Figuring out the best way to keep up with the books we're reading hasn't been an easy task - as my children get older, I find that I'm even more drawn to children's literature - wanting to read what they're reading, wanting to read to them, and wanting to read other middle reader books to find ones to recommend to them. At the same time, I still have my huge stack of "adult" books to read - fiction and non-fiction, mysteries and romance - trying to keep up with what's going on in the world, but also trying to escape it. For awhile I decided I didn't really need to "keep track" of my books in any way...but lately I've found that I kind of miss making my lists and looking back on the ones I've loved and the ones I can barely remember just a month later! So, here's my latest attempt to stay on track, and keep up with the books we're reading (but not necessarily always finishing) this week!
Books I've Been Reading: I'm usually reading five to six books at one time. I try to have a non-fiction, several fiction, and a children's book going so that I can choose whatever I'm in the mood for. This does mean that it can take me weeks or even months to finish some books because they keep falling to the bottom of the stack, but it's always been the way I like to read. At times, I'll try to get myself to focus on just one at a time, but that never makes me happy, so I figure I'll just stick to this process!
I love a mystery, and I read an article about how because we've been sheltering in place, and living "safer" lives that we might otherwise in normal times that many of us are seeking out our thrills in other ways. I've found mind by reading a few psychological thrillers during this time, including:
- Ruth Ware's The Turn of the Key, about a nanny who finds herself on trial for the murder of one of the children in her care.
- Tana French's The Trespasser part of her Dublin Murder Squad series (which does not have to be read in order) featuring a female detection given a slam-dunk murder case that she can't quite seem to let anyone solve, and The Witch Elm, a stand-along novel about a man who suffers a debilitating injury and tries to return to his childhood stomping grounds, only to uncover a murder he seems to have been trying to forget, but can't quite seem to remember.
And after reading a slew of mysteries that I had to put away before it got dark out, I decided I needed to return to a familiar detective - one who lives firmly in the "cozy mystery" category and is best read with a cup of tea and a warm wool blanket: Jaqueline Winspear's Maisie Dobbs series, including Birds of a Feather (#2) and Pardonable Lies (#3).
Books My Kids are Reading this Week
Books I'm Reading to My Kids:
Mr. Lemoncello Series by Chris Grabenstein: I started reading this series to my nine-year-old son at the beginning of his third grade school year. I generally love books about books, and this one has the added benefit of also including a variety of fun word games and puzzles. Mr. Lemoncello is a wacky Willy Wonka-like self-made millionaire who is famous for his board games. Kyle Keely is one of his biggest fans. When Mr. Lemoncello builds a fancy new library in town, he invites twelve lucky students to spend the night trying to break-out of it by solving various puzzles and riddles about books and famous authors. We loved all the personalities in this book - as well as trying to figure out some of the puzzles along with the kids in the book. It was filled with fun jokes, creative twists and turns, and general good times. It was a wonderful book to share together and we eagerly read the next few in the series:
Mr. Lemoncello's Library Olympics, Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race, & Mr. Lemoncello's All-Star Breakout Game. Looking forward to
Mr. Lemoncello and the Titanium Ticket coming out in late August!
And now, back to more reading!! Recommendations always welcome!
No comments:
Post a Comment