Monday Musings

My week: It was a quiet week here. It was the first week of my new hours at work -- four 6-hour shifts instead of three 8-hour shifts -- and I definitely enjoyed getting home earlier in the afternoons, even if it means working one more day a week. We also had quite a bit of rain last week, which was a nice change of weather. If I can, I like to curl up with a book, a blanket and a warm beverage on gray days here and pretend it's fall.

Reading: I had just started "The Wanderers" at the beginning of last week and had such high hopes for it, but I ended up setting it aside 90 pages in and I honestly don't know if I'll pick it back up; I've got so many other things to read. The premise -- three astronauts training for the first manned mission to Mars -- sounded so good, but the writing was a bit plodding and the multiple POVs got a little overwhelming. Plus it wasn't helping that I fell asleep literally every time I started reading it.

Instead I decided to read "A Terrible Beauty," the newest Lady Emily historical mystery by Tasha Alexander. I had several library books I should've been reading before that one, but it was just what I was in the mood for. And I enjoyed that it was set on Santorini! (Her next book will take place in Russia, yay!). I also finished up volume two of the fantastic March graphic novel series, about now-Congressman John Lewis's involvement in the Civil Rights Movement. This volume covered the Freedom Rides and the March on Washington.

And now I'm reading the finale to V.E. Schwab's delightful Shades of Magic trilogy. I'm over 100 pages in and enjoying it so far! I've really got to make a point to read some of Schwab's other books. "Vicious" has been on my TBR for years.

Knitting: Not a damn thing.

Watching: We watched the movie "Lion," which started off so incredibly sad but was ultimately uplifting. I can see why it was nominated for best picture! Also watching: "Designated Survivor," "Survivor," "Deadliest Catch."

Listening to: "Believer" by Imagine Dragons.

Buying: A Roomba and a Braava (the iRobot mop). With Alohi, I don't have nearly as much time to clean, and since we're outside so much more we're constantly tracking leaves and grass into the house, so hopefully the Roomba will help me keep on top of it. (You can see all the tiny monkeypod tree leaves in the yard in the picture of Alohi at the top of the post.) I got the Braava too because mopping is my least-favorite chore and I hardly ever do it, so the robot mop was more a treat for myself than a necessity. I ordered them from Amazon and I'll be anxiously awaiting the arrival of my new robot cleaning crew!

Winning: A knitting pattern from Alina at The Gift of Knitting for her gorgeous new Heritage Sweater. Woo hoo! Now to find just the right yarn...

Blogging:
Monday Musings
10 Things That Make Me Instantly NOT Want To Read A Book
Book Review: Exit West by Mohsin Hamid
20 Intriguing May 2017 Book Releases
Book Review: Bleaker House by Nell Stevens
Turning the Page on April 2017

Looking forward to: Ugh, this week to be over! Jarrod's work schedule changed starting today, and he'll be working noon to midnight (5 days one week, 2 days the next). I'm so going to miss having him home in the afternoons, not to mention home on the weekends and for dinner every night! On the weekdays he works, I won't see him at all unless he's able to pop home for dinner. We'd gotten in a good rhythm with the hours he was on (which were also wacky) and I know it'll take us a while to get settled in with this new schedule; I'll be glad to get this first week done with. It also means many more hours a day of entertaining a rambunctious puppy by myself! A silver lining: if I can get Alohi to cooperate, I should have plenty of time in the evenings to work on getting caught up on (my endless) DVR recordings!

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