I have not finished any knitting projects recently, which probably means I need to focus my attention on one or the other or the third and finish one off. While later this week is supposed to return to the 90s, fall weather has to show up sooner or later, doesn’t it? I wore jeans on Saturday night, after all, even if it was too warm to be accompanied by anything but a tshirt on top.

I have bookmarks in many books right now. (Figuratively, of course. I have nothing keeping my spot in any of these books for some reason.) On paper, I have Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon, Joan Aiken’s The Wolves of Willoughby Chase, and Elizabeth Acevedo’s The Poet X going, alternating between books depending on where I’m reading or which bag I’ve taken to work.

In my headphones, I have not yet finished Being Jazz, in part because I’m bored by it. It’s not long and I should just finish this frequently banned memoir about a transgender teen girl’s experiences already. I got the alert earlier tonight that one of the other libraries I borrow audiobooks from on Overdrive had a copy of Crazy Rich Asians for me, so I quickly downloaded it and just resumed listening. I paused the start of the third and final part to start writing here. I also have Julia Alvarez’s Tía Lola Stories and local author Lillian Li’s Number One Chinese Restaurant downloaded to my phone.

How about you? What are you working your way through?

Head over to As Kat Knits for links to more knitting and reading.

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday asks which authors we’d love to meet. I’m fortunate to have both some amazing bookstores and the National Book Festival here in the city, so I’ve been able to meet many of my favorite living authors. I turn into a hair-twirling word-bungler around writers whose works I admire, giving me all of eternity to regret the interaction, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. If given a shot, I’d love to embarrass myself in front of:

1. J.K. Rowling
2. Toni Morrison
3. Jason Reynolds (I’ve come really, really close)
4. Katherine Paterson
5. Neil Gaiman
6. Brian Selznick
7. Naomi Novik
8. Erin Morganstern
9. Fannie Flagg
10. Rebecca Stead

(When I originally made the list, I accidentally put in twelve authors. It was hard to knock a few of them off the list, and I’d totally love to meet any of them!)

How about you? Which authors are you dying to meet?

This year’s Halloween socks are going well. I’m working on the heel and if the stripes work out so that I don’t need to rip back, I anticipate being done with the first sock soon.

I blew through Jacqueline Woodson’s spare new novel, Harbor Me, in just over a day, so I’m turning my attention back to The Wild Book, which keeps getting put aside for library books.

In the ears, I’m about halfway through Crazy Rich Asians, but it expires tomorrow. It’ll be a week or two before another copy gets to me (I put the audiobook on hold at all three libraries I have borrowing privileges for). In honor of Banned Book Week, I’ll probably finish listening to Jazz Jennings’ Being Jazz, since that’s one of the most banned books from last year. After that, I have several options, including Julia Alvarez’s Tía Lola Stories, Lillian Li’s Number One Chinese Restaurant (written by a local author), Kate Quinn’s The Alice Network, and Libby Page’s The Lido. Choices…

Head over to As Kat Knits for more posts about reading and crafting.

This fall’s Ninja Book Swap presents arrived just as I was leaving on Friday, so I didn’t have a chance to open them until Sunday evening.

Lexie (who I think is Lexie of For the Sake of Reading, based on a review I saw on Goodreads) sent me such lovely things!

Here We Are: 44 Voices Write, Draw, and Speak about Feminism for the Real World is edited by Kelly Jensen and includes pieces from contributors ranging from Daniel José Older to Mindy Kaling and from Roxane Gay to Brandy Colbert. I look forward to savoring these pieces, particularly as the Kavanaugh fight ratchets up this week. [Have you called your senators lately to ask them to vote against his nomination?]

The Librarian and the Spy, the first in a series by Susan Mann, looks to be a swoony romp, and I think it’s going to be such a fun, lighthearted read.

As you all know, I love tea, and Harney and Sons makes some very fine ones. Lexie says the Tower of London blend is one of her favorites, and I’m looking forward to many hours of drinking tea while reading, particularly now that the weather is finally cooling off again.

Thank you, Lexie! I really love my package! And thank you Ninja Book Swap organizers! This was great fun once again!

This week’s Top Ten Tuesday asks which titles by my favorite authors I’ve still yet to read:

1. Barbara Kingsolver’s Lacuna
2. Toni Morrison’s Paradise and everything since then
3. Jane Austen’s Lady Susan (and her unfinished novels)
4. J.K. Rowling’s Casual Vacancy
5. Rainbow Rowell’s Runaways, Vol. 1
6. The Problim Children by Natalie Lloyd
7. L.M. Montgomery’s Magic for Marigold (at least I’m pretty sure I haven’t read that one…)
8. An Acceptable Time by Madeleine L’Engle
9. The Vintage Caper by Peter Mayle
10. First Light by Rebecca Stead

How about you? Which books by your favorite authors have you yet to tackle?

I finished Naomi Novick’s Spinning Silver this evening and Sherry Thomas’ A Conspiracy in Belgravia last night and have a couple audiobooks I’m waiting to come back around to me. That means I have the options you see above — including The Poet X by local author Elizabeth Acevedo, which was longlisted for a National Book Award last week — to start immediately. (Rudi would point out the pile of other library books around the house as a sign that I have more books than just these to choose from.) I’ll also probably start my illustrated copy of Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, because I like to visit with old friends, as well as make new ones. As I type, I’m downloading the audiobook of Crazy Rich Asians, so I can compare the source material to the film, which Rudi and I really liked.

On the knitting front, I have not yet finished my shawl, but I continue to plug away at it a couple of rows at a time. Hopefully, I’ll be able to finish it up next week, since fall arrives this weekend! To celebrate (and because I had a lot of work meetings this week, I started a new pair of Knitterly Things socks in Hocus Pocus. Clearly it would be awesome to have them to wear next month.

Holiday knitting should commence immediately, which means I should decide what I’m going to make, if anything.

As Kat Knits has a linkup to other posts about knitting and reading, so head over there to check them out.