Reading In/Out 8/25/2026
I actually did some significant reading this weekend! Let's discuss.
OUT
The Wisteria Society of Lady Scoundrels by India Holton - This was bizarre but in a fun way. The Wisteria Society is a group of pirate women who drink tea, steal jewelry from anyone and everyone, and attempt to have each other assassinated. They convene for a meeting and while they are all in one place, Captain Morvath and his henchmen steal all their houses. See, the pirates know magic spells to make their houses fly. The ladies put aside their petty differences and band together to fight Captain Morvath and wreck his plans to kill the Queen and take over the country. There is a love story in the midst of all this, and a lot of silliness to boot. I finished this up on Sunday between bells and dance rehearsals.
CONTINUING
Valiant Ambition by Nathaniel Philbrick - I read several pages of this at lunch today, so it is still in rotation. We are getting into the weeds of ship lingo and battle descriptions. I may kind of zone out for those parts, but overall, it's interesting to learn about these people I know very little about.
When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi - I read a bunch of this this weekend. And I came across some suprising things. 1.) One of the chapters is set in Stillwater, Oklahoma at Short Stacks diner. When I was in college in Stillwater, we spent a considerable amount of time at Shortcakes Diner which was a greasy spoon in what appeared to be an AirStream trailer. There were about 5 barstools at a counter that faced the kitchen and about 6 2-person tables bolted to the floor against the windows. You can probably imagine how heavenly the food was. 2.) One chapter is about a guy who writes a book about the scientific probability behind various pop-culture references like the Millennium Falcon. One of the things he writes about is the moon turning to cheese. This book came out days before the moon actually did turn to cheese and now he's fending off speaking engagements left and right. The surprise? He is an adjunct profesesor at Colorado School of Mines. Yeah. I know. It's like this guy has been following me around for decades so he could put these references in this book and freak me out. I'm 40% through it.
I haven't started anything new, although I have definitely been thinking about it. I am leading a book discussion for one of my coworkers in October (she'll be on maternity leave) so I should probably read that book soon, as soon as I remember what it is. Note to self: put that on September TBR.
What did you read this weekend? Anything surprising?