Skip to main content

Yet another Monday (Aug 8, 2011)


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!

The summer months sure are winding down fast, even if there's no sign of the heat abating yet. It's time to start looking at where the reading this year stands and if any of the lofty goals I made at the start of the year are still making sense to me.

Books finished since the last update

News from over my blog

Reviews up!
-  Gingerbread Girl by Paul Tobin and Colleen Coover (No, this isn't a middle-grade or picture book)

Other posts

Books on my nightstand
It feels great to remove books from my nightstand when I haven't been to them in a while, else all that book-peer pressure can be quite debilitating. Of course, for every book I remove from my desk, another five jump in, so maybe that's not such a good thing.

Pigeon EnglishPigeon English by Stephen Kelman: This month, I'm hoping to get to the ARCs that I still have to read. My next "scheduled" (tour or not) ARC is in September, so I'm hoping to thin out my ARC list before then. I'm starting with this book, which has so far been getting mixed reviews, so I'm hoping it works for me.
NakedNaked by David Sedaris: I'm on the last disc of this audiobook. Audio doesn't work for me because I don't have any lengthy commute time in my car. Plus, I try not to turn on the car A/C, so with the roar of the wind, I like some "quiet" in the car. Still, I should hopefully be done with this funny book this week.

Posted on
Tags

Comments

Christina T said…
I can't wait to read In the Sea There Are Crocodiles. The reviews make it sound amazing! I hope you enjoyed it. 

I know what you mean about the TBR pile. I worry sometimes that my nightstand will collapse under the weight...
August 7, 2011 at 10:44 PM
Helen Murdoch said…
Can't wait to hear what you think of David Sedaris. I've only read parts of Naked, but have read others of his and I think he is really funny. Have you heard his NPR piece about being a Macy's elf at Christmas? Hysterical!
August 7, 2011 at 10:45 PM
Cat said…
The first small signs of spring are beginning to appear in this part of the world.

Have a great week!
August 7, 2011 at 10:51 PM
Jennifer said…
I have been wanting to read Pigeon English.  Enjoy your books and your week.
My Monday: http://www.rundpinne.com/2011/08/its-monday-what-are-you-reading-51.html
August 7, 2011 at 11:00 PM
Angie @ By Book or By Crook said…
I've heard Naked is hilarious.  I hope you enjoy it!
August 7, 2011 at 11:24 PM
Bluestockingbb said…
Naked?  I'll have to look that one up. 

Here is mine
August 8, 2011 at 12:27 AM
Martha Eskuchen said…
My drive is short too so it takes longer for audio books. But I love my MP3 and Audible which goes everywhere with me. :-)  Have a happy reading/listening week!
August 8, 2011 at 12:31 AM
Pussreboots said…
I reviewed Gingerbread Girl last month. I'm off to see what you though of it.

I've been so busy having fun with my kids and doing homework, that I've hardly taken any time to read. Come see what I did finish and why I'll be reading even less this week!
August 8, 2011 at 2:35 AM
Judith said…
Have fun this week, Aths. Pigeon English is a book I've heard of - hope it's good!
August 8, 2011 at 5:47 AM
Angelica Joy said…
Have a great week!
August 8, 2011 at 5:48 AM
Karen Sime said…
I like the sound of Yo. Might have to add that to my TR list. I'm not a fan of audio books either. I have tried and I just don't enjoy them.
August 8, 2011 at 6:30 AM
Athira / Aths said…
In the Sea There Are Crocodiles is really a wonderful read. I just could not put it down!
August 8, 2011 at 7:55 AM
Athira / Aths said…
Oh no, I haven't! I'm going to check that out! He truly is funny! I love it when people can laugh at their own circumstances.
August 8, 2011 at 7:55 AM
Athira / Aths said…
Thanks! Nice to hear that Spring is on its way there! Spring and Fall are two wonderful seasons!
August 8, 2011 at 8:00 AM
Athira / Aths said…
It is hilarious! Thanks!
August 8, 2011 at 8:01 AM
Nina Happyendings said…
I know how you feel. I have some books on my nighstand too, but everytime that pile is getting higher and higher. lol. ;)
August 8, 2011 at 8:39 AM
bermudaonion (Kathy) said…
I'm eager to see what you think of Naked since I love David Sedaris on audio.
August 8, 2011 at 9:03 AM
Juju at Tales of Whimsy... said…
I can't wait to hear more about Yo!
August 8, 2011 at 10:28 AM
nomadreader said…
I'll be curious to hear your thoughts on Pigeon English. I didn't much care for it, but I think others might enjoy it more.
August 8, 2011 at 11:49 AM
zibilee said…
I also would like to see what you think of Pigeon English, and remember reading Nomadreader's review, I think it was last week? I also know what you mean about having a hard time finishing audiobooks. Try as I might, I can never seem to get them finished! I am reading Domestic Violets right now, and it's a really quirky and fun read.
August 8, 2011 at 12:02 PM
Athira / Aths said…
Naked is funny! I hope you get a chance to look at it!
August 9, 2011 at 7:36 AM
Athira / Aths said…
Thanks! I hope you have a good week too!
August 9, 2011 at 7:36 AM
Athira / Aths said…
I need to look at your review of Gingerbread Girl too!
August 9, 2011 at 7:37 AM
Athira / Aths said…
I hope so too! I've been hearing mixed responses on that one!
August 9, 2011 at 7:37 AM
Giving Reading said…
Audio doesn't work for me too. I just cannot concentrate for long :( I hope you enjoy both the books and have a good week ahead :)
August 9, 2011 at 10:44 AM
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