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.

On the road again! By the time this post goes up, I’ll be on day 2 of a 3-day mini-road trip with my husband. Nothing too fancy, but I couldn’t let the month of August go by without attempting to squeeze in one more little getaway. We’ll be spending time in the Carmel/Monterey/Big Sur area of California, not too far from home, but with some beautiful sights to see — and (we hope) yummy food, great hikes, and pretty places to just spread out on a blanket and relax!

Blogging.

I had an unusual couple of days this past week, in terms of blog stats. Out of nowhere, I had about 3 days in a row with over 2,000 views — and believe me, that is exponentially much more than my normal traffic! What’s behind the big bump? Virgin River! I published a post with my thoughts on season 4 of the Netflix show, and for whatever reason, it got a huge number of views!

My takeaway, after looking at my stats in general, is that in-the-moment Netflix-related posts seem to get much, much more traffic than any book-related posts… but I’m still a book-woman at heart and will always focus on writing about what I read (despite the allure of a spike in blog visits).

What did I read during the last week?

Upgrade by Blake Crouch: Fascinating, scary sci-fi! My review is here.

The Comeback by Lily Chu (narrated by Phillipa Soo): So much fun. My review is here.

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: 3.5 stars. The setting makes for an engaging, unusual backdrop, but I felt oddly unengaged by this retelling of a classic. My review is here.

Pop culture & TV:

I finally got out to a movie! Making a date with a friend helps — I’ve been wanting to see the new Thor movie since it came out, but kept procrastinating… until my friend insisted we commit. It was fun! The screaming goats may have been my favorite part…

In home viewing, I watched The Summer I Turned Pretty over on Amazon Video, which was sweet and nicely done, and very faithful to the Jenny Han book (as far as I recall). Weirdly, I know I read the full trilogy (the first season corresponds to book #1), but I have zero memory of what happens in the other books. I guess I’ll have to wait for season 2 and 3 to find out!

I also started Paper Girls (also on Amazon), but haven’t had time to get very far. I read 3 or 4 volumes of the graphic novel series and really liked the story, and the show seems to be doing a great job of adapting it so far.

Fresh Catch:

One new book! I did in fact read this book via Kindle pretty much the second it came out last fall, but it was just released in paperback and I had to have a copy of my own. Plus, with the next October Daye book coming in early September (this will be #16 — can you believe it?), it’s time for a reread!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

These are the two books I have queued up on my Kindle for my road trip — I’m pretty close to finishing Lucy Checks In, and then will be starting Love in the Time of Serial Killers. I’ll share my thoughts when I get back!

Now playing via audiobook:

Thank You For Listening by Julie Whelan: A novel about an audiobook narrator? How could I not listen to the audiobook version, especially when it’s narrated by the author, who is herself an outstanding audiobook narrator! I’ve been loving it so far (at about the midpoint currently), but had to take a break while on my trip. (My husband DOES NOT appreciate my attempts to get him to listen to audiobooks while we’re driving!)

Ongoing reads:

These books will be on my plate for months to come:

• Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon: Over at Outlander Book Club, we’ve started our group read of BEES, reading and discussing two chapters per week. If anyone wants to join us, just ask me how! All are welcome.
• Hamlet by William Shakespeare: My book group’s current classic read. We’re reading one scene per week, and we’re close to the end. This week, we’re starting Act V.
• Tales From Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb: I’ve been trying to read one or two tales per week, and this week read A Winter’s Tale. Really fun project!

So many books, so little time…