Skip to main content

Yet another Monday! (June 27, 2011)

Posted on

It's Monday! What are you reading this week?

Sheila @ One Persons Journey through a world of Books wants to know what we're reading. I'm only too happy to oblige!


I really didn't get much reading done this week. Mostly, I've been trying to handle couple of personal matters and the accompanying stress, and reading  has been taking a backseat lately. I still have a few books going, but not as much as is usual for me.

News from over my blog
Reviews up!

Other posts
Books on my nightstand
I'm still reading Shantaram for the readalong, at least on paper, but I didn't really get to it this week. I know I'll read a lot of it once I really sit down with it, but so far time has eluded me. Next week onwards, I'm going to be doing 10 hour workdays! That's 10 whole hours! On the plus side, I get Fridays off. So I'm really curious about how this is going to work.

Hello GoodbyeHello Goodbye by Emily Chenoweth: I'm only a tiny bit into this book, but so far I like it. It reads fast, which is the kind of books I want right now. The premise is also interesting (about a woman with terminal cancer telling goodbye to all she loves), and while it's not at all sad yet, I know it's going to be, soon. I will dread that, but that's ok.
State of WonderState of Wonder by Ann Patchett: So far, so good. While not as magical as Patchett's prose in Bel Canto, this is still written wonderfully! At the point I am in the book, there really is no "mystery", but I'll be surprised if I don't get shocked or wowed before the end of the book!





Tags

Comments

Marce said…
I love the title and cover of Hello Goodbye.  Hope your stress goes soon.
June 26, 2011 at 11:32 PM
christa @ mental foodie said…
I am going to write the review for State of Wonder in the next few minutes. Don't read it until you're done with the book. I don't want to affect your reading experience! :)

http://mentalfoodie.blogspot.com/
June 26, 2011 at 11:37 PM
Knittingmomof3 said…
I have both of those books and eager to read both.  Have a wonderful week.  
My Monday: http://www.rundpinne.com/2011/06/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-45.html
June 26, 2011 at 11:43 PM
Booklineandsinker said…
i've seen several bloggers chatting about or reading 'state of wonder'--hope you enjoy it!  also, here's to hoping things calm down in your personal life.  summer is a time for fun and i hope you get to enjoy it!
June 27, 2011 at 12:06 AM
Pussreboots said…
I have a couple Ann Patchett books on my TBR. Until Sunday I had only finished four books, a fifth of what I was reading during spring semester. Then two things conspired to make me read more. Come see what happened.
 
June 27, 2011 at 12:42 AM
Piyush Garyali said…
"We acquire the strength we have overcome" ~Ralph Waldo Emerson. Hang in there!
June 27, 2011 at 1:06 AM
Misha Mathew said…
Not as magical as Bel Canto? Hmmm... I will still read it since it's Ann Patchett after all.
I hope this week is better for you and that you are able to deal with the stress. 
June 27, 2011 at 1:59 AM
Judith said…
Heelo Goodbye sounds like it's going to be very sad. State of Wonders (I read it!) isn't an uplifting book, but it's very good.

Have a good reading week!
June 27, 2011 at 3:29 AM
jules Ablaw said…
Have a great week! :)


I'm a new follower :D
June 27, 2011 at 5:05 AM
Kay @ Dead Book Darling said…
I am a HUGE Ann Patchett fan, so I really hope State of Wonder is fantastic!  Enjoy your books!
June 27, 2011 at 6:06 AM
Laurel-Rain Snow said…
State of Wonder is on my list...and Hello Goodbye sounds intriguing.

Here's

MY MONDAY MEMES POST
June 27, 2011 at 8:12 AM
Athira / Aths said…
Thanks Marce! It's just like a cycle with all ups and downs out here.
June 27, 2011 at 10:14 AM
Athira / Aths said…
Thanks for the warning! :D I'll just skip your blog in my reader today and check your thoughts once I'm done with the book. Something tells me you didn't like it much. :) Never mind, don't answer that. :D
June 27, 2011 at 10:15 AM
Athira / Aths said…
Thanks, Jennifer! I hope you have a good week!
June 27, 2011 at 10:16 AM
Athira / Aths said…
I hope things steady too. It's kind of disrupting, but well, that's life I guess. I'm enjoying State of Wonder so far!
June 27, 2011 at 10:17 AM
Athira / Aths said…
I hope you have a good week!
June 27, 2011 at 10:18 AM
Athira / Aths said…
It's just a tiny difference, I know I shouldn't compare, but it's hard.
June 27, 2011 at 10:18 AM
Athira / Aths said…
I'm glad you liked State of Wonders! I can't wait to finish it. Actually I HAVE to finish it today!
June 27, 2011 at 10:18 AM
Athira / Aths said…
Thanks, Jules! I hope you have a good week!
June 27, 2011 at 10:19 AM
Athira / Aths said…
I'm enjoying State of Wonder so far. It's good!
June 27, 2011 at 10:19 AM
Athira / Aths said…
Both are good books! I hope you have a good week!
June 27, 2011 at 10:19 AM
zibilee said…
Oh, I can't wait to read State of Wonder! It seems like it's the "it" book right now, and I have seen it all over the blogosphere. I hope that you enjoy it!
June 27, 2011 at 11:56 AM
Athira / Aths said…
I agree. Lately I've been seeing this book a lot too. I loved her Bel Canto so I'm excited to be reading this.
June 27, 2011 at 12:41 PM
Anne Bennett said…
I started Bel Canto years ago and never finished it for some reason.  Now I want to read the new Ann Pratchett but wonder if I should tackle Bel Canto first.  You thoughts?
June 27, 2011 at 2:57 PM
hcmurdoch said…
Somehow your books don't seem very happy this week! You need a good old fashioned mystery or beach book to plow through quickly!
June 27, 2011 at 3:03 PM
Athira / Aths said…
Actually, you're right! I didn't think of that. My books seem to be following my mood rather than the other way. I do need to look for something cheerful!
June 27, 2011 at 3:38 PM
Athira / Aths said…
It doesn't really matter. You could give State of Wonder a try first since you couldn't get into Bel Canto earlier. Maybe after State of Wonder, and esp if you liked it, you can give Bel Canto one more try?
June 27, 2011 at 3:39 PM
Lena said…
This has been a slow week for me too. I"m still reading Shantaram as well. I try to read a few pages here and there on my iPad when the time permits or if I'm waiting in line somewhere. Just finished Mama Ruby and I'm still reading Mockingjay and I just started No One in the World yesterday.
June 27, 2011 at 4:14 PM
avisannschild said…
I really want to read Patchett's latest, although I haven't read any of her novels yet. Enjoy!
June 27, 2011 at 4:19 PM
celawerd said…
Both sound like great books.
June 27, 2011 at 6:30 PM
Jennifer G. said…
Having bounced around between 8, 10, and 12-hour workdays over the past ten years, I have to say that working four ten hour shifts is the best.  You still get a long weekend, but you aren't too exhausted to enjoy it.  Good luck, and I hope you get more time for reading this week!
June 27, 2011 at 10:00 PM
Gavin said…
I have State of Wonder on my TBR list and really want to read Shantaram one of these days!
June 27, 2011 at 10:26 PM
Athira / Aths said…
I'm behind on Shantaram. Really behind. Thank goodness for the upcoming long weekend!
June 29, 2011 at 1:53 PM
Athira / Aths said…
Patchett's latest is also so wonderful (so far)! I can't wait to finish it today!
June 29, 2011 at 1:54 PM
Athira / Aths said…
I agree - 10 sounds better than 12 at least. I guess I can work 2 extra hours a day just to get one whole day off, and maybe it won't be too bad!
June 29, 2011 at 1:55 PM
Athira / Aths said…
I hope you get to read both of them! They are truly wonderful!
June 29, 2011 at 1:55 PM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hell-Heaven by Jhumpa Lahiri (Short Fiction Review)

Posted on
I first read Jhumpa Lahiri years ago, when her Interpreter of Maladies was making a huge buzz. At the time, I didn't catch any of the buzz, but for some reason, when I saw the book on the shelf at the store I was browsing in, I felt it just might be a decent read. Funnily, I read the entire short story collection without complaining about it, but for some reason, I cannot read any collection anymore without agonizing over its disjoint nature.

I did enjoy Interpreter of Maladies, but I did get bothered by the thread of loneliness and infidelity and distrust that laced through the stories. For that reason, I have been reluctant to read Unaccustomed Earth. However, when I came across Hell-Heaven at the NewYorker - a free short story from her book, I decided to go ahead and read it. I can't resist the pull of stories set in India or featuring Indian characters, and it is that same aspect that hooked me throughout this story.


In Hell-Heaven, the narrator contemplates the relations…
13 comments
Read more

Where'd You Go, Bernadette by Maria Semple

Posted on
Maybe that’s what religion is, hurling yourself off a cliff and trusting that something bigger will take care of you and carry you to the right place.
Bernadette Fox has a reputation. While her husband and her daughter Bee love her, there's barely anyone else who share the sentiment. Her neighbor Audrey loves to gossip mean things about her with her close friend, Soo-Lin. The other parents of kids at Bee's school look down on Bernadette because she doesn't involve herself in school affairs. Bernadette herself goes out of her way to avoid company.

And then one day, Bee comes home with an excellent report card and asks for her reward - a family trip to Antarctica. The very plan throws Bernadette into a panic but she has no other option. She hires a virtual assistant, based out of India to take care of all her demands, including getting prescriptions at her local pharmacy, doing her online shopping and taking care of some of the logistics of her trip. (It is ridiculous! Bern…
27 comments
Read more

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson (Short Fiction review)

Posted on
With the Hunger Games hype that engulfed us last week, it was hard to avoid all the discussion of similar works that existed. Of the many titles that I came across, two stood out particularly - a short story called The Lottery and a Japanese novel (and movie) called Battle Royale (which I'm reading right now and just cannot put down). The novel will be fodder for another post, so for now, I just want to rave about the awesomeness that was The Lottery.

In contemporary America, villagers across the country are gathering on the 27th of June (and some a day earlier) for an annual event called the Lottery. Children, women, men, all come to the main square of their village or town, where the lottery master keeps a black box full of paper chips. One of these chips is marked has a special mark on it to identify the winner (the person who draws that chip). Not everyone draws however, but only the head of the family. Husbands are viewed as the head of their families/households, and if the …
19 comments
Read more