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 was mostly offline for the last two weeks while traveling to the East Coast and back. I spent four days in New York with my daughter and a bunch of friends, then a few more days in the general area visiting family. It was a terrific trip, but as usual, ended up with so much catching up to do at work and around the house once I got back.

One really amazing element of my trip: I had a meet-up with my book group friends! We’re an online book group, mostly connecting via chat and discussion threads, with occasional Zoom sessions too. While I’ve met a few people in-person over the years, this was the first chance we’ve all had to meet a member who lives in England — she had a port visit in NY while on a cruise, and we decided it was the perfect opportunity for a group gathering. It was lovely to meet everyone and spend the day together!

It was also great to get back home and feel appreciated — especially when I returned to the office and found that a wonderful work friend had gotten me a perfect booklover’s birthday gift!

Little Free Library update:

I’m having fun checking my Little Free Library inventory week over week, and it was interesting to see which books had been picked up while I was away! A couple of new books were added by visitors, and — bizarrely — also some audio cassettes, which appear to be recordings of poetry readings. Not quite sure what to do with those…

What did I read during the last (two) weeks?

Close Knit by Jenny Colgan: A lovely escape to a picture-perfect Scottish village, and a charming storyline overall. My review is here.

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan: Historical fiction set in London during WWII. My review is here.

Extinction by Douglas Preston: Sci-fi thriller that kept me on the edge of my seat. My review is here.

Somewhere Beyond the Sea: The feel-good, must-read sequel to The House in the Cerulean Sea. My review is here.

Thank You for Sharing by Rachel Runya Katz: I wanted to love this book — the synopsis grabbed me, and I even bought a hard copy (used, fortunately). But… I just did not enjoy it. Couldn’t relate to the characters or their relationship, and the writing itself irked me. I don’t even think I’m going to write a review for this one.

The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez: Contemporary romance filled with laughter and tears. My review is here.

Also read this week: A cute (new) short story set in the world of Abby Jimenez’s most recent novel, Just For the Summer:

Pop culture & TV:

While in New York with my daughter, we went to two Broadway musicals and loved them both! First, we saw Six, a pop music extravaganza starring the six wives of Henry VIII.

And here’s a clip via Facebook, showing the cast we actually saw: https://fb.watch/uVn0apRH0e/

Two nights later, we also saw Once Upon a Mattress, starring the always-excellent Sutton Foster. Such fun!

We also really enjoyed our visit to the Museum of Broadway. A must for theater fans!

Now that I’m back home, I’m catching up on the new season of Survivor… and then will dive back into Netflix to see what else I’ve missed.

Fresh Catch:

While in NY, we stopped by The Strand (awesome bookstore!) for a bit of browsing… and walked away with four new and used books, including one “blind date with a book”.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Rough Pages by Lev AC Rosen: I loved the first two books in this series, and I’m so excited to be starting the new one, just in time for its release this week!

Now playing via audiobook:

Drop Dead by Lily Chu: This author’s audiobooks are always a treat! I haven’t made much progress yet, but I’m enjoying it so far.

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: 80%. Coming up this week: Chapter 22, “Captain Marsal to the Rescue”
• Right Ho, Jeeves by P. G. Wodehouse: My book group’s classic read! Hilarious. Progress: 38%. Coming up this week: Chapters 11 and 12.
• October starts tomorrow… and that means it’s time for the annual reading of A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny! There’s a chapter for each day of the month, and I’m looking forward to getting started.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…