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.

My baby boy is 15 today! We’re heading out to do some family ziplining to celebrate – wheeeeeeee!

What did I read last week?

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig: Brilliant. My review is here.

Good Me Bad Me by Ali Land: Thank you, Goodreads — I won this in a giveaway! My review is here.

Fresh Catch:

Two new books this week:

I love witty grammar books (such a nerd), and the other book is an ARC with a time travel theme. Fun!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

I’m flipping back and forth between two books right now — one sci-fi, one non-fiction:

• Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor
• Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann

Now playing via audiobook:

The Butterfly Effect by Jon Ronson: A free download from Audible focusing on the unintended consequences of the spread of free porn. It’s pretty interesting — if I can just find time to listen, I’ll be done in about an hour.

Ongoing reads:

Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott: My book group’s new classic read! We’re doing two chapters per week, starting today. I’m excited!

So many books, so little time…

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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.

August already? How did that happen?

What did I read last week?

Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey: Loved it! My review is here.

Bannerless by Carrie Vaughn: Fascinating. My review is here.

In audiobooks:

I finished listening to The Golden Compass, and loved it. I’d decided to re-read the trilogy prior to the release of The Book of Dust in October, and thought I’d give the audio version a try. Philip Pullman narrates, along with a full cast for the various characters, and it was quite a good production. I’m looking forward to listening to the rest of the series as soon as the next volume becomes available at the library.

Pop culture goodness:

I randomly started watching The Santa Clarita Diet on Netflix and ended up watching all ten episodes over the weekend. It’s hilarious. Is something wrong with me?

I also thought I’d check out a couple of episodes of Will on TNT. Meh. I can’t decide if I like it, but I don’t hate it either. Maybe I’ll give it a bit more time.

Fresh Catch:

I bought one new book this week:

Ever since reading Binti, I seem to be collecting books by Nnedi Okorafor. This one caught my eye after I heard the news that it will be adapted for HBO, with George R. R. Martin as executive producer!

And hey, I won a giveaway! Thank you, Goodreads! I’m really looking forward to reading this one.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

How to Stop Time by Matt Haig: Absolutely loving it. I have about 50 pages left — can’t wait to get home from work today so I can finish!

Now playing via audiobook:

The Butterfly Effect by Jon Ronson: Probably a weird choice, right? It was a free download from Audible, and I’ve read some pieces by Jon Ronson before, so I thought it would be entertaining, at the very least. I’ve only just started — we shall see.

Ongoing reads:

My book group’s next classic read, Ivanhoe, starts next week!

So many books, so little time…

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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.

You know what today is, right?

Happy birthday to Harry Potter!

Life.

Back from vacation. Back to work. Kiddo home from camp. It’s been a busy week!

If you’re interested, you can see my Montana photos here.

What did I read last week?

Fail. I’ve barely read anything (except for mountains of emails…). I’ve been on the same book all week.

Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey: Okay, granted, this is a 500+ page book, so I suppose I can forgive myself for taking a whole week to read it (and I’m still not done).

I posted a mini-review of a recent audiobook listen, Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris. If you’re convinced that grammar can’t be fun, then you need to check out this book, stat.

Pop culture goodness:

I’ve been playing catch-up on TV watching all week! I finally caught up on all episodes of Fear the Walking Dead (and my response is still meh… and yet I keep watching), and I’m now up to date on Killjoys as well. Next up, the kiddo and I have about six Doctor Who episodes to watch.

And on a more serious note, we saw Dunkirk over the weekend, and it was incredible. Unlike anything I’ve ever seen before, and structured in such an unusual way that I think I’ll need to watch it again at some point just to sort a few things out.

Fresh Catch:

One new book this week:

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey: Book #3 of The Expanse series. I have about 50 pages to go!

Next up will be Bannerless, the newest from Carrie Vaughn. Looks great!

Now playing via audiobook:

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman: I decided to do an audio re-read of the His Dark Materials trilogy, so I’ll be all ready for The Book of Dust this fall.

Ongoing reads:

My book group’s next classic read, Ivanhoe, starts in August. Meanwhile, I have no long-term reading commitments at the moment, and it’s kind of nice.

So many books, so little time…

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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.

I’m back! I just spent 8 glorious days in Montana, with visits to Glacier National Park and Yellowstone. So beautiful. I’ll share some travel photos later this week, once I’ve had a chance to unpack, do laundry, and settle into the nice cool fog of summer in San Francisco.

Old Faithful

What did I read last week?

A pretty varied crop of books for my vacation reading:

Finders Keepers by Stephen King: I’m loving this series, and can’t wait for book #3!

Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen: An interesting, thought-provoking Israeli novel. My review is here.

A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner: This month’s book group read. My review is here.

In audiobooks, I finished Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris. Thoughts to follow…

And in graphic novels, I finally finished all existing volumes of The Walking Dead… and now have to wait until October for the next volume to be released.

Pop culture goodness:

Every year I swear that NEXT YEAR I’ll finally make it to Comic-con. Well, it still hasn’t happened, so I have to content myself with following the news from afar. I was thrilled to see these two new trailers:

Outlander returns in September! And…

The Walking Dead returns in October. Oh yes, it’s going to be a good fall!

Fresh Catch:

A couple new books arrived while I was away:

Two very different sorts of books, but I’m really looking forward to both!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Abaddon’s Gate by James S. A. Corey: Returning to The Expanse series with book #3.

Now playing via audiobook:

Oh, I’m really not sure. I need to start something new, and I can’t quite figure out what I’m in the mood for. Probably one of these two, but we’ll just have to see what catches my attention when I get in the car Monday morning.

(I’m leaning toward The Golden Compass, because I do need to re-read all of His Dark Materials before the new book comes out!)

Ongoing reads:

My book group’s next classic read, Ivanhoe, starts in August. Meanwhile, I have no long-term reading commitments at the moment, and it’s kind of nice.

So many books, so little time…

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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.

Well, the kiddo is off to camp for almost three weeks. Dropping him at the bus for camp has become a yearly ritual… and now I get to look forward to some grown-up vacation time too.

Meanwhile, my big adventure this past weekend was putting together some new shelves — because there’s no such thing as too many bookshelves, am I right? I bought a pair of spine tower shelves for my book nook, and I think they’re adorable.

And now I get to fill them up!

What did I read last week?

It’s been a SLOW reading week. Work, family, and TV conspired to take up all of my time!

South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby: DNFd at 15%. The premise sounded cute, but the story felt like it was going nowhere and the main character had no substance. And not that this should matter, but the ARC formatting was bad enough that it made me not want to put anymore effort into what was feeling like a mediocre read. So I moved on.

Strange Practice by Vivian Shaw: An entertaining, quick-moving story of a doctor who specializes in treating the supernatural set of contemporary London, healing vampires, mummies, ghouls, and more. A few pacing problems and lack of character development get in the way of what should have been a much more enjoyable read. If I have time, I’ll write up a proper review in the next few days.

I also kept on my with latest obsession:

Pop culture goodness:

I FINISHED WATCHING THE WALKING DEAD! I’ve now watched all seven seasons… which means I now have to sit around and wait for season 8 (coming in October), just like everyone else. Binges are fun, but it kind of sucks when you’re done!

I suppose I can start Fear the Walking Dead while I’m waiting, but it just won’t be the same without my favorite characters.

Fresh Catch:

I went to a book event for Al Franken, and he was awesome! The event ticket price included the book, so now I have a shiny new hardcover to put on my pretty shelves.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Finders Keepers by Stephen King: The 2nd book in the Bill Hodges trilogy. Loving it so far.

Now playing via audiobook:

Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris: I’m still really enjoying this one. Perfect for word geeks everywhere!

Ongoing reads:

My book group’s next classic read, Ivanhoe, starts in August. Meanwhile, I have no long-term reading commitments at the moment, and it’s kind of nice.

So many books, so little time…

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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.

Happy (almost) 4th of July! It’s time to break out the 1776 DVD, blast the Hamilton soundtrack, and revel in some fireworks!

What did I read last week?

Coming Up For Air by Miranda Kenneally: I always love this author’s books about strong, down-to-earth, athletic young women and their choices and challenges. This one is another winner. My review is here.

The Upside of Unrequited by Becky Albertalli: Sweet, funny, light, and fluffy. A totally enjoyable summer read for fans of YA — kind of predictable, but with cute, well-intentioned characters you can’t help rooting for.

In audiobooks, I finished the delightful Arabella by Georgette Heyer. My review is here.

Also…

I read the new Diana Gabaldon stories, and wrote abut them here.

And continued the graphic novel binge that matches my TV obsession:

See below. Obsessed…

Elsewhere on the blog:

I’m easing off my my normal blogging schedule for the time being. See my post about summertime slacking.

Pop culture goodness:

After contemplating walking away after an unusually upbeat moment and simply pretending that they all lived happily ever after (see my thoughts about this here), I finished season 6 of The Walking Dead — where I meant to stop for the time being until season 7 became available on Netflix.

HOWEVER…

The season 6 finale cliffhanger was too much for me to bear, so I ended up watching the first episode of season 7 on cable last night close to midnight. What a mistake! I spent the entire episode peeking out from between my fingers and ended up a teary, sobbing mess. Which is crazy, considering that spoilers for this episode in particular were unavoidable and I knew before I even started my binge what was going to happen. Still, this episode destroyed me and ruined any chance of a good night’s sleep… and needless to say, I must see what comes next, so my binge continues for another week.

PS – That’s the season 6 promotional photo above. I couldn’t bring myself to use a season 7 image. Oh my god, I’m such a baby.

Fresh Catch:

A NEW DIANA GABALDON BOOK!

I read the new stories in this collection the day it arrived — see above for the link to my post of initial thoughts.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby: I’m just starting, and it seems like it could be a charming story, but I may end up abandoning it if the ARC formatting doesn’t improve.

Now playing via audiobook:

Between You & Me: Confessions of a Comma Queen by Mary Norris: Read by the author, this audiobook is a word-geek treat — a guide to grammar, spelling, word usage and more by a life-long editor at the New Yorker, and it’s just so much fun.

Ongoing reads:

My book group’s next classic read, Ivanhoe, starts in August. Meanwhile, I have no long-term reading commitments at the moment, and it’s kind of nice.

So many books, so little time…

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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.

Between marathon TV binges and a crazy week at work, I just haven’t had the focus to sit down and write reviews. I’ve barely been reading!

What did I read last week?

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire: Absolutely loved it. Such beautiful writing. I may still get my act together enough to write a mini-review, but meanwhile, do yourself a favor and read this book (and Every Heart a Doorway) ASAP.

The Best of Adam Sharp by Graeme Simsion: One of those books that leaves me saying “it was fine”, with nothing much else to add. It was an okay read about marriage, relationships, and regrets, but left pretty much zero impression on me.

And oh yeah, I read a few graphic novels:

See below. Obsessed…

Pop culture goodness:

My Walking Dead binge continues — I just finished season 5. Can’t stop. Won’t stop.

Fresh Catch:

I was so excited to receive an ARC in the mail:

It looks like a great read!

No other new books… unless you count library books, in which case I went a teensy bit overboard, coming home with about 10 books from my hold list. Needless to say, I suspect at least a few will go back unread.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Trying to get a jump on some upcoming July releases, starting with these two ARCs:

• Coming Up For Air by Miranda Kenneally: I haven’t been reading as much YA lately, but I do always love this author’s books.
• South Pole Station by Ashley Shelby: I’ve been looking forward to this one for a while now. I hope it lives up to my expectations!

Now playing via audiobook:

Arabella by Georgette Heyer: Light-hearted, silly fun — so enjoyable.

Ongoing reads:

None at the moments. It’s so nice to be able to read commitment-free.

So many books, so little time…

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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.

I’ve been away, and now I’m back! It’s been a hectic couple of weeks — but on the plus side, I did do a lot of reading.

What did I read last week?

Spaceman by Mike Massimino: I loved this audiobook. My review is here.

Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King: It seems like I always need to read some King while I travel. I FINALLY gave Mr. Mercedes a try, and couldn’t put it down. My review is here — bring on Finders Keepers!

What else did I read while I was away? Check out my mini-reviews for all of the books below in my wrap-up post, here.

Pop culture goodness:

I saw a few movies while I was away, one in an amazingly comfortable theater with reclining seats and two at home on my sister’s equally comfy couch:

And in other pop culture indulgences… my son and I are totally obsessed with The Walking Dead. Our binge continues — we’re now about midway through season 4.

Fresh Catch:

I bought myself a present!

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

Down Among the Sticks and Bones by Seanan McGuire: SO excited to be reading the follow-up to Every Heart A Doorway, one of my faves.

After that, it’s time for a book group book: Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

Now playing via audiobook:

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann: This should be fascinating, but I’ve listened to about 30% so far, and the audiobook just isn’t holding my attention. I may need to switch to print and find something else to listen to. I’m taking a little break for a few days to listen to…

… Arabella by Georgette Heyer, which is a total delight so far. So, yay me for making the switch from an audiobook that wasn’t working to one that’s just so much fun!

Ongoing reads:

Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon: DONE!!! After 145 chapters and 18 months of group reads and discussions, Outlander Book Club has finished this massive book. Next up will be a group read of Diana Gabaldon’s Lord John books and stories, starting in the fall. (Ask me if you want more info.)

Meanwhile, I have actually ZERO ongoing reads happening at the moment, and it’s pretty nice to be completely free from a reading schedule.

So many books, so little time…

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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.

What did I read last week?

Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow: I did it! I finally finished this huge book! Fascinating read. My reaction post is here.

The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North: A great premise with a disappointing execution. My review is here.

Pop culture goodness:

HAMILTON!

I saw Hamilton with my 14-year-old son on Sunday, and it was just as amazing as everyone says it is! I lucked into sitting in the 3rd row — incredible.

Fresh Catch:

My preordered Kindle edition of River of Teeth arrived! It’ll be my very next read.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

The Mothers by Brit Bennett: I’m reading this at the recommendation of my daughter, and really enjoying it so far.

Now playing via audiobook:

Lady Copy Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart: So close to the end! I have about 30 minutes left on the audiobook, and can’t wait to hear how it ends. Not quite sure what to listen to next…

Ongoing reads:

Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon: My book club started a group read of this book back in January 2016 — and we now have just 2 1/2 weeks before the end! What an amazing journey it’s been.

So many books, so little time…

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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.

What did I read last week?

Read and reviewed:

The Pearl Thief by Elizabeth Wein: Definitely worth a read, especially for fans of Code Name Verity. My review is here.

Gwendy’s Button Box by Stephen King and Richard Chizmar: Awesome, un-put-down-able novella. A must-read for King fans. My review is here. (And if you’re wondering about why and how Stephen King wrote this novella with a co-author, check out this article from Entertainment Weekly.)

Read but not reviewed:

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman: This collection of myths is fun to read, but didn’t strike me as anything all that special. I suppose it would be good for people who’ve perhaps never read Norse mythology before, but for anyone with previous familiarity, it doesn’t exactly tread new ground.

This Is Your Life, Harriet Chance by Jonathan Evison: A quick read, this novel looks back on the life of a 78-year-old widow as she embarks on an Alaska cruise, putting together the pieces of her life’s secrets and her troubled relationships with her husband, best friend, and children. I’d describe this one as a solid 3-star read — enjoyable in the moment, but not particularly memorable.

In audiobooks:

I finished my revisit to the world of Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire. The audiobook is excellent! I’m glad I took the time for this one, and can’t wait for the sequel in June.

Pop culture goodness:

I took myself to see Everything, Everything — and it was really good! I thought the movie lived up to the book, and the casting was terrific. Of course, I disliked the ending of the book, and that doesn’t change in the movie, but at least I knew it was coming this time.

And talk about late to the party — I just started watching season 1 of The Walking Dead! Only a few years behind…

Fresh Catch:

No new physical books this week, although I did take advantage of A LOT of Kindle price drops to add bunches more books to my collection.

What will I be reading during the coming week?

Currently in my hands:

The Sudden Appearance of Hope by Claire North: Just getting started. I seem to keep stumbling across recommendations for this author, and thought it was about time to give her books a try. At 25% at the moment — the book is odd, but I like it.

Now playing via audiobook:

Lady Copy Makes Trouble by Amy Stewart: I loved Girl Waits With Gun (review) when I listened to it last year. The story itself and the narrator make these books such fun to experience via audio.

Ongoing reads:

The end (of the book) is nigh! After over a year of reading and discussing Written in My Own Heart’s Blood by Diana Gabaldon — 2 chapters per week — we’re within sight of the final chapters.

I’m slowly working my way through Ron Chernow’s massive biography of Alexander Hamilton — mainly trying to read 15 – 30 minutes a day, although I did sit with it for a few hours over the weekend. I’m currently at 66%. Maybe I’ll actually finish this week!

So many books, so little time…

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