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.

Oof. Last week at work was intense, and I felt like I barely came up for air. Maybe because of that, my reading was really scattered, and it wasn’t until the weekend that I felt like I had time to read more than a few pages in a sitting.

Luckily, the weekend ended up being pretty mellow, so I did a deep dive into a few different books, and also had time to make progress on some travel planning, get outdoors, and have a fun dinner out with my husband and son at a neighborhood pizza place.

Random bookish stuff:

I love my audiobooks, and love being able to borrow them from the library… and I’m so annoyed with the Hoopla app. Libby is my usual go-to for library audiobooks, but sometimes, what I want is only available on Hoopla. Its functionality is so wonky — each time I try to use it while driving, I have to start from scratch, reopen the app, select the audiobook, and hit resume. If I forget to do all this before starting my drive, I either have to do it while driving (unsafe!) or find a place to pull over. In contrast, Libby just picks right back up with a simple touch on my touchscreen. Argh. Hoopla, fix yourself!

In other bookish developments… I’m on the verge of being caught up on ARCs through the end of June, and that means I can indulge in much more spur-of-the-moment mood reading! I have one more ebook ARC that I’ll likely finish this week, and my remaining two ARCs for June are books that I prefer to experience via audio. My Kindle is beckoning me to just come choose random books from my library! How exciting!

What did I read during the last week?

Take Me with You by Steven Rowley: A funny, moving novel about long-term relationships and… alien abduction. Trust me, it’s a delight. My review is here.

Frenchman’s Creek by Daphne du Maurier: My most recent Classics Club Spin book. Absolutely gorgeous. My review is here.

Pop culture & TV:

Continuing my For All Mankind binge! I cannot stop watching this show. I’m almost finished with season 3 — and then just two more seasons to go. The storytelling and characters are amazing, and there are moments that are so intense that I can barely breathe.

I was so sad to hear about the passing of Anthony Stewart Head, an amazing actor who’s had my heart ever since his Buffy days. RIP.

Fresh Catch:

No new books this week.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

The Last Lady B by Eloisa James: Such a fun read! I’ve never tried anything by this author until now. I could be wrong, but my sense is that this is the only one of her books with a more comedic tone — judging just by covers and synopses. Someone correct me if that’s not accurate! I’m very close to the end… just need a good solid hour of reading time today to finish.

So, what’ll I read next? Well, I think most likely I’ll turn to:

The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden: I always love this author’s writing, and I’m really curious to see how this story plays out.

Now playing via audiobook:

Swordheart by T. Kingfisher: Finally! I’ve had a copy of this book on my shelves ever since its release, and I don’t know why it’s taken me so long to pick it up. The audiobook narration is terrific. I’m about halfway through, and I’m enjoying every moment.

Ongoing reads:

The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe: My book group’s newest classic read. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 32%. Coming up this week: Volume 2, chapters 4 and 5.

A Midsummer Night’s Dream by William Shakespeare: I’m reading a little bit at a time; about to start Act IV.

What will you be reading this week?

So many books, so little time…