I was away on staycation last week, so I didn’t have a chance to blog.

Today is Reading Friday, so let’s do a round-up of what I’ve been reading for the last two weeks:

*The Bourbon Kings by J.R. Ward. I like J.R. Ward’s books–things move fast in them and she does write some endearing characters. I was excited to pick up this book, but, for some reason, couldn’t really get into it. I think it is my mindset right now–I’m feeling panicked that I didn’t read enough YA or middle grade books over the summer and school is starting in, like, 2 weeks. I don’t feel prepared. So, I ditched this to get into some YA.

*Boys Don’t Knit (in Public) by T.S. Easton. This is the YA novel that I ditched The Bourbon Kings for. Sorry, J.R. Ward. I flipped through this on Wednesday as I was putting a cover on it at work. It’s hilarious and just the sort of book I can recommend for high school students looking for a fun read. It reminds me of The Secret Diary of Adrian Mole, Aged 13 3/4, which I read when I was a freshman in high school.* I love the main character, Ben, because he worries a lot and tries to keep some order in his family, which includes his dad, who is a part-time mechanic; his mother, who is a travelling magician; and his six-year-old sister, Molly, who Ben describes as “feral”. Ben is on probation for a crime that his so-called friends pressured him into committing. As part of his probation, he needs to take up a hobby, so he takes up knitting. Boys Don’t Knit (in Public) is a fun read; I’m very much enjoying it.

*Cookbook of the week: Thug Kitchen Yeah, I know this book has received a lot of bad press (see this article). I’m not going into the controversy on this post, as I think enough people are fighting stuff out on the Internet. However, I do enjoy that their recipes call for cheap and easy-to-find ingredients and are quick to make. It’s one of the few vegan cookbooks that I have read that I can say that about.

So, what are you reading?

*Back in my day, there were three tracks for high school: honors, regents, and non-regents. The non-regents students got to read The Diary of Adrian Mole for summer reading and I was mad jealous because it was interesting and hilarious. Meanwhile, the honors kids read Cry, the Beloved Country, which is not funny at all. I think we also had to read Animal Farm, too, which, again, is not funny. My friend was in non-regents and told me about Adrian Mole, so I borrowed her copy and really enjoyed it. She never asked me to borrow Cry, the Beloved Country or Animal Farm for some reason.