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.

Happy New Year! Wishing one and all a joyful, happy, and healthy 2022!

Reading and blogging:

A new year means a new Goodreads challenge! Here’s my 2022 goal:

I’m intentionally setting my goal slightly lower than my 2021 goal and final reading numbers. I know I have some BIG books on my to-read list for 2022, and I want to be able to take my time!

Wrapping up 2021:

Weirdly, a book I finished on December 31st isn’t included in this Goodreads summary, but close enough, I guess! And I always appreciate GR’s little words of encouragement:

Also, over the weekend, I posted a list of the series I’m hoping to get to in 2022 (you can see it here), and see below (under “ongoing reads”) for a quasi-goal I have about actually enjoying and spending time with some of my pretty, decorative books this year.

What did I read during the last week?

Read and reviewed:

The Scenic Route by Nnedi Okorafor: A fun short story set in the world of Akata Witch and Akata Warrior. With the next book (Akata Woman) coming out this month, it was great to reconnect with a couple of the characters.

A Psalm for the Wild-Built by Becky Chambers: I didn’t get a chance to write a proper review, but this novella was a 5-star read for sure! It’s beautifully written and thoughtful, but with moments of humor too. Can’t wait for the follow-up book, to be released later in 2022.

Pop culture & TV:

I finished watching Wheel of Time, and my overall reaction is.. meh. Some interesting concepts and sequences, but the episodes for the most part felt really, really slow. And I was confused by some of the interpersonal relationships — for example, a hook-up in episode 7 that seemed to come out of the blue between two characters with zero chemistry, except I think we were meant to believe that there had been building attraction, maybe?

I’m wondering — should I bother with the books? Or just wait for season 2, whenever that might be, and leave it as a viewing entertainment only?

In other streaming/watching entertainment, my son and I really enjoyed Don’t Look Up on Netflix, and finished The Witcher, season 2 (which does make me want to pick up the books again).

Puzzle time:

Spending the week at home gave me plenty of time for puzzles!

This is another terrific one from Eeboo — it’s called Ancient Apothecary, and was a lot of fun.

Fresh Catch:

I didn’t intend to buy any more books this week, but since I just happened to stop by my favorite local bookstore this week, I couldn’t walk away empty handed! I found this used hardcover for sale, in excellent condition:

I do already own a paperback edition, but it’s quite beat-up and tattered by now, so this feels like a special find!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Shipped by Angie Hockman: I don’t remember buying this — there must have been a Kindle price drop that enticed me — but anyway, it popped up on my home screen over the weekend and I decided to give it a try. Very standard lightweight romance material, but at least it’s going fast!

Now playing via audiobook:

Getaway by Zoje Stage: This story of a Grand Canyon hike gone wrong is terrifying. I think I have about an hour’s worth of listening to go.

Ongoing reads:

One of my casual goals for 2022 is to spend some time with the pretty art books and coffee table books that I’ve picked up over the years. I have several that I’ve never done more than just glance at. This book is one that I bought more recently, after doing a series of jigsaw puzzles based on it. It looks lovely, so I think I’m going to keep it on my nightstand and look through it a few pages at a time over the next few weeks.

So many books, so little time…