Here's what I've accomplished this month in the reading arena:
Books: 5 (1,766 pages)
- Steve and Me, by Terri Irwin (288 pages)- I loved this look at the Crocodile Hunter's life and passions.
- Children of God, by Mary Doria Russell (436 pages) - I LOVED rereading this book.
- The Boy Who Harnessed The Wind, by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer (290 pages) - This is an inspiring true-life story of using what you have to make a difference.
- Linger, by Maggie Stiefvater -(368 pages) - I like the premise of the paranormal YA series but haven't really been captivated by the books.
- Finny, by Justin Kramon (384 pages) - We read this for a book club meeting that included an author visit.
Audiobooks: 4 (50.5 hours)
- Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee, by Dee Brown (14.3 hours) - This is currently in contention for my favorite, most meaningful book of this year.
- The Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins (11.2 hours) - I wasn't as into this YA book as I'd hoped to be.
- We Were Soldiers Once ... And Young, by Col. Harold Moore and Joseph Galloway (16 hours) - It was well worth listening to this story of a huge battle in Vietnam.
- A Morbid Taste For Bones, by Ellis Peters (9 hours) - This mystery series from the 11th century was entertaining.
Mom and Son Book Club: 0 books
That sounds bad but in reality it is good. Kiddo is reading more and more on his own now. He still wants me to read books TO him but this past month we've all been to busy to sit down that long. Now that he's back in school he's required to read 20 minutes per day and summarize in one sentence what he's read. I'm hoping to get him reading some more challenging books soon.
Also, we're going to try to use some of our free time this holiday weekend (Labor Day here in the US - everything is closed on Monday) to make book review videos together. Hopefully you'll see some of them up here within the next few weeks..
Other Stuff
I co-hosted a read-a-long of CHILDREN OF GOD with Florinda @ The 3 Rs. It was great to revisit this powerful book and share it with other readers.
I've also been gearing up for the Baltimore Book Festival (Sept. 24-26). This year I'm moderating two panels on 9/26. At 1pm I've got a fantastic group of book bloggers who will introduce blogging to the Festival audience and at 3pm I've got another fantastic group, this time book clubbers, who will share tips on making your club the best it can be. I'll be sharing more about who is on these panels and where you can find them within the next week.
Although things have been crazy, we've had a great summer at our house. Hope you can say the same!
7 comments:
I always mourn the passing of summer. While I like Fall and all, it does mean back to work for me, so there's a bit of melancholy as I'm forced to be less lazy. ;)
Congrats on your August reading! How wonderful that Kiddo is reading more on his own! My oldest son started out racing through books and then fizzled out. Now all he wants to do is play the wii. I think it has something to do with school starting in a few days. :)
The panels at the Book Festival sound like a lot of fun. I hope it goes well, and can't wait to hear all about it!
Trisha - I know the feeling, but at the same time I look forward to the "normal" schedule that Fall brings.
Alyce - Yeah, the coming of school can do that, but I'm sure your son's reading will pick up again soon. :)
Bury My Heart AT Wounded Kneee was a book club read of many years ago. I struggled with the book and found it so heavy. Now I am wondering if I would prefer the audio version - and if my tastes has matured enough to now handle this with the attention it deserves.
I like the group you will have on Book Clubbers and how to make your club the best it can be. You may remember from our conversations in New York that this is something as a 9 year + book club leader that I strive for each and every book. Very interested in what they have to say.
Sheila - I generally prefer non-fiction so BURY MY HEART was the perfect book for me. That said, I do think it deserves a second try - it really is a powerful book. And about book club - I'll definitely be posting summaries of the panels so hopefully we'll come up with some ideas that can help you!
Thanks Heather :) I look forward to the posts on the panels.
I loved your post about Gettysburg -- I've never been, but someday... My brother lives in VA, and maybe we'll be visiting him again one day soon. I looked at your list of books read and I feel like a piker. Mine are so much less ... consequential! I'm heavy on mysteries, a thriller, "light fiction," for lack of a better word (I finished Jane Green's "Promises to Keep" a week or so ago, and I think that qualifies as light fiction.) Audiobooks? Same thing. I'm working my way through several mystery series. It keeps me exercising. My latest non-fiction is a memoir called "Secrets of a Mysterious Older Woman," the hilarious history of the author (Constance Feathers), post-divorce. Quite wacky, but true! She encourages every woman to become a MOW (Mysterious Older Woman," especially by refusing to live by society's silly rules and live the life you want. You get a slice of her life in rural France, as opposed to Paris or Provence. There, you wait for the cows to cross the road, and the women wear aprons and house dresses and don't sport French manicures. It's great as a gift for a woman going through a divorce, which is what I'm doing, for a friend who has a new dog and a vanished husband. She likes the dog more, I must say.
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