Tuesday 4: Whatcha Reading & Watching?

Linking up with Anne for the Tuesday 4.

This week let's talk about books and TV programs you enjoy.

1. Are you enjoying a book right now and would you tell us about it?  I'm about to finish reading Dust Between My Toes: An Amish Boy's Journey by Wayne M. Weaver. I picked it up at a used book sale or Goodwill and never read it. I lent it to my stepdad to read this winter and then my mom read it. They both raved about it. So, when I got it back I decided to give it a go. It's been an interesting read. Weaver isn't a professional writer, but he's smart and educated (a medical doctor) so the writing is clear. He jumps around a bit in his stories, but since the original purpose of the book was to leave something for his grandchildren to know about their legacy...it serves its purpose. While I have enjoyed it, I can't see that Weaver's life is terribly Amish sounding to me. He also switches back and forth from Amish to Mennonite churches pretty easily throughout his life. He says his parents were Old Order, but a lot of the things in his childhood seem to not match up with that. Maybe I've just had a skewed idea of what Amish life is like?

2. Do you have a list of books you are looking forward to reading in the near future?  The next book I plan to read is Janet Evanovich's newest in the Fox & O'hare series, The Bounty. Beyond that, I have stacks of books waiting to be read. I'd guess somewhere between 50-100. I also have unread books sitting in my Kindle. Maybe another 20 or so there?

3. What's on television (or YouTube, etc.) at your house?  Nothing. I rarely have the television on during the day.

4.What series have you followed religiously and why? (can be TV or book series) 

Television:

• The Big Bang Theory because it's the funniest show ever!
• Longmire because it's a well written, gritty crime show with characters you can care about and the humor keeps it from being overbearing.
• NCIS because...Mark Harmon. Also because I enjoy the stories, the continuing plot lines and the characters.
• Criminal Minds because I just like that kind of show. Plus, the characters were great and I think it gave a decent peek at what it would be like to have a job that asked you to put yourself in the criminal's mind on a daily basis.
• Schitt's Creek because it was well written, had great characters, and the complete absurdity of it made it hilarious.
• Virgin River and Sweet Magnolias because they have good stories and decent acting. What they need is MORE EPISODES! Are you listening Netflix?

Books:

• The Stephanie Plum and Fox & O'hare series by Janet Evanovich. Both are fast-paced, funny, and a little sexy.
• The Sigma Force Series by James Rollins. Rollins is a master of adventure stories who blends science fact with science possiblility to create fast-paced, edge of your seat stories that could and should be on the big screen.
• Kathy Reichs' Temperance Brennan series. These are the books the show Bones was based on. The books are a bit grittier and probably not for the squeamish. I love them.
• The Body Farm series by Jefferson Bass. The Body Farm is a real place housed at the University of Tennessee. It is where donated bodies are set out and allowed to decay under different circumstances. The processes are documented in detail. It is all done to aid in forensic investigation. It's fascinating to learn how science figures out this stuff. The main character, based on the real director of the Body Farm (and one half of the writing team that is Jefferson Bass) is a really likeable, but unlikely hero. He's a late-middle-aged, slightly out of shape, unassuming looking man who has no illusions about his looks or abilities.
• Tony Hillerman's Joe Leaphorn series. I've spent time on the Navajo reservation and enjoy reading about things I know and learning more about the culture.
• The Cork O'Connor series by William Kent Krueger. O'Connor is the sheriff of Tamarak County, MN. Then he's not. Then he is again. He's a likeable guy and pretty smart in a not-quite-Columbo-like sort of way. He tries to do his best by his family and by both of the cultures he represents...the whites and the Natives. A task complicated by the fact that Cork, himself, is half Irish and half Native. A lot of local Native culture and lore is woven into the stories.
• The Longmire series by Craig Johnson. Even better than the show and with a lot more detail!