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.

Another quiet week chez moi, while some family members are away. I’ve been reading, watching TV, and doing puzzles to my heart’s content — but it’s still weird to have so much QUIET in my house.

What did I read during the last week?

The Poisoner’s Ring (A Rip through Time, #2) by Kelley Armstrong: Such a great read! There’s so much to love in this series about a detective misplaced in time. My review is here.

A Passage to India by E. M. Forster: This was my book group’s classic read, which we read in small increments per week over the past several months. I suppose I’m glad to have read it, but can’t say that I loved the story or the characters.

Happy Place by Emily Henry: This book, on the other hand! Loved it. I listened to the audiobook, and it was wonderful. My review is here.

Pop culture & TV:

I finished season 2 of Sweet Tooth (Netflix) — I had my doubts early on about whether to stick with it, but ultimately, it had a satisfying season wrap-up. One more final season to go… but not until 2024.

I finally watched M3GAN, which was creepy and ridiculous — if you like horror, it’s not a terrible way to pass a couple of hours!

And then over this past weekend, I actually ventured out to a movie theater to see Fast X. If you’ve watched the Fast & Furious movies up to this point, you’ll have a pretty good idea of what to expect… and you won’t want to miss it.

Book & author event:

Julia Quinn! Queen Charlotte!

A local bookstore hosted author Julia Quinn for a Q&A and book signing, and it was so much fun! The talk was really interesting, there were yummy samples of Bridgerton/Queen Charlotte-themed teas, and I got my book signed!

Fresh Catch:

Besides my shiny new copy of Queen Charlotte?

No new physical books, but a whole bunch of e-ARCs came my way this week:

Puzzle of the week:

Puzzles are back! I haven’t started a puzzle in almost two months… but this week, I finally opened up a new one, then got obsessed and finished it in two days. This is yet another wonderful literary-themed puzzle from Laurence King Puzzles. It was hard and challenging, and I loved it!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

The Woman Beyond the Sea by Sarit Yishai-Levi: The new novel by the author of The Beauty Queen of Jerusalem. As of writing this post, I’m at about 80%, so I hope to wrap up today or tomorrow.

Next up: My book group’s pick for May — a throwback science fiction book, which is definitely a departure for us, and I’m really looking forward to it!

Now playing via audiobook:

The Russian Cage (Gunnie Rose, #3) by Charlaine Harris: Back to the Gunnie Rose series! These books are so much fun.

Ongoing reads:

My longer-term reading commitments:

Since our group classic week just ended, I’m down to just one ongoing read at the moment! (My book group’s next classic read will be starting sometime in June… but it’s nice to have a bit of a break right now.)

• 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 128 and 129 (of 155).

So many books, so little time…