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.

Wait, where did the summer go? I know, I know… technically, it’s still summer for a few weeks, but let’s face it: Once September roles around, we all know it’s really autumn, right?

Well, last week was not great — I was mainly building back my strength after a nasty stomach bug from the week before. Lots of bland food, lots of rest… with the silver lining that I managed to read a lot, but otherwise, not really a whole lot of fun!

Onward! It’s nice to have today off (Labor Day), and I’ll be back at work tomorrow.

What did I read during the last week?

I posted three review for books previously read, then also read and reviewed a bunch more!

First, for the books I read the previous week:

Click the links below to see the reviews:

• Rich Girl Summer by Lily Chu
• The Compound by Aisling Rawle
• Watcher in the Woods (Rockton, #4) by Kelley Armstrong

Next, new books read and (mostly) reviewed:

Can’t Spell Treason Without Tea by Rebecca Thorne: Sweet cozy fantasy, with books and tea! My review is here.

A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna: Magic and found family, woven into a delightful tale. My review is here.

Play Nice by Rachel Harrison: Creepy story of demons, sisters, and (shudder) influencers. This is one wild book, and I couldn’t put it down My review is here.

Writing Mr. Wrong by Kelley Armstrong: A fun, smart romance from a favorite author. Review to follow.

Pop culture & TV:

I know I say this every week, but it’s true! Outlander: Blood of My Blood continues to be terrific! Well worth checking out.

On the other hand, every time I watch a new episode of The Summer I Turned Pretty, I can feel a few brain cells shriveling up and dying. This show is so bad!! But… sigh… there are only three episodes to go, so I know I’ll see it through to the end.

I’m still loving my free AppleTV+ trial. This week, I decided to check out Severance. I’m only a few episodes in, but yeah, I’ll be sticking with it. I also watched the first episode of Chief of War, which is so well done… but really, really brutal. I think I’ll continue, although the level of violence may become a problem for me

Elsewhere… it’s the little things that make a geek’s heart beat faster, and for me, that includes the excitement of the New York Times adding a new game!! Last week, they introduced Pips — I was skeptical at first (I always prefer word games), but it’s really growing on me. Has anyone else tried it? If so, what do you think?

Fresh Catch:

No new books this week.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

There Is No Ethan: How Three Women Uncovered America’s Biggest Catfish by Anna Akbari: I don’t typically go for non-fiction, but wow — this is a fascinating story. I can’t put it down.

Now playing via audiobook:

Pugs & Kisses by Farrah Rochon: I always enjoy this author’s books, and this dog-friendly follow-up to last year’s adorable Pardon My Frenchie is definitely hitting the spot for me.

Ongoing reads:

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

• Villette by Charlotte Brontë: Group classic read, two chapters per week. Progress: 51%. Up next: Chapters 23 and 24.
• The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien: My book group’s newest reading journey, continuing our LOTR adventure. Progress (relative to the entire LOTR opus): 38%.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…