November 10, 2023

Friday Reads 11/10/2023

I've been waiting for this weekend for months! A three-day weekend that does not require PTO!!! Veterans Day falls on a Saturday and I regularly get Sunday and Monday off, so that means 3-day weekend! All those Monday holidays mean I get 2 days off as usual, but then I have to find another day to take off somewhere else in the week. I get three days, but not all together. Anyway, I have a few plans this weekend, but I hope to have some reading time as well. I am going to see Killers of the Flower Moon on Saturday. That is an extra-long movie, so it will take up a big chunk of the day. Sunday is wide open except for bell rehearsal and dance in the evening. Monday I have a hair appointment, a nail appointment, and bell rehearsal. Whew!!!

In related news, I am currently in the middle of a whole bunch of books. I can't tell if this is a stress-related situation or I'm in a reading slump, but I just keep starting books. Let's talk about it.

Happy Place by Emily Henry - I paused this at the 37% mark. I got distracted by something else. I haven't got back to it yet, but I also haven't removed it from my Currently Reading shelf on Goodreads. I do still plan to finish it. Maybe even this year.

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas - I took this one to work to read at lunch and then it got bumped by other reading. It is still on the shelf above my desk. I would probably get to it sooner if I took it home and put it on the table by the couch. I have a long line of lunchtime books ahead of this one.

The Headmaster's List by Melissa de la Cruz - I think I read about 2 chapters of this one. It promises to be very twisty and thrilling. This is next to A Court of Thorns and Roses on my lunchtime reading shelf. Once again, it was superseded by something I wanted to read more.

Persuasion by Jane Austen - This one I am reading with a group from Facebook. We read a couple of chapters and then discuss them on an app called Fabled. It's an easy way to interact with other readers without spoiling the plot. I'm on Chapter 6 now. I'm annotating and tabbing as I go. It's fun, but it takes longer.

The Woman In the Library by Sulari Gentill - This is the audiobook I'm listening to when I run out of current podcasts I want to hear. Therefore it is slow going. I am enjoying, though. I realized the other day that I haven't boosted the listening speed on this one. Usually I have to speed up the narrator to 1.5 speed because they speak so slowly. On this one, I haven't felt the need to do that. That means it's a good narrator, but it will take even longer to get through it.

Bookshops and Bonedust by Travis Baldree - This is the sequel to a book I read on my Denver trip. It is just as cute and cozy as the first one. I'm reading this on my Kindle because I got it as an ARC from NetGalley. It was published November 7, and I want to get my review up before the portal closes. This is my current lunchtime read, although I probably need to read it more often to get it finished in time.

The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova - I was feeling out of sorts last night and decided to hunt around for something to start. I read the first 25 pages of this one before bed. I really like it so far. Right now, this one has lowest priority except for Happy Place and A Court of Thorns and Roses. So not actually lowest. It's very long and I expect it will take a long time to read.

In other news, I have found another hobby that takes up some of my reading time. I found Diamond Painting. I love the monotony of picking up little gems and getting them lined up just right. I have to set a timer or I would keep going for hours and hours. I've got a corner of my canvas done and it is so pretty! If I was smart, I would listen to my audiobook while I paint, but mostly I watch YouTube videoes.

Ok. There is my list of shame. All the books I am currently reading. I figure eventually I will focus on one of them and just plow through several in a row. But for now, I'm a bit scattered.