggs is always a good read. I didn't realize there was a book about Dobie Gillis. Hmmm....
Hope you have a great week.
https://thebookconnectionccm.blogspot.com/2018/06/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-june-10.html
Sounds like you will be busy traveling. You make me want to leave home for a bit too. You have a wide variety of books on your list. I like a lot of the old school fiction. Come see my week here. Happy reading!
ReplyDeleteI still have some Byars books, but it's hard to get my students to check out things from the 1980s and earlier! Styles change so much-- have you looked at Lowry's Rabble Starkey lately? I had to weed it, because it repeatedly called one character "Sweet Ho", short for Hosanna!
ReplyDeleteRabble Starkey is on my to-read list. But I can imagine how the average middle schooler would react to a character called "Sweet Ho" - I probably would have weeded it too!
DeleteI have been seeing Front Desk just everywhere, I really need to find a copy!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad you loved Front Desk. I couldn't put it down, either. Started and finished in the same day. I'm VERY much looking forward to reading The House that Lou Built (and a tad jelly of all you ARC people *grin*). And I have Save the Date on my TBR list, too, so your blurb makes me more excited to read that. I think it's great that you're getting prepared for homeschooling. I quite teaching in the public schools in 2004 (when our first baby was born) and I just never went back into the K-12 schools once our children hit "school" age (except for teaching education majors and librarians online at the local college). I deeply appreciate the connection we all have to one another and the passion we all have to learning/discovery. While I don't like labels, we definitely fall into the unschooling (free-range learning) camp. With hubby and I both professional educators, he with a PhD and me with two masters, I guess I initially figured we would just "school at home" with a rigorous curriculum and school house approach. But after a years of experience and academic research, we fully embraced the "freedom to learn" approach. We're weirdos -- HAHA! Every family finds their own path and rhythm, which is the beauty of home education. Hope you find much joy in the educational years ahead!
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your time out of town! Have a great week!
ReplyDeleteAj @ Read All The Things!
I loved Front Desk and the sixth grade class I gave my copy to, loved it too. My weekly updates
ReplyDeleteEnjoy the break. Enjoy your reads as well.
ReplyDeleteFront Desk is receiving a whole LOT of love this week, looking forward to finding it and reading it, too! :)
ReplyDelete