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 took a day off this past Friday, for no real reason except that I was about to max out on my vacation time at work — so with the MLK holiday today, that’s a 4-day weekend! What did I do with it, you may ask? Slept in, enjoyed the lovely weather by reading outside and going for walks, and random projects around my house.
So, not much different than any other weekend over the past two years… but it was nice to rest and have no pressure for two extra days!
What did I read during the last week?
Blood of Elves by Andrzej Sapkowski: This was a re-read for me, and honestly, I liked it a lot more this time around! This is the first novel in the Witcher series, and there’s a lot to take in. I’m glad I re-read it — I feel more prepared to continue the series at this point.
Orfeia by Joanne M. Harris: This slim hardcover is a fairy tale retelling, full of beautiful writing and gorgeous black and white illustrations. And yet, it felt as though the story went over my head. It just didn’t make a lot of sense to me, which was disappointing.
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood: A really fun contemporary romance! My review is here.
Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz: I had high hopes for this story about a woman determined to study medicine in 1800s Edinburgh… but my expectations didn’t exactly pan out. My review is here.
The Wedding Setup by Sonali Dev: A sweet short story, free via Amazon Prime (Kindle and Audible editions).
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger: My book group’s pick for January — wonderful and moving. Review to follow.
Pop culture & TV:
I’m so sad that the excellent TV series adaptation of The Expanse has now aired its finale! The ending was satisfying, but also frustrating since there are another four books in the series, so I wish the show had continued as well. If anyone hasn’t tried it yet and is looking for a great show to binge, don’t miss this one!
I’m sharing the trailer for season 1, although it’s funny seeing it and realizing just how much the show evolved and changed over six seasons.
In other viewing news, I finished Station Eleven. I’m still puzzling out how I felt about it, but overall, I’m really impressed by the thoughtfulness of the production. Now I’m feeling like I should go back and re-read the book, since I don’t remember many of the details (and I believe the TV version made quite a few changes.)
Puzzle of the Week:
Another really pretty puzzle from Eeboo (title: Urban Gardening). Fun and a good challenge!
Fresh Catch:
One new book this week — I stumbled across a Q&A with the author, and had to buy myself a copy:
Isn’t that an awesome cover? This is a short story collection, and it sounds amazing.
What will I be reading during the coming week?
Currently in my hands:
Stormsong by C. L. Polk: Continuing the Kingston Cycle books!
Now playing via audiobook:
In a Book Club Far Away by Tif Marcelo: I’ve listened to about half of this book so far. It’s a story about friendship between military wives, centered around a book club, and I like what I’ve heard up to this point.
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.
This week’s update: Almost halfway! The book is a journal covering one year, and I’ve read up through May.
So many books, so little time…
Bookshelf Fantasies 
I’m really curious about Station Eleven. The book is still very special to me but I’d love to see how they interpreted it for the screen. Have a nice day off!
It’s such an interesting adaptation! I think maybe I benefited from having read the book so many years ago, so I wasn’t very focused on what they’d changed. It’s just so impressive to see how the show weaves together the different pieces of the story, the characters, and the connections. Hope you have a good week!
I’ve just finished Blood of Elves too. I read The Last Wish years ago but hadn’t got around to reading this one before. I enjoyed it and we’re probably going to watch the series now.
The series is so much fun!! I’m going to read the next book sometime soon, but I want to spread the series out a bit instead of reading them straight in a row.
Enjoy your reading!
Thank you! Hope you have a great week!