It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?
I’ve been participating in the October Memoir and Backstory Challenge hosted by Jane Anne McLachlan. The idea is to write a post per day in October that covers that day’s age. Here’s what I have so far:
Joy — about 20 mo.
Ages 0 – 1: Baby Speed Eater
Age 2: Two Tales
Age 3: Curls
Age 4: Most Magical Christmas
Age 5: Kindergarten
Age 6: Places
Age 7: Mental Health in 1969
I still managed to participate in Weekend Cooking with one of my favorite fall recipes — Applesauce Bread baked in the bread machine: Applesauce Bread — Weekend Cooking. And, of course, we had Readers’ Workouts on Tuesday: Readers’ Workouts — October 2. Join us for another episode tomorrow! I also slipped in a book review for a book I completed a couple of weeks ago: Book Review: Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd.
Read
I started Chasing Fire by Nora Roberts in August but interrupted it to read Sarum by Edward Rutherfurd. I finally finished Chasing Fire when I needed something relaxing and easy this week. Reading books about writing makes me pickier about things like putting in a character’s mouth a point that the author wants to make, but that only happened three or four times in Chasing Fire so I tolerated it. Otherwise, an exciting book about a topic that I’ve always been curious about — fighting forest fires.
I started and finished How to Be Black by Baratunde Thurston. I’m going to miss our book club’s discussion of it this month, but I didn’t want to miss the funniest book we’ve read yet. I’m sad, though, that I’ll miss the discussion because I was intrigued by the way the humor opened me up to really feel some things that had been a more intellectual exercise before. I’ll work up a review.
Reading
I’ve started a graphic novel of King Lear in preparation for reading the real thing soon, William Shakespeare’s King Lear: a graphic novel by Gareth Hinds. I’m still working through The Story of England by Christopher Hibbert and I’ve started The Amazing Adventures of Dietgirl by Shauna Reid. I have Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear on my phone — a much better choice than the too long and too serious book that I tried most recently.
Will Read
I’ll read the “King Lear” section of Tales from Shakespeare by Charles Lamb and Mary Lamb and, then, take a deep breath, and read the actual play.
It’s Monday! What Are Your Reading? is a weekly meme hosted by Sheila of Book Journey. Be sure to check out her post today to see her selections and the list of links to all the other participating bloggers.
How to Be Black is on my reading list. I love Thurston – he’s incredibly witty.
That memoir challenge is so darn cool! I haven’t read King Lear, I hope you enjoy it and I’ll look forward to your thoughts
The Relentless Reader
Great books! And I think King Lear is quite readable, especially if you’re used to Shakespeare. When I was taking a Shakespeare class in college, I’d read the play, then watch a film recording of it, then read it again. Good luck!
Maisie Dobbs is on my tbr list! I’ve heard wonderful things about it and I hope you enjoy it.
How To Be Black sounds like just what I need right now … a good laugh. Have a great week, happy reading and thanks so much for visiting my blog
I read Chasing Fire and really enjoyed it.
If you’d like to stop by, here’s what I’m reading this week.
xo,
JL
I think I ought to add How To Be Black to my tbr list! Looking forward to your review/commentary.
I’ve read several of Gareth Hinds graphic novels and I must say I am VERY pleased to discover another adult who is getting primed in some classics by reading the graphic novel versions first. I’ve caught up on quite a few I’ve missed over the years and of which I don’t quite feel motivated to read the full length original versions. Are you reading King Lear on your own? I’ll try to grab the Hinds’ GN this week and read it, too. I’m not so sure I’ve got the dedication right now to read Shakespeare’s King Lear [true version].
I think my teen is reading Hamlet and Othello this year. I might give one of those originals a go instead.
I’m reading King Lear on my own as part of my English reading. It’s the earliest setting of Shakespeare’s history plays, being based on a legend about a Celtic pre-history king. Although Gareth Hinds used a more faintly medieval setting for his version.
There are some really attractive graphic novel versions of Hamlet. I read Hamlet in high school, but more recently, I just stuck with the graphic novel and film versions and didn’t read the actual play.
Joy, I think you’re doing a great job writing posts and keeping up with everything! How to be Black is such a funny and touching book.