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.

Ooh, I’ve been busy! But besides work craziness, it’s been a good sort of busy. We had family in town over the weekend, and had a terrific dinner with the big expanded group. On Saturday, I spent about four hours at a folkdance festival, and had a blast! My legs were feeling it later, but it was worth it.

What did I read during the last week?

Vera Wong’s Guide to Snooping (on a Dead Man) by Jesse Q. Sutanto: Loved it! I recommend starting with the first Vera Wong book, but you really can’t go wrong with either. My review is here.

Swept Away by Beth O’Leary: Survival while lost at sea may not be the obvious choice for a romance, but in this case, it works! My review is here.

I borrowed a new Passover-themed graphic novel from the library:

One Little Goat by Dara Horn and Theo Ellsworth: This is a fun read, and I could see it being a good choice for middle grade readers, especially prior to Passover as prep for sitting through a seder. But, the art style didn’t really appeal to me; the black and white illustrations made it hard to read the text, and I was glad to be done by the time I reached the end.

I suppose I should also mention the book I DNFd this week:

City of All Seasons by Oliver K. Langmead and Aliya Whitely: The premise seemed promising, but I only stuck with it until about 25% before realizing that I didn’t care enough to keep going. If you’ve read this and think I should give it another shot, let me know!

Pop culture & TV:

Remember when I said I had a busy week??? Well, that means that I barely watched any TV, which is fine — except I still haven’t gotten to the last few episodes of Yellowjackets, and I really do want to know how the season ends!

Fresh Catch:

I got this ARC in the mail this week! I’m pretty sure this was from a Little Free Library giveaway opportunity for LFL stewards. I didn’t really expect it, so opening the package was a nice surprise. I put it in my LFL on my way out to run errands, and by the time I got back two hours later, it was gone! It feels great to be able to add a hot new release every so often, so thank you to the publishers!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien: My book group book for April! This is probably my 3rd or 4th reread, but I’m delighted to have a reason to revisit the story. My Kindle edition is very cool — it includes snippets of the author singing some of the dwarves’ songs and reading some passages. What a great experience!

Now playing via audiobook:

Say You’ll Remember Me by Abby Jimenez: My hold request for this audiobook came in much sooner than I expected! I just started over the weekend, and I like it so far.

Ongoing reads:

My book group’s classic read is Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 78%. Up next: Chapters 38 and 39.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…