The Monday Check-In ~ 11/14/2016

My Monday tradition, including a look back and a look ahead — what I read last week, what new books came my way, and what books are keeping me busy right now. Plus a smattering of other stuff too.

Life

What is there to say? I didn’t post much last week. Couldn’t. It was hard to read, hard to concentrate, hard to move beyond shock and dismay. Still haven’t, for that matter. But I do need the reassuring normalcy of spending time with books and keeping up my blog, so onward I go.

What did I read last week?

Faithful by Alice Hoffman: Done! I enjoyed Faithful while I was reading it, but really didn’t find it much more than just an okay read. The storyline doesn’t hold up to much scrutiny, and I never felt emotionally engaged. Granted, given the events of last week, I probably just wasn’t in the right mindset for character-driven storytelling.

A Love Like Blood by Marcus Sedgwick: Done! My review is here.

Flight by Sherman Alexie: Done! This was my audiobook listen for the week, and it was stunning. See my review, here.

I finished my Goodreads challenge!

I managed to reach one milestone this week — I completed my Goodreads challenge for 2016! As of mid-week, I hit my target of reading 150 books in 2016. Woo hoo!

I guess I can stop reading now until January. Ha. As if.

Fresh Catch:

A thoughtful friend sent me an Amazon giftcard a couple of months ago, and I finally used it to treat myself to this lovely book:

Plus, I picked up two other books I’ve had my eye on:

If you haven’t come across The Starlit Wood yet, I encourage you to check it out! It’s a collection of new fairy tales, with stories by an amazing list of writers including Seanan McGuire, Catherynne Valente, Naomi Novik, and many more.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton: Just getting started, but so far, so good!

Now playing via audiobook:

Fuzzy Nation by John Scalzi (read by Wil Wheaton): Given the state of the world, I couldn’t handle anything serious or upsetting, so a Scalzi/Wheaton audiobook sounded just about perfect to me. I’ve only listened to a little bit so far, but the expected silliness got me out of my own head for a little while.