Monday Malarkey

Monday Malarkey has been slow off the ground because our internet has been very, very hinky - as in going off for 3-4 hours at a time. If this ends up getting posted on Tuesday, that's why, although we're up and running fine at the moment. I skipped last week because I am still slumpy and not receiving many books in the mail, so this will be two weeks' worth of malarkey.

Recent arrivals (top to bottom):

• Fobbit by David Abrams - Purchased. I've wanted to read Fobbit for quite some time but just finally decided I should go ahead and buy a copy. Don't ask me why I took so long. 
• Anna and the Swallow Man - ARC sent by a friend who knows I love WWII books. Thanks, Paula!
• Everybody's Fool by Richard Russo - from Knopf for review.

Books finished since last malarkey:

• The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath - which naturally made me want to fling myself off a bridge or something. What a depressing book.
• The Summer of Me by Angela Benson 
• Journey to Munich by Jacqueline Winspear (#12 in the Maisie Dobbs series)

I've only finished 4 books, this month. Yeesh. I haven't even started the volume of poetry I picked out for National Poetry Month -- and I always look forward to April for the poetry!!!

Currently reading:

• Euphoria by Lily King - for F2F discussion
• Aim True by Kathryn Budig - A book with a little of the author's philosophy and history, some yoga routines, and recipes. This is actually what I was hoping Kate Hudson's Pretty Happy would be like (I did abandon that one).

I set aside The Taxidermist's Daughter by Kate Mosse for a couple days because I was balancing two other books and when I returned to it I'd forgotten enough about the characters that I needed to start all over, again. That was no big deal because I'd only read about 35 pages but when I picked it up again, it was just too dark to follow up The Bell Jar, so I switched to light reading and will return to The Taxidermist's Daughter, later.


Recent posts (two weeks' worth):

• #Weirdathon Wrap-Up (reading challenge post)
• March Reads in Review, 2016 (monthly reading summary)
• Teeny Tiny Toady by Jill Esbaum and Keika Yamaguchi (book review)
• Fiona Friday: I don't know about this (cat photo)
• Big Magic by Elizabeth Gilbert (book review with lots of quotes)
• Father's Day by Simon Van Booy (book review)
• Fiona Friday: The queen of the laundry pile (cat photos)

In other news:

Last week was another rainy week. It rained buckets, several days, lightly another, and was heavily overcast and dreary the rest of the week. On Saturday, we drove up to Oxford to help Kiddo move from one apartment to another. It was in the upper 60s and breezy, a perfect day for moving. We were sore and tired when we finished but we decided to come home because the hotel we usually stay at now has a 24-hour cancellation requirement (so we didn't bother reserving), which leads to a funny cat story.

I always tell the kitties when we'll be gone overnight or inform them who will be coming to stay with them if we're gone longer. Fiona doesn't really mind our absence all that much but Isabel absolutely hates the words "going bye-bye". She understands them perfectly and knows when I say that I'll be back tomorrow it means we'll be gone for the night. So, she was super excited when we came home instead of spending the night away. I called out, "We're home, Kitties!" when we came through the door. Fiona was on her stool in the breakfast nook window and she just blinked at me. Isabel must have been sleeping in the guest room. I went to the master bedroom to look for her and was leaning over to see if she was in her favorite spot under the bed when Isabel came barreling into the bedroom and skidded to a halt. A very happy purring-petting session followed.

Have you read anything fabulous, lately? I'm really enjoying Euphoria, so far.


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