Monday Musings: Lava!

My week: We had a fantastic weekend on the Big Island! It was a super-short trip, but we wanted to make sure we got a chance to see where lava from Kilauea volcano is flowing into the ocean before the puppy joins our lives and we won't be able to travel for a bit. It was even more amazing than I expected -- we were lucky to see Pele's magnificent "lava hose" pouring into the ocean! We also cruised around Volcanoes National Park, checked out Halemaumau Crater at night (it glows orange and now that the lava lake's higher you can see lava shooting up from time to time) and popped down to the black sand beach. I love going there because there are almost always sea turtles basking on the warm sand. I'll do a whole post soon with a bunch more lava and Big Island pictures; for now, here's a video of the lava ocean entry at Kamokuna (it was absolutely breathtaking to see in person!).

Reading: I had just started "The Lonely Hearts Hotel" last week at this time and I thought it had major potential. Unfortunately, it went downhill fast from there -- the main problem was that it was not at all as advertised. Maybe if I'd have known what I was getting into, I would've liked it a lot better. (Here's my review.)

Now I'm reading "Lab Girl" by Hope Jahren, a fantastic memoir that combines Hope's journey as a scientist with the life cycle of a tree. It's really interesting, I love her writing and I've learned a ton! I'm also reading "Looking for Alaska" for the adult book club I co-facilitate at work. I didn't get to pick the books and I don't really like YA, so I'm surprised to say it's actually not bad so far. (I thought "The Fault in Our Stars" was super over-hyped and just-ok, so I didn't have high hopes for this one.)

Knitting: Not much time for knitting last week, but I added a couple inches to the Newt Scamander Hufflepuff scarf I've been working on.

Watching: I watched the first episode of "The Crown" on Netflix last week. For some reason I thought it was about Queen Elizabeth I, so I was in for quite a surprise (it's about the current Queen Elizabeth's early reign), but I thoroughly enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to continuing the series.

Blogging:
Monday Musings
14 Gorgeous Covers On My To-Read List
Yarn Along: "Lab Girl" and a Wizard Scarf
20 Intriguing February 2017 Book Releases
Upcoming Release: The Lonely Hearts Hotel by Heather O'Neill
Upcoming Release: The Young Widower's Handbook by Tom McAllister

Looking forward to: If all goes well, we'll be bringing our boxer puppy home tonight! We found out she has a breathing issue that sometimes affects short-nosed breeds, so we're taking her to the vet this evening to make sure surgery will fix the problem and she'll be able to fly with us when we leave the island in a couple years. If the vet gives us a good prognosis, she'll be coming home with us. Fingers crossed!

*I'm linking up with Kathryn of Book Date for It's Monday! What Are You Reading?