Weekly Mews: More Rain and Good Books

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 where readers talk about what they have been, are and will be reading.

It has been raining nonstop most of the day. We enjoyed a couple of sunny days this past week, and I even opened the windows for a couple hours the day before yesterday (I ended up wrapped in a blanket, so maybe that wasn't the best idea).

Our plans to put together my new desk last weekend fell through. At least it was for a good reason. Mouse was hoping to help with the construction, but she got a last minute invite to go with a friend to see the musical Mean Girls at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood. That's not something you pass up if you can help it, and so off she went. Her dad and I had a nice quiet day at home; we're only partially jealous we couldn't go too. I promised we would hold off on putting the desk together until this weekend so that she could help. It's been a slow process, involving rearranging furniture around, but what we did not get done today will definitely get done tomorrow. I am in the office this next week and so won't be able to try it out for work just yet. 

Helping to put away the holiday decorations

What have you been up to this weekend?

This past week I finished two books. I finished my first read of the year, A Darker Shade of Magic (Shades of Magic #1) by V.E. Schwab. I loved it! I am ready to jump into the second book, A Gathering of Shadows, but it seems to have disappeared. Mouse scampered off with it, wanting to read it before I do. Unfortunately, it's still in her TBR stack, and so it may be awhile before I see it again. I also recently finished Amy Lea's Exes & O's, which was a delightful slow burn romance. 

That leaves me reading my more long term books--not because they are long (they aren't) but because they are not my primary reads. Dreyer's English: An Utterly Correct Guide to Clarity and Style by Benjamin Dreyer. It may sound dry, but it is anything but. I may not have the best track record with audiobooks, but I figured Jenny Lawson would be good company while I do my physical therapy exercises every day. At least that was the plan. It has not quite worked out that way, but hopefully I can fit Furiously Happy: A Funny Book About Horrible Things in more often than not during those sessions. 

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 let you vote for my next read during that month. My review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). 

Many thanks to everyone who voted in this month's TBR List Poll. Enlisting your help in choosing my next read is one of my favorite monthly events. January's contenders all had a bookish theme but a very different feel. While I plan to read all three, I will only be reading one this month. I held off peeking to see which one was winning all week even though I was tempted. Let's find out which one came out on top!

Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstore by Matthew J. Sullivan received 9 votes, coming in third place (it's also the book my daughter voted for).  Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks by Annie Spence got 11 votes. And the winner is The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams, coming in with 12 votes! It was a close race. I look forward to starting The Reading List soon!

What have you been reading lately?

I fell a little behind in my nightly poetry reading, but I was able to catch up without too much trouble. Of this past week's poems in A Nature Poem for Every Night of the Year, a couple in particular stood out for me.

I loved "The Lake" by John Foster in its simplicity and description of a lake at various stages during different kinds of weather.

On a winter's day

The lake

Hides itself

Under a frozen blanket

And refuses to budge

Until it is warm enough

To come out again. [excerpt from "The Lake"]

I cannot help but read more into those words, how sometimes I wish I could do just that, hide and not budge until I feel comfortable enough to venture out again--whether because of the literal cold or in a metaphoric way.

The other poem that spoke to me was Oscar Wilde's poem, "Impressions I: Les Silhouettes"--the imagery is beautiful and I like the way it sounds when read out loud. 

   The sea is flecked with bars of grey

   The dull dead wind is out of tune,

   And like a withered leaf the moon

Is blown across the stormy bay. 

[excerpt from "Impressions I: Les Silhouettes"]

 

I was looking through my poetry books to see if one called to me and I have landed on Find Her. Keep Her. by Renaada Williams to read next. 

Renaada Williams beckons readers into her deepest thoughts and most intimate experiences as a queer black woman living in America with her latest collection of poetry. Much like her first book, Williams presents themes like sexuality and acceptance through her stunningly arranged words, but this time she dives much deeper. find her. keep her. delivers an amplitude of emotion and rawness; reading her poetry feels as if you’ve stumbled upon her secret journal and are reading words that were never meant to be found. [Goodreads Summary]

I mentioned it last weekend, but this week I really do plan to read the graphic memoir Guts by Reina Telgemeier. My daughter and I have enjoyed many of Telgemeier's books, and this is one she highly recommends I read. 

Raina wakes up one night with a terrible upset stomach. Her mom has one, too, so it's probably just a bug. Raina eventually returns to school, where she's dealing with the usual highs and lows: friends, not-friends, and classmates who think the school year is just one long gross-out session. It soon becomes clear that Raina's tummy trouble isn't going away... and it coincides with her worries about food, school, and changing friendships. What's going on?

Raina Telgemeier once again brings us a thoughtful, charming, and funny true story about growing up and gathering the courage to face—and conquer—her fears. [Goodreads Summary]

Mouse is currently reading book 8.5 in Shannon Messenger's Keeper of the Lost Cities series, Unlocked. It is less of an actual novel and more of a companion book. She's enjoying reading the character studies, recipes, the registry files (her favorite is Keefe's registry file because he let Dex hack into it and change some of the information around), looking at the illustrations and maps, and working her way up to a novel portion at the end.  

She just finished reading Reign of the Seven Spellblades, Vol. 3 (manga) by Sakae Esuno, Ruria, Mikuki, and Bokuto Uno. Mouse described it as being a little gorier than the first two volumes, but she thought it was good. 

This Past Week In Reading Mews

• Weekly Mews: A Rainy Start to January
• Top Ten Tuesday: My Top Ten Books Most Anticipated Books Releasing in the First Half of 2023
• Can't Wait to Read Wednesday: Finlay Donovan Jumps the Gun / A Courage Undimmed / The Terror
• Where Is Your Bookmark: A peek into Exes and O's & A Couple (more) Upcoming Releases I Can't Wait to Read

I hope you have a great week! Let me know what you have been reading!

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