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.

This past weekend was busy, in all sorts of awesome ways.

On Friday, we had a family dinner out at a new-to-me restaurant that had a great ambience and delicious food. (House-made churros for dessert – yum!). Saturday, we started with the bar mitzvah of the son of a very dear friend, then had a really fun dance event that evening. And yesterday, the weather finally cleared and I was able to squeeze in some reading on the back porch plus an outdoor dance session.

What did I read during the last week?

Cold as Hell (Haven’s Rock, #3) by Kelley Armstrong: Terrific addition to a favorite series! Each book is just so good. My review is here.

Where The Girls Were by Kate Schatz: Powerful historical fiction set in 1968 San Francisco. Stay tuned — I’ll be sharing a review later this week.

Pop culture & TV:

I finished season 4 of The Morning Show this past week, which means I’m all caught up. This past season was bananas! Not exactly believable… but still, I’ll be back for more whenever a new season is ready.

Fresh Catch:

No new books this week, but I finally decided to upgrade from my wired headphones. After a bunch of research, I decided on the Shokz OpenFit 2 earbuds. I’ve only had them for a day at this point, but my first outing with them, listening to an audiobook, was a good experience. I just need to adjust to the various controls. I’d been looking for earbuds that sit over/outside the ear, and so far, I like the fit.

Find on Amazon: https://amzn.to/46PBEkK

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

A Town Like Alice by Nevil Shute: My book group’s book for February! I read this book a long, long time ago, and I’m happy to have a reason to revisit it.

Now playing via audiobook:

Is She Really Going Out with Him? by Sophie Cousens: It’s been a mostly rainy week… which really limited my audiobook time, since I tend to do most of my listening while out for long walks. I still have a few more hours to go with this audiobook. Really fun so far!

Ongoing reads:

My longer-term reading commitments:

• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen: My book group’s current classic read. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 77%. Coming up this week: Chapters 25 & 26.
• The Return of the King by J. R. R. Tolkien: My book group’s journey through the LOTR books continues! Progress (relative to the entire LOTR opus): 75%.
• I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith: My newest Classics Club Spin book! I’m really happy with this spin result. Leaving it here as a reminder to start it in the next few weeks.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…