Weekly Mews: Making Way For Summer Heat and Good Books to Read

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer and The Sunday Salon (TSS) hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz  where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking It's Monday! What Are you Reading? hosted by Kathryn of Book Date and a children's/middle grade version hosted by Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.

I hope you are enjoying the weekend. Summer is definitely making her presence known in my sliver of the world. The temperatures are rising, and it's supposed to reach 107F by Tuesday. If my coworker was here, he would brag that it will get up to 120 where he lives in Palm Springs next week. I might have to suggest he work out of the office then--it will be a little cooler. 😉

In reading . . . 

Then

I seem to have been able to keep my reading dip from turning into a full blown slump, thank goodness. Kim Harrison's The Good, the Bad, and the Undead (The Hollows #2) helped with that. I am hoping not to wait so long to read the third book, Every Witch Way But Dead, as I did between the first two books.  I love the detail the author put into her world building of this urban fantasy series. 

Now

Currently, I am reading Colleen Oakley's The Invisible Husband of Frick Island and also working my way through my first issue of Oh Reader. I am not a big magazine reader, to be honest (they tend to pile up and sit unread), but I could not resist when I heard it was a magazine written by and for readers--not about books specifically (although there is plenty of book talk), but about reading and readers themselves.

Next

Next up on my TBR pile is this month's TBR List poll winner. Thank  you to all who voted! I am also eying Murder in the East End (Kat Holloway Below Stairs Mysteries #4) by Jennifer Ashley, which is calling my name and I hope to start soon.

Mouse and I finished reading Just Add Magic by Cindy Callaghan earlier in the week. I think I mentioned before how different the book is from the TV series. The focus in both is on three best friends who discover a magic cookbook in one of the girl's attics. As they begin trying out recipes, they quickly learn that each spell they cast with the recipes has consequences beyond what was intended--the law of returns. The book and TV series diverge significantly from there. I think both Mouse and I agree we like the show more, but we did see it first so that may be part of the reason. Mouse has seen it multiple times actually. That isn't to say we did not enjoy the book--because we liked it too. The series is a bit darker and aimed at a wider audience age-wise, I think, than the book. And the magic is more subtle in the book. My daughter and I agree the highlight of the book for us was the friendship between the three girls. 

Although Mouse and I were reading Magic Misfits (#1) by Neil Patrick Harris separately, we did finish it around the same time and had a nice bedtime discussion about it last night. As I expect from anything Neil Patrick Harris does, the novel is a bit quirky with a large dose of wit. I could hear Mouse laughing out loud as she was reading. She loved that the narrator was writing directly to her, the reader, offering funny sidebars as well as directions on how to do magic tricks. It's a cute book about an orphan boy who runs away from his con-artist uncle and winds up in a town where a visiting carnival has set up shop. He meets three friends who share his love for magic tricks. The friends come to realize the  carnival boss and his crew are up to no good and they put their talents together to thwart him. I love that Leila's adoptive parents are a gay couple, something I wish we would see more of in middle grade fiction. Magic Misfits was funny and cute. There was a bit of mystery and action mixed in. For those willing to do the work, there is even a secret message for the reader to decode.  I bet the novel would be even better in audio format with Neil Patrick Harris narrating. 

Mouse and I are now reading Tales from a Not-So-Happy Birthday (Dork Diaries #13) by Rachel Renée Russell together. This continues to be one of Mouse's favorite series. On her own, Mouse just started Magic Misfits: The Second Story by Neil Patrick Harris. She is excited about this installment of the series because it features her favorite character, Leila, the escape artist. And, of course, the entire misfits gang play prominent roles as well. 

What I Have Been Watching . . . 

My family and I finished off season 5 of Lucifer--which had quite the ending, I have to say. We are all curious what direction the show will go in its final season. After a recent High School Musical movie marathon (at my daughter's request), we were curious about The High School Musical: The Musical series, which is a mockumentary musical drama about a high school theater department putting on a version of the original movie musical. We liked the first episode enough (especially my husband) to continue, and so we have put a couple of episodes on (each being a half hour long) in the evenings. Except for on Loki night, of course. Now our Wednesday TV time is dedicated entirely to Loki. The show has gotten off to a very promising start. Tom Hiddleston does such a good job in the role.

Off the Blog . . . 

It was quite the week! It started with my husband's birthday. We stretched it out over two days--a quiet family celebration one day and then a visit to California Adventure and Disneyland the next. We had received passes as a gift the Christmas before last and decided to take advantage of the lower capacity requirement in the parks while it was still in place (and before the passes expired). During our visit, only California residents were being allowed in the parks and masks were required at all times (except for when eating in designated areas--no indoor dining) along with social distancing. We had a great time although we were exhausted when we got home. You can bet we slept well that night! 

Other than that, our week was rather ordinary. Mouse had dance and rehearsal and attended a day of the summer camp program. She is determined to earn her en pointe letter and has been working hard in her ballet and pre-pointe classes. Her favorite dance class this year though is jazz, followed by musical theatre. Both classes have been working on their dance routines for the Summer Showcase, which she will be taking part in alongside the musical. 

It was another busy week at work for both my husband and me. My managers announced the proposed schedule for my office as things continue to open up throughout the county and state. California is lifting most of its COVID restrictions this next week on the 15th, although some will remain in place. It looks like I will continue to work a hybrid schedule, only working a couple days in the office than I am now, but still mostly from home. If approved, the new schedule will start in July. 

Tell me what you have been up to! What are you reading, listening to and watching? How was your week? 

Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next: 

My TBR List is hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). 

This is the first time I think I have had a poll where one book received no votes! Poor Kate Atkinson and Life After Life. In the end it came down to The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab and The Midnight Library by Matt Haig. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue came away with 10 votes and The Midnight Library won with 14. Thank you again to all who voted! I look forward to reading The Midnight Library this month. So many people I know have enjoyed it! 

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!

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