Monday, August 1, 2016

Monday Musings

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Highlight of the week: It was a bit of a strange week for us with Jarrod working super-late several nights, so on Saturday we went to our favorite beach for an afternoon of boogie boarding and lounging in the sun! We've been in Hawaii for two months now but it was our first real toes-in-the-sand, swimsuit-wearing beach day and it was so nice! (Since this is our second time being stationed here, we haven't been in a major hurry to do any touristy things, but I have most definitely been craving some time at the beach!)

Reading: I finished and loved "Burial Rites" by Hannah Kent, a dismal but fascinating tale set in 1829 Iceland (review), and then started an advance copy of "The Hike" by Drew Magary, which comes out tomorrow. Unfortunately, I just could not get into the very odd story; almost halfway through I felt like the "plot" was utterly pointless and its only redeeming quality was a sarcastic talking crab, so I put it down with the intention of picking it up again later. I won it in a Goodreads giveaway, so I feel like I should try to finish it, and I'm hoping the everything will come together at some point.

Right now I'm reading "The Moor," the fourth book in Laurie R. King's Mary Russell/Sherlock Holmes series, which features a semi-retired Sherlock living quietly in the English countryside who still busts out his sleuthing skills on occasion with his young and delightful protege, Mary. This one is set in Dartmoor, where "The Hound of the Baskervilles" took place, and it's so wonderfully atmospheric! I think a historical mystery was just what I was in the mood for and I'm really enjoying it so far. I'd really like to get mostly caught up on the series this year (there are 14 books out) but, let's be honest, that's probably not going to happen. Next up will by an advance copy of "Cooking for Picasso," which comes out August 9. It's a dual narrative set in the French Riviera in 1936 and in present day. Picasso is one of my favorite artists and I'm excited to read it!



Knitting: I finished my Cap Sleeve Lattice Top this week! I'm hoping to have Jarrod take some pictures of me wearing it soon.

Buying: "Harry Potter and the Cursed Child," duh!

Watching: I watched the first five episodes of the Lifetime sow "UnReal" and it is absolutely addicting. I don't think I ever would've watched this show -- which is a fictional behind-the-scenes look at the drama of filming a "Bachelor"-esque reality TV show -- but I've seen it recommended enough times that I finally decided to give it a try. With Jarrod working so late this week, I ended up watching all five episodes in two days! It's definitely a guilty pleasure, but that doesn't mean I'm not anxiously awaiting the arrival of disc 2 from Netflix! (Oh, and bonus! The "suitor" is season 1 is Cormac McLaggen from the Harry Potter movies, all grown up!)

Celebrating: I read on Deborah Harkness's Facebook page that she's working on a new book, a spin-off of the All Souls trilogy -- one of my favorites! It's due out next year and I'm so excited! (Here's my review of "A Discovery of Witches" if you want to see why I love the books so much!)

Looking forward to: Jarrod working more normal hours for the next month, the coconut cookies I'm planning to bake this afternoon and the start of the Olympics!


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

14 comments:

  1. I would like to read both Burial Rites and The Moor. Great choices, and I hope you enjoy reading this week.

    My It's Monday! What Are You Reading? post.

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    1. Thank you! :) Hope you enjoy the books whenever you get around to them!

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  2. I think I would enjoy the Laurie King series but it's a tad daunting to start a series that long. Maybe someday. I think a snarky crab would be fun, but not if the rest of the book doesn't catch your attention. Have you read "A Curious Beginning?" It's a wonderful historical mystery and the second one comes out in January. I can't remember if I recall you mentioning it or not. Hope you and your hubby have a wonderful week!

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    1. Yes, I did read "A Curious Beginning" and I LOVED it! I'm really looking forward to book 2!

      I know what you mean about starting such a long-running series... I feel like I'll never get caught up. Pre-blogging days, sure, but now it's hard to devote myself to reading the same author for several books in a row. I read the first book, "The Beekeeper's Apprentice" in May 2013, so it's taken me over three years to get to book 4!

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  3. Love that picture, and loved your thoughts on Burial Rites, which I've definitely got to get my hands on soon. I've also been avoiding UnReal, but so many people have good things to say that I'll have to give it a chance!

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    1. Thanks! I hope you enjoy "Burial Rites" as much as I did. The writing was SO beautiful!

      The next disc of "UnReal" should be here tomorrow and I'm excited to get back to it. But also ever so slightly embarrassed... it's definitely drama, drama, drama! (Though it does try here and there to have some substance.)

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  4. A beach day sounds like fun. I really enjoy that Laurie R. King series which I've been reading since the first book was published. Come see my week here. Happy reading!

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    1. It was a lovely day! So nice to soak up some sun and salt water. Like I said above, I would really like to get all caught up on the Mary Russell series this year, but I think at best I'll probably only get one or two more books read. "The Moor" is my favorite of the series so far, though, so that might spur me to get to the next book more quickly!

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  5. What a great mix of books. I had forgotten about Burial Rites.

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    1. It was a great read! I'd been meaning to get to it for a while and made a point to finally read it this year.

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  6. I hope The Hike picks up for you. It's hard when it's a book you feel obligated to review and you aren't enjoying it. :-( I am glad you are at least enjoying The Moor! It does sound good!

    Deborah Harkness is working on a new book?! Great news. I really enjoyed her All Souls Trilogy too. :-)

    I hope you have a great week!

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    1. I hope so too! Up to this point, it's basically been a man battling strange and mythical creatures. Somewhere I saw it described as a mix between a fairy tale and a video game, but that is ALL it has been up to this point. The guy defeats a monster, gets sad about missing his family, defeats another monster, and so on. There is absolutely no POINT (yet -- hopefully one will be revealed later!).

      "The Moor" is great, definitely my favorite book of the series so far. I love the eerie atmosphere of the moor; King describes it so vividly!

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  7. Oooh, good to knkow about the new Deborah Harkness book! That's exciting!!!

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    1. I know, I can't wait! I hope I remember enough about the characters from the trilogy that I don't feel totally lost, though!

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