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.

I’m one happy mama! My daughter is home for a week — our first time seeing each other in a year and a half! (Three cheers for vaccinations! Yay, science!).

What did I read during the last week?

The Invisible Husband of Frick Island by Colleen Oakley: A sweet, off-beat love story. My review is here.

The Apocalypse Seven by Gene Doucette: Terrific story of the “whateverpocalypse”. Loved it! My review is here.

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston: A love story perfectly timed for Pride month, with some timey-wimey weirdness adding an unexpected twist. I’m not sure yet if I’ll be writing a review: I enjoyed the book, but it drags in places, and the timeslip elements don’t make a lot of sense. Still, the two main characters and the supporting cast are all charming!

The Tourist Attraction by Sarah Morgenthaler: I just finished the audiobook — a fun little romance set in an Alaskan tourist town. It’s a fairly formulaic romance, but I enjoyed the setting and the characters enough to want to listen to the next in the series.

Pop culture & TV:

I finally bit the bullet and decided to watch season 4 of The Handmaid’s Tale after all. I’m all caught up now. This show is so brutal… I’m curious to see when and how the series will end.

Puzzle of the Week:

Nope, none this week. Too many other (wonderful) distractions.

Fresh Catch:

I treated myself to one new book, and it looks amazing:

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid: A new TJR book is reason to celebrate! I’m just getting started…

Now playing via audiobook:

The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison: With the follow-up novel coming out in June (The Witness for the Dead), this seemed like a great time for a re-read of the glorious The Goblin Emperor!

Ongoing reads:

Outlander Book Club is doing a speed-re-read of Written in My Own Heart’s Blood, #8 in the Outlander series. We’re reading and discussing 5 chapters per week. Let me know if you want to join in — the more, the merrier! This week: Chapters 21 – 25.

And finally, my book group’s new classic read starts this week: Castle Rackrent by Maria Edgeworth, originally published in 1800. Gotta be honest, I’m not feeling particularly enthusiastic about it, but I’ll give it a try. We’ll be doing two chapters per week for the next few months.

So many books, so little time…