Greek Easter!

My youngest turned 18, so we had a nice family dinner with his favorite foods and cake. Then he immediately got a part time job and disappeared from the dinner table for the rest of the week. He did manage to mow most of the lawn this weekend.

I made a Greek dinner on Saturday (since I don't cook on Sundays) which fell a bit flat since the working boy is really the only Greek guy, but the rest of us enjoyed the tzatziki and pitas.

My currently reading inched up to 22. That's about seven books I have a bookmark in but which really are gathering dust, six books I'm deliberately reading glacially, four print books I'm actively reading (book club pick, library book, unread book I own, reread that I own), and six situational books (my car audio, my podcast serial, my KINDLE app book, my NOOK app book, my LIBBY app book, my IBOOK app book). See, that's almost normal!

The Book Date does a weekly roundup of what people are reading, want to read, or have read each week called It's Monday! What Are You Reading so I'll sign up there. There's also a version that is kidlit focussed at either Teach Mentor Texts or Unleashing Readers so I'll sign up over there as my Cybils chapter books and my picture book reading qualifies me.

Started: 




Serpentine, Laurell K Hamilton. I convinced my book club friends to try this when they wanted something different. Hope they enjoy it! It's kind of a cheat because I haven't finish my Sword and Laser book for April, but this one guarantees no deep emotional involvement.

Walkaway, Cory Doctorow. For my Tuesday book club, chosen because it was given away at Tor.com's book club. We like free books and we cannot lie!

Becoming, Michelle Obama. My sister lent me her birthday present.

The Way Into Magic, Harry Connolly. Unread book from my NOOK. This is one of my favorite authors.

Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl, Debbi Michiko Florence. Cybils chapter book.

Megabat, Anna Humphrey. Cybils chapter book.

Polly Diamond and the Magic Book, Alice Kuipers. Cybils chapter book.

Owen and Eleanor: Move In, H.M. Bouwman. Cybils chapter book.

Completed:




Terran Tomorrow, Nancy Kress. My book. I was deeply satisfied by the ending, and I'm not sure yet why. I like the echoes of Beggars in Spain, and I liked the incompleteness of the understanding of the causes of the plagues, and I liked the two son's different fates and decisions. I liked how sacrifices were made but not lingered over, and how much changed in the last few chapters.

Serpentine, Laurell K Hamilton. Fun times in the sun with my favorite snowflake, Anita. She gets to do some real executing with her besties, and that's always fun. As is her willingness to overshare with every random person she meets, and her angst about staying manly enough to work with the police. The incredibly bizarre gender politics her characters believe in so unquestionably makes me wonder where the people who talk like that really are. Sometimes they are comfortable saying things that are best left unspoken, and sometimes they are blithely sure that everyone believes things that seem utterly whack-a-doodle.

Jasmine Toguchi, Drummer Girl, Debbi Michiko Florence. Cybils chapter book. Fun but predictable story of a girl gaining a new skill in time for a talent show. She also learns some moral lessons.

Megabat, Anna Humphrey. Cybils chapter book. Another fun book but unfortunately marred by the "girls are mysteries" thing that I (in my old age) find very annoying. If a girl does something, it's because that's how girls are, if a boy does something, it's because that's how *he* is. So the bat apparently likes girls because he likes the neighbor, but his dislike of her brother is personal.

Polly Diamond and the Magic Book, Alice Kuipers. Cybils chapter book. Another fun family book where Polly's love of words and their uses is matched by a rather literal magic book the makes the magic of words a reality. It takes some fancy talking (and writing!) to return to normal.

Owen and Eleanor: Move In, H.M. Bouwman. Cybils chapter book. I really liked the kids-eye view of the world, especially as the kids see themselves heading into trouble but can't stop themselves. The parents were really great without being unrealistic. And I'm a sucker for homeschoolers who are fine with it.

Bookmarks Moved In:





Son of the Black Sword, Larry Correia. 40/? Baen's podcast serial.  The super bad guy has started cackling, so his evil plan has gone into action!

Cyteen, C.J. Cherryh. Reread. Ari and her azi are super cute kids.

You Don't Have to Say You Love Me, Alexie Sherman. 1-4/10 discs. My RML audio pick. I like his poems better when he reads them to me; I suspect on print I would skim them and not get it.

Metal Wolf, Lauren Esker. Kindle read. He's still hot, and her dad likes him. Communication is working, so this relationship is green lit! Of course, he is a blue shape-shifting alien, so a few cultural misunderstandings are to be expected.

Theft of Swords, Michael J Sullivan. Sword & Laser pick for April. This is two books in one; the first was fun but a bit lacking in interesting women; apparently the second gets better about this but so far I'm not seeing it. The two main women characters are treated poorly by the text; I'm not sure if one is playing dumb or just comes by it naturally. It's a shame.

The Fated Sky, Mary Robinette Kowal. It's hard to be envied for a public role as America's Favorite Astronaut when that part of the job is the worst. I also reread "The Lady Astronaut" and it was very timely as some of that is referenced in this book. And then the prequel which was a bit disturbing.


Picture Books:




Zog and the Flying Doctors, Julia Donaldson. A cute story with some clunky rhymes takes a strange left turn into a hostage situation caused by a crazy sexist uncle. No hard feelings, though!

Sun, Sam Usher. The illustrations alternate between reality and imagination-enhanced until the final pages are a huge blow-out dream and then a return to home. Charming.

Mimi and Shu in I'll Race You, Christian Trimmer. A mythic retelling of the Chinese calendar with added cupcakes and two friends who can't resist their sweet lure.

That Neighbor Kid, Daniel Miyares. Lovely nearly wordless book of a new neighbor, a new treehouse, and a new friendship.

Be Still, Life, Ohara Hale. A confused book where the words and pictures don't really match up -- the bright and energetic illustrations are paired with calls for quiet mediation and stillness.

Palate Cleansers

These books I'm barely reading; I use them as palate cleansers between books I'm actually reading.



A Traitor to Memory, Elizabeth George.

Sammy Keyes and the Art of Deception, Wendelin Van Draanen.

Change of Heart, Norah McClintock.

Inn of the Sixth Happiness, Alan Burgess. Our protagonist is left as the only English in the village.

The Educated Child, William Bennett. Apparently preschoolers need our time. Fair enough.

Reading and Learning to Read, Jo Anne Vaca. Summary of vocabulary boosting techniques.