I picked up a couple more books at the library. I seem to be under the impression that the more that live at my house, the more likely I am to find my way out of the reading slump I’ve been in for more than a year.

So I thought I’d look at the books I currently have checked out and put them in a possible order for actually catching and keeping my attention. (This does nothing to solve the root problem of mental exhaustion caused by a never-ending tower of work that is rarely more than an arm’s length away in my life now, but I can solve one of those problems today and not the other.)

1. Deanna Raybourn’s Unexpected Peril: The latest installment in the Veronica Speedwell mystery series, just out this month.
2. Class Act by Jerry Craft: A companion graphic novel to one I enjoyed last year. Reading graphic novels often gives me headaches, but they do move quickly.
3. Carlos Hernandez’s Sal and Gabi Break the Universe: I’m two-thirds of the way through this middle-grade sci-fi novel about friendship and loss and just need an hour or two to finish it off and get it back to the library.
4. Aurora Burning by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff: I love the YA sci-fi books this pair of Australian-dwelling writers make together. They’re action-packed, with distinct voices for all their characters and the found family trope that I love. But unlike in their first series, this one is willing to eliminate main characters, which throws a huge weight behind not reading it. I want all the characters I care about in a series (be it tv or book) to make it through to the end and I’d rather forgo the enjoyment of continuing the relationship than to lose them.
5. Serena Singh Flips the Script by Sonya Lalli: This romance is set here in D.C., which occasionally works out great and more often makes me stop reading as soon as the first wrong thing shows up. A local bookseller said nothing jumped out at her, so my fingers are crossed.
6. Janae Marks’ From the Desk of Zoe Washington: This middle-grade reader about a young baker who gets a letter from her incarcerated birth father started off slowly, but it’s gotten rave reviews everywhere, which suggests if I push through another chapter or two I’ll be hooked.

What books do you have lined up to read next?

Three beautiful things from my past week:

1. A bag of day-old bagels gives us a couple days’ breakfast.

2. Being able to stream women’s basketball the majority of nights this week.

3. Two of Rudi’s mom’s friends have called to say they’ve had good chats with her this week. She’s currently in a nursing home (where visitors aren’t allowed), recuperating from a hairline fracture after a fall, so it’s been a tough few weeks for her.

How about you? What’s been beautiful in your world lately?

With last week’s realization that I’d need to figure out how to solve my Sock Madness socks, I decided to spend some time revisiting old projects and wrapping them up. Maybe this weekend you’ll get some modeled stripey socks. If I’m productive, you might also get these Smock Madness. I’m a repeat away from the toe decreases, which means less than two hours until two finished pairs this week. That would be a nice feeling.

I’m also wrapping up some books that I’ve had lingering around the house and that the library is now adamant about wanting back. Sal and Gabi Break the Universe is a perfectly enjoyable middle-grade read (thanks for the recommendation, Rebs!), and, in any other situation, I’d have been done with it right after I borrowed it from the library. This being what it is, it keeps getting put aside and buried under work and whatnot near my couch.

Head over to As Kat Knits to see what others are reading and crafting.

I am so fucking sick of Zoom* meetings and Zoom events and Zoom happy hours and Zoom funerals.

*Feel free to substitute any other web-based video conferencing software here. I do not feel any better when my meetings are on Teams or Go To Meetings or any of the others.

(And, yes, I’m so lucky I’m able to take advantage of these platforms and work from home and still see people and listen to fucking eulogies, but I’m just fucking done.)

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday topic from That Artsy Reader Girl invites us to share ten funny book titles. Here are ten I’ve read (and recommend):

1. Come Hell or Highball by Maia Chance
2. Sal and Gabi Break the Universe by Carlos Hernandez
3. Be Careful What You Witch For by Dawn Eastman
4. Visions of Sugar Plums by Stephanie Evanovich
5. The Princess Diarist by Carrie Fisher
6. Nothing Is Wrong and Here Is Why by Alexandra Petri
7. Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts by Kate Racculia
8. The Lady’s Guide to Petticoats and Piracy by Mackenzi Lee
9. The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
10. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman

How about you? Have you read any books with amusing titles recently?

I spent a good amount of time outdoors this glorious first weekend of spring. Saturday afternoon, we wandered down to the Georgetown waterfront and sat and read and talked and ate snacks. Rudi made homemade pizza and we feasted on my cake (we’re down to a slice each tomorrow). I looked through some photos and sent some off to friends, so they could enjoy them, too.

Today it was so warm I was able to go to the farmers market in a tshirt and with bare legs. After a tasty late breakfast, I traveled over to Capitol Hill, where one of the nurseries I like is found. I picked up a couple of strawberry starts, as well as some other plants, and then got in touch with Sarah, who lives nearby. We checked out a new ice cream place and spent an hour sitting in the sun chatting. I metro’ed back to our side of town and decided to stop by the garden while there was still light and plant some of my new seedlings. I got two herbs, two salad greens, and a container of baby leeks into the ground before the sun slipped low enough I decided to call it quits.

The evening was spent watching the UConn women with Rudi, reading, knitting the toe decreases on my sock (I just have to kitchener the second sock and weave in the ends tomorrow!), painting my nails, drinking cocoa, and doing a little rearranging.

How was your weekend?