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.

Last week was lovely! First and foremost, it’s always a treat when my daughter comes to town! We had a very nice Thanksgiving celebration, small and cozy, and squeezed in all sorts of other togetherness too… including a Cirque du Soleil show, seeing Wicked: For Good, and joining friends for a morning dance session in the park to kick off Thanksgiving day.

What did I read during the last week?

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman: What a delight! I’ll definitely want to continue this series. My review is here.

My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin: My most recent Classics Club Spin book! I’m so happy to have finally read this Australian classic. My review is here.

Everything is Tuberculosis by John Green: This non-fiction audiobook was fascinating! I’ll try to post a review later this week.

Pop culture & TV:

Dancing with the Stars is done for the season, and the couple I was rooting for (Robert Irwin and Witney Carson) won! I really enjoyed the finale, especially the freestyle round. I was very interested to read an explanation of how audience votes and judges’ scores are combined — this actually makes me feel a little bit better about the process!

My daughter and I ended up watching the Netflix movie version of The Thursday Murder Club over the weekend. It was… okay. Really good cast, but it felt like a smoothed out, sugar-coated version of the story from the book. Not bad entertainment… but the book is so much better!

Fresh Catch:

I received a gift card a couple of months ago as a birthday present, and decided to treat myself to two hardcovers! The edition of Northanger Abbey is especially lovely, with cut-outs on the cover.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

The Deepest of Secrets (Rockton, #7) by Kelley Armstrong: Back to Rockton to finish out the series before the end of the year! I’ve been loving this series so far, and I’m happy to be starting the final book (so I can dive into the spin-off Haven’s Rock series in the new year).

Now playing via audiobook:

Things My Son Needs to Know About the World by Fredrik Backman: Starting today! It’s a very short audiobook (about 3 hours), so I should be finished pretty quickly.

Ongoing reads:

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

• The Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien: Another book group read, continuing our LOTR adventure. Progress (relative to the entire LOTR opus): 60%. We’ll be finishing The Two Towers this week, and will take a break for the month of December before starting The Return of the King in January.
• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen: We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 7%. Coming up this week: Chapters 4 and 5.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…