I'm home on Readcation the first few days of the week. Never have I needed a vacation from work more, I think. Hopefully the stress I've been feeling lately will slip away. I've got my cozy clothes and blankets picked out, pico de gallo, iced tea, and cheese pizza stocked up. And I am ready to read.
Last week I finished:
You can't go into a used bookstore or thrift shop in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, without seeing at least one copy of Nickolas Butler's Shotgun Lovesongs. Butler (no relation) grew up on Eau Claire, though I never met him, and his books have been met with national acclaim. I'm pretty late to the Butler bandwagon. This was his debut novel, and there have been two books since, with another due out in March. This is the story of five grown friends in tiny Little Wing*, Wisconsin: Henry, a farmer, who married Beth; Kip, who made it big in finance and returned to Little Wing to make the mill into a shopping center/gathering spot; Ronnie, a retired rodeo rider, who suffered brain damage in a drunken accident, so he no longer drinks, but neither is he as dim as folks believe; and Leland, who made it big time with his music. The book is mostly an interplay between the personalities, and the chapters are narrated by the five characters in turn. In the book, most of them get married, and it works out for a couple of them and not at all for others. I was delighted by the mention of many classic Eau Claire landmarks that no longer exist. Overall, the book is rather quiet and somber. I tend not to be a fan of books with mostly male characters, but I'm glad I put my prejudice aside for this one. The writing was very good, though occasionally a little too "writerly" (too many "verdents" for a farming crowd), and the characters were well-fleshed. I really did enjoy the book, and the audio, which has different people doing each character's narration, is very good. I recommend this one, and I'll definitely be checking out Butler's other work. My rating: 4 stars.
*As far as I know, there is no Little Wing, Wisconsin. I can't find it on any Wisconsin map, although I can't find my tiny hometown on any Wisconsin map, either.
The Curious Incident of the dog in the Night-time has been on my TBR for quite some time, and I had access to it in several formats. I started it on Kindle, then decided to read it in paper, due to the many pictures and diagrams. I can't really imagine listening to this one and losing out on the visuals. Since I'm the last one to the party on this title, I'll give just a short synopsis: Christopher is an unusual boy; he exhibits what most would call autistic behavior, though it's never labeled as such in the book. When the neighbor's dog turns up dead and he is implicated, Christopher sets out to clear his name and solve the mystery. Although this is touted as a mystery novel (and I think Christopher himself describes it that way), it isn't, at least no more than any other novel. So the very thing that drew me to the book turned out to be false. The book is the story of a disassociated young man from a very troubled family. It's so full of drama and disturbing family situations that I'm rather surprised it was such a big hit. I think the main character is well-written--the author worked with children like Christopher at one time--but the whole novel was disturbing enough that I don't think I'd ever return to it. I thought it was fine, but it wasn't great, and I could never decide which thing the plot wanted to focus on: Christopher's abnormality or Christopher's dark home life. I think the book would have done better with only one of these. My rating: 3.5 stars. 
I can't tell you how many books about books I've read in the last 20 years. It all started with Anna Quindlen's How Reading Changed My Life and Anne Fadiman's Ex Libris in the late 1990s, and it's grown from there. These books are like candy to readers--sweet, and gone in a flash. Enter Anne Bogel's new I'd Rather Be Reading. It fits in well with the reading memoirs that came before it. It's personal and fun and pleasant. Bogel, who blogs at Modern Mrs. Darcy and has a wonderful podcast, What Should I Read Next, where she helps readers find their next reads, is just plain fun to read with. My only complaint is that the book wasn't longer! Recommended for fellow bookworms. My rating: 4 stars.
One of my favorite movies is The King's Speech about Lionel Logue who helped England's King George VI, father of the current queen, get over his stammer so he could confidently address his subjects. Sometime after the movie came out, however, Logue's grandson, Mark, set out to write a companion book to give more information about his grandfather, and the book by the same name was published in 2010. Although the book has been on my TBR for ages, I was always a bit hesitant to read it because I love the movie so much and it's just kind of weird to read a book based on a movie. I was afraid it would be boring. I needn't have feared. The book was a delight. It didn't get bogged down with unnecessary details, and it gave a clear view of the friendship--based on correspondence--between the king and his speech therapist. I believe the movie presents the relationship beginning as the king is taking the throne after his brother's abdication in order to marry "that woman" Wallis Simpson, the book tells us they started working years before when the king was Duke of York. I liked this book very much, and the audio version was good. It began with a recording of the king giving an address, so you could hear his voice and lack of stammer--though he did speak exceptionally slowly. If you're a fan of books about the English monarchy, don't miss this one. My rating: 4 stars.
I love a good decorating book, as you know, and I really enjoyed The Decorated Home by Meg Braff. It didn't have a lot of insipid decorator speak, and I actually picked up a couple of hints, which I unfortunately don't remember right now. There is a profusion of blue in this book, and it's scant on kitchens and bathrooms, but the full-page photos are wonderful. If you're looking for some inspiration without the verbiage, give it a try. My rating: 4 stars.
Last week I abandoned:
This one was just not a good fit for me on audio. I quit very early on.
I'm currently reading:
This is wonderful, my favorite Christie mystery yet!
And I continue with:
Now that I only have two evening reads going, I feel like I'm making progress. Still enjoying both very much.
My audiobook:
Had I not already abandoned oodles of books this month, I'm sure I would have abandoned this one. I don't really care for it, but I'll stick with it just to finish something.
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