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.

Definitely a hectic week and weekend! On Saturday, I met up with a good friend from New York who’d spent the past week in Northern California — she had a few hours before her red-eye flight home, so I met her near the airport (about a two-hour drive from here!) so we could hang out for a while. A lot of driving, but so worth it!

What did I read during the last week?

Lone Women by Victor LaValle: Outstanding Western horror! My review is here.

Lore Olympus (volumes 2 & 3) by Rachel Smythe: Fun graphic novels, although I struggled sometimes with the artwork in terms of being able to tell characters apart. All caught up now! I believe volume 4 will be released later this spring.

Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice: A re-read, decades after first falling in love with this book. I listened to the audiobook, and while I enjoyed revisiting the story and characters, somehow I felt less engaged this time around. Maybe it’s because broody vampires having existential crises aren’t exactly new any more, or maybe the audio experience just doesn’t give the story enough breathing space… in any case, I can still admire Anne Rice’s brilliance, but I’m also glad to have reached the end!

Pop culture & TV:

I finally got a chance to check out RRR on Netflix. Wow, what an experience! This 3-hour Indian action film is totally over the top, but I was absolutely hooked. The action sequences are insane, and of course how could you not love the (Oscar-winning) song Naatu Naatu?

And if you want a taste of one of the (many) action sequences, check this one out:

Fresh Catch:

No new books this week.

Puzzle of the week:

Just started one on Sunday, lots and lots of little details, so it should keep me busy all week.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus: My library hold finally came through, so it’s time to see what all the hype is about! I’ve barely had time to read this past week, so I’m only a few chapters in. I’m already feeling resentful about a certain development in the early chapters not being more obviously disclosed (I suppose I might have known if I’d read reviews in advance)… but I’ll keep going.

Also, my book group’s book for March is:

The Heroine’s Journey by Gail Carriger: We rarely choose non-fiction, and we’ve definitely never done a writing book before! This is a re-read for me, and I find it fascinating, so I’m eager for our discussion. Plus, we have a Zoom scheduled with the author for next week — exciting!

Now playing via audiobook:

Float Plan by Trish Doller: Since my last audiobook was long and heavy, I thought something lighter would be a good pick! Except once I started (just yesterday afternoon), I discovered that it starts with the aftermath of a suicide, so not as light a read as I’d expected.

Ongoing reads:

My longer-term reading commitments:

• Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone by Diana Gabaldon: Over at Outlander Book Club, we’re doing a group read of BEES, reading and discussing two chapters per week. Coming up this week: Chapters 110 and 111 (of 155).
• A Passage to India by E. M. Forster: My book group’s current classic read, also two chapters per week.
• Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay: My new Classics Club Spin read! This book isn’t very long, and I have until the end of April to finish, so I won’t be starting it just yet… just putting it here as a reminder, for now, that I’ll need to start in the next few weeks.

So many books, so little time…