It’s Monday! What are you reading? Is a meme sponsored by Sheila at Book Journey.  Kellee at Unleashing Readers and Jen at Teach Mentor Texts gave the meme a kidlit twist.  It’s a great way to reflect on what you’ve read and reviewed the last week and plan what you want to read next.  Join up with us and discover what good books other people  are reading.

The Arctic blast has arrived, and snow is supposedly on the way. We’ve gotten excited a few other times this winter, but the snow has passed us. I’m ready for at least a little snow, but many not quite as much as Boston and the northeast has been getting. Whatever the weather, I’m ready to curl up with a good book and a mug of hot cocoa!  I hope you are staying snug and warm no matter the weather wherever you are.

I finisned…

The Exodus by Peter Danielson – I loved how Danielson wove together natural disasters and the power of Yahweh to tale the story of Moses leading the Habiru out of Egypt. I also loved the showdown between Moses and the evil magus Apedemek from the earlier books. As always, there was plenty of intrigue in the court as people jostled for power. The clan of the Children of the Lion continues to grow in unexpected directions as well.

The Sea Peoples by Peter Danielson – One of the things that I love about this series is that even eleven books in, Danielson continues to surprise me. I did not expect to see pirates, but the storyline with the pirates in this book is one of my favorites. The Minotaur is not your typical pirate. He commands not one ship, but a fleet of ships, that he rules with the power of respect rather than violence. Seth’s son, Theon, infiltrates the pirate fleet–as a slave–to spy on the pirate and learn his secrets. The characters are also complex and vivid. Joshua takes over from Moses. He is a brillaint soldier, but he enjoys killing a bit too much. His bloodlust creates a rift between him and his childhood friend, Pepi, who is now chief armorer for the Israelites.

I’m reading…

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott – This is a reread for me. I remember that I enjoyed it and learned from it the first time I read it with the Indiana University Southeast Writing Project site. I am getting just as much out of it this time. I am finding that as I read it, I want to stop and write! I am also reading this one much more slowly this time around. Now that I have decided to make a go out of freelance writing fulltime, I am even more eager to learn and to write.

By the Book: Writers on Literature and the Literary Life from The New York TImes Book Review edited by Pamela Paul – This week I enjoyed interviews from Nicholson Baker, Emma Thompson and Michael Chabon. As I’m reading these, I want to know more about the reading lives of others. Not just famous writers, but the people I see in my daily life. Do you think the NYT Book Review would mind if I came up with my own questions regarding the literary life to ask people?

Coming up…

This week my goals are to write more. I have all these ideas bouncing around that I want to get down, and I want to finish the copy to launch my new copywriting website. Of course, I will find time to continue with the Children of the Lion and savor more of By the Book and Bird by Bird.

What are you reading this week?