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.

My son’s birthday was last week — my “baby” is a young adult, and a wonderful human being! We had a really nice family dinner out at a new-to-us restaurant, and he mainly did birthday things with his friends (which, believe it or not, is more appealing than hanging with his parents!)

Other than that, I had a busy workweek, a bunch of running around over the weekend, but also time to dance and be outdoors, and I consider that a win.

In Little Free Library news, I was amused to see that at some point while I was out and about, someone must have stopped by, taken a bunch of books, added a few more, and then completely reorganized and neatened up my shelves. Works for me!

What did I read during the last week?

Someone You Can Build a Nest In by John Wiswell: Some very clever writing and a unique premise, but ultimately, this book fell flat for me. My review is here.

The King’s Messenger by Susanna Kearsley: Excellent historical fiction from one of my must-read authors. My review is here.

The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway: I subbed this classic in for my Classics Club Spin book this time around, and I’m glad I did. My thoughts are here.

Elsewhere on the blog:

It’s been a while since I’ve joined a new meme — and this past week, I decided to play along and try the Birthstone Book Cover meme, hosted by Books Are the New Black. I had a lot of fun putting together a gallery of peridot book covers. Check it out, here.

Pop culture & TV:

Still loving the new Outlander spin-off show, Blood of My Blood. Three episodes have aired so far, and it’s fantastic.

I finished all of Ted Lasso last week, and it’s leaving me a bit mopey. I loved that show! Now I’m trying to catch up on The Gilded Age, and then I’ll probably either start Chief of War, Severance, or the new season of Wednesday.

Fresh Catch:

I ordered the new deluxe edition of Every Summer After by Carley Fortune, and it arrived this week.

It’s gorgeous, it’s signed (!!), and I love the packaging as well:

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

The Hebrew Teacher by Maya Arad: I just borrowed this book from the library, after learning about this author via from Davida at The Chocolate Lady’s Book Review Blog. Really enjoying the writing so far.

Now playing via audiobook:

Rich Girl Summer by Lily Chu: This author’s audiobooks are always a treat, and the narration is fabulous. I have another hour or so to go, and I’m loving it.

Ongoing reads:

My longer-term reading commitments (current and coming up):

• Villette by Charlotte Brontë: Group classic read, two chapters per week. I hate to say it, but this book is starting to feel like a slog. Still, it’s for my book group, so I’m sticking with it. Progress: 40%. Up next: Chapters 19 and 20.
• The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien: My book group’s newest reading journey, continuing our LOTR adventure. This time around, we’ve decided to split any chapters over 15 pages, so this week we’ll be reading and discussing chapter 1 and the first half of chapter 2. Looking forward to diving in!

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…