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.

It was my first week post-vacation, and I’m sure you can guess how I felt about that! That vacation mellowness goes away really quickly when you log back in to your work email and see 360 unread messages lying in wait…

But otherwise, it’s been a decent week. I played with my son’s cute kitty, so life is good.

What did I read during the last week?

I caught up on my review backlog for the books I read while away and shortly after returning:

Here are my review links:

• The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer – review
• Until Next Summer by Ali Brady – review
• The Museum of Failures by Thrity Umrigar – review
• The Black Bird Oracle (All Souls, #5) by Deborah Harkness – review

I also finished two more books this week:

• Against the Darkness (In Every Generation, #3) by Kendare Blake: The final volume in a terrific Buffyverse trilogy. My review is here.
• Romancing Mister Bridgerton (Bridgertons, #4) by Julia Quinn: An audiobook reread! But which is better — the book or the TV series? Tune in later this week, when I’ll share some thoughts…

Pop culture & TV:

I’m sure everyone has seen this adorable safety video from British Airways by now… but just in case you’ve missed it:

In other pop culture moments…

My husband and I out got out to the theater over weekend! It was a small-scale production of Evita in a truly teeny space — but it was still really fun. Way back in my college days, one of my roommates played the Evita soundtrack non-stop (and loudly), so watching the show was both a great experience in and of itself, and also a heavy dose of nostalgia.

Other than that, I’m still making my way through season 4 of The Boys, which is just as gross and over-the-top as expected (and yet, I just can’t look away). I have three episodes left… and then I’ll need to find something nice and pleasant and gore-free to watch as a way of cleansing my brain.

Oh, and too good not to share — check out this new trailer for season three of Interview with the Vampire. Rock star Lestat — Can. Not. Wait.

Fresh Catch:

I had an Amazon gift card burning a hole in my pocket, and treated myself to a bunch of books!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

A Sorceress Comes to Call by T. Kingfisher: I’m excited to be starting the newest from T. Kingfisher!

Now playing via audiobook:

A Castle in the Air (A Stitch in Time, #4) by Kelley Armstrong: The 4th and final (I think?) book in the terrific A Stitch in Time series! I’ve only listened to the first couple of chapters, but I’m hooked already.

Ongoing reads:

My longer-term reading commitments:

• Damn Rebel Bitches: The Women of the ’45 by Maggie Craig: Over at Outlander Book Club, we’re doing a group read of this non-fiction book, discussing one chapter each Friday. Progress: 44%. Coming up this week: Chapter 13, “Till Death Us Do Part”
• The Winter’s Tale by William Shakespeare: My book group is reading and discussing two scenes per week. Progress: 39%. Coming up this week: Act IV, scenes 1 and 2.
• It’s the Classics Club spin book! The newest spin landed on #17, and on my list, that’s The Sound of Waves by Yukio Mishima. This is a reread for me, and I just got a copy from the library. I’m still not sure exactly when I’ll start, but there’s plenty of time before the spin deadline of 9/22.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…