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’m back! I spent just over a week on a lovely family trip to Roatan Island, Honduras. A group of eleven of us gathered to celebrate my husband’s birthday. Such a treat to spend time with our adult children and their partners! We all stayed together at a beautiful AirBnb, and enjoyed sun, snorkeling, gorgeous views, and of course, great company.

A few photo highlights:

Plus, my personal bucket list item — I got to hold a sloth!!

Blogging etc.

I’ve spent the weekend trying to catch up a bit. I know I missed seeing a lot of great posts from around the blogosphere… but will try my best to get back in the swing of things in the coming week.

What did I read during the last week since my last Monday Check-in post?

I wrote a wrap-up post of the four books I finished while I was away — view it here. The books I read:

• The Bookseller of Inverness by S. G. MacLean
• Camp by L. C. Rosen
• The Red Notebook by Antoine Laurain
• The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbottson

Finished since returning home:

The Princess of Las Vegas by Chris Bohjalian: A crime thriller with a Princess Diana impersonator as its lead character — definitely a unique premise! My review is here.

The Good, The Bad, and The Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto: Silliness abounds in this final book in the Aunties series. My review is here.

In Mercy, Rain by Seanan McGuire: A short story (30-ish pages, so I wouldn’t even call it a novella) set in the world of the Wayward Children series — specifically, revisiting the world of Down Among the Sticks and Bones (my favorite). Interesting, but not essential.

Jack of Hearts (And Other Parts) by L. C. Rosen: After reading Camp, I just had to pick up the one remaining book that I hadn’t yet read by this talented author. I’m so glad I did! My review is here.

Pop culture & TV:

I’ve just been trying to catch up on my usual weekly shows from the last two weeks (Survivor, The Amazing Race, Abbott Elementary). But, I did watch what I thought would be a totally dumb movie to pass the time on the plane, and ended up really liking it!

Now, would I have enjoyed it as much if I wasn’t sitting on an airplane? Who knows?!! Just good, silly fun.

Fresh Catch:

No new books… but I have a few coming later this week.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

I finished a book late Sunday (one of the many shown above), and haven’t quite decided what to start next. It’ll most likely be one of these…

Now playing via audiobook:

Studies at the School by the Sea by Jenny Colgan: The 4th and final book in the School by the Sea series. I always love this author’s books (which are especially fun via audio), and I’m excited to see how she ties up all the various characters’ story arcs.

Ongoing reads:

My longer-term reading commitments:

• Daniel Deronda by George Eliot: My book group’s current classic read. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 75%.
• The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper: I’ve decided to continue this series, but haven’t felt truly absorbed by this one (book #2) just yet. I think I’ll take it slowly and read it in between other things. Progress: 23%.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…