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.
It’s been another busy week — lots going on at work, and even at home, I seem to have had my hands full with random errands, organizing, and puttering around. We managed to clean out a closet with all our old beach and snow gear — including our (now adult) kids’ snowboots in every size and seemingly decades worth of long-johns and gloves. It’s so satisfying to see the back and bottom of a closet for the first time in years!
Bookish bits & bobs.
There are some great sales and opportunities in book-world right now, and I especially love seeing ways to buy books and support indie/local bookshops at the same time.
At Bookshop.org, there’s a month-long sale on a curated list of romance novels going on right now:
Check out the full list of eligible books, here.
Libro.fm is also having a romance audiobook sale (8/12 – 8/19) — see eligible book here.
And even more Libro.fm news:
Libro.fm has announced that they’re going to be carrying ebooks too — and even better, that audio and ebooks purchased through Libro will sync. The idea of switching over to Libro.fm gets more and more appealing — see more here.
Don’t forget — when you purchase through Bookshop.org and Libro.fm, you’ll also be supporting the local bookstore of your choice!
What did I read during the last week?
Bromantasy by Máire Roche: I had such a blast reading this light-hearted book! My review is here.
The Romance Revival by Christina Lauren: While I usually love this author duo’s books, this one didn’t quite work for me. Check out my review to find out why…
The Amateur by Chris Bohjalian: This author’s books never disappoint! I just finished this book late Sunday, and will post a review later this week.
Pop culture & TV:
First things first: I went to see The Odyssey! My son and I bought tickets a couple of weeks ago (in order to grab good seats for an IMAX screening), and saw it this past week. I thought it was fantastic, and so did he (his first words when the lights came up were “that was f’ing amazing!”). I’d actually like to see it again (but will likely wait for streaming) — during this viewing, I was absorbed by the plot and the action, and would like to watch it again to be able to focus more on themes and the storytelling approach.
Back on my couch… I finished watching Star City on AppleTV, and loved it. Check out my thoughts on this terrific series, here.
Beyond that, I’ve been bopping around a bit without getting fully absorbed by any one option. I’m excited to start the new season of Ted Lasso, but want to wait for a bunch of episodes to be available before I jump in. I finally had time to start The Vampire Lestat, expecting to absolutely love it… and I didn’t. Maybe it was just the wrong show at the wrong time? I’m not writing it off completely, but I think I’d better pause for now and come back another time.
I’ve been watching Dancing with the Stars: The Next Pro — and it’s just not very good (which is maybe why it feels kind of buried in summer programming). I keep watching, but something about the format and the overall approach isn’t particularly convincing.
Finally, over the weekend, I clicked over to Prime Video to start Every Year After, based on the novel Every Summer After by Carley Fortune (which I loved and which turned me into a Carley Fortune fan!). I’ve only watched a couple of episodes, but I’m enjoying the adaptation so far.
Fresh Catch:
No new books this week.
What will I be reading during the coming week?
Currently in my hands:
The Postcard by Anne Berest: I’m actually getting an early-ish start on a book group book! Who knows? Maybe I’ll actually finish before our discussion this month!
Now playing via audiobook:
Kill the Beast by Serra Swift: I started this audiobook over the weekend, and was happy to discover that the narrator is one of my favorites — Moira Quirk, who narrates (among many other books) the Parasol Protectorate books by Gail Carriger. Really enjoyable and engaging so far.
Ongoing reads:
Two books I’m taking my time with:
The Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe: My book group’s classic read. We’re reading and discussing two chapters per week. Progress: 69%. Coming up this week: Volume 3, chapters 10 and 11.
Everything On It by Shel Silverstein: I finally pulled this children’s book off my shelf, and I’m paging through it slowly, enjoying the silliness and sweetness.
What will you be reading this week?
So many books, so little time…
Bookshelf Fantasies 
Interesting there are two different romance sales going on😉 I need to spend more time over at Bookshop.org!
Apparently August is read-a-romance month!! Who knew? 🙂
Ooh, I had no idea August was read-a-romance month! This gives me motivation to come back to romance, as I seem to have fallen off the contemporary romance train since the start of this year. I’m very excited to check out Bromantasy, so I’m excited to hear you had a blast with it 😊 Kill the Beast sounds very interesting and I love that cover too. Hope you love it and everything else you’re reading/watching!
Thank you so much! I hadn’t know about August being read a romance month either — but I do love including romances in my summer reading, so it’s a great fit!
Happy Monday! The Postcard looks like such an interesting book. Fingers crossed it’s as good as it sounds.
The Postcard is very interesting so far! I haven’t gotten very far yet, and I’m bracing myself for when tragedy strikes. It already feels like a really good book club choice.
A closet clean out is one of the most satisfying things! I’m reading Becoming the Boogeyman this week.
Oooh, I hope it’s good! I’ve had that book on my TBR for a while now!
I also went to see the Odyssey in IMAX this past weekend. While I did very much enjoy it… our seats were in the second row, so the viewing experience wasn’t the best. I will say, being that close made me feel like I was in the movie a lot, but I also had no idea where to direct my eyes – so much to look at! I will probably watch it again when it comes to streaming, too.
Oh no, that does not sound like a good experience! I ended up buying tickets three weeks in advance, because that was the first screening where I could get seats in the back. IMAX can be so hard to focus on!
We bought our tickets roughly 3 weeks before, too and the back row fill up so quickly! My friend is going to see it 2 more times, but she’s still only sitting in the middle. It’s crazy about these tickets!
I’ve had my eye on Bromantasy! I can sympathise about crazy work! I’m doing overtime and am so busy, can’t wait to go back to a normal working pattern!
Normal sounds good!! 🙂 I do hope you get a chance to check out Bromantasy!
I also liked The Odyssey and will definitely watch it again.
I’m also excited for the new Ted Lasso but like you might wait a little for more episodes to become available.
Hope your reads have gone/are going well.
Lynn 😀
Thanks! Hope you’re having a great week!
My friend has been recommending me The Vampire Lestat, but I think my reaction will be similar to yours. I attempted the very first episode back when it first aired but wasn’t gripped by it. I might eventually give it a good try.
I enjoyed the first two seasons (back when it was still Interview with the Vampire), so I’m not necessarily quitting altogether… just putting Lestat on pause for now.