It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?

(This is my first week participating in this meme hosted by J. Kaye’s Book Blog.)

Books I completed this week are:

The Underneath by Kathi Appelt is a middle reader book that deserves the awards it received, but I took issue with the author’s writing style at times. It distracted me from the marvelous storytelling.

Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas is a piece of historical fiction that I read in one sitting (late at night, of course). It’s about a small Colorado farming town during WWII where a Japanese internment camp is set up, and the way the townspeople and the Japanese-Americans deal with the tension that results.

The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart is a YA novel that draws on the success of A Series of Unfortunate Events. It is a quick, easy, captivating book about four unique children who are given a special undercover assignment. I can’t wait to get my hands on the second book.

Unaccustomed Earth by Jhumpa Lahiri is a collection of short stories whose main characters are Bengali. I’m not sure where I saw the book recommended, but I had no idea what to expect – didn’t even know it was a collection before I started reading – but I was enthralled by the author’s ability to present so many different characters in first-person.

So this week:

The Legend of Zelda and Philosophy edited by Luke Cuddy is part of a series of books on philosophy and popular culture.

Still Life with Rice by Helie Lee is a memoir of Lee’s grandmother, who was born in 1912 in Korea and lived through the Japanese occupation.