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.

It was a good reading week. I finished several books and even posted a couple of reviews. Imagine my thrill when Lois Duncan shared my review of her book on her Facebook page. Not only did I enjoy some good books this week, my husband and I finally planted our big garden. We’ve been enjoying spinach and green onions from our little raised bed at the house, but schedules and weathe had kept us from planting the rest of the seeds and plants. We still have a few more things (some more summer squash, okra and flowers to plant), but we are ready for the rest of it to grow!

I finished…

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The Kneebone Boy by Ellen Potter – I absolutely love this book, but I find it very hard to describe. It has such a fantasy feel to it, but it’s really not fantasy at all. Maybe some things that happen stretch believability (How many fathers do you know who make their living by painting exiled and deposed royals with strange histories?), but everything is explained in the end. The castle folly (a small-sized copy of a real castle) is amazing, and the three Hardscrabble children found a way into my heart. (Click on the title for my longer review.)

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One to the Wolves by Lois Duncan – As soon as I received the review copy sent by the author, I opened the cover and couldn’t stop reading. Lois’s account of her search for justice for her daughter is gripping and heartbreaking. Over twenty-five years have passed since her daughter Kait was shot down in the street. During that time, Lois has tracked down every lead and compiled evidence for other suspicious deaths around Alburquerque, but she still searches for answers. I hope that she will soon be able to write an ending to this true story.  (Click on the title for my longer review.)

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All Our Yesterdays by Christin Terril, narrated by Meredith Mitchell – I forgot to include this one last week, but I am still listening to it. I’m to the point of looking for more mowing to do (too bad I broke the mower) or other chores so I can listen more. The conflict between the future Em and the past Marina is building steam until the ultimate showdown at the end. I loved the ending–though for a few minutes I wasn’t sure where it was going.

I’m currently reading…

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A Praying LIfe by Paul E. Miller – I am enjoying this book, and it gives me much to think about. The chapters I read this week focused on the contrast between the cynicism of the larger world and the realistic optimism that faith and prayer can lead to. I found lots of things for me to work on in my own life.

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Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan – I think my daughter must be enjoying this one since she asks me to read every night. I am throroughly enjoying revisiting Willow and her friends. Even after I read our chapter aloud, I have a hard time tearing myself away and flip to favorite scenes to reread.

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What Have You Lost edited by Naomi Shihab Nye – I haven’t read many poems this week. I guess I got out of the habit. The few I did read were quite good, so I am determined to get back in the habit of reading one every day. 

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Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles Happen edited by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen and Amy Newmark – This is the book that I find myself grabbing to read whenever I have a few minutes. It’s perfect to take along while waiting to pick up my daughter from school or to sneak in another story while I am waiting on someone for something.

Coming up…

Oh my, it’s time once again for SYNC YA. I  missed the first week last week, but there are still two audiobooks a week for the rest of the summer to enjoy. Glancing over the titles for the summer, I see some titles that have been on my TBR pile and others that I would love to revisit while listening. If you’re not familiar with SYNC YA, they give away two audiobooks–one contemporary young adult title and one classic title that relate thematically–each week of the summer. All you need is the free Overdrive app. I’ve enjoyed many books for the past few summers. The downloads are available for just one week, but they remain on your computer for as long as it takes to get to them.

Disclosure: I participate in the Amazon Associates Program. If you decide to make a purchase by clicking on the affiliate links, Amazon will pay me a commission. This commission doesn’t cost you any extra. All opinions are my own.