On My Nightstand June 7, 2025

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Another week of checking way too many books out of the library, and not reading any of them! This is the last really busy weekend, so hopefully I’ll get to some of them soon.

Quote of the week

“We could never have loved the earth so well if we had had no childhood in it, if it were not the earth where the same flowers come up again every spring that we used to gather with our tiny fingers as we sat lisping to ourselves on the grass, the same hips and haws on the autumn hedgerows, the same redbreasts that we used to call ‘God’s birds’ because they did no harm to the precious crops. What novelty is worth that sweet monotony where everything is known and loved because it is known?”
— The Mill On The Floss by George Elliot

On My Nightstand This Week

Paper book - I’m still working on Earl Swift’s Chesapeake Requiem and Across The Airless Wilds. Hoping I get some long nights with these on the porch soon.

Kindle - I started the nap dream that is Audition by Katie Kitamura. What a ride!

Audio - I was lucky enough to get Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten. Loving this.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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Walking Wednesday June 4, 2025

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Looking at the weather report this may be the last tolerable week before the humidity of summer starts. I’ve been taking advantage!

I got the new Stephen King book from my library so I had to jump on that. There’s a long like of people waiting behind me! I wasn’t exactly in the mood since I just finished a Stephen King book, but the holds list at the library is the boss!

June 2025 Garden Update

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It’s been a cool spring here which has been good for my cool weather plants. Some years it gets hot so early that we get a grand total of one pea before the plants die off. This year we’ve had a good crop. I had visions of stir fries but my daughter loves snow peas in her lunch so she’s been getting most of them with carrots, cherry tomatoes, and hummus. I’ve been snacking on the peas too, and loving fresh salads from my lettuce.

We have been loving watching the family of bunnies that have moved in this year. So far they are staying away from my garden aside from some Brussels sprouts and cilantro early on. Mostly they go after the clover in the lawn, so yay for not spraying weeds. I’m hoping we can keep this set up as the summer gets hotter.

I’ve just been listening to my regular audiobooks while I work outside. This time of year the work isn’t heavy so it’s manageable in a half hour or so every few days. Later though I’ll need some full days in the sun and some engrossing audiobooks to keep me going. I have a library book I want to read this month too - The Hungry Season by Lisa M Hamilton.

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My June 2025 TBR

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May Beginning TBR: 451
May Ending TBR: 490

Despite reading 19 books in May my TBR jumped up almost 40 books. Couldn’t help it. The summer reading lists are so good this year! So many new books from new to me authors and old favorites. I’m hoping it warms up enough soon so that I can sit on my porch at night. That’s when the best reading gets done.

Here are the twenty books I want to read in June (still working on my May list too.) It’s a mix of new releases and physical books I want to clear off my shelves.

1) The Boy With The Narwhal Tooth by Christoffer Petersen

2) Ghosted by Amanda Quain

3) Audition by Katie Kitamura

4) Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

5) The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

6) The Coming Wave by Mustafa Suleyman

7) The Hungry Season by Lisa M. Hamilton

8) Called Again by Jennifer Pharr Davis

9) The Coconut Layer Cake Murder by Joanne Fluke

10) Neither Here Nor There by Bill Bryson

11) Heart Lamp by Banu Mushtaq

12) Marilla of Green Gables by Sarah McCoy

13) Starter Villain by John Scalzi

14) Leaving Orbit by Margaret Lazurus Dean

15) Egg Drop Dead by Vivien Chien

16) Yukon Alone by John Balzar

17) New Girl in Little Cove by Damhnait Monaghan

18) Murder by Cheesecake by Rachel Ekstrom Courage

19) I’d Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman

20) The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

Happy reading all!

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On My Nightstand May 31, 2025

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I’m looking forward to a weekend in the yard which means audiobooks! We got a massive amount of rain last night so the weeds will come out easily today. Can’t wait to get that done. I think I’ll be looking for a spot to plant some more veggie seeds too. This spring has been so cool I think I’m going to be able to get away with a few more weeks of beans.

Tomorrow starts a new month, but I’m still in the middle of about 5 May reads. Whatever, this is not my year to meet deadlines- even the fake reading deadlines I set for myself.

Quote of the week

“No one ever owns a cat...You share a common habitation on a basis of equal rights and mutual respect...although somehow the cat always comes out ahead in the deal.”
— The Cat Who Turned On and Off by Lilian Jackson Braun

On My Nightstand This Week

Paper book - I’m still working on Earl Swift’s Chesapeake Requiem and Across The Airless Wilds. It’s going to take me a while, but it’s so worth the time.

Kindle - The Time In Between by Maria Duenas is just as good the second time as the first. I’m thinking I will finish this chunkster over the weekend.

Audio - I have a bunch of Stephen King books on the go. Right now I’m listening to The Dark Half (not sure if I read this when it first came out), then the new one, Never Flinch, and then finally a re-read of Firestarter. Stephen King books say summer to me.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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On My Nightstand May 24, 2025

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The calendar says it should feel like summer, but the weather says otherwise. I’m regretting that I put my winter clothes away. If you’re looking for me I’ll be under a blanket reading my books.

Quote of the week

“Let the world disapprove if we do what we know to be right; let us take no pride in society’s approval if it rises from that which we know to be wrong.”
— The Rushworth Family Plot Claudia Gray

On My Nightstand This Week

Paper book - I’m still working on Earl Swift’s Chesapeake Requiem. Once I started I realized I also had his other book Across The Airless Wilds out from the library and I’ve been going back and forth between the two. I love his writing so much. Hoping to finish one or both this weekend.

Kindle - I’m planning on starting one of the two books I have about the Spanish Civil War this weekend - The Palace at the End of the Sea by Simon Tolkien and The Time In Between by Maria Duenas.

Audio - I’ve been listening to Dr No by Percival Everett. What a crazy ride.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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Walking Wednesday May 21, 2025

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I love this part of the summer when it’s warm but not like sweaty devil’s breath warm. The roses apparently love it too because they’re blooming like mad. It was supposed to rain all week, but we’ve actually had some sunny days.

I’m between audiobooks, but am just about to start There’s Always This Year. I’ve been looking forward to this one since last summer!

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On My Nightstand May 16, 2025

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This school year is winding up with a bang! Prom is this weekend, plus the last of the league field hockey games, and year two of confirmation prep is almost done. I know I signed up to bring a bunch of different fruit trays to various places, so I need to sit down with my planner this weekend and figure that out. Grateful for Aldi and their wonderful fruit and veggie aisle.

I’m loving the extended evenings with light skies almost until my bed time. Reading on the porch to the sound of frogs signing is a balm in this fraught world.

Quote of the week

“She marveled briefly on how hard humans tried to shape the future, herself included, and how much it was really in the lap of the gods.”
— Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett

On My Nightstand This Week

Paper book - I finally started Chesapeake Requiem by Earl Swift and it’s really good! Can’t wait to get back to it tonight.

Kindle - I’m working on another mystery - A Muddied Murder by Wendy Tyson.

Audio - Yesterday I started Entitlement by Rumaan Alam. It’s promising so far!

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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Lunch and a Book Week 9

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Until I started growing my own lettuce I never knew lettuce had a taste. When I have lettuce from the garden it’s so good I don’t even need salad toppings- just some dressing and bread on the side. It feels so decadent to eat lettuce I picked that morning. This year I grew Burpee’s heatwave blend seeds, but we haven’t had any heatwaves yet to test it out. It’s still growing well in the cold rain.

Show Us Your Books May 2025

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April was a great reading month for me. I am really trying to work on cutting back on my social media use, and my progress is showing in my reading time. And in my ability to sleep at night without waking up in a panic to be honest. Win, win, win!

Here’s the best of the best from what I read in April:

5 Stars

Back After This by Linda Holmes - This was a sweet romance but also I LOVED the parts about content creation, taking charge of your career, not waiting for someone to notice you’re working hard, and constantly reinventing your business with shifting markets. Plus bonus, the book takes place in DC and has nothing to do with government and politics. Yes, people do live here, which is apparently a story that needs to be told more.

4 Stars

A Bit Much by Lyndsay Rush - This collection was fun and whimsical with a huge dose of unapologetic joy. You may know Lyndsay Rush as Maryoliversdrunkcousin on social media.

Murder on Devil’s Pond by Ayla Rose - This mystery was a step up from the usual cozy mystery. The characters were nuanced and the mystery was interesting. Plus it was set in Vermont and there was a big dog. I’ll be on the lookout for more from this author.

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn - A found family set in a 1950’s DC boarding house. I enjoyed getting to know each of the characters (including the house) although I think I would have liked it more if it were based on just one character. That’s just a personal preference though and this was a good read overall.

Baking Cakes in Kigali by Gaile Parkin - Angel is in Rwanda after the genocide while her husband works at the university. She raises her grandchildren and bakes cakes for events in order to make money. The tough topics of genocide and AIDS are not glossed over in this book, but it is full of hope and the power people have when they work together.

How We Learn To Be Brave by Mariann Edgar Budde - I listened to this a chapter a day during Lent and enjoyed it. As others have said it’s more of a memoir than an instruction manual but I liked the stories. I’m almost always interested in stories of women in power and how they got there. I wish she would do an update for the year 2025.

The Sisterhood by Liza Mundy - A very interesting but frustrating history of women at the CIA from the start until about 2018 ish. Recommend.

The Heiress by Molly Greeley - I enjoyed this slowly unfolding novel about Anne de Bourgh. It only briefly touched on the storyline from Pride and Prejudice but I liked the direction it took.

Happy reading!

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On My Nightstand May 10, 2025

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All of my travels are over for now, so I’m hoping for good weather this weekend. I need to spend some quality time with my garden! I think I should be able to start picking peas and lettuce this weekend which is exciting. Some years it gets too hot before I even can pick those cool weather crops. The big bunny who visits my yard ate all of my cilantro and mint so at least he’s a bunny that enjoys flavor.

I’m excited for all of the summer reading lists coming soon. I also have my own list of books to read before I turn 50, and #CampLitsy on the Litsy app. Again, I ask if anyone knows of any jobs that will pay me to read all day?

Quote of the week

“Growing up may be the most remarkable thing that anybody ever does.”
— A Jane Austen Education by William Deresiewicz

Barnes and noble westport, ct

On My Nightstand This Week

Paper book - Trying to decide between Chesapeake Requiem by Earl Swift and Good Soil by Jeff Chu.

Kindle - I have Murder Most Royal by SJ Bennett. I love these books, but they’re bitter sweet as the Queen gets older.

Audio - The Parrot and the Igloo by Dave Lipsky - This book is fascinating. I am really into it.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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Walking Wednesday May 7, 2025

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I’m back from what hopefully was my last trip for a while. I haven’t laughed as much as I did with my brothers and parents this weekend in a long time. I’m so glad I went, but boy am I ready to get back into a routine. I got a few walks in- we went to the beach, shopping where I saw the fanciest Barnes and Noble I’ve ever seen, and a long tour around the best bookstore ever, The Book Barn.

This week while I wander I’m listening to The Parrot and the Igloo by David Lipsky. It’s sobering.

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On My Nightstand May 3, 2025

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I’m hoping that after this weekend things will calm down enough so that I can start blogging regularly again and visiting others. Yesterday was decision day at my son’s high school and it made me really emotional to think that’s what we’ll be doing a year from now. So that’s a whole new thing to think about in the middle of the night. I’m a mess basically. Thankful for cats and books.

Quote of the week

“Hannah knew this road like she knew the lines on her sister’s face.”
— Murder on Devil's Pond by Ayla Rose

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - Fixing to Die by Miranda James - Last one in this series and I’m kind of glad. They’re pretty repetitive.

Audiobook - The Cruelest Month by Louise Penny - When life is too much and I can’t focus on anything I always return to Louise Penny.

Paper Book - No Nest For The Wicket by Donna Andrews - I guess I’m on a mystery kick this week. This book is a lot of fun.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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Walking Wednesday April 30, 2025

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Since I got back from vacation my steps counts have been higher than they have in a long time, but I haven’t been taking many pictures. So I’m going back to more vacation pictures this week.

I just started listening to The Cautious Traveller’s Guide To The Wastelands by Sarah Brooks. This was on my summer reading list last summer!

My May TBR

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On My Nightstand April 26, 2025

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We’re just back from our spring break trip to Western North Carolina. It was sad to see how much damage was done by Helene, but hopeful to see the recovery efforts. It was a great trip- we were outside most of the time hiking, riding bikes, or just reading on the porch.

Now we’re back and trying to hold on until the end of the school year. Every minute is packed this time of year, but it’s all fun stuff so I’m trying to enjoy. If only I could kick this cold I seem to have picked up somewhere.

Quote of the week

“I wondered exactly where that research had been done. Presumably the University of Unsupported Hunches, where I was guessing she was a tenured professor.”
— Back After This by Linda Holmes

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - The Rushworth Family Plot by Claudia Gray - Never got to this one last week. I’m looking forward to it though.

Audiobook - The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie - For a challenge- we’re reading these books in order. I’m not into this one as much as the others, but it may just be my mood.

Paper Book - The Earth Cries Out by Gary Gardner - I think I read the first chapter then forgot to pack it for vacation. Time to dive back in.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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On My Nightstand April 19, 2025

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I’ve been working on a little project. In 2027 I turn 50, and I wanted to put a list of books together that I should re-read before then. The result is 50 Before 50. I have a little under two years. Fingers crossed!

Happy Easter if you’re celebrating. It’s my favorite holiday all year. We’ll be eating out and doing some hiking.

Quote of the week

“You want me to host a show where somebody teaches me how to get a boyfriend. And it’s going to be sponsored by eating alone, drinking alone, dying alone, and cat toys.”
— Back After This by Linda Holmes

On My Nightstand This Week

Kindle - The Rushworth Family Plot by Claudia Gray - Very excited to have an ARC of this!

Audiobook - The Heiress: The Revelations of Anne de Borgh by Molly Greeley - I guess I’m on kind of a Jane Austen inspired books kick.

Paper Book - The Earth Cries Out by Gary Gardner - I have been meaning to read this forever. I am determined to read it this month for Earth Day.

This post is linked to The Sunday Post on Caffeinated Reviewer.

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Walking Wednesday April 12, 2025

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It’s been cool here and it seems to be having a good effect on the longevity of these blooms. I can’t stop walking under these trees and taking pictures. I’m not looking forward to the heat and humidity this summer, so every day I get to avoid taking out my summer clothes is a good day in my mind.

Right now I’m listening to The Man in the Brown Suit by Agatha Christie. I joined a challenge to read one Christie book a month in order. They’re usually pretty good for walking and listening.

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